Hey guys,

I'm wondering if any of you kind folk can help me? I'm having problems with my Sims 3 game crashing in the create-a-sim mode.

I have been through the game help FAQs and crash checklist to no avail (except for deleting custom content as I did not have any custom content to delete). I have also tried updating/reinstalling my graphics drivers and performing a clean uninstall/install of the game. This problem keeps happening both in the base game and in my expansion packs (pets, late night and ambitions). The weird thing is I have had the game for years previously it has worked absolutely fine on this laptop. After not playing the game for at least a year I fancied a game and this is when the problems have started. I am not sure if it has anything to do with my system being updated to windows 8.1 (when I played the game previously I was using windows 8).The other strange thing is my device config shows my graphics card as being the intel graphics, not my NVIDIA GeForce GT 750M graphics card (my laptop has dual graphics cards), so I am not sure if it is because it is not recognising my graphics card? I am not very compuer savy I'm afraid.

Any help would be massively appreciated. My computer systems specs from Dxdiag are listed below. Thank you

Operating System: Windows 8.1 64-bit (6.3, Build 9600) (9600.winblue_ltsb.160310-0600)
System Manufacturer: Acer
System Model: Aspire V3-772
BIOS: V1.12
Processor: Intel(R) Core(TM) i7-4702MQ CPU @ 2.20GHz (8 CPUs), ~2.2GHz
Memory: 16384MB RAM
Available OS Memory: 16264MB RAM
Page File: 2486MB used, 30161MB available
Windows Dir: C:\WINDOWS
DirectX Version: DirectX 11
DX Setup Parameters: Not found
User DPI Setting: Using System DPI
System DPI Setting: 96 DPI (100 percent)
DWM DPI Scaling: Disabled
DxDiag Version: 6.03.9600.17415 64bit Unicode

Card name: Intel(R) HD Graphics 4600
Manufacturer: Intel Corporation
Chip type: Intel(R) HD Graphics Family
DAC type: Internal
Device Type: Full Device
Device Key: Enum\PCI\VEN_8086&DEV_0416&SUBSYS_07811025&REV_06
Dedicated Memory: 32 MB
Shared Memory: 1760 MB
Current Mode: 1600 x 900 (32 bit) (60Hz)
Monitor Name: Generic PnP Monitor
Monitor Model: unknown
Monitor Id: CMNAE0D
Native Mode: 1600 x 900(p) (60.011Hz)
Output Type: Internal
Driver Name: igdumdim64.dll,igd10iumd64.dll,igd10iumd64.dll,igdumdim32,igd10iumd32,igd10iumd32
Driver File Version: 10.18.0010.3960 (English)
Driver Version: 10.18.10.3960
DDI Version: 11.1
Feature Levels: 11.1,11.0,10.1,10.0,9.3,9.2,9.1
Driver Model: WDDM 1.3
Graphics Preemption: Primitive
Compute Preemption: Thread group
Miracast: Not Supported by WiFi driver
Hybrid Graphics GPU: Integrated
Power P-states: Not Supported
Driver Attributes: Final Retail
Driver Date/Size: 10/3/2014 18:36:50, 24185400 bytes

Description: Speakers (Realtek High Definition Audio)
Default Sound Playback: Yes
Default Voice Playback: Yes
Hardware ID: HDAUDIO\FUNC_01&VEN_10EC&DEV_0282&SUBSYS_10250781&REV_1000
Manufacturer ID: 1
Product ID: 100
Type: WDM
Driver Name: RTKVHD64.sys
Driver Version: 6.00.0001.6865 (English)
Driver Attributes: Final Retail
WHQL Logo'd: Yes
Date and Size: 3/19/2013 13:21:10, 3363016 bytes

Drive: C:
Free Space: 322.6 GB
Total Space: 467.5 GB
File System: NTFS
Model: WDC WD10JPVX-22JC3T0

Drive: D:
Free Space: 468.6 GB
Total Space: 468.7 GB
File System: NTFS
Model: WDC WD10JPVX-22JC3T0

Drive: E:
Model: Slimtype DVD A DS8A9SH
Driver: c:\windows\system32\drivers\cdrom.sys, 6.03.9600.16384 (English), 8/22/2013 09:46:35, 164352 bytes

I think that was likely the case, but I'm not sure if that was the cause of your game crashing especially in CAS mode, by the way is your game patched to 1.69 or 1.67? If your game was patched to 1.69, then you might have more than just about your dual graphic cards issues.

