[CURRENT ISSUE] Sims 4 Unable to Start, Game Data Missing or Damaged
Overview jump to: Workarounds Unable to start: Cannot start because game data is missing or damaged. If you have Mods installed please remove them and try again. If not, please repair or reinstall the game via Origin. [de4ee14f:29f00e76:00000000:4b0d852b] [Ignore the mention of Origin; this error message has not been updated.] This error can be caused by outdated or incompatible mods or custom content, as indicated in the text. So the first and simplest step is to remove your Mods folder and try again. If this works, great, you can now sort through your mods and cc to find the source of the error. You may want to use the 50/50 method if you have a lot of content to test. You can also check out @luthienrising's current "Broken/Obsolete and Updated Sims 4 Mods" thread, pinned to the top of the Game and Mod/CC Issues forum. This error can also be caused by a corrupt install of Sims 4, or the game being blocked from accessing the user folder. If the problem is not mods or cc, some testing may be required to identify the cause. Workarounds The idea here is to first narrow down the source of the problem, then identify and fix it. Please try these workarounds in order—they're listed from least to most time-consuming. jump to: Repair the game jump to: Pause OneDrive syncing jump to: Clean user folder jump to: New admin Windows account jump to: Reinstalling the game Some of these may be not be a convenient fix given your current setup. Where applicable, these sections also list alternate approaches, for example how to try to resolve a problem in your current Windows account when Sims 4 will only work in the new account. However, it's important to test each workaround as written in order to confirm or eliminate each potential source of error. Repair the game If the game's program files become corrupted, a repair may fix the problem. First, clear the EA App's cache: https://help.ea.com/en-us/help/faq/clear-cache-to-fix-problems-with-your-games/ If you've installed through the EA App, open its game library, click Sims 4, and select Manage > Repair. For a Steam install, open your Steam library, right-click the Sims 4 tile, and select Properties > Local files > Verify the integrity of the game files. ↑ Pause OneDrive syncing OneDrive can lock up the Sims 4 user folder, or any folder it's automatically syncing, for various reasons. The easiest way to diagnose this is to temporarily pause syncing. Right-click the cloud icon in the lower-right corner of the screen to see the option: If this helps, the underlying issue is OneDrive, and you may want or need to adjust your settings accordingly. You can choose which folders to sync, stop OneDrive from syncing your Sims 4 folder or all of Documents automatically, or get rid of OneDrive entirely. Please see this guide, specifically the "I don't want OneDrive to sync my files" and "I want to get rid of OneDrive" sections, for further help: https://answers.ea.com/t5/Technical-Issues-PC/CURRENT-ISSUE-Sims-4-saves-user-content-disappearing-PC/m-p/12475370 ↑ Clean user folder Testing with a clean user folder, otherwise known as a factory reset, means temporarily removing all user data. This ensures that nothing from your existing folder is preventing Sims 4 from loading. Move the entire Sims 4 folder out of Documents > Electronic Arts and onto your desktop. If it copies instead of moving, or you get an error when trying to move it, please see the OneDrive section above. Otherwise, when you launch the game, if it launches, a clean folder will spawn with no content. Your saves and other content will be intact in the folder you moved but temporarily not read by the game. Don't add anything to the new folder yet; just see whether you can get far enough to start a new save. If this works, you can start moving your content from the old Sims 4 folder to the new one, testing each time to make sure the game still loads. In each case, please move the files only, not the folder they're in, for example move the individual Tray files, not the entire Tray folder. Where the game has created a new file or folder, it's best to use that rather than your old copy. For further reading about the contents of the user folder and what you might want to preserve, please see this: https://sims4.crinrict.com/eng/2014/09/user-files-explained/ While moving over your data, if and when you see the "already running" error again, you'll know that one of the files you just moved is the problem, and you can split and retest that batch until you find out which one. For mods and custom content, the 50/50 method can make the process much more efficient. A single file or folder that prevents the game from launching is not recoverable; you'll need to delete it, or in the case of mods or cc, find an updated, compatible version. ↑ New admin Windows account It's possible that the problem is caused by a setting or broken permissions in your main Windows account, and the fastest way to test this