Common Problem for "Expansion Pack Data". [SOLVED] [ Edited ]

[0213962012]

I've recently had an error with a custom town for two of my sim families, I've saved a copy of my entire sims 3 folder and made duplicates for my tests and corrupted saves to post onto desktop, but after I copy and replace my .nbh and package files from the corrupted file into a saved test file, all I've managed to get as a positive result is my sims household icon and their residential lot (for one of my households).

After that, I'm lost and don't know what to do. I didn't make a constant backup folder of them. All I have is their most recent save, which is corrupt, and some sims I salvaged from exporting.

The reason, I think being was a possible random world deletion from my game after I was in the process of saving an unrelated sim file, while trying to clean my cache files (I know, not the smartest move). Outside of gameplay, when I tried building a different lot, my game would lag (I cleaned them prior to playing), so I figured I'd do that to help it run smoother. I've probably did this before with no problem, then that's when I noticed greyed out saves and that I couldn't see my custom world (lesson learned).

Anyways, I've tried methods involving these: https://modthesims.info/t/513635

https://modthesims.info/showthread.php?t=579710

https://modthesims.info/wiki.php?title=Game_Help:Restoring_Backup_Saves#Restoring_a_disabled_save 

But, I can't figure out what I'm missing here. Perhaps I'm just slow and overthinking, but I've tried taking files from my corrupted file to my test saves, then tried the travelling method (involving the mod or not), but either nothing would change or I'd get the "restart application" error, if the family icon is an empty cut-out piece. My current corrupted file I can see, it's just that the residential icon and the checkmark is greyed with the "cannot load saved game, expansion pack data" bullsh*t.

[puzzlezaddict · Accepted solution]

@0213962012  I realize that you may have done some of the suggestions below already, but please try them in order, one at a time, just to be totally thorough.  Sometimes combining steps or adding or removing the wrong content at the wrong time can have unforseen side effects.

Please also try all of this while your computer is offline.  If you play through Origin, you can sign in and put it in offline mode, then disable wifi and/or disconnect the ethernet cable before launching the game.

Please start over with a completely clean Sims 3 user folder.  Move the one currently in Documents\Electronic Arts to your desktop, open the launcher to spawn a clean folder, download and install a new copy of the custom world your save takes place in, and see whether it loads properly.  While you're at it, make sure all your installed expansion and stuff packs are loading too; the easiest way is to go into Buy mode and check the pack filters.

If all your content is in place, move a copy of your corrupt save into Documents\Electronic Arts\The Sims 3\Saves.  (You may need to create the Saves folder, but create it rather than copying it over.)  Don't add any other content, at least not yet.  Delete the five cache files in your user folder:

• CASPartCache.package
• compositorCache.package
• scriptCache.package
• simCompositorCache.package
• socialCache.package

Let me know whether the save loads.  If it does, great; if it doesn't, please post the exact error message you get.

If the save does not load, delete the cache files again, as well as anything in the CurrentGame folder.  Load a new save in the same custom world, save your progress, and quit.  Then go into the Saves folder, remove the .nhd file from the new save, and copy over the .nhd file from the old save.  Don't move over anything else.  Again, see whether it will load.

[puzzlezaddict · Accepted solution]

@0213962012  I realize that you may have done some of the suggestions below already, but please try them in order, one at a time, just to be totally thorough.  Sometimes combining steps or adding or removing the wrong content at the wrong time can have unforseen side effects.

Please also try all of this while your computer is offline.  If you play through Origin, you can sign in and put it in offline mode, then disable wifi and/or disconnect the ethernet cable before launching the game.

Please start over with a completely clean Sims 3 user folder.  Move the one currently in Documents\Electronic Arts to your desktop, open the launcher to spawn a clean folder, download and install a new copy of the custom world your save takes place in, and see whether it loads properly.  While you're at it, make sure all your installed expansion and stuff packs are loading too; the easiest way is to go into Buy mode and check the pack filters.

If all your content is in place, move a copy of your corrupt save into Documents\Electronic Arts\The Sims 3\Saves.  (You may need to create the Saves folder, but create it rather than copying it over.)  Don't add any other content, at least not yet.  Delete the five cache files in your user folder:

• CASPartCache.package
• compositorCache.package
• scriptCache.package
• simCompositorCache.package
• socialCache.package

Let me know whether the save loads.  If it does, great; if it doesn't, please post the exact error message you get.

