@chxr1zxrd - The (slightly) longer explanation is that EA is reacting to chargeback schemes, meaning that the original bulk purchaser negated the transaction with EA or it was bogus to begin with. Thus EA was never paid for these codes so they were essentially stolen, upon discovery is deactivating them, and placing TOS Holds on the players' Origin accounts. This is a recent thing, at least to be happening is such high numbers, as of last month or so. It isn't necessarily happening to all purchasers from all unauthorized resellers, but theoretically it can.
If your purchases were from EA/Origin directly or authorized resellers, then possibly there is something else wrong with your Origin account. But either way, only Customer Service can assist.
I have been having very similar problems to all of you, and I think they started when I downloaded World Adventures and Generations. Before that, I had only the base Sims 3 game and Pets. (I also have Sims 4, but I almost never play it.)
First, I got the in-game message that items were missing and had been replaced with something else.
Second, I discovered that my installed content from the Sims 3 store had uninstalled itself.
EA Customer Service had me "repair" the game on origin, and then uninstall Sims 3, Sims 4, and Origin using Revo Uninstaller. I uninstalled and reinstalled.
Instead of fixing the problems, that gave me two new problems: 1. My expansion packs appear in the launcher only half the time. 2. The Launcher won't let me log in on either of my accounts, even though they work fine elsewhere.
EA Customer Service recommended that I install this patch: https://help.ea.com/en-us/help/the-sims/the-sims-3/the-sims-3-super-patcher/#pc
I downloaded the patch, but it won't install. The error message on the patch says that Sims 3 isn't installed!
I'm wondering now whether part of the problem is that the following files are all under Origin Games > The Sims 3 > Game > Bin, instead of Documents > Electronic Arts > The Sims 3: Sims3Launcher.exe Sims3LauncherW.exe TS3.exe TS3W.exe
Thoughts? Since neither of my accounts work, I find it unlikely that BOTH accounts have a glitch, and more likely that Origin's version of Sims 3 has a glitch.
@Ethelfrietha - There are two parts to the game. The program installs for the base game and its expansions are supposed to be in Program Files (x86) \ Origin Games (or Electronic Arts) \ etc. and the user game folder with added content, caches, saved games, etc. are supposed to be in Documents. This is as it should be.
If you are running an Origin installed game, then you should be on Patch 1.69. That means there should be a Pack and Stuff Chooser tab to your Launcher where you need to check on each startup that the packs you expect to have in play are listed and checked off. If some of them are not even showing up to check off occasionally, but do on subsequent attempts, unfortunately that's just a symptom of general Origin/Launcher instability. It happens to many of us, although not all of the time, and all we can do is keep trying to startup the game, restart our computer, uninstall and reinstall Origin (only) and hope that it starts behaving properly again. If the packs all show up but keep unselecting (unchecking) themselves, that is common and is why the tab needs to be examined on every startup.
The suggestion to run the 1.67 SuperPatcher on what I assume is a 1.69 install is really bad advice. Even if you could get it to run, that could break the entire install. The SuperPatcher is meant for 1.67 and below installs only.
On the inability to login issue, that usually means the player's Internet Explorer cache and cookies need to be cleared, with the option to retain cookies for Favorites switched off. Even if you never use IE as a browser yourself, the game uses its resources and they can get clogged up. See the link for a visual. https://kb.wisc.edu/page.php?id=15141
> @phoebebebe13 said: > chxr1zxrd wrote: » > > I've tried all these ideas and nothing seems to help. It's doing it with World Adventures, High-End Loft, and Late Night... Any other ideas? > > > > > Where did you buy your EP's from? EA is locking people out of their accounts if you bought game codes from an unauthorized dealers for violating EA TOS (terms of service) . If this is the case with your account, you would have to contact EA directly.
