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Lab Assistant
Original Poster
#1 Old 6th Jul 2018 at 8:59 PM Last edited by GothicGyrl : 6th Jul 2018 at 9:20 PM.
Default infinite loop of "cannot find disk"/origins/Cd install/no uninstall
I seem to go in spurts of playing this game and I found my last post here from last year. But this time, I bought Island Paradise and....
Please just delete the thread if you give me the answer. I did try searching (google, youtube, here) and am still reading.

I have OS/X --everything updated--even game (launcher says it is updated). Version 1.67.2.0240217. Base + Supernatural + Island Paradise.
OS/X: High Sierra V 10.13.5

I am stuck in this "infinite loop" here. I bought a hard copy of the game, installed from CD, etc. Go to play, says it cannot find disk/please load disk/try again or quit.
So, I go to the Origins launcher..my base game is showing, but not Supernatural (all that shows in my Origins is base game, sims 2, and sims 4 demo) but I figured since the game plays from the most recent, let's "add a game" and try Island Paradise that way.
Island Paradise downloads/installs but does not show in Origins. Likewise, I have the launcher bypass fix so I click on the base game instead (one fix said to try clicking on base game to get around the "no disk" error).
So, if you can follow--I've got base game, supernatural, and island paradise installed. Game loads, gets to the select screen and gives me the disk error. Over and over. On my Mac, the base game and Supernatural are shown as being installed, but not Island Paradise.

Please direct me to the dummies guide to fix this problem and lock/delete thread as needed. I swear I searched (even on the EA forums and none of their "fixes" worked).

Thank you,
Toni
(also, nothing is hacked. No hack mods, no hack games, etc.. I paid for everything from either Origins or bought the disk at walmart)
(also forgot that I can NOT uninstall any version of the game. I click on the uninstall launcher and none of the games show up in it)
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Mad Poster
#2 Old 6th Jul 2018 at 11:47 PM
Everything that you require is on Bluebellflora's blog pages, including how to properly uninstall the game manually and how to reinstall the EP/SPs known to be problematic for everyone on the Mac version of the game.
https://bluebellflora.com/the-sims-3-mac-help

The discs do not work on current versions of OS X, that would be El Capitan and forward. It's Origin for Mac only all the way now, there is no way around that unless you are willing and able to bootcamp and run Windows on your Mac.

Even if you do get through all of this without bootcamping, it's still worth noting that TS3 for Mac is a crippled version of its Windows sibling as it can never use more than 2 GB of RAM no matter how much the player has installed and it puts up a real fight on many current processor/GPU combos to the extent that more than a few simmers cannot get the game to work on OS X at all. But the point is, afraid the experience you are chasing down even if successful may not be a very high quality one.
Lab Assistant
Original Poster
#3 Old 6th Jul 2018 at 11:51 PM
Igazor,
Thank you. That is what I suspected was happening. I will definitely go through BlueBeliflora's blog to see if I can get it to work. Do we know if Sims 4 is giving Mac users (OS X and higher) the same issues or worse?

Very helpful reply.
Mad Poster
#4 Old 6th Jul 2018 at 11:54 PM
Quote: Originally posted by GothicGyrl
Igazor,
Thank you. That is what I suspected was happening. I will definitely go through BlueBeliflora's blog to see if I can get it to work. Do we know if Sims 4 is giving Mac users (OS X and higher) the same issues or worse?

Very helpful reply.

Oh no, not at all. Though I am sure there are going to be some issues here and there with just about any game, TS3 is the only one in the sims series on which EA did this hobbled OS X port and they never returned to it to fix things that they did wrong from the beginning. TS1, 2, and 4 for Mac were proper ports contracted out to companies who know what they are doing.

Whether that helps make TS4 a game that one wants to play is of course another matter (and I guess off-topic).
Lab Assistant
Original Poster
#5 Old 7th Jul 2018 at 7:15 PM
So, I followed BlueBellFlora's instructions and am currently waiting for base game to re-download from the Origin engine. While I am waiting, I was browsing around the games section and checked out the Sims 3 tab they have. I clicked on Island Paradise and Supernatural (both games I have, remember), but neither of them show up in my Game library. It says I have them, it gives me the option to view in the library and I have played with the filters (on, off, on , off) to get my games to show but neither of these games actually appear.

