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crinrict's avatar
13 years ago

[FAQ] Save Errors (Error 12, 13, 15, 16)

Problem

While saving I get the error message: Error 12 (or 13 or 15 or 16). Please see Read-Me for more information.

Meaning of the Errors

Error 12: World file save failure. Mostly Memory related

Error 13: Post-save callback failure. Unclear what that means. They fixed an error that was causing this and it seems to not occur as often.

Error 15: Open failure. You probably don't have enough rights to write in the folder.

Error 16: Loose file copy failure. The file cannot be (over)written.

Avoidance & limitation of possible loss

 

  • Since Error 12 seems to be caused by memory issues, a 64-bit operating system and at least 4 GB of RAM might help avoiding this error. EA altered the executable file with Patch 1.17/etc so that the game can allocate 4 GB of RAM. It helps to upgrade your system.
  • Make sure your Computer fulfills the minimum requirements (EAs minimum requirements are a little low, especially with all EPs)
  • Save often and in cycles (5-10 savegames with different names
  • Regularly make a backup of your user files in documents.
  • Check the folder CurrentGame.sims3 in documents before starting the game. It should be empty. It only contains data during gameplay. If your game crashed, this folder might still contain something. Move or delete it's content.
  • Make sure your saves Folder in documents doesn't contain any saves with the extension .bad. Delete those, they are unusable.
  • Increase your virtual memory
  • Start your game in compatibility mode  and/or as administrator
  • If you are running Direct 10 or 11 (Windows Key - R, then type dxdiag), try installing DirectX 9 as well
  • Make sure you have enough room on your hard drive
  • Defrag your System
  • Don't play long game sessions. Quit and restart the game in between.
  • If the error occurs regularly in one game but not so much in others, move your sims to a new town. This will loose you all relationships to other Sims but you can keep your family with all their progress.
  • Custom Content and Mods can cause all kinds of Error.
  • The memory system introduced with Patch 1.21/1.22 bloats your save game enormously. This can become heavy on your RAM. Delete memories for your active/inactive Sims that you don't need.

Suggestions

You can try the following suggestions while the game is running and then try saving again. As soon as you get the error, the save is written to a folder with the extension .bad. You'll find it in your saves folder. Delete that folder before continuing.

Error 12 & Error 13 

 

  • Use save as and a new name instead of save
  • Try saving in Edit Town mode as well as live mode
  • Try saving your game paused and unpaused and at different speed levels.
  • Move your saves folder to the desktop
  • Never use save & quit. Always save your game first and then quit the game without saving.
  • Don't use spaces or special chars in your save game names.
  • If you have lots of stuff in your inventory, reduce it.
  • If all fails, quit your game without saving and restore a backup.

Error 15

Error 15 occurs when you don't have enough rights to access the saves folder. Make sure you have full access to the folder your saves folder is in and it's not hidden. If nothing helps, start your game as an administrator.

Error 16

Error 16 occurs because of a file system failure which can occur if you try to overwrite a file in use or  that is corrupt. Saving as with a new name should solve the issue.

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