Oh... I've encountered this problem today and I think that's why. For some reason, Generations wasn't showing up for me - like, that it ever even existed on my computer. It wasn't in my launcher or in my "Electronic Arts" folder, even though Origin says it's installed. That was the one game code I purchased from ebay about 6-8 months ago. But how could EA UNINSTALL generations from my own computer??? It's literally no where in any of my files.
Oh... I've encountered this problem today and I think that's why. For some reason, Generations wasn't showing up for me - like, that it ever even existed on my computer. It wasn't in my launcher or in my "Electronic Arts" folder, even though Origin says it's installed. That was the one game code I purchased from ebay about 6-8 months ago.
But how could EA UNINSTALL generations from my own computer??? It's literally no where in any of my files.
They can't, technically. What this means is that they have likely placed a TOS (Terms of Service) Hold on your account on their end and Origin reacts accordingly by blocking the previously installed EP from running. The actual program files may be hidden from regular view by Origin but even if the program files themselves are still there taking up drive space, they wouldn't be able to run anyway as Origin manages the entire launch process.
This can only be confirmed and such a Hold lifted by having a real time conversation with EA through Customer Support -- chat or phone callback, depending upon what is available in your area and time of day. It can take several business days from beginning such a conversation until resolution is reached from what is being reported.
> @igazor said: > emilemilly wrote: » > > Oh... I've encountered this problem today and I think that's why. For some reason, Generations wasn't showing up for me - like, that it ever even existed on my computer. It wasn't in my launcher or in my "Electronic Arts" folder, even though Origin says it's installed. That was the one game code I purchased from ebay about 6-8 months ago. > But how could EA UNINSTALL generations from my own computer??? It's literally no where in any of my files. > > > > They can't, technically. What this means is that they have likely placed a TOS (Terms of Service) Hold on your account on their end and Origin reacts accordingly by blocking the previously installed EP from running. The actual program files may be hidden from regular view by Origin but even if the program files themselves are still there taking up drive space, they wouldn't be able to run anyway as Origin manages the entire launch process. > > This can only be confirmed and such a Hold lifted by having a real time conversation with EA through Customer Support -- chat or phone callback, depending upon what is available in your area and time of day. It can take several business days from beginning such a conversation until resolution is reached from what is being reported.
GAAAAHHHH dealing with their customer service has been a nightmare in the past. Thanks so much for the help though. I guess I'll have to give them a call tomorrow?? I would just re-purchase generations through Origin but Origin thinks I have it installed and working X)
@emilemilly - Yeah, if there is indeed a block placed on their end you can't just add a newly purchased code to Origin as the client program is not equipped to essentially say "Oh, this code is better you may go ahead and play that EP now." We can't see exactly what it's doing, but it can really only act as EA programmed it to, again on their end. Good luck, hope you can get that sorted out.
@igazor thanks, I really appreciate the help. I'm bummed that I can't play sims though, I just bought ambitions and i couldn't wait to try it out:( I wish EA would have chosen a better way to go about this buuttt... oh well. It is what it is.
> @Emsimmmer said: > So, on the launcher if you look under the expansions and stuff section you will get a list of all the expansions you have. There should be a button that says, "Don't see your packs?" and then next to it "Install Packs" Click that and it will take you to Origin and the list of packs you have installed. Close the launcher and hover over the expansion pack that isn't working and click play. Remember having the sims 3 launcher closed is crucial at this point. If it won't let you click play, close origin, open it again and click play again... This SHOULD help, it'show it worked for me. > :p
I had this problem and did as you said; it worked! This is the second time it has happened to me, and it is ridiculously annoying. But at least I can fix it with little hassle!
I just had this problem, I restarted my computer and all of my packs showed up again. So for people in the future who may have this problem. Try restarting your computer.
I just had this problem, I restarted my computer and all of my packs showed up again. So for people in the future who may have this problem. Try restarting your computer.
