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How to install Windows using Boot Camp - step by step instructions with screenshots.

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  • BluebellFloraBluebellFlora Posts: 7,110 Member
    edited April 2013
    Need to test everything i think. Funny thing is that it never did that on my mac. *sigh*

    Which is why I asked if you had installed the support software. It could be a driver for the graphics card. MIght be worth installing the software again.
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  • dramaattinenpyllydramaattinenpylly Posts: 18
    edited April 2013
    !! I updated support software and NOW IT WORKS !
    SO long time since I last time could play this smoothly, ah <3
  • librarianjennelibrarianjenne Posts: 79 Member
    edited April 2013
    Trying one more time to install from Origin. I miss the old EA downloader, which actually worked. If this one doesn't work, I guess I'll have to buy the game again, on CD, if I want to play, which kind of irks me, since I already bought it twice (I also have it on Steam, which won't play nice with any of my expansions.)

    Edited with an update. I believe I solved my problem. I wanted the game to install in the Electronic Arts folder, not the Origin Games folder. In order to do that, I had to make Origin download it to the Electronic Arts folder instead of the default, Origin Games. (I guess you can't install into a different folder than you download to.) Then, the install worked just fine. Now, I'm working my way through installing the EPs and SPs, with patches on every step. If no one else posts before I'm done, I'll edit this with my results!

    Edited again-- it works! Now I'm installing all my custom content so I can play my legacy game and my four sisters challenge game. So excited!
    Post edited by Unknown User on
  • AlexBoyJrAlexBoyJr Posts: 61 New Member
    edited April 2013
    I have a copy of Windows 7, how much space of the partition will be best/good enough for TS3? I have a 500GB Early 2011 Macbook Pro, currently used 100GB for my university work. I am willing to use up to 200GB of space for TS3, will this be enough? How much space have you guys used for the partition? Nice guide by the way Bluebell.
  • librarianjennelibrarianjenne Posts: 79 Member
    edited April 2013
    I gave mine 120 GB. I think that will work for the Sims, but it does mean I have little space to play with other PC games. (I also installed Steam and the Rainmeter desktop.)

    Two issues that came up for me when I transferred my two save games-- the Four Immortal Sisters aged up immediately (the goal is to keep them immortal young adults) and I lost my SimPort stamps for Showtime. (Kept the rewards, though.) I'm going to see if I can transfer the Four Sisters game again, but change the game's lifespan settings before loading the game.
  • lilyirvinglilyirving Posts: 15 New Member
    edited April 2013
    I just wanted to thank BluebellFlora SO MUCH for this thread and for all the help she's been giving across this board. I decided last week to give in and install Windows, and this thread, as well as the about.com page that Snapdragon posted, were IMMENSELY helpful. I had a bunch of questions and by the time I finished reading this thread I didn't have them anymore.

    I went out and bought Windows 7 (64 bit), 4 more gigs of RAM (for a total of 8 now), and a 2TB hard drive (since I wasn't backing up files before -- if nothing else I'm really happy that this situation finally got me off my butt to do that). So, sure, I spent $300 (THANKFULLY I have all the EPs on disc so I didn't have to re-buy anything) and it took three evenings to get it all done, but: the game works now!

    It hasn't been 100 percent perfect -- I played for a long while on Saturday, and while I was in Egypt (yay, I can travel again!!), the game started doing this thing where every time I switched scenes -- or even scrolled a bit in any direction -- it would stall and all the objects would be white and it would take a long while for everything to get settled. Since I had one guy doing a quest in a pyramid and someone else talking to people at the market, this was pretty annoying. When I brought them back home it was the same, and for a while the game kept crashing. I don't know enough about Windows to know if something was running in the background that shouldn't have been. I restarted a few times and it kept happening. Maybe the computer just needed a rest -- the next day I tried again and everything worked fine. I also have noticed that the Launcher sometimes randomly starts up -- while I'm playing the game -- and tells me there's a store patch. I wondered if maybe the Launcher was trying to do something and slowing things down.

