Another crashing problem...

by Guest Mon 29 Apr 2013, 22:10

Hey there! I'm sorry if I'm spamming this, i looked for the exact same problem but i couldnt find any topic with it. :newfag:

I installed the game and all expansions and played several times with absolutely no problems.
But the other day after about an hour playing I pressed "save and quit" and it stood there for a really long time which made me just open the task manager and shut it down.

I could save after that but yesterday it got worse.
Again, after an hour+ playing, I went to save and this time pressed "save" to see if it made a difference. It did.
"Sims 3 stopped working" and the game crashed. Lost everything I'd done so far. Okay... no stress, I'll redo it tomorrow.

Today, I saved right when i got in to see if the problem persisted. It didnt so I thought it was okay. Wrong again.
Played for a while, had tons of stuff done yet again, pressed "save". "Sims 3 stopped working". Got a little pisst this time around.

Initiated it again. Saved up front again. No problems, played for a while (15 minutes tops) and saved once while at it to both test it again and at least save some progress so that if it crashed i didnt lose much.
At the end of that time, I had finished all the important changes to my house and decided to save. Crashed, of course.

So it keeps crashing but only when i try to save and only from time to time, apparently when I've done more stuff and has nothing to do with EDIT TOWN mode.
My pc runs this just fine, I did the ultimate fix and some of the expansions were installed from the atual CDs which I borrowed. The person I borrowed them from did the same thing, she actually directed me to the games4theworld torrents and runs the game just fine, like I used to.

Any suggestions?
Thanks for the help.

by **The_gh0stm4n** Mon 29 Apr 2013, 22:21

H2F wrote:Hey there! I'm sorry if I'm spamming this, i looked for the exact same problem but i couldnt find any topic with it.

I installed the game and all expansions and played several times with absolutely no problems.
But the other day after about an hour playing I pressed "save and quit" and it stood there for a really long time which made me just open the task manager and shut it down.

I could save after that but yesterday it got worse.
Again, after an hour+ playing, I went to save and this time pressed "save" to see if it made a difference. It did.
"Sims 3 stopped working" and the game crashed. Lost everything I'd done so far. Okay... no stress, I'll redo it tomorrow.

Today, I saved right when i got in to see if the problem persisted. It didnt so I thought it was okay. Wrong again.
Played for a while, had tons of stuff done yet again, pressed "save". "Sims 3 stopped working". Got a little pisst this time around.

Initiated it again. Saved up front again. No problems, played for a while (15 minutes tops) and saved once while at it to both test it again and at least save some progress so that if it crashed i didnt lose much.
At the end of that time, I had finished all the important changes to my house and decided to save. Crashed, of course.

So it keeps crashing but only when i try to save and only from time to time, apparently when I've done more stuff and has nothing to do with EDIT TOWN mode.
My pc runs this just fine, I did the ultimate fix and some of the expansions were installed from the atual CDs which I borrowed. The person I borrowed them from did the same thing, she actually directed me to the games4theworld torrents and runs the game just fine, like I used to.

Any suggestions?
Thanks for the help.

First of all welcome to the forum,

OK, have you already tried any of the suggestions posted here ?
Also, try deleting the following cache files (in Documents/Electronic Arts/The Sims 3)
(that should be done regularly):
-CASPartCache.package
-compositorCache.package
-scriptCache.package
-simCompositorCache.package
-socialCache.package
-plus the contents of the folders "WorldCaches" & "Thumbnails"

If that doesn't change anything, rename your "The Sims 3" folder (see above for location). After that start a new savegame and see if you still have problems. If not, you can put your old savegame (from the backup) back into the "Saves" folder of the newly created Sims 3 folder. Keep in mind that if you remove/rename the Sims 3 folder you will have to re-install your mods/custom content too - at a later point Smile

//EDIT:
If you say it worked before, I don't think this is a hardware error. But what about your graphics driver - is it up-to-date ?

by Guest Tue 30 Apr 2013, 20:49

Hey, thanks for the reply!
My laptop is brand new, got it a month ago and installed all drivers at that time. I'll try to update the driver though cause I used the one that came with the cd they have god knows since when stored to send along with the laptops.
I'm sorry for being such a pain, but most of what you just said made no sense to me whatsoever.
After rename the folder (to anything else, I suppose?), I should start a new game when prompted with the same old screen I get to select between my active households?
And if it does work, I should go where to copy my old savegame into the sims 3 save folder? the backup? where is that?
I'm sorry to put you through this work but if you could just detail your explanation further that would be great. I have no idea what mods are either.
I will try your suggestions and post back when I'm done Very Happy

Thank you very much!

