@puzzlezaddict Ok, I uninstalled and installed a clean copy of the app and it fixed the issue with clearing the cache. Initially when trying to repair my game it got hung up on an error message but I restarted the app a couple of times and managed to get through and complete the repair. I followed your instruction on moving my Sims 3 folder to my desktop, it didn't prompt me with an error or copy, it moved cleanly. However, it still will not launch the Sims 3 and provides me with the same error message I originally mentioned. I ran the dxdiag and attached it below
@kippjones11 Your dxdiag is full of generic Windows errors, meaning both that these should be addressed and that any potential Sims 3 errors may have been crowded out. So please run a couple of basic checks of your Windows system files:
Restart your computer, hit Windows key-i, select Update & Security, and click the box to check for updates. If any install, restart again afterwards.
Try again to launch Sims 3. If it doesn't load, restart your computer (again), disable your antivirus if you use a third-party tool, and try again.
If that doesn't work either, create a new admin Windows account and try playing in that. Make it local, as in, don't tie it to your Microsoft account. You'll be able to (try to) launch Sims 3 without reinstalling anything, but any saves or other user content you have won't be available.
If you still can't play, please look for any related errors in the Reliability Monitor. Hit Windows key-R and enter "perfmon /rel" without quotes, and you'll see a chart of errors and updates with a column for each day. Today is on the right.
Look for errors that happened at exactly the time of your most recent attempts to launch Sims 3, specifically after you've run DISM and sfc. If you find one, double-click it to see more details, then copy that info and paste it into a reply here. If you don't see a new error, check back in an hour or so—the Reliability Monitor doesn't always update right away. If you find multipl errors, don't need to see exact duplicates; just let me know how many you found. And I really only need ones that happened at exactly the time you tried to open the game.
I'm trying everything you suggested but I'm getting error messages even when uninstalling the ea app. Very strange stuff.
@hrhppg Make sure the EA App and the EABackgroundService are NOT running in the Task Manager. Download the free version of Revo Uninstaller and use it to remove the EA App. Then restart your computer, download a fresh copy of the App's installer, and run it. Let me know whether the App works normally, and we'll go from there.
Thank you ! I was nervous about installing Revo Uninstaller but it worked. Edit *** It worked until I closed the game and tried to get back in and then back to square one.