    So I'm hoping that doesn't happen again, but other than that, everything has worked great. "Great" is relative, of course -- even in the Aspyr days we had game bugs and the occasional crash. (Of course back then the bugs were more along the lines of "Haha, I installed a new expansion pack and now all my sims are naked" instead of "Haha, the game won't recognize my disc and I can't save.") But I played, as I said, for several hours on Saturday and several more on Sunday (ahhhh, empty weekend). I'm playing with most of the graphics settings all the way up -- I turned a few down after getting the crashes, but it's still higher than it was on the Mac. And I have a bunch of custom content, which I know slows things down, plus I'm playing in Los Aniegos, which is a gigantic (custom) world. In a high-rise even. And I was using the save that I gave up on on the Mac because it would go a couple of game hours and then die (I really didn't want to start over with all my adventuring). We went to a fall festival, the weather is working fine, I've been in CAS a bunch of times (once for like half an hour). As I said, it hasn't been crash-free, but I know I'm pushing the limits with the old save and all the custom stuff.

    I couldn't be happier, and again I really appreciate those of you who have provided support out of the goodness of your hearts to your fellow Mac Simmers, because I would have been totally lost with a lot of the bootcamping stuff otherwise.

    If anyone's interested: I have a late-2011 MacBook Pro with, hmm, I think it's 2.5GHz, I formerly had 4GB of RAM and now I have 8, I'm running 10.7.something. I installed Windows 7 Home Premium (64 bit) -- I had to have the guy at MicroCenter go in the back and get it for me because it wasn't on the shelf anymore, and it was some weird "system builder" package, but it worked fine (it cost $109, BTW). I had a friend tell me that some people are unhappy with Windows 8 since it's more friendly to tablets and stuff, and since I ONLY need it to run The Sims I went with 7. I gave it 100 gigs so I hope that's enough -- my whole Sims folder was something like 22 gigs, and you need 20 for Windows I guess, so I figured that would hold me for a while. (Do I have to uninstall everything if I want to re-partition?)

    It's really frustrating that a game that is sold for Mac doesn't really work properly on Macs. But once I understood (from these forums) that Cider was never going to allow the game to have the juice that it needed and really nothing I could do would make it work better, it seemed clear to me that the path of least resistance would be to move it to Windows, and I'm glad I did. Thanks again!
  • NanatoriumNanatorium Posts: 3,445 Member
    edited April 2013
    Well I finally got around to installing Windows using Boot Camp and it was a total success! I'm actually quite pleased as I can now install some software (including more games!) that were previously unavailable to me because there are no Mac versions.

    TS3 runs superbly in Windows. I was able to spend some significant time in CAS creating a 4-person household. No glitches whatsoever. I also finally installed Seasons. The weather effects are fantastic. As of right now I have most of my graphics settings cranked up all the way, but I might adjust this as time goes on.

    I was able to install my games via Origin, no problem.

    My specs in case you're interested:

    MacBook Pro
    15-inch, Late 2011
    Processor 2.5 GHz Intel Core i7
    Memory 4 GB 1333 MHz DDR3
    Graphics AMD Radeon HD 6770M 1024 MB
    Software Mac OS X Lion 10.7.5

    I purchased Windows 7 System Builder 64-bit (this is the version you want if you have no previous version of Windows).

    I allocated 250G to the Windows partition.

    I have all EPs except UL and all SPs except Sweet Treats.
    I have a fair but of store content and a very limited amount of third-party CC (default skins and eyes, some makeup, and maybe a hair or two).

    I use the following mods:
    - NoBuildSparkles
    - NRaas_DebugEnabler
    - NRaas_ErrorTrap
    - NRaas_OnceRead
    - NRaas_OnceReadTablet
    - NRaas_Overwatch
    - NRaas_Porter
    - NRaas_Register
    - NRaas_StoryProgression
    - NRaas_StoryProgressionExtra
    - NRaas_Traveler
    - veolcitygrassAddAnyLotSize

    Again, everything looks great and I haven't encountered any problems so far. I was even able to record some gameplay using XSplit with no noticeable decrease in performance.

    So those of you who are on the fence about installing a Windows partition, I highly recommend it. Thanks to Bluebell, Snapdragon, and everyone else who has offered their expertise in this thread! :)
  • BatshebaBatsheba Posts: 44 Member
    edited April 2013
    Bump
  • ultradave73ultradave73 Posts: 13 New Member
    edited April 2013
    While I spent my night this late evening installing Windows 7 using Bootcamp, I decided to read this thread. I want to thank everyone for posting their success stories. I just finished installing the base game and running the first update. I think it's time to take a break before installing the rest of the game - which I'm sure will take a couple hours.