Ps: That thing on the page you linked, checking the "run as administrator" box and run, doesnt work. The thing is, I got an nvidia 660m and an intel whatever working together and the nvidia is predefined to run with sims. But when I initiate the game it never does run with the Nvidia but instead with the intel which for some reason resets all the screen resolution settings and stuff I applied before at every turn. so what I do is always right click the shortcut, and select "run with" "nvidia gpu" (not to mention that the intel runs this on a **** quality). When I check that admin box and do this, the launcher simply doesnt even open. Any suggestions on what's going on?

//EDIT:
update: I have no WorldCaches folder on that location, but deleted all
else I was supposed to. Also, there are some strange files (text docs
and MDMP files) with my pcs name on it... Are they supposed to be there?

I
figured out that backup location (noob me replied before
investigating). Still dunno what mods are, but i never get anything from
the store and any furniture/clothing i customized in the game really
isnt important since i never do major changes that i want to save, so if
that's it, no worries.

Thank you once again and I'll update as I test.

by **The_gh0stm4n** Tue 30 Apr 2013, 21:25

Alright, then..
If you rename your "The Sims 3" folder, the game will (upon the next start) create a new Sims 3 folder. Why is that important? The savegame could be corrupted; existing mods (small files that influence the gameplay) or custom content (downloadable items like clothing, hairstyles, furniture; or the official EA store content) could cause problems.
So if you really remove that big Sims 3 folder, you will also realise that your savegame "is not there" - what you are basically doing is to reset everything in the game. Why do we do that? We want to find out if the game is basically working - and if you can get the game running it shows you at least that you installed/cracked the game correctly and that there is no hardware error.
OK, now that you have a new Sims 3 folder (and a new savegame that is working), you will probably want to find out if you can put your previous savegame (from the OLD/PREVIOUS Sims 3 folder - wherever you backed it up) back into the new Sims 3 folder.

So in your previous Sims 3 folder, find a folder called "Saves" (that's where your old savegame is). Copy that folder into the NEW Sims 3 folder, and replace any existing Saves-folders. Now you have your old savegame back in - you should then test the game again (your save should appear in the start menu).
Why are we "putting things back in one by one"? This is (probably) the easiest way to find out if something is wrong. So let's say you put your old save back in. You realise that the game crashes. Then you delete the save again. When you restart the game and see that everything is fine again, what do you think the problem most likely was ? Right, your old savegame...

Please leave the DEP settings as they are suggested in the link I posted before.
//EDIT:
And you should only touch files when we (either I or the other helpers) tell you to do so Laughing

so if you don't have "WorldCaches" this means you haven't played a savegame yet (=when you start a completely new game and if there are no previous savegames). I guess I forgot to mention that before..

by Guest Wed 01 May 2013, 00:37

Okay, I did the rename folder thing and played for a loooong while. Saved, all good, so I went to copy the Moonlight Falls.sims3.backup folder with my game. I got it in the "saves" folder of the new Sims 3 one. But I initiated the game and my previous save game doesn't show up on the pick a city menu.
What did I do wrong? Should I have copied the Moonlight Falls.sims3 folder instead?
Thanks.

by **The_gh0stm4n** Wed 01 May 2013, 00:40

H2F wrote:Okay, I did the rename folder thing and played for a loooong while. Saved, all good, so I went to copy the Moonlight Falls.sims3.backup folder with my game. I got it in the "saves" folder of the new Sims 3 one. But I initiated the game and my previous save game doesn't show up on the pick a city menu.
What did I do wrong? Should I have copied the Moonlight Falls.sims3 folder instead?
Thanks.

