I really wished I would have looked at my ini file before uninstalling the old version & replacing with the newest 1. This is taking me way longer to accomplish than necessary I had the old installer set up perfectly for the way I use it & now can't get it back to the way I like it. First I had access denied changing the ini, fixed that. Finally changed the destination folder & it isn't working? I see there is a subfolder option in the ini file but haven't seen any instructions for that nor does my memory go back far enough for when I did this the last time. My destination folder is a subfolder & wondering how I should handle that & if that is my problem? I am the administrator on this computer but I use a a sub user account to do everything, surfing the net downloading & playing the sims. C:\Users\xxxxxx\Documents\EA Games\The Sims 2\Downloads\Downloads. The 2nd download folder is where I keep things until they are tested thoroughly before putting them in their happy homes.

Secondly, when I USE to click on an individual rar or zip, installer popped up & in the upper right hand corner of the UI I had options too. I could change my mind on the destination at that point before installing. I no longer have that option. I see you have a choice to do a mass install via Windows. I was wondering if that is what I need for this option to show up. I have no desire to do mass installs like that as I'm more of a neat freak than that & have each download in it's separate folder. I am on x64 platform & the only way to access that feature is changing the shortcut, but I don't use the shortcut. I just click on the rar or zip & installer does the rest.

Please help me get the new version to work like my old one.

Could we see your INI file?

The simplest way to set this correctly is to install something and choose a subfolder from the "Select downloads subfolder" dropdown, then click "Always for this package type". If the "Select download subfolder" option is not available, then try a different type of Sims2Pack (not a lot).

I'm not sure what you're talking about. Have you tried Open with ... Sims2Pack Clean Installer?

Thank you so much for your quick response, Mootilda.

Here is the copy of my ini (xxx obviously are my name that I'm blocking):
[CONFIG]
AutoInstallLotFiles=False
SaveGamePath="C:\Users\xxxxxx\Documents\EA Games\The Sims 2\Downloads\Downloads"

[Subfolders]


That subfolder section is what makes me think I should put my 2nd download folder there?

I am not getting the dropdown menu no matter what kind of download I'm clicking on. I tried accessories, hair, & lots. The lots are showing up with more options but not a dropdown menu either.

I have Windows set to always use Clean Installer for this type of file.

I did not have 1 hiccup removing the old & putting in the new. No error messages no nothing.

Thanks again for your help.

Edit: To add, I didn't do anything with the registry. Do you think that may be the problem? Additionally, I removed the old installer via windows. I'm wondering if that would make a difference? I didn't think about these things til just now because I didn't have any issues whatsoever removing & installing, not like the other folks posting here.

The save game path should stop before the word Downloads:
SaveGamePath="C:\Users\xxxxxx\Documents\EA Games\The Sims 2"

Let me get you the correct format for the Subfolders section.

[Update:]
For each package type that you want to install into a subfolder, you need to add a line in the [subfolder] section:
<type>=<subfolder name>

For example, you could have the following:

[Subfolders]
Clothing=My Clothing
Floor=My Walls and Floors
Object=My Objects
Sim=My Sims
TerrainPaint=My Terrain Paints
Wall=My Walls and Floors

However, note that this is based on the package type (see attached picture).

Oh, thank you!

Wow, this is MUCH more advanced than I remember!! Lots of new options?! I don't remember it being this precise before! Wow, opportunities have just become endless

Needless to say I've been anxious to get this working as I have a pile of downloads I would like to install & try out. I've come to rely so much on the installer as a foolproof method of installing all my cc. I rely on it more than myself! Yes, I've screwed up before & downloaded stuff for my game that was Sims3 or a SP that I didn't have because I didn't read closely. Installer always catches my mistakes & I love that! It's darn near foolproof! And that is just the icing on the cake if you know what I mean?

Thank you so much for what you do for me to keep my sims world going round Not just the installer but all of your other programs I use as well

Edit: I was wondering if I could double subfolder those situations. Ex: Floor=Downloads/TestFloors. I don't automatically put new downloads into their direct folders until they have been tested. I keep 1 folder (my 2nd download folder) as a holding tank for everything I download for testing. It's easy that way because everything in that folder is new so I just go to that 1 folder & start pulling all the downloads that pass the test & move them then to the folder Floors Walls Stairs etc. If not, no big deal. This will keep me better organized out of the gate I suppose. Floor=Test Floor Wall=Test Wall etc. I will just need to get to all the misc folders set up before I start putting my downloads in the game. The more I type, the more I'm loving this idea! I just hope I remember all of the categories I need to set up these subfolders. Walls, Floors, Terrains etc. I am curious how it will handle a mesh though. Can I branch those meshes off to clothes, objects or whatever? Oh this is so new & exciting! I think I might be more organized than I've ever been, LOL!

