The troubles continue...

[strangetomato]

So things continued to work just fine with adding the EPs and SPs back in, until I arrived at Bon Voyage. This would be where SecuROM first made an appearance, so wanting to avoid that whole mess, I have switched to running the game with a no-cd crack. And here seems to be where my problems lie. It won't run. I get the same message as seen in this post. I tried running it with FT, AL, and M&G Stuff as the most recent EP, all with the same result. This seems to somehow be the issue, but what exactly is going wrong?

I have updated my graphics card drivers, made sure I have the latest full DirectX9.0c Redistributable installed, as directed by several tech support forums for this exact issue (DirectX9 incompatibility), but none of those things seemed to help. I am also running Sims 3 with a no-cd crack with no issues. I'm even using the same cracks I had on my old computer, which worked just fine then. *sigh*

If anyone has any ideas on what's going wrong here, I'd love to hear them. Any help at all would be greatly appreciated.

Comments

[meetme2theriver.livejournal.com]

Hmm... :/ May I suggest trying an, err, "SecuROM-free" version of Bon Voyage, just to see if that helps?

It could also be that Windows 7 is having some sort of weird problems with running the modifed .exe, and that the DirectX error message is just a symptom, not the actual cause of the problem, if that makes sense. I know that's not very helpful, though...

(Btw, sorry I haven't replied to your PM yet, I've been kinda busy over the past few days, but I'll find the time soon!)

[strange-tomato.livejournal.com]

Hmm, yes. Perhaps. That might be worth a shot. I'm willing to give just about anything a try here, just to see if it helps.

Then again, if it was an issue with the modified .exe, wouldn't I also have the same problem with Sims 3?

(No problem. :) I'm pretty all over the place with time online and getting to replies, so I more than understand.)

[miss-amaretto.livejournal.com]

I agree with meetme, here. Maybe a "SecuROM-free" version would be the best!

I installed M&G, given to me by my boyfriend, and when I used the CD, EVERY SINGLE TIME my antivirus acted up, telling me my CD was infected. So, I kept the game installed, since I don't see any problems (YET), I just found a no-cd crack.

[strange-tomato.livejournal.com]

Yeah, I don't want to touch SecurROM with a ten foot pole, so no-cd cracks or a "SecuROM-free" version would really be my only options here. Funny how that works, eh EA?

[hidden-kitten.livejournal.com]

Ensure that your game is updated to the same version that the crack is for. And, of course, that you're using the proper crack (obviously, the one fot the most recent EP, which is actually M&G if you have everything. I'm pretty sure).

[strange-tomato.livejournal.com]

Thanks for this! Both are important things to keep in mind, for sure. It's been so long, it's easy for me to forget all these details.

[ambient-ghoul.livejournal.com]

Try using a virtual cd instead of a no-cd crack. Virtual Clone Drive or Daemon Tools?

[strange-tomato.livejournal.com]

I'm not really familiar with using a virtual cd, but I'll look into that. Thanks!

[so-goshable.livejournal.com]

Maybe the file got corrupted. Have you tried redownloading it? I use a fixed EXE crack by RELOADED on Win 7, and so far that hasn't given me any problems. *knocks on wood* I've had the DX9 error before on Vista, even though I run DX10. I forget what the problem was, but it was easily fixable. Thinking back, this may have been when I got a new graphics card.

[strange-tomato.livejournal.com]

That sounds worth a shot. It wouldn't hurt to try another download. I sure hope this ends up being an easy fix. Thanks for the input!

[sullivansims.blogspot.com (from livejournal.com)]

Well, when I had that issue with Windows 7 and TS2, I panicked. I updated drivers, I reinstalled DirectX - all the things you tried.

I ended up reinstalling but half way through the (very long) process, I realised I had placed the NoCD in the wrong folder. I don't know why that would cause that particular pop-up to show up but once I finished the installation and put the NoCD in the right folder, all was well. I haven't had any issues booting up since.

I hope it's a simple fix like that for you!

