ok, i am getting very irritated. i got the sims 2 when it first came out for x-mas (maybe a year ago i think?). when i played it the first time, it worked fine. then about 2 weeks or less after i first played it, it came up with an error message when i tried to run it (and every time after that it does), the error message is: it makes me very mad that i cant play this game, STILL! i have looked on every site out there and tried sooo many things and none of them have worked. please im begging you PLEAES HELP ME !!!! my computer is
-Operating System Microsoft Windows XP Professional
-DirectX 4.09.00.0904 (DirectX 9.0c) *IT SAYS I HAVE 9.0c!!
-System Memory 384 MB (SDRAM)
-Video Adapter Intel(R) 82810 Graphics Controller (Microsoft Corporation) (32 MB)
-3D Accelerator Intel i752
-Monitor ViewSonic G771 [17" CRT] (80729325)
-DirectX Hardware Support DirectX v6.0

i dont know what any of this means i have EVEREST Home Edition, if someone would please be kind to help me?

where did i ever go wrong??

This is one solution though the best would be to upgrade your card:

The following steps can be used to eliminate or minimize the issue(s) reported with the game:

1. Set the display to 16-bit color. To make this change, follow these steps:
a. Click on the Start menu and select Settings, Control Panel, and then double-click on Display. If using Microsoft Windows* XP: Click on the Start menu and select Control Panel, "Switch to Classic View" if the category view is shown, and then double-click on Display.

b. Select the Settings tab.

c. Change the Color Quality (Color Depth) to 16-bit color.
2. Run the game with the -w switch which forces the game to run in a window. To add this switch, follow these steps:

a. Right-click on the The Sims 2 game and left-click on Properties. You can do this either on the game's shortcut on the desktop or on the game's entry in the Start menu.

b. Add a space and -w to the end of the Target field, so that it looks like this: "C:\Program Files\EA GAMES\The Sims 2\TSBin\Sims2.exe" -w

Note: The actual path may vary depending on where the game was installed. Make sure that the -w goes outside the quotation marks and that there is a space between the last quotation mark and the -w.

c. Click OK.

This applies to:
Intel® 82815 Graphics Controller and Intel® 82810 Graphics Controller

i have tried all of that and none of it works
thanks for trying though

I know that Intel no longer supports that graphics controller - see here: http://support.intel.com/support/graphics/intel810/ and Sims 2 is a graphics memory hog. When it says it supports the following cards, it means it:
* ATI RadeonTM series (7000 or better)
o Radeon 7000/VE series (non-T&L; requires 2.0 GHz processor)
o 7200, 7500
o 8500, All-In-Wonder 8500
o 9000, 9200, 9500, 9600, 9700, 9800
o X300, X600, X800

* Nvidia® QuadroTM series
o Quadro, Quadro2, Quadro4

* Nvidia® Geforce series (GeForce2 and better)
o GeForce2
o GeForce3, 3 Ti
o GeForce4, 4Ti, MX 420, 440
o GeForce FX 5200, 5600, 5700, 5800, 5900, 5950
o GeForce 6600, 6800

* Intel® Extreme Graphics (non-T&L; requires 2.0 GHz processor)
o 82845, 82865, 82915
In other words, you should put in a new graphics card with plenty of memory on it. The problem is I can't suggest one since I don't know if your card support AGP 4x or if you will have to install an old PCI card.

Even if you can get Sims 2 to work on your machine in its present setup, all the cute bells and whistles graphically will most probably be unavailable to you.

can u please help me...i cant figure out what to do.. I am getting this same message..it say that i cant play the sims 2 because i dont have directx 9.0 or sumthing and i cant walk because i broke my foot and all i want is to play this game and i cant because it doesn't work!!HELP!!!!!!

If you have the onboard Intel chipset: Intel® 82815 Graphics Controller and Intel® 82810 Graphics Controller - in theory it will run if you do what is listed above. However, it won't run well if at all. Tell us what your video card is and we may be able to help.

I'm sorry about that but i have no idea waht the video chip is or anything like that soyou will have to like majorly help me ok please i really want to play and all i can do is that and watch tv because of my foot so please !! thanks! byee

please help me

Right click on My Computer, then click on Properties from the menu that appears, then click on the Hardware tab, then click on the Device Manager button, then click on the "+" next to Display Adapters. This will open up and show you a subentry which should display the name of your card or onboard device.

I'm having the exact same problem. Please help me! The name of my card/onboard device is
Intel(R) 82815 Graphics Controller (Microsoft Corporation)

Please please help me!

Samantha098 the only way that you will be able to play the game with any facility is to buy one of the boards mentioned above and install it and disable your 82815 Graphics Controller. You can try to lower the resolution and a variety of other things that are often suggested, but it will not be a fun experience and you will come to screen that you won't be able to view or you will need a tool that won't appear.