Tried to reinstall my sims 3 game code invalid

The best thing for you to do is to contact a game advisor (the nice folks over at EA support) for more help with this. There’s nothing we can do on the forum Answer HQ to fix "invalid code" issues like this.

You need to contact EA/Origin support for more assistance. They will be able to assist you further for this issue you are having.

Follow these steps:

*Note that some players may have issues when using Internet Explorer. If this is the case, please use an alternate browser such as Firefox or Chrome*

Contact a games adviser any time using this following link https://help.ea.com/en/contact-us/new/

1) Click on your game or search if it isn’t listed.
2) Select a topic for the best results.
3) Scroll to the bottom and select Contact Us.
4) Select your platform and list a short description of your problem.
5) Select live chat or call me to request a call back from an adviser.

Hope this helps.

For help on how to contact an Advisor please use these links:
http://answers.ea.com/t5/Beta-Archive/How-to-contact-a-Game-Advisor-using-the-new-EA-Help-page/td-p/2161281
http://help.ea.com/en/article/contact-ea-help/
http://help.ea.com/en/article/how-to-attach-a-file-to-your-ea-help-ticket/
http://answers.ea.com/t5/Origin/How-to-contact-EA-Help/m-p/5650100#U5650100

@3079frozen Sims 3 does not like to be re installed and usually a re install is not required. There are posts about how to return the game to factory without re installing. Is your computer a pc or mac? If your computer is a pc you need to clean the registry with a program like ccleaner (there is a free version) after you un install the game. In the old days if you had problems with a program you un installed it and re installed it. Sims 3 is different because expansion packs build on the base game and this makes the game more complex. If you are getting an invalid code you are entering the code wrong - a S for a 5 or an 8 for a B maybe. If you have already registered the game you can not re enter the code. You need to use the account the game was registered to.

Can I do that with a new modem? I have a PC.

@3079frozen The modem shouldn't make any difference. Was the game registered in Origin already? Are you installing from disc or digital download?

They are on cd roms and I had origin before my hard drive crashed.

@3079frozen The software on the discs is dated. The DRM was different when the game was released. It is easier to install the digital download version from Origin. You need to download the Origin installer - link - Origin installer  Install Origin - login using the same login you used before and your games should be there for download. Once you download and install the base game Origin will patch the game to version 1.69

I tried it but won't let me it's just wasting my time!  So MAD

@3079frozen As this is a public forum account specifics can not be accessed here. You need an EA customer service rep to help you as they can open your account information and guide you from there - link to EA customer service - EA customer service 

We finally got it working 🙂