Forum Discussion

Chichi3chi's avatar
3 years ago
Solved

Laptop shuts down when playing Sims 4

I am playing the Sims 4 on a DELL PRECISION 7510 Xeon E3 laptop. From time to time, the laptop just randomly shuts down without warning while I am playing. It only happens when I play the Sims4 but it does not happen necessarily when I play the Sims. Sometimes I am able to play for hours without problems, and sometimes the laptop just shuts down and then I am not able to play without it shutting down immediately for some time, no matter how often I try. I do not know when this happens, I cannot recognize a time pattern here. I have tried to repair the game etc., the normal stuff you do. Sometimes I even thought that it worked because afterwards I was able to play. But it turns out that it was only by chance because so far I have found no method to reliably make the game work again. Except just waiting and trying again a few days or hours later. I would be highly appreciative of any suggestions. Attached below is a dxdialog file I just created. Thank you and happy simming to everyone who is currently able to play!

  • @Chichi3chi  That translation was fine, and there are really only three sfc outcomes, provided it runs at all: that it found no integrity violations, that it found corrupt file and successfully repaired them, and that it found corrupt files and was unable to repair some of them.  The last one is the only real problem.  As for the German, you don't need to translate; most of the information either has an obvious meaning or is easy to plug into a translator.

    I would still double-check your CPU and GPU temperatures while you're playing.  It's easy to run a lightweight monitoring app in the background and take an occasional look.  I like hwinfo (free download here), which lists pretty much every sensor it can find, but you can ignore most of them most of the time.  Just look at CPU temperatures near the top and GPU temperatures near the bottom of the list.  You can also look over the info when you're done: hwinfo shows the maximum value for each sensor during that session, so you'd know if there was a temporary spike that you didn't catch in real time.

    I use the "sensors only" setting because it's a lot less to handle.  I also used the full installer, but you can use the portable version if you prefer.

    For the processor, temperatures are only a problem above around 95º C, where a sudden spike can push the temp close to 100.  The GPU will throttle itself a bit when it gets over 70º, but it's not a significant issue until 80º.  If you want, you can send me a log of a play session: click the button with a sheet of paper with a + icon to start logging, and even if your computer shuts down, the log should be intact up until that point.  You'd need to upload the log to a third-party site and link it here; in that case, please leave the file in .csv format.  Or you can just see how the temperatures change as you play and let me know if there's a problem.

    You don't need to clear more space on your SSD.  32 GB free is more than enough to eliminate that as a source of the crashing, at least as far as Sims 4 goes.

10 Replies

  • @Chichi3chi  Your dxdiag is full of Windows update errors, so much so that it's hard to tell whether there are no recent Sims 4-related errors or they've just been crowded out.  So the first thing to do is to run a couple of basic checks on your Windows system files:

    • Hit Windows key-X
    • Choose either “PowerShell (Administrator)” or “Windows Terminal (Administrator),” whichever option is offered
    • Inside the window that appears, copy and paste “DISM.exe /Online /Cleanup-image /Restorehealth” without quotes, and enter
    • The system will start validating soon. If it throws an error, please list it here
    • After it reaches 100%, hit Windows key-X again
    • Again, choose “PowerShell (Administrator)” or “Windows Terminal (Administrator)”
    • Inside the window, copy and paste “sfc /scannow” without quotes, and enter
    • Post the message you receive here

    Restart your computer, hit Windows key-i, select Update & Security, and click the box to check for updates.  If any install, restart again afterwards.

    Next, please look for any relevant crash dumps.  Click Windows key-R and copy and paste this:

    %LocalAppData%\CrashDumps

    When you enter, you'll see a list of .dmp files.  If one of them is from Sims 4 or Origin/the EA App, please upload it to a third-party filehosting site (Google Drive, Dropbox, etc.) and link it here.  If you see a crash dump that was written at exactly the time the game crashed, I'd like that too.  But I'm only interested in recent dump files associated with your computer shutting down, so if the most recent file is from before your computer started shutting down, just let me know; you don't need to upload that file.

