Hey all,

I am currently on mobile for the time being so I wasn't able to find anything on this topic with specifics like mine so i hope it hasn't been posted about already.

So I'm currently playing Sims 3 with all expansion packs except Into The Future on a 2005 Dell Inspiron ( because my jackass ex sold my Macbook ), and I have about 500 CC items, as well as some sims3packs. Every single time I play, I get the "Sims 3 Has Stopped Working" error within 5-10 minutes of it loading, and every time she leaves the house, almost every time i go into create-a-sim, and then on top of that, if it does run okay, I get the error 12 error when I'm trying to save the game. I've deleted caches, uninstalled a ton of CC, took out almost all the sliders in case they conflicted, use nothing but nraas mods ( i was told error trap and overwatch would end the issue, it didn't ), and deleted almost all custom sims i downloaded. Also, sometimes my game will glitch out and turn sims black, the background to the notification messages on the top right side of the screen will disappear, my sim will randomly become naked, and when that happens i try to save before it crashes, and it usually crashes mid save, or i get the error 12 after the glitches during the save. I'm going crazy because it takes almost 30 minutes to load up, and then I get 5 minutes of slow game play.

Can someone please tell me a suggestion of how to fix this other than deleted caches, removing mods, making new saved games with a different name, and everything else I mentioned? I'm just dying to play and this is making me want to rip my damn hair out.

Thanks you guys! If you need any other details just ask.

There might not be much you can do, I'm afraid. It is very unlikely that a 2005 Inspiron will be a strong enough computer to run TS3. The game isn't really that demanding by 2016 standards, but it was in the beginning compared to many machines on the market and the demands it does have are real. But if you could, please open the file in your TS3 game folder in Documents called DeviceConfig.log in a text editor such as Notepad and copy/paste the first 40 lines or so into a response here, preferably under spoiler tags. You can stop when it gets to the game option settings.

Okay, this everything from the top to options. Would merging my CC maybe fix / help this?

=== Application info ===
Name: Sims3
Version:
Build: Release
=== Rating info ===
GPU: 3 GPU Memory: 4 CPU: 1 RAM: 3 CPU Speed: 1994 Threading: 3
Adjusted CPU: 2259 RAM: 3070 Adjusted RAM: 2558 Cores: 2
=== Machine info ===
OS version: Windows 8 6.2.9200
OS prod type: 0
OS major ver: 6
OS minor ver: 2
OS SP major ver: 0
OS SP minor ver: 0
OS is 64Bit: 0
CPU: GenuineIntel
Brand: Intel(R) Core(TM)2 Duo CPU T7250 @ 2.00GHz
Family: 6
Model: 15
Cores: 2
HT: 0
x64: 0
Memory: 3070MB
Free memory: 1293MB
User: user
Computer: DELLLAPTOP
=== Graphics device info ===
Number: 0
Name (driver): NVIDIA GeForce 8400M GS
Name (database): GeForce 8400M GS [Found: 1, Matched: 1]
Vendor: NVIDIA
Chipset: Vendor: 10de, Device: 0427, Board: 01f21028, Chipset: 00a1
Driver: nvd3dum.dll, Version: 9.18.13.4192, GUID: D7B71E3E-4767-11CF-F863-FF211CC2C435
Driver version: 4192
Monitor: \\.\DISPLAY1
Texture memory: 1648MB
Vertex program: 3.0
Pixel program: 3.0
Hardware TnL: 1

Hmm. We might have more of a borderline case here than I thought. But merging CC should be the least of your concerns.

Are you really running all of the EPs listed in your profile? Some of them, such as Pets and Seasons, would be out of the question. The base game and the earlier EPs up through about LateNite or Generations...a guarded maybe. This computer's processor is not strong enough to take much more than that and you only have 3 GB of RAM total on a 32-bit operating system, which is really way too tight. That's why you are getting crashes, graphics glitches (skins refusing to render), and Error 12s.

You do have a dedicated graphics card, which should help a little, but it's a model that is totally not supported to run TS3 because of the poor way in which it dissipates heat. Perhaps you have lucked out and have one that is functioning better than average.

Honestly, I wouldn't push more than the base game and maybe WA and Ambitions on that one. If you keep forcing it to work harder than it is really able to, eventually you might overheat and damage the device to the point where it won't function at all.

I know this is only a matter about what terms do you use for mods or CC, but what do you mean by having about 500 CC and as well as some sims3pack? Do you mean you have about 500 mods (package files) and some CC from sims3pack?

If your 500 CC is mods package files, then I suggest to separate them first from your CC (Custom Content from sims3pack files), so we can locate where the problems coming from, the 1st step you'll need to do is to backup your TS3 Documents folder, and just leave it there somewhere untouched.

Now the next step is to backup your 500 mods package files into one separate temporary folder, and then let this temporary folder scan by Sims3Dashboard for corrupts, conflicts and duplicates. Let's assume that your temporary mods package files folder is clean from errors (or you fixed them already), then let's just put this folder aside for now.

The next step is to sort out your Custom Content installed to your game by the launcher, for this you'll need to have them in their original Sims3Pack files format (before you installed them to the game via TS3 launcher). If you still have them in their original format as you downloaded them, convert all of those Sims3Pack files to package files, once they all converted, put them in another temporary folder and let Sims3Dasboard scan them as well. And let's also assume that this converted package files folder is clean (if not.. you'll need to fix them now), and so you'll have a clean 500 mods package folder and a clean CC converted to package folder.

