MAC: "an unknown error occurred" after installing Late Night

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@KiMx43 wrote:

I have updated the base game to the latest version, and have different stuff/expansion packs but whenever I install Late Night (I've done it a bunch of times), a box comes up saying "an unknown error occurred", and doesn't let me open the launcher.  Also, I can't even find the icon in the applications folder (I am putting it there, but it never shows up).  I feel like I've tried everything and I'm extremely frustrated.  Origin never loaded the game either, so I only have the disc. 

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Hi

Are all of the games installed via discs or do you have a mixture of Origin digital downloads and disc installations? It sounds as thought Late Night is not installing properly but this is normally an issue with a corrupt download and you say you are using a disc so that seems odd. Is the disc damaged at all?

Caspin

No I have all discs, no downloads.  I actually figured it out around midnight so if anyone has this problem also, this worked for me, I tried everything and this was the only thing that worked for me, its from another forum:

"I have found a solution that got rid of the Unknown Error Occurred problem that I was having on the Mac. I have The Sims 3 base game and the Late Night expansion pack for the Mac. Late Night is the only expansion pack that I have, so this solution may not work for other expansion packs. I did the following to get rid of the Unknown Error Occurred message.

1. Install The Sims 3 base game.

2. After the installation is complete for the base game, update the base game.

3. Now install the Late Night expansion pack.

4. After the installation is complete for the Late Night expansion pack, update the Late Night expansion pack.

5. Open Finder and go to your Applications folder.

6. Locate The Sims 3 folder and open it.

7. Right click The Sims 3 icon and the select Show Package Contents.

8. Now navigate to Contents/Resources/AddOns.

9. Right click The Sims 3 Late Night and select Show Package Contents.

10. Navigate to Contents/MacOS

11. Double click the bootstrap icon to run it.

Now the launcher will appear and the Late Night expansion pack will run correctly. Again, this works for sure if you are only playing the base game with the Late Night expansion pack. I am not sure if this works for other expansion packs. Hope this helps everyone."

Hopefully my other discs will install now that this one finally worked lol.

I just sent that reply and went to open the game, only to have it send the same error message again.  It was working last night, which is why I'm now double confused.  It was slow, but working.  I've deleted EA packages, system.reg, com.transgaming files, everything. I'm not sure what else to do at this point

when I open the MacOS folder, originally the "bootstrap" icon didn't show up, so after clicking the "cider" button instead, the bootstrap icon opens, downloads, and gives the option of installing an update, which I do.  After this, I click the bootstrap icon and get "problem report for bootstrap"--"bootstrap quit unexpectedly."

YOU ARE A GODSEND THIS IS THE ONLY THING THAT HAS WORKED THANK YOU

Please read these two posts and attempt the fix:

Sims 3 packs not showing as installed

Unknown Error fix

Having similar issues this is what I did to get mine to work. I have Late night, Generations, Seasons, World Adventures and Loft stuff. 

Running on a 2011 MacBook Pro with High Sierra 10.13.6 (I have updated memory and Ram on this machine)

To be clear I'm not taking credit for others hard work - I did not figure these steps out I pulled them from others, but doing them in this order was how I was able to fix my game. Hoping to help someone else 🙂 

1. Install just base game, follow this instruction: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=P2yyfCp341Q

2. Launch game it will update.

3. Then follow this:

if it comes up as system initialization failure (0x0175dcbb) you need to click finder, go to the "go" button at the top of the screen hold the alt button and hit library. After hitting library find preferences and delete:

- "the sims 3 preferences" folder - all of the "com. transgaming... files

- ipatches files (if u have)

-cider preferences folder

THEN empty trash and try launching game. If adding expansion packs after this and it doesnt work just repeat the steps.

4. Install your Expansion packs one by one (do Late Night last) and make sure they each work. 

5. Late Night didn't show up for me under the applications, you need to make an alias file and paste it by doing this:

1. Navigate to your base game in Applications > Electronic Arts > The Sims 3, right click on it and then select Show Package Contents.
2. In the Finder window that opens navigate to Contents > Resources > AddOns. Here you will see the icon for the pack
3. Double click on the pack icon you are missing. You may get a popup telling you an update is available, go ahead and update. If you are further prompted to update Permissions then go ahead and enter your password when prompted (this is a macOS security feature).
4. After the update you will probably get the Unknown Error message again. Just click ok.
5. Now right click on the add-on pack and select Make Alias. Drag the alias file you have just created into the Applications > Electronic Arts > The Sims 3 folder so the folder now has the base game and all your EP/SP shortcuts (aliases) in it. Delete the alias from the file name so it just has the name of the EP/SP.
6. Attempt to launch the game through the shortcut you just added to the Sims 3 Applications folder. If you are still getting the Unknown Error message then you MUST follow Corey_0414’s instructions which fixes the issue here.

6. Follow video instructions: https://answers.ea.com/t5/Technical-Issues-Mac/CURRENT-ISSUE-Sims-3-Unknown-Error-in-El-Capitan-and-later-OS/m-p/5725514

(Late night wasn't working, Seasons is the app that opens when I load the game so I took the transgaming file from LN to paste into Season's transgaming folder)