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MAWriterGirl's avatar
MAWriterGirl
Seasoned Rookie
2 years ago
Solved

Re: The Sims 3 won't launch

@puzzlezaddict  I now have this problem.  It's been going on since Thanksgiving.  I've attempted every single fix listed in this thread; a couple of them worked once, but stopped working the next time I tried to play, even after I repeated all the steps and restarted my computer.  I've narrowed it down to the DirectX 9 situation, and manually downloaded the files, but I don't know how to install or run it.  Because of that, I don't know if this is the problem.  As I type this I'm trying the repair option through the EA app.

I'm attaching my DxDiag just in case something else turns out to be the problem, but I want to be able to try the DirectX 9 thing and I don't know how.  I've had this computer since March (in fact you were a big help in my choice of computer, thanks once again for that).  The game ran perfectly fine on it for several months.  Somewhere in October, I think, it began to minimize when I first clicked the Play button on the launcher, but I was always able to click on the icon in the toolbar and the game would run from there.  Now it refuses to do so.  The trouble has been getting progressively worse; at first I could get the game to run after several tries, then it took a computer restart or two.  As of two days ago, it just flat-out refuses to run.  When I click on the icon, there's no response.  Task Manager tells me the game isn't responding.  No matter how many times I try, the game simply won't run.  It's beyond frustrating; I'm starting to think I'll have to resign myself to playing on my old computer with all its limitations.

Anyway, if it turns out I have the DirectX 9 problem, I'd much appreciate instructions on how to install and run it, so I can see if it solves the entire problem.  Many thanks for your help -- you're an invaluable asset to all us Sims 3 players.

pc
technical issues
  • puzzlezaddict's avatar
    puzzlezaddict
    2 years ago

    @MAWriterGirl  This probably is a OneDrive error.  And yes, I would definitely get rid of OneDrive, but that's in part because I personally have no use for it, so all it does is potentially mess with my files.  If you have a reason to keep it around, there are other options, all covered here:

    https://answers.ea.com/t5/Technical-Issues-PC/CURRENT-ISSUE-Sims-4-saves-user-content-disappearing-PC/m-p/12475370#M249772

    The guide was written for Sims 4, but the OneDrive information applies equally here.  So pick the option that works for you and change the relevant settings.

    Before you do anything with OneDrive though, it would be best to confirm that getting it out of the way fixes the problem.  The quickest way to do that is to pause syncing before you play, which you can do by right-clicking the cloud icon in the lower-right corner of the screen.  Then move the Sims 3 folder, as you wanted to do, and proceed from there.

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  • MAWriterGirl's avatar
    MAWriterGirl
    Seasoned Rookie
    2 years ago

    @puzzlezaddictThe workaround you provided the link to did the trick for me, and I'm able to run the game without trouble.  Since then, a smaller issue has come up.  I've been able to reinstall the CC that I most wanted; I could live without the rest and got rid of it.  But now I have a problem with installing my own house builds into the game.  In the last few months I created a number of houses and uploaded them to the Exchange, and when I did, I saved the Sims3Pack files from the Export folder into a separate desktop folder.  So when I got my game back up and running earlier this month, I thought it would be a simple matter to place these files into the Downloads folder and reinstall them.

    Unfortunately, they don't stay installed.  The launcher installs them, and they look fine; but when I go into the game, they don't show up in the saved-houses bin.  If I leave the files in the Downloads folder, the next time I bring up the launcher, they show as not installed.  I tried redownloading four of these builds (all without any third-party CC at all) from the Exchange, but that makes no difference.  I didn't even have to go into the game; I installed them, exited the launcher to delete cache files, restarted the launcher, and saw those four builds showing up as not installed.  This happens only with my builds, no others.  The only way I've been able to save these houses into game memory is to do it from save games in which I placed them on lots.  I haven't used all my builds in saves, so I've been able to save only about half my builds like this.  Is there a fix to the installation problem, or will I need to find another workaround?  It's just occurred to me that it might work if I try extracting the package files and putting them in that way, but I haven't had a chance to try this out.  But this problem is weird enough to make me curious as to what might be the cause.  Thank you again for your time!

  • puzzlezaddict's avatar
    puzzlezaddict
    Hero+
    2 years ago

    @MAWriterGirl  I'd just try extracting the .package files, which is simpler than it sounds.  Move or rename the existing Sims 3 folder, open the launcher to spawn a clean folder, install your houses there, and grab the .package files from Library.  You can put these into Library inside your old Sims 3 folder, trash the new folder, and restore the old one.

    I save the .package files of my builds and move them from one user folder to another without any trouble.  The only complication would be if the builds used custom content that you hadn't reinstalled yet, but it sounds like that's not the case here.

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