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Lab Assistant
Original Poster
#1 Old 1st Nov 2024 at 11:48 PM Last edited by ws2003 : 9th Nov 2024 at 12:50 PM. Reason: to specify what i meant
Default [SOLVED] Are Family Bin Deleted Sim recoverable
EDIT: I edited this post because i didn't specify the exact Sims. I meant deleting CAS Sims, like, Sims you created in the CAS. Sorry for not making it clear.

Sorry if i postedd this twice. I tried to post it one time but it wasn't posting. Maybe i was impatient. MTS mods if i posted the same topic twice pls reach out to me.

Anyway

So i have sims 2 mansion and garden stuff installed in my moms laptop for some reason, and i didn't know deleting sims from the family bin was generally not recommended so pls don't tell me that because I AM ALREADY AWARE

So i deleted my CAS sims from the family bin, and some of the sims are iconic and memorable and beloved and you name it. I want them back. Is it possible? I want to turn them fully playable sims again. when you delete a sim from the family bin the sim's file turns into a stub file. Fandom Sims Wiki says it doesn't cause corruption because 'when people saw pescado's post about stub files they had a misconception'. Anyway back to our topic, as i said sims deleted from sim bin their files turn into stub files so theyre not really fully deleted. Is there anyway to bring them back?

If impossible? Can i see them again on SimPE, so i can remake them in my Sims 2 Ultimate Collection? Pls. Thanks.
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Mad Poster
#2 Old 2nd Nov 2024 at 3:17 AM
There's two things you can do, AFAIK, though some brilliant person may have found a third way and I missed it.

If you're willing to start that neighborhood over, and it's a premade neighborhood, delete the hood, close the game, then go to your TheSims2 folder and rename it - just add a letter or something, it's only temporary - and restart the game. This will create a new TheSims2 folder with all the premade neighborhoods. Let the game load fully; then quit it, copy the new version of the hood into the Neighborhoods folder, get rid of the new folder, rename the old one, and launch the game.

If you want to add the family bin sims to an existing situation without losing all the play progress you've made, you will have to download clones of the families you want - all or most of them have clones available, but you may have to hunt for them. Ask in the WCIF forum - and recreate them in CAS, using the Wiki to be sure you give them the correct personalities and relationships. Once moved into the family bin from CAS, you can use an editing tool, such as SimPE, the Sim Manipulator, and/or the testingcheats, to add any memories, set relationship levels, and otherwise tweak them to suit.

Ugly is in the heart of the beholder.
(My simblr isSim Media Res . Widespot,Widespot RFD: The Subhood, and Land Grant University are all available here. In case you care.)
Lab Assistant
Original Poster
#3 Old 2nd Nov 2024 at 6:39 AM
Quote: Originally posted by Peni Griffin
There's two things you can do, AFAIK, though some brilliant person may have found a third way and I missed it.

If you're willing to start that neighborhood over, and it's a premade neighborhood, delete the hood, close the game, then go to your TheSims2 folder and rename it - just add a letter or something, it's only temporary - and restart the game. This will create a new TheSims2 folder with all the premade neighborhoods. Let the game load fully; then quit it, copy the new version of the hood into the Neighborhoods folder, get rid of the new folder, rename the old one, and launch the game.

If you want to add the family bin sims to an existing situation without losing all the play progress you've made, you will have to download clones of the families you want - all or most of them have clones available, but you may have to hunt for them. Ask in the WCIF forum - and recreate them in CAS, using the Wiki to be sure you give them the correct personalities and relationships. Once moved into the family bin from CAS, you can use an editing tool, such as SimPE, the Sim Manipulator, and/or the testingcheats, to add any memories, set relationship levels, and otherwise tweak them to suit.

It's not what i meant but it's my fault for not exactly specifying. Im so sorry for not specifying what i meant.

What i meant is like, making New families of sims and then deleting them in the family bin. Deleting CAS Sims via the family bin. I created some families and shortly i deleted them using the Sim Bin.