That sometimes works. If it doesn't try uninstalling and reinstalling origin
My Generations pack is doing the same thing. I've tried multiple things and even contacted EA support but each time they tell me something different. First it was my code was disabled by them and if I uninstalled it would tell me to buy the EP but when I uninstalled it was still mine. Then one wanted me to go into my PC system 🐸🐸🐸🐸 and delete all the PC temp files. I was told not to by a PC specialist or I would have to reinstall my system. I've reinstalled my sims I've reinstalled Origin, I've done what support have told me but I'm running out of options. Is there anything anyone has done to fix the issue that I have yet to do. I really want I fix that issue and am feeling hopeless right now.
My Generations pack is doing the same thing. I've tried multiple things and even contacted EA support but each time they tell me something different. First it was my code was disabled by them and if I uninstalled it would tell me to buy the EP but when I uninstalled it was still mine. Then one wanted me to go into my PC system plum and delete all the PC temp files. I was told not to by a PC specialist or I would have to reinstall my system.
I'm very sorry, but this is one of the most ridiculous things I've ever heard. Clearing temp files is and should be a part of routine computer and computer user account maintenance. It can be done manually if the user knows where the temp files accumulate, or Windows can do it for you as part of its built-in System Cleanup. I think there may be something getting lost in translation in between Customer Support and your PC specialist; possibly the Windows Registry is what was being referenced by one or the other? That indeed would be different.
I've reinstalled my sims I've reinstalled Origin, I've done what support have told me but I'm running out of options. Is there anything anyone has done to fix the issue that I have yet to do. I really want I fix that issue and am feeling hopeless right now.
1 - Uninstall all of your TS3 games and packs, and Origin.
2 - Use the free version of Piriform's CCleaner to safely clean your Windows Registry, thereby removing pieces of the prior installs that uninstalling leaves behind and that can get in the way of future install attempts. https://www.piriform.com/ccleaner
4 - Remove your current TS3 user game folder from Documents, drag it out to your Desktop if there is anything like content or saved games that you wish to hold onto.
5 - Reinstall Origin, then your game and its packs. Launch the game to get a new user game folder in Documents.
Any better and can you now purchase the Generations EP? If not, after all that, then the next things to try would be creating a new user login account on Windows to see if the installs go better on that and if Generations becomes unlocked for purchase again and/or back to customer support because there is still something locked about your Origin account that only they can see and fix on their end.
@igazor Hi mate. I have bought 10 expansion packs (all of them installed) for the sims 3 and only 6 of them show up on the launcher. I can see the folders of the remaining 4 packs however no matter what i do, they don't show up on the launcher. I bought most of the packs from g2a.com. But that is not an issue as the remaining 6 work perfectly. Do u have any idea how can I fix this problem?
@valiyevomar - Sorry, but I Have to agree with @phoebebebe13. G2a is not an authorized re-seller of TS3 packs. Just because 6 of them are working for you right now, that doesn't mean there isn't an account block on the EA end on the other 4 or there couldn't be blocks placed on the working ones at a later time. You will find that you have no recourse with EA and there are no fixes until they investigate and clear your account from their end; hopefully you can get your money back from g2a if you need to repurchase from an authorized source.
:) Okay, guys, after an hour or so chatting with the help, I can't say I have a solution that's any good, but it's fixed for now.
First I tried all the standards. Ambitions is the only one missing. So, I tried to go back to Origin and re-download it. Nothing happened. I tried all the different ways to fix the download issue for Origin (reinstall Origin, run as admin, download in safe mode thru Origin settings). None of these things worked. So, I uninstalled the entire game and reistalled thru Origin, which said it would include Ambitions, but when I hit play, the expansion was still missing from my launcher.
That's when I talked to someone.
She gave me a new game code.
