Strange problem, and I doubt anyone will be able to help me, but I'm going to throw this out there anyway.

So after a couple of hiccups (strictly due to my new graphics card), I managed to transfer my Sims2 installation on my old Windows 7 machine to my Window 8.1 machine.

I'm in game, playing my old neighborhood and my old self-sim, and all my custom content (hacks) is working, and all my custom objects are still on the lot and fully functional. Very important, this.

The strange thing is that none of my custom objects show up in the Buy panels anymore. So, for instance, I have Monique's computer already on the lot, and it works fine proving that the .package file was loaded fine, but I can't buy another one! Or if I start a new lot, I can't use it because I can't buy it.

I enable custom content at startup (obviously), and I've deleted both the cache files and all the thumbnail packages, but that didn't help.

Any ideas? Oh, and this also applies to CAS, as well. I some custom clothes, and Sims I had already made are still wearing them (again, proving they are loading fine), but when I go to create a new Sim, these custom clothes don't show up.

Check under setting, where you set sound and options and check that cc is turned on.

Oh, fudge. I just came back here to delete this bonehead thread. I swear I searched the forum (given you are forced to before you can actually post), but though the search didn't yield the post, looking at the main page about 3/4 down was my exact same question.

Of course, in there, the solution was the same as what you said. (Well, sort of. I already had CC enabled, but there is a separate option to have CC show up in the catalog. That I didn't have enabled.)

I'm such a bonehead.

Thanks, though, that solved the problem!!

(Mods, since this is really a duplicate thread, I won't be offended if you delete it.)

Also, you need to restart the game after the first time you set to enable.

No worries I kind of did the same thing + a thread a few days back. I couldn't see some recolours and forgot I had cc off under in game settings. I often switch it off and on in game just so I can find the Maxis objects among my haul of cc.

CalBrat he means the in game settings, the ones you can turn off and on.

Sorry to hijack this thread, but I have a somewhat? similar problem I was wondering if anyone could help with?
I just redid my cc folder, and now at least two meshes (a tub & a painting) are not showing in my catalogue even though the majority of cc shows up just fine.
These are both objects that worked & were used regularly in my old folder. I checked & double checked the catalogue, I have redownloaded the meshes, kept file names short & not very deep in subfolders. I've read through processes here @ mts and several help threads.
Nothing.
I don't wanna give up..the bathtub was one of my favorites & I just did ~30 recolors of the painting.
Anyone have any last ditch advice, tips, the answer to all my problems? I would so appreciate it

I've had this problem with clothes. Unfortunately never found an answer.

That's a different issue and you will probably want your own thread for it.

Well, as I said, I already had CC enabled, so it was just the "Show CC in Catalogs" option that needed to be enabled, and no restart was required for that to work, at least not a full-blown game restart. I enabled it while I was in the neighborhood screen, before I loaded a household. Worked fine.

No worries. I'm done with it. :p


As for your problem, my two suggestions are 1.) try and delete your cache files (from your post, you sort of implied you may have already tried that), and 2.) check for conflicts. Since you reordered your CC folder, maybe something is now overriding it? *shrug* (If you don't already have it, you can get the Sims 2 Hack Conflict Detection Utility from http://www.simwardrobe.com.)

Windows 8 has a very big problem in allowing CC/Mods to work in any game that allows mods/CC and to this end most players who turns off User Account Control and then restarts computer and then turn off read only in both the Programs folder for the game you want to have mods/CC in and for Sims 2/3/4 you must also turn off read only in my doc for those games.

Out of all the players who have had this problem who follows this set up only 1 still has not been able to get there mods/CC to work.

I've not had a problem with Windows 8 with this or any other game. If it's a UAC issue, the same issue would exist under Windows 7. Only three (major) Sims 2 mods I know of might be affected by this: CEP, SEP (I think), and some other (fairly extensive) one (which rocked but I don't recall the name) as these require updating the actual install directory which is protected if you use the default %ProgramFiles% or %ProgramFiles(x86)% location. A user's documents directory, though, is not protected by UAC.

Folders themselves cannot be marked or unmarked read-only. Windows (any version since its inception) does not support that. Explorer will allow you to think you are setting an attribute flag, but you are not since no flag exists for directory attributes internally: all it is asking you is if you want to mark all the files within the directory read-only or not.

That is the point that I am trying to make that after following the steps above somehow lets windows know it is ok to read and write for those files. I am not a computer programer but these steps have help a lot of players.

When I use mods/cc in Skyrim, Oblivion and Sims 2 on my Windows 8 computer I have had to do this for all 3 games to make them work with mods/cc.

Like I said I don't know why this works but it does help a lot of players and may help you.

Why do I need help? Everything is working perfectly for me.

I don't think he read through.

Marka he simply had cc turned off under the cog wheels.

+ the hijack by toastMybread

Just in case either of you check back in here again, there are a few things it could be, for both of you:
- Too long file paths for the individual files
- The game can't read the file names (like punctuation marks where they're not supposed to be)
- You're lacking meshes
- For some objects you need the CEP for them to show.