    It took my a while to breakdown and do this. I already had W7 running on Parallels, however, I had several Amazon Mac only downloads. And I didn't want to pay for the windows version or buy the DVD installer...

    So I had stopped playing. I was almost ready to purchase the games again and then tried this:

    I mounted the disc image in OS X for Showtime, Late Night, High End Loft Stuff and burned the mounted image to a DVD using Toast 10 as a Mac/PC disc. I clicked the autorun feature for Windows. I thought - what could I lose except a few discs and about 15 minutes.

    I didn't register my games with Origins - so I can only re-download the disc image from Amazon. But it worked like a charm. I tested the Late Night installer and even the key from my Amazon purchase worked.

    I did de-authorize the game in OS X first before installing it on Windows, but didn't uninstall it. I can't wait to get this all set up. I'm anxious to play. :D
  • eknight78eknight78 Posts: 44 New Member
    edited May 2013
    So I am about to ask a question that was partially addressed and answered back a few pages....but I just want to be clear, because I am pretty excited reading peoples success stories with the whole Windows/Bootcamp situation.
    However I am such a novice when it comes to the whole computer gaming world...so I am so sorry and apologize in advance for my annoying self!

    My question is this: I bought the sims 3 base game and the majority of my expansion/stuff packs via amazon (all Mac versions of course) I think that the only ones I have on Disc are Pets and Showtime.

    So will I need to repurchase the non disc versions in windows form? I just was fairly certain that the Amazon downloads were Mac only? Will the disc versions swing both ways if you will? meaning even if they are Mac friendly, will they also be for windows?

    So confused, dreading the whole process of uninstalling and reinstalling! I wish I could hire a sim guru to come to my house and do it for me!!

    Thanks in advance guys!
    :D
  • eknight78eknight78 Posts: 44 New Member
    edited May 2013
    So I am about to ask a question that was partially addressed and answered back a few pages....but I just want to be clear, because I am pretty excited reading peoples success stories with the whole Windows/Bootcamp situation.
    However I am such a novice when it comes to the whole computer gaming world...so I am so sorry and apologize in advance for my annoying self!

    My question is this: I bought the sims 3 base game and the majority of my expansion/stuff packs via amazon (all Mac versions of course) I think that the only ones I have on Disc are Pets and Showtime.

    So will I need to repurchase the non disc versions in windows form? I just was fairly certain that the Amazon downloads were Mac only? Will the disc versions swing both ways if you will? meaning even if they are Mac friendly, will they also be for windows?

    So confused, dreading the whole process of uninstalling and reinstalling! I wish I could hire a sim guru to come to my house and do it for me!!

    Thanks in advance guys!
  • eknight78eknight78 Posts: 44 New Member
    edited May 2013
    OOPS!

    I went and posted twice in the anxious excitement!

    SORRY!!! :oops:
  • ultradave73ultradave73 Posts: 13 New Member
    edited May 2013
    eknight78 wrote:
    My question is this: I bought the sims 3 base game and the majority of my expansion/stuff packs via amazon (all Mac versions of course) I think that the only ones I have on Disc are Pets and Showtime.

    So will I need to repurchase the non disc versions in windows form?

    No. However, you will need to copy the complete disc image to a DVD. I too had purchased Mac D/L files on Amazon. I was about the buy the windows versions - but decided to investigate w/the contents in the disc image you download from Amazon. I noticed inside the file were the "autorun.exe" and "setup.exe" files. Since The Sims 3 is not native to Mac OS X the remaining files should work inside windows.

    I will try to make this as easy as possible:
    1. Download the Mac Disc Image from Amazon. It will be a file that ends with .dmg

    2. Mount the .dmg file to your desktop. You just double click it and it will open up.

    3. You will need a DVD burning program (I didn't test this with Apples built in disc burner (You could try it). I used Toast.) - I would recommend using at least Toast 10. Launch the Toast application and select "Mac/PC" disc.

    4. You will take the mounted disc image (It is the icon you click on your side bar that will show you the Sims logo with the installer). That disc image icon in your sidebar will take the entire contents of the disc. Drag it into Toast and an unnamed Disc will come up with all the files.

