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Re: Sims 4 keeps crashing

@KifkifJobcim  The important information isn't language-specific, so it's fine.  Both games are crashing with an access violation, meaning that they each attempted to access memory in a location or in a way that wasn't allowed.  This can happen for many reasons, some of which are related to the specific program or its data, and some of which are more general system issues.

There have been a number of recent issues with Sims 4 that cause crashes that look like the ones in your dxdiag, and like the information you attached in your last reply, which is why I suggested updating and waiting for the game to crash again.  The crash info you uploaded is from before the latest patch, so it would be more useful to know how the game behaves now that you've updated.  Sims 3 isn't being updated, of course, so there's nothing useful to do except maybe run a repair: open your Origin game library, right-click on the Sims 3 icon, and select Repair.  While you're at it, go ahead and repair Sims 4 too, since it doesn't take long and occasionally helps.

For both games, please test in a clean user data folder.  Move the Sims 3 and Sims 4 folders in Documents\Electronic Arts to your desktop, and each game will create a new one the next time it loads.  Your saves and other content will be intact in the old folders but won't be read by the game.  The point is to keep things as simple as possible, to see whether these issues are related to user data or something else.  If, when playing in these new folders, you create saves or builds or other content you want to keep, you can later combine it with the data in your old folders.  But leave that for later.

When you're ready to test, please enable crash dumps, and if and when the game crashes, find the related dump and upload it.  Here's how:

  • Hit the Windows key, type "command prompt" in the box, right-click on Command Prompt in the search results, and select Run as Administrator
  • In the window, paste "reg add "HKLM\Software\Microsoft\Windows\Windows Error Reporting\LocalDumps\devenv.exe" /v DumpType /d 2 /t REG_DWORD" without the outside quotes into the box, and enter
  • Launch the game of your choice
  • After it crashes, wait for any crash dialogs to finish
  • Then hit Windows key-R and paste "%LOCALAPPDATA%\CrashDumps" without quotes into the box, and enter
  • Upload the last .dmp file to the free filesharing site of your choice and link it here
  • When you want to undo the auto crash log dumps, open Command Prompt as before, paste "reg delete "HKLM\Software\Microsoft\Windows\Windows Error Reporting\LocalDumps" /f" without the outside quotes, and enter.

It's fine if you play for a couple days with no crashes, and in fact that's useful information.  Just let me know when you do get a crash, and what was happening in-game at that point.

18 Replies

  • puzzlezaddict's avatar
    puzzlezaddict
    Hero+
    5 years ago

    @KifkifJobcim  Given the error in your crash log, which is the same error as in your earlier error reports (for both games), please start by uninstalling and reinstalling the 2005 x86 version of the VC++ runtimes, which is the version Sims 3 uses.  Hit Windows key-i, select Apps, scroll down to Microsoft Visual C++ 2005 Redistributable, and click it to see the option to uninstall.  Then download a new one from Microsoft:

    https://www.microsoft.com/en-us/download/details.aspx?id=26347

    For Sims 3, you only need the x86 version.  Sims 4 uses both the x86 and x64 versions of the 2010 and 2013 VC++ runtimes, so when troubleshooting Sims 4, you can repeat the above process for those four versions, and download new copies here:

    https://www.microsoft.com/en-us/download/details.aspx?id=8328

    https://www.microsoft.com/en-us/download/details.aspx?id=13523

    https://www.microsoft.com/en-us/download/details.aspx?id=40784

    Please also run the .NET repair tool, which should fix any issues with .NET 3.5, which Sims 3 uses, among other earlier versions.  It's a Microsoft product as well.

    https://www.microsoft.com/en-us/download/details.aspx?id=30135

    Although the documentation doesn't mention it, all of these work fine in Windows 10.

    Once you've reinstalled the VC++ runtime and run the .NET repair tool, restart your computer, and temporarily disable any antivirus software you have.  I'm not suggesting you do this permanently, just that it's a useful test.  Try to play Sims 3 again, and let me know what happens.

