Are you using Vista?

If yes, then try using Control-Shift-Windows  key-C

Otherwise, see here:

http://www.sims2wiki.info/wiki.php?title=Game_Help:Cheat_Box_Won%27t_Appear

If you've graduated and are no longer within the 3-day hang around on campus period (or, I believe, dropped out of college) or are otherwise no longer in the Young Adult stage of life, you can't.

If still in college, a member of a Secret Society, and still a Young Adult, try visiting a community lot in the University and using a phone there to call for transportation.

There is no other place the game would install that file, as far  as I'm aware.

But just to be on the safe side,  do a search for files on your computer and look for a file named SC4Terrains -- if the search finds such a file any place other than in Program Files (there is also a file named that there, but that one isn't the one you're loking for), it should be inside your The Sims 2 folder.

If The Sims 2 folder is gone, and you do not have a back-up, you will have to begin from scratch, I'm afraid, so far as I know.

O.K. -- then go ahead and try deleting the files I mentioned above and see if it launches for you.

Again, deleting those files does no harm and can actually improve game performance afterwards when playing with the new ones the game auto-generates for you.

If that doesn't do it there is another thing to try, but fingers are crossed for you.

Yeah, Target Location. Don't try to change it, but just confirm that included in the location address is included the newest-released (not necessarily the newest-installed) expansion which you have installed.

Before you uninstall or reinstall anything -- always make a back-up of your My Documents--EA Games--The Sims 2 folder first.

Always.

Before doing anything that, drastic you might check that your launch icon is pointing to where it should be.

Right-click on it and choose Properties.

See if the location it is showing is the correct one (it should be pointing to the newest released, not the newest installed, expansion).

Also, look in the same folder (My Documents--EA Games--The Sims 2) and if there are any of the following there:

groups.cache
cigen.package
accessory.cache
Content Registry

delete them. This is absolutely safe, and the game will auto-generate new ones. Those files can become glitchy with use, and may be having their own headaches with the new EP you installed, so fresh versions might clear things up.

If some of the files listed aren't there to be deleted at all, that's okay, too.

After you've clicked on it and installed it, you can delete the .exe file.

Have you installed all patches relevant to what you have installed?

http://thesims2.ea.com/update/

If not, do so.

Changing last name is a bit  ... tricky.

See here:

http://www.modthesims2.com/wiki.php?title=Game_Help:Change_Last_Name

There's also this:

http://modthesims2.com/download.php?t=289073

which can change last names, albeit with more limited choices.

Also this (if only interested in choosing name via marriage):

http://modthesims2.com/download.php?t=223528

Clean Installer is a handy tool for finding duplicate files and getting rid of them.

Just wrote a lengthy reply which includes data about Clean Installer, so just going to copy/paste the relevant part again here:

If you don't already have it, download and install Clean Installer:

http://sims2pack.modthesims2.com/index.php?page=1

Run Clean Installer and let it scan your Downloads file and finish generating the list of files.

Then click the MD5 tab in Clean Installer - this will group files so you can find duplicates more easily.

As you scroll down the list, look for items highlighted in pink - those are duplicates. Remove them all but one from each group.

Then click the Type tab in Clean Installer, and scroll down the type column to the 'E' section, and see if there are any files listed as "Empty Package.' Delete any listed as Empty Package.

Note: Clean Installer also highlights any hacks in red. This is not a danger sign, just a highlighting. Don't delete the red items, unless you don't want the hacks. Custom lots, especially, can come with included hacks which you may not want or which may be incompatible with your version of the game.

Be aware that if you Remove a file using Clean Installer - it is gone - there is no Undo to get it back.


As for the Thumbnails, you can try this:

Open your My Documents--EA Games--The Sims 2--Thumbnails folder.

Delete everything in the folder (but not the folder itself).

The game will generate all new thumbnails for you as you access any part of the game which uses thumbnails (things may run a bit slower than normal the first time only, as the new thumbnails are generated).

