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Bluebellflora's avatar
Bluebellflora
Hero+
2 years ago

Re: sims 4 on ha

@lima13bean 

Installing the game on an external drive, which is set up through Origin, and creating the symlink to store the Electronic Arts/The Sims 4 folder on an external drive are two very different processes and should not be confused with each other.

The game already running message is a permission error and linked to the symlink creation (in your situation), not the game installation through Origin. It is extensively covered in my guide and here https://answers.ea.com/t5/Mac/-Creating-a-symlink-in-macOS-to-store-the-Sims-4-folder-on-an/m-p/12329439 Possible causes are:

  • The external drive is not fully mounted on the Mac so the Electronic Arts/The Sims 4 folder is inaccessible
  • The game does not have permission to access the Documents folder in System Settings > Privacy & Security
  • The game does not have permission to access removable volumes in System Settings > Privacy & Security
  • iCloud is storing the Documents folder in the cloud therefore it is not accessible

The DiP-STAGED error is also a permissions error and is as a result of attempting to install or update the game in a Mac user account that was not originally used to install the game. It is extensively covered here - https://answers.ea.com/t5/Origin-Mac-Client-Technical/Download-error-Origin-is-not-able-to-download-Sims-4-quot-DiP/td-p/8948916

22 Replies

  • lima13bean's avatar
    lima13bean
    Seasoned Rookie
    2 years ago

    Hi there, thank you for responding so swiftly! 

    So I went over the possible issues you mentioned and double-checked them all. My external drive is completely mounted, and I have granted Origin access to both the documents folder and the detachable volumes. Just double-checking, by the game you meant Origin, not The Sims game, right? If not then that may be the root of my problems. I also disabled automatic iCloud storage of my documents, so now I have to manually put stuff on iCloud. And I don't have any other accounts on my Mac (and the guest account option is turned off). So I'm not quite sure what to do or where this leaves me, as I'm still getting these errors.  

    Sorry if I sound stupid and thanks again!

  • Bluebellflora's avatar
    Bluebellflora
    Hero+
    2 years ago
    @lima13bean

    No. The Sims 4 is the game. Origin is not a game. Please recheck the settings.

    I think the best thing would be to start again with a clean installation of the game and Origin:

    1. uninstall the game in Origin by right clicking on it in your game library and selecting uninstall. If the game is still showing on your external drive, trash the Sims 4 app and the Sims 4 Packs folder, empty the trash and disconnect the drive, in that order.
    2. manually uninstall Origin following these instructions - https://bluebellflora.com/how-to-uninstall-origin-on-a-mac/
    3. Empty the bin and restart your Mac
    4. download Origin from https://www.ea.com/origin-for-mac
    5. install Origin
    6. plug your external drive back into your Mac
    7. launch Origin and change the game library location to the external drive
    8. install the game

    Once you have done all that, and your game is downloaded and installed, let me know.
  • lima13bean's avatar
    lima13bean
    Seasoned Rookie
    2 years ago

    Okay, I've completed the list. Everything was installed without any pop-ups or complications. What should I do now?

  • Bluebellflora's avatar
    Bluebellflora
    Hero+
    2 years ago
    @lima13bean

    Great 🙂 Where is your Electronic Arts folder located, the one that contains The Sims 4 folder? If it is on the hard drive, is there a symlinked folder in your local Documents folder? Does it have a little arrow in the corner?
  • lima13bean's avatar
    lima13bean
    Seasoned Rookie
    2 years ago

    So I don't know if this is another problem but I think it is: I can't find the electronic arts folder. I've looked in Finder and Spotlight Search and used the 'go to folder' option on 'go' in the top bar, but nothing ☹️ 

  • lima13bean's avatar
    lima13bean
    Seasoned Rookie
    2 years ago

    Oh, also my automatic save of the Desktop and Documents folders to iCloud drive is off as well. And my Optimize Storage option is off. 

  • Bluebellflora's avatar
    Bluebellflora
    Hero+
    2 years ago

    @lima13bean 

    Open Terminal (Applications > Utilities) and copy and paste the following command then hit Enter/Return:

    find / -type d -name "*The Sims 4*" 2>/dev/null

    After a little while it will return the results of the search. Please copy and paste the results in a post here.

  • lima13bean's avatar
    lima13bean
    Seasoned Rookie
    2 years ago

    Okay it said:  /Library/Application Support/Origin/LocalContent/The Sims 4

  • lima13bean's avatar
    lima13bean
    Seasoned Rookie
    2 years ago

    Oh sorry sorry, more came up since my reply. I'll just paste everything!

    /System/Volumes/Data/Library/Application Support/Origin/LocalContent/The Sims 4

    /System/Volumes/Data/Volumes/Luna/The Sims 4 Packs

    /System/Volumes/Data/Volumes/Luna/The Sims 4.app

    /Volumes/Luna/The Sims 4 Packs

    /Volumes/Luna/The Sims 4.app

    (also Luna is the name of my external hard drive) 

  • Bluebellflora's avatar
    Bluebellflora
    Hero+
    2 years ago
    @lima13bean

    Thanks. And that was all of it? That's confirming the game is installed on the external drive. But you don't have a Sims 4 folder on your Mac or the external drive. So you have no saves etc.

    Launch the game and the Electronic Arts folder should be created in the Documents folder. Once that works let me know and we can move onto the symlink.
  • lima13bean's avatar
    lima13bean
    Seasoned Rookie
    2 years ago

    Yup, that's all of it! Also, I launched the game and the Electronic Arts folder is in Documents!!!

  • Bluebellflora's avatar
    Bluebellflora
    Hero+
    2 years ago
    @lima13bean

    Fantastic! How much free space is on your internal storage now? Apple > About This Mac, scroll down for storage info. If there is enough space you won’t have to create the symlink
  • lima13bean's avatar
    lima13bean
    Seasoned Rookie
    2 years ago

    It says I've got 48.59 available of 245.11 GB

  • lima13bean's avatar
    lima13bean
    Seasoned Rookie
    2 years ago

    Perfect! Thank you so much for all your help, I honestly would have just given up without you!!!

  • lima13bean's avatar
    lima13bean
    Seasoned Rookie
    2 years ago

    Hi Bluebellflora

    Sorry to bug you, but I've been re-downloading my CC and I've run out of storage. I was wondering if you would be able to help me with setting up a symlink now? 

  • lima13bean's avatar
    lima13bean
    Seasoned Rookie
    2 years ago

    Hi @Bluebellflora

    So I've been having trouble with my Sims 4 recently and I was wondering if you can help. As always, you're my last stop, I've tried many things on Google before bothering you. So I have Sims 4 on an external hard drive with a symlink set up. However recently it won't let me do anything (download new mods, open the game, etc), literally nothing. So I tried to erase the external hard drive and manually erase the game; start fresh. However, it's not letting me even erase the hard drive: it says that it can't unmount because it is currently being used (error code: Couldn’t open device. : (-69877)). So I made sure everything was closed, i even tried to follow a YouTube video explaining how to get around the error but I'm having no luck. I was wondering if you encountered anything like this before and if you know how to help?

    Thanks, and sorry for bothering you 

    -Lima 

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