No Registration Code
I recently purchased The Sims 3 from the thrift store "Value Village." Upon trying to install I've been required to give a registration code that is supposedly found in the game manual or packaging. ...
Forum Discussion
@anisuns If you don't have a (valid) product code, you won't be able to register or install Sims 3. EA doesn't allow codes to be used a second time or transferred from one account to another, regardless of the circumstances of the resale. The product code wouldn't be in the Windows registry either: it only shows up after the game is installed properly. So unfortunately, there's nothing you can do here.
I have a question about the code. if someone has used my code on their account and i have the original disc and code, is there any chance that i will be able to play the game again? What to do in this situation?
@24898cb1433bdf3a There's no way to add the game to your own account, unfortunately. EA doesn't allow product codes to be transferred between accounts, or to be used more than once, even by the original owner.
If you have a base game disc manufacturered prior to September 2012, you can install the game without needing to use Origin or the EA App. Check the fine print on the back of the case; the newer copies also display the Origin logo somewhere. Let me know if you need help with this process.
The alternative is to purchase a new copy, which might be frustrating but is actually not a bad deal. The EA App offers a bundle of the base game, Late Night, and High-End Loft Stuff for the same price as the Late Night expansion. The App also sometimes offers packs for 50% off during sales. Steam doesn't discount the base game, but the Sims 3 Collection, which includes all packs except for Katy Perry Sweet Treats, is about half the price of purchasing the packs separately, and sometimes less during sales.
I have all games bought before 2012, for example generations from 2011, but I still can't install without origin, Please help
@24898cb1433bdf3a With a base game disc manufactured prior to September 2012, you should be able to start the install process and simply decline the offer to let the EA Download Manager handle the installation. The EADM will try to "update" itself to Origin, but if it's not a part of the process, that never happens.
Please make sure when installing Sims 3 that Origin and the EA App are NOT currently installed on your computer; if they are, remove them with Revo Uninstaller (the free version is fine). If you have a previous Sims 3 installation, remove that with Revo as well. If Revo doesn't find anything, use Piriform's CCleaner (again, the free version is fine) to look for Sims 3-related data and remove that.
Install the base game, decline the EADM's offer to manage the install process, and you should be able to play without Origin or the EA App. If the base game works, install your packs one at a time and in order of release, for example World Adventures would be the first one to install. Each time, launch the game to make sure it still works. After installing Generations, use the Super Patch to manually patch the game to 1.67. You can find it here, under "Cumulative Base Game Super Patcher":
After that, you can install your remaining packs in any order—either starting with Generations or the next pack released, patches were incorporated into the base game rather than the individual packs. Run the Super Patch again after your last pack is installed.
And just to clarify, it doesn't matter when the discs for your packs were manufactured, only the base game. The packs' discs don't or at least shouldn't require Origin no matter how new they are.
