Play Sims 4 on new PC (using external hard drive)

@djmiele65  Your saves and other user content are stored in Documents > Electronic Arts > The Sims 4, so yes, you need to transfer the data inside that folder from your old computer to your new one.  There's a way to move this folder to the external too, but please first just transfer over the files and make sure everything still works.  If not, please stop here and let me know.

If the saves and other content work while on your internal drive, and you still want to move all that data to the external, here's how:

https://crinrict.com/blog/2020/02/moving-windows-documents-folder-to-external-drive-via-symbolic-link.html

Thanks for the reply! I don't see that exact folder. But if I search for Sims4 files and find any what should I do with them? Copy them to the new computer's C Drive?

@djmiele65  On your Windows 7 machine, the folder may be under My Documents rather than Documents.  But on any computer that's run Sims 4, you'll have an Electronic Arts folder inside Documents and a Sims 4 folder inside that, unless you happen to have deleted it already.  On the new computer, make sure you're looking in the local version of Documents rather than the one in OneDrive.

You can also search your old computer for Slot_ , which should turn up any saves still present.  Or look for Config.log , as the Sims 4 folder should have exactly one.

When transferring Sims 4 data from one computer to another, the best practice is to transfer the files themselves to their appropriate folders, not to just put the old folders (and definitely not the entire Sims 4 folder) in place.  If you're wondering what to transfer or where to put the files, this guide should help:

https://sims4.crinrict.com/eng/2014/09/user-files-explained/

Thank you! Once I find that folder on the Windows 7 machine and copy it over to the desktop of the new computer, what do I do? I'm still using the external drive for the game info, so I set the game library location to E:Origin Games, correct? What about the legacy game installer folder?  Not sure how I access or utilize the EA Folder that I copied over from the old computer. Thanks again

@djmiele65  Again, Sims 4 user files are stored in Documents > Electronic Arts > The Sims 4.  Documents is on your C drive unless you moved it (and please don't move it to the external drive).  This has nothing to do with the fact that you moved the game's program files to the external.

Please read the "user files explained" article I linked so you get a sense of what kinds of files you'd see in the user folder and what they're for.  When you're moving the files from your old computer to the new one, you need to place them in the appropriate subfolders, which will be the same for both machines.  So for example you'll move saves to the saves folder on your new computer, and any files that were in Tray on the old computer will go in Tray on the new one as well.

The Legacy Installers folder is an entirely different matter: its purpose is to allow you to store installers for games on your computer so Origin doesn't need to download them again should you need to reinstall.  It actually doesn't work for many games, probably including Sims 4, although I haven't tested.  You can just get rid of this data if you have no purpose for it.

Thanks a lot for all of your replies. I feel like I'm doing everything right but I just can't get it to work. It's only giving me the option to start a new game. I thought that if I clicked in the Options settings in Origin it would give me the option to locate game, but it only shows me move game. I'm usually fairly savvy with the basis with something like this but I just can't figure out how to get the old game running. 

@djmiele65  This has nothing to do with Origin.  Origin only controls the game's program files, and saves are user files.

Please post a screenshot of the folder that has your saves in it, as in, I want to be able to see the save files themselves.  Be sure to include the address bar, above the list of files, in the screenshot.

Thanks. Attaching a screenshot here

@djmiele65  Sorry for the late reply.  First of all, the game won't read anything inside the second saves folder in your screenshot.  So if your missing saves are in there, you'll need to move them into the main saves folder.

Second of all, OneDrive is syncing your files, and in fact it was in the process when you took this screenshot.  (That's the blue arrows icon.  A green check mark means a file or folder is synced, and a red X means it could not be.)  This isn't necessarily a problem on its own, but OneDrive can definitely interfere with Sims 4 content, so it's better to block auto-syncing, at least until you get everything else sorted out.  You can deselect Documents for syncing:

https://support.microsoft.com/en-us/office/choose-which-onedrive-folders-to-sync-to-your-computer-98b8b011-8b94-419b-aa95-a14ff2415e85

You may first need to pause or cancel the current sync:

https://support.microsoft.com/en-au/office/how-to-cancel-or-stop-sync-in-onedrive-4885c27e-3d89-4d69-be75-2646c71367d3

Or if you have no use for OneDrive, just unlink your computer:

https://support.microsoft.com/en-us/office/turn-off-disable-or-uninstall-onedrive-f32a17ce-3336-40fe-9c38-6efb09f944b0

Once that's addressed, make sure the saves are in the proper saves folder and see whether they'll load.  If not, please post another screenshot just like this one.