Hello,

Let me preface this by saying:

- I have a pretty strong laptop that I initially bought specifically to run adobe and lectra programs for school and on which I have been playing sims with normal crashing even being rare for nearly 2 years (since september 2019)
- I last played sims just a couple days ago (22/06). Everything was fine.
- My laptop works fine otherwise

So: I wanted to play sims. I first deleted the cashes and old saves (I always do save as) as usual. I clicked on the arrow in the launcher. Then...Usual black screen before the green diamond stuff and intro starts.
Except: that's only for a fraction of a second. The screen haphazardly changes size (like when you don't play in fullscreen - which I do - and you changed the size of the screen you're playing in), randomly and quickly to different square and rectangle formations. Then it quickly closes itself - the screen. I see my webpage and origin have also randomly changed sizes and in my task bar the sims icon is still there. I can click on it so I start the game again (like you do when you quickly want to change something on the internet, click on the windows button to close the gamescreen and then go back to the game). I click on it again, same thing happens. I can tell it even progresses when the screen malfunctions - after a few closing and clicking on the taskbar icon again the intro and music start doing their usual thing. Opens again, it progresses a little further, but always the same weird screen and closing shenanigans.

I:
- cut and pasted elsewhere my important folders I don't wanna lose, including cc so that isn't it, deleted my OG sims folder and started the launcher again (which generates a new sims 3 folder) to start fresh. Didn't work
- DELETED AND RE-INSTALLED THE GAME
Yup, didn't work. Granted my pirated version of Pets wasn't deleted and reinstalled (I have pets, my parents bought it like 7 years ago, but origin started refusing the serial code in the og box a laptop ago.)

Not a clue what's causing this, again, my laptop works fine otherwise. It's when I start the game it starts flipping out for no clear reason whatsoever. Did my pc suddenly become allergic for sims or what, in a timespan of 3 days of gentle, normal use? It might have collected a bit of dust when cutting fabric while watching youtube in my sewing room but that's it.

Tried it again, same: filmed the shenanigans in case anyone wants to see. Then it stopped acting out a few tries when it already was at the menu. Me, curious what it would do, closed the screen on purpose. It acted out again; a few tries, and now it's loading (which is funny since it's 10:30 pm and I do not plan to play sims but ok)