Input Signal Out of Range Error

@whimsicaltoday  Which options let the game start to load before it crashed?  You may be looking at two problems, related or not, rather than just one.  And even if these are two symptoms of the same problem, it would be useful to know which interventions change things a little.

You can skip editing Config.log, which is just output—it's a report on your hardware and settings as read each time you launch Sims 4.  The game doesn't read the data, only write to it, so changing the file does nothing.  And rather than forcing windowed mode in the EA App, you can edit Options.ini to set fullscreen to 0 (zero) if it's easier.

Please let me know whether your changes to Options.ini stick, as in, they're the same after you restart your computer when whatever change you make hasn't helped.

Please also run a dxdiag and attach it to your reply.

https://help.ea.com/en-us/help/pc/how-to-gather-dxdiag-information/

Thanks for responding! I went through the steps again so I could better answer your questions. Here's what I found: 

• When I start the game normally, without any changes, a black unexitable screen comes up saying "Input Signal Out of Range - 1600x900 60Hz".
• Pressing alt and enter while this screen is up does nothing but make it flicker momentarily. To escape it, I have to restart my computer manually by hitting the power button on the tower.

• Next I go into the options.ini file using the Notes app. It lists the default width and height as 1920x1080. I change that to my display settings (1600x900) and save. I try opening the Sims 4 and the black screen does not come up. Instead, it shows the Maxis and Sims 4 logo, but then suddenly closes on its own. 

• Next I try the Windowed mode you suggested by going into the options.ini file again, setting fullscreen to 0 and saving. I open Sims 4 and nothing has changed. It shows the Maxis and Sims 4 logo, then closes on its own.

• I restart my computer then check the options.ini file. The dimensions have now changed on their own to 1600x837. I try opening Sims 4 again. Still auto-closes after the Maxis and Sims 4 logo.

One thing I forgot to mention in my initial post is that I also tried repairing the game, clearing the cache, and doing a full reinstall of both the EA app and the Sims 4 on my computer. None of these made any difference and the black screen still came up (until I went into the options.ini file and did the above steps, and then it did the auto-close after the Maxis/Sims 4 logos came up just like it's doing now).

Another thing you should know is that, after I made my initial post, another one of my games (Stardew Valley, which I play through Steam) started acting up in the same way (input signal out of range). It wasn't acting up at the time I made my initial post, but now it is. So that probably means the issue IS with my computer and not the Sims. But I still don't know how to fix any of this. 

I wondered if it was a driver problem so I looked into that. No new drivers have been installed between the time these games used to work on this computer vs. now that there are issues. My NVIDIA app says all my drivers are up to date. 

I've included the dxdiag info you asked for. I hope there is some way to solve this problem!

@whimsicaltoday  Just to make sure, does no mods mean no custom content either, as in, an empty Mods folder aside from Resource.cfg?  If not, please remove everything else in the folder.

Additionally, if you have anything inside ConfigOverride, inside the same Sims 4 folder, please remove it as well.

Your dxdiag shows a pile of Nvidia graphics driver errors, so if the above doesn't help or isn't relevant, the next step is to do a clean uninstall and reinstall of the driver.  Here's how:

https://crinrict.com/blog/2019/02/clean-re-install-of-graphics-drivers-with-display-driver-uninstaller-ddu.html

The current driver version should be fine; it's your particular install that's acting up for one reason or another.  I would suggest also doing a Custom (not Express) install and unchecking the box for GeForce Experience.  You can always install it later, but for now, it's one more component that's probably fine but still adds another opportunity for trouble.

The resolution switching to 1600x837 when you force windowed mode is exactly what's expected—just enough room for the Task bar at the bottom of the screen.  The important part is that Options.ini didn't revert to 1920x1080 or similar.  Let me know if that does happen in the future, and in that case, whether OneDrive is running on this computer, potentially syncing an old copy of Options.ini.

Thank you for your continued help in this issue! Yes, that's correct, there is no custom content or mods, and the ConfigOverride folder is empty. 

I went to the link you gave me, but am having some difficulty understanding/following the directions (I don't know much about drivers or computers in general). Here's the main things I don't understand: 

• it gives instructions on downloading something called DDU. But when I try to follow the instructions, what they say will be there isn't there. I went where they told me to go but there was no "Official Download Here" button like they said there would be. There were a lot of other download buttons, but I don't know which, if any of them, is the correct one. 

• Step one says to download the newest drivers for my device. Then it gives me a link to NVIDIA's site, but I don't know what to do once I get there. I don't know what drivers I need or how to download them. You said the driver I have now is just fine, but I don't know how to keep it since, if I'm understanding this correctly, the purpose of running the DDU program is to uninstall it. But how do I get this specific driver back once it's uninstalled? I'm not even sure what my current driver is. Like I said, I don't really know anything about drivers, and have just relied on the automatic processes in my NVIDIA app.

• You said I should do a custom installation of the driver instead of the express installation. As I said before, I don't know anything about drivers. So I'm not really sure how to custom install one.

• The instructions say I'll need to take my device offline by cutting the internet, as well as disable real-time antivirus, but I'm not sure how to do either of those things. I poked around awhile in both my internet settings and my antivirus settings, but couldn't find anything that looked like it might let me do this.

