ACCESS_VIOLATION writing address 0x00000000
wanted to play Sims 3 since it's been awhile when I played on my old laptop but it kept crashing so I kinda just gave up on it. It was a crappy laptop so I thought that was the problem since I had al...
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@TheRetardedKidMF The issue is clear from the crash log:
Total virtual memory: 4095 Mb Free virtual memory: 66 Mb
The word "virtual" here is a misnomer: the log is referencing the memory Sims 3 can use. It's a 32-bit app, so 4 GB is the limit, and somehow it used almost all of that just trying to load.
Have you added any mods or custom content? If so, please move the entire Sims 3 folder out of Documents\Electronic Arts and onto yoru desktop. If you've tweaked any game files, please undo the change(s), or else use Steam's repair function (Settings > Properties > Local Files > Verify the integrity of the local files). The game should run fine on Steam out of the box, so to speak, other than the need to manually limit in-game framerates on anything resembling a gaming graphics card. Let me know if you need help with that.
If the above doesn't make a difference, please run a dxdiag and attach it to a post.
https://help.ea.com/en/help/pc/how-to-gather-dxdiag-information/
The crash log lists Windows Vista because it hasn't been updated in a very long time, since long before Windows 10 existed. It's not indicative of a problem.
Nope, no custom content, just the base game and all of the addons. Tried Steam's "verify integrity" option but it didn't find any files missing.
I have the DxDiag report linked if you want to check it out.
@TheRetardedKidMF Both of your hard drives are pretty low on space, although that shouldn't cause this particular error; it's just something to keep an eye on. Your computer's page file was also being heavily used when you ran the dxdiag and when Sims 3 generated that crash log, so you might have some extra junk running in the background that isn't helping.
First though, try uninstalling and reinstalling VC++ 2005, which Sims 3 uses. Hit Windows key-i, select Apps, scroll down to the Microsoft Visual C++ Redistributables, click on the 2005 x86 version, and uninstall. (Don't touch any other versions.) Then download and install a new copy from Microsoft:
https://www.microsoft.com/en-us/download/details.aspx?id=26347
Restart after it installs.
If that doesn't help, try playing in a clean boot:
https://www.windowscentral.com/how-clean-boot-windows-10
When you restart, go through the Task Manager's background processes list and shut down anything that doesn't need to be running. Some programs will still be active in a clean boot; I don't know whether all the Dell/Alienware support apps would be, but if so, they're definitely on the list of "doesn't need to be running." You can guess a bit too: if you accidentally kill a critical process and it doesn't restart itself, just reboot your computer.