If the save does not load, delete the cache files again, as well as anything in the CurrentGame folder.  Load a new save in the same custom world, save your progress, and quit.  Then go into the Saves folder, remove the .nhd file from the new save, and copy over the .nhd file from the old save.  Don't move over anything else.  Again, see whether it will load.

[0213962012]

@puzzlezaddict*Gasp* That worked...
Omg. Um, I can't breathe. I'm in disbelief, lol. Why does this method work? How can I add back my saved content without it doing that, again.

[puzzlezaddict]

@0213962012  Is it the copying over of the .nhd file that worked?  It helps, when it does, because it replaces the other files, which may be corrupt, with fresh copies.  There can also be something wrong with the Saves folder or the folder for the individual save file; this method addresses all these possibilities at once.  Since the .nhd file contains your actual save data, at least for the world it covers, you don't lose much by generating new copies of everything else.

The other suggestions were about being extremely thorough and not having you waste your time trying each individual troubleshooting step separately.  They're all helpful in a small number of cases, and they don't hurt; given how much you'd tried already, I figured it would be simpler to cover all your bases.

From here, the first thing to do is to make a copy of the Sims 3 folder currently in Documents\Electronic Arts.  You know that its content works, and if you have another issue you can't fix after adding content, you'll be able to restore this folder instead of starting from scratch.

Now you can start adding back your old content, but please keep testing to make sure your save still loads.  Delete the five cache files each time you add or remove any content.  In case you're not sure which files and folders you might want to keep, here's a description of everything in the user folder:

https://sims3.crinrict.com/en/2011/01/faq-user-files.html

In your position, every time the game worked after adding more content, I'd save a copy of the Sims 3 folder, at least for now.  That way, if you're halfway through adding your files back, the game stops working, and removing the newest files somehow doesn't help, you can restore the next-newest version of the user folder without losing as much progress.  But I like to be cautious like that.  And of course when you're satisfied that everything is working as intended, you can delete whatever backups you've made, although it's still good to keep one.

[0213962012]

@puzzlezaddictI think it was a little of everything. I think the "going offline" part helped the most, followed by clearing the caches after installing content for each time I checked.

Um, so far things are going well.

Luckily, nothing bad has happened.
So, thank you! 😊

[chilling_scorpio]

Hi there, I have a similar problem with my saved files. Basically, I was playing with a custom neighborhood and I was saving a fresh new one every time I played. It all went wrong after I was forced to switch to the EA app. First, most of my Sims 3 store content wouldn't load even though it was installed. 

After talking to the EA customer service chat they told me to follow these instructions: https://answers.ea.com/t5/Technical-Issues-PC/The-Sims-3-Saved-Games-Not-Loading-After-Store-Content....

It did work as I installed a world from the store and it did show - however, now the saves from that custom neighborhood (not from the store) are in grey and can't be clicked on and they all say this: "Cannot load this save game. It may have been saved with expansion pack data that is no longer present on this system." 

Please have a look at the attached photo, I wasn't able to take a screenshot so it was taken with a mobile phone.

Please let me know If I should try this method as well or if my problem requires a different solution.

Thank you and hope you have an excellent day.

[puzzlezaddict]

@chilling_scorpio  The instructions you linked also remove any custom content installed through the launcher, so you'll need to reinstall the custom worlds you want to use.  If you still have the Downloads folder you removed, perhaps in the recycle bin, you can grab the corresponding .Sims3Packs from that folder and put them inside the new Downloads folder the game will have spawned.  From there, you can reinstall them through the launcher.  This applies to any other custom content—only cc, not Store items—you want to restore.

If you don't have the folders you deleted anymore, you'll need to download and install fresh copies of your custom worlds and any other launcher-installed cc you want to keep using.

[chilling_scorpio]

Oh okay, I had reinstalled the custom world before but haven't done the CC and the store content. Seems like I will be busy for the weekend. 

Will work on that and let you know if the problem persists.

Thank you for your help! Have a great day!