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DivinylsFan's avatar
DivinylsFan
New Traveler
4 years ago

Uninstall Reinstall Digital?

Hello

I decided it might be time to uninstall and reinstall ...

But I realised I lent my Sims 3 DVDs to my relative. How do I do this digitally? If I then use Sims 1 eraser, I will need either the disc or a download to reinstall it. But some, most of my expansion, stuff and world titles were on DVD. I'm unsure if those will be available on the Store for me to download, without having to buy them again. They are registered, but from the DVD's. Of course I'd be able to download the things I bought from the store again, but do you think the one's I registered from disc will be there too?

I remember another thing to do is to delete all of the files in the Sims 3 folder, and the game will regenerate it on loading the next time, and it will be like a rebirth that way too. If I do that, I will of course put aside the saves and cc/mods folders, and slot them back in after. But I would also like to keep my Create a Style creations, like the patterns and saved outfits and objects. Some of the files in the main part of the Sims 3 folder are for that. Do you know which one's? Also the one with the age settings?

Thanks :)

  • puzzlezaddict's avatar
    puzzlezaddict
    Hero+
    4 years ago
    Before you uninstall anything, please make sure your content all appears in your account. You can use the Origin app or the website to check your game library for your expansion and stuff packs; login to the store site and click Store > My Store Account > Purchase History to see your purchased items, including worlds. Or you can go to the product page for each world and see whether it's downloadable.

    https://store.thesims3.com/worldProductDetail.html?categoryId=12642

    However, some worlds' pages may say Buy Now even though you own them, and they might only be downloadable through your purchase history. (This is the case for my copy of Dragon Valley, but I have no problem installing it.)

    As far as your user folder goes, the easiest way to refresh it is to simply move the Sims 3 folder out of Documents\Electronic Arts and onto your desktop. That way, you're not deleting anything, and an uninstall wouldn't touch the folder either. From there, you could move the files you wanted to the new folder once it was in place.

    The file that holds your saved Create a Style patterns is userPresets.package. The options.ini file stores all your in-game settings, including those for age. This is a full list of everything in your user folder:

    https://sims3.crinrict.com/en/2011/01/faq-user-files.html

    The real question however is why you want to uninstall and reinstall. There are very few issues that require a reinstall to fix, and if you currently have a disc install, you could accomplish the same thing by running the Super Patch, which verifies the game files and replaces any that are missing or altered. And you wouldn't need to worry about managing a digital install or recovering any store content.
  • puzzlezaddict's avatar
    puzzlezaddict
    Hero+
    4 years ago
    Try just the refresh of the user folder first. It takes care of most issues on its own, and it's much faster than reinstalling.
  • DivinylsFan's avatar
    DivinylsFan
    New Traveler
    4 years ago
    Game is getting glitchy, slow and a bit crashy. Reinstall and the refresh have always made things better, like a spring clean. Thanks :)

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