theory is to create a new account. It must have admin rights (not a standard user account), and it must be local, as in, not connected to your Microsoft account. To create a new account, open Windows Settings > Accounts > Family & other users, click "Add someone else to this PC" (under Other users, not Your family), click "I don't have this person's sign-in information," then "Add a user without a Microsoft account." Choose the username and password, answer some security questions, and you'll see the new account. Click it and select "Change account type" to make it an Administrator account if it's not already. It should say "Administrator - Local account" when you're done: Click ctrl-alt-delete, select Switch user, and sign into the new account. Then open the EA App (and Steam or the Epic launcher if applicable) and try to launch Sims 4. You shouldn't need to reinstall anything. Your saves and other user data won't be available, but that's fine for the purpose of this test. If Sims 4 works in the new account, it means the problem is contained to your old account. You can simply continue playing in the new account if you want. For any saves or other user data you'd like to transfer to the new account, sign into the old account again and copy the relevant files to C:\Users\Public. This folder is accessible from all user accounts; you can grab the files from there once you're in the new account. If you would like to continue playing in the old account, here are additional steps you can take: Confirm that the Documents directory is in the correct location Reset permissons on Documents Run a malware scan ↑ Reinstalling the game If the above workarounds don't help, a simple uninstall/reinstall may not fix the problem either. Instead, please clean-uninstall Sims 4 and the EA App. (It should not be necessary to uninstall Steam or the Epic launcher if you happen to use either one, but the EA App should be removed in any case.) You will not lose access to any DLC you own. For Sims 4: Put aside your Sims 4 folder in Documents\Electronic Arts and rename it to something that doesn't include the words "Sims 4." Download Revo Uninstaller (the free version is fine) from here. Launch Revo, select Sims 4 from the list, and click Uninstall. Cancel the system restore point; you don't need it and it occupies extra space. Once the game is uninstalled, select "Moderate" under "scanning modes," and click Scan. Review the list, in case there's something you want to save; otherwise, click Select All, and then Delete. Close Revo, and restart your computer. For the EA App: Launch Revo, select the App, and click Uninstall. Cancel the system restore point. The EA App may open a window. Click Uninstall, then in the Revo window, click Moderate under Scanning modes, and click Scan. Revo will present a list of registry entries. Click Select All, then Delete: you don't need or want to preserve these entries. For the leftover files and folders, click Select All, review the list and deselect anything you'd like to keep (this is unlikely, but it's worth checking), click Delete, and you're done. Close Revo, and restart your computer. Install the EA App, then create a new folder into which you'll install Sims 4. The folder should be on the root level of the drive of your choice, for example C:\Games is fine, but not C:\Program Files\Games. If you use a third-party antivirus, disable it before reinstalling the EA App, and don't reenable it until you've tried to launch Sims 4 at least once. As long as you don't do anything else while reinstalling, your computer should be safe. If the game works, set exceptions for TS4_DX9_x64.exe (if you've set Sims 4 to use DirectX 9) and/or TS4_x64.exe (for DX11) as well as EADesktop.exe. Test the game once before restoring any user data as well. If it works, you can slowly add back your saves and other data from the old Sims 4 folder, the one you renamed prior to uninstalling the game. If and when Sims 4 stops loading again, remove the last group of files you added, and split and test progressively smaller batches until you find the culprit. Where the game has created a new file or folder, it's best to use that rather than your old copy. For further reading about the content of the user folder and what you might want to preserve, please see this: https://sims4.crinrict.com/eng/2014/09/user-files-explained/ ↑ If none of these workarounds fixes the problem, try the suggestions in this thread for a distinct but related error: [CURRENT ISSUE] Sims 4 already running | EA Forums - 11818313 If nothing there helps either, please post in this thread asking for further help. Let me know whether Sims 4 ever ran in the new Windows account, even temporarily. Please also run a dxdiag and attach it to your post. Click Windows key-R, enter dxdiag in the run box, wait for the scan to finish, click "Save all information," and save the file to your desktop. From there, you can attach it using the paper clip (Attachment) icon included with the other formatting buttons.