    5. Name the Disc whatever, i.e; Sims 3 Ambitions...

    6. Burn the DVD.

    You will be able to use the same Sim Keys that were given to you by Amazon. Launch the Sims in your Mac and make sure you "deauthorize".

    Then once windows is up and running - insert the Disc - go to "Computer" and double click on the Disc icon and you will see the contents. Double click on the "Setup.exe" file and install it.

    I did this just fine for Sims 3 Late Night, Showtime, and High End Loft Stuff. It should work for them all. A little bit of know how will save you some $$. I hope you get it to work! :mrgreen:
  • ultradave73ultradave73 Posts: 13 New Member
    edited May 2013
    So just to update post installation on Boot Camp. Wow, what a difference! I was able to play for almost an hour with no problems. I edited some of my Sims in CAS and moved things around my house, purchased new items. I saw a deer hopping along the outside w/no problems!

    My only gripe: Having the restart between OS's... but it's a small price to pay to play w/out a hiccup. BTW - I saw a poll that was taken that the best Windows machine happens to be a Mac. LOL!!!!
  • eknight78eknight78 Posts: 44 New Member
    edited May 2013
    Ultradave73 !!!!!

    Thank you so much for all the detailed info! It means so much to me that there are great people out there that are willing to take time to help others! Thank you so much, I think I'm going to maybe give this all a try this weekend...I will let you know how it. Fingers crossed!

    :) Thanks again!
  • ultradave73ultradave73 Posts: 13 New Member
    edited May 2013
    eknight78 wrote:
    Ultradave73 !!!!!

    Thank you so much...

    eknight78 - You are very welcome! Please let us know here things are going and if you have any ?'s - I will check the forum on and off during the weekend when I have time and try and help as best as I can. It's like family here in the "Mac" sim community! :mrgreen:
  • karliejameskarliejames Posts: 11 New Member
    edited May 2013
    Hey all



    Firstly thank you so much BluebellFlora for making this, also to the countless others that have helped wherever possible!

    I've read through all 10 pages and I'm thoroughly impressed with the results others have had with using Bootcamp with Mac!

    My hubby and I are considering crossing over into the Mac family and were thinking of purchasing a iMac with these specs;
    27-inch: 3.2GHz
    3.2GHz quad-core Intel Core i5
    Turbo Boost up to 3.6GHz
    8GB (two 4GB) memory
    1TB hard drive1
    NVIDIA GeForce GTX 675MX with 1GB

    The thing is I'm a real fuss pot with graphics I want something that's going to look and run amazing. Obviously I want to use Bootcamp to avoid all the issues people have had using it on OS. Is anyone using the same iMac specs I'm thinking of purchasing and are really happy with the results using Windows bootcamp?

    I'm also a CC nut case and would be using A LOT. So I'd greatly appreciate anyone who could share some game play screen shots using an imac with bootcamp =D.

    Thanks so much in advance!! :D
    Post edited by Unknown User on
  • ultradave73ultradave73 Posts: 13 New Member
    edited May 2013
    Hi karliejames,

    I have a simalar iMac - 3.4Ghz - Intel i7 - 27" w/20GB Ram w/an AMD Radeon HD 6970 - 2GB. From what I've been reading - it seems like possibly the video card is responsible for a lot of freezing issues that I've dealt with ever since moving up to Lion and Mtn Lion. I would stick with the Nvidia.

    My game did freeze last night after about an hour and 20min of gameplay on Windows 7 in Boot camp. Fortunately, not all was lost. Seems like only the last 20min of play or so was lost, but the hour of advancement I made was still intact. Whew!

    My only suggestion to you is to boost your iMac to atleast 16GB Ram. It's amazing just how much juice this 27" monitor needs, but it's oh so beautiful. :mrgreen:

    I use alot of CC - like outfits, hairstyles, vehicles, devices... gameplay is pretty smooth in Windows and the saving feature is a lot quicker than in OS X (from what I've noticed). I'm still paranoid so I avg. my saves to about every 30-45 minutes... but the games saves in about 30 seconds. I don't know how to post any snapshots - sorry. Hope the info helps!
  • karliejameskarliejames Posts: 11 New Member
    edited May 2013
    Hi karliejames,

    I have a simalar iMac - 3.4Ghz - Intel i7 - 27" w/20GB Ram w/an AMD Radeon HD 6970 - 2GB. From what I've been reading - it seems like possibly the video card is responsible for a lot of freezing issues that I've dealt with ever since moving up to Lion and Mtn Lion. I would stick with the Nvidia.

