How to use NoCD-files in The Sims 2.

Hello users,


I made this post in order to give you instructions for "The Complete Collection" of The Sims 2, about people who not want to install all expansions or stuffpacks included in it.

Contrary to The Sims 3, in The Sims 2 you must apply a NoCD-file to the installation subfolder of the expansion or stuffpack that was released most recently, from the items that a user has installed. The following is a list of the official release order of the expansions and stuffpacks:


01)  "The Sims 2 University"
02)  "The Sims 2 Nightlife"
03)  "The Sims 2 Holiday Party Pack" 
04)  "The Sims 2 Open for Business"
05)  "The Sims 2 Family Fun" 
06)  "The Sims 2 Glamour Life" 
07)  "The Sims 2 Pets"
08)  "The Sims 2 Happy Holiday" 
09)  "The Sims 2 Seasons"
10)  "The Sims 2 Celebration" 
11)  "The Sims 2 H&M" 
12)  "The Sims 2 Bon Voyage"
13)  "The Sims 2 Teen Style" 
14)  "The Sims 2 Free Time"
15)  "The Sims 2 Kitchen and Bath Interior Design"
16)  "The SIms 2 Ikea Home" 
17)  "The Sims 2 Apartment Life"
18)  "The Sims 2 Mansion and Garden" 


I did include Nightlife and Celebrations in this list, although in the Complete Collection of G4TW, these 2 games are already included in the Double-Deluxe base game. Now, what you need to do is to ask yourselves which expansions or stuffpacks you have installed thus far, then check these installed items against the list I just posted. A few examples:

Example 1: you have installed University, Open for business, and then Mansion and Garden Stuff. "Mansion and Garden Stuff" was released more recently than University and Open for business. Hence you must apply the NoCD-file for Mansion and Garden stuff.

Example 2: you have installed Bon Voyage and FreeTime. You must apply the NoCD file for FreeTime, because it was released after Bon Voyage.

You should get the idea. Some additional notes now:




  In general, you just need to copy the corresponding folder in that pack, of the latest EP/SP that the user installed, into the install location C:\Program files (x86)\EA GAMES. When prompted, just choose "merge folders" as well as "replace files in the destination". If done correctly, that will replace the existing game .exe file with the pirated one. 



  You must apply all patches from the Complete Collection of G4TW, prior to applying these NoCD files to a particular EP ! Patches are available for all EPs, and the first stuffpack "Family Fun Stuff". So if you want to install Open for business, then you need to install all available patches that are included in the Complete Collection under "Open for business", prior to applying the NoCD-file. If you did not download the Complete Collection of G4TW and you are in need of the patch files, visit this site here, and use the patches there (hints: ignore the patches for the base game on the site, because the Double-Deluxe base game from G4TW is by default updated already to the latest available version. As for Pets and Seasons, use the download links under "disk patch notes").



  If you just want the "Double Deluxe" base game, then use only the folder "The Sims 2 Double Deluxe" from the download pack at the bottom. Again, this folder must be copied and pasted into C:\Program files (x86)\EA GAMES. The folders need to be merged and existing files need to be replaced.



 In the event that you need support for a base game that is not from Games4theworld, use the folder named "The Sims 2" in that download pack at the bottom of this post. 



 On a related note, if you are seeking support on the "Nightlife" EP, or the "Celebrations" SP, then look inside the folder "The Sims 2 Double Deluxe" in the download pack. The subfolder EP2 is for Nightlife, and the .exe file in it must be copied + pasted to C:\Program files (x86)\EA GAMES\The Sims 2 Nightlife\TSBin. The subfolder SP4 on the other hand is for the Celebrations stuffpack. The file in it must be copied to C:\Program files (x86)\EA GAMES\The Sims 2 Celebrations\TSBin. 

However, keep in mind that this is only going to happen if you downloaded these expansions from a different source than Games4theworld's "Complete Collection". Again, in the G4TW release, these 2 expansions will already be included during the installation of the Double-Deluxe base game. 



The "University"-folder in the download pack contains 2 disc image files. The bigger one, with the file ending .mdf must be mounted with an image mounting program such as Daemon tools or PowerISO. I have to admit, I did not test that one in particular, and should it not work please consider installing at least one additional expansion or stuffpack and apply the corresponding NoCD-file accordingly.



  A small note about #3 and #8 on the official release list: they are nearly the same (a bunch of Christmas-decoration items). The Complete Collection of G4TW only includes #8 though, as it is essentially the same as #3, but has even more items. There is no special crack needed for #8. I guess that in the event that you want to use only this "Happy Holiday Stuffpack" along side the base game, then you will need to apply the NoCD-files for the Double-Deluxe base game, and then simply install that Happy Holiday pack.



 Finally, note that all of this is not going to be needed that often, since 9 out of 10 users will want to install all expansions or stuffpacks anyway that are included in the Complete Collection available from G4TW. But still, it can be useful to be aware of what to do in the event that a user just wants some EPs/SPs. 


Good luck for now !

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