Got Questions about Downloading and Extracting? Don't want to use the XP extractor?

When you download an item from a third party fansite it usually comes in a zip file. You will need some sort of program to unzip / extract the file and place it in the correct game folder by telling the program where to send the file.This is easier than it sounds!

Winzip is one such program and you can download a free trial version of it at http://www.winzip.com If you have Windows XP you should be reading the tutorial found here.

If you leave your game running when you extract / unzip your files you will need to restart your game before the new items show up. Keep in mind also that some user made items are not categorized correctly and may show up in the wrong part of the catalog in Buy mode. For example, a dining chair might show up under Seating, All instead of Seating, Dining Chairs. So look around for your items.

To download the file you need to go to the site and click on the link to the download. When the window pops up select SAVE (not open) and then you have to tell it where to save the file to. You can save them anywhere you want, as long as you can find them. I send mine to a folder I made on my desktop called Sims Downloads. When the file is done downloading go to that folder.

For winzip, right click on the downloaded file and choose Extract (or Extract All) and then you will need to give a location to extract the file(s) to, see the directories where the different types of files go below:
Directory list by Devin5:

Objects - .iff
C:\Program Files\Maxis\The Sims\GameData\UserObjects.

Skins - .skn, .cmx, .bmp
C:\Program Files\Maxis\The Sims\GameData\Skins.

Roofs - .bmp
C:\Program Files\Maxis\The Sims\GameData\Roofs.

Walls - .wll
C:\Program Files\Maxis\The Sims\GameData\Walls.

Floors - .flr
C:\Program Files\Maxis\The Sims\GameData\Floors.

Houses - houseXX.iff
C:\Program Files\Maxis\The Sims\UserDataX\Houses.

Houses can be tricky. The UserData folders are your Neighborhoods. If you were to type in 'UserData' in the location, it would send it to Neighborhood 1. If you typed in UserData2, it'd appear in Neighborhood 2. The "X" is your variable- change it at will. Just replace the existing file when asked.

You can read a downloading tutorial here: http://members.aol.com/therookesnest/,

There are two programs specifically made for Sims downloads that both unzip / extract the files and place the items in the game for you. They will not do houses or roofs though and some downloads will not work with these programs.

You can find them here:

Filemaid at http://mattwork.potsdam.edu/projects/SimFileMaid/index.next.html
Simzip at http://simsplus.sgngames.com/Downloads/tools.html

Instructions on how to use Filemaid: http://mattwork.potsdam.edu/projects/SimFileMaid/docs/index.html

I hope this helps, good luck!

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Tutorial Created by Jen626 and Devin5, edited by Hobbsee