Infinite loading screen (DxDiag attached)
Infinite loading screen when trying to load save files. I have done everything possible as listed here: Removing all CC & Mods Deleting the Sims 4 folder in Documents Updating my video card driver...
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@puzzlezaddictHere is another DxDiag after I re-installed the drivers for the Nvidia. Also, I didn't answer your earlier question pertaining to where I downloaded the drivers from: I always go through Nvidia directly. On my Nvidia app on my desktop it will pop up and let me know when there is a driver update available. I click on the link and it will take me to the Nvidia website every time. If there is a third-party route that can update Nvidia drivers, I wouldn't know of it. *shrug* I hope that helps.
@GrumpyKitten4295 I don't think BlueStacks would have anything to do with the Sims 4 issues, and almost certainly not with the dxdiag crash, but it's easy enough to kill it in the Task Manager before trying to play. Your dxdiag didn't crash this time though.
As for your driver version, the dxdiag is still reporting that you have 456.71, dated 9/29, installed:
Driver File Version: 27.21.0014.5671 (English)
Driver Version: 27.21.14.5671
DDI Version: 12
Feature Levels: 12_1,12_0,11_1,11_0,10_1,10_0,9_3,9_2,9_1
Driver Model: WDDM 2.7
Hardware Scheduling: Supported:True Enabled:False
Graphics Preemption: Pixel
Compute Preemption: Dispatch
Miracast: Not Supported by Graphics driver
Detachable GPU: No
Hybrid Graphics GPU: Not Supported
Power P-states: Not Supported
Virtualization: Paravirtualization
Block List: No Blocks
Catalog Attributes: Universal:False Declarative:True
Driver Attributes: Final Retail
Driver Date/Size: 9/29/2020 6:00:00 PM, 1039376 bytes
However, I went over the driver components in the dxdiag, and all except for two have a December date. (This was not true for your previous dxdiag, where the components were dated October 1.) The two still dated 10/1 are a .dll for the Nvidia Control Panel and a license file, so it does seem like this is just an error of reporting. Still, it's worth installing the newest driver, dated yesterday:
https://www.nvidia.com/Download/driverResults.aspx/168778/en-us
Run it as an admin: right-click on the download and select "Run as administrator." If you have a third-party antivirus, disable any real-time scanning before installing.
By the way, I was asking where you got the driver because most manufacturers and most assemblers provide drivers for their products for at least a little while. However, they don't usually post every single new driver, more like one every few months or for each new Windows 10 build or when there's an identified issue with the last driver they offered. Point is, Cyberpower might have an older driver on its website, but there's no reason for you not to download straight from Nvidia instead.
I still think it's worth installing the newest driver not only because of the discrepancy but because there are at least a couple new errors in your dxdiag that most often point to a driver issue. If that doesn't help though, please set the game to launch in windowed mode. Open your Origin game library, right-click on the Sims 4 icon, select Game Properties > Advanced Launch Options, enter -w (with the hyphen) in the command line box, and save.
If that doesn't help, please undo that setting. Then load the game to the Main Menu, open the graphics settings, and change the in-game resolution to something lower than 1768x992 on both dimensions. (At the very least, 1024x768 and 1366x768 should be available.) Please try in both fullscreen and windowed modes and let me know whether either one works.
While testing, please only start new saves, just to keep things simple. If you have your old saves available, you can try adding them back later, once the game is working again.
- @puzzlezaddict Thank you! I will try to answer everything you have mentioned.
OK, when I install the update for my drivers, as I said previously, they *are* directly from Nvidia's website. Yes, I have a CyberPower PC, but I have never gone to their website, and I'm not even sure if one exists for them. I have Nvidia GeForce GameReady software on my desktop, and the Nvidia software is the one that takes me to the update links, all from the Nvidia website.
As for the crashing vs. the non-crashing, any further thoughts? I find it odd that it crashed before but didn't this time. Is there anything else in the DxDiag that can tell you (me) why there was a crash previously? Thank you.
Also, regarding saves: I was able to start a new game/new save, but still cannot open my old saves. Updating the drivers didn't change that. I can try un-installing and re-installing the game again, I guess I'm willing to wait for the ~3 hours it takes.
I seriously don't see how it can be a driver issue because I already installed the update THREE TIMES now (four times if you count the week before Christmas break when I initially updated the darn thing). I know because I had to watch my screen go blank and have a mild panic attack all three times because I wasn't paying attention and was taken by surprise.
I started a new game, did all my sim customizations (no CC and no mods because I never use those, anyway), got her a flat in which to live, etc. I saved the game, backed out, closed TS4. I re-opened TS4, loaded the game perfectly in a matter of seconds, as per usual. It is only my old saves that will not load.
None of my other gaming platforms (Epic Games, Bethesda, Battle.net, Steam) have trouble loading, for what it's worth.
