since update I can't play sims 3 or download and install the expansion packs I bought years ago.
And each time I try it says critical error.
I have over 100 items to download and install and one extra world. errors all the time.
So I tried verifying files, still same problem, I tried uninstalling games, and orgin still same problem please help,
@StrangeAngels Can you please provide a bit more info about this issue? Are you running Windows or macOS, and which version? What kind of install is this? (Origin, Steam, disc with Origin tie-in) There are different ways to troubleshoot the issue, depending on the details.
Edit: I just saw your more recent post, so I merged them. Given the situation, it's best to start with a clean uninstall of both TS3 and Origin. Clear Origin's cache and then uninstall it "the hard way," as described in these articles:
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/
Uninstall Sims 3 as well, and then clean your computer's registry of all TS3-related entries. If you're not comfortable doing this yourself, you can use a free app like Piriform's CCleaner. If you have saves you'd like to keep, remove your entire TS3 game folder from Documents and rename it so it doesn't have the words "The Sims 3" in it. You can put its contents back later.
Redownload Origin, and then download the Sims 3 base game only. Don't put your content back yet; just launch it to test. If you get an error again, another screenshot like the one you provided would be great. If you can't install either Origin or TS3, try disabling your antivirus/firewall temporarily. If this is the problem, you can always set exceptions for Origin.exe and TS3.exe later.
I can't get Sim 3 to work the launcher won't let the game start at all and I'm all updated, using windows 10, Until origin latest update happened a few days ago, it was fine. So I've tried this, uninstalling origin, and sime 3 including worlds, expansion packs and other packs I had installed, Then I did maintenance on the computer and updated everything. Tried it again and it still won't play. It keeps telling me to look at a log file, but I can't any log files. So until the other day I had been using the Origin thin Beta download to play Sims 3 on and until it updated to the current one, I didnt have any problems.
My laptop is only 2 years old so its nothing to do with that. But I need help with this, because no matter what I do, it won't work. Launcher keeps saying Error upon launching see log.
@StrangeAngels I already responded to your post yesterday, so I'm merging this new one with your existing thread. It's not necessary to post in multiple places; people will respond regardless.
Thank you Puzzleaddict for getting back to me with a prompt reply. I thought I'd posted one of the posts in the wrong section and I couldn't find where to remove it.
As for the problem, I have found it to be the Sims 3 launcher that is giving the error.
I have already done as you advised previous to your reply, by deleting cache,and also program file paths were removed, regedit entries were removed, also appdata entries and every other trace from the pc. I used cc cleaner after removing everything and made sure all drivers, and security including windows updates were all up to date.
The previous image I sent was after I did all this. I have even issued a report to Origin over their latest update and also sent a report in from an email they sent me.
Because I thought to try all options and realised it could be additional content maybe causing the problems due to the update after reading many other peoples problems with different games also over this current update.
But I will do all this again and get back to you when i have with an updated image.
I have now taken 2 screenshots of images so you can see time and date of when I downloaded the latest origin update client version and was about to install Sims 3 without additional content.
I have done that now and tried to play it,
The second image shows that it still saying the same error as before..
@StrangeAngels Thanks for the information. I was hoping one of the suggestions would help, but it's still good to know they didn't.
Do you have an antivirus or firewall that could be blocking a proper install? You can disable it temporarily, just long enough to install the base game. If that works, just set exceptions for Origin.exe and TS3.exe.
It looks from your screenshot like you don't have Origin Access. Did you before? Even if you own the game outright, it's possible that an expired Access subscription is causing issues. I ask because someone else with the same problem, and the same version 0 showing in the launcher, does have Access.
Anyway, if it's not your antivirus/firewall that's causing the problem, let me know, and I'll pass this along to one of the EA community managers in the morning.
Hello Puzzledirect, I didn't ever have a problem with antivirus all this time, but if the current update says I need to add an exception I will do. Also is it necessary for me to have to pay to play Sims3 via something called Access? This I've not got and wondered if this is the thing now?
@StrangeAngels You don't need to buy an Access subscription to play Sims 3. If you don't already own it, you can use Access to play TS3 and many other games, but that's different from owning the game outright.
Origin has frequent updates, and often enough, one of them creates an incompatibility with an antivirus or firewall. These programs also have updates, often tightening restrictions and blocking certain Orign features they previously allowed.
Anyway, please let me know whether temporarily disabling the antivirus helps, and I'll ask someone from EA about this issue.
Well I owned the game on Origin before anything like access was featured back in 2012, I've been playing it through them.
Anyway I tthought I had it just now. it was the controlled access folders in windows security that was not allowing the files and apss and services through, so I tried it again after adding exclusions and got the launcher to work but it acted as if the game was playable bringing up a black window like usual then it froze until I pressed the windows key and it went beck to taskbar and another smaller window appeared on the desktop saying " Unable to start game, service initation failed (0x065d0274)
Now when I google that message, it says its either registry or illigit download of game, well its not either with me. I bought the game via paypal legitimatly through Origin at the beginning of 2012.
And secondly I've run cc cleaner multiple times already and fixed registry.
