Hi! Hope you can help.so I first started getting error 16 codes for a while now. I was getting it with one family that only had three generations. After a bunch of trial and errors, I ended up copying the family and restarting the world (deleting all saves and placing the family in a new save). Now, I can’t save the save at all, even though the wold is empty apart from the family. Please help!!

@SummerSloane Error 16 usually means that a save is too large, generally over 4 GB. How large was your old save? There are ways to cut down the size, for example Kuree Save Cleaner. But if you've deleted the save entirely, I guess that's a moot point. For now, what world are you playing in, and are any of the sims in the household you saved also in the world? For example, maybe your sims married into a townie family and there are two Mortimer Goths running around. If that's not the issue, try playing the household in a clean user folder. Move the entire Sims 3 folder out of Documents\Electronic Arts and onto your desktop, open the launch to spawn a clean folder, and copy the Library folder (but nothing else yet) from the old Sims 3 folder to the new one. When you load a new save, your household will be available to place, although you'll need to exit the tutorial first. (Just click the three dots in the lower-left corner of your screen and select Edit Town, then go back to the initial game setup.) Place the household, let the game clock run for a few sim-minutes, and then try to save. If this doesn't work, quit the game to desktop, then start another new save, but this time, don't place your existing household, just pick a random one and see whether you can save your progress.

Hi, thanks for getting back to me. not really a moot point because it is still happening, even with an empty world!the save is only 68.3 MB, so again super confused why I’m getting this error code.I am currently using Willapa Valley by 99simsonthewall. It’s a large world, but unpopulated and 62.21 MB.in my previous save, I had the world populated by nrass. I am also using nraas to populate the new save, however made sure sims would not generate from the current household.I’ll try using Kure Save Cleaner and update you if I continue to get issues.

@SummerSloane Error 16 should definitely not happen in a new save. Are you using OneDrive or any other service that syncs the contents of Documents? Are you trying to add special characters to the save name, or are there any special characters (anything not Roman alphabet A to Z or Arabic numerals 0 to 9) in the username attached to this Windows account? Please also run a dxdiag and attach it to a post. https://help.ea.com/en/help/pc/how-to-gather-dxdiag-information/

Oh! I realized i do have OneDrive on that is syncing the files. I also save my files as (world)_(day), so for example: willapa valley_sun. also added are my dxdiag files.

@SummerSloane First, please update your computer's graphics driver. You can find the newest version offered by Dell for your laptop here: https://www.dell.com/support/home/en-us/product-support/product/inspiron-15-5570-laptop/drivers It's listed as "Intel UHD Graphics Driver" and dated August 31, 2021, which makes it a bit old but newer than your current one, and critically, newer than Windows 11. Restart your computer after installing and before doing anything else. Please also tell OneDrive not to sync the contents of Documents: https://support.microsoft.com/en-us/office/choose-which-onedrive-folders-to-sync-to-your-computer-98b8b011-8b94-419b-aa95-a14ff2415e85 You may first need to pause syncing or cancel the current sync: https://support.microsoft.com/en-au/office/how-to-cancel-or-stop-sync-in-onedrive-4885c27e-3d89-4d69-be75-2646c71367d3 Once you've done this, restart your computer again and try to play. Just to be thorough, name your first save "test" or something similarly simple, and if that works, you can try a name in the format you typically use.

Error 16 Keeps Happening | EA Forums

16 Replies

SummerSloane
Seasoned Rookie
4 years ago
@puzzlezaddict I’m so aware that you answer people all the time, but you actually helped me on another issue (where my sims 3 would crash on launch) and I have already switched to a new admin account lol! All of my mods were added in, and it usually saves and plays normally until I go into CAS.
puzzlezaddict
Hero+
4 years ago
@SummerSloane Sorry about that; I usually remember a username but not always when the board is busy (or I'm busy). Just so I have my own facts straight, do you get the Error 16 if you play a new save in a clean Sims 3 user folder that has never seen mods or custom content at all? What language is Windows using, and have you ever used special characters in the account name or in the names of your saves?
SummerSloane
Seasoned Rookie
3 years ago
Hi! I’m so sorry I haven’t responded - honestly this error code 16 thing has become a Russian roulette for me. Sometimes, I get the error code, sometimes I don’t. To answer your question, I used to use underscores in my saves, but tried not using any special characters to no luck. I’ve recently tried starting a new save, and immediately after I get out of CAS and try to save, I get the error. Im so sad because I love this game and don’t know why this is happening!
puzzlezaddict
Hero+
3 years ago
@SummerSloane I don't know why this is happening either, but I still have a couple of ideas. First of all, just to be totally clear, do you ever get an Error 16 when playing with no mods at all? Is OneDrive currently syncing the contents of Documents? Do you use a third-party antivirus, and if so, which one?
SummerSloane
Seasoned Rookie
3 years ago
I do get an Error 16 when I have mods in. OneDrive is not syncing the contents of documents. I also use a third-party antivirus, both CleanMy PC and I use Smart Game Booster.
puzzlezaddict
Hero+
3 years ago
@SummerSloane CleanMyPC isn't an antivirus, and neither is Smart Game Booster. Still, I'd suggest trying to play with both of them disabled, particularly CleanMyPC. Apps like this can occasionally delete essential system files and often delete data you'd prefer to keep because it's flagged as redundant. (Imagine you made a backup copy of your favorite Sims 3 save only for the cleaner app to remove it for being a duplicate.)

I'd also test without mods, at least at first. If everything is normal, you can add back any NRaas mods you use and test again, then add back a few others if you have any and see what happens.

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Error 16 Keeps Happening

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