Re: Sims 4 Game is on but Not Showing up on my Screen.

Hello,

Sorry for the late reply. I should have done what the link you mentioned ask me to do. I unlinked OneDrive and linked it to another folder. But I didn't do the other stuff that was mentioned. Can I still do what it says in the link (Even though I screwed up)? It messed up, not just the Sims 4 app, but other apps as well. I still can't see the game loading.

I ended up somehow finding the mods, it's just now finding the game when it's loading.

@SimSeeker  Please run the Command Prompt command and post the result.  We'll go from there.

Hello,

I think that I know what you are referring to. Here is the info from the link that you mentioned. Here's what I got: HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Explorer\Shell Folders
Personal REG_SZ C:\Users\midni\OneDrive\Documents.

However, the EA folder is in that link (I think). But not the game folder. I have both screenshots of those in the attachment.

My main concern at the moment is the disappearing launch screen. I launch it, but I don't see it, but it's still running in Task Manager. It happened to me a few weeks ago, but I found that in the taskbar. I couldn't find this current one in the Taskbar. And the EA app works just fine. I am wondering if I have to uninstall and reinstall the game app in EA? Do I have to buy all the Expansion packs again? i am currently reinstalling some other apps that were also affected. And so far, I can access those.

Update: I just checked on the Gaime. I tried to launch it, but it didn't do anything. I also have the screenshot for that one as well. Is it possible for me to reinstall the EA app? I switched the OneDrive to Desktop. As I am writing this, I am thinking that I should stall one that one until I get a message back from you. I didn't do the other part of the link that you sent me. So, I do that part for the Game that is in the folder that you see in the second screenshot (Where all my mods are)?

@SimSeeker  What exactly do you mean that you "switched the OneDrive to Desktop"?  Please tell me, and don't do anything else at all except for what I suggest.  It's really important that I know the exact state of your system, at least the details I'm asking about, and if you change something, my instructions could be unhelpful or worse.

For now, please create a folder in Downloads called Sims Backups.  Inside the Sims 4 user folder, copy the saves folder (right-click it and select Copy), then open Sims Backups and paste (right-click the empty space and select Paste).  Do the same with the Tray folder, plus the Mods, Screenshots, and Recorded Videos folders if those contain anything you want to keep.

Next, pause OneDrive syncing for 24 hours: right-click the cloud icon in the lower-right corner of the screen to see the option.  Download Revo Uninstaller (the free version is fine) and uninstall Sims 4 and the EA App, following these instructions exactly, except for the part about making a backup, because you've done that already:

https://answers.ea.com/t5/PC/CURRENT-ISSUE-Sims-4-DLC-shows-as-installed-won-t-load-in-game/m-p/12942151#uninstall

Once you've restarted your computer, reinstall the EA App, and create a new folder on the root level of the C drive called Games.  (Open a File Explorer window, click This PC in the left panel, and double-click the C drive.  Then right-click the empty space and select New > Folder, and label it Games.)  Open the EA App, and when you download Sims 4, select C:\Games as the install location.

Do not launch Sims 4 yet.  Instead, follow these instructions exactly to get rid of OneDrive, at least for now:

https://answers.ea.com/t5/PC/CURRENT-ISSUE-Sims-4-saves-user-content-disappearing-PC/td-p/12475370#Remove

Finally, confirm, through the same Command Prompt command, that your Documents directory is now here:

C:\Users\your username\Documents

with no OneDrive in the file path.  If everything goes according to plan, try to launch Sims 4 and let me know whether it runs.  Your saves and other data won't be available yet, but that content can be restored later.

If any of this doesn't work as described, stop there and let me know.  It's better to address the issue at that point in the process rather than try something else that may make unintended changes.  If any step doesn't make sense, stop there and ask for clarification, for the same reason.

Hello,

Sorry for the late reply. What I meant by  "switched the OneDrive to Desktop" is that I already moved OneDrive two days ago. Right before you mentioned it. Now it messed up my Sims 4 app and some other apps, which I had to uninstall and re-install again.

I am doing the next step that you mentioned, moving all the Sims 4 stuff into a Sims Backup Folder in Downloads. I do have one other question. I also have some mods in the CurseForge app. Will that app also get messed up once I finish re-installing the game? Perhaps I am going to have to deal with that right after re-downloading the EA and Sims app.