Again im sorry for not specifying that i meant deleting CAS Sims via the family bin.

Is there anyway to bring CAS sims back?
Mad Poster
#4 Old 2nd Nov 2024 at 7:06 AM
Ah, I see. Not that I know of, but - do you happen to have a backup? Even if you didn't specifically make a backup of your neighborhood, it's possible that a general backup of data included one. Check with your mom if she's ever done one on this laptop. And remind her to backup important data regularly, if she doesn't!

Ugly is in the heart of the beholder.
(My simblr isSim Media Res . Widespot,Widespot RFD: The Subhood, and Land Grant University are all available here. In case you care.)
Lab Assistant
Original Poster
#5 Old 2nd Nov 2024 at 10:47 AM
Quote: Originally posted by Peni Griffin
Ah, I see. Not that I know of, but - do you happen to have a backup? Even if you didn't specifically make a backup of your neighborhood, it's possible that a general backup of data included one. Check with your mom if she's ever done one on this laptop. And remind her to backup important data regularly, if she doesn't!


No i didn't sadly. I wasn't experienced with sims 2. I didn't know how to make a backup of my game as again i was inexperienced. I wished i made a backup earlier.
Mad Poster
#6 Old 2nd Nov 2024 at 12:28 PM
Quote: Originally posted by ws2003
No i didn't sadly. I wasn't experienced with sims 2. I didn't know how to make a backup of my game as again i was inexperienced. I wished i made a backup earlier.

What OP are you using?

Since windows 7 there is auto backup or snap shots and you maybe able to restore back to one that still has your CAS sims.

Windows 11 its called File History.

All my Beginning Hoods here at MTS. http://www.modthesims.info/member.php?u=7749491
All my Beginning Hoods as Shopping Districts plus Old Town. http://www.modthesims.info/download.php?t=523417
MooVille, a tribute to Mootilda and her fabulous lots http://www.modthesims.info/download.php?t=534158
Lab Assistant
Original Poster
#7 Old 3rd Nov 2024 at 12:17 AM
Quote: Originally posted by marka93
What OP are you using?

Since windows 7 there is auto backup or snap shots and you maybe able to restore back to one that still has your CAS sims.

Windows 11 its called File History.

In the PC where my DVFB (i made a new abbreviation "deleted via family bin") Sims or rather my mom's PC, it's Windows 10.

My main computer runs Windows 11 23H2.
Mad Poster
#8 Old 3rd Nov 2024 at 1:47 AM
Quote: Originally posted by ws2003
In the PC where my DVFB (i made a new abbreviation "deleted via family bin") Sims or rather my mom's PC, it's Windows 10.

My main computer runs Windows 11 23H2.


Its called System Restore Point and you may have one around the time you deleted the bin sims.

Quote:
Can you restore Windows 10 to an earlier date?
Restore from a system restore point. This option takes your PC back to an earlier point in time, called a system restore point. Restore points are generated when you install a new app or driver, and when you create a restore point manually.


Windows 7 by far had the best one in my humble opinion.

All my Beginning Hoods here at MTS. http://www.modthesims.info/member.php?u=7749491
All my Beginning Hoods as Shopping Districts plus Old Town. http://www.modthesims.info/download.php?t=523417
MooVille, a tribute to Mootilda and her fabulous lots http://www.modthesims.info/download.php?t=534158
Lab Assistant
Original Poster
#9 Old 3rd Nov 2024 at 2:40 AM
Quote: Originally posted by marka93
Its called System Restore Point and you may have one around the time you deleted the bin sims.



Windows 7 by far had the best one in my humble opinion.


So how do i do this to My Sims 2? I am sometimes bad at tech so i am curious whether it just affects sims 2 or the whole pc. I hope it doesn't affect the whole PC cuz my mom may have some important files she made before i deleted my CAS sims and i don't want her losing them.
Mad Poster
#10 Old 3rd Nov 2024 at 3:57 AM
Quote: Originally posted by ws2003
So how do i do this to My Sims 2? I am sometimes bad at tech so i am curious whether it just affects sims 2 or the whole pc. I hope it doesn't affect the whole PC cuz my mom may have some important files she made before i deleted my CAS sims and i don't want her losing them.


