Service initialization failed [numeric code] reference.

by **☠ ~ Aɳɳ ~ ☠** Sat 18 May 2013, 11:38

Hello,

I'm posting this topic as a reference for the team to help you help our users.
"Service initialization failed" is an error that we tend to see a lot.

Say someone comes in complaining about "an error" when they start the game. The first thing to do is ask them which error. Not everyone assumes it matters which error and they don't always realize those codes have meanings. They do, and knowing exactly which code it is, is essential to solving the problem.

I'll list the most common "Service initialization failed" codes, and their fixes, here.

Service Initialization Failed (0x0175xxxx).

Can be (0x0175dcbb), (0x0175d824).

This one is caused by broken registry references. It usually means the entire game has to be reinstalled, but not always, so make sure of that before telling them to reinstall.

-The most common reason for this error to occur is an incomplete uninstallation. The user neglected to restart his system after uninstalling (part of) the game, before reinstallation and now the registry is broken. If it's an expansion or stuffpack that was uninstalled, Admin's "error during startup" video might apply. If that doesn't work, however, a complete reinstallation of the entire game is in order.
Use your best judgement, you can tell the user to restart the pc after uninstalling before reinstalling, or advise him to use Youruninstallerpro (available here).

-If they had a Blackbox edition, it's a little more complicated. Blackbox is a registry-menace. The more tech-savvy users can attempt to correct the registry themselves (Admin may want to insert a step-by-step [here]) but those that don't feel comfortable doing that will have to ask Admin to have a look with teamviewer. Advise them to join the chatbox when they see Admin online on the forum, and that Admin is usually online during the evenings (timezone GMT +1).

-Sometimes a user has installed the game on an external HD, and the drive was assigned a new drive letter at some point. It's not that complicated to reassign the drive letter, once you know where to find it.
On XP, it's done like this:
Right-click "My Computer" in the start menu, go to "manage" which opens a new window and go to "Drive management". Find the external drive and rightclick for a pop-up menu which allows the user to reassign the drive letter.
Since I have no idea if this works the same on newer OS, I encourage you to find out how this is done on your own OS so you can tell someone how to do this.

-In rare cases, this error can occur after a world (sims3pack) is uninstalled. Clearing the caches entirely will fix it, so always advise the user to try starting the game with a clean folder (rename the The Sims 3 folder in Documents\Electronic Arts). They will have to reinstall their sims3packs.

Service Initialization Failed (0x024e424f).

This one can also come up as the "unofficial game modifications" error.

It's caused by one of 2 things.
-1. There's a compatibility problem between the crack, and the game version. Have the user make sure they have the latest patch level, and the latest fix. A.K.A. steps 2-4 on this page.

-2. There's a compatibility problem between the game version and one or more mods.

I suggest the first thing to ask here is whether or not the user has mods, and if so, to try starting the game without the mods folder or with a clean folder. If that helps, suggest a method to find out which mod it is. Depending on how many they have, suggest the 50/50 method or adding their mods to the game in small groups.

Service Initialization Failed (0x039e8474).

This one doesn't come up as often and is usually caused by a compatibility problem between 2 mods. Find out if it is by having them start the game with a clean folder.

There are more error codes that we see occasionally but these don't come up a whole lot. We can add these to this topic later, if needed. Use Google to find out about possible solutions.

I suggest letting users with errorcodes try the simplest thing first, then move on to the next simplest solution. Ask questions, especially in the case of Service Initialization Failed (0x0175xxxx) to avoid an unnecessary reinstallation.

I hope this helps!
Thoughts, questions, possible solutions can be discussed in this thread.

by **Admin** Sun 19 May 2013, 11:59

Hello Lady ElDi,

Thank you for your extensive post.
When using Your Uninstaller! Pro, I do recommend using the "Super Mode".

Also, in Windows 7 and 8 you can change the drive letter by typing diskmgmt.msc in the Start menu's search box, followed by [ENTER]. Then right-click on the drive you want to change the letter for and choose "Change drive letter...". Wink

by **J.T.** Sun 27 Oct 2013, 07:58

Greetings administrators, moderators and fellow helpers,

I would like to add one more code to the list: 0x065d0274.

This error is mostly caused by incompatible mods and corrupted caches. Usually deleting them helps solve the problem.

by **The_gh0stm4n** Sat 06 Apr 2019, 16:02

//MOVED

Moving the topic into "The Sims 3 Fixes (PC)", and bumping it. Carlos is tha man

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Service initialization failed [numeric code] reference.

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