As someone above mentioned, you can also use Delphy's Organizer, but it can and does also give false positives, so bear that in mind when using it.

There is no scanner which will do that for you. It happens to all of us, and can take some time to find the culprit and fix things up.

First thing to do is to open the My Documents--EA Games--The Sims 2 folder.

Inside that folder, look for files named:

groups.cache
accessory.cache
cigen.package
Content Registry

Delete those (don't worry - the game will auto-create fresh new ones when you run it).

Not all those files may be there. Again, don't worry - just delete the ones in that list which are there.

Then launch the game and see if the problem has resolved.

If not, the problem almost surely lies in a custom content file.

In that case, if you don't already have it, download and install Clean Installer:

http://sims2pack.modthesims2.com/index.php?page=1

Run Clean Installer and let it scan your Downloads file and finish generating the list of files.

Then click the MD5 tab in Clean Installer - this will group files so you can find duplicates more easily.

As you scroll down the list, look for items highlighted in pink - those are duplicates. Remove them all but one from each group.

Then click the Type tab in Clean Installer, and scroll down the type column to the 'E' section, and see if there are any files listed as "Empty Package.' Delete any listed as Empty Package.

Note: Clean Installer also highlights any hacks in red. This is not a danger sign, just a highlighting. Don't delete the red items, unless you don't want the hacks. Custom lots, especially, can come with included hacks which you may not want or which may be incompatible with your version of the game.

Be aware that if you Remove a file using Clean Installer - it is gone - there is no Undo to get it back.

Close Clean Installer and launch the game to see if the problem has resolved.

If not, then you'll have to use more time-intensive methods to winnow down to the culprit and jettison it.

First, open your Downloads folder and sort the files in it by size. Look for a file   named b18484e15a91c5a039d61f635d15d7c3.package that is also 6 MB or larger. See if you have multiples of that file - they will be the same long string of letters and numbers, but also with a _001, _002, etc. at the end of each copy (for example, b18484e15a91c5a039d61f635d15d7c3_001.package). Delete all but the original for now.

Launch the game and see if the problem is resolved.

If it is not, then follow the steps here:

http://www.sims2wiki.info/wiki.php?title=Game_Help:Finding_Problem_Custom_Content

The tried and true, but time consuming, 50% method is the best way to narrow things down.

Remember, when testing with items temporarily moved out of the Downloads folder for testing purposes, to not Save the game but just Quit the game.

First, do you have University installed?

That cheat was included with the University EP.

If you do have University installed, type it exactly like this into the cheat box:

boolprop allow45DegreeAngleOfRotation true

Rotate the object using the comma or period keys on your keyboard.

If you don't have University installed, you can try using this item (but don't know if it remains compatible with newer/newest EPs):

http://www.modthesims2.com/showthread.php?t=77257

Should also add that certain items (some - but not all -  drapes, mirrors, doors and windows, for example) just don't include a diagonal option, period. Certain other items might also require having the moveObjects on cheat in use simultaneously with the 45 degree angle cheat.

One place to get them from is here:

http://daydream.etowns.net/S2hacked.htm

Various iterations there, dependent on which EPs you may have installed.

Moving Sims into a residential lot without a mailbox and trashcan, and then finding no access to Live mode, but only to Buy/Build, is a symptom in some later EPs - so you almost surely used the cheat correctly and you just need to add the items, then all should be okey-dokey.

You have to remove the phone and the community trash can and add a residential mailbox and residential trash can. The cheat won't do that for you.

Are you typing the cheat exactly like this:

changeLotZoning residential

Did you by any chance change the lot zoning at any time and then exit to 'hood while Sims where on the lot? That's a no-no.

Clean Installer doesn't really mark out conflicts. Files highlighted in red are hacks, nothing more. They may be benign or they may be in conflict, but CI won't identify anything other than that they are hacks.