If I can't figure out a way to play my old saves, I guess I'll just have to big-girl-panty it up and start over again. It's a shame because my kids also have saves that won't load. Not to mention that one of my rags-to-riches sims had finally built a store and had earned many perks for it. ☹️ It's times like this I wish I stayed in touch with my buddy Tom Bertalan who graduated from MIT and Yale. ^_^;
Oh well, thanks for everything. I guess I'll just put my big-girl panties on and suck it up. Maybe my save files are just...corrupted somehow?
Thanks again!@GrumpyKitten4295 I didn't realize that new saves were loading now and that that only your existing saves were affected. (I should have asked for clarification earlier, but you mentioned deleting your user folder and I put that aside initially.) In that case, if you can load a new save with your current graphics settings, then leave those settings in place. The settings wouldn't prevent you from loading an existing save without also affecting new ones.
I mentioned the potential driver from Cyberpower just to explain why I was asking, since you wondered where the third-party drivers might come from. It's still best practice, whether you're alerted of a new driver by Nvidia software or find it yourself, to download manually and run it as an admin, rather than letting GeForce Experience or anything else manage the install process. Again though, since new saves work fine, you can skip this step for now if you'd like.
To the question at hand, what happens if you try to load an existing save but a different household than you normally play? There are a few different reasons why all your old saves would be affected but not new ones. One sort of random example is if a sim in the existing household has only custom traits: the game won't know what to do with that once the traits are removed, and custom traits did break a couple patches ago. Another example is if there's a broken object on the home lots of the households you can't load, although that would probably have to be a custom object that you happened to use all the time.
Anyway, the easy test is to try loading a different household, preferably ones you've never played before now. If that works, let the game run a few sim-hours, use "save as" to rename the save, quit, reload, and try switching back to your original household. If the other househod loads fine but the original one doesn't, try evicting the sims and placing them in a different house, as a test.
If you can't load any household in a given save, please let me know the size of that save file; they're all in Documents\Electronic Arts\The Sims 4\saves.
And while I'd be happy in theory to test your saves myself, I only own about half the EPs and GPs, and even fewer SPs. So I'm not sure I could load your saves properly even if they were working for you. If all else fails, there is someone else who might have time to test, but that would take at least until tomorrow with time difference, and perhaps longer depending on how busy she is. So please test yourself in the interim and let me know how it goes.
@puzzlezaddictI see what you're saying about you testing my saves, as I do own all of the packs,etc. and I'm not sure how many are used in my saves/my kids' saves.
Yes, I realize that you were explaining why about the CyberPower thing, I hope my tone didn't come off any kind of way. I'm just trying to give all the details to you I can so that we can determine what's really going on.
Yes, in my OP I stated that my saves aren't loading, but I neglected to mention that I can start a new game. That was my mistake for not saying that outright, I'm sorry.
I am unsure of whether or not my sim has custom traits (I'm not sure what custom traits are, either, sorry). I actually was able to load my kids' old saves. So now it is just *my* old save that now will not load.
As far as the file sizes of the saves are concerned, this is what I have:
Slot_00000002.save at 8,211 KB <-----My save that will not load
Slot_00000003.save at 6,925 KB <-----Kid save, loads fine
Slot_00000004.save at 4,131 KB <-----Kid save, loads fine
Slot_00000006.save at 3,691 KB <-----Kid save, loads fine
Slot_00000007.save at 5,088 KB <-----My save (different sim), loads fine
As I said in my OP, when I go to "Load Game" and choose my old save file, I am stuck on the plumbob loading screen. Usually a game will take only a few seconds to load through the plumbob screen. If it takes more than 2 minutes I know something is wrong. That being said, I've let the plumbob screen run for 10+ minutes just to see what, if anything, happens, and nothing happens. Ergo, this forum. ☹️
I have never used CC or mods with my games because I was always worried about something like this happening. I have read tons of posts over the years from other simmers whose games stopped working and found out it was because some CC or mod didn't get updated with the game patches and caused their games to not work. I have kept that in mind over the years and so the only content I use is the content that comes with the GPs, EPs, etc. that I buy. I have all the packs, so I really want for nothing as far as content goes. No need for CC. 🙂@puzzlezaddict Honestly, at this point, if all the other old saves are loading and it's just my one old save that isn't, I'm not worried about it anymore. I appreciate your help and concern, but I'm pretty much ready to give up on this save. I'm sad about giving up on it, but it must be done. Thank you for all of your help! Cheers!
- @puzzlezaddict Also: holy crap, there is another new driver already?! Jeez... Ok, I will download that one as well and see where it gets me.
I also forgot to mention that my TS4 game is always in windowed mode, and have always done so for as long as I've been using this TV as a makeshift computer monitor (which would be about 5 years). None of the full-screen modes for TS4 work for the same reason I can't use 1920x1080 -- all of the full-screen modes leave the edges of the game screen "running off" the sides to where I cannot click any of the buttons on the margins of the in-game screen. Very confusing, I know, but I'm saving up for a high quality monitor (mainly to aid in my photo processing, but I can't deny that it will be nice for gaming, too!).
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