Sims 3 has stopped working

[ajbran06]

Hello,

SO I purchased Sims 3 on Stream.. and after installing it to my desktop/application, the game will not launch... The program launcher will load but when I click on PLAY an error message pops up that says "Sim 3 has stopped working". Does anyone know how to fix this?

I have a PC (Windows 10 Home)

[puzzlezaddict · Accepted solution]

@ajbran06  Alright, you'll need a USB stick you don't mind erasing, or a blank DVD if your laptop happens to have a DVD drive.  If you don't have one, you can do the intermediate step I mentioned instead.  Either way, it turns out Microsoft has good guides for this process.

https://support.microsoft.com/en-us/help/4000735/windows-10-reinstall

The wipe and reinstall is under "Clean install of Windows 10 using installation media."  If you go this route, Windows should install appropriate drivers for you, but double-check the GPU driver date.  The most recent stable (WHQL) one for your integrated graphics chip is Adrenalin 2020 Edition 20.2.2, from March 5.

https://www.amd.com/en/support/apu/amd-e-series-processors/amd-e2-series-apu-for-laptops/7th-gen-e2-...

If you go the intermediate route, you can choose to create an ISO file, which is an internal installer that remains stored on your PC.  From that, you can mount the ISO file and install Windows from there.  Start at step 4 of this guide:

https://www.tenforums.com/tutorials/120352-custom-install-windows-10-a.html

Installing Windows 10 from scratch is much less intimidating than it sounds, and much easier than it used to be.  It's still a good idea to read the entire guide first though, and to ask if you have questions.  Once you start the install, you can't go back.

[puzzlezaddict]

@ajbran06  Please run a dxdiag and attach it to a post.

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

Please also let me know whether you've ever had Sims 3 installed on this computer before.

[ajbran06]

Just attached it - and no I have not had Sims saved to my computer before.

[puzzlezaddict]

@ajbran06  The Sims 3 errors in your dxdiag reference DirectX 11, which is strange because Sims 3 uses DX9.  But Steam may use DX11, or at least may call it for one reason or another.  The latest versions of DX11 are tied to Windows 10, not usually installed separately.

Try launching Sims 3 from its .exe in the program files, not from within Steam.  In fact, restart your computer and don't open Steam at all, or any other apps.  You can launch the game from TS3W.exe (the option with the W in it, not the similar TS3.exe), which by default will be located in:

Program Files (x86)\Steam\steamapps\common\The Sims 3\Game\bin

If this doesn't work, please run a couple of basic checks on your Windows system files.  Here's how:

• Hit Windows key-X
• Choose either “PowerShell (Administrator)” or “Command prompt (Administrator),” whichever option is offered
• Inside the window that appears, copy and paste “DISM.exe /Online /Cleanup-image /Restorehealth” without quotes into the window, and enter
• The system will start validating soon. If it throws an error, please list it here
• After it reaches 100%, hit Windows key-X again
• Again, choose “PowerShell (Administrator)” or “Command prompt (Administrator)”
• Inside the window, copy and paste “sfc /scannow” without quotes into the window, and enter
• Post the message you receive here

Restart your computer, and try to launch Sims 3, again from its .exe.

By the way, is there a reason you haven't updated Windows 10 in a couple years?  Your dxdiag has a number of update errors, and your Windows build was released in April 2017.  The driver for your GPU is almost as old, but I'm not sure the newest one is even compatible with your version of Windows.  Unless there's a compelling reason, it's a good idea to update Windows and your GPU driver.  But the repairs should be run first anyway.

[ajbran06]

Thank you for your response!

I tried launching the game through the .exe file and it still came out with the “Sims 3 has stopped working” error.

So I went through and did everything you asked... here is the message that came up after the “sfc /scannow” (please see attached).

I then restarted my computer and tried again to open it through the .exe file and still got the same error...

I think you’re right with the Windows and the GPU drive needing updates ASAP... is there a video/tutorial that shows how I can do both? I just fixed this computer after it went died on me in 2016 which is why it’s probably lacking updates.

[puzzlezaddict]

@ajbran06  If you're willing, the best approach would be a clean install of Windows.  The best of all would be to wipe your hard drive entirely, reinstall Windows, manually install the GPU driver, and let Windows find the other relevant drivers.  But if you have programs you don't want to have to reinstall, or data that you can't temporarly store elsewhere (or if that would be a huge pain), there is an intermediate approach that would most likely also work.  Let me know what you'd like to do, and I'll post instructions either way.

[ajbran06]

I'm all for doing a total wipe of my hard drive and manually installing the GPU driver. There's not many files I need to save but I have keep them in my cloud for the time being.

Thank you!

[puzzlezaddict · Accepted solution]

@ajbran06  Alright, you'll need a USB stick you don't mind erasing, or a blank DVD if your laptop happens to have a DVD drive.  If you don't have one, you can do the intermediate step I mentioned instead.  Either way, it turns out Microsoft has good guides for this process.

https://support.microsoft.com/en-us/help/4000735/windows-10-reinstall

The wipe and reinstall is under "Clean install of Windows 10 using installation media."  If you go this route, Windows should install appropriate drivers for you, but double-check the GPU driver date.  The most recent stable (WHQL) one for your integrated graphics chip is Adrenalin 2020 Edition 20.2.2, from March 5.

https://www.amd.com/en/support/apu/amd-e-series-processors/amd-e2-series-apu-for-laptops/7th-gen-e2-...

If you go the intermediate route, you can choose to create an ISO file, which is an internal installer that remains stored on your PC.  From that, you can mount the ISO file and install Windows from there.  Start at step 4 of this guide:

https://www.tenforums.com/tutorials/120352-custom-install-windows-10-a.html

Installing Windows 10 from scratch is much less intimidating than it sounds, and much easier than it used to be.  It's still a good idea to read the entire guide first though, and to ask if you have questions.  Once you start the install, you can't go back.