    My game did freeze last night after about an hour and 20min of gameplay on Windows 7 in Boot camp. Fortunately, not all was lost. Seems like only the last 20min of play or so was lost, but the hour of advancement I made was still intact. Whew!

    My only suggestion to you is to boost your iMac to atleast 16GB Ram. It's amazing just how much juice this 27" monitor needs, but it's oh so beautiful. :mrgreen:

    I use alot of CC - like outfits, hairstyles, vehicles, devices... gameplay is pretty smooth in Windows and the saving feature is a lot quicker than in OS X (from what I've noticed). I'm still paranoid so I avg. my saves to about every 30-45 minutes... but the games saves in about 30 seconds. I don't know how to post any snapshots - sorry. Hope the info helps!

    Thank you so much for your reply I really appreciate it :). I keep checking out the apple website and drooling over the iMac and trying to find info on how well it performs for Sims 3 on bootcamp- it's really hard to find.

    Thank goodness I found this thread because if/when I go down this avenue I'll have an awesome set of instructions to do so! I'm really excited about the Nvidia video card too from what I've seen it looks amazing on Sims and it's a bonus that it's in the iMac I want to purchase.

    I've read from a lot of people that have said the components of the Mac run through bootcamp is beautiful and runs like a dream. I just have to convince hubby to cross over to the Mac family haha.

    Thanks so much for the feedback! I've bookmarked this thread so I can keep checking back at how everyone is going with theirs and for further directions ;).
  • FryeGuy24FryeGuy24 Posts: 1,242 Member
    edited March 2014
    I know this thread hasn't been active for several days now, but I wanted to post my experience on this in case it helps anyone else in a similar situation. Beware, this is LONG.

    First off, I don't own Seasons. I saw what it did to all of you, so I didn't buy it. Thus, my game does run *okay* on Mac OS. Here's what I have:

    MacBook Pro Retina, Mid 2012
    2.7 GHz Intel Core i7
    16GB 1600 MHz DDR3 memory
    NVIDIA GeForce GT 650M 1024MB
    Mountain Lion, 10.8.3

    Games:
    World Adventures
    Ambitions
    Late Night
    Generations
    Fast Lane (SP)
    1GB of store content
    Various game-improving mods (like Overwatch, Traveler, fixes for broken stuff, etc.)
    No CC

    Windows 7 Home Premium (almost never used)
    Boot Camp and VMWare Fusion

    I never had any intention of switching permanently to play in Windows, which I'd abandoned 5 years ago for a reason. But I wanted to see if I (as a non-Seasons-owner) would experience any increase in performance from trying out Windows 7/Boot Camp.

    FYI ultradave73, I got my digital downloads through GameTree, so your method of burning the disk image didn't work for me. I got error messages when trying to run the setup.exe. Perhaps those files are different from Amazon's files. Instead, I ran Windows, reluctantly downloaded Origin, and got the Windows download version of the games through there. (it's free; otherwise I wouldn't have done it.)

    I used VMWare Fusion to transfer my save files and downloads between partitions. I ran the game for a short time in VMWare, but the graphics seemed to be a little wonky. (Fullscreen mode was very dark, and the resolution looked low, probably due to the retina display.) Perhaps this is fixable, but I didn't try. For actual play testing, I switched to Boot Camp.

    What worked better on Windows:

    1. The launcher.
    On Mac OS, my launcher would take forever to close out after installing a new store item, and it sometimes behaved funky when I was clicking the checkboxes - if I didn't aim perfectly inside the box, it'd deselect everything I'd previously clicked, for example. No such problem on Windows. Not a huge deal, but nicer on Windows.

    2. CAS
    For certain saved games, I use MasterController's "disable clothing filter." When this is on, I normally can't even add a wedding ring to all five of a sim's outfits without getting a typical CAS glitch or crash. It fares better without that mod's feature, but I still can't create a household of two people from start to finish without a crash. On Windows, it was stable, even though I tried to make it crash. And I could save after without an error too.

