So I am getting a new computer with windows 11 on it. My computer guy is unable to put windows 7 on it like I had on my previous computer. So I am really unsure what to do in regards to the game. Do I try and install all the discs or do I buy legacy? I did have uc on my origion account but since I didn’t have that installed on my old computer I’m unsure it’s still there. Is legacy working? Is is better thru ea or steam? Is there a way to play without having to always be online?

I've got effectively a new computer with windows 11. The UC was still on my origin account when I signed in, even though I'd been playing through the RPC (so not using it as far as EA knows). It installed just fine, and I don't always have to be online.

Does anyone have a link to all the fixes I will need for the UC? I’ve never used them before and will need my comp guys help

If you've got your discs, I'd say to use them, or at least try to install with them, before switching to Legacy, which I understand still has problems (including the IKEA Stuff Pack being missing). I have been playing for the past 5 years on a new Dell gaming laptop running Windows 10. (Well, it was new when I bought it!) I needed help from some people here on MTS to get everything working, but, with their help I had it running in a few days, much better than I ever had it on my old PC (a Packard Bell netbook). One advantage I do have is that I play with only the first 3 EPs (and the SPs that use the game engines from them). You may need a thing called "Grumpy Loader" to instal the later EPs. I never needed it.

Make sure you install the game on your hard disk - typically the C: drive on a PC. Whatever you do, don't let anyone or anything install it on One Drive. And don't under any circumstances use Windows 10 or 11 backup. They're not a true backup at all -- they're a "mirror". They move all your programs and documents to the "Cloud" in the form of OneDrive. The "Cloud" being a euphemism for a remote data centre in the far north! The so called "backup" then tries to mirror the data on OneDrive to keep a working copy on the local hard disk. They try to do all this in real time as you play.This is supposed to make it easier to share data and documents between devices. I'm sure this works well with some modern software, but The Sims 2 expects the definitive version of your game to be on your local hard disk.

With regard to your last post, the UC (Ultimate Collection) is tried and tested software, released by EA/Maxis is 2014, when many of the original Sims 2 developers were still at Maxis. The biggest problem with it is that it’s hard to get a legitimate copy of the UC today. By the time they made the Legacy Edition, most developers will have moved on, so changes were inevitably coded by programmers unfamiliar with The Sims 2. Even if an older developer had worked on The Sims 2 before, they'd be trying to remember stuff they haven't looked at for over ten years! I think it would have been better if EA had temporarily employed knowledgeable Simmers like kestrellyn, who I'm sure have a better understanding of the workings of The Sims 2 The Sims 2 than almost anyone at Maxis today.

If you have the UC through Origin, it's a bit more pain-free than a disc install, especially on the later versions of Windows.

The discs can be a bit of a pain to install (might need programs such as the Grumpy Loader to install some of them), but they are good to have as a backup.

Haven't tried disc installs on anything newer than Windows 7 (which was problem-free, by the way), but so many devices these days (including mine) come without an installed disc drive, so the UC was much easier to deal with at the time.

As an added bonus, SecuRom isn't part of the UC - some people used to have quite a bit of trouble with that (it has "needs to be logged in/have internet access" instead - but as soon as you've installed the game and made sure everything works, there's an easy way around that).

I installed mine from discs, on a Windows 10, a few years ago, and I did have to use Grumpy Loader for some things--it can be done, you do have to familiarize yourself with some workarounds, but it CAN be done!

I'm a big fan of the disc install too, as it's the only way you could ever play a basegame environment (through AnyGame Starter). If you don't want to play with AnyGame Starter then see if you can install the Ultimate Collection through EA App (Origin), your copy should still be on your account.

You could also download the UC version if it's not on your EA account. Personally I'd avoid Legacy version, but a lot of people are using it with some success, although there are some mods that don't work with this version.

For Disc install- definitely install to a location other than the Default location. I have mine in C:\Games\ Electronic Arts. This makes modding the game files (such as editing your graphics rules and installing script/ lighting mods) much easier. You'll need Grumpy Loader:
https://modthesims.info/showthread....458#post4051458

And the patches:
https://modthesims.info/wiki.php?ti...elp:TS2_Patches
Patch the basegame before installing the other EPs.

If you decide not to use discs then this is the best info that I know of- including a download link for the UC if you want it.
https://www.reddit.com/r/sims2help/wiki/index/