And I haven't started the game. I was testing it yesterday to see if it works. But it hadn't.

@SimSeeker  Please disable or delete the CurseForge app for now.  It's one more variable that could prevent Sims 4 from working, and it would be best to keep it out of the picture until the game is up and running again.  As long as you have an account on the site, you should be able to find and access your previous downloads without much trouble.

I don't know whether there's a way to simply disable the app without uninstalling it.  Disabling it, or setting it to inactive, or whatever tool is available to tell it you don't want its services at the moment, would be easier than uninstalling it entirely, but either approach is better than leaving it in its current state.  What you don't need is the app downloading mods when you're not expecting it.

Please do disable OneDrive entirely, as described, again at least for now.

Hello,

You mean to disable OneDrive for the second time in the last two weeks?

Also, I did uninstall the Sims 4 app. However, I had some problems uninstalling the EA app using Revo Uninstaller. The app was still there after I finished uninstalling it. So, I did that manually.

@SimSeeker  I mean disable OneDrive exactly as I described how to do it, not in any other way.  Please do that now, again to keep complicating factors out of this process.

Hello,

I just wanted to ask.I am also disabling OneDrive. However, I have already come across one problem with the suggestion. I did click for OneDrive to stop Syncing for 24 hours. But I cannot get into Settings. It's grayed out. I will let Microsoft know about this error.

I also had trouble uninstalling OneDrive. I had to click on Resume Syncing to get into Settings and unlink it.So I am good to go with installing the EA app tomorrow night.

Hello,

I uninstalled OneDrive. Next is to install the EA app again. Tomorrow it will be the Sims.

Hello,

I did. Now I have a unique challenge. I found out through some error, that the folder is not just in C:\users\username\OneDrive\Document, but also in C:\users\username\documents. But the Command prompt still mentions that it's in the OneDrive folder.

Attached is the error that I have been getting moving the Documents from OneDrive to the other, and the second was after I relinked OneDrive (I did unlink it again). 

But when I went into Command prompt, I still get: HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Explorer\Shell Folders
Personal REG_SZ C:\Users\midni\OneDrive\Documents

Now I am wondering if I should delete one of the folders, or what else can I do?

@SimSeeker  I'm sorry, I don't know how to explain this any more clearly.  Your computer has several Documents folders, which is normal—they have different purposes that are not important for this discussion.  It has only one Documents directory, which is a special designation that says to the system and installed programs that this is the correct Documents folder to use.  We are trying to change which Documents folder is designated as the directory.  Sims 4 will use this directory, and we want this directory out of OneDrive.

You have two options here, and the first one should work; the second one will work if you follow the instructions precisely.

The first option is, with OneDrive installed and working , to tell OneDrive to stop syncing the contents of Documents.  This is covered here:

https://answers.ea.com/t5/PC/CURRENT-ISSUE-Sims-4-saves-user-content-disappearing-PC/m-p/12475370#Disabled

You can see in the screenshot titled Manage folder backup that you can "stop backup" for Documents.  This will automatically move the location of Documents to Users > your username > Documents, if it works.  You don't need to do anything else; just don't start the backup of Documents again.  Then you can unlink or uninstall OneDrive if you want, or you can leave it be.

If that doesn't work, the second option is to force-change the location of Documents by editing your computer's registry.  This has to work because you are actually reaching into the system and manually changing exactly the bit of data that says where the Documents directory is.  I've been posting these instructions, but in case it's not totally clear, this is the absolutely reliable backup plan:

https://support.microsoft.com/en-us/topic/operation-to-change-a-personal-folder-location-fails-in-windows-ffb95139-6dbb-821d-27ec-62c9aaccd720

You will change the Personal value to its default, which is precisely %USERPROFILE%\Documents (with nothing else in the name), and then you're done.  Don't change anything else.

Hello,

I've already unlinked and deleted OneDrive. I will try your suggestions later on tonight, I will let you know how it goes.

Hello,

I did what you said in the first suggestion, and when I went to move the Documents from the OneDrive and clicked on Properties, I couldn't find the location tab when I right clicked on it. And the OneDrive is still syncing Sims 4 files, even though I unchecked Documents under backup. Plus, I can't pause sync before I do that because if I do, then the Settings option is greyed out. There is no way around that. I've tried and Microsoft doesn't want anyone to stop sync before they get into Settings.

