Sims 4 slow to start after update

@smilelikemiles  No one here is going to tell you to get a new computer for this kind of issue, or really at all if your current system runs the game great once it's loaded.  Instead, please check how much CPU is being used overall and by Origin in the Task Manager.  You can put your game into windowed mode if it isn't already when you're ready to quit, and then you'll be able to switch between programs as the game is loading.

You can also force Origin to load Sims 4 in windowed mode: open your game library, right-click on the Sims 4 icon, select Game Properties > Advanced Launch Options, enter -w in the command line box, and save.

If the Task Manager shows close to 100% CPU use, that's the issue.  It may help to put Origin in offline mode before launching the game.  And it may also help to block OriginClientService and OriginWebHelperService from starting automatically.  Hit Windows key-R, enter "msconfig" without quotes, click the Services tab, find the two services on the list, and uncheck the boxes next to them.

If the above doesn't make a difference, please let me know what antivirus you use.

Thanks I will try this tomorrow. I don’t play in offline mode because I use the gallery all the time and I’m unable to access it when I’m offline. I also don’t care to play in windowed mode- unless you mean only do it temporarily to check CPU. If CPU is at 100% or is very high what do I do to fix that? 

I also use Norton 360 anti virus but I prefer not to turn it off. I’ve had bad luck in the past where I’ve gotten viruses easily when it wasn’t working temporarily so I prefer to keep that running when playing. I don’t trust that I won’t get any viruses if it’s turned off in the hours that I play. I’ve heard from others to turn it off. My computer also doesn’t seem to run well with it off. 

but thanks for the other advice I will definitely try tomorrow. I’m off to bed now but when I play after work tomorrow night I will try to do this. It seems to be an origin issue more so then the game. Origin updates for my game are always slow and take longer then they should. 

@smilelikemiles  I was suggesting windowed mode so you could check the Task Manager, not because it would give you better performance.  And putting Origin in offline mode is just a test, not a solution; please let me know whether it makes a difference.

As for Norton, I'd like to know whether disabling it helps as well, but here again that's not a fix, only useful information to have.  If disabling it helps, we can try changing some of its settings; if it doesn't help, then you can leave it as-is.  But it's important to know either way.

So my game was working fine today and I didn’t repair it. I did check CPU but it seems to be averaging between 15-20% so it’s not at 100% so I guess that’s good news? 

@smilelikemiles  That's more or less what you should be seeing.  If you notice another slowdown, please check CPU use again.  I'm not totally sure this is the problem, even if it's definitely the main suspect given Origin's behavior over the years.  So it'll be useful to confirm or to rul it out, as the case may be.

Ok so I am running my sims now and CPU is at 25-30% and it froze upon starting and once again it took forever to start. I clicked start on origin and the game didn’t pop up for a while. I’m not sure what to do to fix it. Origin seems to be having issues. 

@smilelikemiles  Is this with Norton running or not?  I still wonder if that's the issue, even though it shouldn't be.

Another thing you can try is playing in a new admin Windows account.  Make it a local account, as in, don't sign into Microsoft, and don't sync with any other services you normally use.  You'll be able to sign into Origin and won't need to redownload anything, but your saves and other content won't be available.  That's fine; this is just a test.  Let me know whether the game runs slowly again.

With it running but my computer runs slow and has issues when its off so therefore the game couldn't be played without. 

I think its an origin issue. Just got a "login unavailable" notification from them. Was able to sign in but once again game is not loading. I am also not sure how to do any of the above you just suggested.

@smilelikemiles  Creating a new Windows account is simple, but if you need a comprehensive guide, there are plenty of written and video tutorials out there.  Just google it and pick a guide that looks good to you.

Thanks! Lately I think origin just has issues at start up. If I force close the game then restart the game, it launches normally. Idk why it doesn’t for the initial start up