Hello,
I cannot play the Sims.
Once downloading the Sims 3 and the EPs, I tried to click play on the EA launcher then I get sent to the sim's launcher. Once clicking play on that, I then get prompted to select my EPs, which I do.
I then get a message saying to select a few as it would improve the gaming experience. Then, right after, I go back to the EA launcher. It turns to a loop.
Can someone help?
@eventoowish If your computer has a 12th-gen or newer Intel processor, please see the accepted solution of this thread:
Otherwise, please run a dxdiag and attach it to a post.
https://help.ea.com/en-us/help/pc/how-to-gather-dxdiag-information/
Here is the dxdiag.
I'm not sure if I have a 12 gen processor.
@eventoowish Your computer doesn't have an Alder Lake processor, but there are a few Celeron CPUs with the same issue, and your dxdiag confirms that's what you're seeing. So please try the workarounds in the thread I linked as well, applying them to TS3.exe, without the W.
Ok trying it now.
Separate issue - I'm trying to download the sims and the EPs on a hard drive. /D is assigned on the settings and everything is redirected there. When trying to download the sims I get stuck on the preparing stage and it'll going up a bit int he % and then drop down. I'm current trying to download the base game on my regular computer and then hope to download the EPs on the flash drive. Is that possible? How can I stop the preparing loop?
I tried the Alder Lake Patch - and applied it open within the TS3.ex - but the same loop occurs.
I'm also not sure if I am doing it right. When selecting the file, it prompts me to choose where to open it at.
@eventoowish No, you can't download only the EPs on a flash drive. They'll be installed wherever the base game is. You can however install the entire game on a flash drive using one computer, then plug that drive into a different computer. You'd still need to tell the EA App to "install" Sims 3 in that location on the new system, but the App will (probably) simply verify the files and complete the process.
For the issue installing to D, make sure you're installing into a folder on D, for example D:\Games rather than the root level of the drive. If this doesn't help, would it be possible to format the drive? It should be formatted as NTFS anyway, but if it already is, you could format it as something else and then back to NTFS.
Whenever you format a drive, its content is erased, so don't do this if the drive holds other data you don't want to lose. The alternative is to partition the drive and use the new partition. Sims 3 takes up about 32 GB with all packs installed, program files only, so a 40 GB partition would be fine for the game itself, and you'd need more space if you want to place your user files there too.
For the Alder Lake issue, try the Task Manager method instead.
Sorry for the late reply - so for the Task Manager method, I followed this video from the thread: How To Fix The Sims 3/Medieval On Newer Intel Processors - YouTube
I made it up to the point of setting affinity and running it as a PowerShell, the launcher opens and starts BUT it's doesn't play. My command prompt closes and I get the error:
Service initialization failed (0x065d0274)
I also added the script both to my USB and desktop - both attempts still fail.
@eventoowish To clarify, you need to either use the Task Manager method OR the PowerShell method. Using both at the same time is redundant and may break something. I'd suggest only using the Task Manager method, at least for now.
Where is your game currently installed, and how did it get there? As in, did you install it there directly or move the program files after the fact? Have you uninstalled at any point, and how did you do that? I ask because this error is often related to broken or missing registry entries, which can be the result of moving the game install or improperly deleting the previous install.
Before following the video, I had everything uninstalled off on my hard drive. I reinstalled EA, installed the TS3 via EA to be on my /Games folder on my hard drive, then followed the steps from the video. Everything but EA is on my USB/hard drive.
@eventoowish Please uninstall Sims 3 and the EA App with Revo Uninstaller (the free version is fine), to remove all related hidden files. Restart your computer, reinstall the App, and then install Sims 3 into a new folder that you create for just this purpose. So rather than installing directly to D, for example, install to D:\Games or whatever you happen to call the new folder.
Please use only the Task Manager method for now, not the PowerShell script or the Alder Lake patch. It's the most reliable approach and therefore the best way to eliminate potential complicating factors.
If this doesn't help, please look for new 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 an error that happened at exactly the time of your most recent attempt to launch Sims 3, specifically after you've done the steps I listed. 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.
