Installing from my old disks--Seeking Advice

Hello! I have been depending on Leefish for a few years to help run Ultimate Collection on Windows 10 on my old computer. I appreciate all the information and graphics rules, so much.

I'm hoping my question will also be helpful to others and I searched for the information before posting. Within a week I am finally getting a Sims 2 dedicated computer, and it will be Windows 7 (Yippee!!). I want to install the game from my original disk set to be able to use utilities like SimPE more fully again, plus many other reasons. Long story short, it's been a long time since I used my disks and I'm seeking advice on installing them on my new system without installing Securom.

Do I need to prevent the new computer from contacting the internet? I know ( I think) that Securom was added with Bon Voyage. I am prepared to keep the computer offline if necessary.

Is this the correct procedure:
Install all the games and patches (I have Double Deluxe) up to Mansion & Garden in a folder called "Game." (Not in Program Files). Then use "George" to start the game for the first time to prevent the game from calling "home."

Thank you for any pointers or advice you can give me to help me keep Securom off my new system and be able to install the game again.

I think that sounds entirely correct. There is, however, one special provision that I would make; a detail that you don't mention: install all the packs in the order in which they were released, and patch each of them before continuing to the next pack!

Also, it is advised to make sure that Windows auto-update feature will be turned off completely. Because you do NOT want to trust Micro$oft; they may find ways to sneak stuff onto your system that makes upgrading to Win10 all but inevitable. And that would be a fatal screw-up.

OK, thank you, I am so worried I'll miss something critical when I set up, and make a fatal screw-up!

I was wondering about the risks of auto-update with windows 7. I read that Windows 7 upgrades to Windows 10 are no longer in effect so it's good to know that the auto-update is still a pitfall to avoid.

If Windows auto-update is turned off completely, and I use George, can the computer be connected to the internet? I figure it is possible to put everything I need to play and manage the game on external disks to move them to the Sims 2 computer without internet access. But if it isn't necessary or highly recommended to keep it offline that would be good to know.

Thank you again for your help, I am grateful!

I'm on Win7 with auto-update disabled, playing the CD/DVD version of TS2, not with George, but with an older noCD executable. I'm online 24/7, and I'm not having any issues. Does that answer your question, @ShannonSimsFan??

However, I thought of two other things that you might look into:
1. Just to be safe, do search the internet for info on avoidance and removal of SecuROM, just in case it rears its ugly head anyway. You never know.
2. Using IE is risky, because it offers Micro$oft yet another way to sneak undesirable stuff into your system. So get rid of Internet Explorer, and put a Gecko-style browser in its place. I use FireFox, but there are plenty others.

Better safe than sorry.

BO - What anti-virus are you using?

I've moved all my business stuff to a Win10 machine (ugh!) - and my old 7 machine is now for TS2 and DragonAge only. YAY! (Guess which machine I like the best? LOL!)
...anywho... I'm already tired of dragging files/houses-to-upload back and forth between machines. Surely MTS2 and LeeFish are safe sites to connect with, right? If I'm not 'surfing the web', I can still connect? (I use Firefox.) Do I need an antivirus besides the old W7 Security Essentials (which is no longer updated, right?)

Sorry to hi-jack a bit, ShannonSimsFan, but this is kinda relevant for you too - right?

Oh, and, on topic, here's a terrific guide to setting up the sims from disc (especially if you don't want a lot of extra sims everywhere):
Kiri's Setting Up Sims 2

Since it's a dedicated ts2 computer, I agree with BO about turning off windows updates. You will need to remove securom, but there is a tool to do it. https://support.securom.com/removaltool.html
Then use a no/cd exe.

Catherine I would not rely on windows for your av. Avast is a really great one. It's lightweight and you can put in silent mode and let it do it's thing. And free. The only downside is it installs a browser, which I just uninstall immediately. I would not worry about most dedicated TS2 sites, but tumblr is another story or links that lead off site. AdFly is a cesspool of virus', and many tumblr links use them.

Thanks, HL! I've used Avast before (back in my Vista days) and I don't do tumblr (well, if I did, I would consider that 'surfing' and do that on the W10 machine. LOL!)

