1. Download the base template and gather all your CDs together. Extract the base template to C:\sims2.

2. To simplify things a bit, download and install Izarc (see previous page). Open the program and go to the Explorer Enhancements tab and tick all of the boxes. Ok and close Izarc.

   
   Setting up Izarc

3. Insert your Sims 2 CD 1 (the original game) into the drive and hold down the left-shift key while inserting the CD to stop Windows from running the disk. Copy everything from the disk into C:\sims2\base.

4. Right-click on the file "compressed.zip", point to Izarc and select "Extract here". This will take a while depending on the speed of your computer.

   
   How to extract a file (do this on "compressed.zip", not the file shown here)

5. When complete, copy the contents of Sims 2 CD 2 (original game) to the C:\sims2\base folder, and say Yes when prompted that files will be replaced. This includes "compressed.zip".

6. Right-click on the file "compressed.zip", point to Izarc and select "Extract here". This will take a while depending on the speed of your computer.

7. Repeat steps 5 and 6, using CD 3 and CD 4 respectively to firstly copy and then extract the "compressed.zip" file. When you've done all four CDs, you can delete compressed.zip.

8. You now need to repeat the process for each EP that you own and copy them to their own folders:

   • Copy University CD 1 to the C:\sims2\uni folder, extract compressed.zip using the "Extract here" option, then copy CD 2 to the same folder and repeat. Once you've extracted compressed.zip from the second CD, you can delete it from the uni folder.

   • Copy the Nightlife CD 1 to the C:\sims2\nightlife folder and do the same thing again with compressed.zip for CD 1, and again for CD 2.

   • Repeat for Open For Business. This is only one CD, so copy the lot to C:\sims2\ofb and extract and then delete compressed.zip.

   • Do the same thing again for Pets. This is a single DVD, copy it all to C:\sims2\pets, extract and then delete compressed.zip.

In the base folder, open the file "autorun.inf" into Notepad and replace the entire contents with this, this will stop the installer from asking for Disk 2 et al.

--
[autorun]
open=Setup.exe
Icon=Sims2.ico
Name=The Sims 2

[Special]
Disk=1,4
--

This is the file you need to edit for each expansion pack

Save the file and open up "common_filelist.txt" into Notepad. Replace everything in it with this and save it:

--
1,1,sims2_uninst.exe
1,1,eauninstall.ico
1,1,TSBin\1.0.0.932
1,1,TSBin\Sims2.exe
1,1,TSData\Res\*.* /s
1,1,TSData\Sys\*.* /s
1,1,Support\*.* /s
1,1,eauninstall.exe
1,1,TSData\Control\control0.dat
1,1,Sims2.ico
1,1,CSBin\1.0.0.932
1,1,CSBin\PackageInstaller.exe
1,1,CSBin\properties.txt
1,1,CSBin\TS2BodyShop.exe
1,1,TSData\Control\control1.dat
1,1,TSData\Control\control2.dat
1,1,TSData\Control\control3.dat
--

In the Uni folder, open "common_filelist.txt" into Notepad and replace everything in it with this:

--
1,1,Support\*.* /s
1,1,eauninstall.exe
1,1,TSBin\Sims2EP1.exe
1,1,TSData\Res\*.* /s
1,1,TSData\Sys\*.* /s
1,1,TSData\Control\*.* /s
1,1,TSBin\*.* /s
1,1,CSBin\1.1.0.230
1,1,CSBin\PackageInstaller.exe
1,1,CSBin\properties.txt
1,1,CSBin\TS2BodyShop.exe
1,1,TSData\Control\control0.dat
1,1,Sims2EP1.ico
1,1,Sims2EP1_uninst.exe
1,1,eauninstall.ico
1,1,TSBin\TS2UPD.exe
1,1,Support\OpenSSL_License.txt
1,1,Support\OpenSSL_License_FR.TXT
1,1,TSData\Control\control1.dat
1,1,TSData\Control\control2.dat
1,1,TSData\Control\control3.dat
1,1,TSData\Control\control4.dat

--

In the Nightlife folder, open "common_filelist.txt" and replace its contents with this:

--
1,1,Support\*.* /s
1,1,eauninstall.exe
1,1,TSBin\Sims2EP2.exe
1,1,TSData\Res\*.* /s
1,1,TSData\Sys\*.* /s
1,1,TSData\Control\*.* /s
1,1,TSBin\*.* /s
1,1,CSBin\1.2.0.312
1,1,CSBin\PackageInstaller.exe
1,1,CSBin\properties.txt
1,1,CSBin\TS2BodyShop.exe
1,1,TSData\Control\control0.dat
1,1,Sims2EP2.ico
1,1,Sims2EP2_uninst.exe
1,1,eauninstall.ico
1,1,TSBin\TS2UPD.exe
1,1,Support\OpenSSL_License.txt
1,1,Support\OpenSSL_License_FR.TXT
1,1,TSData\Control\control1.dat
1,1,TSData\Control\control2.dat
1,1,TSData\Control\control3.dat
1,1,TSData\Control\control4.dat
--

The Open for Business folder with a file called "common_filelist.txt" in it should be revised as follows:

--
1,1,Support\*.* /s
1,1,eauninstall.exe
1,1,TSBin\Sims2EP3.exe
1,1,TSData\Res\*.* /s
1,1,TSData\Sys\*.* /s
1,1,TSData\Control\*.* /s
1,1,TSBin\*.* /s
1,1,CSBin\1.3.0.249
1,1,CSBin\PackageInstaller.exe
1,1,CSBin\properties.txt
1,1,CSBin\TS2BodyShop.exe
1,1,TSData\Control\control0.dat
1,1,TSData\Control\control1.dat
1,1,TSData\Control\control2.dat
1,1,TSData\Control\control3.dat
1,1,TSData\Control\control4.dat
1,1,Sims2EP3.ico
1,1,Sims2EP3_Uninst.exe
1,1,eauninstall.ico
1,1,TSBin\TS2UPD.exe
1,1,Support\OpenSSL_License.txt
1,1,Support\OpenSSL_License_FR.TXT

--

Finally, Pets should look like this:

--
1,1,Support\*.* /s
1,1,eauninstall.exe
1,1,TSBin\Sims2EP4.exe
1,1,TSData\Res\*.* /s
1,1,TSData\Sys\*.* /s
1,1,TSData\Control\*.* /s
1,1,TSBin\*.* /s
1,1,CSBin\1.6.0.259
1,1,CSBin\PackageInstaller.exe
1,1,CSBin\properties.txt
1,1,CSBin\TS2BodyShop.exe
1,1,TSData\Control\control0.dat
1,1,TSData\Control\control1.dat
1,1,TSData\Control\control2.dat
1,1,TSData\Control\control3.dat
1,1,TSData\Control\control4.dat
1,1,Sims2EP4.ico
1,1,Sims2EP4_Uninst.exe
1,1,eauninstall.ico
1,1,TSBin\TS2UPD.exe
1,1,TSBin\TS2UPD0.exe
1,1,Support\OpenSSL_License.txt
1,1,Support\OpenSSL_License_FR.TXT

--