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Field Researcher
Original Poster
#1 Old 12th Feb 2014 at 8:20 AM Last edited by Sojourner : 12th Feb 2014 at 12:44 PM. Reason: added more information

This user has the following games installed:

Sims 3, World Adventures, Ambitions, Generations
Default Constant freezing
System:

Windows 7 Home Premium 64-bit Service pack 1
Avira 14.0.2.286 12/9/2013

CPU = Intel Core i7 960 3.2 GHz Quad
Motherboard = ASUSTeK P6T SE (LGA1366)
6 GB DDR3 RAM in 3 slots (3 available)
Western Digital 1.5 TB HD (WD15EADS-00P8B0) 5400 rpm

1 GB AMD Radeon HD 5700 series (pretty sure its 5770)
Driver version 13.251.0.0 12/6/2013

Sims 3: Base, World Adventures, Generations, Ambitions - installed via Origin download
PATCH VERSION 1.67 - installed at the time of download via Origin, this is not a game that was patched later through Launcher
Running at 30fps via Radeon Pro
I am NOT running from the Launcher; I execute a Radeon Pro profile for TS3w.exe in order to limit the frame rate
Origin has been uninstalled
Shopping feature is disabled in-game
memories are disabled
Tutorial is disabled
login request is disabled
online connections are disabled

CC: NONE
MODS: Twallan's (and removing them doesn't help)
Store content: None currently installed
Worlds: Riverview, Sunset Valley (Base worlds only)
I have the "interactive loading screen" disabled.

From the config log for Sims 3 (just up to the video settings)

=== Application info ===
Name: Sims3
Version:
Build: Release
=== Rating info ===
GPU: 5 GPU Memory: 4 CPU: 4 RAM: 4 CPU Speed: 3207 Threading: 3
Adjusted CPU: 3876 RAM: 6135 Adjusted RAM: 5623 Cores: 4
=== Machine info ===
OS version: Windows 7 6.1.7601 Service Pack 1
OS prod type: 0
OS major ver: 6
OS minor ver: 1
OS SP major ver: 1
OS SP minor ver: 0
OS is 64Bit: 1
CPU: GenuineIntel
Brand: Intel(R) Core(TM) i7 CPU 960 @ 3.20GHz
Family: 6
Model: 10
Cores: 4
HT: 1
x64: 0
Memory: 6135MB
Free memory: 4455MB
User: Gumbleflux
Computer: DESKTOP
=== Graphics device info ===
Number: 0
Name (driver): AMD Radeon HD 5700 Series
Name (database): Radeon HD 5700 Series [Found: 1, Matched: 1]
Vendor: ATI
Chipset: Vendor: 1002, Device: 68b8, Board: 22881787, Chipset: 0000
Driver: aticfx32.dll, Version: 8.17.10.1247, GUID: D7B71EE2-2BF8-11CF-E870-8202BEC2C535
Driver version: 1247
Monitor: \\.\DISPLAY2
Texture memory: 3824MB
Vertex program: 3.0
Pixel program: 3.0
Hardware TnL: 1
=== Options ===
AnimationSmoothing 1
LightingQuality 3
GeneralReflections 2
TextureQuality 3
VisualEffects 3
TerrainQuality 3
EdgeSmoothing 1
ObjectHiding 0
AspectRatio 0
ForceSquarePixels 1
SimQuality 4
TreeQuality 3
DrawDistance 3
MaxActiveLots 4
NumMaxActiveLotOptions 6
AdvancedRendering 1

PROBLEM: Frequent freezing anywhere from a few minutes to several hours into the game. This is a brand new install on a system clean of all previous installations as it was recently reconfigured, reformated, and reinstalled with Win 7.

CRASH LOG INFORMATION

Usually the game just freezes forever and I get no crash logs or script errors for ErrorTrap. But I do have a couple of crash logs if those would help. I'm a little confused by what it reports:

Memory load: 55%
Total physical memory: 6135 Mb
Available physical memory: 2756 Mb
Total page file memory: 18133 Mb
Available page file memory: 13953 Mb
Total virtual memory: 4095 Mb
Free virtual memory: 2233 Mb

I'm not sure what it thinks the difference is between page file memory and virtual memory; I double checked and I do have that set to 12 GB, which doesn't match anything reported above.