@whimsicaltoday  Finding the right download link can take some clicking.  That's in part because the guide is designed to not need updating, whereas the link to the current version of DDU is always within a post about the new release.  (The tool gets updated a lot to keep up with changes to the drivers.). Anyway, go here and click Download DDU "Portable / self-extracting":

https://www.wagnardsoft.com/forums/viewtopic.php?t=5128

DDU is Display Driver Uninstaller, the most reliable way to cleanly remove a graphics driver and everything associated with it without also deleting any unrelated data.  The point here is that while the driver version you have installed is likely fine, your particular install may be corrupted, so the next troubleshooting step is to cleanly remove it and install a fresh copy.  To find that fresh copy, go here:

https://www.nvidia.com/en-us/drivers/

And select your product details, in your case GeForce > GeForce RTX 20 Series > 2070 > Windows 10.  Click Search, then click View under the Game Ready Driver (NOT the Studio Driver).  You'll see a Download button on the next page.  It's important to download this fresh copy rather than reusing your last one, if it's still on your computer.

To be clear, I'm not saying you need to DDU when installing a new driver, ever, unless you run into an issue that looks like it might be related to the graphics driver.  There's no reason you can't rely on automatic updates under normal circumstances.

When you're actually installing the driver, manually, you'll see check boxes for Express and Custom installs.  Just pay attention to the options you're offered, and choose Custom when it's available.

As for cutting off the internet, you can literally unplug the ethernet cable.  Or if you're using wifi, you can click the wifi icon in the lower-right corner of the screen and choose Airplane Mode.  Undo whichever step you choose once you want to go back online.

For your antivirus, it depends on the program you're using, but whichever one it is should have online documentation about temporarily disabling real-time protection.  It can take some googling to find the right page.  This, however, is the least crucial step, so don't worry too much if you can't figure it out.  It's very rare these days that an antivirus would interfere with the installation of a graphics driver.

Okay, I followed all the instructions and reinstalled the driver exactly as you said, unchecking the GeForce experience. After restarting my computer again, I tried opening the Sims 4, and it's still doing the same thing: auto-closing as soon as the Maxis and Sims 4 logos show. 

I ran an updated dxdiag and am including that in my post.

@whimsicaltoday  Does this happen with the game in windowed mode too?  Please test again (post-DDU) if you haven't already.

Otherwise, please remove the cable that connects your monitor to your GPU, and blow out the connectors (both ends) with compressed air.  Blow out both ports too.  Then reconnect the cable and make sure it's fully inserted.  If the cable is dangling somewhat, put something underneath it so its weight isn't pulling down on either port.

If this doesn't help, do you have another cable you could test with, or another monitor or a TV, or both?  I'd like to make sure the issue isn't your current cable or monitor.  Most TVs take HDMI input, as you're using right now.  You could also borrow a DisplayPort cable, if your monitor supports it—your graphics card should have 3 DP ports as well as the HDMI port currently occupied.

Post-DDU, I've only tried opening the Sims 4 in windowed mode. I don't know how to take it out of windowed mode. Plus, I typically play in windowed mode, so I do have to make sure it can run that way.

I checked my Steam games and they're still showing the "Input Signal Out of Range" error too. So it's not just Sims 4 having an issue, post-DDU.

Unfortunately I don't have the ability to follow your advice with the cables right now. In order to get at them, some heavy furniture would have to be moved, I'm severely disabled, and have no one to help me move it. If it's absolutely necessary, I can save up some money to eventually hire someone to help me move it, and then I could access the cables. But of course, I would rather save that as a last resort. What I can tell you in the meantime is that I had all the cords and everything else hooked up by professionals, plus I have the computer, monitor, and all other parts regularly cleaned with compressed air. I've used this monitor with this computer for four years, and played the Sims 4 (plus many other games) on it hundreds of times without issue. So I find it unlikely for the problem to lie there. I don't have access to any other monitors or cables besides the ones I'm currently using. 

I have thought of a couple more things that could give clues as to what's happening. 

First, when I was custom re-installing the driver yesterday, it asked me if I wanted to do a "regular install" or a "clean install." I didn't know which one to pick, but I went with "clean install." Was that the correct choice? If not, perhaps that's why the issue persists?

Second, I just realized that the problem started soon after reinstalling my Windows 10 operating system. For some reason, my Windows 10 OS gets corrupted a lot – about every 1.5 years. So every 18 months or so, I end up having to load all my files onto an external drive, press the "Reset this PC" button, choose the "remove everything and perform a clean install" option, then reinstall all my programs and load my files back on once it's done. The last time I performed this was about a week ago and, for some reason, it didn't go the way it usually does. I did everything the same way I always do, including the "remove everything and perform a clean install" option. Yet, when the new Windows 10 install was complete, all my files and some of my programs were still on my computer. So I downloaded the few things that seemed to be missing and carried on with my day. I played Sims 4 without issue, as well as Stardew Valley. About 2 days later, a Windows pop-up came up saying something like "Error: Windows could not find any drivers on this computer." (I wonder how it was able to run those games, then, if there were no drivers?) I went to GeForce, downloaded their app, and went through the automated process of installing the newest driver. It was after this that the problems started. I have not been able to successfully run Sims 4 since. I got Stardew Valley to run one time after this, but no more. Due to the timing, I feel like something happened then that is causing the issue now, but I'm not sure what or how to fix it. Should I try resetting the PC again? And what is the proper process of installing drivers after a PC reset, considering my computer was fine running games without (allegedly) any drivers at all, but hiccups now that it has a driver installed?