    Finally, please link me the software download page for your laptop.  To make sure you're on the correct page (which it's much harder for me to find, without your laptop in front of me), please go here:

    https://support.hp.com/us-en/drivers/laptops

    Enter your laptop's serial number, choose your operating system if necessary, and you'll land on the download page.  Please link it here, so I can compare driver versions with what you have installed.  The page itself doesn't have any information about your own laptop, just your model.

  • puzzlezaddict's avatar
    puzzlezaddict
    Hero+
    5 years ago

    @KifkifJobcim  You couldn't install the VC++ 2013 runtimes?  Please post a screenshot of the error you get when you try.  It's fine that the error's in Dutch.

    Let me know how Sims 3 runs now too.

  • puzzlezaddict's avatar
    puzzlezaddict
    Hero+
    5 years ago

    @KifkifJobcim  Did you try to install the _arm version of the 2013 runtimes?  That version is for a different class of device and isn't supposed to work on yours.  And I take it you uninstalled your current versions before installing the new ones?

    If these aren't the issues, you can try getting the 2013 runtimes from here:

    https://www.sereby.org/site/downloads/All%20in%20One%20Runtimes

    You only need the "All in One Runtimes," and you only need to install the 2013 x86 and x64 versions.  (You also don't have to donate; just click the Download button.)  If you want documentation, here's the English version:

    https://www.sereby.org/site/All%20in%20One%20Runtimes&lang=en

    If that doesn't work either, please run a couple of checks on your Windows system files.  Here's how:

    • Hit Windows key-X
    • Choose either “PowerShell (Administrator)” or “Command prompt (Administrator),” whichever option is offered
    • Inside the window that appears, copy and paste “DISM.exe /Online /Cleanup-image /Restorehealth” without quotes into the window, and enter
    • The system will start validating soon. If it throws an error, please list it here
    • After it reaches 100%, hit Windows key-X again
    • Again, choose “PowerShell (Administrator)” or “Command prompt (Administrator)”
    • Inside the window, copy and paste “sfc /scannow” without quotes into the window, and enter
    • Post the message you receive here
  • KifkifJobcim's avatar
    KifkifJobcim
    5 years ago
    @puzzlezaddict Sorry for this late answer. Sims 3 doesn't crash, I hope it will stay so. I tried today to play sims 4, but it crashed after 10 minutes. I did the steps you recomended. It says that it found corrupted files and repaired them.
  • puzzlezaddict's avatar
    puzzlezaddict
    Hero+
    5 years ago

    @KifkifJobcim  The late reply is fine: people don't always have time to troubleshoot right away, but there's always someone here when you're ready.

    Could you please get a crash log for Sims 4?  I'd like to see if it's (still) exactly the same error as before.  First though, repair the game in Origin: open your game library, right-click on the Sims 4 icon, and select Repair.

  • puzzlezaddict's avatar
    puzzlezaddict
    Hero+
    5 years ago

    @KifkifJobcim  You'd need to reenable crash dumps to get one.  It's the same process as before:


    • Hit the Windows key, type "command prompt" in the box, right-click on Command Prompt in the search results, and select Run as Administrator
    • In the window, paste "reg add "HKLM\Software\Microsoft\Windows\Windows Error Reporting\LocalDumps\devenv.exe" /v DumpType /d 2 /t REG_DWORD" without the outside quotes into the box, and enter
    • Launch the game of your choice
    • After it crashes, wait for any crash dialogs to finish
    • Then hit Windows key-R and paste "%LOCALAPPDATA%\CrashDumps" without quotes into the box, and enter
    • Upload the last .dmp file to the free filesharing site of your choice and link it here
    • When you want to undo the auto crash log dumps, open Command Prompt as before, paste "reg delete "HKLM\Software\Microsoft\Windows\Windows Error Reporting\LocalDumps" /f" without the outside quotes, and enter.

  • puzzlezaddict's avatar
    puzzlezaddict
    Hero+
    5 years ago

    @KifkifJobcim  Sorry for the late-ish reply.  The Sims 4 crash is the same kind as the Sims 3 crash from before, meaning the same concept applies.  Did you manage to uninstall and reinstall the 2010 and 2013 VC++ runtimes?  If not, please try again now, either using the downloads from Microsoft or the all in one download from Sereby.  (Both options are the same links as before.)

