Can anyone please help me install my mods that I found on here? I am confused as to how to install the files, and when I followed the directions, nothing showed up in my game.... any help would be great!

What operating system are you using on your computer? It makes a difference.

If you happen to be running Windows 7 or Vista, there's a special note about those operating systems at the bottom of this post.

I am running Windows 7....I read that note,and checked the Virtual Store file....but I didn't see anything conflicting...that file is for the whole system, right? not just the game? also, my "show hidden files and folders" box is checked too. I must be doing something wrong, but I can't figure out what

Have you examined the files in the game's Images folder? Are they the desired image files from the mod or the original game images?

I think I have both, actually...I think that is where I messed up. I wish I could show you the contents of my folder

Did you make sure that the file name of the mod images matches the original file names after you put them in the Images folder (making sure that you backed up the originals first)? The game is programmed to recognize only the original name of each image. Many mod images have been renamed by the creators of each mod.

no, actually I just backed up the originals, and then copied and pasted the mod images to image folder. I need to start over again, huh? should I just delete the image folder that is in there now, then copy and paste the mod images into there? I think I have a mix of originals and mods in the image folder now. I also need help with the mapping...lol! thankyou so much for your help, I really appreciate it...I have adhd, (who doesn't)and I have the worst time figuring out things..

I am gonna try to cut and paste the file contents so you can see what I have in there. I have other things too, other than images..

can I send it to you?

ok, that didn't work....I have png and jpg AND maps jpg files in there....
like pet grids, bigheads.00,imagefiles.jpg,...then when I go to change the name of the file to match the original, it creates a 2nd file of the one I'm working with!!! for example, "office upgrades with macs (2).jpg" I have a normal file for that, then I have a 2nd one......should I just delete the contents of the folder and repaste the mods in there, and then change the names? I think I have a mix of originals and mods......I'm not sure..I am so confused! I am sorry!...

If you wish, you can do a screen shot of the folder and post it here. If you don't know how to do that, this post has step-by-step instructions.

ok, I have several pet grids, so they are named: "pet_grid (1).png"
and "pet_grid (2)" and so on,.....I also have different bedding sets, and they are named "Image1.png, Image2.png, and so on.... then I have maps...which map originals do I delete and replace with the mod maps I downloaded? this is stuff that is confusing me... I am working with ImagesBackup folder, and Images folder side by side, and comparing dates, so I can try to figure out which ones are originals, and are safe to delete, and which mods that are the same thing that I need to rename to match the original....I hope I am not confusing you!!!

Any file with a (1), (2), etc. in the file name will not be loaded by the game. For example, if there is a file called "Pet_grid.png" it's the one the will be loaded by the game, and all others will be ignored. The same thing goes for the map files and all other images. As long as you have your original Images folder backed up, you can always start over.

The best thing to do is exactly what you're doing, which is to determine which images belong to a particular mod that you want to use and change those file names to match the name of the original file. Once that's complete, the game will load them.

Sigh.....I did what you explained to me above.....and I changed some things....I also changed some maps, but nothing is showing up in the game...the maps I changed are some that have ponds in them, but I made sure I changed the name and deleted the original out of the file..there must be something else.....

i'm going to take a break from this tonight and try again tommorow before I get really frustrated... thank you for your help!!!

When you try to copy/paste a file into a folder and there's already one there with the same name, you should get a message from Windows asking what you want to do, as you can't have two files there with the same name. I don't have Windows 7 so the wording might be different, but you are given the choice of:

• over-writing the original file;
• renaming the copied file;
• cancelling

It sounds as if you are choosing to rename the files. What you should choose is to over-write the files instead - provided you have a back-up, of course. I suggest you remove the files in the images folder and then restore them from back-up. In case of accidents I wouldn't delete them until you've successfully restored them all. Then copy the mod files across (having renamed them if necessary), answering 'Yes' to over-writing the files.

should I rename the mods that I want to install first before I put them in the images folder? then about the maps, I am not sure how to go about installing those....there are some maps in the image folder.....I have some mod maps with fountains that I want to install....how would I do that?

Hello bgrateful32. Your image folder should have 16 different maps saved in jpg format. They fit together like a puzzle to form your Virtual Families house and yard. See photo Whole map below. You can exchange any of the original maps for a modified (mod) map, you just have to make sure that the modified map is named exactly as the original map was.

There are many different ways to organize your images for the game. When I first started using mods I chose to add the word "original" to the original maps so I didn't have to move them anywhere. Next I made sure that the new map had the exact same name as the old one but without the word "original". So, if I want a new shed, part of which is MapX0Y0.jpg then the original MapX0Y0.jpg becomes MapX0Y0orignial.jpg and the new part of the shed becomes MapX0Y0.jpg. See Example 1 and 2 below. You can do this with all of the image files in your game.

Make sure your game is shut down. Once you have renamed your original images and replaced them with your modified images, go into Windows Virtual Store and remove/delete the Virtual Families images that are stored there. Then start up your game and you should see your modified maps/images in your game.

I hope you find this information helpful.