OK. I'll go check out Avast ...ye hearty's. *sigh* Couldn't resist

@CatherineTCJD - I do not use ANY anti-virus system. I rely on the basic protection built into the router/modem provided by my ... provider, and my good sense to avoid clicking anything that might look even remotely suspicious. And I hardly ever actually download anything, except from a few select sites where I know that the chance of infection is either minimal or non-existent. And somehow, I must be doing it right. Because in over 20 years online, the one and only time that any of my computers got infected, was the one time that I consciously CHOSE to infect it by opening a file that I *knew* was dangerous. Never tried any of that again!

But I don't expect anyone else to live by the same philosophy as I, nor would I recommend it. For most others, this would truly be 'living dangerously'. Especially if, like me, they have only ONE machine. Anyway, as a result of my online life-style, it's impossible for me to advise on the choice of AV-solution to install. Sorry.

@HugeLunatic: when installing AVast, isn't there any option to choose whether you WANT that browser or not? I've never seen any software where the installer forced extra software without offering the choice to disable that.

Posted by BoilingOil - Yesterday 10:10 AM
“I'm on Win7 with auto-update disabled, playing the CD/DVD version of TS2, not with George, but with an older noCD executable. I'm online 24/7, and I'm not having any issues. Does that answer your question, @ShannonSimsFan??”

Yes, that completely puts my mind at ease about being connected to the internet with the new dedicated Sims 2 computer. Well, almost completely, since I could always make a stupid mistake at some point! But I am hoping the computer shop can repair my current laptop and I will use it or my husband’s computer, or my iPad, to do non-game management stuff that I need to do on a computer (including surfing on Tumblr!). Thanks for the pointer about IE, too!

@CatherineTCJD, I don’t mind at all that you brought up anti-virus! It is definitely relevant and it’s helpful to hear a bit of your experience with keeping your Win 7 machine off the internet and dragging files. I have imagined that would become tiresome and require more patience on my part, and was mentally preparing for that. Thanks for the link to Kiri’s tutorial too! I don’t think I’ve come across that one and know it will be helpful.

Over the past two years I’ve learned a lot about managing my game but Securom is something I haven’t successfully tackled before. Last time I tried to remove it (which was as early as 2011 and as late as 2013; I can’t remember exactly) I may have ended up messing up my registry and that’s when I could no longer access my original disk set. Then I bought Sims 2 again on disk through Amazon and eBay, and later grabbed Ultimate Collection because I wanted to have different legal options to play the game before it became obsolete. My fear for a while has been no longer being able to access Sims 2. At the time I was pretty lost and gave up fairly quickly when I tried to find help to fix it or find a noCD method online. But I am better at following directions now and feel a little more confident about asking for help online.

Thank you, @HugeLunatic, for the link for securom removal. Does securom get installed on the computer as soon as you install Bon Voyage, even if you don’t connect to the internet or Origin to start the game? If so I understand why you are saying to remove it, then use the noCD. Thanks for the information about Avast, too; I didn’t know about that program. Anti-virus is another thing I’ve been wondering about because I figure in initial set up the new computer may prompt for an anti-virus. I think the computer has a minimal set up without ads, which is going to be really nice after dealing with commercial systems full of stuff I never wanted.

@ShannonSimsFan as far as I'm aware, SecuROM would get installed, the first time you start TS2 after installing BV or any pack that was released after it. Doesn't matter if you go through Origin, or start the program directly. In fact, I don't believe the disk-based version even connects to Origin.
But if you replace the executable with George or any noCD program before starting the game for the first time, you should not need to be afraid of that, because the intention of such programs is specifically to prevent the installation of SecuROM. We just wanted you to be aware of the resources on how to remove SecuROM just in case something might go wrong. Because you never know...

Just like the boy scouts, "Always be prepared".

Anyway, you're going in being well informed and well prepared this time. So nothing should go wrong.
Good luck from me, and from all who would allow me to speak on their behalf (which I wouldn't if I were them! Hehehe).