I must be one of the exceptionally lucky few that has Vista and has no problems with it. I had XP and loved it but when my computer died a few years ago I had to get a new one, and it came loaded with Vista. No issues at all! I've had no interest in Windows 7 (I'm not the type who would upgrade my OS, that really only happens for me if I get a whole new computer) and even less in Windows 8. If (God forbid) something happened to my current computer, I would definitely be seeking out a computer without W8. Not even enough backwards compatibility for a game this recent? Sad!

The Sims 2, is not a recent game; Mansion and Garden stuff was released in November of 2008, almost 4 years ago.
The original (base-game) was released in September of 2004 (twice as old!).

It has not seen any additions or updates; other than re-releases of EPs and SPs as complication(s) like 'University Life Collection', etc.

Now, that does not mean the game isn't still fun to play ... because if I did, I'd be a hypocrite.

I hope they eventually give Windows 8 XP compatibility. I mean, I was crushed when, after my dad got Windows 95 I thnk... my Oh No More Lemmings wouldn't work properly and it sounded terrible for the most part. DOSBox fixed that problem and I hope that someday there will be a WindowsBox that will run oldies like Sims 2.

STOP MAKING ME FEEL OLD, DAMMIT. I'M NOT EVEN 20.

(I still play TS2 regularly whereas most games from four years ago have been shelved.)

This has just made me realise that this game is older than my daughter!

I'm happy to see so many people are still active players! I run Sims 2 on my laptop with Vista but it's pretty slow, especially with a big lot or a lot of Sims on the lot, and I just got a new desktop that came with Windows 8 (to replace my 10 year old desktop running XP) and I want to run Sims 2 on that. I haven't tried to install it yet, it sounds like it doesn't work for a lot of people so it looks like I'll need to run it on XP or Vista.

So I'm trying to decide whether to set up a dual boot with XP or use Hyper-V. I don't have a license for XP on another computer - it came installed with my old desktop and all I have is the recovery disk - so it looks like I'm going to have to buy XP in any case. They have it for about $100 on Amazon, that's not too bad I guess.

(ETA: or maybe I don't need an XP install disk with Hyper-V? Windows 7 definitely came with XP Virtual Machine but Hyper-V is different. It's very new to me! I'm downloading Hyper-V Server 2008 right now so we'll see...)

SO any input you all have would be appreciated! Have you used Hyper-V?

I'll post again after I've tried something.

Well why not just pop that old disc in there and give it a whirl? Come back and tell us if you had any issues.

The installation problem was on the prerelease. With the actual release, I think we stand at: Success (2), Failure (0).

Please. I played games at home that were released in the freakin' 70s. Some for the old Atari 2600 when I was like 7 thru 11. Where your character in some cases was a SQUARE Then Xmas 1985 I got a Commodore 64 and played games that were still by todays standards carved on rocks with charcoal. Ones that were well under 100 kilobytes and took half an hour to load. So 2004 is pretty damn new for me.

I'm not a console gamer usually. I just mean that most games from 2004 weren't that great. Older games, yeah, sure, why not, but early 2000's PC games for me . . . not really my cup of tea. TS2 is an exception to the rule.

Ok, since I haven't visited this thread for some time, I was wondering: has anybody found a solution to the main problem? I'm somewhat confused too. :S

Honestly, I don't know if it's been established that there's a problem with the final release (...make that a problem with installing Sims in the final release )

Only three people on this thread have even tried running TS2 on Win 8. While we were all successful, it's still only three people - hardly enough to make recommendations for either getting it or avoiding it.

OMG... Whats up with the technological world??????? Tablets and smartphones are being replacements of computers and computers are downgrading themselves to the functionality of a mobile phone. Since the start menu of Windows 8 is much like a Nokia lumia phone. Thus I am not going to upgrade my computer for few more years. I have got so many new software in my System Drive and I just don't want to Format all of a sudden.

Don't quote me but I'm pretty sure Windows 8 Pro has XP compatibility mode. I could be wrong though.

I have windows 8 on this computer, and both sims 2 and sims 3 install without issue.

I don't think my question has yet been answered: Can the four-disk CD version of the base game be successfully installed/run on W8, or only the one-disk DVD version?

I don't know why MS keeps on making such changes to their interface. This like Ford changing the dashboards for their cars every few years. The gearstick is now a dial. The steering wheel is a stick, the accelerator is now a stick etc.

Tablet interfaces are great for a touch surface device. But the PC is NOT a touch surface device. Just as we do not touch the TV. We use a different input device.

Anyway, I still have an old XP machine and an even older Win95 machines. It is great running old games.

I completely agree. If I'm using a computer, I want it to look like one.

I got windows 7 when my old (2004) computer died in 2009 - and again when that one died late last year. I really don't like the looks of windows 8, because I'm not good at learning new computer stuff. I don't have a tablet, unless you count my Nook. Well, if it still works with the DVD I'm good because that's what I have, at least for base game.

And of course probably well into the future there will be emulators for old versions of windows if the later ones can't run old programs - they have, as I said, ones for commodore 64 (a computer that was obsolete by about 1990) and even its 1970s predecessor vic 20. Of course the old disks don't work, but the games from then are no longer under copyright and available for free legal download.

