Solution to sim city not launching
So, I think I cracked it and I have used a mixture of fixes from others (apologies I cannot remember their names)
Delete the EA shortcut off the desktop
go to C:\Program Files\Electronic Arts\EA Desktop\
Apply compatibility for both EALauncher and EADesktop under the compatibility tab in properties to:
Run the program as an administrator
For EALauncher compatibility mode to windows 8.
Right click EADesktop and send shortcut to desktop
Go to C:\Program Files\EA Games\SimCity\SimCity
Right click onto SimCity and go to properties and apply compatibility mode for windows 8 and run as administrator.
Restart the PC and open EADesktop from the desktop and then launch the game - it did throw up the unable to launch but straight after it booted up perfectly, and now I can load and play without issues.