    If that doesn't or didn't make a difference, please test the game with your antivirus/firewall completely disabled.  You can play offline if it makes you more comfortable, although you should be fine as long as you open only Origin and Sims 4.

    If that doesn't help either, try reinstalling DirectX 9.  You can download the installer from Microsoft and run it without needing to uninstall anything first.

    https://www.microsoft.com/en-US/download/details.aspx?id=34429

  • KifkifJobcim's avatar
    KifkifJobcim
    5 years ago

    @puzzlezaddictWhen I try with the microsoft site, it can't install it (The 2013 version) and with the other site it even says it has a virus. I disabled the real time defender but not the windows firewall because it is too risky. I have the 2015th version of visual c ++. Is that also Ok? 

  • puzzlezaddict's avatar
    puzzlezaddict
    Hero+
    5 years ago

    @KifkifJobcim  What happens when you try to install the version from Microsoft?  Please post a screenshot of the error.

    The 2015 VC++ runtimes are different, and no, they won't substitute for the 2013 versions.  Sims 4 needs both 2013 versions, and both from 2010 as well; Origin itself needs the 2015 versions.  So you really do need to have all of them installed.

  • puzzlezaddict's avatar
    puzzlezaddict
    Hero+
    5 years ago

    @KifkifJobcim  That's the same error as before, unfortunately.  So the next step would be to do a clean uninstall and reinstall of the driver for your graphics chip.  You linked me the driver download page for your laptop earlier:

    https://support.hp.com/us-en/drivers/selfservice/hp-250-g6-notebook-pc/15747807/model/15747879?sku=4WV70ES

    You'll want to download the driver from December 27, 2019, which is the newest one offered for your particular graphics chip.  (Your processor is in the Gemini Lake family.)  It's about three quarters of the way down the very long list of graphics drivers, and its version (expand to see) is 26.20.100.7156.  Here's a direct link to the Details page:

    https://support.hp.com/us-en/drivers/selfservice/swdetails/hp-250-g6-notebook-pc/15747807/model/15747879/swItemId/ob-247778-1?sku=4WV70ES

    You'll need an outside tool to do the clean uninstall.  Download Display Driver Uninstaller from here:

    https://www.wagnardsoft.com/forums/viewtopic.php?f=5&t=3216

    Next, take your computer completely offline—disable wifi and/or pull the ethernet cord—and double-click the DDU.exe.  Take note of where the file will land, and click Extract.  If it's easier, you can copy the path and then paste it into the address bar in a File Explorer window.  Open the folder and then launch Display Driver Uninstaller.exe, and you'll get a message that you're not in Safe Mode.  Click OK, then go to Options and enable Safe Mode dialog.  Here's a screenshot of what your options should look like; make sure the box in red is checked:


    Close options, and the DDU, and then open the DDU.exe again.  For launch options, choose "Safe Mode (Recommended)," and then click Reboot to Safe Mode (you'll need your password, so find it before rebooting).  Once you login, you'll see this:



    In the blue box, choose GPU, then Intel if it's not already showing.  Then click Clean and Restart (red box).

    Once your computer has rebooted, now back in normal mode, run the driver install .exe as an admin: right-click on it and select "Run as administrator."

    By the way, HP is sometimes excessively picky about which drivers get installed, so if this one starts throwing an error, try the one listed immediately below this one: it's from June 7, 2019, and its version is 25.20.100.6615.

    Let me know whether this helps.

  • KifkifJobcim's avatar
    KifkifJobcim
    5 years ago

    @puzzlezaddict I did exactly what you suggest but nope. It stell keeps crashing. 

    Link: https://we.tl/t-2Xvlxmic5t

    I noticed that when my game is about to crash, my computer makes that sound like you put a disc in your computer and it starts to make a sounds before running the program. And then everything freezes and the game crashes. The other 2 don't have that problem. 

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