In theory it should be enough if you remove the "backup"-end of the folder name; so rename the folder this way: "Moonlight falls.sims3"

by Guest Wed 01 May 2013, 00:59

okay... I copied the Moonlight Falls.sims3 folder instead and it worked, I got my save game back.
Went to save after 10 minutes of playing and it crashed.
Thats the issue, I get that I'll have to delete everything I did despite all the trouble I went to and my huge unwillingness to do it.
Thank you so much of your help. So I just have to delete the save game folder I copied and the previous sims 3 folder that I renamed and keep the new one created, right?
What advices can you give me so that no other save games become corrupted (if that's the right term) and I dont have to do this and delete them again? Do you know what caused it in the first place, since it previously worked fine?

Thank you very much, despite having to delete everything, I have my game back and a solution.

//EDIT:
should I even try to remove that backup part and copy the other folder as my last hope or will it just do the same?

by **The_gh0stm4n** Wed 01 May 2013, 01:11

Alright, I see this is going to be a really tough problem, but I still have some options (but not too many, I'm afraid).

You saw the link above, about "how to correctly install the Sims 3" ? There you will also find a manual patch to download. Even if your Sims 3 base game is up-to-date, (re-) download that patch and (re-)apply it. After that re-apply the "Ultimate fix", but make sure you read the instructions very carefully! It's very important that the fix is applied correctly.
Also: have you since changed something in your graphics settings? if yes, try lowering your settings.

//EDIT:
For now, leave the "Sims 3" folder and your save as they are...
And actually it doesn't really matter if you copy your all your saves to the new location or rename just the folder with the "backup" ending. The "backup" is, as the name suggests, just a backup of your save; so it's practically the same.

by Guest Wed 01 May 2013, 13:08

OK, thanks again for all your patience.
Got some questions though:

I have EADM installed, but not Origin cause i dont want another steam. But the Ultimate fix page says that EADM is called Origin... I thought it wasnt the same thing... Anyway, if I really have to get Origin, I will, so do I?

I got that 4gb patch thing from the page you gave me. What .exe files am I suppose to pick when prompted?

I got more expansions than the ones mentioned on the DEP fix. Should I do the same for those too?

How can I see if my mobile chipset is compatible with the game? Cause if it is and since I have a pretty good pc, then in that case the settings probably arent the problem, right?

If nothing works and since the game worked fine without my previous save, should I just delete it?

by **The_gh0stm4n** Wed 01 May 2013, 13:43

H2F wrote:OK, thanks again for all your patience.
Got some questions though:

I have EADM installed, but not Origin cause i dont want another steam. But the Ultimate fix page says that EADM is called Origin... I thought it wasnt the same thing... Anyway, if I really have to get Origin, I will, so do I?

I got that 4gb patch thing from the page you gave me. What .exe files am I suppose to pick when prompted?

I got more expansions than the ones mentioned on the DEP fix. Should I do the same for those too?

How can I see if my mobile chipset is compatible with the game? Cause if it is and since I have a pretty good pc, then in that case the settings probably arent the problem, right?

If nothing works and since the game worked fine without my previous save, should I just delete it?

Alright, I don't have this "Origin" and I'm afraid I can't help out too much with that. I've heard some people having problems with it, others didn't..maybe Admin or LadyElDi can help you more for that question. That said, I would first try without, as I don't have any problems with that (since I don't have Origin).
For the 4 GB patch, you should patch the "TS3W.exe" in Program Files(x86)/Electronic Arts/The Sims 3/Game/Bin. This is the location of the Sims 3 BASE GAME.
About the DEP: yes, do this with all expansions you have.
About the graphics card: have a look here.

And yes, in theory it's possible that your previous savegame (in Moonlight falls) somehow got corrupted.. try playing a new save for some time and see if you encounter the crashing problem again - at some point...

by Guest Wed 01 May 2013, 14:15

Okay, my GPU has Yes for all so that's probably not it.

I re-apllied the patch and the ultimate fix. I will do the 4gb patch and finish the dep thing and try to play my old savegame. If it still crashes, I'll check that origin thing and install it if necessary (the game itself notices the lack of it whenever I open the launcher).

If none of it works, I will play a new game for a while and see if at some point I get the crashing error.
If I dont, I'll erase my old save data and carry on from there.

If I do... well you'll be hearing more from me cause that means something is corrupting my files and I'll have to try and figure out what that is.