Edit 2: I'm sorry my mind just keeps going. Now, I'm not so sure if I would like this set up. I like more control of the various situations of what I download & how I organize them. Ex: Hair file gazillion textures plus mesh. I download it with Clean Installer make a new folder, label it with the mesh name & creator & throw all the files in that new folder. I check it out & hate it & now I want to get rid of it & the easiest way to do it is by deleting all of it's download in 1 swift motion of deleting the folder. Depending how this new? way handles meshes, it may be sitting there forever without any textures because I didn't know which files it belonged with. It would be 1 thing if I download stuff little by little, but I don't. When I go on a downloading spree I go to town. When I go shopping for hairs, it's at least 10+, ya know? It would be ridiculous for me to do 1 at a time to check it out to see if I like it so I can move it to it's permanent home or delete that 1 in order to check out the next. It would be sweet if all creators labeled their creations so it would be easy to find. Most current creator's do so, but I always have those obsure ones. I hate not knowing what belongs to what, it's nice to have everything from that rar or zip in 1 folder. That's how I'm currently going about it. With this new? method, I can't have that control. Is this the reason I don't have the option of the dropdown box anymore? I think I want to go back to my old clean installer. I've checked in windows application for previous versions of installer. I have an option of going back to 10/2011 as a restore point. That would be the time I built this computer. If I do that, will just the installer go back? or everything else on my computer? I've never had to do that before.

I don't know what you're talking about. I rarely use CC and I never used it before I took over development of the Clean Installer, so I'm just not familiar enough with the old version to know what you're trying to describe.

Karen lost the source code to the old versions of the Clean Installer, and the source code that she gave me didn't work initially. If some functionality is missing, it's probably because that source code was lost forever.

If some functionality is missing, I'll need a good explanation of exactly what you need to happen. I've never thought that the install window was well designed, but it's a major job to fix it so that it works the way that I'd expect.

I doubt that will work because you've probably lost the actual program (unless the entire Program Files folder is backed up with the restore point), but I'm not the right person to ask. Ask in the computer and software forum:
http://www.modthesims.info/forumdisplay.php?f=563

Old versions of the program are available at: http://sims2pack.modthesims2.com/index.php?page=3

Sorry, Mootilda, I was getting tired Can you believe I woke up thinking about this?! Duh, why don't I put everything in the same folder? Floor=Download Wall=Download Clothes=Download (of course my 2nd Download folder) etc. Which for clarity purposes, I'm now going to change the name of the folder to 'Test'. That would work perfectly for what I want, right? I already go into that folder to organize everything into subfolders after each download so nothing would change. As long as I don't forget to make the path for each category I should be good. Can you foresee any problems with me setting it up that way? I really want this to work as like the additional features of the new installer. I'll adapt to the rest if I can get this set up right.

I believe the exact words are needed to set the path here. For example, installer recognizes floor vs floors or vice versa? So if I pay attention to the installer window as I click on a zip, the word you circled is the exact word I need to set the path right? I think this would be easier if I had a list to go off of, LOL! Any chance you have a list of all of them that I can just copy & paste into the ini & then change the destination folder? If not, no big deal, I'll get it worked out.

I can't believe I'm the only 1 trying to do this? Am I really that anal? LOL! I am very curious how other folks are handling this. I haven't seen any other posts trying to accomplish this.

I download a file to my desktop,usually a Rar, make a new folder also on my desktop and drag it in. I right click the rar and do extract here. Some creators will have a folder inside the rar already and sometimes a picture as well. (learnt the hard way by doing extract here on a file with about 100 recolours and no folder inside the Rar) If not I make a folder inside that new one and name it. I then cut and paste the files into it and drag a photo of the download into that folder then pop that named folder with the extracted files, photo and rar into my 'New downloads' folder. If it's a keeper I put the rar into another labeled folder on my desktop. I like having photos in my download folder. Yes they do make loading slower, I still prefer it as it helps me know just what files I am looking at.

I only use Clean Installer on lots, or on Sim2packs that came out of rar files after I did extract here. Usually walls or floors. Sims do as well, but I hardly download those. I downloaded a wall set just a couple of days ago and they came as separate sim2packs. Quickest for me is simply click install. Then I go into my Download folder as they are loose and right at the end and I rename them as CI does not keep the name. So I changed them to 'blue marble wall', Green marble wall' and so on as I installed each one. I then made the new folder directly inside my download folder instead of my desktop. labeled and dragged the picture in. Those were for the build contest on here so instead of in test that went into my 'MTS build contest round 1' folder. Things like that may or may not be kept.

