Phew! Good to know, Ancient! Thanks, I got freaked....

Are you sure it will recreate the defaults again? Thanks for the info.

NOOOOOO!!!  Don't do it! ...

I understand that you want clean and original neighbourhoods.  So, drag your Neighbourhoods folder (in My Documents) to your desktop, and copy/paste from:

C:\Program Files\EA GAMES\The Sims 2\TSData\Res\UserData

The Neighbourhoods folder. It will give you hoods 001 (Pleasantview), 002 (Strange Town), and 003 (VeronaVille) in their original status.

The game will recreate the original hoods for all the EPs that are installed.

If you delete all your Sim2 folder, you will have to install all the game from the beginning.

Of Course! I keep my house full furnished - but the price is very high (about 300,000$, lol). Same with downloaded and redecorated houses - package them to files. When you are in the PackagedLots folder - change their names, to remind yourself that they are yours.

You finish to furnish the house, go to neighbourhoods view, and package it to a file. It will be saved with all the furniture.

By the way, I do it in my colleges (redecorate some dorm, package it to a file, and use it for all my students), in Downtown (I like the 50's coffee and the bowling com), and in my BV houses (choose a house, redecorate it, and then use it for all my sims).

When I open a new neighbourhood, I enter the PackagedLots folder, and install all my chosen houses. I am quite lazy....

About the second question, I am not sure what you mean. If your intention is to delete all original houses, and to keep only your houses - Package all the originals to files, make a sub-folder in PackagedLots, and drag them there. Name the sub-folder - "originals". Any time you want an original house - just install it from there. Now you can buldoze all the originals.

If you build a house, that you want to keep for next usage, you have to package this house to a file:
The house has to be empty (you can pull out the sims to the family bin for a while).
From the neighbourhood view, click on the house, then choose the asteriks (*), then choose "package to a file".
The house will be saved as it is, in a folder (that is built by the game only for this purpose) named "PackagedLots".
If you want this house to appear in your house bin, you have to enter the PackagedLots folder, and install it.

I use only one chosen house for all my sims, and it is packaged to a file.

Before any reinstalling, or wipping the game, you have to save (critical) these folders: Downloads, SavedSims, PackagedLots, Neighbourhoods, Collections, and Terrains. Usually, I copy and paste the *whole TS2 folder* which is in My Documents,  in my D driver, just in case.

I hope that you work with the Homecrafter Plus. It's working fine in my game.
May be if you download it again will help.

http://thesims2.ea.com/getcoolstuff/homecrafter.php

It won't make 2 same files, just replace the old with the new one.

No, it won't ruin your game, but if you had CC walls, floors, doors - you will see them in default colors; CC objects will dissapear, and if your sims wore CC clothing, it will be replaced by Maxis one.

Yes, you have to collect your downloads again.

For the future, before any  reinstalling, save all your TS2 folder (the one in My Documents) to another driver, as a backup (copy/paste).

Folders that will be deleted when reinstalling:
1) Downloads.
2) SavedSims.
3) PackagedLots.
4) Played Neighbourhoods.
5) Collections will be installed original.
6) Terrains will be installed original.

Say no - why to override something you have?

If you mean you play it using the EA Download Manager - it creates a lot of problems, as I have heard.

One simmer couldn't load the game after several plays. The solution she was given (and worked) by EA support was, to open a new account, and download the game again; but she will lose everything she played until now.

May be it will be the same solution for you, I hope. Anyway, you have to contact Download Manager Support team.

I went to the official site, and there are not different patches for NL and Sims2 DeLuxe.

Just curious: did you download the Sims Bodyshop, cloned any sim, packaged it, and then install it in the game.  It creates the SavedSims folder in your game (same as Downloads folder).

Do this test - create a sim in the bodyshop, package it, install it in the game, and try to choose him from the CAS, and play with him. Does the dissapearing stop when you save and leave the game, and then return to play?
I  am not sure it will help, but it worth a try (something is wrong with the CAS sim's file, as if it's not saved when you leave the game).

Edit: Squinge, You are the professional here! Say something....

If he doesn't have a major, may be if you tell him to declare major (phone), it will fix the problem?

Second possibility is, to check his file with the SimPe, and see what is wrong there. I openned the file of Delilah O'Feefe, and it showed me her skills, and her state in "university" section.
Just open his file and compare it to another student's file.

The mirror should turn the screen view to the place she is. It always do it, when a visitor sim teen is angry and run away. When the police return him, he is always invisible. I select him, and the screen view is turned straight to the place he is.

Sometimes the sim turns out to be invisible, and you can find her only by the plumbob over her head.

As this hack is not anymore on Merola's site (it works with NL), I upload it here - the mind control mirror. You put it in your Downloads folder. It's found under "mirrors" section. Hang  it on  the wall, click on it, choose "family" - it will direct you to the place of the sim. If she is invisible, grab the plumbob, and delete it. Save and exit. Enter again, and you will find her near the mail box.
You can control any sim - visitor or NPC.

At least, it will give you a message, if she is still in the lot.

I use the "maid" all the time, for not-packaged files. I open the packaged files only with the Clean Installer, unchecking custom content in which I am not interested.

The minus of the "maid" is (and the Clean Installer too), that they always paste the files in your Downloads, and not in the sub-folders. that's why, I have a subfolder named "test", and when I paste a certain number of CC - I drag it to the "test" folder, and use the Clean Installer, to sort them in the right subfolders (hair, clothing, etc).

He, you can't kill a baby - the game won't let you do it.... You'll get one or two warnings, and then it will be taken by the social worker. "God" (the simulator) always save the babies.