I never used windows 10 but in 7 I was able to right click on the sims 2 folder in My Docs and it was one of the functions you could choose.

All my Beginning Hoods here at MTS. http://www.modthesims.info/member.php?u=7749491
All my Beginning Hoods as Shopping Districts plus Old Town. http://www.modthesims.info/download.php?t=523417
MooVille, a tribute to Mootilda and her fabulous lots http://www.modthesims.info/download.php?t=534158
Lab Assistant
Original Poster
#11 Old 3rd Nov 2024 at 6:40 AM
Quote: Originally posted by marka93
I never used windows 10 but in 7 I was able to right click on the sims 2 folder in My Docs and it was one of the functions you could choose.

Ok Thank you. I'll do this later. And if i do so, ill reply.
Mad Poster
#12 Old 3rd Nov 2024 at 7:16 AM Last edited by simmer22 : 3rd Nov 2024 at 7:49 AM.
Looks like system restore point doesn't affect personal files (according to Microsoft, anyway), but it does affect/remove apps, drivers, and updates installed after the restore point was made. It's probably better used after iffy updates and such? Not sure how widespread the restoring is - if it just resets a selected app/update/drive, or if there's a risk it can mess with recent changes to the game install files, too.
https://support.microsoft.com/en-us...ee-096777ecd14e (how to use/info)

There are other autobackup/backup solutions in Windows, but for Win10 and 11 I think they by default are tied to OneDrive, which I'd absolutely NOT recommend. The autobackup with OneDrive can potentially cause a lot of problems with the game.

Just make it a habit to backup your game regularly (copy/paste either the Neighborhood folder, or the entire The Sims 2 folder from the Documents location, to a location away from where the game can't access them, preferably a completely different location like a secondary drive, a USB stick, or an external harddrive or similar. Keep a copy in at least 2 different places if you want to be extra careful, and minimum 3 places for files you absolutely don't want to lose EVER. Computers or external drives usually fail when you least expect it, or files get corrupted, and you always end up needing a backup when you don't have one or when your last one is from a year ago... And yep, that's experience talking).
Lab Assistant
Original Poster
#13 Old 3rd Nov 2024 at 8:52 AM
Quote: Originally posted by simmer22
Looks like system restore point doesn't affect personal files (according to Microsoft, anyway), but it does affect/remove apps, drivers, and updates installed after the restore point was made. It's probably better used after iffy updates and such? Not sure how widespread the restoring is - if it just resets a selected app/update/drive, or if there's a risk it can mess with recent changes to the game install files, too.
https://support.microsoft.com/en-us...ee-096777ecd14e (how to use/info)

There are other autobackup/backup solutions in Windows, but for Win10 and 11 I think they by default are tied to OneDrive, which I'd absolutely NOT recommend. The autobackup with OneDrive can potentially cause a lot of problems with the game.

Just make it a habit to backup your game regularly (copy/paste either the Neighborhood folder, or the entire The Sims 2 folder from the Documents location, to a location away from where the game can't access them, preferably a completely different location like a secondary drive, a USB stick, or an external harddrive or similar. Keep a copy in at least 2 different places if you want to be extra careful, and minimum 3 places for files you absolutely don't want to lose EVER. Computers or external drives usually fail when you least expect it, or files get corrupted, and you always end up needing a backup when you don't have one or when your last one is from a year ago... And yep, that's experience talking).


