Random Crash to Desktop

[eyme]

Well, now I'm just going to wait until the real AM comes out than the tester version because there is no way in fuck I'm blaming it on my Windows 7 64-bit @ 2.20GHZ 4.0GB RAM LOL .

[Silent Dreamer]

Well, now I'm just going to wait until the real AM comes out than the tester version because there is no way in fuck I'm blaming it on my Windows 7 64-bit @ 2.20GHZ 4.0GB RAM LOL .

Erm, it is out. FOJ just neglected to change the post.

[eyme]

Erm, it is out. FOJ just neglected to change the post.

Well, I still win.

[wizard_merlin]

Erm, it is out. FOJ just neglected to change the post.

Well, I still win.

Win what?

[eyme]

Win what?

I win the conversation even though he/she made me look like a dumb ass, it is called sarcasm.

[StormchaserOne]

Eyme you have 4GB you should not experience a crash it is those with over 4GB of memory.

[lordrichter]

I would suggest that anyone running 64bit Windows with more than 3GB of RAM go ahead and set the IMAGE_FILE_LARGE_ADDRESS_AWARE flag in the application, particularly if they are having a CTD problem.

Sims 3 does not seem to use more than 2GB of RAM, whether that flag is set or not, but setting it does not do harm and may correct compatibility issues because Windows 64bit handles memory above 3GB differently than Windows 32bit.

[eyme]

Eyme you have 4GB you should not experience a crash it is those with over 4GB of memory.

Well, I do have problems! I think it was a bug in the AM because when I deleted it, my computer started working. I think I'll just wait until they update AM again and fix the bugs.

I would suggest that anyone running 64bit Windows with more than 3GB of RAM go ahead and set the IMAGE_FILE_LARGE_ADDRESS_AWARE flag in the application, particularly if they are having a CTD problem.

Sims 3 does not seem to use more than 2GB of RAM, whether that flag is set or not, but setting it does not do harm and may correct compatibility issues because Windows 64bit handles memory above 3GB differently than Windows 32bit.

Okay, I'll try that.

[StormchaserOne]

Eyme it is not AM causing the crash it is the game itself.  I played every EA Game and ONLY SIMS 3 crashes.

[Miao]

I've experienced odd crashes when placing fireplaces after the new patch. It throws an "ACCESS_VIOLATION reading address 0x00000010" exception that apparently also occurs with Spore, according to Google searches.

It's hard to describe what caused this crash, because it happens with only one fireplace (the "Washington" one), and only on one spot in my Sims' house, but doesn't always crash the first time I place it. I used the last fact to my advantage and circumvented the problem, but I'm worried about deeper problems in my game. I do decrapify regularly, by the way.

[Menaceman]

Has anybody come across the game locking up randomly when using the speed keys? Since I updated to the newest AM the game will occassionally freeze when I switch between speeds which then forces me to shut down my game from Task Manager. The rest of my computer is fine, it's not like my whole machine locks up, just the game.
Trees and plants still sway in the breeze and visual effects such as stink lines still animate but the game and time do not progress and nothing can be clicked on.

I'm going to redownload AM to make sure I really do have the latest version but I thought I'd just ask in the mean time.

[Solowren]

Has anybody come across the game locking up randomly when using the speed keys? Since I updated to the newest AM the game will occassionally freeze when I switch between speeds which then forces me to shut down my game from Task Manager. The rest of my computer is fine, it's not like my whole machine locks up, just the game.
Trees and plants still sway in the breeze and visual effects such as stink lines still animate but the game and time do not progress and nothing can be clicked on.

I'm going to redownload AM to make sure I really do have the latest version but I thought I'd just ask in the mean time.

That has happened to me a few times. It can usually be resolved by just waiting it out. I've come to assume it's just the game loading something. Only twice have I given up waiting it out and forced it to quit.

[Naples]

Has anybody come across the game locking up randomly when using the speed keys? Since I updated to the newest AM the game will occassionally freeze when I switch between speeds which then forces me to shut down my game from Task Manager. The rest of my computer is fine, it's not like my whole machine locks up, just the game.
Trees and plants still sway in the breeze and visual effects such as stink lines still animate but the game and time do not progress and nothing can be clicked on.

I'm going to redownload AM to make sure I really do have the latest version but I thought I'd just ask in the mean time.

That has happened to me a few times. It can usually be resolved by just waiting it out. I've come to assume it's just the game loading something. Only twice have I given up waiting it out and forced it to quit.

The same thing has been happening to me as well. Only a few times has it unfroze by it's self.

[Magwitch]

I also occasionally get the random freezing (with animations and sounds carrying on). When this happens, I usually have to quit the game via the task manager. I'm not sure the issue is AwesomeMod related, though. Some people think it's to do with a sim getting stuck somewhere in the neighbourhood.

[Freezerburn]

I also occasionally get the random freezing (with animations and sounds carrying on). When this happens, I usually have to quit the game via the task manager. I'm not sure the issue is AwesomeMod related, though. Some people think it's to do with a sim getting stuck somewhere in the neighbourhood.

Yea, me too. This never happened to me before I installed the test AM. It really pissed me off to play for about three hours and suddenly I need to shut it using Task Manager.

[J. M. Pescado]

People have reported this without AwesomeMod, so it's at least partly EA-induced.

[lordrichter]

I also occasionally get the random freezing (with animations and sounds carrying on). When this happens, I usually have to quit the game via the task manager. I'm not sure the issue is AwesomeMod related, though. Some people think it's to do with a sim getting stuck somewhere in the neighbourhood.

