Origin won't launch Sims 3

@holger1405 I updated my BIOS to F14. The thing with it saying the game is downloaded only happened one time.

@Chocoroom1  Please look at the registry entries for Windows Defender's Controlled Folder Access, just to make sure there isn't anything there that shouldn't be.  Hit Windows key-R and enter "regedit" without quotes.  Then expand this path:

HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows Defender\Windows Defender Exploit Guard\Controlled Folder Access

When highlighting the Controlled Folder Access entry, you should see this:

Let me know if yours looks different.

If this isn't the problem, the next step is a clean uninstall of your graphic card driver.  Even after you updated the driver, there's an Nvidia .dll mentioned in your error reports.  So the next step is a clean uninstall of the driver.  First, download Display Driver Uninstaller from here:

https://www.wagnardsoft.com/forums/viewtopic.php?f=5&t=1750

You can download a fresh driver here:

https://www.nvidia.com/Download/driverResults.aspx/151275/en-us

Next, take your computer completely offline—disable wifi and/or pull the ethernet cord—and double-click the DDU.exe.  Take note of where the file will land, and click Extract.  If it's easier, you can copy the path and then paste it into the address bar in a File Explorer window.  Open the folder and then Display Driver Uninstaller.exe, and you'll get a message that you're not in Safe Mode.  Click OK, then go to Options and enable Safe Mode dialog.  Here's a screenshot of what your options should look like:

Close options, and the DDU, and then open the DDU.exe again.  For launch options, choose "Safe Mode (Recommended)," and then click Reboot to Safe Mode (you'll need your password, so find it before rebooting).  Once you login, you'll see this:

Choose GPU in the dropdown menu (step one), then Nvidia (step 2) if it's not already showing.  Then click Clean and Restart (step 3).

Once your computer has rebooted, now back in normal mode, run the driver install .exe in custom mode. Select "perform a clean installation" and install ONLY the GPU driver and the PHYSX software.

Reboot again and see whether you can launch the game.  If not, let me know.

@puzzlezaddict Still does not work. Nothing was different in the registry, I re-installed my drivers using your method, but it didn't work. I can send a video on what exactly happens if you need me to.

@Chocoroom1  The video isn't necessary; I know exactly what you're describing.

Try doing a clean boot, and make sure to also disable RivaTuner Statistics Server and MSI Afterburner, if you have them.

https://www.windowscentral.com/how-clean-boot-windows-10

If that doesn't work either, create a new admin account on your computer; make sure to use only letters and numbers, no symbols, in the username.  Try launching TS3 in that account instead.

@puzzlezaddict I tried to launch the game from Origin during a clean boot, and it didn't work. Didn't work after too. I also made another admin account named "temp" and I tried to run it. It did not work either.

@Chocoroom1 

Go to your Reliability monitor > Press the Windows key and "R" at the same time and copy and paste or type "perfmon /rel" (without the quotes) in the new Window > hit “ENTER” and look if it has entries for the TS3.exe.

If yes double click at the last entry for the game executable, copy the info to the clipboard, and save it to a text file.

@holger1405 There is no TS3.exe in the Reliability Monitor.

@Chocoroom1 

Please go to your ">drive<:\Program Files (x86)\Origin Games\The Sims 3\__Installer" folder and copy the "InstallLog.txt" to the desktop.

Then load up the "InstallLog.txt" from desktop, like you did with the DxDiag.

@holger1405 Here you go.

@Chocoroom1 

OK, according to the log the game is correctly installed.

Do you have set any compatibility settings in the "TS3.exe"?

Did you tried to run the game from the "TS3.exe" directly? (With and without Administrator mode.)

Do other Origin games work?

@holger1405 I do not have any compatibility settings, and I tested them and they don't change anything. The game doesn't launch directly from TS3.exe even if I do use admin mode. It still goes through origin and doesn't open or change anything. My other origin games work too.

@Chocoroom1 

OK, there is no info in the DxDiag or the install log about why TS3 shouldn't run at all.

So I need to ask you some more questions, some of them might already be asked, but we need to make sure.

That is a vanilla installation of TS3, meaning no mods or other third party content at all?

Origin is not crashing after you try to execute TS3?

Do you have Origin in game enabled? If so disable it > Test.