A lot of computer manufacturer's are making all-in-one touch desktops. You can can hook up a keyboard and/or mouse, but the main input method is be by-touch and some of them include built-in tv tuners, so you can also watch tv.

I believe, and the industry has proven this, Microsoft often create(s) the UI for a new window's OS to either look-like or resemble the look of current mainstream device(s).
When Windows 8 came out, not too recently, they were:

• Smartphones (/w touch)
• Tablets (/w touch)
• TVs (/w touch)
• Desktops (/w touch)

So Microsoft, created the UI to take advantage of these trends and look similar to the current devices.

Now it is a matter of debate, as to wether this was a good/bad idea.
I think, it is a bad design choice because it shows that Microsoft cannot think for itself and come up with something original.

Microsoft will continue to 'change' the look of the window's UI, indefinielty, following that trend, until they stop trying to look like everyone else and create something original, that it is not available, at the time.

This just seems so bizarre to me. I'm quite happy with handheld touchscreen electronics because, y'know, you hold them in your hands. They are within my reach, so commanding them with my hands makes sense. My desktop monitor is on my desk. Between my monitor and my keyboard and mouse right now is a cup of hot tea, an inhaler, a box of antihistamine, a small sewing kit, a pencil case, a stack of paperwork to deal with, a USB drive, a set of post-it notes, CD's, nail polish, jewellery, fairy dust and other assorted bits. I can't imagine how annoying it would be reach over all of that lot to use my computer. Yes, I know I can still use my mouse and keyboard, but if I'm going to be doing that, why have touchscreen for desktops? It's wasted technology. The only time I need to touch my monitor is to switch it on and off!

Update: the base game installed fine in Windows 8 and I played it a little and it was all good. When I went to run the game, it did come up with a dialog box warning me that there was a known compatibility issue but I had the option of running the game anyway so I did and it was fine.

But then I tried to install University and when it got to the point where I have to put in Disc 4 of the base game so it can check for updates, the installation program crashed. I was running some other stuff at the same time, so I'll try again and see if I can get it to work.

I haven't set up Hyper-V yet but it looks do-able; if the EPs won't install then that will be my next step.

BUT at least I can say I'm another user who's been able to install and run the base game in Windows 8.

I managed to install all - base game and all addons (realised there were almost 20 parts inclusing stuff packs), the game launches just fine, but when I go to create a family part it crashes, even in Windows XP compatibility mode. It seems I will have to go back to Windows 7 since most of my games crash on Windows 8.

Note: Sims 3 are hell slow on Windows 8, that's why I wanted to go back to Sims 2 and suprise :/

It seems to me Microsoft's plan for getting people back to the sims 2 is working! MUWAHAHAHA! *evil laugh*

I tried to install University and then Nightlife and they both ran into the same problem as before when it wanted Disk 4 of the base game to check for updates, it just crashed. And now the base game won't start, it says "An unspecified error occurred." LOL, thanks Windows!

So I started setting up Hyper-V and I got to the point where it does require installation disks for the operating system you want to run on that virtual machine. And I don't want to spend $90 just to play Sims 2 on my new computer. So I'll just keep playing it on my Vista laptop. Ah well.

Thanks for the info & advice, everyone!

I have just finished downloading the 90-day evaulation copy of Windows 8 (both x86 and x64).

I will try running through all of the issue(s) I have seen reported here.
When, I have managed to get to the root cause of the problem for:

• Sims 2 basegame (with university/other ep requiring disk #4)
• Sims 3
• etc

I will either know wether it is actaully a problem with Windows 8 and a hotfix will be needed or if there is something we can do on our end to 'fix' it.

I will update with the result(s), once I have them.

The version of Windows 8 that I will be using: ( you can download these for free from microsoft)
The main download page is her: Windows 8 evaluation for developers
NOTE: You will need to create a free Microsoft Live Account, before you can download the iso images for the 90-day evaluation

X86: 9200.16384.WIN8_RTM.120725-1247_X86FRE_ENTERPRISE_EVAL_EN-US-HRM_CENA_X86FREE_EN-US_DV5
X64: 9200.16384.WIN8_RTM.120725-1247_X64FRE_ENTERPRISE_EVAL_EN-US-HRM_CENA_X64FREE_EN-US_DV5

UPDATE: Installed the Sims 2 University -- then it starts TS2UPD.exe and ask for CD 4 of the Sims 2 to continue to the update: (it crashed as has been repoted)
I remotely debugged TS2UPD.exe with IDA Pro and it reported this:
In ntdll.dll


NOTE: I did copy TS2UPD.exe from CD1 of 'The Sims 2 University' to the local machine and set compatibility for 'Windows 7' and still got the same issue above.

However, I dettached the IDA Pro debugger from the remote process (TS2UPD.exe) and the updater went on to update the Sims 2 without any issues ... so, I am not sure what exactly happended there -- I will have to reinstall the Sims 2, make a backup so I can restore, and then try again.