I run windows, and I have all games. Although, if possible I would prefer to avoid games that contain SecuROM, as I don't want to get it on my laptop if I don't have to. I could format it to get rid of it later, but formatting is not quite fun enough to want to do unless really necessary.

Excellent. I like that solution, if it works. Unlike removing the controller from the lot, I believe that I understand how to make this change.

So, it sounds like my next step is to make a special version of the Clean Installer which attempts to find the bug within a lot. If that works correctly for people, then I'll make a special version which zeros the Super Duper Hug GUID. Once people in this thread have had a chance to test that version thoroughly, I'll release it for general consumption.

Sounds like I should take a look at that mod to see what it does. It may give us a clue about how this thing spreads.

All Mac EPs/SPs have had Securom from the beginning. Is base game Securom-free, or do all Windows versions of the game have it?

EDIT: Mootilda, Dolphin's fix makes the Hug go away for good unless it is the Hug caused by the in-laws/extended family hack that Jo has. That one does not respond to Dolphin's fix; I've tried it in my game. Tamas/Dominie said the other fix might work, though, and I'm going to try that out tonight.

Any version of the game released after 2007/05/01 has SecuROM. That includes:
- Deluxe
- H&M Fashion Stuff
- Sims Pet Stories
- Bon Voyage

Because most people already had the base game, and because the game doesn't usually run off of the H&M SP DVD, most people didn't notice the problem until they installed BV.

Yes, I understood that. However, it sounds like that mod works differently than the other two "fix" mods and is therefore a useful area for research.

As I understood it it's BV and forward, but perhaps I got it wrong.

Esme, i am extremely overtired now...been one of those days..so my understanding is a bit slow. By your last question..if you mean my objects folder in my program files..yes, locked/read only.

We probably cross-posted. It's in Deluxe and H&M, but most people didn't have problems until BV was released.

Yes, it seems we did. Sorry I don't imagine we'd need H&M for this, so I suppose any EP below BV would be alright. If later EPs are required, we'll figure something out. It is possible I already have it, I forgot I had installed Origin to get FT to test one of my creations, so I guess I may need to reinstall it regardless.

I'll be at the top of the list to test it out. I don't know what we would do without you. Mootilda, saving sim games every day.

I have more information!

I opened Pleasantview with no downloads in at all, and checked on the Brokes. In my previous tests, they had the Hug, and Dolphin's fix didn't remove it. I checked the Calientes and they had not developed the Hug. I had Dina invite Brandi over; they had a rousing autonomous pillow fight for a game hour (maybe two) and the Calientes did not pick up the Hug. I went back to the Brokes and had Brandi invite Dina over for about a game hour. I then checked the Calientes again, and they had not developed the Hug. I checked the Viejos in Riverblossom Hills, and they had not developed the Hug. I therefore conclude that the mere presence of a lot that has the TH on it (caused by placing and then removing the in-laws hack) does not automatically and instantly corrupt your entire game. Even when I tried to spread the TH, it didn't seem to want to spread. If I did something wrong in trying to spread the Hug and invalidated the test, please let me know.

I am concluding from this test that if the hack is in one 'hood but you remove it and go to a 'hood that was never played while the hack was in, that 'hood should be Hug-free.

Upthread, Tamas/Dominie said that they had tried removing the Hug with LBF Remove Social Fix (the one that fixes the Deadly Neck Bite) and had success. I tried removing it with Dolphin's Control This Sim and failed. Tonight, I put the LBF fix the Downloads folder, played the Broke family for about one game hour, quit, removed the LBF fix, and went back to the Broke's. The Hug was gone. So it looks like that might be a better fix to study, since it actually kills this version of the Hug?

If someone would make and deliberately infect a base game lot, I would be willing to test at what point the Hug shows up, especially now that I know that a) it's not as virulent as I previously thought, b) I can kill it with the LBF fix, and c) in a pinch, regenerating my EA Games folder will get rid of it. When I say "at what point," I mean does it show up when the lot is installed and placed in the bin? Or when the lot is placed in the 'hood?