Yeah, but i didn't make backups at the time, so how am i gonna ever see my DVFB (Once again, DVFB stands for deleted via family bin) Sims? If it's impossible to make them playable, then i hope atleast that i can see my sims simology (Memories, aspirations, personalities, turn on and offs). I currently don't have SimPE on my mom's PC but i'll install it if the solution requires SimPE (which it most likely does)

Lovable, Unpredictable, Programmable, It's The Sims! Hey there sport! What's all the racket?
Mad Poster
#14 Old 3rd Nov 2024 at 11:51 AM
Quote: Originally posted by ws2003
Yeah, but i didn't make backups at the time, so how am i gonna ever see my DVFB (Once again, DVFB stands for deleted via family bin) Sims? If it's impossible to make them playable, then i hope atleast that i can see my sims simology (Memories, aspirations, personalities, turn on and offs). I currently don't have SimPE on my mom's PC but i'll install it if the solution requires SimPE (which it most likely does)


If you really want them back and if they still have there stub file you can do it with SimPE.

Resurrecting Sims with no character data.
"A summary of the illustrated tutorial by Celesta92059"
https://sims.fandom.com/wiki/Game_g...ms_back_to_life

This is how I did all my Beginning Hoods for deleted sims.

All my Beginning Hoods here at MTS. http://www.modthesims.info/member.php?u=7749491
All my Beginning Hoods as Shopping Districts plus Old Town. http://www.modthesims.info/download.php?t=523417
MooVille, a tribute to Mootilda and her fabulous lots http://www.modthesims.info/download.php?t=534158
Lab Assistant
Original Poster
#15 Old 3rd Nov 2024 at 9:20 PM
Quote: Originally posted by marka93
If you really want them back and if they still have there stub file you can do it with SimPE.

Resurrecting Sims with no character data.
"A summary of the illustrated tutorial by Celesta92059"
https://sims.fandom.com/wiki/Game_g...ms_back_to_life

This is how I did all my Beginning Hoods for deleted sims.

I didn't know when you delete a sim via the family bin, they lose their character data. I thought they were just unlinked or whatever, but thanks! I'll try this later.

Lovable, Unpredictable, Programmable, It's The Sims! Hey there sport! What's all the racket?
Lab Assistant
Original Poster
#16 Old 3rd Nov 2024 at 10:09 PM
Quote: Originally posted by marka93
If you really want them back and if they still have there stub file you can do it with SimPE.

Resurrecting Sims with no character data.
"A summary of the illustrated tutorial by Celesta92059"
https://sims.fandom.com/wiki/Game_g...ms_back_to_life

This is how I did all my Beginning Hoods for deleted sims.


I downloaded SimPE on my mom's PC, and i saw a bunch of "Unknown" Sims which are presumably my CAS Sims whom i've deleted. When looking at the Simbrowser they're invisible but if you check the "uneditable" you can see they have no character data. In the resource list said Sims are Mr PotatoHeads, have the red background, are all treated as Male and their days remaining is just 0. They also have no personality points as well. Is there any way to bring them back or do i just move on and maybe try to replicate them in my Main Sims 2 Ultimate Collection Game? My Google Drive has snapshots of them.

Mom's PC Has SimPE 0.72 since 0.75F wouldn't work, and It Has Mansions And Gardens Stuff
Screenshots

Lovable, Unpredictable, Programmable, It's The Sims! Hey there sport! What's all the racket?
Mad Poster
#17 Old 3rd Nov 2024 at 11:17 PM Last edited by simmer22 : 3rd Nov 2024 at 11:30 PM.
^ If they have enough data to have their looks extracted, you can probably extract them with SimSurgery + Bodyshop, then remake them in CAS. They'll be treated as new sims.

Their family ties, personality points, chemistry, and most other info they had can be redone in CAS, and the rest will be randomized (but can be edited later). Sims made in CAS won't have any substantial memories until you start playing them (they'll all get the default "met mystery sim" and so forth), so there's no point in recovering memories for previously unplayed sims.

As for remaking - depending on how you've done the sims' faces - if you've only used premade templates as-is, did manual adjustments, rolled the pacifier to combine faces, or a mix - remaking the sims can be anything from very easy to quite difficult. If you've only used face templates as-is, and know which ones you used, remaking a sim is easy to do in CAS. It's more difficult if you've sculpted or combined faces, and you usually won't get the exact same result. Items like makeup can be difficult if you don't know what you used the first time (hair/clothes/accessories can usually easily be seen in a picture).
Lab Assistant
Original Poster
#18 Old 4th Nov 2024 at 12:17 AM
Quote: Originally posted by simmer22
^ If they have enough data to have their looks extracted, you can probably extract them with SimSurgery + Bodyshop, then remake them in CAS. They'll be treated as new sims.

