@mattygvr Did you apply the Alder Lake patch? If so, please repair Sims 3 (if you use the EA App, it's under Manage) and then try the Task Manager method listed here:
If that doesn't help, please let me know what antivirus you use and whether OneDrive is running on this computer, even if you never use it.
Hi,
I have done the repair via the EA App, Unintall and Reinstall via the EA App, and Uninstall via control panel with no success
I have tried the patch and just tried the task manager method and that did not work either.
Yes, OneDrive is running on this computer and is not being used. No antivirus software.
Thanks
@mattygvr Try pausing OneDrive syncing before you play. You can find the option by right-clicking the cloud icon in the lower-right corner of the screen. The icon might be hidden in the Tray, so check under the ^ icon too.
If that doesn't help, please create a new admin Windows account and try to play there. Make it local, as in, don't link it with your Microsoft account. You should be asked to answer some security questions instead. You'll be able to (try to) launch Sims 3 in the new account without reinstalling anything.
If that doesn't help either, 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 in the new account. 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.
@mattygvr The fact that the issue is limited to your main account often means permissions are broken on the Documents folder, or some folder inside. In your main account, you could try renaming the Electronic Arts folder to force the game to create a new one. If that doesn't help, try the other suggestions here:
https://answers.ea.com/t5/Technical-Issues-PC/CURRENT-ISSUE-Sims-4-already-running/m-p/13276380
The master thread is for Sims 4 and a different error, but "already running" is almost always about permissions too, so everything I can think of to fix it is listed in the first post. You can of course skip the steps you've already tried, so start with the antivirus section; there's a link for changing Windows Defender's Controlled Folder Access settings.