If those are not useful diagnostic questions, please let me know.



EDIT: I am also wondering if perhaps this version of the Hug is more virulent (if it spreads to other 'hoods and/or families) if the Objects folder is not read-only. However, I'm not willing to unlock it to experiment. What do other people think -- worth looking into, or not?

That's excellent news! We should try that fix mod on joandsarah's lots.

I don't know Esme, my first test lot uploaded to leefish came from a new hood that had only been played a few days. Dominie said it contained the hug.

I uploaded a second test lot that I don't think has been looked at. Again on leefish and that came from a brand new hood which had not been played at all. maybe someone would care to check it out. http://www.leefish.nl/mybb/showthre...tid=4930&page=9 Post #87

Now, even though those lots weren't played, the in-laws/extended family hacks were in your Downloads folder, right? So they might still be infected.

EDIT: And if they are infected, we can test if the LBF fix will kill the infection in an otherwise clean 'hood. That might allow your current lots to be reuploaded in a nice clean version.

I have an idea for a test, if your Downloads folder is organized enough. Try pulling just those two hacks, starting a brand new 'hood, and building a lot in the brand new 'hood. (Maybe just a box or something.) Then we can see if that lot is infected. I suspect that it won't be, since the new 'hood would not have been played with the hacks in.

Since you won't be touching the 'hoods that actually use the two hacks you pulled, you should be able to put them back without disturbing/corrupting a thing. (If a more experienced person knows that I am wrong about that, please let me know!)

Yes the two mods are still in my Download folder. I was just about to start up the game too. I might as well try it, it can't get any worse can it?

I was just coming to ask an Any Game Starter question.

I would like to run a Base Game AGS but I needed to know if it will work with my game being installed on an internal D drive with my hoods and cc on my C drive. SimPE has no trouble seeing my hoods and sims. I still have my original 2004 base game disk.

Edit: Okay I've pulled both the extended family and the inlaws fix and I am going to load up.

I have my O/S installed on one drive, the Sims 2 installed on a second drive, and my Documents folder on a third drive. I have no problems running the AnyGame Starter. Does that answer your question?

That's why your lots are infected. You've created the perfect setup to infect all of your shared lots.

yes thanks it does.

Okay so keeping in the two mods was making it worse? I had got it in my head that removing the mods made it worse.

I'm at the hood menu right now and I'm a little concerned that the test hood I made yesterday and uploaded the second test lot from looks like a green and white grid. Just like how it looks if you put down a new community lot and have a sim by it before you build anything. I think I might just delete that and make another test hood.

If you keep the mods, then the CC controller will be added to every one of your lots. When you share the lot, the CC controller is not included in the Sims2Pack, which means that the CC controller will fall back to the Super Duper Hug controller unless the downloader happens to have those CC controllers.

By leaving that CC in, you are ensuring that every one of your lots contains a Super Duper Hug.

I've made a fresh hood with the two mods out and I will presently upload another test lot.

test lot three. https://app.box.com/s/vwso42wir4vvpductpyy

First off, I would like to add one more reason why the bug is undesirable: Not only do all sims start to hug as if they're related. This hug is also VERY effective at making everyone friends, and it's almost NEVER rejected. It's not natural for two complete strangers to hug a few times and then have a STR 100 relationship already. But this bug will make that happen all the time...


If there is any chance right now, of getting rid of the bug, then I think it must be to:

step 1: install a fix, (I'm guessing that Dolphin's is NOT the best solution)
step 2: run all infected households for a while,
step 3: remove the mod that causes the bug,
step 4: run all the lots again, maybe for at least a few sim hours.

And then maybe - but really only MAYBE - the bug may be gone for good.
(alas, the only test to see if it's really gone, would be to remove the fix and see if the bug shows up. If it does NOT, then you're good.)