And once I unlinked OneDrive, I still could not find Location tab in Properties.

As for the second suggestion. I've already tried that many times before you suggested it. I've already changed the Personal Value and that doesn't work either. I am still getting this: HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Explorer\Shell Folders
Personal REG_SZ C:\Users\midni\OneDrive\Documents

I tried the second suggestion again, and still I cannot find that Location tab in Properties. I think that the reason could be that the folder thought that it moved yesterday but it didn't or something like that. I still don't understand why I had no problems finding that tab yesterday, but I can't today.

A thought just occur. I am not going to try this until tomorrow night. But would it be possible to change the Personal Value on HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Explorer\Shell Folder instead of HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Explorer\User Shell Folders with %USERPROFILE%\Documents? Or do I start playing Sims 4 in the OneDrive folder (I unlinked and deleted the actual app anyway)? Or should I delete the Documents Folder in c:\users\username\documents and then try and link the one in OneDrive to that?

Also since I have tried these two suggestions many times, are different alternatives in case these don't work?

@SimSeeker  Create a new admin Windows account.  Make it local, as in, don't link it to your Microsoft account (don't enter your email address).  You'll instead be asked to choose some security questions.

Try to play in that new account, and let me know how it goes.  Your old data—saves, builds, etc.—won't be available, but that can be addressed later.

Hello,

I did just that. There was an option on New Admin Windows account where there wasy a way that I can bypass adding an email (There was an option to do just that). So I did it. Do I have to log out and redo everything again in terms of installing it?

I just created a new Admin on MIcrosoft. I haven't signed out of the one that I am communicating with you on?

If I have to download everything again, I can start tomorrow.

@SimSeeker  You don't need to reinstall anything.  Just sign into the new account, open the EA App, and launch Sims 4.

Hello,

I had some trouble with the EA app, but I had to go online for it to repair on the current account. I also had some problems logging into the new account. I thought that I correctly got the password right, but I didn't.

Now I have to get the Documents Folder out of OneDrive. I might have to do that tomorrow night.

Hello,

One again, I am running into the same problem with moving my Documents folder from c:\users\username\OneDrive\Documents to c:\users\username\documents, even in the new account. When I right-clicked on the Documents folder, I don't see any Location tabs (I might have to find a way to get that back). However, I don't know if OneDrive is connected here either (Since I uninstalled it on the first account). And the third suggestion is already there. Now, how do I get the documents folder to get out of OneDrive and into the regular Documents folder?

I think that I will have to find a way to get Location back into Properties. I will do that tomorrow.

@SimSeeker  Did you run the Command Prompt command in the new account, and did it tell you Documents is in OneDrive?  If so, you didn't create a local account.  Local in this sense means not linked to your Microsoft account.  No link to your Microsoft account means no OneDrive.  Therefore, the presence of OneDrive in the new account means the account isn't local.

And just to reiterate, your computer will still have a Documents folder inside OneDrive.  That is not a problem.  The problem is if this folder is designated as the Documents directory.  You're not trying to move the folder; you're changing what folder Windows uses as the directory.  The way to see that is with the Command Prompt command, and the answer will be different in each Windows account.

Hello,

Yes, it is the same in the Command Prompt. The EA folder is still in OneDrive, even in the new account.

I had some help in moving the Documents folder from OneDrive to c:\users\username\documents. Which did work out (But I have not tested it on the game yet). What do I do next? Do I copy the mods that I put in the Sims folder in Downloads?

I am also going to repair and reinstall the EA and Sims app just in case. I also have to update two of the many mods that I have (Maybe more since I haven't been playing in a while). Then I have to add the CurseForge app too.

@SimSeeker  In the account where the Documents directory is no longer in OneDrive, please try to launch Sims 4, but with no mods or custom content.  Let me know how it goes.

You don't need to reinstall the game or the EA App, although it shouldn't do any harm if you have already.  The only caveat is that the game should NOT be installed anywhere in Documents.

Hello,

I was just updating my mods. I guess I should take all the mods out just to test it.

@SimSeeker  Yes, that would be best.

I did just that and I actually got into the game. But I didn't play it. The ultimate test will be if it works with the mods tomorrow night.