    3. Game loading time
    I *think* it was a little faster in Windows. I'll have to double check with a timer.


    What wasn't significantly different on either OS:

    1. Graphics/graphics settings
    My graphics looked the same on both OS's. The game did rate my PCU higher on Windows than it did on Mac and automatically gave me higher settings, but I'd customized that stuff on Mac anyway (and also altered the GraphicsRules.sgr file to get full clubs and such), so it didn't make a difference on PC. I tested some graphics settings that were slightly higher than I normally use, but then the game ran choppier than I'd like, and my machine ran a lot hotter. Recorded videos appeared grainier and a bit washed out under Windows. Screenshots looked the same in both OS's. My frame rate was listed a lot higher on Windows than on Mac (100+ on Windows vs 20-60 on Mac), but animations didn't actually *look* different at all, so I think maybe the numbers were just inaccurate.
    To sum up: I couldn't run the game under better graphics settings on Windows than I did on Mountain Lion.

    2. Error Code 12
    I like to keep my households for a LONG time (basically, eternally), so Error Code 12 is a big deal to me even though I don't have Seasons. It used to be a bigger problem until I altered the sims.ini file to allow the program more than 2GB of memory. I haven't had EC12 in a while on the Mountain Lion side, and I didn't get it from one day of testing on the Windows side either. I'll have to test again with an even older save, but right now I'm still recovering from my last use of Windows. (Plus I need to retrieve the file from an external HD.)

    3. Save time
    My games, even the biggest ones, have always saved in well under 30 seconds on Mac OS. I never had a problem here. It was equivalent in Windows.

    What was better on Mac OS:

    1. The MBPr trackpad
    Ooooh, the trackpad. This was bad enough on Windows to be a deal breaker. I installed the support software, and the trackpad was functional, but it was inaccurate and choppy, and Windows just did not run it as smoothly as Mac OS. This made navigating in-game very difficult. And I don't know why, but in Windows, I couldn't right-click/drag the screen to move my view. (my trackpad equivalent: double-finger-click/drag.) I also couldn't use control-right-click/drag to rotate the screen. These are all things that I use often to get precise angles for screenshots and videos, so I hated them being broken. Zooming in/out by sliding two fingers worked fine, but sometimes the game couldn't decide whether it was supposed to zoom or whether it was supposed to scroll (like through the inventory list at the bottom of the screen). It was all just very clunky.

    2. Switching from fullscreen to windowed
    I typically play in fullscreen mode but switch to windowed if I need to quickly, say, jump on the internet and look up why my inventor can't create a simbot in Bridgeport. This is seamless in Mac OS. On Windows, every time I switched modes, it'd give me a popup with a 15-second timer asking to confirm the new screen settings. Annoying. I never got that on the Mac side.

    3. Edge scrolling
    I use edge scrolling. On Mac (at least on mine), edge scrolling works whether I'm in fullscreen or windowed mode, even though it's apparently not supposed to work in windowed. In Windows, edge scrolling only works in fullscreen mode. And since I couldn't "drag" the screen as mentioned before, it made navigating in windowed mode especially frustrating. I mostly use the trackpad rather than the arrow keys, which are less precise. (P.S. I own a suitable mouse but can't use it due to current ergonomics/health/workspace issues.)

    4. Usage sharing
    I'm sure everyone knows the issue with how "enable usage sharing" won't stay unchecked. However, when I use Master Controller (or perhaps Overwatch, not sure which one is doing it) on my Mac, it does stay unchecked. (Whether or not it really works, I don't know...) On PC, it wouldn't stay unchecked for me even with Master Controller/Overwatch.

    5. The OS itself (obviously)
    This probably goes without saying, but running the game in Windows means BEING IN Windows. A lot of the creative stuff I do in TS3 makes use of Mac's strengths - being able to easily cycle through architecture reference while building, or creating/displaying character concept sketches while designing in CAS. Windows has none of that elegance or functionality, so unless you keep your eyes in the game and only in the game, this will have an impact on you. I can't even express how good it felt to switch back to Mac after doing this test.

