FIX: Open Sims2Pack files directly with Clean Installer on Linux Mint / Lutris
ok I have to document this because I spent way too long figuring it out 😭
If you’re using Linux Mint, Lutris, The Sims 2 Ultimate Collection and Sims2Pack Clean Installer, you might find that Clean Installer launches perfectly, but double-clicking a .Sims2Pack file either does nothing or crashes.
Turns out Clean Installer itself wasn’t the problem.
the problem
Linux passes the file to Clean Installer as a normal Linux path, for example:
$HOME/Downloads/120 Via Veronaville.Sims2Pack
But Clean Installer is a Windows program running through Wine, so it expects a Windows-style path.
Instead of understanding the Linux path, it may try to read it as something like:
C:\home\username\Downloads\120 Via Veronaville.Sims2Pack
That path does not exist inside the Wine prefix, so Clean Installer crashes with an error like:
System.IO.DirectoryNotFoundException Could not find a part of the path C:\home\username\Downloads\120 Via Veronaville.Sims2Pack
The fix is to convert the Linux path into a Wine-compatible Windows path before opening the file.
first, check your Sims 2 Wine prefix
This guide assumes your Sims 2 Wine prefix is located here:
$HOME/Games/the-sims-2
This is a common location for the osab Ultimate Collection installer, but your own installation may be somewhere else.
If your prefix is in a different location, replace:
$HOME/Games/the-sims-2
with the correct path for your own setup.
check where Clean Installer is installed
This guide assumes the Clean Installer executable is located here:
$HOME/Games/the-sims-2/drive_c/Program Files (x86)/CleanInstaller/Sims2Pack Clean Installer.exe
If yours is somewhere else, update that path in the commands below.
check the Wine path for a Sims2Pack file
Open Terminal and run:
WINEPREFIX="$HOME/Games/the-sims-2" winepath -w \ "$HOME/Downloads/120 Via Veronaville.Sims2Pack"
Replace the example filename with the name of a real Sims2Pack file in your Downloads folder.
On my setup, the command returned:
S:\Downloads\120 Via Veronaville.Sims2Pack
Your result may be different.
Some Wine prefixes may return something beginning with:
Z:\home\username\...
That is fine. The important thing is that winepath converts the Linux path into a path that Wine can understand.
test Clean Installer manually
Before creating the double-click launcher, test that Clean Installer can open a Sims2Pack file when it is given the correct Wine path.
Run:
WINEPREFIX="$HOME/Games/the-sims-2" wine \ "$HOME/Games/the-sims-2/drive_c/Program Files (x86)/CleanInstaller/Sims2Pack Clean Installer.exe" \ "S:\Downloads\120 Via Veronaville.Sims2Pack"
Replace the final path with the result you received from the winepath command.
If Clean Installer opens and displays the contents of the Sims2Pack file, the program itself is working correctly.
create a launcher script
The launcher script will automatically convert whichever Sims2Pack file you double-click into a Wine-compatible path.
Open Terminal and run:
mkdir -p ~/.local/bin nano ~/.local/bin/sims2pack-cleaninstaller
Paste this into the file:
#!/bin/bash export WINEPREFIX="$HOME/Games/the-sims-2" PACKAGE="$(winepath -w "$1")" wine \ "$HOME/Games/the-sims-2/drive_c/Program Files (x86)/CleanInstaller/Sims2Pack Clean Installer.exe" \ "$PACKAGE"
Save the file by pressing:
Ctrl + O
Press Enter, then exit Nano by pressing:
Ctrl + X
Now make the script executable:
chmod +x ~/.local/bin/sims2pack-cleaninstaller
create the Linux application entry
Now create a desktop application entry so Linux Mint can display Clean Installer in the Open With menu.
Run:
mkdir -p ~/.local/share/applications nano ~/.local/share/applications/sims2pack-cleaninstaller.desktop
Paste this:
[Desktop Entry] Type=Application Name=Sims2Pack Clean Installer Comment=Install The Sims 2 Sims2Pack files Exec=/bin/bash -c '"$HOME/.local/bin/sims2pack-cleaninstaller" "$1"' dummy %f Terminal=false NoDisplay=false MimeType=application/x-sims2pack;application/octet-stream; Categories=Utility;
Save it with Ctrl + O, press Enter, then exit with Ctrl + X.
Refresh the desktop application database:
update-desktop-database ~/.local/share/applications
check how Linux identifies Sims2Pack files
Run:
xdg-mime query filetype \ "$HOME/Downloads/120 Via Veronaville.Sims2Pack"
Again, replace the example filename with a real Sims2Pack file.
If the command returns:
application/x-sims2pack
run:
xdg-mime default sims2pack-cleaninstaller.desktop application/x-sims2pack
If it returns:
application/octet-stream
run:
xdg-mime default sims2pack-cleaninstaller.desktop application/octet-stream
set it through the file manager
You can also set the default application manually:
Right-click a .Sims2Pack file.
Choose Open With.
Select Sims2Pack Clean Installer.
Set it as the default application.
Make sure you do not select Winetricks.
At one point my Sims2Pack files were associated with Winetricks, which caused a warning about the Wine prefix instead of opening Clean Installer.
the result
Double-click a Sims2Pack file.
Clean Installer opens automatically.
The lot or custom content appears immediately.
No need to paste a command into Terminal every time.
about the terminal warnings
You may still see Wine messages such as:
ZwLoadDriver failed to create driver winebth CoGetContextToken apartment not initialised LISTVIEW_WindowProc unknown msg 109d
These messages did not stop Clean Installer from working on my system.
The important error was the DirectoryNotFoundException. That disappeared as soon as the Linux path was converted into a Wine-compatible path.
important notes
The paths in this guide may not exactly match your own installation.
You may need to change:
the location of your Sims 2 Wine prefix
the location of the Clean Installer executable
the name and location of your Sims2Pack file
Using $HOME means you do not need to replace someone else’s Linux username with your own.
one last tip for Linux beginners
If you’re new to Linux and any part of this guide is confusing, paste this entire post into ChatGPT or another AI assistant and explain your own setup.
Tell it:
which Linux distribution you use
whether you use Lutris, Bottles or plain Wine
where your Sims 2 Wine prefix is located
where Clean Installer is installed
what error message you are receiving
Ask it to adapt the commands to your own paths rather than copying everything blindly.
Hopefully this saves somebody else from spending hours wondering why Clean Installer launches perfectly but refuses to open the actual Sims2Pack file 😅
