Re: downloading to windows 10
@simIrrevirre Since the other thread is three years old, as noted, I split your post into its own thread.
That's a lot to cover. The easy things first:
- The service initialization failed message is most often related to mismatched or missing registry entries.
- If you own the game in Origin, you can download it as many times as you want to as many computer as you want, without uninstalling.
- Any pack that's showing as owned in your Origin library will stay there, whether you registered a disc code or bought directly from Origin.
- Patch 1.69 still is what it is, and people like it about as much as they ever did.
- When the launcher is forgetting checked packs, it often helps to clear the cache for Internet Explorer; this is where the data about checked packs is saved.
As for your content, you might be able to merge your old account, i.e. the one from the old Sims 3 site, with your current one. Store content won't transfer over, but the packs you registered there should. You could then download everything via Origin, no discs necessary, and again, there wouldn't be an issue if you had to redownload. To request an account merge, you'll need to contact EA customer support.
https://help.ea.com/en/contact-us/
The other option is to install entirely via disc, if you own everything on disc and your base game disc was manufactured before September 2012; the later ones required Origin to manage the install. That way, you'd stay on patch 1.67 with no pack selector and no need to use Origin when you play.
However, if you have a mix of discs and digally bought packs, it's best to install everything through Origin. While Origin is supposed to manage a mixed install, it sometimes doesn't work the way it should, as you found out the last time around. Missing packs in the launcher is one common result, although the packs getting unchecked isn't related. Still, if you can't recover your old account and get it merged, you could try installing the packs that aren't in Origin and see how it goes. Just be prepared to uninstall and start over if it doesn't work.