Auto update disabled, updates game anyways
I knew today was patch day, clicked on Sims 4's desktop icon, EA App opens and instantly begins Sims 4's update. I have auto updates disabled. Click the 3 bars to go offline but because the game had 2% already downloaded, I cannot play offline. Double checked that Auto Update is disabled, it is. Now being forced to update because it decided to ignore the option entirely. I had zero intention of updating because of it breaking mods, its why I disabled it in the first place. Just because I clicked on the Sims 4 desktop icon to open the game shouldn't mean it triggers the update to start, it should ASK to update. Tried posting this in the EA APP bug report but 2 required options didn't let me enter anything.
[READ FIRST] Cheat console doesn't open
Index Introduction The Cheat Console doesn't open Introduction Cheats are commonly used in the Sims games and as it's a single player game, you can do so at your heart's content. Some cheats are also used to fix issues. To open the Cheat Console, press CTL-SHIFT-C and then type the required cheat into the text console that appears in the upper left corner. There are a few reasons why the cheat console doesn't open as it should. The tips below are for Windows, if you have issues on other platforms, please use the threads below Console: FAQ - Sims 4 Console Cheats Mac: 🛠️ Opening the Sims 4 cheat console on Mac For help with individual cheats, please use this thread: [FAQ] Common Issues with Cheats ↑ The Cheat Console doesn't open A few tips if you can't get the cheat console to open. Please post in the thread if these don't help. Make sure you use the correct key combination (CTL-SHIFT-C). Make sure that no screenshot or other program is running in the back that uses the same key combination like Gyazo. Especially HP computers tend to have pre-installed software that conflict with the cheat shortcut. Make sure to disable those background programs. If you have an AMD graphics Card, check on the settings to check if something else is assigned to the short-cut Make sure that the game is the active window, especially when playing in windowed mode. Try CTL-Shift-(Windows Key)-C instead (Windows Only) When in build/buy mode, make sure your cursor is not in the search field Reset all settings. To do so follow these steps: Close the game. Move this file to the desktop: Documents\Electronic Arts\The Sims 4\Options(.ini). Start the game. The file will be recreated. Unfortunately this will reset all your graphics settings and similar as well and you need to re-set them. Test if the console appears. ↑
[CURRENT ISSUE] Sims 4 saves/user content disappearing (PC)
Overview jump to: Restoring missing saves jump to: I want OneDrive to keep syncing my files jump to: I don't want OneDrive to sync my files jump to: I want to get rid of OneDrive jump to: My saves aren't in OneDrive jump to: My saves still aren't appearing in-game In Windows, the most common cause of Sims 4 saves or other user files disappearing is OneDrive. User files are stored in Documents > Electronic Arts > The Sims 4, and if no Sims 4 folder is present there, the game will make a new one with no content. It won't look elsewhere for saves or other user content. OneDrive syncs the contents of Documents to cloud storage by default. This syncing may have worked fine for some time, but it can fail for one reason or another, and the result is that the user files are removed from local storage. Then when Sims 4 is loaded, saves, Tray files, and mods and custom content are missing, with the only option being to start a new save. If you have a Mac, please use this thread instead: [READ FIRST] Saves, CC/Mods or Library items disappeared? iCloud issues | EA Forums - 10979712 ↑ Restoring missing saves The first place to look for missing files is within OneDrive's cloud storage. Go to onedrive.com, click Sign in in the upper-right corner, and enter the email address and password associated with your Microsoft account. Please check both My files and the Recyle bin for your missing content. OneDrive does only preserve data in the Recycle bin for 30 days for a free basic account, or 93 days for some premium accounts. If that time has passed, the files may be permanently deleted. If you find your missing files, click them to select, then right-click and select Restore: Once you've downloaded the files from OneDrive, you may need to rename them or move them to the correct folder, as in, the one Sims 4 is reading. If you need more help with this process, please read this. To prevent this in the future, you can change OneDrive's settings. Or you can stop syncing or get rid of OneDrive