EA App makes me download Sims 4 again

@lillerson  Please do a clean uninstall and reinstall of both Sims 4 and the EA App.  Start with Sims 4:

please do a clean uninstall and reinstall of both the game and the EA App.  Start with Sims 4:

• Put aside your Sims 4 folder in Documents\Electronic Arts and rename it to something that doesn't include the words "Sims 4."
• Download Revo Uninstaller (the free version is fine) from here.
• Launch Revo, select Sims 4 from the list, and click Uninstall.
• Once the game is uninstalled, select "Moderate" under "scanning modes," and click Scan.
• Review the list, in case there's something you want to save; otherwise, click Select All, and then Delete.
• Close Revo, and restart your computer.

Uninstall the EA App with Revo as well.  I don't have instructions for that at the moment, but the process should be straightforward.  Restart again when you're done.

Install the EA App, then create a new folder into which you'll install Sims 4.  The folder should be on the root level of the drive of your choice, for example C:\Games is fine, but not C:\Program Files\Games.

Thank you for answering but unfortunately it didn't work. I'm still stuck with the EA App showing "preparing" when I tried to reinstall Sims 4.

@lillerson  If you use a third-party antivirus, set an exception for EADesktop.exe, and for TS4_x64.exe as well if you do manage to get the game installed.  If you only use Windows Defender, set the same exceptions, and in either case, make sure nothing EA-related has been blocked.  You can find a few examples of how to set exceptions here:

https://crinrict.com/blog/2020/10/add-exceptions-to-anti-virus-programs.html