Their family ties, personality points, chemistry, and most other info they had can be redone in CAS, and the rest will be randomized (but can be edited later). Sims made in CAS won't have any substantial memories until you start playing them (they'll all get the default "met mystery sim" and so forth), so there's no point in recovering memories for previously unplayed sims.

As for remaking - depending on how you've done the sims' faces - if you've only used premade templates as-is, did manual adjustments, rolled the pacifier to combine faces, or a mix - remaking the sims can be anything from very easy to quite difficult. If you've only used face templates as-is, and know which ones you used, remaking a sim is easy to do in CAS. It's more difficult if you've sculpted or combined faces, and you usually won't get the exact same result. Items like makeup can be difficult if you don't know what you used the first time (hair/clothes/accessories can usually easily be seen in a picture).

Idk if i can extract their looks. SimPE says they have no character Data. Their stub files still probably exist, except their names are all "Unknown", and have potato head as their portrait, so i can't even know which Sim is which. Maybe i should check their clothing and genetics via SimPE.

Lovable, Unpredictable, Programmable, It's The Sims! Hey there sport! What's all the racket?
Mad Poster
#19 Old 4th Nov 2024 at 12:30 AM
Quote: Originally posted by ws2003
I downloaded SimPE on my mom's PC, and i saw a bunch of "Unknown" Sims which are presumably my CAS Sims whom i've deleted. When looking at the Simbrowser they're invisible but if you check the "uneditable" you can see they have no character data. In the resource list said Sims are Mr PotatoHeads, have the red background, are all treated as Male and their days remaining is just 0. They also have no personality points as well. Is there any way to bring them back or do i just move on and maybe try to replicate them in my Main Sims 2 Ultimate Collection Game? My Google Drive has snapshots of them.

Mom's PC Has SimPE 0.72 since 0.75F wouldn't work, and It Has Mansions And Gardens Stuff


It looks like you still have the stub file and that is exactly what you need to follow that tutorial I posted above.

Make a back up copy of your hood before you do anything else.
You will need to fix them then clone them and then clone them again to clean out any bad stuff that may tag along.
Make sure you use throw-away hoods to rebuild them and clone them and the 2nd time you clone them they should be good to go.

If following the tutorial is to much then you will just have to remake them from memory.

All my Beginning Hoods here at MTS. http://www.modthesims.info/member.php?u=7749491
All my Beginning Hoods as Shopping Districts plus Old Town. http://www.modthesims.info/download.php?t=523417
MooVille, a tribute to Mootilda and her fabulous lots http://www.modthesims.info/download.php?t=534158
Lab Assistant
Original Poster
#20 Old 4th Nov 2024 at 1:18 AM
Quote: Originally posted by marka93
It looks like you still have the stub file and that is exactly what you need to follow that tutorial I posted above.

Make a back up copy of your hood before you do anything else.
You will need to fix them then clone them and then clone them again to clean out any bad stuff that may tag along.
Make sure you use throw-away hoods to rebuild them and clone them and the 2nd time you clone them they should be good to go.

If following the tutorial is to much then you will just have to remake them from memory.


Okay. I will do this later. I will reply to this post later if i did it.

Lovable, Unpredictable, Programmable, It's The Sims! Hey there sport! What's all the racket?
Lab Assistant
Original Poster
#21 Old 4th Nov 2024 at 1:58 AM Last edited by ws2003 : 4th Nov 2024 at 2:17 AM.
Quote: Originally posted by marka93
It looks like you still have the stub file and that is exactly what you need to follow that tutorial I posted above.