entirely. If you've never used OneDrive, or it doesn't have your saves, please see this. ↑ I want OneDrive to keep syncing my files If your OneDrive has enough space for all your files, the simplest workaround is to tell OneDrive to keep the Sims 4 user folder on your computer. Right-click the folder and select "Always keep on this device." Please double-check that OneDrive has enough storage, or you may run into more trouble. Right-click the OneDrive icon in the lower-right corner of your screen and select Settings: Under Account, you'll see the current and total storage: If your OneDrive is full, or your "The Sims 4" folder is larger than the storage you have, you can choose to stop automatically syncing Documents overall, or the Sims 4 folder, or some subfolder, for example the Mods folder. (Please see the next section below.) You can still manually upload files to OneDrive as you choose. Or you can buy a subscription for more OneDrive storage. However, an external drive or USB stick is a one-time purchase and a cheaper long-term solution than a subscription, so consider your options before subscribing. ↑ I don't want OneDrive to sync my files The first step is to make a backup of your "The Sims 4" folder, the one in Documents > Electronic Arts. Right-click it and select Copy, then right-click the location where you want your backup to go and select Paste. If you don't have an external drive or USB stick handy, you can paste the folder into your computer's Downloads folder, which OneDrive doesn't sync. The simplest change is to tell OneDrive not to sync the contents of Documents at all. Right-click the OneDrive icon in the lower-right corner of the screen, select Settings > Backup, click Manage Backup, and under Documents, click Stop backup, then confirm the choice. Now you can restore the backup version of your Sims 4 folder to Documents > Electronic Arts, and the game should read your data. If you're not seeing your saves in-game, please read this. If you want to get more granular, you can choose to not sync the contents of the Electronic Arts folder, the Sims 4 folder, or any folder inside. First, make a backup of this folder; as above, you can store it on an external device, or in Downloads. Right-click the OneDrive icon in the lower-right corner of the screen, open Settings > Account, select Choose folders, deselect the folders you don't want OneDrive to sync, and click Okay. Once you deselect the given folder, it will be removed from your computer and stored only in the cloud. You can now restore the backup copy you made, and OneDrive won't sync it. If you forgot to back up this folder, you can still download it from onedrive.com. If you're not seeing your saves in-game, please read this. ↑ I want to get rid of OneDrive If you want to get rid of OneDrive entirely, first make a backup of any synced folders you want to keep. You can right-click the folders and select Copy, then right-click where you want the backups to be and select Paste. An external drive or USB stick is ideal, but if you don't have one handy, you can use your computer's Downloads folder, which OneDrive doesn't sync. You can also find your files later by signing into your Microsoft account at onedrive.com. Right-click the OneDrive icon in the lower-right corner of your screen, select Settings > Backup, click Manage Backup, and click Stop backup for all three categories, then confirm the choice. The reason to do this is to move the default locations of these folders out of the OneDrive folder on your computer, which might otherwise be a more complicated process. Next, right-click the OneDrive icon in the lower-right corner of your screen and select Settings > Account, then click Unlink this PC. It's unnecessary to uninstall OneDrive—without a link to a Microsoft account, it has nothing to do. After the above and before you do anything else, please double-check that your Documents folder is no longer in OneDrive. Type "command" in the Windows search box, open Command Prompt, and enter this command: reg query "HKCU\Software\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Explorer\Shell Folders" /v "Personal" This will spit out the location of the Documents directory for this Windows account. The file path should no longer include OneDrive, but if it does, as here: Then you'll need to change the location manually. The simple way is to right-click Documents in the left panel of a File Explorer window and choose Properties > Location, then Move, then click This PC, then choose this: C:\Users\[your username]\Documents Click Apply, then Yes. You may get an error that says "Can't move the folder because there is a folder in the same