The exception being reported is:

[Exception info]
date: 2014-02-11
time: 17.10.48
type: ACCESS_VIOLATION reading address 0x00000007
address: 0x00c3d90b "C:\Program Files (x86)\Origin Games\The Sims 3\Game\Bin\TS3W.exe":0x0001:0x0083c90b

I won't post the rest of the file unless someone thinks it would be useful.

The other crash log I have reports a similar exception:

[Exception info]
date: 2014-02-09
time: 09.31.49
type: ACCESS_VIOLATION reading address 0x6acf3520
address: 0x0047121e "C:\Program Files (x86)\Origin Games\The Sims 3\Game\Bin\TS3W.exe":0x0001:0x0007021e

This makes it sound like a memory problem, but everybody I've talked to to date is focused on the graphics card issue. I have no idea anymore.

DETAILS OF THE PROBLEM

After repeated freezing in game play mode I have reverted to running only in Edit Town mode. The game isn't running the Sims so none of Twallans mods are active yet; however I have done repeated testing with all mods removed and the behavior is exactly the same. With store content or other CC installed the freezing happens faster; removing it all doesn't have much effect. Staying in Edit Town mode slows it down but you can't play in Edit Town mode. And it doesn't stop - it's even more annoying to have it freeze up just when you've gotten everything perfectly lined up.

Prior to patch 1.55, this same system (no hardware changes) handled Sims 3 just fine; very smoothly, with all graphics settings maxed out.

Now it is choppy, microstutters, and eventually freezes, even with no CC or additional store content or extra worlds installed.

I have been advised that even though I have NONE of the newer EPs, that patch 1.55 broke something for most video cards, and the only "solution" is to buy a 2GB monster card or the game will never run again.

Before I go out and drop a bundle on another video card I'd like to solicit advice for what to do with THIS one to smooth these problems out. Or perhaps there is something else altogether going on. I have run disk and memory diagnostics, which found nothing.

I went ahead and defragged even though Windows reported 0% fragmentation - just in case. When I check system resources while the Sims is running I see that it is using just over 1GB of RAM. It is my understanding that Sims 3 is LAA now and the old "fix" for that is long obsolete. I upped my Virtual memory from 6GB to 12GB.

I have checked the online resources giving advice for game freezes and none of the typical situations (out of date mods, bad cc, game card not on the wiki list or underpowered, etc) apply. The game is not actually running any simulations - its never been taken out of Edit Town mode thus far this iteration - so there can't be stuck sims and a billion cars; and even if there were, I have Overwatch to take care of that. I do not have large save games - in fact since this was a clean install there were no save games at all to start out. I have no saved Sims. I have cleared cache several times; I have totally replaced the entire Sims 3 folder, and I have done a complete reinstallation via Origin. The case was recently cleaned out (dust removal).

Nothing works.

Any advice would be appreciated; it seems to me if my video card was really so totally outclassed now that would be reflected on the graphics card page in the wiki, but my current card still shows up there with YES nearly all the way across (the latest EPs from IP on say "maybe" now). Plus, it used to run on this system!

SO any advice would be appreciated.

If I don't answer a direct question on the technical forums, I didn't see it. Feel free to PM me.
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#2 Old 13th Feb 2014 at 3:47 AM
Hrmm I'm not sure... Did you try adding exceptions to DEP?

http://modthesims.info/wiki.php?tit...tion_Prevention
Field Researcher
Original Poster
#3 Old 13th Feb 2014 at 12:27 PM Last edited by Sojourner : 13th Feb 2014 at 12:49 PM.
Quote: Originally posted by ajaxsirius
Hrmm I'm not sure... Did you try adding exceptions to DEP?

http://modthesims.info/wiki.php?tit...tion_Prevention


I did, but it's only been less than a day since I did that. I found it through another link while searching for solutions to this problem. I don't know why I hadn't come up on either link before but my search terms just weren't right somehow. The links are:

http://simswiki.info/wiki.php?title...shing_Checklist

and

http://simswiki.info/wiki.php?title...Prevention/TS3W

I had done (or checked and knew it didn't need to be done) literally EVERYTHING in that first link EXCEPT for the DEP setting modification. I haven't had a crash yet since doing that - but I've gone this long without freezing before - so I'm not sanguine about it yet, but I AM keeping my fingers crossed!

