I cannot launch TS3 on origin. All that happens is that I click on the button, origin minimizes and then re-appears after a few seconds and nothing happens. Sometimes it says I am "Playing" the game when I view my profile. I uninstalled the game multiple times, repaired the game too, deleted all the files and re-installed, and even re-installed origin. I don't know why it won't launch?

@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/

@Chocoroom1 I've moved your post to the Sims 3 PC tech section. Please temporarily disable any antivirus/firewall program you have running, as a test. If you can launch the game, you'll need to add TS3.exe and Origin.exe as exceptions. If this doesn't work, try running Origin as an admin: right-click on the Origin shortcut and select "Run as administrator." It may also help to add TS3.exe as an exception in Windows Defender's Controlled Folder Access settings. These instructions are for Sims 4, but the principle is the same: https://crinrict.com/blog/2019/03/windows-10-defender-controlled-folder-access.html

Thanks for writing back.Although I don't think that the problem is with my antivirus or windows defender, because my antivirus doesn't alert me or do anything and I had them as exceptions as well just to see what happens. I was able to play the game earlier in the year as I had built a new PC and got a new antivirus (Which is ESET by the way) for my shiny new PC. The game ran fine and I was able to play. It's just only now that the problem is starting to happen. I did run Origin in admin mode, but the problem still exists.If my explanation had been bad, here's what happens: Origin works fine, I click on the Sims 3 rectangle in my library. It says the game is downloaded along with all its other expansions and stuff packs. I click on the play button, but something happens. Origin doesn't open up TS3 launcher, but it instead just vanishes and re-appears in about a second. I can spam click it but it does the same thing, and will sometimes say I am playing the game when it doesn't even want to start. I've also looked in Task Manager, and it doesn't start any background applications or any regular apps, and it doesn't appear under origin at all.

@roberta591 I checked my CPU, and it seems fine. Also, I don't know if I really should flash my BIOS to F13, because the current version is fine. If you know I should, just say.@puzzlezaddict It still didn't work. I disabled OneDrive, went into offline mode on Origin, unplugged my Ethernet, and it did not work. I also took out the game files from the Documents section. Here is the new DxDiag. I think though, TS3 isn't even trying to run at all. It doesn't chug or load when I click Play, nothing appears in the Task Manger, and no game files get altered.

Origin won't launch Sims 3 | EA Forums

28 Replies

Chocoroom1
6 years ago
@holger1405 I updated my BIOS to F14. The thing with it saying the game is downloaded only happened one time.
puzzlezaddict
Hero+
6 years ago
@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.
Chocoroom1
6 years ago
@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.
puzzlezaddict
Hero+
6 years ago
@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.
Chocoroom1
6 years ago
@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.
holger1405
Hero+
6 years ago
@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.
Chocoroom1
6 years ago
@holger1405 There is no TS3.exe in the Reliability Monitor.
holger1405
Hero+
6 years ago
@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.
Chocoroom1
6 years ago
@holger1405 Here you go.
InstallLog.txt34 KB
holger1405
Hero+
6 years ago
@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?

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Origin won't launch Sims 3

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