Re: my Sims 3 game wont install or launch please help!

Here is the exact message:

"TS3W.exe - Bad Image

C:\windows\system32\d3dx9_31.dll is either not designed to run on Windows or it contains an error. Try installing the program again using the original installation media or contact your system administrator or the software vendor for support."

What i did was delete the d3dx9_31.dll and then use the DirectX End-User Runtime Web Installer to reinstall it as suggested on another site to fix this issue, and it worked with other games before when i got this issue. Yes it is in the System32 folder in my windows directory.

when i type Type REGSVR32 d3dx9_31.dll it gives me an error message of:

"The module "d3dx9_31.dll" was loaded but entry-point DllRegisterServer was not found.

Make sure that "d3dx9_31.dll" is a valid DLL or OCX file and then try again."

I think i installed the supernatural content before so im assuming it was there since you say it was required, but i didnt delete the file myself, my cpu fan broke and i had to get it repaired and in the process they reset my laptop it to factory settings and i lost it that way.

7 Replies

crinrict
Hero+
11 years ago
No idea what that is (DirectX End-User Runtime Web Installer) but to me it sounds like something is messed up with your Windows.

Did you change the path to wndows\system32 (not the one I gave above) ?

Since this is more of a Windows issue, let me see if I can get another helper to help you further. Maybe they have an idea.
oavaroc
11 years ago
I thought i knew my directx files were just always in the system32 folder fromm having to deal with them before, but i just checked the syswow64 folder you said and i found some there too, and did the regsvr32 d3dx9_31.dll to it and got a different error message:
"RegSvr32
The module"d3dx9_31.dll" may not be compatible with the version of Windows that you're running. Check if the module is compatible with an x86 (32-bit) or x64 (64-bit) version of regsvr32.exe"
i have Windows 7 64-bit
crinrict
Hero+
11 years ago
Try regsvr64 instead of RegSvr32 then (32 is probably for 32 bit operating systems)
oavaroc
11 years ago
I tried that and it says:
"'regsvr64' is not recognized as an internal or external command, operable program or batch file."
crinrict
Hero+
11 years ago
Yeah, sorry about that. Seems it should work with regsvr32 for 64 bit as well. My bad.

Did you try like this at all

Open the console by typing cmd in the search bar in your start menu

Type cd C:\Windows\SysWOW64

Type REGSVR32 d3dx9_31.dll

with that path ?

It seems that the version in system is a 64 bit version and you can't register 32 bit dll with 64 bit REGSVR32. So you do need to use the one in the syswow64 direcotry since that is the 32 bit version.

Sorry for the confusion. I should have read up on it some more.
oavaroc
11 years ago
I used these instructions exactly:
"
Open the console by typing cmd in the search bar in your start menu
Type cd C:\Windows\SysWOW64
Type REGSVR32 d3dx9_31.dll"
and got the same message:
"RegSvr32
The module"d3dx9_31.dll" may not be compatible with the version of Windows that you're running. Check if the module is compatible with an x86 (32-bit) or x64 (64-bit) version of regsvr32.exe"
When i start up my computer it doesent start up the sims 3, and when i try to launch it from the desktop icon (The Sims 3) i get a message that the sims3launcher has failed i get the same message if i click on it from a search ( im assuming thats the finder), and I get the d3dx9_31.dll error when i try to use the TS3W.exe.
crinrict
Hero+
11 years ago
Then I would say you downloaded a faulty (wrong) version of the dll.

tbh, I would just reinstall Windows or do another factory restore or search the net for another version of the dll (although I'm not a big fan of suggesting downloading dls)

Not sure what else to suggest. I don't believe this to be a Sims issue as stated before.