I actually bought Sims 2 (One DVD edition and one CD version for my wife and myself). We both have Nero installed and I have DAEMON installed. I had no problems installing the game. I think the problem here is all these warez pups are pissed because they don't have a nice illegal version to play. Obviously if Maxis put logic in to make the game not install because of Nero or DAEMON, I wouldn't have been able to install it. It is that simple.

And btw, this game is amazing. I simply can't believe the amount of detail that has gone into this game. I honestly didn't like The Sims or Sims Online, but this has totally addicted me.

Excellent job guys!

I have both Nero (latest) and DAEMON tools. I had no problem installing it whatsoever (DVD version).

This program is the biggest pile of crap i have seen in a long time not only the 3.5GB to play the game, But Even with all 4 trouble shooting programs from EA help files and talking with them they were even stumped on what the problem is,Why it would crash every time now i know its DVD SHRINK And Nero, I Will never buy this game again!

I have NERO installed. So does my wife. SIMS 2 installed without a hitch.

Dude, I have purchased both Doom3 and The Sims 2 which have this protection. I completely uninstalled Nero and Daemon Tools and it still said there was emulation software installed ;)

I had stopped playing Doom3 for a while because it didnt like my Nero installation, which I then uninstalled but it didnt make a difference! Same with The Sims 2 which forced me to reinstall. I didnt like that.

The game seems quite good except that I have found 4 bugs this morning alone! I'm looking foreward to the first patch :-)

Even though this version is MUCH better than the first one I still find myself saying things like "why the hell do they do that!" and how sometimes they forget about the things you have told them to do even if they are completely satisfied with everything! A very good game none the less :-)

As long as humans and computers exist.....

Any code will be crackable.....

Anything can be copied......

There will never be any copy-protection in existence that will ever be worth the money spent on it

And voter machines will never be safe......

Thats very profound. I'm sure if only Maxis truly realized this they would say "Eh, might as well just release it for free, a 13 year old cracker will certainly beat our protection".

Actually why stop with software? Let's tell Ford and all the car manufacturers that car theft will always be there, may as well stop putting locks on the car doors. Oh, and make sure you take the locks off your doors at home, because someone out there will find a way in.

I hate these stupid little "hacker" manifestos that seem to surface right after a new Matrix movie.

Except the real news here is that EA is using a copy-protection scheme that prevents the game from running if you have Clone CD, Nero, or a number of other CD-copying/drive-emulation software installed.

But, I've seen on torrent sites cracked versions, I haven't downloaded it, just seen it, not sure if it works.

EXCUSE ME????????!!!!!!!!

Where the H - E - Double - Hockey - Sticks do these BOZOS get off trying to tell me what I can or cannot have on MY computer???

Better yet, how DARE they tell me that I can't back up MY property???????

For that chutzpah alone, I do hope this game becomes the most pirated in the history of the company.

I backed up onto an image file on my PC and ran disc 1 on daemon tools to play it, and had no problems. Maybe it only applies to install?

Let me ask you a question, have you actually bought the game? Or are you just this pissed off because you have read someone elses review, or perhaps you downloaded the game from a warez site and cant get it to install because you are running software that allows playback and copying of copyrighted software? Why dont you try playing the game before you go and whine about it :)

On that note, I think the sims 2 is an awesome game, the characters are even more rich in this version and the AI much better. The game runs very smooth on my system (2.4Ghz, 512MB ram) and I have not had a single quirk with install (and I to have daemon tools installed, along with nero and an old copy of clonecd (sorry, this program has lost its use for me)). Anyways, good job EA!

So before this topic turns into a debate on cd protections, why dont we actually review the software/game (as is the purpose of this site) and not sit here and say "oh it installed on mine" or "didnt install here" or "How dare they do this or that". Otherwise I might have to break out some WHAAAmburgers and french cries :P

They work. I let curiosity get the best of me and downloaded a copy of the game off a torrent site last weekend. I couldn't wait for my pre-purchased copy, as I wanted to get a head start. Aside from a weird quirk that requires me to have the disc spinning in the drive before clicking the game icon (achieved by opening up Windows Explorer prior to game execution) and the No-CD crack not allowing you to build houses, the game did work. But, I highly suggest purchasing the game, as the CD-Key allows you to register on the official site, and then you can exchange your characters, houses, clothing, whatever. This game is awesome...20 times better than the first and all its subsequent expansions. Kudos to Maxis and EA.

Just a slight correction there. Unless you are backing up GPL software or software you wrote yourself, most of your software IS NOT your property. You have a LICENSE to use that software, you do not OWN it. If your software came on a CD, you already have a backup.

And further, Sims2 legal version installs just fine with the latest version of Nero.