I have a Vista so if you could please tell me excatly where it is for Vista I would really appriciate it but what excatly is a page file?

I'll post a screenshot in a few minutes. And edit this post with the link for it.

Thank you!

You're welcome and I'll just post in a new post so you can see it's done.
Just click on the thumbnails to get bigger picture. In this first one you click on your control panel and then the icon/button that says System and this is what you will see. You will need to then click the link on the left that says advanced settings.


Then you see this below and you choose settings button under Performance that you can see right at front.


Then you see this and choose Advanced tab at top.


Then you will see this and you choose Change under Virtual Memory section.


Then you see the final page where you will choose Custom option and then enter the total page file recommended value you see listed on your computer. Hope this helps!

Do I enter the total page file recommended where it says initial size or where it says maximum size?

You put the recommended in the intial size so that it will use that as default then just add a few more gig to it to put as max or whatever amount you feel you can spare on your hard drive as extra memory.

So if my recommended is 2971MB for my Maximum I should put, like, 2978MB?

If you want, you can even put the max the same as the initial if you don't want to use more than the initial. The more memory you allow the page file, the better your computer will run if you use programs (like Sims games) that require a lot of memory to run.

Sims 2 and Sims 3 use over 1gb alone of your computer's memory when playing it. Then you have all the programs/applications that are running in the background of your computer all the time and if you decide to use a browser at the same time, that takes up even more memory. So in order to avoid crashes/freezes or slow running programs, it's best to give your computer as much memory as you possibly can in order to do everything you need it to do.

So I should put like 2987MB?(Sorry I'm really bad at computers and I'm kind of tired right now. LOL)

Put whatever the recommended amount is in the initial box and then for the max you can put the same amount or a little more. It's up to you.

Ok thanks so much for your help.

You're welcome and I hope it does help you with your problem.

Integrated chips don't have their own dedicated memory. They utilize a portion of your system's memory to function. The reason why the game works on some grandma-old systems is because those systems have graphics cards with their own dedicated memory. While you'll be able to play the game, it'll be very slow running for you.

Ok, I did that and time is still really slow. I did have all my graphics on medium but I put them on high and it still didn't work. Any more suggestions? (By the way, my system specs are post #32)

I remember reading about that before but I had forgotten,that makes sense. My game doesn't run slow though,that's the thing that confuses me and I've heard many many people complaining about this same problem who have top of the line graphic cards.

I'm going to try what bluegenjutsu suggested.

I'm in envy.

I'm in a similar situation to the OP in that my 3x/4x speed is not that much faster, and we have the same graphics card. My rig is has newer parts though.

==System==

* Operating System: Windows Vista Home Premium (6.0, Build 6002) Service Pack 2
* Processor: Intel(R) Core(TM)2 Duo CPU E8400 @ 3.00GHz (2 CPUs), ~2.7GHz
* Memory: 2046 RAM
* Page File: 1761MB used, 2572MB available
* DirectX Version: DirectX 10
* Dell Model Number: none; home-built desktop

==Display==

* Name: NVIDIA GeForce 6600
* Manufacturer: NVIDIA
* Chip Type: Integrated RAMDAC
* Approx. Total Memory: 1016 MB

* Main Driver: nvd3dum.dll
* Version: 8.15.0011.8585 (English)

==Sound==

I have two sound tabs, but both are by Realtek.

* Name: Speakers (Realtek High Definition Audio)


Here's the specs for my five-month-old Toshiba laptop with a budget graphics card:

==System==

* Operating System: Windows Vista™ Home Premium (6.0, Build 6002) Service Pack 2
* Processor: Intel(R) Core(TM)2 Duo CPU P8400 @ 2.26GHz (2 CPUs), ~2.3GHz
* Memory: 3066MB RAM (recognised)
* Page File: 1440MB used, 4896MB available
* DirectX Version: DirectX 10
* Dell Model Number: none; Toshiba laptop

==Display==

* Name: ATI Mobility Radeon HD 3470
* Manufacturer: ATI Technologies Inc.
* Chip Type: ATI Radeon Graphics Processor (0x95C4)
* Approx. Total Memory: 1529 MB

* Main Driver: atidxx32.dll,atidxx64,atiumdag.dll,atiumdva.dat,atiumd64,atiumd6a,atitmm64
* Version: 7.15.0010.0096 (English)

==Sound==

* Name: Speakers (Conexant High Definition SmartAudio 221)

Okay, EmilyJud I looked again at your specs and your video card version number and it looks like you don't have the latest driver for your card because the numbers are different. See this page:http://driverscollection.com/?H=GeF...20430&By=NVidia. You would choose the download for the Windows Vista 64bit for your computer.

