Recovering from "BLUE SCREEN", and having problems.

[Publius]

 
In a nutshell, my wonderful, previously trouble-free computer went "blue screen" on me and I was forced to hit the F11 key.  I hope none of you ever have to find out what that does, but it wipes the hard drive clean so that the only remaining files are what came with the computer when you bought it.
I have gone back through and re-downloaded everything I could remember, including dependency files I probably don't need.  My only problem now is with residential.  No matter how I zone residentially (and this is after installing the file that boosts RCI demand), all I'm getting are individual houses.  No apartments or highrises unless I specifically plop them.  I have a town with over 8,000 jobs but only about 4,780 residents.

Is this because this is the first town I've designed for the area and that I need to develop neighbors?  The problem is that the region I was developing before the crash was one I started so long ago that I'm not sure I even trust my own memory.  For instance, even with the file that boosts RCI, the bars are not as high as they were before (earlier, the commercial demand was so high that I could never satisfy it!)

I welcome any and all suggestions.  Please try to minimize demeaning remarks about my IQ ("Why didn't you back up your files?"  "Why do you have mods that 'cheat'"?) but, if you must take a potshot or two, I'll understand as long as you also offer some constructive criticism.

[xxdita]

Simple answer is that you're gonna have to just grow the region, and hope things balance out. Of course the cheat could be making things askew as well, you should probably turn that off for a while, until it all balances out. Personally, I use the Radical Ordinance Mod (check the STEX), whenever I need a little boost, that way it can be turned on & off. Also, check your power grid. A lot of times my cities have stalled out because there wouldn't be enough power to supply any new growth, no matter how high demand actually was.

[Publius]

I appreciate your suggestions.  In fact, I seem to remember that I used to use the Radical Ordiance Mod.  However, I read in its file description that it conflicted with the "Collossus" files, which I had already installed and knew for certain I used them before.