Sims 4 crashing on launch [ Edited ]

[n-imo320]

Hi, 

I've seen a few other threads like this, but they all seem several years old, and not exactly the same problem, so hope you don't mind me creating a new one.

I hadn't played the Sims 4 in several months before today, but it has always run pretty well on my PC (minimum specs not an issue)

Today I installed the updates that were pending and got error messages on all of them, even though they then went into the Completed list in Origin so I figured it was just a glitch.

However I have since been unable to launch the Sims 4, it starts up quickly and loads through the EA & Maxis logo up to the Sims4 logo (on blue background) when it freezes (just as the (C) 2017) appears and closes, with no error message.

So far, I have :

- deleted my Mods/CC

- deleted the reshade program I was using

- deleted my save files

- reinstalled Origin

- reinstalled the Sims 4 and all the DLC

- deleted Nvidia Geoforce Experience (it appeared on screen as the Sims 4 froze, so I reckoned it could be causing it but no dice)

- updated graphics card drivers

- restarted PC several times

What am I missing ?

Many thanks

[puzzlezaddict]

@n-imo320  It sounds like you may have done it already, but if not, please move the entire Sims 4 folder out of Documents\Electronic Arts and onto your desktop.  When you launch the game, a clean folder will spawn with no content.  Don't add anything to it yet; just see whether you can get far enough to start a new save.

If that doesn't or didn't help, please run a dxdiag and attach it to a post.

https://answers.ea.com/t5/Technical-Issues-PC/sims-4-keeps-crashing-on-windows-10-it-the-only-game-t...

Please also let me know whether you use OneDrive.

[n-imo320]

@puzzlezaddict Thank you for your help !

I have indeed tried moving the Sims 4 folder, to no avail

I do use OneDrive, and have tried deactivating it, nothing has changed

Here is my dxdiag :

[puzzlezaddict]

@n-imo320  I've been troubleshooting with someone else who has the same errors in their dxdiag as you do, and so far nothing has worked.  I'm saying this not to discourage you but to say that this might take some digging.

On that note, let's start by trying a bunch of things all at once, to cut to the chase; if it helps, we can get less drastic, and if not, we've eliminated a bunch of steps at once.  Please create a new admin Windows account on your computer, a local one (no signing into Microsoft) with a username that contains only letters and numbers, no special characters or accents.  Perform a clean boot:

https://www.windowscentral.com/how-clean-boot-windows-10

When you reboot, go through the Task Manager's background processes list shutting down anything that doesn't absolutely need to be running, so basically anything not from Microsoft, AMD, or Nvidia.  If you accidentally kill the wrong process and it doesn't restart on its own, just reboot your computer.  Disable your antivirus as well, that is if you use a third-party option.  (Windows Defender should be fine, or rather it typically produces a different error.)

Run Origin as an admin: right-click and select "Run as administrator."  You'll be able to sign into your existing account and shouldn't need to redownload anything.  Try to play and let me know whether it works.  If it doesn't, restart your computer and repeat the above, except this time, put Origin in offline mode and take your computer offline before pressing Play.

If that doesn't help either, I'd like to see a crash dump.  Click Windows key-R and copy and paste this:

%LocalAppData%\CrashDumps

When you enter, you'll see a list of .dmp files.  If one of them is from Sims 4 or Origin and from after you started the above process, please upload it to a third-party filehosting site (Google Drive, Dropbox, etc.) and link it here.

If there is no Sims 4 .dmp file, you can enable them:

• Hit the Windows key, type "command prompt" in the box, right-click on Command Prompt in the search results, and select Run as Administrator
• In the window, paste "reg add "HKLM\Software\Microsoft\Windows\Windows Error Reporting\LocalDumps\devenv.exe" /v DumpType /d 2 /t REG_DWORD" without the outside quotes into the box, and enter
• Launch Sims 4 and wait for it to crash (whether you can play at all or not)
• After it crashes, wait for any crash dialogs to finish
• Then hit Windows key-R and paste "%LOCALAPPDATA%\CrashDumps" without quotes into the box, and enter
• Upload the last .dmp file to a free filesharing site and link it here
• When you want to undo the auto crash log dumps, open Command Prompt as before, paste "reg delete "HKLM\Software\Microsoft\Windows\Windows Error Reporting\LocalDumps" /f" without the outside quotes, and enter.

I'd like a crash dump from when you clean booted in the new Windows account, even if there are older ones as well.  (They should have timestamps.)  It just makes things less complicated.

[n-imo320]

@puzzlezaddict Ok so I followed the first part of your advice, new account, clean boot, run as administrator and actually got the game working !

As I had got the game running, I stopped there and came back to my main account, reenabled all the background running programs and tried to run game again :

It is currently only running if I run Origin as administrator (but it is running)

So thanks a lot for that, is there a way I can get it to run normally without running it as an administrator ?

[puzzlezaddict]

@n-imo320  That strongly suggests a permissions issue.  Do you use a third-party antivirus?  If so, try disabling it, just to test, and see whether you still need to run Origin as an admin.  If that doesn't help, try clearing Origin's cache, uninstalling it "the hard way," and reinstalling.

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

https://help.ea.com/en/help/origin/origin/manually-uninstalling-origin/

Use the full Origin installer (direct download link):

http://download.dm.origin.com/origin/live/OriginSetup.exe

And run the installer as an admin.

One other thing you can try is moving the Sims 4 program files to a different location.  Create a new folder where you want the game to be—don't use an existing folder—then open your Origin game library, right-click on the Sims 4 icon, select Move Game, and choose the new folder.  Origin will take care of the rest.  You'll want to run Origin as an admin for this process, but after that hopefully it won't be necessary.

[WeRule15]

Hi, I'm currently having the same issue. I don't have it for origin i have it through EA. i've been following a few of your tips on other posts and nothing seems to be getting it to work.. Any advice would be appreciated. thanks 

[puzzlezaddict]

@WeRule15  Please test in a clean user folder.  Move the entire Sims 4 folder out of Documents\Electronic Arts and onto your desktop, and when you launch the game, a clean folder will spawn with no content.  Don't add anything to it yet; just see whether you can get far enough to start a new save and play in live mode for a bit.

If you get another crash, please run a dxdiag and attach it to a post.

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