Sims 4 not starting — uninstall and repair not working

@amf189  Are you seeing the "game data missing or damaged" error?  If so, please see the first post of this thread:

https://answers.ea.com/t5/Technical-Issues-PC/CURRENT-ISSUE-Sims-4-Unable-to-Start-Game-Data-Missing-or/td-p/13276818

If you're getting a different error, please post a screenshot.  Please also let me know what antivirus you use.

Thank you for your help.  The error says “Repairs needed.  Some of your files are corrupted, but a simple repair should do the trick.” And every time I click repair it goes through the process of repairing the game and then I try to start the game up and I just receive the same error.

Also I only use this computer for the Sims 4, so this is bad I know, but I don’t have antivirus software on the computer.

What should I try to do?

@amf189  If you've never installed an antivirus, Windows Defender would be active and giving you reasonably good protection.  Most people who aren't using their computers for work don't actually need anything more than that.

Where is the game installed?  Open the EA App and select Sims 4 > Manage > View properties to see the location.

Please also run a dxdiag and attach it to your reply.

https://help.ea.com/en-us/help/pc/how-to-gather-dxdiag-information/

@puzzlezaddict my game is installed here:  C:\Program Files\EA Games\The Sims 4

I've attached the dxdiag

@amf189  That location should be fine, although if you need to reinstall the game later, I'd suggest doing so elsewhere just to be thorough.  Before going that route (again) though, please install the newest graphics driver AMD provides for your processor and graphics chip.  It's somewhat old but much newer than the one you currently have installed.  You'll want the Catalyst Software Suite under Windows 7 64-bit:

https://www.amd.com/en/support/downloads/drivers.html/processors/a-series/a6-series-apu-for-laptops/a6-3420m-with-radeon-hd-6520g.html

Run the installer as an admin: right-click the download and select "Run as administrator."  Restart your computer after installing and before trying to play.

Please also force Sims 4 to run in DirectX 9 mode.  Open the EA App game library, click Sims 4 > Manage > View properties, and add -dx9 to the command line box.

Separately, I would suggest removing the D partition of your internal drive.  It's empty, so you wouldn't lose anything, and it's simpler to have one larger partition than multiple smaller ones.  Click Windows key-X and select Disk Management to see your options.

@puzzlezaddict okay I did all of that and I’m still getting the repairs needed error… what else should I try?

@amf189  Please do a clean uninstall and reinstall of Sims 4 and the EA App, as described here:

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

Please also try to open Sims 4 immediately after restarting your computer, with nothing else open aside from the EA App.

If this doesn't help either, please look for new errors in the Reliability Monitor.  Hit Windows key-R and enter "perfmon /rel" without quotes, and you'll see a chart of errors and updates with a column for each day.  Today is on the right.

Look for an error that happened at exactly the time of your most recent attempt to launch Sims 4, specifically after reinstalling.  If you find one, double-click it to see more details, then copy that info and paste it into a reply here.  If you don't see a new error, check back in an hour or so—the Reliability Monitor doesn't always update right away.

@puzzlezaddict thanks for your help so far.  I did all of those steps and am still receiving the repairs needed error for the game.

The only informational event displaying for today is the EA app successful installation.  There is no error showing from when I launched the game (and I’ve waited a few hours and the last updated time on the report is after the last attempt to launch).

Any advice on what to try next?

@amf189  Did you reapply the -dx9 setting after reinstalling?  It should have been removed, and I meant to mention that in my last post but forgot.

If that's not the issue, I'd suggest running chkdsk to make sure there's nothing wrong with your drive.  There's no evidence of a problem other than the "repairs needed" error, but it's still a reasonable possibility at this point.

• Hit Windows key-X
• Choose either “PowerShell (Administrator)” or “Windows Terminal (Administrator),” whichever option is offered
• Inside the window that appears, copy and paste "chkdsk /f /r c:" without quotes, and enter
• You'll be asked to allow a restart; say yes
• When the scan is done, use this guide to find the results
• Repeat for drive D: use "chkdsk /f /r d:" without quotes

You should be able to attach the report to a post as well.  Running chkdsk will take some time, so you may want to leave it while you're doing something else.

@puzzlezaddict I've attached the results.  Thanks again for all your help so far