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Lab Assistant
Original Poster
#1 Old 30th Jul 2009 at 12:16 PM

This user has the following games installed:

Sims 3, World Adventures, Ambitions, Late Night, Generations, Pets
same crash as you since I got my fresh new computer (1 or 2 weeks), with my other computer the game never crashed but ran slower because hard disk C almost full so windows itself is a bit slow, I can play for 10 or 20 minutes, sometimes 30, then = crash to desktop randomly in CAS or when I select another sim,or ... . My specs : Windows XP home edition 2002 SP3 Intel core 2 dual CPU E7300 @ 2.66GHz 2.67GHz, 3,25 Go of Ram, Nvidia Geforce GTS 250, drivers up to date for everything in the PC... What else can I say...
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shiny!
retired moderator
#2 Old 30th Jul 2009 at 6:38 PM Last edited by callistra : 31st Jul 2009 at 6:33 PM.
First off, you should clear some hard drive space. You need at least 7GB free, and ideally 10GB. Once you have that fixed, you need to please go do all the recommendations previous given.

1) Try updating drivers and directx:
http://www.nvidia.com/object/winxp_190.38_whql.html (also try http://www.nvidia.com/object/winxp_186.18_whql.html and http://www.nvidia.com/object/winxp_185.85_whql.html )
http://downloadcenter.intel.com/con...lName=&lang=eng
http://www.microsoft.com/downloads/...6a-9b6652cd92a3
http://www.realtek.com.tw/downloads...&PFid=24&Conn=3

2) Rule out software conflicts (If you have Norton, McAfee or Windows Live One Care get rid of it and replace it with Avira or Avast!.. in even try playing with av disabled plus the msconfig) http://modthesims2.com/showpost.php...45&postcount=21

3) Remove all mods/cc

4) Rename your Sims 3 games folder in My Docs and allow it to generate a new one to rule out a game corruption

5) Do a clean install of the game. backup any game files you don't want to lose. Then use add/remove programs to uninstall the game. Restart your computer, then manually delete BOTH sets of Sims 3 files in My Docs (user files) and Program Files (game files). Using the uninstall feature does not always remove the game or user files, and if the problem lies in there then a uninstall/and reinstall might not work without manually removing all instances of these files from your computer. Once you've done this, you can try reinstalling. I would try running first without the patch and then apply the patch and see if either game version works.

6) If all else fails, try creating a brand new user account and do a fresh install of the game there.
Lab Assistant
Original Poster
#3 Old 31st Jul 2009 at 12:50 PM Last edited by babboo : 1st Aug 2009 at 11:07 AM.
Yesterday I decided to test the game and played with a 30x40 EA lot (not a 60x60 downloaded house) and another family, the game made little freezes at times, but never crashed. Strange, I will test it again today with the new family.

I paste some lines of my dxdiag,

Operating System: Windows XP Home Edition (5.1, Build 2600) Service Pack 3 (2600.xpsp_sp3_gdr.090206-1234)
Language: French (Regional Setting: French)
System Manufacturer: Gigabyte Technology Co., Ltd.
System Model: EP43-DS3L
BIOS: Award Modular BIOS v6.00PG
Processor: Intel(R) Core(TM)2 Duo CPU E7300 @ 2.66GHz (2 CPUs)
Memory: 3326MB RAM
Page File: 373MB used, 4832MB available
Windows Dir: C:\WINDOWS
DirectX Version: DirectX 9.0c (4.09.0000.0904)
DX Setup Parameters: Not found
DxDiag Version: 5.03.2600.5512 32bit Unicode

Card name: NVIDIA GeForce GTS 250
Manufacturer: NVIDIA
Chip type: GeForce GTS 250
DAC type: Integrated RAMDAC
Device Key: Enum\PCI\VEN_10DE&DEV_0615&SUBSYS_040110B0&REV_A2
Display Memory: 1024.0 MB
Current Mode: 1024 x 768 (32 bit) (60Hz)

