@eventoowish Your computer doesn't have an Alder Lake processor, but there are a few Celeron CPUs with the same issue, and your dxdiag confirms that's what you're seeing. So please try the workarounds in the thread I linked as well, applying them to TS3.exe, without the W.
Ok trying it now.
Separate issue - I'm trying to download the sims and the EPs on a hard drive. /D is assigned on the settings and everything is redirected there. When trying to download the sims I get stuck on the preparing stage and it'll going up a bit int he % and then drop down. I'm current trying to download the base game on my regular computer and then hope to download the EPs on the flash drive. Is that possible? How can I stop the preparing loop?
I tried the Alder Lake Patch - and applied it open within the TS3.ex - but the same loop occurs.
I'm also not sure if I am doing it right. When selecting the file, it prompts me to choose where to open it at.
@eventoowish No, you can't download only the EPs on a flash drive. They'll be installed wherever the base game is. You can however install the entire game on a flash drive using one computer, then plug that drive into a different computer. You'd still need to tell the EA App to "install" Sims 3 in that location on the new system, but the App will (probably) simply verify the files and complete the process.
For the issue installing to D, make sure you're installing into a folder on D, for example D:\Games rather than the root level of the drive. If this doesn't help, would it be possible to format the drive? It should be formatted as NTFS anyway, but if it already is, you could format it as something else and then back to NTFS.
Whenever you format a drive, its content is erased, so don't do this if the drive holds other data you don't want to lose. The alternative is to partition the drive and use the new partition. Sims 3 takes up about 32 GB with all packs installed, program files only, so a 40 GB partition would be fine for the game itself, and you'd need more space if you want to place your user files there too.
For the Alder Lake issue, try the Task Manager method instead.
Sorry for the late reply - so for the Task Manager method, I followed this video from the thread: How To Fix The Sims 3/Medieval On Newer Intel Processors - YouTube
I made it up to the point of setting affinity and running it as a PowerShell, the launcher opens and starts BUT it's doesn't play. My command prompt closes and I get the error:
Service initialization failed (0x065d0274)
I also added the script both to my USB and desktop - both attempts still fail.
@eventoowish To clarify, you need to either use the Task Manager method OR the PowerShell method. Using both at the same time is redundant and may break something. I'd suggest only using the Task Manager method, at least for now.
Where is your game currently installed, and how did it get there? As in, did you install it there directly or move the program files after the fact? Have you uninstalled at any point, and how did you do that? I ask because this error is often related to broken or missing registry entries, which can be the result of moving the game install or improperly deleting the previous install.
Before following the video, I had everything uninstalled off on my hard drive. I reinstalled EA, installed the TS3 via EA to be on my /Games folder on my hard drive, then followed the steps from the video. Everything but EA is on my USB/hard drive.
@eventoowish Please uninstall Sims 3 and the EA App with Revo Uninstaller (the free version is fine), to remove all related hidden files. Restart your computer, reinstall the App, and then install Sims 3 into a new folder that you create for just this purpose. So rather than installing directly to D, for example, install to D:\Games or whatever you happen to call the new folder.
Please use only the Task Manager method for now, not the PowerShell script or the Alder Lake patch. It's the most reliable approach and therefore the best way to eliminate potential complicating factors.
If this doesn't help, please look for new errors in the Reliability Monitor. Hit Windows key-R and enter "perfmon /rel" without quotes, and you'll see a chart of errors and updates with a column for each day. Today is on the right.
Look for an error that happened at exactly the time of your most recent attempt to launch Sims 3, specifically after you've done the steps I listed. If you find one, double-click it to see more details, then copy that info and paste it into a reply here. If you don't see a new error, check back in an hour or so—the Reliability Monitor doesn't always update right away.
Ok - with the Task Manager method, it opens the launcher and loads up, but the screen is black and I do not get the sims intro video.
This is the error I gotten after the Problem Details windows popped up:
Source
Sims 3
Summary
Stopped working
Date
7/7/2024 10:43 AM
Status
Report sent
Description
Faulting Application Path: D:\New folder\The Sims 3\Game\Bin\TS3.exe
Problem signature
Problem Event Name: APPCRASH
Application Name: TS3.exe
Application Version: 0.2.0.32
Application Timestamp: 568d4bac
Fault Module Name: TS3.exe
Fault Module Version: 0.2.0.32
Fault Module Timestamp: 568d4bac
Exception Code: c0000094
Exception Offset: 005511f2
OS Version: 10.0.22631.2.0.0.768.101
Locale ID: 1033
Additional Information 1: 2beb
Additional Information 2: 2beba6fb4680d73a8c78ca7c24ccdb46
Additional Information 3: 113a
Additional Information 4: 113affe8603aa25be79ca3c03a89e507
Extra information about the problem
Bucket ID: de06a40f97a119edbeae1d57e90e5626 (2210736730494883366)
Also, after closing the window prompt from the launcher, a mini window with the error message shows up:
Unable to start game
Service initialization failed (0x65d0274)
@eventoowish This error is still the Alder Lake issue, so you're not applying the Task Manager method correctly. This is the important part:
Fault Module Name: TS3.exe
Fault Module Version: 0.2.0.32
Fault Module Timestamp: 568d4bac
Exception Code: c0000094
Exception Offset: 005511f2
This error is extremely specific, at least in this particular context. Please make sure you're applying the workaround to TS3.exe, without the W, rather than TS3W.exe.
If you can't get the Task Manager method to work, you can try the PowerShell method, or the Process Lasso method mentioned early in the Alder Lake thread.
@eventoowish Process Lasso is mentioned here first:
And instructions for how to use it are here:
To clarify one thing, half the description is about how to remove the one-core restriction after the game starts to launch. Not doing so will tank performance, and the limit only needs to be in place for the first few seconds after the game launches.
@eventoowish I don't have an affected CPU myself, so I can't test, but Process Lasso should have more current documentation somewhere online. And the Task Manager method still works for almost everyone who tries it. So I'm not sure why yours isn't working.
I guess I'd suggest trying the Alder Lake patch again, applied to TS3.exe only. If you use a third-party antivirus, disable it before running the patch. And make sure that the EA App is closed and the EABackgroundService is NOT running in the Task Manager. Either one can block changes to the game's program files.
Please also let me know whether you're still seeing the 0xc0000094 error in the Reliability Monitor when Sims 3 refuses to load, and specifically when you're testing now. (I don't need older error reports.) The Alder Lake issue is the most common cause but not the only one.
@eventoowish You can repair the game instead of uninstalling, which should take a lot less time. Doing so will remove the effects of the Alder Lake patch, which is necessary at this point given you're seeing this particular error.
Instead of the other methods, try this (the affinity part, not the rest):
You will of course apply it to TS3.exe rather than the DAO executable.
Also, I just attempted to go through the EA app which sent me to the TS3 Laucher, once I clicked play, I got this message:
@eventoowish Yes, that would be the correct string. Unfortunately, I don't think it will work with the EA App. A friend and I tested this morning and found that the App rejects this string for other games, although it works fine for games launched through a different client.
The .dll error means you need to repair the game again, and don't apply the Alder Lake patch this time. It's triggering the error.
Just to be clear, you only need to do ONE of the workarounds for this error. If the Alder Lake patch worked, you'd be done. Since it doesn't work, you need to try a different approach, but still only one.
@eventoowish Right, so are you using another approach? The PowerShell script, the Task Manager method, and Process Lasso all fix the problem when applied properly, and you still only need one of them.
