[Azimuth]

hey xyleigh,
first off, i don't think the mx series geforce cards are supported. check the readme included with the sims2 installation.
secondly, you're using directx9.0 when you must have directx9.0c installed for the game to work. it's included on the installation disk.

[Azimuth]

Originally Posted by aragornlor24

Yes, I ran the sims 2 perfectly, no problems whatsoever. I was even able to run it pretty well with only 192 MB of Ram. I've since upgraded to 486 MB, and it is a lot faster. However, once I installed the expansion things started to crash after a while. I'm afraid to play it now for fear that it will randomly crash and I won't have saved anything and I'll lose everything, which has happened a lot. Who wants to interrupt gaming to save every five minutes in case it crashes? I used to be so in love with the sims 2, but ever since I installed the expansion pack I just don't want to play it anymore because of computer problems. Each time it crashes I have to completely restart the computer and it takes forever. I just wish I'd been prepared to lose all my old families, which is what happened. I'm so saddened by that because as lame as it may sound I had become really attached to those sims and was looking forward to sending some of them to college.

erp, looks like you're ripe for a reinstallation of windows :P oh, and it's a good idea in future to backup up your documents folder regularly. not only do you never know when your game might crash and corrupt files, but windows occasionally generates devastating errors and it's just good sense to play safe.
on the other hand, you might find your save games still on your drive. unless you've reformatted, all your information is still there *somewhere*. you can dl programs to retrieve accidently deleted information. do a google search.
oh, and are you experiencing this problem with any other games or just the sims 2? random pc crashes are caused by all kinds of things. since you've recently added RAM, you might be experiencing power dips. also, and this is a failsafe, if you know what you're doing (and really, do be careful if you're new to this), open up your case and disconnect and reconnect EVERYTHING, checking that everything is nice and tight and dust-free. reinstall video and sound drivers too.
if NONE of this works, try reinstalling windows. winxp fortunately only takes about 30 minutes to install (minus automatic updates *cough*), so you've got nothing to lose. remember to back anything up to another (preferably physical) drive beforehand. i'm suspicious of your comment that restarting your pc takes forever, because it really shouldn't, especially with winxp which loads in under two minutes. i think you've got system problems and the crashing has nothing to do with the sims itself. good luck
i feel you pain, though. i'd be devastated if i lost my sim families after putting so much effort into them. they've got their own custom designer clothing and everything ;P i hope you manage to recover your file data.

[Xyleigh]

HI there.
Thanks for responding. INt he Readme file, under supported video cards, it says

NvIDIA GeForce series (GeForce2 and better)
GeForce 2
I figure that would cover mine since there are no letter specifics.

Also, I do have Direct X 9.0 C. I just ommited the c. Oopps!

Any other ideas??
Thanks!
I will try to get another graphics card, but money is pretty tight!

[Xyleigh]

I should add that I can run the body shop just fine. I'm not sure if that means anything or not.

[Xyleigh]

I believe I am going to have to get a new card. I'm on a serious budget, seeing as I just lost my job. Does anyone use this video card?? If so, will it run the Sims 2? Are there any other cheap recomendations out there? Thanks.

ASUS V9520-X/TD GeForce FX 5200 64-bit 128MB DDR AGP 8X w/ TV-Out, DVI-D

http://www.canadacomputers.com/cc/in...64&cid=999.821

[Azimuth]

Originally Posted by Xyleigh

I believe I am going to have to get a new card. I'm on a serious budget, seeing as I just lost my job. Does anyone use this video card?? If so, will it run the Sims 2? Are there any other cheap recomendations out there? Thanks.

ASUS V9520-X/TD GeForce FX 5200 64-bit 128MB DDR AGP 8X w/ TV-Out, DVI-D

http://www.canadacomputers.com/cc/in...64&cid=999.821

the computer i'm writing this on uses a geforce 5200 and has no problems running the sims 2. while it is a 256mb version, i'm sure 128mb will be more than adequate. there are one or known minor issues with the 5200, however, which are listed in the readme. nothing catastrophic, though. hopefully, this should clear it up.

[Azimuth]

Originally Posted by Xyleigh

HI there.
Thanks for responding. INt he Readme file, under supported video cards, it says

NvIDIA GeForce series (GeForce2 and better)
GeForce 2
I figure that would cover mine since there are no letter specifics.

Also, I do have Direct X 9.0 C. I just ommited the c. Oopps!

