My cc is missing

[jubita30]

Well, here I am... again.

A few weeks ago I had a problem with my The Sims 3 game that I couldn't install CC (custom content). I came here and asked for help - and, yay, I got it. 

The thing was that my antivirus was blocking the downloads and bla bla bla... I fixed it.

And everything was SUPER fine until a couple days ago, when my game stopped working for good. I couldn't open it, and when it launched I would receive a message saying "The Sims 3 stopped working". So, yeah, I got really frustraded and once again I searched for a solution.

I kinda did, actually (?) but I don't think it really helped because it crashed again.

What I found (and did) was to delete a few files from de DCBackup and SavedSims (downloadedsims, i guess). There were a few more but I forgot their names, but in the internet said they weren't really important so maybe that's not the point. Thing is that, when I deleted the SavedSims files, ALL my cc just vanished from my game. So, yes, it worked, but I had none of the things I spend days downloading.

And then I went after more things, installed AGAIN, the game worked for a day and then the same thing happened (The Sims 3 stopped working) and I got really mad.

So I deleted that file once again, reinstalled ALL my cc (this time I had backup, ha!) and life goes on.

BUT... today (actually tonight) it all went bad again. Not the same way this time, but I was trying to install more cc and the launcher said that "Sims 3 launcher stopped working" every time I tried. So I deleted all my mods, checked if the antivirus was fine, moved my download files... but nothing. Oh, and I Accidentally deleted the "Resourse.cpg" when deleting the mods, so I had to get another from the internet (I don't know if that was right, but I did it anyway) and now my launcher got white with two red X (they're gone when I reopen).

ANYWAY, I have none of my cc in game and I need help to get it back. Please, someone?

Notes: - My game says it's up to date (Version 1.67.2.024002) and it's not from origin neither steam (installed by CD). 

           - I have all the EP and SP and also (had) some worlds from the store, all of them working until the problem occour.

           - Sorry about my bad english, I'm brazilian.

[puzzlezaddict · Accepted solution]

@jubita30  I'm really sorry, but I can't help with the "Complete Collection."  That's a pirated version of TS3, and it's not supported here.  This may also be why your cc isn't installing correctly—most creators make their product for the (patched) EA version of the game.

If you want to uninstall it and try to get the Origin version up and running, I can help with that.  Just let me know.

[puzzlezaddict]

@jubita30  When content originally works and then disappears, the usual culprit is a second game folder somewhere that the game is reading instead of the "correct one."  For example, you might have a second game folder in OneDrive, or your original game folder is being uploaded to OneDrive while a second one spawns in Documents, where it belongs.  You can check OneDrive, and search the rest of your computer as well.  The easiest way to keep OneDrive from interfering is to disable it entirely.

Now though, it sounds like there's something wrong with your original game folder, or whichever one TS3 is reading.  It's probably best to rebuild your content in a new folder.  Start by dragging your existing TS3 folder out of Documents and onto your desktop, and then open the launcher.  It should look fine now; please let me know if it doesn't, or if you get any other error messages.

Next, you can start adding content to the new folder, a few files at a time.  Start with your mods.  If you're not sure about the resource.cfg you found, you can download a new one from here:

https://www.nraas.net/community/How-To-Install#Blunote00-s-Check-List

Test your mods in batches, and once you're sure they're all working (or have removed the ones that don't), you can move on to your custom content.  The downloaded files should still be in Downloads in your old game folder, or rather one of them.  You can copy them (copying is better than moving, in case you have to start over) into Downloads inside the new folder and install them from there.  Again, test each batch to make sure the game still works.  It's also a good idea to back up your folder each time it passes the test, so that if you run into a problem, you can trash the newest folder and put the next most recent one back.

The launcher crashing is usually a sign of bad cc, so if it happens, you just need to ditch whichever download is causing the problem.  Some bad cc can be difficult to get rid of; it's much easier to not have it installed in the first place.

Finally, you can delete everything in DCBackup except for ccmerged.package.  This file is necessary for your premium store content to work, but everything else is just there to make sure your cc sticks to items you upload to the Exchange.  SavedSims is where sim templates are saved so that you can load them in CAS, so you can keep or trash those files as you wish.  The other to delete are the cache files in your game folder.  You should get rid of them every time you install or remove content, including mods and cc.  For reference, those files are:

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

Here's a complete list of the files in your game folder, for future reference:

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

[jubita30]

Thank you so much for helping me again! I forgot to thank you the last time you did hahaha

Anyway... the OneDrive folder is empty, there's nothing there at all. Is there another place that I can search for the "second game folder"? Or ithe issue can be something else?

Another thing I forgot to mention was that I have de Origin Client program, and yeas ago I had the The Sims 3 bought from there (but I forgot and only found out after inatslling the "new" game). And sometimes it tries to download the older one, but I always stop before it really does.
With that said, this problem can be related to the Origin Sims 3 that I once had?


And about the folders and files... I'm about to test this right now, so I can tell you if it worked

[puzzlezaddict]

@jubita30  Yes, it might matter that Origin is trying to update your game, or whatever it's doing.  If it's messed with TS3's registry entries, that could prevent you from launching the game.  What patch level are you on now, and what kind of install is this?  (Disc, Steam, etc.)  How you prevent Origin from interfering, or repair the damage, will depend on tye type of install.

You can search your computer for another game folder using File Explorer.  The easiest thing is probably to search for "deviceconfig"—there will be exactly one in each game folder, and the last modified date will tell you when the game last used this folder.

[jubita30]

Okay, so I tried moving the folder to the desktop and moved a few things for the new one. I tried to install some cc (only two) and it went wrong ("The Sims 3 launcher stopped working") again.
I really don't know what to do. If it is bad cc, how do I know which of them delete?

[jubita30]

The patch level I'm on is 21 if I'm not wrong. Into the future.
I installed all of the EP and SP by buying online a "complete collection", witch I installed by disc.

[puzzlezaddict · Accepted solution]

@jubita30  I'm really sorry, but I can't help with the "Complete Collection."  That's a pirated version of TS3, and it's not supported here.  This may also be why your cc isn't installing correctly—most creators make their product for the (patched) EA version of the game.

If you want to uninstall it and try to get the Origin version up and running, I can help with that.  Just let me know.