The game is from 2004, so it needs a little help on modern PCs:

Look for the High Grand Witch on secret community lots ( Apartment Life ).

Use Open for Business to start a home-run flower shop using the crafting bench from Seasons .

The Sims 2 is famous for its "spaghetti code" that can break save files. delete Sims from the bin. Don't move occupied houses into the lot bin.

Here is a quick-start guide to making the most of your "Ultimate" setup: 1. Essential Technical Fixes

Since the game is 32-bit, it can only use 2GB of RAM by default. Applying this patch doubles that, drastically reducing crashes and "pink flashing" textures. 2. Best Expansion "Combos"