"Warning Sims 3 unable to identify hardware"

nanice10​  Are your CPU and RAM also recognized in the DeviceConfig file?  You can see the ratings near the top of the file, and the processor model and installed memory are listed further down (but before the graphics device info).

Separately, are you seeing any performance issues?  This error could be meaningless, or it could have some effect on the game.  As long as you've capped your in-game framerates, you probably don't need to worry about the error, although if you want to get your graphics card recognized, I can help with that too.

Hi puzzlezaddict,

I see RAM and CPU but Im honestly not sure what I should look for. This error is preventing me from playing the game. When I select a world, it give me the error: "Warning Sims 3 unable to identify hardware". I also notice that my expansion packs haven't loaded because I only have one world to choose from. I put the Sims 3 folder on my desktop to see if that would do anything. When I did that, I was able to play the game but once I exit out of the game, I cant play again until I delete the folder on my desktop and readd it. 

=== Application info ===

Name: Sims3

Version:

Build: Release

=== Rating info ===

GPU: 5 GPU Memory: 4 CPU: 4 RAM: 4 CPU Speed: 3194 Threading: 3

Adjusted CPU: 3859 RAM: 15599 Adjusted RAM: 15087 Cores: 12

=== Machine info ===

OS version: Windows 8 6.2.9200

OS prod type: 0

OS major ver: 6

OS minor ver: 2

OS SP major ver: 0

OS SP minor ver: 0

OS is 64Bit: 1

CPU: AuthenticAMD

Brand: AMD Ryzen 7 7445HS w/ Radeon 740M Graphics

Family: 15

Model: 12

Cores: 12

HT: 0

x64: 0

Memory: 15599MB

Free memory: 9506MB

User: nanic

Computer: NBLAPTOP

=== Graphics device info ===

Number: 0

Name (driver): NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4050 Laptop GPU

Name (database): GeForce RTX 4050 [Found: 1, Matched: 1]

Vendor: NVIDIA

Chipset: Vendor: 10de, Device: 28a1, Board: 8dd0103c, Chipset: 00a1

Driver: nvldumd.dll, Version: 32.0.15.8131, GUID: D7B71E3E-6BE1-11CF-4F6C-DFAD0EC2ED35

