Crashing Issues

I found this site researching my crash issues and feel it is a very knowledgeable and friendly site to I was happy to join your community! I want to dl Into the Future but I must get my game running well again first.

I purchased my system for Sims 3 only and I have played since FEB like a dream. Sometime around the end of OCT I began crashing.

What is happening and what have I done?

My game is crashing somewhere between 20-45 minutes of gameplay. I have run the crash analyzer and there are 2 issues that I see. It kind of alternates. One is graphics and it says update drivers which I have done. I have IntelHD4000 Graphics and from Feb till Oct there was never one issue as far as graphics goes so I don't think that has anything to do with the daily crashes. I only see this even come up as a crash reason every blue moon.

The other message I get more prequently is CC and I am sure that is the culprit. I have uninstalled all simspack files from the launcher run them through custard and reinstalled them.

For Mods I only use some from NRASS like SP, Woo Hooer, Overwatch and always the updated versions. I have some additional package files mostly clothing and hair not really many objects at all. I also have some patterns. I have run the tool from modthesims and no issues show.

I have a feeling that it's a simspack tbh but no real reason I could give you as to why. For things in the launcher must I uninstall each one then install a few at a time if I am doing the method of 50/50 testing? With the package files I know I can just move them out and in as I please.

The real trouble is that the crashes are not happening right away, I wish they were as it would be faster to find the bad cc. I can play from 20 minutes to 45 or so before a crash that the log tells me is CC so it is so hard to use the process of elimination. I thought I had it once already and had found the bad file and nope it just chose to let me play longer before crashing.

Any assistance on finding the bad file with a crash that sometime isn't happening for a while into play would be greatly appreciated. As well as advice on how to easily test with simspack files as those have to be installed/uninstalled.

I did use one of delphy's tools and saw a few conflicts so I went into that dc folder and manually deleted about 4 files and for some reason when I went back in game more than half of my launcher stuff was done and I had to reinstall so that tool really did not help me. I am pretty sure I come up clean on everything right now but those don't always catch everything that is corrupt or maybe outdated.

Thank you so much in advance I just want to play my game happily again which is why I spent a fortune on a new computer which was great until a few months ago


Now I have another issue. I was planning on making a fresh sims 3 folder to start some in depth testing and I went to move some saved games around and with a file that has a same name instead of choosing replace I clicked the next one down its like skip or something. Now somehow my entire save folder view is messed up. Rather than having nice folders plus a backup with my saved games all save game files are all in the folder like a total mish mash I can't tell what's what. If I do a fresh sims 3 go in save a new game then out same thing all the files are mixed in together rather than the normal tidy folder for each save This was resolved with the restore

//EDIT

I'm going to try a system restore to the 18th and see if that fixes the saves folder issues. Then I think ill do another uninstall/ run through custard and be very selective what I put back as in only the things I really love.This has been done I have read package files can be combined with a simpe type program. I don't want to do that until my cc issue is resolved but does anyone know if that program will let me see images of package files? I would like to do a purge there but don't want to lose my faves on accident.

Moderator edit: on your post, there is a button named "edit". Please click on this button to edit your message, instead of double-posting.

- Carlos

Hello,

It seems you're having quite a few issues!  

Maybe I wasn't understanding, but you did or did not rename your My Documents/Electronic Arts/The Sims 3 folder, then force the game to make a new one? I wasn't able to tell with what you wrote, whether or not that had been done.  
I ask, mainly because that was going to be my first suggestion.  Why?  Because when you rename your previous folder and run the game to basically force it to create a new one, and you test the game and it runs successfully, you'll be able to narrow down that whatever is causing the crashing IS LOCATED within your The Sims 3 folder (inside your documents, not your Program files).  

What exactly, in detail or via a screenshot for us, is the error saying?  You keep saying it throws up an error, but what exactly does it say?  I've never seen TS3 crash and explain in detail why it does... it normally just crashes/freezes and bam, you're back on your Desktop, wondering where the heck your game went and why it crashed!  

Aside from this, can you please give me the results of your specs after visiting this website here: :  http://www.systemrequirementslab.com/cyri.  Just type in or select The Sims 3 from the drop-down menu.  Once you’ve done this, it will prompt you with another option.  Be sure to click ‘Automatic Detection’.  

Happy Simming 

Thank you for your reply! Last night I renamed my Sims 3 folder and forced the game to create a new one. I ran into several issues and lost my saved games when I made a boo boo but it is all sorted out now   So that first part has been done

I started a new game and played around a bit using the Gamebooster program that I just downloaded. I did not crash so that leads me to believe I was correct and I have something in my CC that is conflicting or corrupt and causing the crashes. 

Here is what I put back into the folder after the new one was generated and I tested a bit. After work when I can get some play time I can play for about an hour and see if there s a crash hopefully not! 

My 2 Legacy Save Games

I ran all simspack downloads through custard and reinstalled all of the files and purged out what I knew I would never use. 

I put my packages folder in and I re downloaded all of my NRASS mods just to be sure I have all fresh ones. 

To explain the exact crash I get "The Sims 3 has encountered an error and needs to close" and black crash to desktop. I am getting the more detailed piece by running the crash log analyzer on MTS that reads my crash log for me and I have seen 2 messages displayed there. Update my graphics drivers (done) and crash due to CC -testing in progress. 

I will edit this post when I get home this afternoon with the specs that you asked for and go into the game for a bit and see if I can play for about an hour and be crash free or not. Finding the issue cc is so hard where the crash isn't something that happens right away but I think if it will crash it will be within an hour or so. I will edit and update you on how the play session went as well and if I crash and if so after how long plus those specs! 


Edit

I also think that I am not correctly using the store fix files and that may be an issue. I had used a file off MATY and I put it in my mods-packages-folder in my subfolder mods I noticed my game acting up after that so I think another things I will be trying is the fixes here on this site. 

I ran the can I run it utility and I can see why I get graphics issues from time to time.  The issue I see here is I need more dedicated video Ram. When I bought my system I specifically said I use it for SIMS 3 only and it must run it and all expansions no problem or if several expansions cause me to need anything then I want to be able to upgrade it and he said I would have more than what I need. What I don't get is that it has run everything even after Island Paradise just fine so now I need to deal with this on top of the CC file that I have 

	CPU Minimum: For XP 2.0 GHz P4 processor or equivalent; For Windows Vista and Windows 7 2.4 GHz P4 processor or equivalent You Have: Intel(R) Core(TM) i7-3630QM CPU @ 2.40GHz

	CPU Speed Minimum: Info You Have: 2.4 GHz

	RAM Minimum: For XP 1 GB RAM / Windows Vista and Windows 7 1.5 GB RAM You Have: 8.1 GB

	OS Minimum: XP SP2 / Vista SP1 / Windows 7 You Have: Microsoft Windows 8 (build 9200), 64-bit

	Video Card Minimum: 128 MB Video Card with support for Pixel Shader 2.0 (GeForce 6500 or Radeon 9500) You Have: Intel(R) HD Graphics 4000
Features: Minimum attributes of your Video Card [th][/th][th][/th][th]Required[/th][th]You Have[/th] Pixel Shader version 2.0 5.0 Vertex Shader version 2.0 5.0 Dedicated Video RAM 128 MB 32 MB

	Sound Card Minimum: Yes You Have: Intel(R) Display Audio

Free Disk Space Minimum: 2.5 GB You Have: 527.6 GB