By the way, I did two full scans – one before resetting my PC and one after – to check for viruses and malware, so neither of those are an issue. 

@whimsicaltoday  The clean install of the graphics driver means the installer removes the previous driver as it's installing a new one.  DDU is more thorough, which is why we recommend it rather than simply choosing the clean install most of the time.  Since you used DDU to remove the previous version of the driver, there shouldn't have been any difference between the regular and clean installs anyway, so don't worry about that part.

I suggested testing the monitor and cables because this could, in theory, be a mechanical issue, and all the software troubleshooting in the world wouldn't fix that and would just waste your time.  But since physically swapping the peripherals is off the table for now, it's perfectly reasonable to keep poking at the software side.  The fact that other games are affected doesn't make it any more likely that this is hardware- or software-related, but it at least takes the Sims 4 angle off the table.

To answer your question about clean-installing Windows, the best way to do it is to create your own ISO, on a USB or downloaded onto the computer, and run it the way you'd run an install on a new computer without an OS.  Here are a couple of good guides:

https://www.tenforums.com/tutorials/1950-clean-install-windows-10-a.html

https://www.tenforums.com/tutorials/94479-clean-install-windows-10-without-dvd-usb-flash-drive.html

Before doing so, the best practice is to download essential drivers to a separate USB so you can install them manually, with your computer offline.  "Essential drivers" basically means all the drivers the motherboard manufacturer offers plus the graphics driver; Windows will fill in any gaps as appropriate.  I believe this is your board:

https://www.msi.com/Motherboard/B450-TOMAHAWK/support

But double-check the model number before downloading anything.  You can skip the BIOS, which would be untouched by the fresh Windows install.

So in short, the process is: download drivers from board support page and also the graphics driver; create Windows 10 ISO; disconnect internet; run ISO to clean-install; manually install saved drivers from board support page; restart; manually install graphics driver; restart; reconnect to internet and let Windows download whatever else it wants.

The problem with resetting the PC, or one of them at least, is it can be an incomplete or uneven reset, as you've seen.  It's more work to do a clean reinstall as described above, but then you can be as sure as reasonably possible that you're getting exactly what you want.

So, I've spent the last couple days experimenting with things. I reset my PC again. I found out the reason it didn't fully work last time is because I only reset the C drive last time. So this time, I reset the C and D drives. After that finished, NVIDIA immediately started acting differently. For the first time ever, a NVIDIA pop-up message came up asking me to accept their terms of service. And it even let me open a NVIDIA control panel, which I didn't know was a thing. 

Then Windows auto-updated when I restarted my computer. And for some reason, the update wiped out the NVIDIA control panel. Windows alerted me that it couldn't find a control panel for my drivers and let me redownload it from the Windows store. (Keep in mind, this is the NVIDIA control panel, not the NVIDIA app or GeForce Experience. I don't currently have GeForce Experience downloaded on my computer). 

Then Windows auto-updated again the next time I restarted. This time the NVIDIA control panel seems to still be in-tact post-update. Which I think is good news? But I don't know why Windows keeps updating or why it nuked my control panel the first time.

I decided to redownload my games. I downloaded Steam and installed Stardew Valley. Opened Stardew Valley and it actually took me to the main menu this time! So I assumed it was running fine (more on that later...).

I downloaded the EA app and installed Sims 4. I opened Sims 4 and..."Input signal out of range: 1600x900 60Hz" black screen. Forced to restart my computer. 

After restarting my computer, I went into Options.ini and changed the height and width to the correct numbers and saved. Tried opening the Sims 4 again. "Input signal out of range: 1600x900 60Hz" black screen. Forced to restart my computer once more. 

I go into options.ini again. Change to Windowed mode. I start the Sims 4. It shows the Maxis logo, then the Sims 4 logo...then closes. Back to square one. 

I decide to test Stardew Valley again to make sure it really is still working. I open it and the menu is up and everything. Before I reset my PC this last time, SV couldn't reach the menu and would go straight to the black screen/Input Signal Out of Range error. So, since it was bringing up the menu now, I assumed it was fixed. But then I tried to actually load a save file...and suddenly Stardew Valley auto-closes. Just like the Sims 4 is doing. I'm not sure if that's because this particular Stardew Valley save file originally had mods in it and I don't currently have any mods installed. I could try installing my Stardew mods and see if it opens then. 

Overall though, I seem to have made progress and yet am still stuck in exactly the same place I was at the start, unable to play any of my games.

I included an updated DxDiag in case it's helpful.

When getting the DxDiag, I noticed my current driver is 32 bit. I thought I had a 64 bit driver before? Or am I remembering wrong? Could that have anything to do with anything?