Well, I'm not simangelgoth and I'll probably end up feeling like an idiot here but I have looked at each and every post by Delphy in this thread and don't see one about how to set up Process Monitor. I even checked the Wiki to see if a tutorial had been added and didn't locate one. If it has been moved elsewhere could you please let me know where to look. TIA.

aeval: I noticed the same thing. Google doesn't provide a fix though.

sims2cri: Is this during actual running of the game that you see all files? Becuase you have to understand that the game WILL load each and every package file at least once, to actually load it into memory. It's only after you get to the lot and start playing that you need to look at the active file reads (skip to the bottom of the list, or follow tail) and then you'll see which are accessed over and over and over and over.

Don't feel bad. I looked and couldn't see it either.

http://www.modthesims.info/showthre...857#post2954857

The post got confused with another for a while, but it's back now.

By the way, make sure you run your game unpaused with Process Monitor running at the same time - what I saw paused was different than unpaused.

I have created a filter that automatically sets up your ProcessMonitor to do the following:

- Only track TS3.exe and TS3EP01.exe
- Only track .package files
- Ignore FullBuild package files

This can be downloaded from http://www.delphster.net/0912010341...cMon_Filter.zip

Extract the file and run the .reg inside. Then, next time you open up Process Monitor the filter will be created for you.

(Note, I had to do it as a reg file becuase the "Export Filter" button is broken for me)

Also, to get a nice overview of how many file operations where performed on a single file or to see a list of the "top" accessed package files, you can do the following:

- Finish your TS3 2 minute playthrough with procmon *and* close the game down
- Go back into ProcMon and click on Tools, File Summary
- Click on the "By Extension" tab, and expand that out to see your Packages
- Now in the right hand side you should see all the package files opened by the game during it's run.
- Click the "Total Events" column to sort it by most accessed first (the higher number)
- The files at the top of the list should have significant events, in the order of thousands or tens of thousands depending on how long you ran the game for

This is a good (and fairly easy) way to see which files are being accessed the most.

Delphy, are we just trying to find out which files are bad?

Are we going to try to find a solution to the bad files or are we just going to bin them after all that work by creators? Will they have to redo them?

I know Ange recloned her curtains and they worked.

I guess I'm asking because I'm wondering why we're doing all this, I worked out which worked and which didn't the first couple of days into this by only adding a few files at a time and removing the ones that didn't work to a folder.

I'm just trying to understand the purpose of all this and if there will be a solution that doesn't mean bin everyone's creations that don't work

fluttereyes, many of the files identified are TS2 files - and there are probably plenty of people having this problem who may have random TS2 files or otherwise broken TS3 files - if this does turn out to be the solution (which it seems like it may be) then this will be an easy way for anyone having this problem to check whether they've got some bad files slowing down their game. Heck, I had it happening to some degree and didn't really realize it - the game wasn't that much laggier than before WA and it was still playable, just a bit slow but I'd chalked that up to being a new EP. It's easy enough to get Process Monitor and see if you've got something going wonky (I had it going in just a couple minutes) so anyone who has CC that they think might be slowing things down can easily do this quickly and confirm whether that's the problem.

fluttereyes: The purpose here is to determine two things:

Firstly, if the massive slowdown people experience is, indeed, caused by the game constantly trying to load the same packages over and over again. Given the disparity of a lot of peoples experiences with this particular issue, more information to help pinpoint this as an issue is required.

Secondly, to see if the same content affects everybody the same way - in other words, if there is an issue with one particular file or piece of custom content, or if it's random or variable for each individual having this issue.

Only then can we look at specific package files and determine what, if anything, can be done to fix them. But, preliminary reports indicate that:

- TS2 content needs to be removed
- Broken TS3 packages (ie ones not openable by S3PE) need to be removed

Anything thats left needs to be check to see if the exact same file causes the same issue on somebody elses setup. Note that I don't neccesarily mean just going and downloading it again - I mean copy and uploading that exact package file, since it's possible that people have an earlier/later/updated version, etc, and that the problem only exists with a particular revision of the file.

But right now it's about information collecting and seeing if it really is specific .package files, across multiple installations and multiple setups.

