Installed OFB, removed characters folder, now not working?

[nightbreaking]

So I installed Open for Business (which I got for my birthday) and deleted the characters folder with the intent of making clean templates. I then decided I didn't want to do that. I stupidly had not made a back-up, and deleted out of my recycle bin the characters. I moved out the Open for Business folder out of the Program Files, then tried to

Comments

[esmeiolanthe]

Eeeee... Deleting the characters folder is one of those Really Very Very Bad Things that will corrupt your whole game in a heartbeat. Since you already emptied your recycle bin, you can't get them back, so there's no fixing it that way. (Although it probably wouldn't work anyhow.) Moving the OFB folder won't remove it from the game or let it reinstall -- the computer still knows that the game is there, just in the wrong place. The game won't load a business district because files have been deleted and moved, so solving the one will fix the other. At this point, it's sounding to me like a full reinstall is your only real option. (I hope someone else can tell me I'm wrong, but that's what I'm thinking

[scribal_goddess]

The problem is that you moved the install file. Don't move program files: you're probably going to have to uninstall OFB and re-install it. Moving or otherwise mucking with the part of the game in Program Files has much the same effect as letting an EP install over the top of another one: the game thinks that you have it installed, but you've overwritten or lost most of the capabilities from that EP.

It's best to keep a seperate folder for each EP in your program files and never, ever touch or move them. Normal uninstall will rid you of them if need be, so long as that's where you install the game to.

(A good way of keeping a temporary neighborhood backup is, if you have enough space, simply making a copy of all the neighborhoods you actually play on a disk or your desktop. If you have some rewritable disks, you can just have a backup that you continually re-burn. It will wear out after a while, but most computers should let you wipe it and overwrite.)

Cheer up! You have a VBT that doesn't cause permanent damage. :)

[scribal_goddess]

Oh... I missed the character deletion... um. Yeah. Not good.

Uninstall OFB from the icon or your startup menu: that should take care of wherever the game thinks it's installed. Then delete the files where you've moved them to.

And, like Fuzzy said, the MATY method is your best bet.

[esmeiolanthe]

Fuzzy? I mean, I know we're both good-looking, but she's *much* cooler than me... :P

[scribal_goddess]

Oops. Sorry, Esme: I was reading my prompts from Fuzzy in anoher window. -.-

[nightbreaking]

Thanks guys! At least I know how to prevent this in the future...The problem when I was doing this was I was reading the Wiki, not the MATY link, and it gave me bad info. So I guess a reinstall's the way to go, if I can find my Double Deluxe disk...yikes! Unfortunately I can't uninstall the OFB one separately. But thanks for the help!

[esmeiolanthe]

Yeah, for things like this, trust MATY. They're somewhere between abrasive and nasty, but they know their stuff. I used the MATY tutorial several years ago, and I haven't had a moment's trouble. :)

Good luck with the reinstall! *hug*

[nightbreaking]

Thanks! Yep, never made an account there for that reason :P At least all my 'hoods are safe, and my game's still working until I get the chance to reinstall.

[esmeiolanthe]

I just lurk there too. ;) Remember to back up your 'hoods, your Downloads folder, and your Paintings folder (if you have any custom paintings) before reinstalling, and it will all be smooth, if a little tedious.