Installing graphics drivers

Some of the drivers may be compressed (Zipped), in which case you’ll need to unzip them. Then, just run the installer by double clicking on it, and follow the onscreen instructions.

Uninstall the old drivers:

Some people may like to uninstall the older drivers completely first by using either Windows Add/ Remove programs, or a third party program. This often gives better results and so is worth doing if you are having problems, especially if you have reverted to older drivers.
One I have used is a free program called Driver Cleaner (archive download here) . There is a readme file included with Driver Cleaner which gives full instructions, and there is also detailed information on the website. There are also many other commercial programs available for cleanly removing drivers. Take care not to remove mainboard or other drivers inadvertently whilst doing this- especially if you have other devices of the same brand as your graphics chipset.

What do do if the newest drivers are causing graphical errors:
If you are still getting game errors with the newer drivers, there are some points you could try.
If you have just installed a new graphics card, it is always worth reinstalling DirectX . Also, try deleting My documents/ EA Games/ The Sims2/ Config/ userprops.xml. This contains details about your previous graphics settings and will be refreshed by the game when you next run it. If you are still having problems, try backing up your game files and reinstalling the Sims 2.
If you have upgraded your drivers to the newest ones and are still getting graphical errors you could try using some older drivers. The newest ones aren’t always compatible with The Sims2 (this is especially true for Nvidia). You can get older drivers from the manufacturers websites:
NVidia Archive
ATI Catalyst Archive
Guru Of 3D Archived ATI/ Nvidia/ SiS Drivers
S3, SiS and Intel also have archives on their websites.
Also, if you haven’t already, try cleaning out the older drivers as mentioned previously.

If you have an NVidia card and are having the bluescreen/ hourglass show often:
Check out this thread where other people are having that issue. Also try the suggestions in this forum and here .


If you upgraded your drivers to give you better game quality, but it still hasn’t worked, check that all of your settings are on high. If you do not have the high settings or your game still looks poor quality when on high, then you’ll need a more powerful card.

Next: Buying a new card