If you can zip up and upload the specific files that you where having issues with and determined where "bad" then others - who are willing, and who have "clean" games - can try them and see if they get the same issues in ProcMon. If they do, then I or somebody else who knows the insides of the .package format can have a look and determine what, if anything, is causing the issue.

Delphy, cristina wrote to me and asked if I had sims2 files in there and I said no. I checked again by trying to open them in S3PE and they are sims 2 files. I had no idea and downloaded them as sims 3. I must backtrack them and work out where they came from. I looked here but they're not from here.

I'll need to go right through all of the files again and double check that there isn't another problem like this.

I can tell you for sure that I can't get mango sims bathroom stuff to wok in my game yet other people have been able to. Nothing wrong with my packages, I usd them in lots all the time before WA.

I'll go sort through and only use what I know are sims 3 files. I don't understand how this happened as my sims 2 files are on a detachable hard drive right now as I'm not playing it.

I can only apologise for that error

fluttereyes, considering that, when you have the Helper Monkey installed, both TS2 and TS3 packages have the exact same icon, it's not a fair leap to assume that a lot of people just double click and install to Sims 3 without realising it's not a Sims 3 file.

This thread isn't really about specific content not showing up - as with those mango sims things you mentioned - it's more about specific content slowing the game down becuase of loading retries.

If, when you put that mango sims bathroom stuff in, and re-do the process monitor run as mentioned, you find that those particular files do not have massive amounts of load events, then obviously any issues with that content are not related to this particular issue, and it's something entirely seperate.

@Delphy and TickleOnTheTum,, thanks so much for bringing Process Monitor to our attention and the explanation of how to use it. Hopefully this will now really get us on the right track.

@Fluttereyes, when I saw your screenie on the previous page, I did think one of the hairs shown looked like it was from TS2, because it was shown as a 'MESH' file and then a separate recolour. It is unfortunate that both TS2 and TS3 content are called .package files, unlike how TS1 items had completely different filetype extensions so there was no way of confusing them with TS2 files!

Some sites have an unclear system between the sims 2 and sims 3 files, and I think that might be an issue for some people, I can't believe I actually did it myself. Although I do know there are other files with issues that ARE sims 3. Yet this is my mods folder from the previous game without WA and the files never caused lag there, I don't suppose that matters.

I also don't use double click to install them, I just cut and paste into their location. I tend to binge download.

I'll start from scratch with them and run the processor again with the suggested restrictions and see what I come up with. It might take me a while though as I want to sort out my cc first to ensure there are no sims 2 files at all in there.

@Delphy. After removing those hairs I have no issues at this time. No more lagging and no freezing as yet. I only played for a couple of minutes. No point loading a screenie as there is nothing there for you to look at. I can't believe I fell for the sims 2 in sims 3 thing, I feel like a dope. If it makes you have more of a laugh at me then I'll tell you, I even went out and spent £88 on a new graphics card because of the lagging, on advice I got here from members.

Thanks for the help, it's appreciated

Okay i tried this, found out i had the sims 2 make up. Deleted them and game runs way faster and no stuttering so far. Gonna try it more though. What i have seen so far is that everything tried to load about 4-6 times. Since even the sims 3 files loads that many times, lead me to believe it's normal. Except now it crashed =/. Think i am gonna try move those files that loads that many times and see if it makes any diffrence whatsoever.

I was updating my hacks for WA last night and something caught my eye at the last moment. I nearly downloaded a TS2 version of the same hack so I know how it easy it is to (nearly) do it.

It could have been quite hard to pinpoint it after it went in the folder.

I cant try the process manager till 6pm uk time, so I'll update then.

I'm sure I downloaded the hair as a sims 2 conversion to sims 3. I've been trying to find the download again on the net and can't. I remember reading some reason why they had included a few recolours and it was to do with the mesh not showing properly or something.

If anyone else finds this has happened to them and is thinking what I'm thinking, but unlike me CAN remember where they got it, that would help. Too many people have made this mistake for it to be coincidence. I don't download much and I'm careful what I do download, so I don't see how I could have been this stupid.

I'm still on the case to find out where I got that hair, I didn't have it in my sims 2 game, I checked, so I only downloaded it since sims 3. I have the feeling somewhere someone is doing conversions and not actually doing the conversion. Know what I mean? If I find them again I'll let you know.

