Removing Sims 3 after installing expansions.

[Tycobb]

Hey, can I actually uninstall Sims 3 after I have installed Ambitions? Or are they interconnected in some way?

[Pam]

You must have the base game installed for any of the expansion packs to work.  I'm curious, though...  why would you want to uninstall the base game?  I'm also moving this thread to the Technical Help board.

[Tycobb]

Because I wanted to make space in my computer for World Adventures, right now I only have around 2gb of space left lol.
So I was hoping I could remove the base game while still able to continue playing Ambitions since they're under different folders.

[Pam]

Oh my.  That certainly is a dilemma.  You'll probably have to trade off between World Adventures and Ambitions.  Or get a new computer. 

[Tycobb]

It sure is, I'm taking care not to rush through Ambitions. Will play it for maybe another week, explore all the new careers etc, and then i'll install WA. Can't wait!

[samoht04]

Is there a way to just add more space to your Computer, try looking on a PC website or asking in a shop.

[Saltypaws]

You can't really remove the base game and still play any expansion pack.  Is there anything you might be able to remove that could free up some space, maybe like some other games you don't play?

[Carl]

Like Saltypaws said, look into removing old games you don't play, also cleaning out your temporary files and recycle bin. However the last two are short-term solutions. Obviously that space is going to fill up again. More likely your issue is too many images, videos or songs on the PC. Honestly a modern PC shouldn't have a big problem having enough space. That is, if you can install it, there's probably enough room to be found. You're going to need to do some clearing. Have a look at your My Pictures, My Music directories and see just how much stuff you have stored there. Odds are, you don't need most of it.

[malteser60]

The best thing to do in my opinion is to buy an external hard drive for all your documents, music, pictures etc. If you have Windows 7 you can tell your pc that the external hardrive is your library, that way the shortcuts in Windows Explorer still work. That way you can use your internal hard drive for only programs. This is beneficial for a couple of reasons. Firstly, you free up space for programs. Secondly your pc will run a bit smoother as word docs, pictures, etc take up lots of single sectors increasing your disk fragmentation. Programs, on the other hand, will occupy large chunks of sectors. Obviously running defrag is always useful.

Buying an external hard drive is quite cheap these days. Alternatively you can always buy a new internal hard drive. Again, they're not that expensive.

[uRabbit]

Getting a new computer is in NO WAY required for getting a larger hard drive. Depending on what kind of computer you have, you are most likely eligible to upgrade your current hard drive. Or, if there are unused hard drive bays, you can simply install another one without having to transfer all your data. Or even go with an external hard drive...

External that may suit your needs at a low cost:
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16822136606

Internal that may suit your needs at a low cost:
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16822136075

I suggest NOT running a game from an external drive. It will perform pretty slow compared to an internal. However, externals are much easier to set up than internals. But internals aren't that hard either. PM me if you have further questions.

Also, as most PC users, you most likely have a lot of space being used by useless programs and such. I'd look at the Control Panel -> Add/Remove Programs and browse for ones you don't use.