    Please check C:\Windows\Minidump as well (enter that address in a File Explorer window), but here again, I'm only interested in a crash dump associated with one of the times your laptop shut down.  For context, a BlueScreen should create a dump file here, or perhaps a MEMORY.dmp in C:\Windows , but if this is an overheating issue, the shutdown could be triggered directly by your hardware and therefore not leave behind any crash data.

  • roberta591's avatar
    roberta591
    Hero (Retired)
    3 years ago

    @Chichi3chi   You have several issues. First you need to run Windows update. That could fix some or all of the errors in the dxdiag. Next you do not have a consumer level computer. You have what is called a workstation computer. These computers are normally used in a commercial environment to design and control machines like a CNC machine and are usually dedicated to a particular task. While the Quadro graphics chip may perform better then an integrated graphics chip, it is designed for accuracy rather then speed while consumer video cards are designed for speed where accuracy isn't a problem. The device drivers are much better (better doesn't mean faster) then drivers for a consumer gaming computer. You normally find workstation computers dedicated to a machine or in a commercial design department. Next workstation computers don't like heat so you usually find them in an air conditioned tiny room with other controls  next to the machine they air controlling. Over heating could be a problem. It probably wouldn't hurt to free up as much space as you can on your storage device.  In your case more memory could make the computer run better.   hth

  • Chichi3chi's avatar
    Chichi3chi
    3 years ago

    Thank you, puzzleaddict, you are truly a hero. 😉 🙂)) Thank you not only for your suggestions but also for explaining them in a way I can actually understand, at least so far so as to be able to follow instructions.

    FYI, I am from Germany, so my system messages are mostly in German, I will translate them to the best of my ability. I ran the „DISM.exe /Online /Cleanup-image /Restorehealth“. There were no errors, it said: „was successfully completed“. I also ran the „sfc /scannow“. It is hard for me to translate the message because I don´t understand it completely but it basically says that Windows detected damaged data and successfully repaired them and then it says where further details can be found. I´ll post the original message in case it tells you something it does not tell me:

    „Der Windows-Ressourcenschutz hat beschädigte Dateien gefunden und erfolgreich repariert. Bei Onlinereparaturen finden Sie Details in der CBS-Protokolldatei unter windir\Logs\CBS\CBS.log. Beispiel C:\Windows\Logs\CBS\CBS.log. Bei Offlinereparaturen finden Sie Details in der durch das /OFFLOGFILE-Kennzeichen angegebenen Protokolldatei. PS C:\Windows\system32>“

    Then I restarted and checked for updates but there where none.

    The last crash dump is from January 10, so not from yesterday when the last crash happened. It is called „soffice.bin.2340.dmp“. I am not familiar with that sort of files but from what you say I assume that you would see in the title whether it is from the sims or not. There are 4 files and all of them start with „soffice.bin“, so I would suppose they are not sim-related, right?

    I have had the issue with my laptop shutting down because of the Sims for months now, I cannot exactly remember when it started and I have completely stopped playing for some time because of it. So there is no dmp.file of the before time, they were all created after but, considering the dates, it does not seem to me that they would be related to the Sims.

    I checked C:\Windows\Minidump and it took quite a long time searching but at the end said that nothing was found.

    I have played for a short time today and all was fine. I don´t know if that means that all is actually ok now, or if today is just a good day for playing. 😉 I will let you know. Thank you very much for your help!

  • Chichi3chi's avatar
    Chichi3chi
    3 years ago

    Roberta, thank you very much for your information re: the workstation computer. I was aware that it is a business laptop (I bought it refurbished) but I had no idea what that practically meant. I don´t think that heat is (in my special case) that much of a problem because it is usually not very hot where I live and I have never noticed any pattern of „the weather being hot and the laptop crashing“. And as this has been going on for months as I said and I was actively looking for a reason/pattern, I think I would have noticed. Thank you also about your remark re: the space. I had been thinking about that as well because it is pretty full (31 GB free of 222GB). I have already checked and found that I actually need what is on there. But if this should be the reason for the crashes, I maybe should think again. I don´t quite know how to do it in a practical way. I will see,

    Thank you and have a good day!

