GAME CRASHES WHILE LOADING AND EDITING LOT [ Edited ]

[kwohld]

Right before yesterday's content update, my game started crashing one after another while loading, and if I do make it past the loading screen, it crashes a few moments after the game starts when I go to the buy catalog- even after I applied several fixes. No error message. Either it just closes instantly after leaving Buy Mode or, while loading, the mouse pointer will keep spinning but the screen itself freezes, (so I closed out of it via Task Manager). These are the attempted fixes I tried already:

Deleted all junk files, then used System Mechanic to clean and boost my PC.
I made sure my graphics were set to the optimum recommended settings.
I repaired the game via Origin.
I turned off my firewall and antivirus.
I switched to windowed mode.
I went to msconfig and checked the Hide all Microsoft services check box > click Disable all. I then disabled individual services under Startup.
I checked for Windows updates.
I ran the Program Compatibility Troubleshooter.
Restarted my PC.

I TRIED to exclude the game from Data Execution Prevention and I referred to this link: https://forums.thesims.com/en_US/discussion/627396/game-keeps-crashing

As directed I went to this location C:\Program Files (x86)\Electronic Arts\ The Sims 3\Game\Bin\TS3.exe to look for the executable file. The problem with that is, the exe is not located in this folder. The only two folders or files in this location are World Adventures and Generations. No base game folder.

Shouldn't I have folders for all of my games in this folder? I'm wondering if this is my problem. What should I do? Thanks ya'll.

[kwohld · Accepted solution]

I took out some Mods that I installed about a week ago and now my game is working perfectly!

[kwohld]

I downloaded the Crash Log Analyzer and it shows 6 crash errors. They all say: Warning: Updates Available: The Sims 3 World Adventures. One of the solutions listed is Data execution prevention, which, as I said above, I am unable to do.

[puzzlezaddict]

@kwohld  Please provide the full dxdiag.  In the first screenshot, click "Save all information," and attach that text file to a post.

Please also undo any compatibility mode you've currently set up, and disable any cleaner app you currently have running.  Sims 3 works fine in Windows 10, and cleaner apps can delete essential files or temp files that the game is currently using.

It sounds like you might have a combined disc/Origin install, but let me know whether this is the case.

[kwohld]

I will disable these both, then. What do you mean by a combined disc/origin install?

[puzzlezaddict]

@kwohld  From your dxdiag, you're clearly launching the game through Origin.  But from the install location you listed for a couple of packs, it sounds like you might have installed those packs via disc rather than downloading them directly through Origin.  This shouldn't matter—Origin should patch all game content regardless—but the info about the update available for World Adventures made me wonder.  WA had its own standalone patch, as was the case with early packs before everything was combined into a base game patch.

On the other hand, the Crash Log Analyzer is notoriously unreliable, so its info may be totally irrelevant.

Some of the Sims 3 crashes in your dxdiag are access violations, which can be just about anything; and some are a type of error that's most commonly associated with a graphics card driver issue.  The dxdiag also lists a few Windows errors.  So the place to start is with a couple of basic checks on your Windows system files:

• Hit Windows key-X
• Choose either “PowerShell (Administrator)” or “Command prompt (Administrator),” whichever option is offered
• Inside the window that appears, copy and paste “DISM.exe /Online /Cleanup-image /Restorehealth” without quotes into the window, 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 “Command prompt (Administrator)”
• Inside the window, copy and paste “sfc /scannow” without quotes into the window, and enter
• Post the message you receive here

Restart your computer, hit Windows key-i, select Update & Security, and click the button to check for updates.  If anything installs, restart again when you're done.

Now repair the game: open your Origin game library, right-click on the Sims 3 icon, and select Repair.  If you've taken steps to get your graphics card recognized, the repair will undo those steps, so first put aside the two edited .sgr files and put them back later (not untl the game is working again though).  If you don't know what I'm talking about, ignore this.

If none of this helps, the next step would be a clean uninstall and reinstall of the graphics driver.

Spoiler

Download Display Driver Uninstaller from here:

https://www.wagnardsoft.com/forums/viewtopic.php?f=5&t=3480

Download a fresh copy of the newest driver from Nvidia:

https://www.nvidia.com/Download/driverResults.aspx/174664/en-us

Next, take your computer completely offline—disable wifi and/or pull the ethernet cord—and double-click the DDU.exe.  Take note of where the file will land, and click Extract.  If it's easier, you can copy the path and then paste it into the address bar in a File Explorer window.  Open the folder and then launch Display Driver Uninstaller.exe, and you'll get a message that you're not in Safe Mode.  Click OK, then go to Options and enable Safe Mode dialog.  Here's a screenshot of what your options should look like; make sure the box in red is checked:

Close options, and the DDU, and then open the DDU.exe again.  For launch options, choose "Safe Mode (Recommended)," and then click Reboot to Safe Mode (you'll need your password, so find it before rebooting).  Once you login, you'll see this:

In the blue box, choose GPU, then Nvidia if it's not already showing.  Then click Clean and Restart (red box).

Once your computer has rebooted, now back in normal mode, run the driver install .exe in custom mode.  Select "perform a clean installation" and install ONLY the GPU driver and the PHYSX software.

Reboot again, go back online, and see whether the game works normally.  If not, please post a new dxdiag.

[kwohld]

I did end up having to clean uninstall and reinstall my GPU but at least everything is working now. I appreciate your help. Now that I did all that, is it best to scrap my game to prevent any more glitches?

[puzzlezaddict]

@kwohld  The issue with the GPU driver, and any issue with Windows you might have been having, would not be related to any problems with a save.  If your save is in fact corrupt in some way, which is still possible, trying to run it shouldn't have any negative impact on your system's overall health.  So there's not much potential for harm in trying it; at worst, you might need to play in a clean Sims 3 user folder, which I'd suggest anyway if you were going to scrap the save.

[kwohld]

Thank you Puzzlezaddict. You're the best!

[kwohld]

Ok I am having the game crash on me again. Even after performing 7 hours of attempted fixes, it's still crashing. As soon as I clicked out of Build Mode, it crashed very quickly and unexpectedly.

[kwohld]

I had to do a clean install of Windows in January, so all my EA files were deleted. Apparently I forgot to increase my RAM because it was still only at 20000000. I increased it to 8 GB as I have 16 GB of RAM. But that apparently didn't make a difference because it's still crashing.

Also, I figured out through trial and error that, right now anyway, my game is only crashing right after I delete my garden. This includes my plants, sprinkler, and garden fencing. I'll reset the lot and see if that helps.