If you REALLY want to use Launcher to install Sims3Pack with 1.8/2.3

[Whako]

I can't honestly say that I followed the instructions because the part about the DOS had me confused.

You have to get the DOSpath to your MYDOCUMENTS\Electronic Arts\DCCache\ folder. This is somehow difficult, if you do not know DOS. But why don´t you take the example as a guide if you have a standard installation?
"..\..\DOCUME~1\USERNAME\MYDOCU~1\ELECTR~1\THESIM~1\DCCache" means nothing else, that you have to fill in the username you have choosen for the system.

If you feel unsure about this, get DOS Path 0.3.1 from here
http://softwaredownloadmirror.com/freeware/dos-path-0.3.1/102785557/
install and launch it. Then open up the DCCache window in your MYDOCUMENTS Folder. Copy the Windows path to the "Win Path" line of DOSpath and convert it. Voilá!

Also I don't know which folder to launch my game from.

The game per se will be launched from the original place. I do not use the launcher file (Sims3Launcher.exe) because it´s mean. Use the TS3.exe (or TS3EP01.exe) instead.

So then I proceeded with the TS3EP01.exe from the "working launcher" folder to play the game. It goes past the startup screen to the screen where I can now select the game I want to play then it starts to the load the game but then it crashes half way through.

As you launched the game from the "working_launcher" directory, it could not start. See my info above and start the game from its original location! This has been stated here several times. Read before you post!

Please help!!!!

Edited due to some ESL mistakes.

[GnatGoSplat]

So then I proceeded with the TS3EP01.exe from the "working launcher" folder to play the game. It goes past the startup screen to the screen where I can now select the game I want to play then it starts to the load the game but then it crashes half way through. I really want to play the game and I don't feel like reinstalling because I believe this is an issue I should be able to fix. Please help!!!!

I had the same problem, so now I use the TS3EP01.exe from the World Adventures folder.  The instructions only state we should use the Launcher from the "working launcher" folder.  But I could be wrong; you might want to wait for someone with more experience than I for an answer.

That's correct.  Use TS3EP01.exe from the WA folder to play the game, only use the working_launcher folder when you need to run the Launcher to install/remove stuff.

[Capitaine Marie]

That's correct.  Use TS3EP01.exe from the WA folder to play the game, only use the working_launcher folder when you need to run the Launcher to install/remove stuff.

Cool.  Thanks for verifying that.    I suppose we'll have to do the same thing when we install the High-End Loft stuff pack?

[Capitaine Marie]

All store content is showing in the working Launcher; but when scrolling through it, the Launcher freezes repeatedly.  Any suggestions?

[GnatGoSplat]

It does unfreeze itself if you're patient enough, right?  I did have the problem of it being pathetically slow, freezing at times, and unfreezing.  It was an exercise in patience.  It does that with 1.7/2.2 as well so I just wrote it off as Launcher is inefficient, slow, and just plain sucks.

[Indiasong]

I reverted to the previous patch because I could not unfreeze it. And it would error three times out of four.

[Capitaine Marie]

It does unfreeze itself if you're patient enough, right?  I did have the problem of it being pathetically slow, freezing at times, and unfreezing.  It was an exercise in patience.  It does that with 1.7/2.2 as well so I just wrote it off as Launcher is inefficient, slow, and just plain sucks.

It does unfreeze; I just lost my patience years ago and haven't been able to find it since.  I didn't install anything with the 1.7/2.2 patch.  And prior to that patch, the Launcher worked fine; so I thought maybe I'd done something wrong.  

[J. M. Pescado]

The Sims3Pack corruption issue in 1.8/2.3 should be fixed using s3rc's new "decrapify" functionality, on both your sim3packs and your save files. Do not, however, distribute decrapified packages as this procedure is experimental and may produce compatibility issues with people who have not decrapified.

[Capitaine Marie]

It's store content I installed prior to *any* patching, but is it corrupted anyway?  I don't know about using this new decrapify feature; I don't want my game go boom! 

[J. M. Pescado]

It's store content I installed prior to *any* patching, but is it corrupted anyway?  I don't know about using this new decrapify feature; I don't want my game go boom! 

And that's why WinRAR exists. Do you have what it takes be a WinRAR? And yes, all store content is corrupt like that.

[Capitaine Marie]

And that's why WinRAR exists. Do you have what it takes be a WinRAR?

I ran all store content through the Awesome Recompressor (without decrapify) before installing it.  And I know what WinRAR is; I used it once until the trial version expired.  But I'm not sure what you're implying, as I am non-awesome.

