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jordantan05's avatar
jordantan05
3 years ago
Solved

How to transfer data to another computer

So basically I have sims 3 data on a computer that I want to transfer to another computer. Also my game is a disc and I have a few expansion packs, do I need to do anything different?
pc
technical issues
  • puzzlezaddict's avatar
    puzzlezaddict
    3 years ago

    @jordantan05  You can't transfer the install itself to a new computer.  You'll need to reinstall, using disc if you want or Origin (or the new EA App) if you've registered your copy of the game.  I'd suggest sticking with a disc install if your new computer has a disc drive or you can borrow or buy one.  The Origin/EA App tie-in causes some problems that can't be completely fixed.

    For your saves and other data, you can transfer the entire Sims 3 user folder (the one in Documents > Electronic Arts) from one computer to another.  I'd suggest zipping it first to protect the integrity of the files as well as make the total size a little smaller.  From there, you can upload the .zip to a free third-party filehosting site (Google Drive, Dropbox, etc.) or transfer it to a USB stick, then download/transfer it to the new computer.  Unzip the folder by right-clicking and selecting Extract.

    The best practice is to start the game once on the new computer, then transfer the contents of the Sims 3 folder you want to keep, not the folder itself.  It's better to let the game generate new versions of any files you don't absolutely need, and you may be forced to reinstall your store content.  Here's a description of everything in your user folder so you know what you might want to preserve:

    https://sims3.crinrict.com/en/2011/01/faq-user-files.html

    If you're low on space, you can also transfer just a few files or subfolders instead of the entire Sims 3 folder, but then you have to figure out what you want to keep beforehand.

puzzlezaddict's avatar
puzzlezaddict
Hero+
3 years ago

@jordantan05  You can't transfer the install itself to a new computer.  You'll need to reinstall, using disc if you want or Origin (or the new EA App) if you've registered your copy of the game.  I'd suggest sticking with a disc install if your new computer has a disc drive or you can borrow or buy one.  The Origin/EA App tie-in causes some problems that can't be completely fixed.

For your saves and other data, you can transfer the entire Sims 3 user folder (the one in Documents > Electronic Arts) from one computer to another.  I'd suggest zipping it first to protect the integrity of the files as well as make the total size a little smaller.  From there, you can upload the .zip to a free third-party filehosting site (Google Drive, Dropbox, etc.) or transfer it to a USB stick, then download/transfer it to the new computer.  Unzip the folder by right-clicking and selecting Extract.

The best practice is to start the game once on the new computer, then transfer the contents of the Sims 3 folder you want to keep, not the folder itself.  It's better to let the game generate new versions of any files you don't absolutely need, and you may be forced to reinstall your store content.  Here's a description of everything in your user folder so you know what you might want to preserve:

https://sims3.crinrict.com/en/2011/01/faq-user-files.html

If you're low on space, you can also transfer just a few files or subfolders instead of the entire Sims 3 folder, but then you have to figure out what you want to keep beforehand.

jordantan05's avatar
jordantan05
3 years ago

I already linked the sims 3 game to my origin/ea account, so I decided to install the game there.

Now the problem is it seems like the main game downloads alright but the expansion packs seem like they cannot be installed

    • jordantan05's avatar
      jordantan05
      3 years ago

      oh, is it common to have pre purchased expansion packs not download properly on other computers? Also does buying expansion packs on new computers cause the same problem? Cuz like the expansion packs I have are adventures, uni, pets, future and paradise. World adventures says its already installed on the EA launcher but it clearly isn't, the other 4 are stuck installing, my taskbar also has a loading symbol on the EA icon which never moves. I feel like buying seasons or generations first while the issue gets resolved (unrelated but which would you recommend?) Btw I have origins installed, should I try there?

      • puzzlezaddict's avatar
        puzzlezaddict
        Hero+
        3 years ago

        @jordantan05  You can try the EA App if you want, but most of the affected players say the problem occurs with both game launchers.  This is a new issue—it just emerged a couple weeks ago and has only become common in the last few days—and I fully expect EA to come up with a fix soon enough.  After all, Sims 3 still sells reasonably well.

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