Your laptop have dual switchable graphic cards, I'm not really familiar with Windows 8 or 8.1 but the basic are similar to Windows 10, you might want to take a look at this thread http://modthesims.info/showthread.php?t=570283 to get the better picture how of your switchable graphic cards works.

Basically the TS3 DeviceConfig reads from your main graphic cards drivers, therefore it detects the Intel as its main gpu not the Nvidia, my only suggestion is try to reinstalling your Intel GPU's driver compatible with windows 8.1, once this one done then followed to reinstalling with the most recent Nvidia drivers for win 8.1 compatible. To make sure you got them both installed properly, just open your Device Manager, if you see both GPUs in there as; one Intel HD 4600 and the other is Nvidia GT650M then both installed correctly, if you got this then you'll see in your TS3 DeviceConfig that the Nvidia GT650M as your primary graphic card for TS3.

Ok that's from the dual switchable graphic cards technical perspective, but I don't think that was the particular cause for your game to crash, even if you don't have the proper drivers installed, worst case scenario that I think would happen.. your game won't load properly but not crashed in the middle of the game. So if your game is patched to 1.67, for this I think you should try to uninstalling TS3 completely, clean up your TS3 stuff in windows registry, restart your laptop and then reinstalling the game, but if your game is patched to 1.69.. then I'm sorry I'm affraid I can't help you to solved the 1.69 patch issue..

Thank you for your help and taking the time to reply. I just checked and it is patched to 1.69. Nethertheless, I'll give your advice about the graphics cards drivers a go and see if I have any luck. Thanks

Thanks for your reply nitromon. Sorry, I'm not very computer savy...what exactly is a clean run? I did do a clean uninstall/reinstall using CC cleaner. I also have tried running just the base game and bypassing the launcher, which unfortunately has not had any effect. Yesterday I managed to create a sim by being quick about it, but then in the world view the game crashed, so it doesn't seem to be an issue isolated only to create a sim.

My deviceconfig is below. Thank you so much for your help with this.

Thank you. I followed the steps including the texture memory fix and then ran the game...unfortunately, it still crashed to a BSOD saying "kernel auto boost invalid lock release". When the game crashes it seems to crash to either a BSOD with different error messages each time or comes up with a box that says the game has stopped working an needs to close.

Also, I note that the deviceconfig is just listing my intel graphics card, not the NVIDIA one. Is this just because the NVIDIA only kicks in when higher performance is required, such as playing TS3?

This is my new deviceconfig since making the suggested changes:

No, actually it's the Intel driver that triggers the Nvidia to kick in, my laptop also have dual switchable GPUs, Intel HD 4000 and GT610M, but I got Win 10 in my laptop, I upgraded it from Win7, once I got them both installed, my TS3 DeviceConfig automatically detects my Nvidia, it just don't have the GT610M on the GraphicCards.sgr list, therefore I have to adjust it manually and downgrade it to GT310M spec, that's why you need to have both drivers installed, if you already installed the proper drivers, the thing I don't know about Windows 8.1, does it needs a specific Net FX like Windows 10? Because the Nvidia drivers needs Net 4.0 for Win7 and Net FX 3.5 for Win10, if you have your win 8.1 installation disc, you might try to look and install it from its sources\sxs folder (just like windows 10 from the link I mentioned above), I think this is the one that probably missing from your system to have your dual switchable graphics setup works accordingly in your Win 8.1.

As for the crash, I think that's more because of the 1.69 patch in my opinion..