    What I didn't try extensively:
    Build/buy (typically works all right for me on Mac)
    Shop mode (crashes 50% of the time for me on Mac. I only use it to download the free stuff.)
    Edit Town (typically works all right for me on Mac)

    Summary: If you mostly use TS3 for Create-A-Sim, it'll be much better in Boot Camp/Windows. If your game is completely broken on Mac, the only way to know if Windows is better is to try it yourself. (I don't have that problem, so I can't say.) But if your game works all right on Mac and you're wondering if it'll be better on Boot Camp/Windows, the answer for me was no, not significantly. And in some ways, worse.

    But remember, these games were promised to work on Mac. The solution is not to jump ship and switch to Windows, it's to demand fixes for OUR OS. If temporarily playing in Windows is the only way for you to get your money's worth on a game you can't return and can't play on Mac, then I don't blame you. But we still need to push for those Mac fixes!

    And if you have digital downloads, please, please don't go out and BUY second copies of the game. There are other ways to utilize your current paid downloads.


    --

    EDIT: I just wanted to update this because my views have changed quite a bit since posting it. I want to note that after extensive additional playing with Boot Camp on higher graphics settings and more content, I do now see an immense improvement in Boot Camp over the Mac version. I'm still not pleased to have to use a mouse instead of the trackpad, since at the moment I can't afford a new mouse and am thus using my $400 Wacom tablet, which I didn't want to do, but it does make the game playable on Boot Camp. The usage sharing issue is fixable, but you have to alter some permissions on your PC partition. Never had an error code 12 on Boot Camp. Now, after patch 1.63, I also notice a huge improvement in texture loading time on Boot Camp vs. on Mac.

    I think that if you don't have a lot of EPs and don't put a lot of strain on your game, and don't use high graphics settings, you're less likely to notice huge differences in Boot Camp. But if you do push your game pretty hard, it'll hold up better under Boot Camp.
    Post edited by Unknown User on
  • LukeSumnaLukeSumna Posts: 26
    edited May 2013
    I've just been reading through the 10 pages of this forum and I have to say I am pretty **** excited now, I've considered Bootcamp in the past but I've always brushed it off as I thought it's so much effort and money simply for the sims, but thanks to you and your post Bluebellflora I have to say I'm going to give this a go and seeing all of the success stories from everyone on this thread, quite a few of who are simmers that I most certainly recognise from the countless forum posts over the last few years, I really wish I had tried Bootcamp sooner but you and many others in this thread have made that option seem much more realistic and much easier, so I have to say a big thank you to you all!
    Anywho I did have a quick question, now I swore I would never buy another Sims game again after the ordeal we've had to face with our mac's, but with a hopefully bright future of gameplay with bootcamp would you know how Seasons, 70's, 80's, 90's stuff and university fare out on bootcamp? It'd be great to hear if they all work fine as I'm kinda suspecting they do now, although I've been hopeful like that with every Sim release up to Supernatural, and with each one the problem has just got worse! Haha!
    One last thing, would it be possible to transfer a game save that I already have on my mac to bootcamp to play with windows? As I have some awesome games I've dumped in an archive file overtime! :) Thank you again! You've restored my love in the sims!
  • JoybearrJoybearr Posts: 117 Member
    edited May 2013
    Thank you so much for this! I highly appreciate it.

    I installed Windows 7 yesterday and was able to play 8 hours of Sims 3 without any crashing or error reports!! I could stay in CAS as long as i wanted without getting any glitches or crashes :D I could go into Edit Town mode as well. I also didn't get any "disc authorization fail" notifications and didn't have to click on the girl looking at herself in the mirror to avoid that notification. I can play on medium-high settings now! Though, the hair of my female sims is a bit glitchy(Not cc).

    Overall, i am very pleased with my Simming experience on Windows 7. If you're a mac user and you're considering Bootcamp...GO FOR IT. I highly recommend it. I haven't enjoyed playing Sims 3 this much in a long time! It's nice to be able to play and not worry about having to save every few minutes in case you crash.
  • JoybearrJoybearr Posts: 117 Member
    edited May 2013
    Btw, i have most of the expansion packs. My latest expansion pack is Seasons and it works PERFECTLY(so far) so yes, i think University life will work just fine.
  • JoybearrJoybearr Posts: 117 Member
    edited May 2013
    -Bump-
  • CarmelitaDCarmelitaD Posts: 56 New Member
    edited May 2013
    So if I bootcamp as above, I can play my Mac version TS3 in Windows - is that right?

    :)
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