[Resolved] Sims 3 expansion/stuff pack download error [ Edited ]

[HappyEsmee01]

I got a new laptop so I tried to reinstall my Sims 3 game plus expansions through Origin.
I had no problems with the base game and other expansions but every time I try to download Supernatural a message pops up that says there is a download error and that Origin can’t download the expansion.

I’ve tried to reinstall Origin and the Sims a few times but it keeps happening and only with this expansion.

I also tried to install it again on the pc I used to play on, since I’ve never got this error before, but it still didn’t work

I hope there’s someone around who can help me

edited title for better visibility.  -puzzlezaddict

[EA_Cade · Accepted solution]

Hello all,

We've released a backend fix for this issue yesterday, at this time believe it to be resolved. 

Thank you all for your patience while we worked towards a resolution.

[Heavysimmer42]

Product: EA app
Platform:PC
Error Report ID (learn how to create an Error Report ID in the sticky post)
Which client functionality are you experiencing this bug with? Download Game
When did this happen? (dd.mm.yy hh:mm) 8/21/2022
Summarize your bug None of my packs will download.
How often does the bug occur? Every time (100%)
Steps: How can we find the bug ourselves? Download the sims 3 with at least 8 packs (7 expansion and 1 stuff)
What happens when the bug occurs? My packs don't download
What do you expect to see? For my packs to download with my game

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I go to install The Sims 3 back on my computer using EA Desktop because I didn't want to install Origin back on to my computer and so i used it installs the game just fine but when I open up the launcher it says that there is no packs installed when I clicked on all of my packs to install them when I went to install the game. (Just so you know I always install my games on a sd card with enough space on it and some space left on my computer so I can install mods and stuff I got from the sims 3 store and exchange) I didn't have this problem before when I used Origin. I even deleted everything and reinstalled it from scratch still didn't work. The packs I have are Pets, Seasons, Supernatural, World Adventures, Ambitions, Generations, Late Night, and High-End Loft Stuff.

[puzzlezaddict]

@HappyEsmee01  Try using the EA App instead, at least for the downloading process.  You can get it here:

https://answers.ea.com/t5/General-Discussion/FAQ-EA-Desktop-Beta/td-p/9090992

The EA App may automatically uninstall Origin, but you can just reinstall it.  It's fine to have both apps installed on the same computer; you just can't run them both at the same time.

[HappyEsmee01]

@puzzlezaddict I will give it a try, thank you !

[LoreGalore]

@HappyEsmee01 Did switching to the EA App work for you?

I've been having the same issue for the past two weeks. The Supernatural expansion is the only one that won't install. I've switched back and forth between Origin and the EA App and both give downloading errors when I try to install it. Is there anything else I can try?

[puzzlezaddict]

@LoreGalore  There has recently been an EA-side issue with downloading certain products, but it's supposed to have been solved as of about four hours ago (at the time of my writing this).  So please check back now and see whether you can download Supernatural.  If not, clear the cache for Origin or the EA App, whichever you want to use, and try again.

https://help.ea.com/en-us/help/faq/clear-cache-to-fix-problems-with-your-games/

If that doesn't help, let me know so I can flag this.

[LoreGalore]

@puzzlezaddict Thank you for getting back to me! These are the steps I've tried with no success. I cleared Origin cache and tried to redownload Supernatural and got the error. I then uninstalled Origin and used CCleaner to clear my registry. I reinstalled the EA App and tried the download again...still an error but I also noticed the EA App says I have two copies of Movie Stuff when I don't. And when I do try to install Supernatural on the EA App it acts like it's going to redownload the Sims 3 base game again as well...which could be normal, I'm not used to this app. After the error, I uninstalled the EA App, cleared my registry again and reinstalled Origin because I'm more comfortable there. I tried to download the expansion one more time and got the same error. I'm at a loss at what to do now. Thanks again for the help.

[puzzlezaddict]

@LoreGalore  When you cleaned your computer's registry, did you by any chance also delete any registry entries related to the Sims 3 base game?  If so, that may be why the EA App tried to download the game a second time.  It's normally supposed to recognize the games Origin has already installed, but without the registry entries, and with the game likely not being in the EA App's defaul install location (you can see it's EA Games rather than Origin Games), the App may not have found it.

I'm also curious whether the game launches at all at this point.

Anyway, at this point, I'd usually suggest uninstalling the entire game and reinstalling to a different folder than the one it's currently in, preferably a new folder you create yourself (e.g. C:\Games).  But if this is one lingering symptom of the partly-resolved EA-side download issues, you may not be able to reinstall the game at all, at least not until EA fixes this problem completely.  I don't know when that will be.

Do you have access to a different computer where you could test?  It would be useful to confirm whether the issue was particular to your system.

[LoreGalore]

@puzzlezaddict Hello again! I only removed items from the registry that had to do with Origin and the EA app only. The game with the rest of the dlc does launch and play really well with no issues so far over the past three days. Earlier I asked my sister to login to my account to see if she could try to download Sims 3 + Supernatural only and she had the same issue with Supernatural so it's a relief it's not my system. I'm nervous about uninstalling/reinstalling the whole series again...I'd rather have some Sims dlc than none but I will definitely try it again soon.

[puzzlezaddict]

@LoreGalore  It does sound like there's an issue on EA's end, either overall or with your account.  I can ask someone from EA to take a look, but it'll likely be a couple days at least before you get a response.