Ok,did what bluegenjutsu said but it didn't work. The file page size was originally 4,000mb or so and I changed it to 6127mb (which was a bit more than recommended) with the maximum to 6134mb,restarted and played the game and nothing changed.

blah.

I'm all out of ideas then. More memory and updated graphics cards are all I can think that would affect performance with the game. Make sure to close all non-essential processes/programs that are running in the background from your task manager. I turn off my antivirus, windows defender, java and any schedulers I see and the media managers and sound card managers before I start playing.

Yup I do that before I start the game (I've always done it out of habit with the sims 2). Thanks for your suggestions though,I do appreciate it.

I have the same problem =) My fastest speed is the same as my normal speed.... here's my specs XD I know it doesnt meet the min. requirements of the game though


==System==

* Operating System: Windows Vista 6.0
* Processor: AMD Athlon Dual core, BE-2350 (2 cpus) 2.1 Ghz
* Memory: 1918 MB Ram
* Page File: 842 MB used 3245 Mb available
* DirectX Version: DirectX 10


==Display==

* Name: NVidia GE Force 6100 nforce 405
* Manufacturer:NVIDIA
* Chip Type: GE Force 6100 nforce 405
* Approx. Total Memory: 825 mb

* Main Driver: nvd3dum.dll, nvwgf2um.dll
* Version: 7.15.0011.7530

I am totally with you on that! I called the support line for the game and they told me it most likely is the graphics card that needs to be updated. They recommended atleast Nvidia 8000 series or 9000 series.

But I, personally, think that RAM might have a bit to do with it to.

I didn't have a problem with the fast forward with the default settings, but when I changed the settings to the the high detail and the higher resolution, the fast forward become more or less none existent. However, the improved graphics and clarity of the picture is worth the lack of fast forward.

I don't use it much anyway because my household is now 2 parents and 4 children, so someone is always awake doing something so there is little downtime to fast forward through.

Otherwise the game runs fine with no lag.

This one runs fast forward very fast. It's no special about it. One core processor and a relatively old graphic board. Some of the posters here seems to have better equipment but still have problem with this.
Can dual core cause problems?

------------------
System Information
------------------
Time of this report: 6/9/2009, 10:48:11
Machine name: TARGA
Operating System: Windows XP Professional (5.1, Build 2600) Service Pack 3 (2600.xpsp_sp3_gdr.090206-1234)
Language: English (Regional Setting: Swedish)
System Manufacturer: TARGA
System Model: System Product Name
BIOS: Phoenix - AwardBIOS v6.00PG
Processor: AMD Athlon(tm) 64 Processor 3700+, MMX, 3DNow, ~2.2GHz
Memory: 2048MB RAM
Page File: 1235MB used, 2197MB available
Windows Dir: C:\WINDOWS
DirectX Version: DirectX 9.0c (4.09.0000.0904)
DX Setup Parameters: Not found
DxDiag Version: 5.03.2600.5512 32bit Unicode


---------------
Display Devices
---------------
Card name: Radeon X1600/X1650 Series
Manufacturer: ATI Technologies Inc.
Chip type: ATI Radeon Graphics Processor (0x71C2)
DAC type: Internal DAC(400MHz)
Device Key: Enum\PCI\VEN_1002&DEV_71C2&SUBSYS_01441043&REV_00
Display Memory: 256.0 MB
Current Mode: 1280 x 1024 (32 bit) (60Hz)
Monitor: Plug and Play Monitor
Monitor Max Res: 1600,1200
Driver Name: ati2dvag.dll
Driver Version: 6.14.0010.6925 (English)
DDI Version: 9 (or higher)
Driver Attributes: Final Retail
Driver Date/Size: 2/25/2009 23:41:10, 325120 bytes

I have an intel pentium dual core cpu, it's 2.4ghz and my fast forward works fine. It's not exactly perfect for me since I wish it would go even faster but it does speed up the game a lot more than the normal speed. I wonder if it's the fact that I have 4gb ram that could be helping me though.