Sims 3 won't launch on new laptop!
Hello. I recently got a brand new laptop for school. I installed sims 3 and the launcher opens and it gives me the option to open the game. I click play and the game and origin automatically open and...
Forum Discussion
@Kambuchas Are you using Origin or the newer EA Desktop App? The reason I ask is that there's an error related to EA Desktop in your dxdiag, and although I don't think it should make a difference if you can get the launcher to open, it's helpful to know either way.
As a test, please try bypassing the launcher. Make sure Origin or the Desktop App is completely closed, as in, go through the Task Manager's background processes list and shut down anything associated with either one (you'd recognize the icons). Open the Bin folder inside your install location, which would be here by default:
Program Files (x86)\Origin Games\The Sims 3\Game\Bin
Rename these files, in order:
Sims3Launcher.exe -> Sims3Launcher_old.exe
TS3.exe -> Sims3Launcher.exe
TS3W.exe -> TS3.exe
When you launch through Origin, you'll see the splash screen if the game is able to launch. Let me know whether it works.
- @puzzlezaddict The EA desktop app didn’t open for me at all so I deleted it earlier so I’ve been trying to open the game with origin. I changed the names in the order you told me to and completely shut down origin and the game still doesn’t launch. The launcher doesn’t appear nor does anything from the game pop up the entire game just doesn’t load at all.
@Kambuchas That's fine, that just means that the issue is with the game itself and not with the handoff from the launcher. You can undo the name changes, in reverse order, and you'll be back to where you started.
Please try playing in a new admin user account. Make it a local account, as in, don't sign into Microsoft; the account name should contain only letters and numbers, no special characters or accents. Don't transfer over any content from your current user account or your old computer either.
If that doesn't help, please uninstall and reinstall VC++ 2005 x86, which Sims 3 uses. Hit Windows key-i, select Apps, scroll down to the Microsoft Visual C++ Redistributables, click on the 2005 version, and uninstall. (Don't touch the files from any other year.) Download a new copy from here:
https://www.microsoft.com/en-us/download/details.aspx?id=26347
Restart after installing and before trying to play.
- @puzzlezaddict I undid all of the names and made a new user profile. No Microsoft no nothing and it did the exact same thing with the launcher opening but no game. I also deleted and redownloaded the 2005 Redistributables with the same results! This is my favorite sims game I hope it isn't lost! ☹️
