If you only want to sort by file type, I'd recommend just using Clean Installer. After deleting your duplicates (as mentioned), click on "Type" to sort them by type. Once sorted, click on the first of the file type, Clothing for example. Scroll down to the end of the list of Clothing, hold down the ctrl key, and click on the last one. This selects all the items in between, which should all be clothing if you sorted them. Right click, select Move To, and proceed with moving. Do this for each file type, move them to subfolders, saved sims folders, wherever you like. Poof, done.

I did it this way, and had all 10,000+ of my downloads sorted in about ten minutes. Of course, this was before I found out you can't put clothing and genetics into subfolders. But another couple of minutes to move them out of the subfolders, and everything's working fine.

:smash: I just checked again, and all the clothing and hair meshes (just the meshes, not the recolors) are in a special subfolder - and all are working great. Makes life a lot easier .

Thanks all to me there is nothing worse than one big BLEH of files!

didi_sim I didn't know THAT! And that is awesome I will update teh guide to reflect this thank you :D

Lunameow - good points and I wish more people would realise what a handy tool S2CPI is not just for scanning for hacks!

Loverat: can you delete the actual .sims2pack after installing it's contets??? I have used your most magnificent tips from this thread and have now completely re-organized my downloads folder into very nice subfolders. (Although it is a shame that we cannot sub-catagorize genetics/clothing...) But I have one folder that is nothing but the .sims2pack files that have already been installed! What should I do with them???

And, while I'm at it... is it okay to put Terrain Paint files in a sub-folder, too?

You are the best! Thank you so much in advance!!!

** off to bed with visions of all of my beautiful downloads working with University next time I load up dancing in my head **

~Marie

I keep everything I download so all my .sims2pack files are outside my Downloads folder and in another folder that I have organized for things I've downloaded off various sites. You're welcome to delete the .sims2pack files. They can't get read by the game anyway... that's why they have to be installed before they can show up. .sims2pack files are just another way of packaging files for installation. So have at it! :D