Installation Confusion/Error - ts3.exe crack missing?

Apologies if this has already been answered or I'm just missing something obvious.  I searched and didn't find anyone else having this problem so I am probably just missing something.  Any and all help will be appreciated.

I downloaded The Sims 3 Complete Collection, unpacked it from the .rar and started an instal following the instructions in the # Installation Guide.  The guide states to replace ts3.exe in the game folder with the one in the # Crack folder but I can't find the cracked ts3.exe anywhere.  There is TS3W.exe in the crack folder so I tried renaming that and using it to replace the  one in the game folder but that didn't work.

What am I missing?

UPDATE:

I tried this with both the EA Download Manager installed and not installed and the game still halts at the server confirmation step.  I also tried with the TS3W.exe file from the # Crack folder replacing the one in the game folder but that didn't work either.

I've downloaded and played plenty of cracked games in the past so I'm not new to this but I m absolutely missing something here.

Username12345 wrote:There is TS3W.exe in the crack folder so I tried renaming that and using it to replace the  one in the game folder but that didn't work.

Welcome to the G4TW Forums @Username12345,

Yes, there is a TS3W.exe inside the #Crack folder. But you were not supposed to rename (?) it. I guess you came across some outdated installation guide somewhere, but no worries. You only hav to take said TS3W.exe from the #Crack folder, and copy it. Finally paste it under the C:\Program Files (x86)\Electronic Arts\The Sims 3\Game\Bin location, and replace the existing TS3W.exe.

The game will only work though if you have at least one (1) other DLC installed, in addition to the base game. Doesn't matter which DLC.

Good luck!

Sweet, thanks for the reply.  I'll try it again with an expansion loaded and see if it works.

The install guide I used is the one in the torrent.  Renaming the TS3W.exe file was just one of the things I tried to do to see if it would work.  I tried a handful of things and it just wouldn't launch.

Username12345 wrote:Sweet, thanks for the reply.  I'll try it again with an expansion loaded and see if it works.

The install guide I used is the one in the torrent.  Renaming the TS3W.exe file was just one of the things I tried to do to see if it would work.  I tried a handful of things and it just wouldn't launch.

The alternative to using the Ultimate Fix would be to restore the original TS3W.exe (you can do that by re-running the manual patch). And then you would have to google for "NRAAS Sims 3 No CD patch", and take it from there.

Personally, I would recommend using the included Ultimate Fix though. People say it is more stable than the NRAAS No-CD patch.