Phoned Home?

[drallab_mas]

Bash me all you want, I've read a lot of posts on SecuROM and all that and warnings to not install arr'd store items with a connection running. Yet some how, I've managed to let the launcher phone home. I could tell, because as soon as I tried to launch the game, it closed for no reason during the loading screen. I was about to quit anyway to delete all the cache files, so when I went to do that, I found two nice little files in there that weren't there before. One was a .txt file, and although I couldn't read a lot of the stuff in the file, I did manage to read ACCESS VIOLATION - and it had several of the specs on my computer listed as well. I would have copy and pasted it on here, but by that time I was scared shitless and deleted everything in the hopes that that might save me. I haven't tried running the game since.
So, anyone have any idea what I should do now, or what I should expect in the slightest?

[Motoki]

You're paranoid. That crash is quirk of the game most of us have dealt with at some point or other when using mods. It's not EA intentionally doing anything. It's EA half assery.

Access Violation is Geekanese for oh shit something that shouldn't have happened happened. That's it. It's nothing to do with you.

Also, you do know that you don't have to run the game from the launcher, right?

[drallab_mas]

So even though it had my serial number and everything...I'm just being paranoid?

No... I didn't know that. How can I run it otherwise, then?

[Mire Krisma]

So even though it had my serial number and everything...I'm just being paranoid?

No... I didn't know that. How can I run it otherwise, then?

C:\Program Files\Electronic Arts\The Sims 3\Game\Bin\TS3.exe

[Motoki]

Edit: Mire beat me to it. 

From C:\Program Files\Electronic Arts\The Sims 3\Game\Bin\TS3.exe

You can create a shortcut to it on your desktop.

Also, while the launcher won't do squat but be slow and bloated, if you are really that worried you can block it in your firewall (one comes with Windows as of XP on) or just take the low tech route and unplug the modem when you run it.

[drallab_mas]

Ok, thanks!

New question though. (God, I feel like an idiot!)
I don't have another firewall besides the standard Windows one. I went to the Security Center in the control panel and opened the firewall settings - it says everything is being blocked except my exceptions. Nothing TS3 is on the list of exceptions, yet some how it still connects all the time. So...what now?

Ed: I'm not quite so paranoid now. I saw a post on here that you actually replied to, Motoki, and they copy & pasted what looked like the exact same files that I was referring to in my first post. So, as you said, they must just be crash logs or something...

[Mire Krisma]

What now? You don't need to use the Launcher. Use the executable to run the game, and use the Install Monkey for custom content.

Also, YAR HAR FIDDLY DEE.

[drallab_mas]

The Install Monkey doesn't do my Sims3Pack files...it automatically opens in the launcher instead.

I know I sound like an idiot who knows nothing about computers...but I don't care. Everytime I install the pack files, even when I was disconnected from the internet, it puts those xcpt[myname][date&time].txt & .mdmp files into my My Documents/Electronic Arts/Sims 3 folder. I hadn't even tried running the game yet or anything - so it hadn't crashed to put those there. This time, though, I moved them into a folder on my desktop, if anyone would like the exception info.

Sorry, maybe I'm just getting paranoid again, but I got my ass kicked (by my internet provider) for downloading True Blood through Vuze a month ago.

[Mootilda]

.mdmp is a mini-dump file and is generated by a crash.  Sounds like your launcher is crashing when installing CC.

Have you tried installing your CC via another program, like Delphy's multi-installer, rather than through the launcher?

When dealing with EA, being paranoid is probably a good thing.  Ever since they infested my machine with SecuROM, I don't trust them.

[rufio]

Windoze security is teh suck.  Get something better, like ZoneAlarm (which is free).  I don't know what Windoze security does if something unapproved tries to access the net, but ZoneAlarm will pop up and tell what's happening, and give you an opportunity to deny that program access.  When I was using it, nothing got past it that I was aware of.  Trend Micro does not have such a good track record.

It's also not unusual for programs to get your system specs - it's often necessary for the program to run correctly, AFAIK.

"Access Violation" probably refers to the program trying to access/modify parts of memory/disc space that it shouldn't be able to (like the parts that tell your OS how to run).  The crash is the OS's way of preventing the program from totally fucking your computer.  It is caused by shitty programming, not by malicious spyware.

[drallab_mas]

I didn't think my launcher was crashing, I mean it didn't seem like it. But oh well...thanks guys!!

Oh, and I'm downloading ZoneAlarm now. Thanks for the tip.