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Re: Game Suddenly Started to Crash at Loading Screen after Startup

@nekusakuraba07  Please test with no mods or custom content at all, as in, move the Mods folder to the desktop.  You don't need to save your progress; just let me know whether it helps.

If it doesn't, please manually uninstall and reinstall the 2022 VC++ runtimes, which Sims 4 uses.  Your dxdiag, and thanks for providing it, lists a component of one of these runtimes as the faulting module in the Sims 4 crashes.  While this is sometimes misleading—the problem can be a mod or cc item misusing the resource, or another app interfering—it's the next step to try here.

Hit Windows key-i, select Apps, scroll down to the Microsoft Visual C++ Redistributables, click on any version from 2015 or later, and select Uninstall.  Don't touch the older versions.  You can download the newest runtimes directly from Microsoft:

https://docs.microsoft.com/en-US/cpp/windows/latest-supported-vc-redist?view=msvc-170

You'll need both the x86 and x64 versions of the 2015-2022 runtimes, but you can skip the ARM version, which is for a different class of device.  Restart your computer after installing and before trying to play.

5 Replies

  • nekusakuraba07's avatar
    nekusakuraba07
    2 years ago

    Unfortunately, neither of those two methods worked. My issue is that I can't even get to the title screen at all. The "Maxis" screen shows up, then "The Sims 4 - © 2017 Electronic Arts", and then it crashes at the subsequent loading screen. 

  • puzzlezaddict's avatar
    puzzlezaddict
    Hero+
    2 years ago

    @nekusakuraba07  It's entirely possible that the problem is not the VC++ runtimes but some resource that works with them.  So please run a couple of basic checks of your Windows system files:

    • Hit Windows key-X
    • Choose either “PowerShell (Administrator)” or “Windows Terminal (Administrator),” whichever option is offered
    • Inside the window that appears, copy and paste “DISM.exe /Online /Cleanup-image /Restorehealth” without quotes, 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 “Windows Terminal (Administrator)”
    • Inside the window, copy and paste “sfc /scannow” without quotes, and enter
    • Post the message you receive here

    Restart your computer, hit Windows key-i, select Update & Security, and click the box to check for updates.  If any install, restart again afterwards.

    If that doesn't help, manually reinstall DirectX 9, as described here:

    https://answers.ea.com/t5/Technical-Issues-PC/Sims-3-launcher-won-t-open/m-p/10711778#M247861

    If that doesn't help either, try updating the Nvidia graphics driver, which is somewhat out of date.  Dell doesn't offer an update for your laptop, but you can use the latest release from Nvidia:

    https://www.nvidia.com/Download/driverResults.aspx/216929/en-us/

    Run the installer as an admin: right-click the download and select "Run as administrator."  Choose the Custom (not Express) install method, and check the box to perform a clean install.  I'd also suggest NOT installing GeForce Experience, at least not for the moment, since it won't help and might complicate matters.  You can always install it later.  Restart your computer after installing the driver and before trying to play.

  • nekusakuraba07's avatar
    nekusakuraba07
    2 years ago

    Message from DISM.exe /Online /Cleanup-image /Restorehealth: 

    Deployment Image Servicing and Management tool
    Version: 10.0.22621.2792

    Image Version: 10.0.22621.3007

    [==========================100.0%==========================] The restore operation completed successfully.
    The operation completed successfully.

    Message from scf /scannow:

    Beginning system scan. This process will take some time.

    Beginning verification phase of system scan.
    Verification 100% complete.

    Windows Resource Protection did not find any integrity violations.

  • puzzlezaddict's avatar
    puzzlezaddict
    Hero+
    2 years ago

    @nekusakuraba07  Please post a new dxdiag.

    And for good measure, please try playing in a new admin Windows account.  Make it local, as in, don't link it to your Microsoft account.  You'll be able to launch Sims 4 without reinstalling anything, but your user data won't be available.  That's fine and actually helpful for the purposes of this test.  The idea here is to see whether the problem is contained to your main Windows account or is more global.

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