You flowed @puzzlezaddict guide to uninstall Origin with Revo to the letter?  

What other games do you run on Origin?

Please clear your Origin cache again after this guide:

All settings in Origin (only in Origin not in the games) are back to default settings after this.)

• Close Origin completely.
  (right click on the Origin symbol in the task bar > close)
• Press the Windows key and "R" at the same time.
• Type or copy and paste "%ProgramData%/Origin" (without quotes) into the new window > hit ENTER
• Delete all the files and folders in the Origin folder, except for the "LocalContent" folder.
  (The "LocalContent" folder must remain untouched.)
• Delete the "The Sims 3" folder inside the "LocaContent" folder.
• Press the Windows key and "R" at the same time.
• Type or copy and paste "%AppData%" (without quotes) into the new window > hit ENTER
• Now your Windows explorer should have brought you to your "C:\Users\>your user name<\AppData\Roaming" folder.
• Delete the "Origin"  folder inside the "Roaming" folder.
• In the address bar of your Windows explorer click on "AppData".
• Open the "Local" folder.
• Delete the "Origin"  folder inside the  "Local" folder.
• Restart your PC. > test

If that don't works load up a new DxDiag.

@holger1405  Sorry for not replying until two months later, don't know why I didn't. After all that time, nothing changed. I did exactly as puzzleaddict said, and also uninstalled it again with nothing happening. I have nothing on my installation except for all the expansion packs. Origin doesn't crash after I try to run TS3, it just minimizes and appears again. I disabled Origin in-game and nothing happened. The only other games I run are BF1 and BFV. I cleared my Origin cache and nothing happened either, so here's a DxDiag. I would use Sims 4 but I feel like 3 has more content. Also, I only have the base game because all the expansions are so expensive.

@Chocoroom1  Since you last posted in this thread, a couple other people have reported the same symptoms as you did, both after having accounts merged.  The one person who fixed it contacted EA customer support again and found that there was a problem with their base game code: someone on the support side had messed up when doing the merging.  (The other person's issue was never resolved, at least as far as we know.)  Here's the thread:

https://answers.ea.com/t5/Technical-Issues-PC/Sims-3-does-not-launch-just-minimizes-Origin-for-a-second/td-p/8492963

So it's possible that your code has been blocked, or deactivated, or otherwise isn't working correctly.  Given that all the usual steps haven't helped, it's a good idea to contact support and ask someone to look at your codes, especially the one for the base game.  Not only does the code need to be there, but it needs to be active and in good standing, or whatever the opposite of "blocked" is.  There's no way for you to tell whether there's a problem on your own; only a support rep can check.

https://help.ea.com/en/contact-us/

This was my problem as well, and it's exactly like the other person. I had my accounts merged and the game got messed up somehow. Thank you for pointing that out!! I've been trying to play for months!!

So, I finally got my game fixed after several support sessions. It was fixed by removing the game and expansions from my library and then giving me a completely new, fresh game. It starts up and everything but there's one more problem. I only get four of the expansions shown in the launcher (Ambitions, Into the Future, Island Paradise, and Supernatural). I have every expansion and a few stuff packs but only these four expansions are displayed and active. 

@Chocoroom1  Is it possible that support messed up the transfer of your packs to your new account?  I know this has been far more difficult than necessary already, and I hope you don't have to go back to them again.  The troubleshooting steps you can take yourself are to repair the game in Origin (right-click on the Sim 3 icon in your game library and select Repair), clear Origin's cache, and if that doesn't work, uninstall Origin "the hard way" and reinstall.

https://help.ea.com/en-us/help/faq/clear-cache-to-fix-problems-with-your-games/

https://help.ea.com/en-us/help/origin/origin/manually-uninstalling-origin/

I guess it's also possible that some of the codes for your packs are new as well, and that the fact that they don't match the registry entries on your computer is preventing them from loading.  As a test, you could manually uninstall one of the missing packs and redownload it.  Here are instructions for removing a registry key (scroll down to "I'm having problems with the game"):

https://help.ea.com/en-us/help/the-sims/the-sims-3/manually-uninstalling-the-sims-3/

If none of this helps though, I don't know what else you can do, other than to go back to support and hope they get it right this time.