[J. M. Pescado]

You will have to decrapify everything if you want to keep installing as Sims3Packs. WinRAR is for backing up all your Sims3Packs and saves before you do it.

[joyfulgirlhol]

If you insist on using the Launcher to install Sims3pack the same way you could before patching to 1.8/2.3, here's how to do it:

5. Resource.cfg will need to be changed so it can find .dbc files in the DCCache of your saved game folder.  Since Resource.cfg doesn't support spaces, you will need to use the DOS equivalent path.
For example, my DCCache path is: "c:\Users\Shawn\Documents\Electronic Arts\The Sims 3\DCCache". Its DOS equivalent path is "c:\Users\Shawn\DOCUME~1\ELECTR~1\THESIM~1\DCCache"
The only way I'm aware of to find the DOS short folder names is with "dir /x" at the command prompt.

Hello.  I just wanted to double check the path to the Resource.cfg that needs to be edited.  Is it the Resource.cfg located in 'C:\Program Files\Electronic Arts\The Sims 3'
or the Resource.cfg located in 'C:\Program Files\Electronic Arts\The Sims 3\Game\Bin'

I read this post:

For the record, when you say to edit the Resource.cfg file, you are referring to the one in the bin/"working_launcher" folder, correct? I went to run my game (I used the binary file from my install disc) and it didn't have anything installed, even the original neighborhood wasn't there. I was previously using the fix where I copied my .dbc files into TS3WA\Mods\Packages and placed an edited Resource.cfg in the Program Files\Electronic Arts\TS3WA. I am assuming I need to clear out all that for this to work, but I am afraid I might be in a little over my head right now.

No, I didn't even know there's a Resource.cfg in the Bin folder that you copied to make a "working_launcher" folder.  The correct Resource.cfg to modify is the one in the TS3WA folder.  You don't have to clear out anything from Resource.cfg.  Just create a new entry pointing to the DCCache folder in your "My Documents\Electronic Arts\The Sims 3\DCCache".  This is where you need to get the short DOS filenames because spaces aren't allowed.

But since I don't own World Adventures, I just wanted to confirm which Resource.cfg to modify.  Thanks in advance for your kind consideration and thank you for these instructions!

[Capitaine Marie]

WinRAR is for backing up all your Sims3Packs and saves before you do it.

Gotcha.  At first, I thought you were just being mysterious about some other feature.

[GnatGoSplat]

Hello.  I just wanted to double check the path to the Resource.cfg that needs to be edited.  Is it the Resource.cfg located in 'C:\Program Files\Electronic Arts\The Sims 3'
or the Resource.cfg located in 'C:\Program Files\Electronic Arts\The Sims 3\Game\Bin'

The first one, C:\Program Files\Electronic Arts\The Sims 3.

What does decrapify actually do?  I've decrapified and reinstalled all the sims3packs and saved games on my wife's PC since her game is full of crap (random missing hair, random sims going invisible).  Not sure yet if it's fixed anything.  Mine has been fine so I haven't tried it.  Decrapify and s3rc also doesn't like filenames with spaces.  Thought I'd mention that in case it's an easy fix.

[Capitaine Marie]

My game is running just fine, too; everything's showing up, no crashing.  I think I'll wait and see if I can install new store content when it comes out.

I've decrapified and reinstalled all the sims3packs and saved games on my wife's PC since her game is full of crap (random missing hair, random sims going invisible).  

Did doing that break your wife's saved games?  I'd really hate to start over. 

[J. M. Pescado]

What does decrapify actually do?  I've decrapified and reinstalled all the sims3packs and saved games on my wife's PC since her game is full of crap (random missing hair, random sims going invisible).  Not sure yet if it's fixed anything.  Mine has been fine so I haven't tried it.  Decrapify and s3rc also doesn't like filenames with spaces.  Thought I'd mention that in case it's an easy fix.

It's highly technical, but basically, EAxis changed something in the 1.8 patch that made certain resource IDs invalid. Decrapify fixes this in all the files, and corrects all the bad references. Current version should fix the spaces thing.

[ksinclair]

Is this still working for all new patches or was it just 1.8/2.3? There are so many threads here, it's a little overwhelming. The patches don't seem to be helping anyone's game but they are needed for new store content right? Plus it seems most modders are keeping up with the patches. Did the launcher actually get fixed in any of the new patches?

[markjs]

All store content is showing in the working Launcher; but when scrolling through it, the Launcher freezes repeatedly.  Any suggestions?

It does unfreeze itself if you're patient enough, right?  I did have the problem of it being pathetically slow, freezing at times, and unfreezing.  It was an exercise in patience.  It does that with 1.7/2.2 as well so I just wrote it off as Launcher is inefficient, slow, and just plain sucks.