Hopefully, Mootilda will indeed find a way to remove the bug from a packaged lot later on. That might make things a lot easier.

As for a fix at this moment, my preferred solution would be my No Sim Loaded, which does a lot more than just fix this bug or, if you would still like to have a "Kiss Cheek" style mod, my Social - Kiss Cheek which is created to be a safe version. This version does NOT give you the bug, and also disables the bug, if you already have it. (The lean version does NOT fix it).
If you prefer neither of these two, you can go for one of the LBF fixes, which all work mostly the same as mine.


I hope this helps people who have contracted the bug.

I have all fixes known in place. I put on Dolphins first because I got the hug two years ago from the kiss check mod from here. That definitely fixed my hug at that time. I know because I had to take my Download folder out to do a 50/50 and no hug showed.

A bit later I put on deadly neck bite for something I wanted to film, not as a fix, but another fix seemed like a bonus.

Some months later but I'm not sure which came first, but fairly close together I put on no sim loaded and the extended family mod. I put on no sim loaded for burning tokens not as a fix but I saw it was so again bonus. Someone told me it was no good by the way so I pulled no sim loaded but as I didn't see anyone else saying they had trouble with it I put it back on. I don't know if I put the extended family mod in when no sim loaded was there or not.

Got told a cc free lot of mine had the hug a number of days ago and didn't believe it -after all I had 3 fixes in place and I knew the last time I pulled my download folder I didn't have the hug. Pulled my download folder to prove it and bam there it was. Caused most likely by the extended family mod which seems a different form of the hug.

If this last test lot still has the hug I will play all my houses for awhile before uplaoding a lot again. Would just one hood do? What if I pull all but one hood?

Ok, first: there has been - in the beginning - a version of No Sim Loaded that caused a problem too. Alas, I make mistakes too, occasionally. If the person who encountered this problem, had returned for a newer version, they would have found that the issue was fixed.

Fortunately, you did not let one bad report keep you from retrying my mod :D

If you have the bug in multiple hoods, you will have to play all the infected lots in all these hoods. Fixing the issue in one hood will NOT clean another hood. Pulling an infected hood is also a solution, but again it will not fix other hoods.
The important thing is, though, that you can NOT clear the bug from your house, as long as you still have a mod installed that causes the bug.

This deadly neck bite, is that also an LBF mod? If so, it will work just as good as my fixes.

By the way, having multiple versions of the fix in your downloads folder is NOT necessary, but it will not harm your game either. The worst thing it does, is to waste a little bit of extra time every second, but you will probably never notice it. :D

Well I keep control this sim because it's very useful; I don't really need deadly neck bite (yes an LBF mod) any longer as that was put on for a story, so I could toss that. I have a bad habit of just keeping cc. I did say someplace I have 17 gigs of the stuff. :/

I saw you said you had a problem with the first version. But every creator who has made a fix did so because they had a problem. I don't have any problem with people who say so and come clean up after themselves. I don't know if this person had the first version, but I'm guessing so. Rufio has not cleaned up if they even know about this, but it's been up a very long time for there to have never been a bug report.

I also found a link here: http://faiuwle.wikidot.com/sims2hacks is that the same mod or is this made by someone else. Could someone check it. because I'm going to hate playing without an extended family mod. Scratch that it is his/her mod. I followed a link in their profile and it went there.

That mod you linked to, is the oldest extended-family mod that I know of. I'm not sure if it's the same mod, but it could be. It could indeed be bugged, but alas, without a working PC, I can not test that. So I hope that someone else will.

Is there a safe extended family mod some someplace? I often have grown children live with parents and that stopped heartfarting from inlaws and I loved how sister in laws would share a family kiss.

Last night, this is what I did:

1. Remove the hack (OK, that was done several days ago, but it's still out)
2. Install the LBF deadly neck bite fix
3, Play the affected household for one game hour
4. Remove the fix
5. Check the affected lot -- no Hug

So the LBF does seem to fix it.