The next step is to put those two temporary folders into one big folder and let Sims3dasboard scan them altogether all over again and let's see if there's any conflicts or duplicates between them, if you found conflicts or duplicates, then you'll need to fix them now.., after you fixed them, then you'll have a clean CC and mods and ready to be place to your TS3 documents folder.

Once all of them cleaned from errors, go to your TS3 documents folder, open DCBackup folder and delete all of them except the ccmerge.package file, then go to and open your DCCache folder and delete everything in this DCCache folder as you won't be needing them anymore, and then finally go to your Mods\Package folder and delete all your mods package files, and then once it's all removed, copy your cleaned 500 mods package files from its temporary folder and copy your cleaned CC converted to package folder to your Mods\Package folder as well.., now you have them all in one place as mods files (no more Custom Content).

Now it's time for you to test run your TS3 with your previously saved game and/or new game, and let's see the result if there's any improvement in terms of loading time and reducing lags.., if the result is better, then you can start categorizing your mods and converted CC if you want to merge them with S3PE, keep the clean ones as your new backup for later use if you want to add new CC or mods, so you'll always have clean CC and mods for your game whether you merged them or not


PS: As your computer's spec, you're running Win 10 in that old laptop, you might need this as well for your old drivers to run in Win 10

For the sake of practicality, I offer a modification to that suggestion. I suggest that the OP remove all of their custom content and mods, all of it, except maybe for NRaas Overwatch and ErrorTrap (maybe Register and Traffic if they had been using those since they also enhance rather than detract from performance), clear caches, and startup a new test game with the EPs they seriously intend to use. If they cannot get their game to run in a stable and acceptable enough manner to them, then there really is no point in continuing unless a new computer is on the horizon.

But if they can, then @PapaEmy 's advice on how best to proceed with CC organization looks valuable.

So I just downloaded Dashboard twice and it won't even install, it keeps doing the same thing and saying Sims3Dashboard has stopped working. Is there another program I can try to use? This is so fucking frustrating.

Well, if even Sims3Dashboard cannot even run on this laptop, what's the point of forcing it to run Sims 3?

Sorry to tell you something you don't want to hear, but this laptop has no chance of even running the base game on current patch. Given that the min CPU speed needs 2.4GHz and 4GB - both being as minimum as you should use. This laptop does not even meet this requirement for the base game alone. It is really going to be an exercise in frustration and futility.

I don't usually find myself arguing against the experts on behalf of the eleven year old laptop that is below recommended requirements. But I still think the base game and even an early EP or two has a chance to run on that one if they can reel in that resource usage. It won't run well. It will always be in danger of overheating, hopefully they have a cooling pad for it. It won't be anything at all like the OP is accustomed to or wants. I wouldn't want to play TS3 on it, but I still think it could run. TS2 might stand a much better chance of being fun to play though, at least if that graphics card holds up.

I think there might be more problem on your Windows OS side (as it won't install Dashboard as you said), running and installing are two different things, obviously something preventing you from installing Dashboard, and since you're running Win 10, I assumed you're running on the free upgraded version directly from your previous Windows OS, and because of that.. you might lack of proper drivers supporting your laptop, because there's no Win 10 compatible drivers for your laptop's generation, to be able to run Win 10 well in older machine like yours, you'll need to force the latest drivers for your laptop (which I assumed for Win 7) to run in Win 10, to install Win 7 drivers for your laptop in Win 10, you'll need to customize the drivers' installer so Win 10 will run them in Win 7 mode.., you'll find the way how to do them in the link I gave you about Win 10 in the installing drivers section..

So in your case, I think you might need to have a new fresh and clean re-installation not only for your TS3 but for your Win 10 as well, once Win 10 reinstalled with non upgraded version, install all your Win 7 drivers supporting your laptop with customized installer, then after your Win 7 drivers installed in Win 10, you might also need to change the compatibility mode (for some of its bundled software came with its drivers.. like audio application) to Win 7 compatibility mode, this way Win 10 will have everything it needs to run all of your devices and Win 10 will also run in Win 7 mode whenever it needs to..

And then after you have re-installed Win 10 with all your supporting drivers, then try installing back all of your programs and games, you should be able to install them with no problem, but performance-wise.. when you run them, that will be depends on your computer's spec, but you'll get the same performance as it was when you still on your previous Windows OS which I assumed Windows 7, the only problem with Win 10 for your old laptop.. you might not found its latest drivers to support Win 10, so in this case, make the Win 10 to run like or in Win 7 mode, and to have this in your computer, you'll need to wipe out your Win 10 upgraded version and replace it with Win 10 stand alone installation version.., once your Win 10 runs properly in your machine like running Win 7, then it will tell you what programs and/or games it able to run.., so in your case since it even won't let you to install Sims3Dashboard, you may need to reorganize everything in your laptop not only your CC or mods, you may need to clean up your Windows OS first before you reorganize everything else and put everything back in your laptop..

If you are going to attempt to make the game run and taking into consideration the specs of your laptop and advice given to clean things up somewhat it is time for me to put in my shameless plug pointing to the Tips For Better Game Performance Document :D