I refreshed my laptop in 2020 [ Edited ]

[MaverickHawk5]

Haha it worked! Though game is a bit slow. Might need to delete the dcbackup package files? @puzzlezaddict 

Copying all dcbackup to mod folder worked. My genius idea! 

Testing out from here...will keep it updated.

[MaverickHawk5]

Well slow when loading up family/town, which might change later after a save? I'm not testing that just yet. Though I got back some mods I deleted long ago, lol. Like a Porsche GT3, which I can't even find anymore.

Perhaps transferring DCBACKUP to mods folder is the way to go? Though I have some duplicates of items. @puzzlezaddict 

Well that's one way to get back cc content from some simsexchange. 

I'll work with more tomorrow. I'm tired of messing with the game, however it works. That's quite funny in my opinion.

[puzzlezaddict]

@MaverickHawk5  Not only is moving .package files from DCBackup to Mods\Packages fine, it's done deliberately by some people who don't want to have their custom content in .Sims3Pack form, or rather .dbc file form.  They install through the launcher, grab the .package files out of DCBackup and dump them in the Mods folder, then delete the .dbc files created by the install process.  This also makes it easier to find and remove bad cc, or even content that's fine but that you don't want in your game anymore.  This process doesn't work for store content though, at least not without extra stels.

If you want to go this route, just make sure you remove the associated .dbc files in DCCache so you don't have any duplicates.  Or, if you still have the original downloads, you could install them into a clean folder from scratch and only keep the DCBackup files.  Then you wouldn't need to worry about the launcher in your main user data folder, at least until you installed store stuff.

Sims and lots from the Exchange also place a file in SavedSims or Library, and worlds create a file in InstalledWorlds, so be sure to move those files over too if you're installing into a clean folder.

The loading time for a new save is a bit longer than the time it takes for very new saves to load, probably because of the extra stuff (like placing venues from expansion packs) that needs to happen.  But for me, on an NVMe SSD, it's still only maybe 90 seconds.  On the other hand, that's in a series of clean folders I have for testing; I can't remember the last time I started a new save in a folder that was loaded with other content.

[MaverickHawk5]

The problem I'm having is getting the dbc and ebc to work in game or even recognize is based on my understanding from DCCache. Also DCBackup isn't used in game as I read from a source, but it did give me some old mods that I had before and deleted by putting every package file in the mods folder. So testing how that worked is quite funny. Though having 575 (.package) files from DCBackup in mods folder is going to create problems on game performance because I have many duplicates for some reason I don't know? Probably because of transferring everything to create a new town from SunsetValley to BridgePort, when I got the LateNightEP? 

I read somewhere that creating a Mods/DCCache folder helps with this issue, which might alleviate some issues and help the ebc-dbc to recognize in game?

Also I'm really concerned some of my other CC content isn't recognized in game. I mean CC content that is from exchange, which I found out doesn't appear in game at all. Though lots of it is content that was extracted from third-party (.Sims3Package) files, which I don't have anymore and just extracted (.package) type. 

Also no (.Sims3Package) files from EA store is working after reinstalling! 

Anyone would think everything will work smoothly by transferring to new computer or factory settings state, but this is exactly my concern from the very beginning! 

Also I might need to transfer the userpreset.package over to MyDocuments/EA? I forgot to do that. I'm reading from sources based upon what every folder/file does.

Would deleting dcc.ent and missingdeps.idx help refresh for recognizing in game?

@puzzlezaddict

[puzzlezaddict]

@MaverickHawk5  In case it's not clear, you should use either the .dbc files in DCCache, or the .package files that land in DCBackup, not both.  When you install a custom content file through the launcher, it gets bundled into a .dbc file in DCCache, and a backup copy of that same cc item also lands in DCBackup, as in, they're duplicates, just in different forms.  So if you want to use the files in DCBackup, you need to get rid of the corresponding .dbc bundles.

What a lot of people do is install their cc in a clean folder, grab the files from DCBackup, and then delete all the .dbc files in DCCache, so they're sure they don't have duplicates of everything.  Otherwiser, you'd need to sort through your content manually, which is a pain.

For the cc that isn't working, please test it in a clean folder, just to be sure there aren't any other issues that are interfering with the cc loading.

If your store content (not Exchange items but store content you have to buy with points) isn't working, that's a separate issue.  Please install one item into a clean folder and let me know whether it works.

The userpreset.package file contains any styles you've saved in Create a Style.  It has nothing to do with store or custom content.

I know this process is a headache, but it's really much easier if you address one problem at a time.  Each time you solve one of them, you can make a backup copy of the user data folder, so if you run into trouble later, you can restore that copy of the folder rather than starting from scratch.

[MaverickHawk5]

Thinking that perhaps maybe I had 1.65 update and never installed 1.67 on previous game install? Though it could be the case of why nothing is reading correctly? Seriously this is a pain to make stuff work! I tried reinstalling the content and nothing!

Just went you thought everything worked, because the game loaded, and most of the ebc-dbc cc content doesn't show up. 

[puzzlezaddict]

@MaverickHawk5  There was no 1.65 patch level, and 1.66 and 1.67 were virtually identical.  Even 1.63 was very similar.  But if you had an earlier patch, then yes, that might have been the issue.

If you'd like to send me some files to test, I'd be happy to do so.  I have several installs I can use.

[MaverickHawk5]

Nevermind... it's Windows 7 Build. Was looking at the sim3launcher.log from previous install in MyDocuments/EA folder; looking at my external drive.

The ebc and dbc should work, but it isn't! I tried reinstalling them from launcher and nothing works! 

@puzzlezaddict 

[MaverickHawk5]

@puzzlezaddict 

Do me a favor real quick. I was curious about something on .cfg. Trying to get rid of the notepad open with. 

HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Explorer\FileExts\.cfg

Please tell me what you see.

I deleted the notepad pad input, but unsure in....(.cfg)

OpenWithList

(MRU)(REG-SZ)( a )

OpenWithProgids

(cfg_auto_file)(REG_NONE)(zero-length binary value)

to deleting those also.

I'm going to try something. I'll explain later.

Just want the notepad open with gone!

[MaverickHawk5]

I made a Mods/DCCache and it works! Some work around. Yes I placed the dbc in a folder.

FYI why is every dbc content wanting to read from the mod folder and not just DCCache? 

@puzzlezaddict 

Inside the mods folder in MyDocuments/EA, I made a DCCache folder and placed the dbc in there. 

So far I thank you for assisting me through this, even though I found out by trying things and looking around from other sources. 

This is perhaps what I need to do to get around issues, though how can I get the ebc to work in game, since I reinstalled from launcher and nothing is working still?! Only dbc content is working, which is now alleviating part of the headache so far.

Edit: I think I found my answer for the ebc?

http://simswiki.info/wiki.php?title=Game_Help:GCCTSU3_DCCache2Mods