Sims 4 won't download (again)

Hey all!

I'm reaching out here because I'm at my wit's end trying to install Sims 4 on my new USB drive. It's been quite a frustrating journey, and despite my efforts, I'm still facing installation issues. Here's the whole story:

I recently purchased a new USB drive to install Sims 4 on since my previous one had some issues. However, no matter what I try, I can't seem to get the game to install properly. I've attempted multiple troubleshooting steps, but nothing seems to work.

Here's a list of what I've tried so far:

Restarting my computer several times.
Logging out and logging back in to the EA app.
Clearing the EA app cache.
Uninstalling and reinstalling the EA app using Revo Uninstaller.
Installing all the updates for my system.
Formatting my USB drive multiple times.
Restarting the EA app itself.
Repairing the app using the installer.
Running the app as an admin.
Deleting the cachecreated file.

I've also observed some strange behavior during the installation process. When I format the USB drive as exFAT, the download either goes extremely slow or gets stuck at a specific percentage. On the other hand, when I format it as NTFS, the update downloads but displays an unrealistic amount of time to complete (e.g. 1,000 hours) and proceeds at a snail's pace.

It's worth mentioning that this isn't the first time I've encountered installation issues. A similar problem happened with a previous USB drive, but it got resolved after I uninstalled and reinstalled the EA app.

I've made sure that my antivirus isn't interfering, and my internet connection is stable. Despite all this, I'm still unable to install the game.

If anyone has experienced this issue before or knows of any potential solutions, please help me out! I'm eager to dive back into the Sims world, and your insights could make all the difference.

Thank you in advance for any assistance you can provide. Let's hope we can solve this together!

DxDiag.txt87 KB

puzzlezaddict
3 years ago
@moonnyxx After you free up space, clear the EA App's cache (again):

https://help.ea.com/en-us/help/faq/clear-cache-to-fix-problems-with-your-games/

and try again to download.

If that doesn't help, do you have access to a different computer? You could download Sims 4 to the USB on that computer instead. Then plug it into your own computer and tell the App to download the game there. The App should verify the presence of the files and complete the install process rather than downloading everything fresh.

This can be done on any computer that runs Windows and can run the EA App, even one that's below the requirements for Sims 4.

Other than that, if you can't find a different network to borrow, not even one at Starbucks or some other local business, I'm out of ideas, I'm afraid.

11 Replies

puzzlezaddict
Hero+
3 years ago
@moonnyxx Your dxdiag (and thanks for posting it) shows that your C drive has almost no space at all. This might be the reason the download is progressing so slowly: even though the game is installing on D, the EA App is going to cache files along the way, and that happens on C. So if you can, please try to clear up at least another 10 GB. For the overall health of your computer, it would be best to have at least 20 GB free, but that might be difficult given the very small drive. Still, 10-12 should be enough to eliminate free space as a contributor to this issue.

If you're not sure what to delete or remove, check the user folders—Documents and Pictures in particular—and the Downloads folder. You can always move some files to the USB.

Your USB drive needs to be formatted as NTFS, or else the game won't run properly even if you do manage to install it.

If you clear enough space and the download is still extremely slow, I'd suggest using a different network if you can. For example, try a friend's house or school/work or a library. It's possible that your particular network and the EA App don't get along well, and while we could try to troubleshoot that, it might be faster to download elsewhere.
moonnyxx
New Rookie
3 years ago
It's a bit hard to free up space for me rn, but I still managed to free up a bit of space. As for using a different network I unfortunately don't have any available to use. I formatted my drive as NTFS as you suggested and tried downloading TS4 on said drive. It progressed a bit (up to 5-6%) and then got stuck. I understand it may be hard to make do given my current limitations, but I think we'll still be able to find a solution to this issue.
DestinysEcho
Rising Scout
3 years ago
For space, try to empty your trash. Also deleting temp files and cookies and cache might free up some extra space.
moonnyxx
New Rookie
3 years ago
@DestinysEcho What do I do after I free up space?
puzzlezaddict
Hero+
3 years ago
@moonnyxx After you free up space, clear the EA App's cache (again):

https://help.ea.com/en-us/help/faq/clear-cache-to-fix-problems-with-your-games/

and try again to download.

If that doesn't help, do you have access to a different computer? You could download Sims 4 to the USB on that computer instead. Then plug it into your own computer and tell the App to download the game there. The App should verify the presence of the files and complete the install process rather than downloading everything fresh.

This can be done on any computer that runs Windows and can run the EA App, even one that's below the requirements for Sims 4.

Other than that, if you can't find a different network to borrow, not even one at Starbucks or some other local business, I'm out of ideas, I'm afraid.
_hellojan3t_
2 years ago
@moonnyxx has this worked I'm having the same problem
_hellojan3t_
2 years ago
@_hellojan3t_ but im not using a usb
styku81
2 years ago
Hi!
I have been trying to update my Sims 4 game for a while now but the update is not finishing. It will update to about 5.72GB out of 6.75GB and stop updating. I am not sure if it is because of my old computer but everything else seems to work. The game has previously been launched on Origin and worked completely fine on it. I have tried uninstalling the app and installing it again, restarting my computer and even cancelling the download and trying again (though when I have tried that it would take an awfully long time to cancel the download). any suggestions?
puzzlezaddict
Hero+
2 years ago
@styku81 If you're still having this issue, please post in the relevant EA App forum for your platform:

https://answers.ea.com/t5/Technical-Issues-PC/bd-p/ea-app-technical-issues-pc-en

https://answers.ea.com/t5/Technical-Issues-Mac/bd-p/ea-app-technical-issues-mac-en

@_hellojan3t_ Same to you.
4240306
2 years ago
Hi I’m kinda having the same problem I don’t have enough disk space on my laptop to download my games passes along with the game base. So I got a 64GB hard drive to download it on. But when I try to download the game on the hard drive it’ll get stuck on a certain percentage downloading. Even let my computer downloading the game for 2-3 hours before giving up. Any advice or help I can get to solve this issue? Thanks!