Forum Discussion

chcom21's avatar
8 months ago

Sims 3 connecting forever

I can get into the Sims 3 website easily and buy stuff from the store. When the launcher shows up, it says my email address is invalid. When I go into the game and try to log in from there, it does the connecting screen forever. I can play the game normally and I have content downloaded, but content from the store I can download but not use because I am not logged in. I have looked at a bunch of threads from people with the same issue but nothing I do helps. Do I need to change my email address associated with EA? It's an unusual one, which may be the problem, but I've never had an issue with it before. I have also changed my password multiple times but it doesn't help either. I am willing to send screenshots. Please help! I really love this game and it would be nice to play with the content from the website store that I have bought. Also, I run the sims on Mac.

Thanks

5 Replies

  • @chcom21  To stop the eternal connecting, go into Applications > Utilities, open Keychain Access, search for sims3 , and delete any entries you find.

    For the inability to login, try changing your password to something that only contains letters and numbers, no special characters.  In addition, open Documents > Electronic Arts > The Sims 3 > Downloads and delete the file labeled [your email].bin.  I would also suggest clearing Safari's cache and cookies in case there's any related data stored there.  The launcher uses Internet Explorer (now Edge's IE mode) for a few details in Windows, and I'm not sure whether the 64-bit Mac version got away from using a browser entirely.

    What happens when you try to install Store content?  If you get a prompt to login, that's one thing; if you get a different error, that's another entirely.

  • chcom21's avatar
    chcom21
    8 months ago

    I fixed the keychain access thing, now it doesn't connect forever instead it says invalid email address like the launcher. I changed my password and have no irregular characters. I've tried everything else. Also the store content thing is downloaded but obviously doesn't show up in the game because I'm not logged in. Here are a few screenshots. 

    Thanks for responding 

  • @chcom21  It's not necessary to sign in to make your Store content load, at least not under normal circumstances.  Try renaming the entire Sims 3 user folder and installing a couple of Store items into a new one.  (When you open the launcher, a clean folder will spawn with no content.)  If the content works in the new folder, rebuild it as described here:

    https://answers.ea.com/t5/Store-Issues/Read-First-Sims-3-Store-guide/m-p/13479922#Clean

    If the content doesn't work in the new folder, clear the EA App's cache:

    https://help.ea.com/en-us/help/faq/clear-cache-to-fix-problems-with-your-games/

    and repair the game (EA App > Sims 3 > Manage > Repair), again if you have already.  Then test with another clean folder.

  • chcom21's avatar
    chcom21
    8 months ago

    I'll try this out later, but I don't really have a problem with the store content not showing up, it's just the not being able to log in. I've tried to clear my IE cache but that didn't work. I also went to the download folder in the sims 3 files because apparently deleting [your email].bin is supposed to help but I never had it in the first place, I only had nav.bin and wl.bin. Honestly thinking I should change the email associated with EA. Can't really find another solution. Thanks for the help

  • @chcom21  I would suggest not changing your email address, at least not yet.  Doing so could break things further, and there are other troubleshooting steps to try first.  If my last suggestions don't help, create a new admin account on your Mac and repeat the steps there.  Don't link the account to your Apple ID; you can skip that step.

About The Sims 3 Technical Issues

Get help with issues in The Sims 3 from fellow Simmers.83,300 PostsLatest Activity: 5 years ago