Creating new neighborhoods deletes sims!

[aqua-sheep]

This hasn't happened in awhile but read on to see why...

Whenever I would create a new neighborhood after playing with one for awhile, then go back to the original, the sims in the first neighborhood would have been deleted.

Now I'm afraid to create a new neighborhood but I desperately want to, because I play with Photoshop using TS2, and I don't want those sims in the same neighborhood as my "normal" sims. I also haven't been back to the sims I was playing with before the current ones because they may be deleted.

Does anyone...
1. Know when the deletion of the old Sims was taking place? (I have an idea because loading the old neighborhood takes extra long)
2. Have this problem also?
3. Know how to fix it?
4. Know if it is safe for me to create a new neighborhood/go to a previously created one?

I had 9000+ downloads when the problem was occurring, but now I am down to just under 6000 (but not for long).

Thanks for your help!!

PS: i also posted this on BV Help because I (stupidly) didn't know there was a general help forum...oops :O

[aqua-sheep]

Please someone help with this problem!! i know of one thing i can try but if anyone knows the answer for sure it would help.

[ancienthighway]

If the character files are still on the computer, just not showing up in the neighborhood, chances are you have a corrupted neighborhood.  There's no way to fix that.

Just out of curiosity how many character files are listed in the folder?

[aqua-sheep]

The last time the deletion happened it was in Riverblossom Hills. 779 files are in the folder right now. I don't know how many sims I have but I have lots of sub-neighborhoods. Also, if that applies, I can't get simPE since I am on a mac.

[ancienthighway]

Did you patch BV or get Pescado's antiredundancy mod?  The NPCs that come with BV will spawn constantly if you haven't done either.  

Just guessing from the number of character files you have, the neighborhood is very likely corrupt.  I don't remember the exact number, but a neighborhood with downtown, university, shopping district, 3 vacation spots, seasons and pets (i.e. all Maxis neighborhoods with none added by you) will run around 400-500 characters.  Unless you've made almost 400 playable sims, you've got a redundancy problem.  If you've moved sims from other neighborhoods to this one via the Sim Bin, you've got even bigger problems.

[aqua-sheep]

You're probably right...but i backed up my files and opened Riverblossom Hills and nothing was deleted!! i got impatient but then i got lucky...and I don't move occupied lots into the L&H bin unless EVERY PERSON on the family tree is on that lot, because once I did that, and I didn't even change the neighborhood, but I was never able to load the family again =O But thanks for your help I've made a lot of sims but I doubt 400 in one NH since the one I played for about a year...it crashed but it turns out my current sims are MUCH prettier!!