Any other ideas??
Thanks!
I will try to get another graphics card, but money is pretty tight!

oh, i should add that you've said you have an mx100/200 series - the readme says:
NVIDIA GeForce series (GeForce2 and better)
GeForce 2
GeForce 3, 3 Ti
GeForce 4, 4 Ti, MX 420, 440
GeForce FX 5200, 5600, 5700, 5800, 5900, 5950
GeForce 6600, 6800
i've actually never heard of a 100/200 series but it's highly likely it doesn't support t&l. therein lies the most likely source of your problem.

[Jackiefrost9]

Originally Posted by Azimuth

the computer i'm writing this on uses a geforce 5200 and has no problems running the sims 2. while it is a 256mb version, i'm sure 128mb will be more than adequate. there are one or known minor issues with the 5200, however, which are listed in the readme. nothing catastrophic, though. hopefully, this should clear it up.

Make sure you have an AGP 8X slot.

[TopDogg]

Please help, i just had my new graphics card installed, Radeon 9200SE, but my Sims won't work, when I click on the icon, the music starts, but no picture is displayed, but the music keeps playing. I checked the requirements and it shows Display Memory 0.0. Can anyone help me fix this, please?

Thanks

[Nemesis4502]

Hey i just got Sims 2 and when i got to the 3rd disk to install at 71% it can up with the errorTSData\RES\Catalog\Bins\globalcatbin.bundle.package could transffer or something along those lines. So after checking out some tech sites i decide to explore my disk to find the file and manualy take out the file, and as i go close to taking it out another error appeared, simularly saying it got transffer file to my desktop or anywhere. So i am pretty sure the file is corrupted and the disk is crap, is it possible to replace the file with out getting a new disk? Is it possible to use a friends disks or just the 3rd disk to install it? It would help alot if u can provide some help on what to do.
I'll probaly trade it in for a new 1....

And my experience depends on what topic, in this case i'm not what sure was to be done.

[Jackiefrost9]

Originally Posted by TopDogg

Please help, i just had my new graphics card installed, Radeon 9200SE, but my Sims won't work, when I click on the icon, the music starts, but no picture is displayed, but the music keeps playing. I checked the requirements and it shows Display Memory 0.0. Can anyone help me fix this, please?

Thanks

Who installed your video card?

Does this happen with any other game?

Have you tried re-installing The Sims?

Also do this for me:
Assuming you are running windows xp, go to start, right click on "my computer" (this may also be on your desktop), and go to manage. Click on the device manager. Click on display adapters to expand it. Make sure that there are no yellow exlamation marks or red X's next to any of them, and tell me what display adapters are under it.

[Matthew26]

I have a Radeon 9000 64mb, 512 MB of ram, 1.6 Ghz processor, about 140 gigs of hard disk space, but it will still lock up on me. What could be wrong?

[Matthew26]

Do you think that if I get the CD version, it will not lock up? Is it worth a shot? thanks a lot

[Azimuth]

Originally Posted by Matthew26

I have a Radeon 9000 64mb, 512 MB of ram, 1.6 Ghz processor, about 140 gigs of hard disk space, but it will still lock up on me. What could be wrong?

you need to be more specific - at what point does the game lock up? does anything weird happen with the sound when it locks up? can you get back to windows without restarting your computer? are you using directx9.0c? are you able to play the game for any length of time before it locks up? does performing a particular task cause the lock-up? are your sound and video drivers up to date? is your pc effectively cooled? have you defragged and scanned your harddrives recently? if you're using winxp, have you installed service pack 2?
have you tried reinstalling the game? have you tried clearing out your save data (in the documents folder) and then rerunning (make sure you back it up first)? do any of your other games lock up? is there any warning before the game locks up, like anything looking/sounding a bit odd?have you tried pulling up the console (ALT-SHIFT-C or CTRL-SHIFT-C, i forget which) and expanding it to see if the game is recording any errors before it locks up? are you using a legal copy of the game? have you hacked or modded the installation or added any objects you downloaded from any site besides the official sims 2 website?
DETAILS!

[Matthew26]

Well when it locks up I don't think there's anything specific causing it no weird noises either. But lately when it locks up there are little blue or green things above the sim's head and lately if freezes when either two sims are interacting or kissing . I can't get back to windows without restarting the computer. I am using directx9.0c. Well last night I played if for probably 4 or 5 hours ( I live in the middle of no where ) and it didn't lock up, but this morning it's been locking up a lot. Maybe my card is hot. Needs a break. I do have service pack 2. My computer is relatively new (5 or 6 months old) I have not defragged my hardrive since I've gotten the computer. I haven't tried re-installing the game. Nor have I tried clearing my save data. No warnings or anything. It's a legal copy. I've installed some skins, but it locked up before those, so I assume it's not those. I hope that's specific enough