Troubles with Installing
There are a few common problems with installing. Please follow the following steps to troubleshoot.
Installation Failed: Please make sure your game has the latest Software Updates and try again.
This error has nothing to do with your game not being patched. This error seems to be occuring if the game can't properly verify that you own the item.
To fix, redownload the item from your purchase history here: http://store.thesims3.com/purchaseHistory.html and if the issue still persists, contact a game advisor.
I installed my Store Content but it's not showing up in my game
Unfortunatly, the Launcher is a very unreliable tool. The more stuff you have, the greater the chance that files which have your stuff installed get messed up. If that starts happening to you. First try reinstalling the item and if that doesn't work, try the method below.
- Close your game and launcher
- Go to documents\electronicarts\thesims3 and move the folder DCCache to your desktop (this is ALL your custom content, so if you have 3rd party content as well, you might wanna just move the *.ebc files as well as the missingdeps.idx)
- If you have any worlds installed go to the installedWorlds folder and delete all Store worlds from there.
- Go to the DCBackup folder and delete everything in there. You don't really need the stuff in here except for the ccmerged file but since you're reinstalling everything, it will be recreated.
- Open the launcher and start reinstalling all store stuff in groups. Don't install all in one go. Start with the worlds, then lots, then sets and single items last.
When you're done, backup the DCCache folder. If the same starts happening again, go back to that backup so you don't need to start over. Make a backup from time to time, especially after you've installed worlds and lots.
I can't find the venue I've installed
Venues are especially tricky and if you have a lot of content, have the tendency to not install at all.
First make sure that it's really not in your game. You should find the venue in the edit town in the community lot library. Sometimes they don't have a real name but only numbers. The icon they have also varies from showing as Store Content (the little shopping bag) to user-created content (red rosette).
If it's really not in the game, install it again, using this method:
- Close the game and launcher
- Backup the whole folder documents\electronicarts\thesims3 to an external drive or some other safe location
- Move the folder DCCache to the desktop
- Start the launcher. ALL of your custom content except houses and Sims will be gone from your installed content. Not to worry about that.
- Install the venue again
- Check documents\electronicarts\thesims3\library if you have a new file which starts with ebf_ and has the timestamp fo the time you've installed the venue. Start over, if you don't
- Delete the newly created DCCache folder in documents\electronicarts\thesims3 (NOT the one on your desktop)
- Move the DCCache folder from the desktop back into documents\electronicarts\thesims3
- Start the game. The venue should now be in your library and you should have all your stuff back as well.
- If anything goes wrong, replace the whole folder with the backup you made.