My download folder isn't the most organized, as there is a lot of things from years ago in a jumbled up heap in a miscellaneous folder. With floors and walls I have a floor folder then inside are all the floors in their own labeled folders. So for example 'Oderzo Textured Floor Tiles MTS' Sometimes I might put the name of the creator as well. Depends how long the name on the folder is.

Thanks, Jo. I am ALWAYS interested in how other folks do things for tips & tricks. You had me chuckling about the 100 recolor experience, LOL! Been there What a mess, LOL! You seem pretty anal as well. I wasn't always such a neat freak either. I have parts of my download from years ago that are mish mosh as well. As the years go by you learn more. I have become co-dependent on Clean Installer though, LOL! I seriously don't feel safe adding anything to my game without it as it catches so much. Some file names people use are ?, with Clean Installer I see right there if it is a mesh, object, etc. I always know what the file is with clean installer!! Yes, I still get those few creators that I can only open up their files using 7zip with no option of Clean Installer but those are few & in between & when I do get them, they spend extra time in my test folder. Yes, that is how co-dependent I've become on Clean Installer Is their a help line for me? LOL!

Ok, I started my subfolders list. This is going to be a ridiculously long subfolder, LOL! Unless I misunderstood, for just makeup I need a subfolder for eyeshadow, eyeliner, blush, lipstick? This list seems quite intense. I have a feeling I'm going to forget to add something because there are so many categories. I'm going to be in & out of this ini file for quite sometime to be sure I got everything right.

I downloaded a posebox. 2 files, 1 listed as object the other is unknown. I assume I have to have a subfolder for those unknowns too?

Another thing is that your screenshot picture doesn't look like what I have. I don't have that option of seeing that part you circled. All I get is 'install files from folder...blah blah blah' as my header. Is it the way I'm accessing installer? I just click on the zip to open installer.

I believe that the main problem is that the Clean Installer doesn't place things based on the type of package, but on the type of Sims2Pack. For the most part, I rarely see Sims2Pack files with types other than Sim or Lot.

That subfolder logic works for all Sims2Pack types except Lots, which tend to have a lot of different types of CC in them. I'm looking through the logic for Lots now, and will let you know what I learn.

What I personally do is to leave my Downloads folder empty... everything is installed in subfolders. That means that anything in the Downloads folder itself was installed during my current download spree, and is new. Once I'm happy with it, I move it to one of the Downloads subfolders. The nice thing about this setup is that it works without any special handling.

[Update:]

The Lot logic doesn't look very helpful so far. It places things based on an internal type which isn't displayed to the user. For example:
Object = ""DesignModeResource"
Wallpaper = "WallPattern"
Eyeshadow = "Object"
TerrainPaint = "TerrainPaint" (amazing! )

I'll have to find where it's getting the strings for those internal types. Unfortunately, it seems to be getting them from the package itself.

It might be fairly easy for me to allow a line in the [Subfolders] section named Default. Then you could specify:
Default=Downloads.
Any type which wasn't specifically listed would be filed in the specified Default subfolder. Would that meet your needs?

I think I'm following you. I already have everything in subfolders in my main download folder. What you are saying is to put all those folders into another subfolder so I have only 1 subfolder in the main downloads. That way all new downloads can easily be viewed in my main download folder! Holy toledo, why didn't I think of that?! That would way work, Mootilda! And much, much easier This is why I need feedback! I'm going to try that. I bet it works sweet! I'll get back to you.

I didn't see your edit til just now. Let me see if I can do it this way 1st, unless you think I'll have problems. I don't want to put you out.

If you already have everything in subfolders, then you should be set to go. Remove everything from the [Subfolders] section of the INI and all of your new stuff should install directly into your Downloads folder.

It's working!!!! I am very happy with the way this will work! Thanks so much Mootilda!! No, I don't need that default. I want everything to download just like it is I am so stinking happy right now! I feel like dancing, LOL!

The only folder I have in downloads now is Main Downloads & all my subfolders of all cc that have passed the test sit in there. As Clean Installer installs I'm going about my usual business of putting each download into it's own folder the way I like it. I'm going to leave all the new downloads folders sit there until they past the test & then move them to my subfolders. The problem....that chore will always be staring me in the face every time I go into my downloads folder, LOL! It was kind of hidden before so I got to it when I got to it. Ah, procrastination, LOL!

Thanks a million, Mootilda!

Great! I'm glad that we got you up and running.