heat isn't a problem
it's a Dell inspiron 1525 with vista
I Have the latest drivers and patches for everything
I don't have any other problems at all
I can get back to windows and exit the program, it usually says it's not responding
Firewall is running, not anti virus

Well at least you are not alone with the problem.

Here is a quick Google:

sims 2 freezes vista - Google Search

There are also at least 20 other Google search suggestions.

The first reply in the first link offers this:

Open My Documents/EA Games/The Sims 2/ folder. Locate the two .cache files and delete them. Now play your game and see if it crashes.

I tried deleting them, didn't work :[
I talked to my uncle and he said it might be because my computer has too much memory? we can't think of any other reason..

thanks for your help

Did you try the suggestion to run in XP compatibility mode?

I tried it, didn't seem to help...

Just to verify:

You have the latest patches for the game?

TheSims2.com - Help - Detail

yup. vista said I needed it and prompted me to the website after installation. It said it was successful.

my video card is a mobile intel r 965 express chipset family
on their website they said it should work fine, but the sims website didn't say anything about it..

Here is another Google to browse:

mobile intel r 965 express vista sims 2 freeze - Google Search

Some say that chip is not strong enough.

Did you say you could play previously on this laptop?

I used to be able to, the screen would glitch but it wouldn't freeze..

Mobile Intel® 965 Express Chipset Family - Game playability on Microsoft Windows Vista*

the intel support website says the chip should work fine..I think it's vista