Is it possible to play Sims 1 from a memory stick instead of a CD?

[aelfgifu]

This is the answer I got from the nice guys at the EA help desk:

Please be informed that most EA games are not designed with laptop use in mind. Part of this lies in the fact that some laptop video cards may have different operation specifications as opposed to their desktop counterparts. While these games may run on laptops, their performance cannot be fully guaranteed.

You should be able to run the original Sims off a memory stick instead of the CD, but it cannot be guaranteed.

So I tried running from the memory stick (previously installed from CD) but it still asks for the CD.

Next I tried copying the CD onto the memory stick and installing from the stick, but it refuses to install.

So, sadly, I guess I've answered my own question: No, you can't.