Re: Play Sims 4 on new PC (using external hard drive)

by djmiele65
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Original Post

Play Sims 4 on new PC (using external hard drive)

★★ Novice

Hi. I got a new PC (Windows 11) and I am trying to play Sims 4 using the same external hard drive I had been using on my old PC (Windows 7). When I point Origin to the external hard drive on the new computer it loads the Sims but only gives me the option to play a new game, not access my old game. Any idea why it wouldn't work the same way it did on my old computer? Are they any files on my old C Drive that I may need here? Thanks for the help!

Dan

Message 1 of 10 (1,041 Views)

Re: Play Sims 4 on new PC (using external hard drive)

@djmiele65  Your saves and other user content are stored in Documents > Electronic Arts > The Sims 4, so yes, you need to transfer the data inside that folder from your old computer to your new one.  There's a way to move this folder to the external too, but please first just transfer over the files and make sure everything still works.  If not, please stop here and let me know.

 

If the saves and other content work while on your internal drive, and you still want to move all that data to the external, here's how:

 

https://crinrict.com/blog/2020/02/moving-windows-documents-folder-to-external-drive-via-symbolic-lin...

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I don't work for EA. I'm just trying to help fellow players with their games.
Message 2 of 10 (1,019 Views)

Re: Play Sims 4 on new PC (using external hard drive)

★★ Novice

Thanks for the reply! I don't see that exact folder. But if I search for Sims4 files and find any what should I do with them? Copy them to the new computer's C Drive?

Message 3 of 10 (1,000 Views)

Re: Play Sims 4 on new PC (using external hard drive)

@djmiele65  On your Windows 7 machine, the folder may be under My Documents rather than Documents.  But on any computer that's run Sims 4, you'll have an Electronic Arts folder inside Documents and a Sims 4 folder inside that, unless you happen to have deleted it already.  On the new computer, make sure you're looking in the local version of Documents rather than the one in OneDrive.

 

You can also search your old computer for Slot_ , which should turn up any saves still present.  Or look for Config.log , as the Sims 4 folder should have exactly one.

 

When transferring Sims 4 data from one computer to another, the best practice is to transfer the files themselves to their appropriate folders, not to just put the old folders (and definitely not the entire Sims 4 folder) in place.  If you're wondering what to transfer or where to put the files, this guide should help:

 

https://sims4.crinrict.com/eng/2014/09/user-files-explained/

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I don't work for EA. I'm just trying to help fellow players with their games.
Message 4 of 10 (977 Views)

Re: Play Sims 4 on new PC (using external hard drive)

★★ Novice

Thank you! Once I find that folder on the Windows 7 machine and copy it over to the desktop of the new computer, what do I do? I'm still using the external drive for the game info, so I set the game library location to E:Origin Games, correct? What about the legacy game installer folder?  Not sure how I access or utilize the EA Folder that I copied over from the old computer. Thanks again

Message 5 of 10 (958 Views)

Re: Play Sims 4 on new PC (using external hard drive)

[ Edited ]

@djmiele65  Again, Sims 4 user files are stored in Documents > Electronic Arts > The Sims 4.  Documents is on your C drive unless you moved it (and please don't move it to the external drive).  This has nothing to do with the fact that you moved the game's program files to the external.

 

Please read the "user files explained" article I linked so you get a sense of what kinds of files you'd see in the user folder and what they're for.  When you're moving the files from your old computer to the new one, you need to place them in the appropriate subfolders, which will be the same for both machines.  So for example you'll move saves to the saves folder on your new computer, and any files that were in Tray on the old computer will go in Tray on the new one as well.

 

The Legacy Installers folder is an entirely different matter: its purpose is to allow you to store installers for games on your computer so Origin doesn't need to download them again should you need to reinstall.  It actually doesn't work for many games, probably including Sims 4, although I haven't tested.  You can just get rid of this data if you have no purpose for it.

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I don't work for EA. I'm just trying to help fellow players with their games.
Message 6 of 10 (945 Views)

Re: Play Sims 4 on new PC (using external hard drive)

★★ Novice

Thanks a lot for all of your replies. I feel like I'm doing everything right but I just can't get it to work. It's only giving me the option to start a new game. I thought that if I clicked in the Options settings in Origin it would give me the option to locate game, but it only shows me move game. I'm usually fairly savvy with the basis with something like this but I just can't figure out how to get the old game running. 

Message 7 of 10 (912 Views)

Re: Play Sims 4 on new PC (using external hard drive)

@djmiele65  This has nothing to do with Origin.  Origin only controls the game's program files, and saves are user files.

 

Please post a screenshot of the folder that has your saves in it, as in, I want to be able to see the save files themselves.  Be sure to include the address bar, above the list of files, in the screenshot.

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I don't work for EA. I'm just trying to help fellow players with their games.
Message 8 of 10 (899 Views)

Re: Play Sims 4 on new PC (using external hard drive)

★★ Novice

Thanks. Attaching a screenshot here

Message 9 of 10 (868 Views)

Re: Play Sims 4 on new PC (using external hard drive)

@djmiele65  Sorry for the late reply.  First of all, the game won't read anything inside the second saves folder in your screenshot.  So if your missing saves are in there, you'll need to move them into the main saves folder.

 

Second of all, OneDrive is syncing your files, and in fact it was in the process when you took this screenshot.  (That's the blue arrows icon.  A green check mark means a file or folder is synced, and a red X means it could not be.)  This isn't necessarily a problem on its own, but OneDrive can definitely interfere with Sims 4 content, so it's better to block auto-syncing, at least until you get everything else sorted out.  You can deselect Documents for syncing:

 

https://support.microsoft.com/en-us/office/choose-which-onedrive-folders-to-sync-to-your-computer-98...

 

You may first need to pause or cancel the current sync:

 

https://support.microsoft.com/en-au/office/how-to-cancel-or-stop-sync-in-onedrive-4885c27e-3d89-4d69...

 

Or if you have no use for OneDrive, just unlink your computer:

 

https://support.microsoft.com/en-us/office/turn-off-disable-or-uninstall-onedrive-f32a17ce-3336-40fe...

 

Once that's addressed, make sure the saves are in the proper saves folder and see whether they'll load.  If not, please post another screenshot just like this one.

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I don't work for EA. I'm just trying to help fellow players with their games.
Message 10 of 10 (844 Views)