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ImReallyNotTom's avatar
ImReallyNotTom
11 months ago
Solved

Sims 4 installation vanished - why, and how do I reinstall?

A couple days after the recent update, I decided to play The Sims 4. I verified that my installation, through Steam, had updated. I played it for a few hours, and did not experience any of the issues...
pc
  • puzzlezaddict's avatar
    puzzlezaddict
    11 months ago

    @ImReallyNotTom  The default location for a Steam install is this:

    C:\Program Files (x86)\Steam\steamapps\common\The Sims 4

    You may have changed this, of course, either by designating a custom location for the Steam library or by installing Steam itself elsewhere.  The executables would be in ...The Sims 4\Game\Bin regardless of the game's install location.  Far and away the most common reason these disappear, or seem to, is an overly aggressive antivirus, and Sims 4 added TS4_DX9_x64.exe a couple of patches ago, which several AVs flagged immediately.  This .exe runs the still default DirectX 9 version of Sims 4, with the older TS4_x64.exe (typically allowed by AV software) now running the newly-added DX11 version.

    For reinstalling your Epic-based packs, once you've installed the Steam version of Sims 4, open the EA App game library and select Sims 4 > Manage > Manage add-ons.  All your EA- or Epic-owned packs should appear there, and you should be able to download them without also installing a second copy of the base game.  If this isn't working, look for the .exes again—they might have disappeared, making the EA App think the game isn't installed.  You don't need to use Epic for any of this now that you've run the game through Epic once.

    No decent Sims helper would tell you to remove mods or custom content for an install issue.  If you've seen that kind of advice on other sites, that's unfortunate.

puzzlezaddict's avatar
puzzlezaddict
Hero+
11 months ago

@ImReallyNotTom  The default location for a Steam install is this:

C:\Program Files (x86)\Steam\steamapps\common\The Sims 4

You may have changed this, of course, either by designating a custom location for the Steam library or by installing Steam itself elsewhere.  The executables would be in ...The Sims 4\Game\Bin regardless of the game's install location.  Far and away the most common reason these disappear, or seem to, is an overly aggressive antivirus, and Sims 4 added TS4_DX9_x64.exe a couple of patches ago, which several AVs flagged immediately.  This .exe runs the still default DirectX 9 version of Sims 4, with the older TS4_x64.exe (typically allowed by AV software) now running the newly-added DX11 version.

For reinstalling your Epic-based packs, once you've installed the Steam version of Sims 4, open the EA App game library and select Sims 4 > Manage > Manage add-ons.  All your EA- or Epic-owned packs should appear there, and you should be able to download them without also installing a second copy of the base game.  If this isn't working, look for the .exes again—they might have disappeared, making the EA App think the game isn't installed.  You don't need to use Epic for any of this now that you've run the game through Epic once.

No decent Sims helper would tell you to remove mods or custom content for an install issue.  If you've seen that kind of advice on other sites, that's unfortunate.

  • ImReallyNotTom's avatar
    ImReallyNotTom
    11 months ago

    Thank you for the excellent advice about how to install the extra packs. I did in fact look a the Manage screen yesterday and the download buttons were not there. (I'm not imagining it, I'm quite certain it was the same screen.) 

    I did look in the correct place for the Steam install. It was neither in the location you specified nor in the location I had told it to use instead. I've had the EA app install the missing DLC, I just need to run the game and verify that they're there correctly and I will mark your comment as the solution.

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