Description: Realtek HD Audio output
Default Sound Playback: Yes
Default Voice Playback: Yes
Hardware ID: HDAUDIO\FUNC_01&VEN_10EC&DEV_0888&SUBSYS_1458A002&REV_1000
Manufacturer ID: 1
Product ID: 100
Type: WDM
Driver Name: RtkHDAud.sys
Driver Version: 5.10.0000.5653 (English)
Driver Attributes: Final Retail
WHQL Logo'd: Yes
Date and Size: 6/27/2008 05:24:56, 4742656 bytes
Other Files:
Driver Provider: Realtek Semiconductor Corp. ....
shiny!
retired moderator
#4 Old 31st Jul 2009 at 5:51 PM
Please follow the advice in post #2. I've split your thread off again. We ask that members create their own help threads, instead of asking for help in other's threads. Thanks.
Lab Assistant
Original Poster
#5 Old 1st Aug 2009 at 11:46 AM
Ok sorry
Fat Obstreperous Jerk
#6 Old 1st Aug 2009 at 12:14 PM
Quote: Originally posted by babboo
fresh new computer (1 or 2 weeks), with my other computer the game never crashed but ran slower because hard disk C almost full so windows itself is a bit slow, I can play for 10 or 20 minutes, sometimes 30, then = crash to desktop randomly in CAS
Based purely on these pieces of information, assuming you really do have all your driver crap up to date, there is another explanation for this: Overheating. Note how it only crashes after some amount of time, and is prone to doing so in CAS. Most likely, this is the effect of TS3 maxing out a high-end video card and overheating it, causing it to go down in flames. Thing to try: Type "fps on" while in the game. If it's printing some very large number (over 60), this is probably your problem. If so, rather than spending time fruitlessly messing with drivers, you may wish to try the solution outlined here first.

Grant me the serenity to accept the things I cannot change, the courage to change the things I cannot accept, and the wisdom to hide the bodies of those I had to kill because they pissed me off.
Lab Assistant
Original Poster
#7 Old 2nd Aug 2009 at 5:30 PM
fps on = more than 100
Probably overheating, I'll try your link, thank you !
shiny!
retired moderator
#8 Old 2nd Aug 2009 at 6:17 PM Last edited by callistra : 2nd Aug 2009 at 6:29 PM.
It's extremely unlikely that this is caused by overheating. Have you done anything else that was suggested back in post #2? While overheating can cause crashes, we've narrowed down this particular error to a problem with the actual game coding. The error means that the game has detected a problem and has tried to launch the debugger. This in itself would not cause the crash. The real problem is that they did not actually include the debugger, so when the game tries to launch this non existent program it crashes. I suppose, if the overheating was extreme enough to be causing other errors, it's -maybe- possible to get this error, though not a single person who has had the error has demonstrated heating issues so far.

In either event, Pescado's programs are not helpful. The first one solves nothing, but simply forces the game to boot through its problem with brute force. The second one is based on completely false information. TS3 is not killing people's computers and TS3 is not the only game with lack of vsync. There are also ways to force vsync without his program. If you want a discussion on on the truths of vsync and potential overheating you should see Delphy and my posts here: http://modthesims.info/showthread.php?t=353338. Essentially, if your graphics are overheating, there is something wrong with the card or cooling system and you need to address it, not put a choker on the functions of your card so that it will run less hard.

That said, it never hurts to check temps, especially if you are concerned. If you will like to check, download and run this program: http://www.cpuid.com/hwmonitor.php Leave it running –while- you play the game, and it will automatically record the maximum temperatures. Ideally you want to play -at least- 20minutes, but if your grame is crashing you may not be able to play that long. Play as long as you can, then screencap the results (print screen and paste into photo program) and post them here.
Lab Assistant
Original Poster
#9 Old 4th Aug 2009 at 11:50 AM
Quote: Originally posted by callistra
That said, it never hurts to check temps, especially if you are concerned. If you will like to check, download and run this program: http://www.cpuid.com/hwmonitor.php Leave it running –while- you play the game, and it will automatically record the maximum temperatures. Ideally you want to play -at least- 20minutes, but if your grame is crashing you may not be able to play that long. Play as long as you can, then screencap the results (print screen and paste into photo program) and post them here.


I've already done that and the max temperature is at 60 if I remember, thanks anyway, I installed JM Pescado's program, and I also realized that I had Myo's hair in my mods folder, , no more crashes for the moment ..., thank you for helping guys
shiny!
retired moderator
#10 Old 4th Aug 2009 at 7:05 PM
60 is nowhere near overheating. Actually, that is a very good temp for your gpu under load. The hair was probably the problem. I'll leave this open just in case the crashing comes back but glad it looks like you fixed it
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