How I got my Sims 2 game working on my new Windows 11 laptop, step by step.
OKAY. Gadies and Lentlemen.
I have seen plenty of these around, but I wanted to share my process!
So I bought an MSI creator laptop. The specs are as follows:
CPU: 13th gen Intel i7-13700H
RAM: 16 GB DDR5
GPU: NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4050 laptop GPU
Step One: Fresh install. I used the EA App to install the UC version on my new laptop.
Step Two: Download and install RPC launcher. This will automatically apply the 4gb patch. Run as administrator, but not in any kind of compatibility which renders the 4gb patch useless.
Step Three: Download and install Graphics Rule Maker. I used all of the recommended settings, aside from texture memory which I set at 2048 mb for reasons that will become clear later.
Step Four: Memory allocation fix (empty standby list). Explanation here.
Step Five: Setting virtual memory. I used instructions from this post at MTS - My virtual memory paging file is now minimum of 25000 and maximum of 30000. You'll need to adjust to your system's own specs.
Step Six: In game settings. Shadows Off. Neighbours Off. Lighting Medium. RPC Settings. Apply 4GB patch. Automatically Clean Cache. Lot Imposters Optimized. Sim/Object Shadows Classic. I also have lot view ocean reflections ticked.
If your game works like this with no flashing and crashing, awesome. Mine did not. I firstly tried several different texture memory sizes, but they had 0 impact.
I believe the next step is only for NVIDIA cards, but may be wrong.
Step Seven: DXVK. The most recent version from, here. There are plenty of instructions on how to install out there. But make sure you install the 32bit version. I have these two following lines in my DXVK.conf file (and do make sure it is saved as a conf file, NOT a txt or similar).
d3d9.maxAvailableMemory=2048
d3d9.presentInterval=0
The first line corresponds to the texture memory mentioned earlier. DXVK installs won't recognise more than that and having it higher can cause crashes apparently. The second line... No idea what it does but it was mentioned in several guides and reddit posts.
I don't know if the newer versions of DXVK allow fullscreen mode as the older ones did not, but I play in borderless mode anyway which works.
I also delete my thumbnails folder every so often.
I hope this helps someone, this silly old game can be cantankerous but I was determined to get it running again!
ill try this once im leaving my slump
