Sims 3 Crashing - After Researching Issue Thoroughly, Remain Confused. [SOLVED]

Issue: At the very beginning of the loading screen for Sims 3, the game crashes and gives: "a problem caused the program to stop working correctly"

When: This problem began today; however, it has never been an issue before and I haven't played since December. In December when I played, this issue did not occur. Furthermore, there were never any in-game issues - it just ran smoothly from start to finish. It just kills me that apparently out of nowhere a game I have been able to play flawlessly for the past year or so suddenly went on the fritz ..

Notes:
- I USE STEAM, *NOT* origin and *NOT* a CD! Even with this clause, I have as best as possible followed the steps in https://games4theworld.forumotion.com/t857-the-sims-3-crashes-freezes-to-desktop-fix-updated-on-10-01-2012 to fix the issue EVEN THOUGH the directory listings assume you actually have a CD version of the game, which I do not ..
- version: 1.33.1.015037 for The Sims; 10.0.97.015017 for launcher .. i Have Ambitions, Pets, High-End Loft Stuff, and Generations
- I have performed ALL FIVE steps in https://games4theworld.forumotion.com/t857-the-sims-3-crashes-freezes-to-desktop-fix-updated-on-10-01-2012 - in particular, I payed attention to the NVIDIA portion but I have performed all five steps
- canNOT locate a crash report .. for some reason, Windows 7 does not seem to record this information?
- using NVIDIA GeForce GT 425M - I have set Vertical Sync to "Force Off" and restarted to computer to no avail (this is in the context of a fresh reinstall)
- i DO have the pets expansion - steam does not allow you to uninstall selective expansion packs, nor upon reinstall does it permit you to choose which expansion packs to install
- I did attempt to uninstall and reinstall
- I currently use the setting on DEP for "only for the essential programs" - even still, I have purposely switched it to a more strict regime "all the programs except which I list below" and have selected the entire /bin directory of my steam-powered version of Sims 3
- I have deleted ALL of the game content and redownloaded this 10 gigabyte monstrosity, with absolutely no difference after a fresh redownload
- I am a Windows 7 User
- regarding DEP:
-- I have been *UNABLE* to add "Sims3LauncherW.exe" to the DEP exception list in the directory C:\Program Files (x86)\Steam\steamapps\common\the sims 3\bin\ .. if I try, I get the error message: "You must run this program with data execution protection (DEP) enabled. You cannot turn off DEP for this program." When I researched this unexpected issue, I found a solution whereby which you *COMPLETELY* disable DEP for *everything* NOT just Sims! This method involved running cmd as administrator and entering the command "bcdedit.exe /set nx AlwaysOff" .. this method failed.

PLEASE HELP!!

Admin edit: Moved to right section.

- ADMIN

Hello,

Please try as following:

1. Install The Sims 3 and all expansions you like, but install AT LEAST one of the following expansions: Showtime, Master Suite Stuff, Pets, Town Life Stuff, Generations.* (You may skip all the "# Crack" folders. You DO NOT need to use any "# Crack" folders!)
2. After you installed all the games you want, download and apply this manual patch: https://games4theworld.forumotion.com/t1870-can-t-update-the-sims-3-to-v133-fix-manual-patch
3. When it finished updating your game to the latest version, re-download the latest version of our Ultimate Fix: https://games4theworld.forumotion.com/t752-the-sims-3-ultimate-fix-should-fix-most-of-your-problems
4. Open the "# Crack" folder in the Fix and drag & drop the .exe and .dll file in there to: C:\Program Files (x86)\Steam\steamapps\common\The Sims 3\Game\Bin and choose "Replace" on the pop-up that appears, telling you the files already exist in that folder.
5. Start the game and let us know the result.

Good luck!

Hello!

I have attempted all of your suggestions to no avail (I installed the Generations btw which was your first suggestion)

Please note I am *NOT* using a cracked version - this is a version I bought with my money so there is no # crack folder ..

Lady ElDi wrote:I see that Admin has removed this solution from that post. If you haven't tried this because of that, try it now.

I did what?

Hello,

Oh, thank you! Wasn't supposed to remove that part. Fixed now, sorry!

Lady ElDi wrote:Hello,

Try clearing the cache's. The quickest way is to go to My Documents\Electronic arts and drag&drop the The Sims 3 folder to your desktop. A new one will be generated as you start the launcher. Now see if the game will start.
You can then copy your Saves, Downloads and Mods to the new folder.
I see that Admin has removed this solution from that post. If you haven't tried this because of that, try it now.
Note that this method requires you to reinstall your sims3packs.

Eldi - it worked! Thanks so much for the help!!
resolved!

Hi there,

Hey! It's Lady ElDi for you.
Just kidding, happy simming and don't hesitate to contact us if you need any more assistance!


Topic closed.