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Zmias1's avatar
Zmias1
Seasoned Ace
8 months ago

Re: Failed to update due to permission error and Failed to create folder

But I never had this happen before and I've always had antivirus protection on.

If so, how do I disable my antivirus protection?? You mean, completely, Uninstall it?? 

13 Replies

  • @Zmias1  Sims 4 updates all the time, and an antivirus that "knew" the game was fine a month or a year ago might not recognize the executable file after it changed.  AVs also update and sometimes add more robust protections, which can flag processes that were previously ignored.

    At any rate, I'm not suggesting you disable your antivirus right away, only if setting the exceptions doesn't help.  How to do it depends on the AV you use—some will offer an option to disable real-time protection, while others might need to be reinstalled entirely.  In any case, the software should have instructions on its support page.

  • Zmias1's avatar
    Zmias1
    Seasoned Ace
    8 months ago

    I tried adding the app as an exception with my AV. Then, retried to update. Now says, Permission Error. With a red triangle. 

  • @Zmias1  Try again with the AV temporarily disabled, AND while installing to a new location.  Create a new folder for this purpose on the root level of the drive of your choice.  For example, C:\Games is fine, but not C:\Program Files\Games.

  • Zmias1's avatar
    Zmias1
    Seasoned Ace
    8 months ago

    Thanks. But unfortunately, I am not tech savvy at all and have no idea what that involves. I did go into the AV to enable EA app to function as an exception. I also went under EA app properties to make sure "full permission" control was allowed under user. Then, restarted pc and app. But still same problem. I'm hoping someone will contact me soon from EA help. Keep in mind, in the six years I've had game, this never happened so maybe it's some other issue.

  • @Zmias1  This could be another issue, sure, but most of the time it's antivirus-related.  I still think it's worth temporarily disabling the antivirus to make sure it's not contributing.  If you don't know how to do that, let me know which program you use and I'll try to find you some documentation.

    Creating a folder is simple: you open the location where you want it to be, and you right-click the blank space and select New Folder.  To see the drive itself, you can open a File Explorer window, click This PC in the left panel, and then possibly scroll down a bit until you see the drive(s) listed.  Double-click one to open it.

  • Zmias1's avatar
    Zmias1
    Seasoned Ace
    7 months ago

    Okay. Though EA Chat thinks it's something else and suggested uninstalling and installing game. But wouldn't I lose progress and have to start all over? No one seems to have a simpler solution and can't find anything about this issue online or videos. Btw, I have norton AV.

  • @Zmias1  Uninstalling and reinstalling could help temporarily even if this is antivirus-related because an AV will often block a program the second time it's launched.  It's also possible you wouldn't be able to reinstall the game at all, depending on the exact cause of the issue.

    Norton is usually fine but occasionally does have issues with Sims 4.  You can temporarily disable its protection and repair the game, as a test, but remember to reenable protection afterwards, and don't do anything else on your computer at the same time.  Here's how:

    https://support.norton.com/sp/en/us/home/current/solutions/v116457581

  • Zmias1's avatar
    Zmias1
    Seasoned Ace
    7 months ago

    Btw, this is what I see on my screen and when I click to un-pause and continue the update a second time, I just see a red triangle saying permission failed or error. see attached. 

  • Zmias1's avatar
    Zmias1
    Seasoned Ace
    7 months ago

    Did you have a chance to look over my last reply? 

  • @Zmias1  Again, this problem is usually antivirus-related, and I've suggested what I believe is the best way to fix it.  If that doesn't work, we can look elsewhere, but other troubleshooting steps not related to your antivirus are going to fail if the AV is all or part of the problem.

  • Zmias1's avatar
    Zmias1
    Seasoned Ace
    7 months ago

    Hello

    So, BEFORE completely disabling my AV as you suggested, I replaced a faulty adapter cord, and my game suddenly updated and played normal for almost one week. Then, the next time I started the EA app to launch game. a pop-up box said file error. Next, another recommended a game repair. So, I clicked to do that. But then, it got to 80 percent, paused, and said, the same screenshot as before about failing to create folder and permission error. So, as I suspected, the AV has nothing to do with this problem. But I disabled AV anyway for an hour and restarted everything. Nothing. Just in state of pausing at 80 percent of repairing game...

  • @Zmias1  With the antivirus disabled, do you still get the same error, or a different one, or none at all?  If the error is different (or there isn't one), please uninstall your current versions of the VC++ 2015-2022 runtimes, and install fresh copies.  Hit Windows key-i, select Apps, scroll down to the Microsoft Visual C++ Redistributables, click on any version from 2015 or later, and select Uninstall.  Don't touch the older versions.  You can download the newest runtimes directly from Microsoft:

    https://docs.microsoft.com/en-US/cpp/windows/latest-supported-vc-redist?view=msvc-170

    You'll need both the x86 and x64 versions of the 2015-2022 runtimes, but you can skip the ARM version, which is for a different class of device.  Restart your computer after installing and before trying to play.

    I don't know that this would have any effect on the original error, but you can of course try it anyway, since it doesn't take much time.

  • Zmias1's avatar
    Zmias1
    Seasoned Ace
    7 months ago

    Still getting the same screenshot I showed you and tried everything you suggested. At this point, I do not believe it has anything to with that since it played fine before. I will present this problem again. Maybe, someone else will know how to resolve it.

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