I even tried an old method of deleting the electronic artss folder in my documents and then launching the game and seeing if that worked. But no comes up with the same error now about service initiation.
Image attached.
We need something like this but an updated version to solve all this mess.
https://answers.ea.com/t5/The-Sims-3/FAQ-Current-Patch-1-67-Manual-links-and-more/td-p/67858
@StrangeAngels Okay, there's one more easy step to try: enabling .NET framework 3.5. It would have had to be enabled by default when you were playing before, but perhaps a Windows update turned it off. Here's how to do it:
https://docs.microsoft.com/en-us/dotnet/framework/install/dotnet-35-windows-10
If this isn't the issue, please run a dxdiag and post the results here.
https://help.ea.com/en-us/help/pc/how-to-gather-dxdiag-information/
Ok puzzleaddict I already had .net framework turned on and Ive run dxdiag and report is attached.
@StrangeAngels Your dxdiag shows a couple of Nvidia errors, and the entry on your 960M is missing some information. So you may have a corrupt graphics driver. It's a good idea to do a clean install of the driver, removing any trace of the old one. Here's how:
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/147966/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, try a couple of times, then run another dxdiag.
Hello puzzlezaddict, sorry it's taken a while to get back to you. but real life.... busy.
I did everything you advised with the DDU and in safemode. The first time I tried to install a clean installation of graphics driver it failed but on 2nd attempt was successful.
So then rebooted the laptop and tried to run Sims 3, did exactly the same thing, signed into orign fine, but when click on play sims 3, brings up a black screen with strange white box thats not alligned properly. and freezes the whole computer so I have to power it off and restart.
Anyway rerun dxdiag and have attached it here.
@StrangeAngels Sorry for the delay in responding.
Can you grab a screenshot of the black screen with the "strange white box"? It would be helpful to see.
In the meantime, you can run some commands to check your Windows system files. Here's how:
Ok it refuses to start validating at all. Screenshot attatched. I will try again over the " strange white box " to show you, but last time I wouldn't let me press any key at all, print screen refused to work, its as if it completely locks the computer down. task manager I can't bring up either when this happens.
@StrangeAngels You need to choose "PowerShell (Administrator)" or "Command prompt (Administrator)" to be able to run the command. Trying to run DISM via the option without the (Administrator) at the end will throw that error.
As for the screenshot, take a photo with your phone and upload it.
Ok I have the screen shot of the black screen with white lines on it attached and also the 2 command prompts with scan results on and clean up - restore health.
@StrangeAngels Well, at least the repair commands ran smoothly. That eliminates quite a few potential issues.
However, your second dxdiag lists a number of Intel graphics driver errors. I didn't know this at the time (thanks @holger1405 for pointing it out), but your model of laptop has a technology that requires both the Intel and Nvidia drivers to work together, even when you're playing games. So the best approach is to clean uninstall both drivers and download the most recent ones from MSI. I know you already dealt with the Nvidia driver, but that version is newer and doesn't necessarity work as well with the Intel driver.
Anyway, here's the process:
You already have DDU downloaded, but you'll need MSI's versions of the graphics card drivers. Be sure to get both the Intel and the Nvidia drivers now, listed under VGA, since you'll be offline until you finish the process.
https://www.msi.com/Laptop/support/PE70-6QE#down-driver&Win10%2064
Take your computer completely offline (again, disable wifi and/or pull the ethernet cable). Double-click on Display Driver Uninstaller.exe, and you should get the message that you're not in safe mode. (If you don't, go to options and enable safe mode dialog, as before, close DDU, and reopen it.) For launch options, choose Safe Mode, and then click Reboot to Safe Mode. Once you login, you'll see this again:
Choose GPU, then Nvidia, then click Clean and Restart. Your computer will restart in normal mode. Launch the DDU again, reboot into Safe Mode, and repeat the above steps, but this time, choose Intel instead of Nvidia in step 2.
After your computer reboots into normal mode, still offline, you can install the Intel driver, then reboot, and then install the Nvidia driver and reboot again. For the Nvidia driver, choose a custom install again, and only install the driver an the PHYSX software.
If it helps, you can print this out, since you won't be able to go back online and have a look until you're done with the whole process.
When you're done, try TS3 again. It's best to remove your TS3 game folder from Documents\EA before you test, just to be thorough.
If you still can't load the game, do a clean boot and try again. Here's how:
@StrangeAngels Now that the driver situation is squared away, try another clean uninstall of Origin. Clear its cache first:
https://help.ea.com/en-us/help/faq/clear-cache-to-fix-problems-with-your-games/
Then use Revo Uninstaller (the free version is fine, either regular or portable) to remove all traces of Origin, except for the Origin Games folder. Here's how:
Next, download and install Origin—the regular version, not the beta. Here's the direct download link:
http://download.dm.origin.com/origin/live/OriginSetup.exe
Be sure to run both the ThinSetup (the installer) and Origin itself as an admin: right-click on each and select "Run as Administrator." Let me know how it goes.
(Thank you @holger1405, as always; you're wonderful.)