But, after redeeming, I could not install it, same problem as the beginning: won't download. I repeated some Origin troubleshooting, uninstalling, etc. I restarted my computer. Nothing, still. While relaying my problem to ANOTHER EA helper, I curiously right clicked the game and hit "repair" because I saw it mentioned before. That worked. It scanned for files, then suddenly began installing Ambitions. Once done, I hit "play" on the Ambitions "download complete" in the download manager. It launched the game launcher which congratulated me on my new content. I assume I can play the game in its full glory now, but, I'm not sure if this will be something I come across every time.
I should note, I tried to do "repair" several times before this last one, and it was greyed out. I couldn't actually hit repair. For some reason, maybe after all the uninstalling, it let me.
@Ktugz- If there was a hold placed on your account or something wrong with it originally that only EA could reach and reset from their end or be rectified with a new game code, then no amount of Repair Game or reinstalling everything would have fixed it before now. Origin is not equipped to say, "Hey, we have locked Ambitions out of your reach for now," it can only do what EA has programmed it to do. This is not necessarily the best way for EA to have gone about things from a customer support perspective, but it's not necessarily a bug or a glitch either.
Hi can someone help me in 2016 my mum brought me sims 3 with the expansion pack showtime it was working but ages ago it wasnt showing in my launcher i just carried on playing my game not caring it was there but now i want it back and i dont know how to get it please someone help urgently!!!!
Hi can someone help me in 2016 my mum brought me sims 3 with the expansion pack showtime it was working but ages ago it wasnt showing in my launcher i just carried on playing my game not caring it was there but now i want it back and i dont know how to get it please someone help urgently!!!!
Hi there. Is this an Origin controlled game and on Windows (not Mac)?
If so, try a Repair Game on TS3 from within Origin. Then restart your computer.
If that doesn't work, I'm afraid you will have to contact EA customer support for a real time conversation with a support agent to see if something is wrong with your account that only they can fix on their end. The choices are usually web browser chat or telephone callback, depending on your country and time zone (and time of day). There could be an issue with where the Showtime pack or its code was purchased that cannot be resolved any other way.
Same problem here. Only some of the packs showing up in the launcher but all of them show as installed in Origin. Tried everything I could come up with and even contacted EA support. They made me do clean boot and try resetting the Hosts file, but didn't work. After that they just informed me that the game team has removed those packs from my account. Reason unknow. So that's it then. Have to buy them again. Has been over 10 years since the release and the expansion packs still cost 40€, same as the Sims 4 packs. Unbelievable...
Same problem here. Only some of the packs showing up in the launcher but all of them show as installed in Origin. Tried everything I could come up with and even contacted EA support. They made me do clean boot and try resetting the Hosts file, but didn't work. After that they just informed me that the game team has removed those packs from my account. Reason unknow.
So that's it then. Have to buy them again. Has been over 10 years since the release and the expansion packs still cost 40€, same as the Sims 4 packs. Unbelievable...
Comments
If your purchases were from EA/Origin directly or authorized resellers, then possibly there is something else wrong with your Origin account. But either way, only Customer Service can assist.
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I have been having very similar problems to all of you, and I think they started when I downloaded World Adventures and Generations. Before that, I had only the base Sims 3 game and Pets. (I also have Sims 4, but I almost never play it.)
First, I got the in-game message that items were missing and had been replaced with something else.
Second, I discovered that my installed content from the Sims 3 store had uninstalled itself.
EA Customer Service had me "repair" the game on origin, and then uninstall Sims 3, Sims 4, and Origin using Revo Uninstaller. I uninstalled and reinstalled.
Instead of fixing the problems, that gave me two new problems:
1. My expansion packs appear in the launcher only half the time.
2. The Launcher won't let me log in on either of my accounts, even though they work fine elsewhere.
EA Customer Service recommended that I install this patch: https://help.ea.com/en-us/help/the-sims/the-sims-3/the-sims-3-super-patcher/#pc
I downloaded the patch, but it won't install. The error message on the patch says that Sims 3 isn't installed!
