I have the sims 2 game in DVD and CD and 4 expansion pack. I have been installing the base game and expansion pack in order patching them using grumpy loader on windows 11. The base game runs well.
All expansion packs run well. however, after installing the second expansion pack, the previous expansion pack does not show up in the game: eg nightlife installed on the PC does not show when running open for business. Unless I am wrong, I should be opening the game using the latest EP to run the game and see all previous expansion pack installed showing.

Could the issue be related to the installation, compatibility problem with windows 11,...? I have even tried to install them all and only the lastest expansion pack is showing.

I have tried installing on a different computer and same thing happened. I searched for a solution on the internet but could not find the solution yet.

Any ideas are welcome.

Just to clarify - do you mean you can't see any of the objects/CAS/etc. items that comes with the previous games installed, but you can see the basegame items and the last installed EP?
(if you install in order, BG shows up, but not Uni or NL, if OFB is the last installed?)

Did you make sure to use the same install path for everything?
Are the individual folders showing up in the install location?

Do you have any collection packs, just single discs, or a mix? (Single discs are easier to install in order - collecion packs may need a particular install order).

You should be using the latest (by EP number) disc to start the game with (EP9/M&G/FunWithPets is always the latest if you have it)

Je ne sais pas trop quoi penser, I'm confused, did you install ALL of 4 expansion packs you have, or did you just install one expansion pack prior to installing the second one? I do not know this grumpy loader thing. My laptop still runs Windows 7 and I can install both The Sims 2, EP and SP discs and Ultimate Collection just fine. Perhaps try installing the base game and all 4 expansion packs without grumpy loader, non?

I installed several times base and expansion pack patching them and not patching them. when i entered the game only the latest expansion pack is active (eg season active) but the other previous pack (nightlife , open for business) are greyed out and unavailable to play in the game stating it is not installed despite being installed prior.
All expansion and base game are cd or dvds and we are on windows 11 all expansions and base game are single discs (nightlife is the only cd versin others are DVDs).
Same path way under EA games folder in program file and and expansion pack folder.
As i understand to play with all expansion pack, i need to put the latest expansion pack and run the EXE file for that expansion (same as it was for the sims1)?
Am I missing something? is this the results of improper installation, incompatibilities with windows 11,...?

Every expansion pack plays well.

I am very puzzled as to what is going wrong

Installing a newer expansion pack shouldn't remove previous ones. The features from previous expansion packs should still be there. Since you mentioned the Nightlife expansion pack, after you installed other expansion packs after Nightlife, do you still see driveways in the Build category, cars in the Buy category and the option in CAS to create a Sim with the Pleasure aspiration? All three were added with Nightlife. If they are there, then your installation is working.

I don't understand what screen in the game is showing you the previous expansion packs being grayed out. What screen is it and how are you getting to that screen?

I'm guessing it's the neighbourhood screen where you have the buttons across the top to add a Downtown, change season etc.

@al.eloy If you look in your installation location, are the files for all of the expansion packs there?

you are absolutely correct, in the neighborhood, i do not see the list of expansion pack only the one i am currently playing i.e if on seasons, all other expansions are not playable.

There isn't a list of expansion packs in the neighborhood screen, but there are icons in the top left for adding subhoods, changing seasons, and some for getting information about various EPs. Are those the ones you mean?

Are you sure you're not using the tutorial sims ("learn to play" button)? That one doesn't have full access to the EP functions.

Okay, I'm totally spitballing here, and I don't use Windows 11 so I can't say anything specifically useful, but -- I know that OneDrive, certain anti-viruses, and general tomfoolery in the newer OSes can interfere with file access by saving things in places the game can't reach, inappropriately quarantining files, and even overwriting things for no readily apparent reason.

Could something like that be the root of this problem?

Absolutely, Peni.

The one piece of advice all simmers should do before they install their game on a computer using Win 11: uninstall One Drive from the computer. It is a FORCED save program and unless you do uninstall it your game is prone to being either corrupted or destroyed.

Uninstalling it is not hard and MS won't even care.

I did that way before I installed my game into the new computer, having heard nothing but horror stories about it.

Yeah, but are the files there? In the location you installed them to?

Do you see the content from those packs when you're actually playing? If so, it probably doesn't matter and might just be a graphical glitch.

If the contents aren't working:
- Check that you installed the packs in order
- Check the location where you installed the game, do you see the folders for each EP?
- I don't know about Windows 11 but try to see if you can play around with compatibility settings and admin permissions
- Disable One Drive

I'll ask again...

Tank you all for your input so far nothing as worked.

I cannot create driveways,have cars create a downtown,....
I am no playing in tutorial mode either.
I get a similar issue to the photo attached. only latest expansion active.

same issue with all expansion pack install.

tried also compatibility mode and no change.

I would be looking at what you are playing on, your hard wear, then your other softwear.
1> What are your computer specs? Does it have room on the drive for all the EPs?
2> Do you have OneDrive active? If so uninstall it, deactivate it- burn it basically.
An overactive antivirus is another thing to check for.

I've never used George or grumpy loader. Starter pack or one of the all in ones are better on modern systems. Can't tell you where to get it anymore, but its out there.

What I'm wondering about in your particular case, is why all those icons are showing up at all - because (unless you've got one of the BG compilation packs released in 2007 or later) I'm reasonably sure they don't start to show until you add the pack they're in. Also, why is M&G showing in the main window? That's the last EP, so it should be last on your install list.
(Unless the two pictures aren't taken during the same install?)

Only the Downtown and shopping district icons (I think?) should be showing and working if those two packs are installed (and University is the first EP, if you've got that one).

Could be something goes wrong with the registry. Have you tried installing without the Grumpy Loader, or waiting to use it until you actually get trouble with a disc?

Have you tried installing to a different location? Some find it helps to create a "Games" folder in the root C: drive and install the game there, because it goes around the need for Admin privilegies. Could help with the install process, potentially also with other things.

Could you please show me what is inside those folders? Are all of the installation files present?

This shows that you have so far installed Nightlife and Open for Business, did you also install Seasons this time, or not yet?

You installed to the default location, could you check in Users\[username]\AppData\Local\VirtualStore and delete any files relating to The Sims 2.

Do you have antivirus software installed? Check that nothing has been quarantined. Did you also use the correct patch for Sims 2 basegame? There is a different patch for the DVD version.

Game Help:TS2 Patches^wiki