Game isn't launching on fresh install

Also, I forgot to mention the Log does not show up either. I've tried looking for it but everywhere I've tried looking has no log for it.

@I_Am_Vexter  Check to make sure that .net framework is enabled in Windows.

Hi @roberta591 and thanks for replying.

I just checked and .Net framework is enabled. But thank you for the suggestion.

@I_Am_Vexter  The "error during startup" message is most commonly caused by an issue with the game's registry keys, whether the proper ones haven't been created or there are old copies left over from a previous install.  I believe the registry entries should already exist after you install the game, even if you haven't launched it yet, but I'd need to check.  (They don't exist in a Steam install until you've launched it once, but Steam handles things differently.)  So that suggests that something prevented the entries' creation.

On that note, do you use a third-party antivirus, and if so, which one?  Do you use some sort of cleaner app?  Either way, I would suggest clean-uninstalling Sims 3, and the EA App for good measure, and reinstalling both while these third-party programs are disabled.  As long as you don't do anything else at the same time, your computer should be safe even with the antivirus temporarily disabled, but do make sure to reenable it after testing the game once.

For the uninstall process itself, please use Revo Uninstaller (the free version is fine) to remove both the game and the App.  When reinstalling Sims 3, create a new folder on the root level of the drive of your choice, for example C:\Games is fine, but not C:\Program Files\Games; and install the game into that.

If none of this helps, please run a dxdiag and attach it to a post.

https://help.ea.com/en-us/help/pc/how-to-gather-dxdiag-information/

Hi @puzzlezaddict, thanks for replying to my post.

I've installed and tried using Revo Uninstaller but wasn't able to find The Sims 3 in there either. I also tried installing The Sims 3 in D:/Games/The Sims 3 but sadly that did not work either. I've attached my DxDiag.txt.

@I_Am_Vexter  Do you use a third-party antivirus?  I ask because the fact that Revo couldn't find Sims 3 suggests that the .exe may have been quarantined, and an antivirus could also prevent the game from creating the appropriate registry entries.

The first step here is to manually delete any program files you can find.  Search for "The Sims 3" and look for a folder that has subfolders like Data, Delta, EPxx (with numbers), etc.  If you get an error when trying to delete it, make sure the EA App is closed and the EABackgroundService is NOT running in the Task Manager.  Then use Piriform's CCleaner (the free version is fine) to remove any Sims 3-related registry entries.  Just because they're not all present (possibly) doesn't mean there are none at all, and they need to be deleted.

Please do use Revo to uninstall the EA App, which is crashing a lot, according to your dxdiag.

Just to be thorough, please also run a couple of basic checks on your Windows system files:

• Hit Windows key-X
• Choose either “PowerShell (Administrator)” or “Windows Terminal (Administrator),” whichever option is offered
• Inside the window that appears, copy and paste “DISM.exe /Online /Cleanup-image /Restorehealth” without quotes, and enter
• The system will start validating soon. If it throws an error, please list it here
• After it reaches 100%, hit Windows key-X again
• Again, choose “PowerShell (Administrator)” or “Windows Terminal (Administrator)”
• Inside the window, copy and paste “sfc /scannow” without quotes, and enter
• Post the message you receive here

Restart your computer, hit Windows key-i, select Update & Security, and click the box to check for updates.  If any install, restart again afterwards.

When reinstalling the EA App and Sims 3, your antivirus does need to be disabled.  I understand if you don't want to tell me which one you're using, but without some kind of answer as to whether you've tried this, and the outcome, I'm kind of flying blind here.

Regardless of the above though, you do need to manually delete the existing program files, if they're still present anywhere on your computer, to preserve space and also to keep the EA App from getting confused as to which folder it's supposed to be reading.

@puzzlezaddictI don't use any third-party anti-virus because I believe they're too invasive and I think Windows Defenders works fine for me.
"Windows Resource Protection did not find any integrity violations." is what I got when I did “sfc /scannow” as well as no errors for when I did “DISM.exe /Online /Cleanup-image /Restorehealth” in PowerShell Admin.

I've tried using CCleaner now and making sure it cleaned up loose registry entries even double checking after it was done a few times. I also made sure to do as you said and make sure EA and The Sims 3 were fully uninstalled checking for files for either of the two and using Revo.

When I reinstalled EA and The Sims 3, The Sims 3 launcher came up with the same error sadly.

Also I checked for updates and my computer seems to be up to date. Drivers seem up to date as well.

@puzzlezaddict I just repaired my windows and reinstalled the EA app and The Sims 3. Everything is working completely fine now! Thank you so so much for helping me with this issue, The Sims 3 is something I grew up playing and it makes me really happy I can now play it in PC. Thank you again for your help <3