Can't play the Sims 3 now that I have Windows 11 [ Edited ]

[puzzlezaddict]

@shannara76  Please uninstall VC++ 2005 again, then run the installer as an admin: right-click the installer and select "Run as administrator."

If that doesn't help, please run a Windows repair install, as described here:

https://www.elevenforum.com/t/repair-install-windows-11-with-an-in-place-upgrade.418/

If you still can't play, please look for any new errors in the Reliability Monitor.  Hit Windows key-R and enter "perfmon /rel" without quotes, and you'll see a chart of errors and updates with a column for each day.  Today is on the right.

Look for an error that happened at exactly the time of your most recent attempt to launch Sims 3, specifically after you've done the steps I listed.  If you find one, double-click it to see more details, then copy that info and paste it into a reply here.  If you don't see a new error, check back in an hour or so—the Reliability Monitor doesn't always update right away.

[shannara76]

Hi Puzzlezaddict,

I figured out what was causing me the problems.  My antivirus software was screwing stuff up.  I'll just have to switch that off when I want to play The Sims3.  I wanna thank you for all you help with trying to figure this out.  Thank you for all that you are doing in helping all of us fix the problems we are experiencing, it's greatly appreciated.

Thanks Again

Shannara76

[XSIMplyMarieX]

I've been having the same issue after getting a new gaming laptop! I've been trying to fix my game for about 2 weeks now. 

[puzzlezaddict]

@XSIMplyMarieX  If your computer has a 12th-gen or newer Intel processor, please see the accepted solution of this thread:

https://answers.ea.com/t5/Technical-Issues-PC/Sims-3-won-t-open-Alder-Lake-Intel-12th-gen-CPU/m-p/11...

Otherwise, please run a dxdiag and attach it to a post.

https://help.ea.com/en-us/help/pc/how-to-gather-dxdiag-information/

[XSIMplyMarieX]

@puzzlezaddict Thank you!! I ended up re installing my game. I have yet to fix the crashing problem but If the patch doesn't solve the issue, I'll attach the files. Sorry for the late reply!!

[XSIMplyMarieX]

I've reinstalled the game completely and now even vanilla, the game crashes after I press play in the launcher. Before I tried to reinstall directx9, it gave me an error saying that there's a missing .DLL file. Thankfully, after reinstalling directx9, the dll error is gone but, the game crashing at launch still persists. I'm going to try the powershell method but, I'll leave my files here.

[puzzlezaddict]

@XSIMplyMarieX The crash in your xcpt file is definitely the Alder Lake issue, and you'd need to reapply the patch (or use the PowerShell or Task Manager method) to get around it.  The Task Manager method is the most reliable, so please try that if the others don't work.  And if you try the Alder Lake patch and it causes more problems, repair the game in the EA App (Sims 3 > Manage > Repair) to undo its effects, then use the Task Manager workaround.