I am one of the ones who thinks it is because a Sim gets stuck somewhere trying to perform a task that cannot be completed.  Pausing the game from the keyboard, which could take some time, and then finding the offending Sim and doing a resetsim, or canceling the action, has fixed this whenever I have seen it.  It can be time consuming to fix if the Sim is not part of the active household.  Much easier to exit and enter from a prior save and hope conditions do not repeat.

It is usually a routing fail or a key object locked or in use that causes the problem, coupled with a rapidly repeating desire to perform the failing action.   In some cases, I have not been able to identify the Sim in trouble to see what they are doing.

[spaceface]

I have now used the SFF Explorer to increase RAM use as well as the DEP thing that Rainbow Brite linked to. I still have crashes to desktop, only much less frequently.

[rhodaloo]

My personal computer geek did the DEP thing for me, but I'm still having the random crashes to desktop. It seems to happen less frequently when start my game through the rebooter.  The only drawback to that is the game is in full screen mode, not the windowed mode. 

[Jasumi]

I also occasionally get the random freezing (with animations and sounds carrying on). When this happens, I usually have to quit the game via the task manager. I'm not sure the issue is AwesomeMod related, though. Some people think it's to do with a sim getting stuck somewhere in the neighbourhood.

I am one of the ones who thinks it is because a Sim gets stuck somewhere trying to perform a task that cannot be completed.  Pausing the game from the keyboard, which could take some time, and then finding the offending Sim and doing a resetsim, or canceling the action, has fixed this whenever I have seen it.  It can be time consuming to fix if the Sim is not part of the active household.  Much easier to exit and enter from a prior save and hope conditions do not repeat.

It is usually a routing fail or a key object locked or in use that causes the problem, coupled with a rapidly repeating desire to perform the failing action.   In some cases, I have not been able to identify the Sim in trouble to see what they are doing.

If you're having difficulty locating the offending sim, you could also use the "reset world" cheat. It will immediately fix your issue, but it will also reset all activity in the neighborhood.

[lordrichter]

I think that resetting the world is an extreme measure.  A measure taken right before, if not after, deleting the save game and starting over.

However, my opinion is simply the distrust of anything as major as resetting the world.  How can you tell if everything is OK after the reset?

[Rainbow_Brite]

http://www.ntcore.com/exsuite.php

1) Download and install CFF Explorer (http://www.ntcore.com/exsuite.php)

2) Run the program, click the folder icon or go to FILE >> OPEN and browse your PC for the Sims 3 exe (TS3.exe) usually found at C:\Program Files (x86)\Electronic Arts\The Sims 3\Game\Bin

Make a backup of your original exe just incase something goes wrong.

3) Click on File Header at the left, find characteristics at the right and click the "Click here" blue button.

4) Tick "App can handle >2GB address space

5) Ok that and save by clicking the disk icon or going to FILE >> SAVE. Overwrite the file when it asks you to.

This fixed the problem of me crashing.  Thanks to Gohan2091 from Mod the Sims on spotting the problem.

I followed these directions step-by-step for the base game. Do I also need to do this with the WA and HELS .exe files? I noticed that my graphics card had an update so I thought that the new crashes that were occurring were due to an outdated driver. Even after I updated the driver, I'm still experiencing crashes but they are far less frequent. I thought changing the settings in the DEP fixed my game because after I made those changes, I didn't have any crashes for quite some time. I'm hoping this method will solve my problem completely. I am also running the 3booter and FPS_Limiter if that matters. When I changed the settings for the DEP, I also included those files along with TS3, WA and HELS .exe files. I don't know if it is/was necessary to do so, but I just wanted to make sure that I didn't miss anything.

[lordrichter]

Do I also need to do this with the WA and HELS .exe files?

Yes.

[Tangie]

I think that resetting the world is an extreme measure.  A measure taken right before, if not after, deleting the save game and starting over.

However, my opinion is simply the distrust of anything as major as resetting the world.  How can you tell if everything is OK after the reset?

I'm playing another user created world and just experienced my game freezing 3 times after a few minutes of play, and having to end the game via task manager on Sunday (I think it was Sunday, whatever). It would consistently hang up whether or not I gave the sims commands or not. So after the third time I restarted I paused and went to edit town view, then entered "radar all" in the console, but there was just no way I was going to go around looking at every single sim in my 'hood to see if I could find who was stuck in some action that couldn't be completed. I had a whole lot of sims walking and driving here and there and everywhere. No way, way too time consuming! So I entered "reset world" in the console. It functions the same way as "reset <sim name>, meaning all it seems to do is that it magically transports everyone home. The only price I paid was that my sim would have gotten a promotion at work, but since I had to do this 30 minutes before the end of his shift, he immediately left work to go home (he was the only sim that wasn't magically transported there) and did not get promoted. He got promoted the next day though, of course. So in my experience nothing drastic happens to your game. I was able to play it without problems of any kind after doing this.

[lordrichter]

Well, for starters, any Sim in transit somewhere or hiding in a rabbit hole is unlikely to be a problem, so you can ignore them.  Likewise, any Sim in a house that you are not playing (where none are running in high res) is unlikely to be a problem. 

Start by checking your own Sims and any Sims in other households that might be running Supreme Commander, then check all the Sims out and about in the world on foot in the vicinity of your active Sims.