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 t...
Forum Discussion
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.
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.
