Sims 3 .Dll Error

vampirepills​  Sorry for the late reply.  What kind of install is this: EA App, Steam, disc, or something else?  The EA App doesn't require the Alder Lake patch now that it's been updated, so if you've installed through the App, the patch is redundant and may cause some harm.  So in that case, please repair the game (Sims 3 > Manage > Repair) before doing anything else.

A disc or Steam install does still require the Alder Lake patch, and a disc install would need the Super Patch too.  But the Alder Lake patch is only relevant for certain CPUs, and your dxdiag doesn't list your model, so I can't tell whether you'd need it at all.

Regardless, the error you've listed often happens as a result of the Alder Lake patch, so it would be best to undo the effects.  In Steam, you can repair by right-clicking the Sims 3 game tile and selecting Properties > Installed Files > Verify integrity of the game files.  The Super Patch repairs a disc install.

Once you've done that, try the Task Manager method again if you have a disc or Steam install, or skip it if you have an EA App install, and let me know what happens.  If you still can't play, 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 open Sims 3.  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.

Sorry for the also late reply! I figured out that the Alder Lake patch was not compatible with my system, and I gave it a fresh reinstall, which has brought me to a new issue; the game won't start up.
I can turn on the launcher, but getting the game running, I can get as far as a black window before it inevitably crashes again. Smooth patch installed, Task Manager method every time. 

This is a Steam install, newest DXDIAG attached. Any help would be fantastic!

vampirepills​  I need the Reliability Monitor information I mentioned before.  This dxdiag does list your processor, unlike the last one, and it's definitely affected by the Alder Lake issue.  But the Windows Error Reports are the same as last time; there's nothing from Sims 3.  That means that new reports aren't being created, they're being deleted right away (like if you have a cleaner app that removes temp files), or the dxdiag app can't read them.  In any case, please look for RM errors and let me know what you find.

If you don't see an error there, try looking for a crash dump.  Click Windows key-R and enter this:

%LocalAppData%\CrashDumps

Then find the newest file from Sims 3.  You'll need to upload it to a third-party filesharing site and link it here.  If you don't see a crash dump, enable them in Windows:

• Click the Windows key, type "command prompt" in the box, right-click on Command Prompt in the search results, and select Run as Administrator
• In the window, paste "reg add "HKLM\Software\Microsoft\Windows\Windows Error Reporting\LocalDumps\devenv.exe" /v DumpType /d 2 /t REG_DWORD" without the outside quotes into the box, and enter
• Launch Sims 3 and wait for it to crash (whether you can play at all or not)
• After it crashes, wait for any crash dialogs to finish
• Then click Windows key-R and paste "%LOCALAPPDATA%\CrashDumps" without quotes into the box, and enter
• Upload the last .dmp file to a free filesharing site and link it here
• When you want to undo the auto crash log dumps, open Command Prompt as before, paste "reg delete "HKLM\Software\Microsoft\Windows\Windows Error Reporting\LocalDumps" /f" without the outside quotes, and enter.

An error from Reliability Monitor:

This link should work to my crash dump file. Tell me if it doesn't. 
https://www.dropbox.com/scl/fi/dars03i9bw4bw2ajmltaf/TS3W.exe.12200.dmp?rlkey=wlwuxkujj513kbmn23zw205fh&st=1a6lyxhp&dl=0

vampirepills​  This is the Alder Lake issue: exception code 0xc0000094 is pretty much always this issue, at least for Sims 3.  So it looks like you're not applying the Task Manager method correctly.  Are you applying it to TS3W.exe, with the W?  That's the executable that runs Sims 3 disc and Steam installs.  I've never seen a case where the Task Manager approach didn't work when applied properly.

Still, if you're not having any success with it, you could try the PowerShell script again, or you could use Process Lasso, which is a third-party app that you can use to limit the game to one CPU core.  Or you can apply the Alder Lake patch again, this time to TS3W.exe, and hope you don't get the .dll error again.

I'm certain I've been doing the Task Manager method correctly and with the right file, and the game will get as far as loading the window, but regardless or whether I switch to all processors(?) or keep it limited to the 1, it inevitably crashes. When I applied the Alder Lake patch the first time, I applied it to TS3W for sure and that was when I started getting the .dll error. I will apply the Alder Lake patch again later today and report back on the outcome!

Reporting back after installing Alder Lake patch to TS3W, no difference. 
Reliability monitor attached

hi, sorry for the late reply!
I replaced the C++ and it didn't work, but renaming the sims 3 folder did! I assume that means something to do with broken or too much cc?

vampirepills​  It's probably not a question of too much cc.  That would cause the game to load slowly, and perhaps to run slowly, but it shouldn't prevent you from playing at all.  So you're looking for bad cc or a bad mod, or a mod that's not compatible with your setup.  Two examples in the last category are having NRaas Cupcake installed without the Store bakery set loading, and having NRaas MasterController's Progression module without the base MC and StoryProgression mods present.

Other than that, you can use the 50/50 method to test anything in Packages:

https://modthesims.info/wiki.php?title=Game_Help:Finding_Problem_Custom_Content#The_50.25_Method

For launcher-installed custom content, use Method By Mell to test each .dbc file separately:

https://sims3.crinrict.com/en/2011/01/tutorial-how-to-get-rid-of-unwanted-custom-content.html

For the rest, here's how to rebuild your user folder and what you might want to keep:

[Read First] Sims 3 Store guide | EA Forums - 11157679

You can skip the part about reinstalling your Store stuff; instead, move over the .ebc files in DCCache, plus ccmerged.package in DCBackup, plus the files in Library and InstalledWorlds.