sims freeze while time goes on and when paused sims keep going

@imnoangell99  Does this happen to you with no mods or custom content?  How about in a new save?  Please test both, if you haven't already, and let me know either way.

Please also run a dxdiag and attach it to a post, for reference.

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

I understand that this happens to your acquaintance on PS4, but I'm not really interested or able to troubleshoot their issue, and I'm not sure it's related either.  The same symptoms can have very different causes, especially when comparing computers and consoles.

it happened on an old hard drive and this new one. it happens with mods and without mods. i have nearly all the packs too.

@imnoangell99  Your dxdiag lists several generic Windows errors and also doesn't list your laptop's processor (although I can guess what it is in general from the other info provided).  So please start with a couple of basic checks of your Windows system files:

• Hit Windows key-X
• Choose either “PowerShell (Administrator)” or “Windows Terminal (Administrator),” whichever option is offered
• Inside the window that appears, copy and paste “DISM.exe /Online /Cleanup-image /Restorehealth” without quotes, and enter
• The system will start validating soon. If it throws an error, please list it here
• After it reaches 100%, hit Windows key-X again
• Again, choose “PowerShell (Administrator)” or “Windows Terminal (Administrator)”
• Inside the window, copy and paste “sfc /scannow” without quotes, and enter
• Post the message you receive here

Restart your computer, hit Windows key-i, select Update & Security, and click the box to check for updates.  If any install, restart again afterwards.

Please also increase your system's page file, which is where your computer stores memory that would normally be held in RAM but doesn't fit.  It's currently somewhat small, and with only 4 GB RAM installed, the processor will need to store a lot in the page file when you're running Sims 4.  Here's how to do it (option one):

https://www.tenforums.com/tutorials/77692-manage-virtual-memory-pagefile-windows-10-a.html#option1

Set the minimum to 16000 and the maximum to 16384, and restart your computer.

I can't promise that this will fix everything, and in fact it might only help a little bit.  4 GB RAM is not really enough to run more than the base game and a few expansions, at most; you're likely to see at least some performance issues no matter what you do.  Playing immediately after restarting the laptop and with no other apps open can also help, but it's not a fix either.

If it's possible to upgrade this laptop to 8 GB or more, it's worth considering.  But given its age, this might be a good time for a new laptop.  I'm not saying the situation is hopeless or you need to get a new laptop now.  But it is worth considering if you have the resources and are unsatisfied with your overall game performance.

i actually always have a habit of restarting the laptop before playing sims. i used to use a ton of mods and had deleted a lot to help since they slowed down the game so much. but had stopped using mods when my previous hdd crashed and couldnt afford a new laptop, though this is about  4 years old. i dont have much on it but didnt think the ram would effect the game so much. previously i had lowed the graphics quality within the game and it did help some so might try that and see if it helps too

@imnoangell99  I described other ways you could help free up more memory for Sims 4 without lowering the graphics, so please try those if you still run into issues.