Infinite Loading Screen

CydTheBoneless  That's actually exactly what I was asking.  I understood that the first loading screen was fine and the second one was the issue.  My questions are, 1) if you create a new save (not new sims in an existing save), does the game work; and 2) if you click Load Game rather than Resume, and choose a different household, can you load into that household?

Please also provide a dxdiag.  Hit Windows key-R, enter dxdiag in the run box, wait for the scan to finish, click "Save all information," and save the file to your desktop.  From there, you can attach it to a reply using the paper clip (Attachment) icon included with the other formatting buttons.

CydTheBoneless  Does this happen in all saves, in only one save but for all households, or for only one household?  If only a single household is affected, can you move the sims to a different lot and load them there?  You don't need to save your progress; this is just for testing.