If I'm wrong and stupid then I don't feel so bad, I'm not alone

I know, at least once or twice is needed to load objects in game, but each file appear at least 4 time, 8 times more often. Today I've notice that each group of occurrences appear 4-6-8 times. And on each group a file appear 4-6-8 times. This happen for legal files too, but as you can imagine, until files are limited is a thing, but with hundreds of files under Mod/Package I suppose system overload a bit.

These are some trials. You can see from the first that each pattern is loaded 24 times. With some hairs and objects results change. The most loaded file, Blackorchid_WallShelves, is loaded 94 times but I tried to use it in the game, so of course it has been loaded more then others.

I attached all in the rar, sorry but I've to work and this is a fast way.

Great job guys and girls! The ProcMon has made a huge improvement on my game. I went from a 20 minute load time to under 2. Game no longer lags like it did before and the improvement of game play is phenomenal.

In case anyone is wondering I removed the following files that were hitting numbers over 1 million.

SH-HansenDecorativeBoxes-MESH.package and all associated files including:
SH-HansenDecorativeBoxes_RC6_DD.package
" "RC5_DD.package
" "RC3_DD.package
" "RC4_DD.package
" "RC1_DD.package
" "RC2_DD.package

Also, files associated with Suza_Mesh_PeaceofAfrica_jugandmug.package and all associated recolors.

Also, (sorry I forgot to write this one down) some kind of teacup or teapot set from Sandy @ATS.

Not sure if these problems are computer specific or what, but just thought I'd give a heads up.

I think I figured out how to do this with activity monitor on my mac, so when I have time later I'm going to go on a hunt for bad files (after I've weeded out any bad ones with S3PE -- I'm going to load that up in parallels later first and test all of my .package files)

I'm really glad I found this thread. Amusingly, I had come to the S3P instead of .package conclusion on my own and stumbled across this thread while looking to see if any progress was made on a reverse converter last night.

I hope my language is not so bad,so that is the way I do it for the moment ,I convert my packages to sims 3 pack but this does'nt work with all the stuff ,so for things I really need ,like stairs and other stuff who I cannot convert because of the program did't work for this I put it like usuall in the mods folder in Sims 3 and then that's the tricky and it works fine for me i have a mods folder with cfg etc in my Worldadventure game also with the same stuff (a copy of the original folder in Sims 3) ,It run's like a clock at the moment and this is a way to play for the moment.I have 200 packages in the game full functionally ,and at first with 10 packages the game strikes!

Dieselbiene, please read the last chunk of replies to this thread regarding using Process Monitor to find out WHICH of your files is the problem. You don't need to convert to sims3pack at all.

Dieselbiene, remember you don't need all those recolour stairs and fences now, you can do that in game yourself. This might help reduce the amount of .packages you have too. I had so many stair and fence recolours between mine and srikandi's.

For OS X users to figure out what the game is loading:

- Start the game
- Cmd-tab out and open /Applications/Utilities/Activity Monitor.app
- Select "The Sims 3", click the "Inspect" button at the top of the window, select "Open Files and Ports" in the panel that opens.

However, I don't see any packages or the resource.cfg being loaded, although I do see everything else (my CC is there and working, I also placed a few CC objects in game and painted walls with package content and so on). So, not sure if this method is inadequate or if loading stuff works different under OS X since it's running in a wrapper .. below is what my game has open right now, I see a temp file being loaded near the beginning, maybe that's how it gets the package content. Also, I haven't added anything new before starting the game just now.

I do not seem to have any problem CC though (my game has always been slightly laggy since I patched, and the lag is the same with and without CC as far as I can tell), so users who think they have reloading issues (or are just curious) might want to check if they see anything interesting going on.

Does this process monitor work well for Windoze XP users? The download page says something about Client and Server, and I don`t have a system that the Server version would run on. Will it work on XP with only the Client version? I know that Client software [usually] requires Server software, but people seem to be getting this to work, so I`m confused. While *I* don`t have Sims *3*, and would like to see if this tool can tell me anything interesting about Sims *2*, I think that the answer to this question might also be helpful to people who run Sims 3 on an XP machine.

GeneralOD: Err, just use the link in my post and follow the actual tutorial. It works fine on an XP machine, as you'd know if you actually tried it.