Got laptop with no disk drive. What are my options for games that I own?

[nosoul]

Hey all.

I'm a big fan of the sims series and own almost all of the Sims 2 expansions (also have Spore and Sims 3), but unfortunately I can't play any of my games because I recently bought a new laptop and, since it's an ultrabook, it doesn't have a disk drive. I still have all of my original disks and serial numbers, and also bought a separate disk drive just so I could play these games, but it's expremely inconvenient on the go. (After all, what's the point of an ultrabook if you're going to weigh down your bag with disks and dvd drives?)

I've noticed that I can pay for downloads of the games, but I was wondering if there were any other options? For instance, is there a way to get my games to load without the disk in the drive? Can I download a game if I have an existing serial number from a hard copy game?

Any advice would be great. =) Thanks!

[Gardia · Accepted solution]

This should help you:  http://answers.ea.com/t5/The-Sims-3/FAQ-Lost-and-broken-DVDs-and-missing-serial-codes-What-to-do/td-...

[Gardia · Accepted solution]

This should help you:  http://answers.ea.com/t5/The-Sims-3/FAQ-Lost-and-broken-DVDs-and-missing-serial-codes-What-to-do/td-...

[mandarinlady1]

If you have the sims 3 then you must have it on Origin, so you can go to Origin from the desktop icon,  sign in, click on the game in My Games, then it will give you an option to download

[gilbertocortesm]

I recently had this problem. I tried going to the Origin website, login to my account, and tried to add my 2004 version of the game CD Key, it told me it was not valid in Origin and that I should try to do it directly on the EA website. On the EA website the result also was not positive. So my next step was to open a ticket, after opening the ticket I got the option to start a live chat, so I chose it. 

The EA chat customer service representative was very kind, he asked me for my CD Key, asked me some general info to prove I was a legitimate Sims 2 owner and finally added the game to the Origin library to download. And not only that, because the game was not the Sims 2 Base game, but in fact it was the Sims 2 ultimate collection which contains all of the expansion.

Thank you EA!!! I love you guys!

The ultimate collection comes with the following:

• The Sims 2 Base Game

• The Sims 2 University
• The Sims 2 Nightlife
• The Sims 2 Open For Business
• The Sims 2 Pets
• The Sims 2 Seasons
• The Sims 2 Bon Voyage
• The Sims 2 FreeTime
• The Sims 2 Apartment Life
• The Sims 2 Family Fun Stuff
• The Sims 2 Glamour Life Stuff
• The Sims 2 Holiday! Stuff
• The Sims 2 Celebration Stuff
• The Sims 2 H&M Fashion Stuff
• The Sims 2 Teen Style Stuff
• The Sims 2 Kitchen & Bath Interior Design Stuff
• The Sims 2 IKEA Stuff
• The Sims 2 Mansion & Garden Stuff

[yantom]

You got lucky...

I have the physical version of the game Sims Medieval and I tried to get the digital version via Origin because my mac doesn't have any disk drive. Unfortunately it ended up on a freezing blank page. When I contacted the Customer Service, they told me the code was invalid, that I had to ask a new code to the retailer and that they couldn't do anything for me. They don't want to know that I bought this game more than five years ago so I don't remember where I bought it... They practically told me to buy the game again...

[KmcUK1982]

I'm in the same boat. I've bought so many games from EA over the years and have never had to think about using Origin until now as my new laptop does not have a disc drive. Some of the games I've lent out over the years and have had to replace - using second hand games where possible to save money. Some of the expansions I've been able to add to Origin no problem - they can't have been linked to an Origin account before - both others have already been redeemed. Origin told me to ask Ebay for a refund, buy a new physical game (brand new obviously), or pay again for the game via Origin. It's a bit much that I have to now pay for a new origin key to play games that I've had for years. 

[puzzlezaddict]

@KmcUK1982  You could also look into sales from Origin and Steam to replace the content you're missing.  (Steam includes a CD key for you to register with each pack you purchase, so you could download your content and add it to your existing game files through Origin.)  It's still a bummer, but paying as little as $5 per missing pack (plus the base game, maybe another $5) hurts less than forking over the full price for everything.