I'm wondering now whether part of the problem is that the following files are all under Origin Games > The Sims 3 > Game > Bin, instead of Documents > Electronic Arts > The Sims 3:
Sims3Launcher.exe
Sims3LauncherW.exe
TS3.exe
TS3W.exe
Thoughts? Since neither of my accounts work, I find it unlikely that BOTH accounts have a glitch, and more likely that Origin's version of Sims 3 has a glitch.
If you are running an Origin installed game, then you should be on Patch 1.69. That means there should be a Pack and Stuff Chooser tab to your Launcher where you need to check on each startup that the packs you expect to have in play are listed and checked off. If some of them are not even showing up to check off occasionally, but do on subsequent attempts, unfortunately that's just a symptom of general Origin/Launcher instability. It happens to many of us, although not all of the time, and all we can do is keep trying to startup the game, restart our computer, uninstall and reinstall Origin (only) and hope that it starts behaving properly again. If the packs all show up but keep unselecting (unchecking) themselves, that is common and is why the tab needs to be examined on every startup.
The suggestion to run the 1.67 SuperPatcher on what I assume is a 1.69 install is really bad advice. Even if you could get it to run, that could break the entire install. The SuperPatcher is meant for 1.67 and below installs only.
On the inability to login issue, that usually means the player's Internet Explorer cache and cookies need to be cleared, with the option to retain cookies for Favorites switched off. Even if you never use IE as a browser yourself, the game uses its resources and they can get clogged up. See the link for a visual.
https://kb.wisc.edu/page.php?id=15141
NRaas has moved!
Our new site is at http://nraas.net
> chxr1zxrd wrote: »
>
> I've tried all these ideas and nothing seems to help. It's doing it with World Adventures, High-End Loft, and Late Night... Any other ideas?
>
>
>
>
> Where did you buy your EP's from? EA is locking people out of their accounts if you bought game codes from an unauthorized dealers for violating EA TOS (terms of service) . If this is the case with your account, you would have to contact EA directly.
Oh... I've encountered this problem today and I think that's why. For some reason, Generations wasn't showing up for me - like, that it ever even existed on my computer. It wasn't in my launcher or in my "Electronic Arts" folder, even though Origin says it's installed. That was the one game code I purchased from ebay about 6-8 months ago.
But how could EA UNINSTALL generations from my own computer??? It's literally no where in any of my files.
This can only be confirmed and such a Hold lifted by having a real time conversation with EA through Customer Support -- chat or phone callback, depending upon what is available in your area and time of day. It can take several business days from beginning such a conversation until resolution is reached from what is being reported.
NRaas has moved!
Our new site is at http://nraas.net
> emilemilly wrote: »
>
> Oh... I've encountered this problem today and I think that's why. For some reason, Generations wasn't showing up for me - like, that it ever even existed on my computer. It wasn't in my launcher or in my "Electronic Arts" folder, even though Origin says it's installed. That was the one game code I purchased from ebay about 6-8 months ago.
> But how could EA UNINSTALL generations from my own computer??? It's literally no where in any of my files.
>
>
>
> They can't, technically. What this means is that they have likely placed a TOS (Terms of Service) Hold on your account on their end and Origin reacts accordingly by blocking the previously installed EP from running. The actual program files may be hidden from regular view by Origin but even if the program files themselves are still there taking up drive space, they wouldn't be able to run anyway as Origin manages the entire launch process.
>
> This can only be confirmed and such a Hold lifted by having a real time conversation with EA through Customer Support -- chat or phone callback, depending upon what is available in your area and time of day. It can take several business days from beginning such a conversation until resolution is reached from what is being reported.
GAAAAHHHH dealing with their customer service has been a nightmare in the past. Thanks so much for the help though. I guess I'll have to give them a call tomorrow?? I would just re-purchase generations through Origin but Origin thinks I have it installed and working X)
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> So, on the launcher if you look under the expansions and stuff section you will get a list of all the expansions you have. There should be a button that says, "Don't see your packs?" and then next to it "Install Packs" Click that and it will take you to Origin and the list of packs you have installed. Close the launcher and hover over the expansion pack that isn't working and click play. Remember having the sims 3 launcher closed is crucial at this point. If it won't let you click play, close origin, open it again and click play again... This SHOULD help, it'show it worked for me.