Thank you very much for helping me out with this and if I haven't completely drained your patience yet and if it's not too much to ask please dont stop checking the thread. I will always post here as I progress so I dont spam the forum.

//EDIT:
I can't help asking... Are you Portuguese?

by **The_gh0stm4n** Wed 01 May 2013, 14:27

H2F wrote:Okay, my GPU has Yes for all so that's probably not it.

I re-apllied the patch and the ultimate fix. I will do the 4gb patch and finish the dep thing and try to play my old savegame. If it still crashes, I'll check that origin thing and install it if necessary (the game itself notices the lack of it whenever I open the launcher).

If none of it works, I will play a new game for a while and see if at some point I get the crashing error.
If I dont, I'll erase my old save data and carry on from there.

If I do... well you'll be hearing more from me cause that means something is corrupting my files and I'll have to try and figure out what that is.

Thank you very much for helping me out with this and if I haven't completely drained your patience yet and if it's not too much to ask please dont stop checking the thread. I will always post here as I progress so I dont spam the forum.

//EDIT:
I can't help asking... Are you Portuguese?

OK, I guess in this case it's better to leave the topic open, so that you can reply at a later point.

My great-grandmother moved from Spain to the Philippines a loooong time ago. Apart from that, my Spanish and "Tagalog" are very limited...and I just have loose connections to the Philippines (last time I went there was in the mid-1990s).

Well, I see that you still have to learn a few things Laughing

, but in all honesty, you were nice. I also had some really nasty and ungrateful users here (even a brief encounter with a racist girl). But I'm not letting myself being pulled down by these few Another crashing problem... 4049071320

That said, I wish you good luck for your game!

by Guest Wed 01 May 2013, 20:10

I thought you were because of your name, it's very common here Very Happy

but I guess I forgot it's also very common in Spain ahaha

Well, after all the fixes and patches and DEP corrections I still get the damn crashing error. Since the game worked just fine without the old save game and there is no way I can fix it anyways, I will just delete it. I will get "mad" at the game for a while because of the frustration of losing it all but I will eventually get back to it and create a new save game.

Fingers crossed that it doesn't get corrupted and this was a one-time incident.

I dont care for being ungrateful to someone who owes me nothing and could deal just fine with me having problems with my game but still grants me their help.
There are so little people left who actually care to help others, especially when it's about something as shallow as a game, and on top of that something that doesnt even affect them directly.
I find very unsmart to treat them badly.
But it's very human-like to ruin what you are given and realise that you screwed up only later (e.g. earth).

Thank you for the time you spent trying to help me, if the new save game gets corrupted then I'll be back to bug you with my 1st world problems.

by **The_gh0stm4n** Thu 02 May 2013, 13:08

Hello again,

So it seems that I've reached the "end of the line" here, as far as the crashing is concerned. But there's one last thing you could do for the future: go to Documents/Electronic Arts/The Sims 3/Saves and regularly backup that folder to a safe place (preferably on a USB stick, external hard drive,etc.)
So if anything goes wrong with your save, you have at least one backup of your save. Just copy and replace the backup with your current save in "The Sims 3" folder.

by Guest Tue 07 May 2013, 23:11

Hey there!
I've been backing up my saves as you advised me and the latest backup had a .bad folder. As I saved i remember i got an error code 16. What should I do about this? Just delete the .bad folder from my backup and the "saves" folder?
Thanks

by **The_gh0stm4n** Tue 07 May 2013, 23:21

H2F wrote:Hey there!
I've been backing up my saves as you advised me and the latest backup had a .bad folder. As I saved i remember i got an error code 16. What should I do about this? Just delete the .bad folder from my backup and the "saves" folder?
Thanks

Hey there,

Yes, save folders with a ".bad" ending should be deleted. And as for the error 16, try the option "save as" and choose a different name for the save (for example like this: Moonlight Falls 1,2,3,4,...etc.).

by Guest Sun 12 May 2013, 22:46

hey there, this isnt really related to the original question...
everytime i try to get my horse do use de salt lick or the ball i cant. not because of lack of space, but because i simply cant open the options on it. i cant click it. a hand appears on it and it's unclickable.
any suggestions?
thanks

forget it, didnt realise it was because my horse was still a foal

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