[untidyfan.livejournal.com]

I had the same problem, and like Sullivan, I discovered I had put the crack in the wrong folder. I thought I had found the correct folder, but apparently not.

[strange-tomato.livejournal.com]

What was the location of the correct folder for you? Are you using Windows 7?

I currently have it in C:\Program Files (x86)\EA GAMES\The Sims 2 Bon Voyage.

The (x86) part throws me, but that's seems to be the only location of the EA GAMES folder.

[sullivansims.blogspot.com (from livejournal.com)]

Yes, I'm using Windows 7. To me, it does look like you've got the NoCD in the wrong place. I have mine in EA Games/The Sims 2/The Sims 2 Mansion and Garden Stuff/TSBin. The NoCD needs to replace the game exe and there is no game exe in the M&G folder (or the BV folder)/ The exes are all in the TSBin folders.

Make sure you've got the NoCD in the TSBin folder for your latest expansion too. I notice you told me you had it in the BV folder but mentioned in your post that you had also installed FT, AL and M&G. Not sure if that's still the case, but that would be screwing you up too, if so.

[sullivansims.blogspot.com (from livejournal.com)]

Duh, just noticed you tried this and it worked! I'm so glad you have your game running again. :D

I'm relieved to hear I'm not the only one who has ever made this mistake!

[strange-tomato.livejournal.com]

Thanks for your help! :) I really appreciate it.

[strange-tomato.livejournal.com]

I've considered that it might be in the wrong location, but this is where I used to place the no-cd .exe file. Is there something about Windows 7 that makes it different?

Where did you end up placing it? I currently have it in C:\Program Files (x86)\EA GAMES\The Sims 2 Bon Voyage. The (x86) part is different from my previous computer. I also have a folder called simply Program Files, but EA GAMES isn't in there.

[samethana.livejournal.com]

You have to place it in TS Bin. I've had this happen too when I reinstalled a while ago. Kept getting DirectX errors while I just placed the no CD thingie in the wrong spot.

[strange-tomato.livejournal.com]

Yes! That's it. It worked. :D

As soon as I read that about the TS Bin, I knew it sounded familiar. I even checked back to my written instructions for placing the no-cd crck and those exact directions were there. How did I miss that? Duh doy!

I'm glad I'm not the only one who made this mistake. XD

[samethana.livejournal.com]

It's easy to overlook it I think. Once you see the .exe thingie in the game folder you think it must be that one and replace it :)
Anyway, I'm glad I could help you with it.

[strange-tomato.livejournal.com]

Yeah, that makes sense. I saw it and was like, "Oh there it is," and instantly forget the rest of the instructions.

Thank you so much for your help. :)

(Editd because my smiley didn't have eyes. XD)

[maranatah.livejournal.com]

Have you tried running the game as an administrator? (right-click the game icon on desktop and select "run as administrator")

I had the same problem with my older computer, but it got fixed after I bought a better graphic card. All I can say is try deleting all your cache's, make sure your no-cd crack is in the right place and if necessary, try an arrr'd version of BV? I hope the issues will go away that you get to enjoy the game again!

[strange-tomato.livejournal.com]

Yes, I did try to run as administrator and also to troubleshoot compatibility and run it in a Windows XP mode. Neither of those things worked.

Thanks for all the suggestions. I'm going to try them all. I hope it isn't the graphics card itself that's simply not compatible.

[krolowa-francji.livejournal.com]

I would recommend downloading the megapack. You bought the games, so I don't see anything worng with downloading a version that WORKS,especially is EA support can't help you. It has all the games & SPs packed into one .iso, it doesn't require license keys and the cd, and it installs everything in one go, instead of having you switch cds 20 times. I really recommend it, it's such a convenience.

[strange-tomato.livejournal.com]

I wasn't aware that such a thing existed. I have things running right now, but that sounds like it would be very convenient if I ever need to uninstall and reinstall again. Is it SecuROM free?

Thank you for letting me know about that. :)