EDIT: WAIT WAIT WAIT! The link you gave me had more information than the one I had about DEP. It sent me to get The Sims 3 Crash Analyzer, which I got and ran. This is the log it generated and I don't understand it :

Processor Name: Intel(R) Core(TM) i7 CPU 960 @ 3.20GHz
Processor Architecture: AMD64
Graphics Processor: AMD Radeon HD 5700 Series (1 GiB)
Antiviruses: Avira Desktop

Games Installed: The Sims™ 3 (1.67.2.024017), The Sims™ 3 World Adventures (2.0.86.002017 -> 2.17.2.011037), The Sims™ 3 Ambitions (4.0.87.006017 -> 4.10.1.011037), The Sims™ 3 Generations (8.0.152.011017)
Custom Content: Yes (68 found)

[WARNING CUSTOM CONTENT] 2/9/2014 9:31:49 AM
OS Version: 6.1.7601
TS3 Path: C:\Program Files (x86)\Origin Games\The Sims 3\Game\Bin\TS3W.exe
TS3 Version: 0.2.0.209
Installed RAM: 5.99 GiB
TS3 Free VM: 2.34 GiB / 4.00 GiB
Crash Type: ACCESS_VIOLATION reading address 0x6acf3520
Crash Address: 0x0047121e "C:\Program Files (x86)\Origin Games\The Sims 3\Game\Bin\TS3W.exe":0x0001:0x0007021e

[WARNING CUSTOM CONTENT] 2/11/2014 5:10:48 PM
OS Version: 6.1.7601
TS3 Path: C:\Program Files (x86)\Origin Games\The Sims 3\Game\Bin\TS3W.exe
TS3 Version: 0.2.0.209
Installed RAM: 5.99 GiB
TS3 Free VM: 2.18 GiB / 4.00 GiB
Crash Type: ACCESS_VIOLATION reading address 0x00000007
Crash Address: 0x00c3d90b "C:\Program Files (x86)\Origin Games\The Sims 3\Game\Bin\TS3W.exe":0x0001:0x0083c90b

So, first it says my games are NOT PATCHED - didn't Origin do that automatically when it installed them? Have I done a really dumb thing? I assumed because this was a brand-spankin' new install done only a week or two ago that it was installed fully patched ... what does this mean and how do I fix it?

Second, it says there is custom content in the game yet I have none installed! I downloaded some store content freebies from the site the other day but I didn't tell Launcher to actually install them - so I shouldn't have anything installed. Even if Launcher went ahead and automatically installed it - which it didn't USED to do, it used to wait for me to select it in Downloads and click to tell it to install - it's STORE content, not CC, so presumably shouldn't be crashing the game ... I am very confused ...

Maybe it's not DEP (or not JUST DEP) after all but I'm not sure what to do about either of the warnings from the Crash Log Analyzer. 68 pieces of custom content? YIKES! The only thing in my Package folder are Twallan's mods and things like nointrosparkle, and there aren't 68 of them! Are they counting mods as CC?

EDIT AGAIN: A bunch of that store content IS in the game, despite the fact that I never told Launcher specifically to install it. I don't think it's ever done that before, I'm not sure how that happened. There's 2 or 3 years worth of free sets and the few things I've paid for (mostly with points) over the years that I downloaded but did not intend to have installed until later, at least some of it is in the game. Not all of it - which is even weirder - but some of it. I don't know how it got there ... but there it is.

If I don't answer a direct question on the technical forums, I didn't see it. Feel free to PM me.
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