Forum Discussion

Anonymous

9 years ago

Solved

Sims 3 Product Code

A very long time ago I bought most of the Sims 3 games and downloaded them on my computer. Eventually, that computer broke and I moved on to the Sims 4 when it came out. The other day I stumbled across a few of my games in the collection and decided to redownload them onto my Mac. First I did the Sims 3 on a disc, and it downloaded perfectly but would constantly come up with "Please insert disc". I did some research and found that it would be better to download it over Origin or register it on thesims3.com.

I went to thesims3.com and tried to register the games. Every code except one, the Ambitions expansion pack, said it was an invalid code. I tried to register the remaining games over Origin, and it recognised the codes and the games but said they had been used already (by me a few years ago).

Is there anything I can do to be able to download the games again? Considering I bought them such a long time ago and installed on a different computer, will I have to buy them all again?

technical issues

EA_Mai
9 years ago
Hi @Ellerax,

The message you are getting, telling you the codes were already used, means they were used either on thesims3.com or Origin to register your games. If you used them only to install the game using your DVDs, then you shouldn't be getting that message.

Were your games new when you bought them?

If they weren't, then the previous owner already registered them, and as the codes can only be redeemed once, you won't be able to register them again in your account.

If you know no one but you could have redeemed the codes before, then please, yes, contact one of our advisers so they can try to help. You will be asked for the codes that can't be redeemed.

Let us know if you have any questions 🙂

-Mai

7 Replies

EA_Mai
EA Staff
9 years ago
Hi @Ellerax,

Do you remember by any chance in which EA Account your registered the games years ago? If so, you can download the games through Origin by logging in with the account you used back then.

Otherwise, please, with the codes at hand, contact one of our advisers through EA Help. You will find a detailed explanation on how to contact them if you need it here.

If you have any question, don't hesitate to ask 🙂

Welcome to Answers HQ! :eahigh_file:

-Mai
Anonymous
9 years ago
@EA_Mai,
When I tried logging onto thesims3.com, I used my Origin credentials and it signed me in to the website as my Sims 3 account. I'm pretty sure that it was the account that I used when I played all those years ago, and I didn't register them on the website. When I did play, I would play using a disc. That is not an option for me now due to the "please insert disk" warning.
Should I contact EA now to see what I can do, or is there another way to fix my problem?
roberta591
Hero (Retired)
9 years ago
@Ellerax If you adding DLC or reinstalling you need to redeem your codes in Origin and get the digital download version from Origin. Windows or OS X no longer support the DRM the game was released with. In 2012 the DRM changed to Origin. Prior to Origin it was the user's responsibility to keep track of your game codes. This is no longer required in Origin as the codes are used by Origin for activation. There is no longer an install limit and a disc is no longer required to play. Once a game is activated the code is locked to the Origin account used to activate the game and the game can not be deactivated by the user.
EA_Mai
EA Staff
9 years ago
Hi @Ellerax,

The message you are getting, telling you the codes were already used, means they were used either on thesims3.com or Origin to register your games. If you used them only to install the game using your DVDs, then you shouldn't be getting that message.

Were your games new when you bought them?

If they weren't, then the previous owner already registered them, and as the codes can only be redeemed once, you won't be able to register them again in your account.

If you know no one but you could have redeemed the codes before, then please, yes, contact one of our advisers so they can try to help. You will be asked for the codes that can't be redeemed.

Let us know if you have any questions 🙂

-Mai
Anonymous
9 years ago
I just went and got sims 3 and put in the code to my computer and it says code already in use but it's not in my game library
roberta591
Hero (Retired)
9 years ago
@Rythetraitor Did you try to re enter the code more then once? It may take some time to appear in Origin. To find out if the is an issues you have to contact EA customer support directly - link - EA customer service

your account can not be accessed in these forms.
Anonymous
9 years ago
Did you get it working?