The "freeze" is related with the specific routine that forces the Launcher to read each .package inside the .DBC file to show the thumbnail of the file, and it takes time if you have a big list.
If you find the files you want to remove and select them, and press to uinstall them, the Launcher will run TS3.exe/TS3EP01.exe/TS3SP01.exe in background ready to read the .DBC files and remove the specific files you want.
Still, if the Launcher's routine has not yet done with all the thumbnails you browsed through the list, it will stays running it.
Self-experience, I had 3.XGb of CC installed through the Launcher, and to browse that huge list was indeed a patience test, with so few categories to get what I look for, I had to browse the whole list, select all the items, that I did in about 15min just looking, Ihad to browse until the end to find those I wanted, when I finnaly put them to uinstall.
The problem was that I would have to wait until the Launcher read all the files, so if you were mad the way I was, just kill the Sims3Launcher.exe process and let the game .exe do the rest of the job.

Did the launcher actually get fixed in any of the new patches?

NO.

I agree with the conspiracy against this aspect. It may be proposital. I can't see where would be an so complex error related with a bad made patch that could do this and that they can't find a way to "fix" it.

Being proposital or no, EA has a very famous reputation with their bad programmer's. Really, I think they doesn't even pass their patches through QA before.. What kind of company do that, well I kind of get used to it anyway..

[Tia]

I have High End stuff does this matter with trying to get the Launcher to install stuff? This is still a tad complicated.

Edi: I got it to work but I did things different I used my WA as the test working launcher. But I am still not sure what I do after I reinstall High End Stuff

[markjs]

I have High End stuff does this matter with trying to get the Launcher to install stuff? This is still a tad complicated.

Edi: I got it to work but I did things different I used my WA as the test working launcher. But I am still not sure what I do after I reinstall High End Stuff

This method to make the launcher working will not be compatible with High-End Loft Stuff, since the base version of it matches the patch v1.9.22/v2.4.7 and the problem with the Launcher started at patch v1.8.25/v2.3.33;
If you have High-End Loft Stuff you will have to use the base game bin folder or the world adventures's, if you have it.

I had problems recently with it, specifically that Service Error, it occours after you start the game. Somehow there's something the game does with the .DBC files, maybe it attach a new index at the files, wich is why the error appears, but if you clean your DCCache folder, you can install everything again.


The only work-around is to do what Roux said, install the files in batches.
For instance, I keep all my downloads separated in folders, there I will make each folder as one single .dbc file.
I don't know if the method that you be able to create your own .DBC files by using Delphy's Multi-Extractor and merge them using S3PE is the same thing the Launcher does, but in my opinion they are one and the same, so it's basically it.

[GnatGoSplat]

I have High End stuff does this matter with trying to get the Launcher to install stuff? This is still a tad complicated.

Edi: I got it to work but I did things different I used my WA as the test working launcher. But I am still not sure what I do after I reinstall High End Stuff

Actually, this method does work with HELS.
What I did was make my "working_launcher" folder using the Bin folder from the HELS folder, then copied the old 1.7 TS3EP01.exe into that folder and renamed it TS3SP01.exe.  It works just fine.

I tend to blow away DCCache and rebuild it with the Launcher anytime I get new content as that creates only a single .dbc file rather than multiples.

[markjs]

Actually, this method does work with HELS.
What I did was make my "working_launcher" folder using the Bin folder from the HELS folder, then copied the old 1.7 TS3EP01.exe into that folder and renamed it TS3SP01.exe.

Wow.. EA is really dumb, they don't even make a simple sub to gather info in the executable like build version/info;
Anyway, thanks for the tip, I don't see if it make any difference, I have HELS installed but I'm using a copy from World Adventures.
With this experience we've seen that this problem isn't on the Launcher but in the game binary, if you HEX it there are plenty stuff gathering the .enf files (not sure about the extension though).

[ksinclair]

After 10 re-installs my launcher was being really slow but it seems that just something wrong with the launcher and not this method. Anyways I just need to know if I can continue to use this same process for all future updates as I want to use awesome mod but I need to update to do that. From the last 2 posts it would seem so and also from new edited instructions it seems it is possible to use this method for recent and future updates. Would I just need to keep my 17./2.2 Bin handy to use again and again?

[GnatGoSplat]

You can use this method if decrapifying doesn't work for you.  However, I'd recommend trying decrapifying first.  It should make your store content installable by the normal Launcher.
The only issue I've had with decrapifying is that a couple store hairs intermittently work.  I ended up still having to do steps 5 & 6 to make all store content 100% reliable, even after decrapifying.