Make a back up copy of your hood before you do anything else.
You will need to fix them then clone them and then clone them again to clean out any bad stuff that may tag along.
Make sure you use throw-away hoods to rebuild them and clone them and the 2nd time you clone them they should be good to go.

If following the tutorial is to much then you will just have to remake them from memory.

edit: I fucked up and confused some of the repliers. Sorries...

I tried following someone else tutorial but the bad news, is that the DVFB (deleted via family bin) Sims are not listed in the Sim Pool in Sims Surgery. Even as "Unknown", they're not listed there. Body Shop's not even opening and i have never ever opened body shop in my Mom's pc.

I just found my Sims 2 Mansion And Garden Stuff game on my Google drive, and i am wondering if it would be a good idea to download my neighborhood from there and try to do what you said as the body shop on my main PC's fully working. As for my main neighborhood, maybe i can try placing it in a temporary folder until i can get my Sims back
Screenshots

Lovable, Unpredictable, Programmable, It's The Sims! Hey there sport! What's all the racket?
Lab Assistant
Original Poster
#22 Old 4th Nov 2024 at 2:15 AM
Good News: I did do it and my deleted CAS Sims are now visible, so are their portraits and names, but SimPE says their character file is missing, and they are unlinked. Their personality points and other data are still ok but they're not really playable. It's like the ancestral and hidden sims. They're visible via SimPE, have turn on and turn offs, aspirations, personality points, but they are unlinked and the files required to be a functional Sim are missing.
Since they probably have enough data, i might as well do your tutorial
Screenshots

Lovable, Unpredictable, Programmable, It's The Sims! Hey there sport! What's all the racket?
Mad Poster
#23 Old 4th Nov 2024 at 3:19 AM
Quote: Originally posted by ws2003
Good News: I did do it and my deleted CAS Sims are now visible, so are their portraits and names, but SimPE says their character file is missing, and they are unlinked. Their personality points and other data are still ok but they're not really playable. It's like the ancestral and hidden sims. They're visible via SimPE, have turn on and turn offs, aspirations, personality points, but they are unlinked and the files required to be a functional Sim are missing.
Since they probably have enough data, i might as well do your tutorial


That is the stub file that is left over when a sim gets deleted and its what you need for the tutorial to fix them to work.

All my Beginning Hoods here at MTS. http://www.modthesims.info/member.php?u=7749491
All my Beginning Hoods as Shopping Districts plus Old Town. http://www.modthesims.info/download.php?t=523417
MooVille, a tribute to Mootilda and her fabulous lots http://www.modthesims.info/download.php?t=534158
Lab Assistant
Original Poster
#24 Old 4th Nov 2024 at 3:41 AM
Quote: Originally posted by marka93
That is the stub file that is left over when a sim gets deleted and its what you need for the tutorial to fix them to work.


Yes but how do i make a clone of them? Like a exact replica. Is there a way or do i manually recreate the Sim?

Lovable, Unpredictable, Programmable, It's The Sims! Hey there sport! What's all the racket?
Mad Poster
#25 Old 4th Nov 2024 at 3:52 AM Last edited by simmer22 : 4th Nov 2024 at 4:22 AM.
Quote: Originally posted by ws2003
Yes but how do i make a clone of them? Like a exact replica. Is there a way or do i manually recreate the Sim?


For ingame resurrection, try the tutorial Marka linked.

If they still have enough character data to have a face and information about clothes, etc., their looks can be extracted in SimPE, and then cloned in Bodyshop. This creates an exact copy of the sim (if CC was used, this method requires the same CC to be in your game when you open Bodyshop, or the clone won't have those CC items).

Tutorials for extracting sims with SimPE+Bodyshop:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7LQO4aQdfUE
https://sims.fandom.com/wiki/Game_g...of_in-game_Sims
(either one will work - one is in video format, the other is text and pictures)

(When you're done with the cloning in Bodyshop, remove the files you extracted with SimPE, and use the newly generated files from Bodyshop. Technically, the extracted files shouldn't cause issues with the game, but the Bodyshop-generated ones are safer to use since they don't have any character data attached).
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