There is, however, a message under the Sims 3 Base game download, that says "New expansion ready to install" . So, I clicked on the Expansions tab just below that and navigated to Island Paradise where it gives me the "queue" option. If I click on that, I get a message that says
"The Simsâ„¢ 3 Island Paradise is a game that must be installed using an external application, which is separate software not a part of Origin. To begin your installation, follow the steps below.
1. Copy your Product Code

You must enter the product code below when prompted. Copy the code to the clipboard to save the code for easy entry when prompted later.
Product Code: XXXXXXXXXXXXX (removed actual code for posting)
2. Install Through an external application

Clicking install below will install The Simsâ„¢ 3 Island Paradise using an external application. Remember to enter the product code you copied to the clipboard when prompted."

And then the install button. BUT, Supernatural does not give me this message. It actually went into the download queue behind the base game.

So what's going on here? Did I royally flubber something up?

Thank you!
Mad Poster
#6 Old 7th Jul 2018 at 9:03 PM
Not sure about the royal flubber (wasn't that a Disney movie?) but sounds like Origin is eventually recognizing that you registered SN but not IP. It doesn't matter if you had IP installed prior. Can you now register it either on Origin or on the old TS3 site so it gets added to your account's Origin assets?

If you have no code with which to register IP or it tells you that your code is already used (and the disc wasn't used when you purchased it or it was a digital purchase to begin with) then a real time conversation with EA customer support would be required to straighten that out.
Lab Assistant
Original Poster
#7 Old 7th Jul 2018 at 9:47 PM
If I try to register or redeem IP on Origin, it says the code has already been redeemed. So Origin recognizes I own it but wants me to download it from another site (as I C&Pd above). I have not yet tried the old TS3 website. I do have an IP code though as I bought a physical disk from walmart and I was able to redeem that code immediately. Then the problems started that I mentioned in the first post. I went ahead and followed your recommendation and am clean installing all of the games again.
It seems that IP is just the issue here. Maybe it will work after I do this clean install.
Lab Assistant
Original Poster
#8 Old 7th Jul 2018 at 11:48 PM
Sigh.. I give up. I've followed everything given to me to fix the issue. After redownloading the base game and installing the patch, S3 (base) now gives me an unknown error when loading. I'm not that invested in this anymore to try and get this to load. I'll just check into Sims 4 and see if that's something I can play. If not, then I guess this is the end of the Sims for me. Thank you all for your help!
Mad Poster
#9 Old 8th Jul 2018 at 6:15 AM Last edited by igazor : 8th Jul 2018 at 6:33 AM.
I am sure that given an infinite amount of time and patience, you could work through the unknown error crash that has plagued so many other players unless you have one of the more stubborn processor/GPU combos. But only to be faced with some other set of obstacles to get this game to work at all and again, it's never going to be a great simming experience. It is also the case that an upcoming version of OS X, not Mojave due out this fall but now we have learned that the one that will come after that, will drop all support for 32-bit applications. So for those staying current with the OS, that will be the end of TS3 for Mac entirely unless EA releases a surprise patch to address it (not likely).

I love Macs/OS X and I love TS3, passionately for each but separately. Together, not so much. So hate to say it, but for this computer at least if bootcamping Windows is not an option then you might be making a good decision here.
Lab Assistant
Original Poster
#10 Old 8th Jul 2018 at 12:15 PM
I've been sucha dedicated SIMmer too--since the 1st one. All the sim games I played. Sigh... I guess some things just need to end. Thank you for your help igazor!!!
Scholar
#11 Old 8th Jul 2018 at 2:45 PM
guys, a truly dedicated simmer would buy a refurbished* ancient machine, just for simming


*seriously, you can buy something quite good just for pennies, I'am just saying


favorite quote: "When ElaineNualla is posting..I always read..Nutella. I am sorry" by Rosebine
self-claimed "lower-spec simmer"
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