location that can't be redirected." The normal workaround is to stop OneDrive from backing up the location of Documents, as described above. If this hasn't helped, you can change the location of Documents by editing the relevant registry entry: https://support.microsoft.com/en-us/topic/operation-to-change-a-personal-folder-location-fails-in-windows-ffb95139-6dbb-821d-27ec-62c9aaccd720 Please be very careful when editing your computer's registry. One simple typo can have significant consequences. Make a backup before you do anything: click File > Export, and save a copy of the entire registry. If you mess up the edit, just restore the backup by double-clicking the saved file. You can check your work with the same Command Prompt command as above. This also applies to the Desktop and Pictures folders if they've previously been directed to OneDrive. ↑ My saves aren't in OneDrive If you don't use OneDrive, or you can't find your saves there, you can search your computer for the saves. Open a File Explorer window, click This PC in the left panel, and enter Slot_ in the search field in the upper-right corner. When the scan finishes, if it's found any saves, click one and select the "Open file location" menu button (or right-click the file and select "Open file location"), and you'll jump to wherever the save is, which will hopefully be where the rest of your user files are. Move the saves and any other files you'd like to keep to the relevant subfolders within the Sims 4 folder the game is reading, as it appears in-game: https://sims4.crinrict.com/eng/2018/07/how-to-find-your-user-folder/ If your saves still aren't appearing in-game, please read this. If your content has disappeared, and it's not hidden on your computer and not in OneDrive, it's worth doing a virus scan. This is not to say you definitely have a virus, only that it's a good idea to check. Download Malwarebytes (the free trial is fine) from here: https://www.malwarebytes.com/mwb-download Open it, click Scan > Custom Scan > Configure Scan, check all the boxes for all scans and for all your drives, and let it do its job. This can take anywhere from a few minutes to several hours, so you may want to set the scan to run while you're doing something else. If you'd like someone to take a look at the results, please start your own thread and attach the report. ↑ My saves still aren't appearing in-game The two common reasons your saves and other user files might not load in-game is that they're in the wrong folder or they're named improperly. To make sure the files are in the correct folder, load the game and find the full file path to that folder, as described here: https://sims4.crinrict.com/eng/2018/07/how-to-find-your-user-folder/ To see the full file path of a given file or folder, right-click it and select Properties > General, then look for the Location. If you're having trouble opening the correct folder, click This PC in a File Explorer window instead, then double-click the correct drive (probably C), and open the corresponding folders from there. OneDrive may also have renamed the saves to avoid duplicate files or folders. For example, after changing some settings back and forth, I wound up with this in my saves folder: Saves need to be named in a specific format: Slot_ followed by an eight-digit hexidecimal (base-16, so numbers 0 to 9, letters a to f) number followed by .save , with no extra characters. Each save needs to have a unique number as well. All of these are valid save names: Slot_00000006.save Slot_0000000c.save Slot_00000012.save In the above screenshot, for the affected saves (red arrows), I would delete the - Copy and the space and also renumber the saves, as other saves already have those same numbers. The order in which you number the saves doesn't matter. Choose whatever names are convenient for you, although Sims 4 has occasionally been unable to read saves that start with a digit other than 0. Saves with a .verx on the end are backups of your main saves: the game saves the data from the last five times you saved your progress before the current one. These can be renamed in the same way; once the .verx extension is deleted, the game will read these files as well. The same principles apply to Tray files: they need to be named properly and in the correct Tray folder. But because Tray file names can be more difficult to work with than saves, please start your own thread asking for help if you need it. In that case, include a screenshot or two of the contents of Tray so that the person helping you can identify the problem. Include the address bar, above the list of files, in the screenshot, as in my saves screenshot above. ↑