  • puzzlezaddict's avatar
    puzzlezaddict
    Hero+
    3 years ago

    @Chichi3chi  That translation was fine, and there are really only three sfc outcomes, provided it runs at all: that it found no integrity violations, that it found corrupt file and successfully repaired them, and that it found corrupt files and was unable to repair some of them.  The last one is the only real problem.  As for the German, you don't need to translate; most of the information either has an obvious meaning or is easy to plug into a translator.

    I would still double-check your CPU and GPU temperatures while you're playing.  It's easy to run a lightweight monitoring app in the background and take an occasional look.  I like hwinfo (free download here), which lists pretty much every sensor it can find, but you can ignore most of them most of the time.  Just look at CPU temperatures near the top and GPU temperatures near the bottom of the list.  You can also look over the info when you're done: hwinfo shows the maximum value for each sensor during that session, so you'd know if there was a temporary spike that you didn't catch in real time.

    I use the "sensors only" setting because it's a lot less to handle.  I also used the full installer, but you can use the portable version if you prefer.

    For the processor, temperatures are only a problem above around 95º C, where a sudden spike can push the temp close to 100.  The GPU will throttle itself a bit when it gets over 70º, but it's not a significant issue until 80º.  If you want, you can send me a log of a play session: click the button with a sheet of paper with a + icon to start logging, and even if your computer shuts down, the log should be intact up until that point.  You'd need to upload the log to a third-party site and link it here; in that case, please leave the file in .csv format.  Or you can just see how the temperatures change as you play and let me know if there's a problem.

    You don't need to clear more space on your SSD.  32 GB free is more than enough to eliminate that as a source of the crashing, at least as far as Sims 4 goes.

  • Chichi3chi's avatar
    Chichi3chi
    3 years ago

    Thank you very much for your suggestions and clear explanation! I played for a short time yesterday and my laptop shut down. So it seems that the problem persists... I will download that app and monitor the heat when I have some time to do it and to play which isn´t the case right now. It is great to know, though, that I don´t need to clear more space.

    Thank you again and have a beautiful day!

  • roberta591's avatar
    roberta591
    Hero (Retired)
    3 years ago

    @Chichi3chi   Most of the time when a computer over heats it's not because of the weather. Most of the time it's the fan that is clogged and either slow or failing. Gaming laptops are usually called lap burners. Computers generate heat and the harder they work the more heat. That heat is removed by fan(s). Usually the more heat the fan will produce more noise when playing a graphical game. Laptops need to breath. A common issue is pet hair clogging the fan. IF this is the issue the laptop needs to be opened and the fan needs to be cleaned or replaced. If in fact the computer is overheating it is shutting down to prevent permanent damage. If anything this needs to be checked.  hth

  • Chichi3chi's avatar
    Chichi3chi
    3 years ago

    Thank you for the clarification re: the heat. I do notice that the laptop gets louder when I play. I have never paid attention to whether there is a corelation between getting louder and shutting down. I will pay attention to that, and I will install the app to monitor the heat when I have time. (BTW, I don´t have any pets but I suppose there could be other reasons for the fans to get clogged.)

    Thank you and have a nice day!

  • Chichi3chi's avatar
    Chichi3chi
    3 years ago

    Thank you very much! I downloaded the software you suggested and by using your tips on what temperatures would be a problem and watching when my laptop shut down I came to the decision to have my laptop cleaned which solved my problem. I have been able to play for several hours and everything is fine.  🙂 Thank you very much for your help!

  • Chichi3chi's avatar
    Chichi3chi
    3 years ago

    Your first idea of the laptop overheating was the right one. I´d never would have thought of this myself. Thank you very much and have a great day!

About The Sims 4 Technical Issues - PC

PC players get help with their technical issues in The Sims 4 here.52,437 PostsLatest Activity: 36 minutes ago