From The Sims Zone you'll usually be downloading Zip files. These can be opened with a tool like WinZip, from
www.winzip.com. Other fansites might also be using RAR files, which can be opened by WinRar,
www.rarsoft.com. Installation for other file types are described below.
Extract a Zip or Rar file to any temporary directory on your hard disk (e.g. your desktop). This will place a few files in there, along with possible readme files etc. Readme files can be deleted if you want, though it's recommended to read them before continuing installing the downloads. Some require you to follow special instructions!
Once extracted, you'll get one of the following files:
Sims2Skin or Sims2Pack files (which is also what you download directly from the official site) can be installed by just double-clicking them. This will execute the Sims 2 Content Installer which will guide you through installing the download. It might be that another program 'hijacked' the association, which will cause that program to be launched to install the files (e.g. the
Sims2Pack Clean Installer). In that case, check the documentation for that program for help. Once the download has been installed, the original Sims2Pack or Sims2Skin file can be deleted.
Package files must be, unless otherwise stated in a readme file, to "My Documents\EA Games\The Sims 2\Downloads". This is NOT the path where the Sims 2 itself was installed to, but the current My Documents folder of the Windows user that's logged in. This might mean that if you install a download for one user, it might not be available to others. If the downloads folder doesn't exist, you can create it. Once the file is installed, the game will automatically find the downloads.
IMPORTANT NOTES:
Make sure the Sims 2 is not running while installing any downloads.
Some files might require an expansion pack. See the requirements, or a readme file, for information about this.
Object recolours might require the
Colour Enabler Package (CEP) from the
SimPE website. You can find it through our
Utilities section.
Note that Sims 1 files will not work in the Sims 2 or vice versa. Programs made to install files to the Sims 1 will also not work with the Sims 2, and will not install the downloads.
An unsupported drag-and-drop installer is the
Sim File Maid 2. This might be useful for just installing files by dragging them to its window, but support for the program is not given by the author or The Sims Zone. There might be other installers in the future.