Driver version: 8131

Monitor: \\.\DISPLAY1

Texture memory: 4096MB

Vertex program: 3.0

Pixel program: 3.0

Hardware TnL: 1

=== Options ===

AnimationSmoothing 1

LightingQuality 3

GeneralReflections 2

TextureQuality 3

VisualEffects 3

TerrainQuality 3

EdgeSmoothing 0

ObjectHiding 0

AspectRatio 0

ForceSquarePixels 1

SimQuality 4

TreeQuality 3

DrawDistance 3

MaxActiveLots 4

NumMaxActiveLotOptions 6

AdvancedRendering 1

AudioQuality 3

AudioOutputMode 1

VoiceLevel 255

SoundFXLevel 255

MusicLevel 255

AmbientLevel 255

FocusMute 1

VoiceMute 0

SoundFXMute 0

MusicMute 0

AmbientMute 0

EdgeScrolling 0

EdgeScrollingWarning 1

SupressOpportunityDialogs 0

SuppressOpportunityDialogsWarningProducts 0

SimWhileMinimized 0

TwelveHourClock 1

ShowPlacementGrid 0

AutonomyLevel 2

DisableAutonomyForSelectedSim 0

PetAutonomyLevel 2

AgingInterval 2

EnableAging 1

EnableTutorial 1

EnableIntroTutorial 1

EnableTombResets 1

EnableInGameStore 1

EnableTelemetry 1

EnableMemories 1

AgingStageLengthBaby 3

AgingStageLengthToddler 7

AgingStageLengthChild 7

AgingStageLengthTeen 14

AgingStageLengthYoungAdult 21

AgingStageLengthAdult 21

AgingStageLengthElder 17

EnableInteractiveLoading 1

AgingStageLengthPuppy 0

AgingStageLengthDogAdult 0

AgingStageLengthDogElder 0

AgingStageLengthKitten 0

AgingStageLengthCatAdult 0

AgingStageLengthCatElder 0

AgingStageLengthFoal 0

AgingStageLengthHorseAdult 0

AgingStageLengthHorseElder 0

LunarCycleLength 3

LunarPhaseLength 0

EnableLunarCycle 1

EnableLunarPhase 0

EnableStoryProgression 1

EnableVampires 1

EnableWerewolves 1

EnablePets 1

EnableCelebrities 1

EnableFairies 1

EnableWitches 1

EnableHorses 1

EnableOptOutCeleb 0

ReceiveConnectTNS 1

ReceivedDevGift 0

PostFilterFlags 0

RequireLoginBeforeLoad 0

SummerLength 7

FallLength 7

WinterLength 7

SpringLength 7

SummerEnabled 1

FallEnabled 1

WinterEnabled 1

SpringEnabled 1

IsCelcius 0

FogEnabled 1

RainEnabled 1

SnowEnabled 1

HailEnabled 1

InvertHorizontalRotation 0

InvertVerticalRotation 0

VideoCaptureSize 1

VideoCaptureQuality 2

VideoCaptureSound 0

VideoCaptureTime 60

VideoCaptureHideUI 1

=== Default Options ===

AnimationSmoothing 1

LightingQuality 3

GeneralReflections 2

TextureQuality 3

VisualEffects 3

TerrainQuality 3

EdgeSmoothing 0

ObjectHiding 0

AspectRatio 0

ForceSquarePixels 1

SimQuality 4

TreeQuality 3

DrawDistance 3

MaxActiveLots 4

NumMaxActiveLotOptions 6

AdvancedRendering 1

AudioQuality 3

AudioOutputMode 1

VoiceLevel 255

SoundFXLevel 255

MusicLevel 255

AmbientLevel 255

FocusMute 1

VoiceMute 0

SoundFXMute 0

MusicMute 0

AmbientMute 0

EdgeScrolling 0

EdgeScrollingWarning 1

SupressOpportunityDialogs 0

SuppressOpportunityDialogsWarningProducts 0

SimWhileMinimized 0

TwelveHourClock 1

ShowPlacementGrid 0

AutonomyLevel 2

DisableAutonomyForSelectedSim 0

PetAutonomyLevel 2

AgingInterval 2

EnableAging 1

EnableTutorial 1

EnableIntroTutorial 1

EnableTombResets 1

EnableInGameStore 1

EnableTelemetry 1

EnableMemories 1

AgingStageLengthBaby 3

AgingStageLengthToddler 7

AgingStageLengthChild 7

AgingStageLengthTeen 14

AgingStageLengthYoungAdult 21

AgingStageLengthAdult 21

AgingStageLengthElder 17

EnableInteractiveLoading 1

AgingStageLengthPuppy 0

AgingStageLengthDogAdult 0

AgingStageLengthDogElder 0

AgingStageLengthKitten 0

AgingStageLengthCatAdult 0

AgingStageLengthCatElder 0

AgingStageLengthFoal 0

AgingStageLengthHorseAdult 0

AgingStageLengthHorseElder 0

LunarCycleLength 3

LunarPhaseLength 0

EnableLunarCycle 1

EnableLunarPhase 0

EnableStoryProgression 1

EnableVampires 1

EnableWerewolves 1

EnablePets 1

EnableCelebrities 1

EnableFairies 1

EnableWitches 1

EnableHorses 1

EnableOptOutCeleb 0

ReceiveConnectTNS 1

ReceivedDevGift 0

PostFilterFlags 0

RequireLoginBeforeLoad 0

SummerLength 7

FallLength 7

WinterLength 7

SpringLength 7

SummerEnabled 1

FallEnabled 1

WinterEnabled 1

SpringEnabled 1

IsCelcius 0

FogEnabled 1

RainEnabled 1

SnowEnabled 1

HailEnabled 1

InvertHorizontalRotation 0

InvertVerticalRotation 0

VideoCaptureSize 1

VideoCaptureQuality 2

VideoCaptureSound 0

VideoCaptureTime 60

VideoCaptureHideUI 1

nanice10​  If you restart your computer before you try to play again, can you do so without removing the user folder?  Sometimes there's a leftover process running that can block the game from loading properly the second time around.

If that doesn't help, please check your antivirus for any recent actions involving Sims 3 or the EA App.  The fact that removing the user folder helps precisely one time sounds like an AV blocking the game's access to Documents, which is something Windows Defender's Controlled Folder Access can do, although it's not the only one.  Please also see whether Smart App Control is enabled.  It blocked Sims 4 a couple months ago, temporarily, and while I haven't seen it block Sims 3, that's certainly possible.

https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/windows/apps/develop/smart-app-control/overview

As for the missing packs, does it help to uncheck and re-check them in the launcher's Expansions & Stuff Packs tab?  Sometimes the launcher doesn't recognize that packs have been selected until you repeat the process.  If not, clear Edge's Internet Explorer-mode data, which is where the pack selection info used to be located when IE was still in use.