> :p
I had this problem and did as you said; it worked! This is the second time it has happened to me, and it is ridiculously annoying. But at least I can fix it with little hassle!
That sometimes works. If it doesn't try uninstalling and reinstalling origin
1 - Uninstall all of your TS3 games and packs, and Origin.
2 - Use the free version of Piriform's CCleaner to safely clean your Windows Registry, thereby removing pieces of the prior installs that uninstalling leaves behind and that can get in the way of future install attempts.
https://www.piriform.com/ccleaner
3 - Clear Origin's cache, which likely persists after the uninstall.
https://answers.ea.com/t5/Technical-Issues/Don-t-know-how-to-clear-origin-cache-View-this/td-p/5499713
4 - Remove your current TS3 user game folder from Documents, drag it out to your Desktop if there is anything like content or saved games that you wish to hold onto.
5 - Reinstall Origin, then your game and its packs. Launch the game to get a new user game folder in Documents.
Any better and can you now purchase the Generations EP? If not, after all that, then the next things to try would be creating a new user login account on Windows to see if the installs go better on that and if Generations becomes unlocked for purchase again and/or back to customer support because there is still something locked about your Origin account that only they can see and fix on their end.
NRaas has moved!
Our new site is at http://nraas.net
NRaas has moved!
Our new site is at http://nraas.net
First I tried all the standards. Ambitions is the only one missing. So, I tried to go back to Origin and re-download it. Nothing happened. I tried all the different ways to fix the download issue for Origin (reinstall Origin, run as admin, download in safe mode thru Origin settings). None of these things worked. So, I uninstalled the entire game and reistalled thru Origin, which said it would include Ambitions, but when I hit play, the expansion was still missing from my launcher.
That's when I talked to someone.
She gave me a new game code.
But, after redeeming, I could not install it, same problem as the beginning: won't download. I repeated some Origin troubleshooting, uninstalling, etc. I restarted my computer. Nothing, still. While relaying my problem to ANOTHER EA helper, I curiously right clicked the game and hit "repair" because I saw it mentioned before. That worked. It scanned for files, then suddenly began installing Ambitions. Once done, I hit "play" on the Ambitions "download complete" in the download manager. It launched the game launcher which congratulated me on my new content. I assume I can play the game in its full glory now, but, I'm not sure if this will be something I come across every time.
I should note, I tried to do "repair" several times before this last one, and it was greyed out. I couldn't actually hit repair. For some reason, maybe after all the uninstalling, it let me.
Still having these problems in 2018. Jesus.
Happy Simming, yall
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If so, try a Repair Game on TS3 from within Origin. Then restart your computer.
If that doesn't work, I'm afraid you will have to contact EA customer support for a real time conversation with a support agent to see if something is wrong with your account that only they can fix on their end. The choices are usually web browser chat or telephone callback, depending on your country and time zone (and time of day). There could be an issue with where the Showtime pack or its code was purchased that cannot be resolved any other way.
NRaas has moved!
Our new site is at http://nraas.net
So that's it then. Have to buy them again. Has been over 10 years since the release and the expansion packs still cost 40€, same as the Sims 4 packs. Unbelievable...
@Emmily3112, you might be better off posting this thread for new members as it's more active than this one...😀
https://forums.thesims.com/en_US/discussion/976212/thread-for-new-members-to-post-their-sims-3-game-issues-2020-version#latest
http://store.thesims3.com/myWishlist.html?persona=lisasc360
My stories on this site:
https://forums.thesims.com/en_US/discussion/991317/my-sims-stories/p1?new=1