@dogecoin - There is no way to bypass Origin and the Launcher on Patch 1.69. However, EA did produce a new version of CAW. If you still have the older 1,67 (and lower) version, that may be why it's not starting up for you properly.
@igazor thank you for the reply! id already updated caw at the time of my last post, its just eig im having a little trouble with. caw launches fine>open .world file>loads in render panel>click "edit in game">launches origin>open ts3>ts3 opens, like it would if i were playing it normally. something i forgot to add in my last post was that this world was created in the version 1.67 with all of the expansions and stuff packs, along with some store content, a tiny bit of cc and some custom textures. i can see how this can cause issues (esp with lag), but not really in how the game launches. i was wondering if there was something i missed, i have way too much stuff in my world, or if 1.67 worlds just dont work with the new patch
@dogecoin - Oh, I see. I believe it has been reported that EIG doesn't work properly (or at all) with the 1.69 version. I never use CAW myself, though. On a good day I may be able to spell it correctly. If no one else has a response here, we may want to start a new post for you (because of New Member status) on the TS3 world creation forum board to get more input.
Not a new member to Sims 3, but just redownloaded it onto my new computer. Tried logging in and when it asks for my Persona, Gender, and the three tick boxes, I do it all and then click Sign up. Doesn’t do anything other than take me back to the page? Persona is 12 letters, gender is ticked correctly, boxes too. Why’s this?
Helloo, this isn't really a technical problem I wouldn't say, but I think it's okay to comment here? I'm not new to the Sims, I've played the Sims 4 PC for a few years now but I have never played any other games in the franchise. I went to an op shop the other day and found the Sims 3 starter pack (all discs included), and have watched a few videos and am now really wanting to play, since a lot of people say it's way better than the Sims 4 (not to start controversy). A few things I am concerned about after reading a few old crusty forum posts from 4 years ago; will it ruin or melt my computer since it is not built for gaming at all (my dad bought it as a router), and if it can run, can it run the Pets EP by itself with no other packs? And if it's *far* from the requirements (I know integrated graphics cards aren't the best for gaming), is it better to play Sims 3 on my old Xbox 360 instead, or is it not worth it?
I'm not that good with computer specs and whatnot but I'll post what's most commonly asked in those old threads here:
Windows 10 (64 bit) Intel(R) Core(TM) i3-2100 CPU @ 3.10 GHz Memory: 8192MB RAM
Just a sidenote: I can run the Sims 4 on it, but only on the lowest graphic settings and still sometimes get lag spikes. Currently I can run Seasons, Get Famous, Laundry Day, Eco Lifestyle, City Living and Parenthood with the settings i mentioned. I'm not interested in running any other packs for TS3 or custom content. If possible, I would prefer not to have to download anything extra as I have bad anxiety when it comes to downloading things (viruses and malware, even if I am 100% sure it isn't malware.)
@IzaPineapple I don't think Pets would run well at all on this computer. Some people do manage to play on low settings, but since you're already seeing performance issues with Sims 4 and only a couple of demanding packs, I doubt you'd have a better experience with Pets. (Sims 4 does much better on lower-end hardware than the most demanding Sims 3 packs do.) However, the Starter Pack might be okay on lower settings: Late Night is not overly demanding, and High-End Loft Stuff shouldn't have any real effect at all.
The game doesn't exactly melt computers, as in, it doesn't have any special powers to override the thermal throttling that hardware does on its own. However, a system already having cooling issues may end up overheating while trying to run the game, which can definitely cause damage. The solution is to monitor internal temperatures while you play, which you would in fact need a third-party tool to do, unless one came already installed on the computer. I understand your anxiety, but tools like hwinfo and GPU-Z are widely used and safe to download.
The other issue is in pushing your hardware to its limit when running Sims 3 or another demanding app. Again, there's nothing special about Sims 3 here; it's just that computer components wear out over time. Playing games shouldn't speed up the process much unless the hardware is overheating. But you'd notice the symptoms of wear and tear much sooner when playing than you would when engaged in lighter tasks, which I think is part of why people blame Sims 3 for melting their computers. The bottom line is, as long as you're taking care of your system overall, not letting it overheat and watching for other issues, running Sims 3 wouldn't necessarily shorten its lifespan.
Having said all that, if you get repeated crashes or notice overheating issues, you should definitely back off and perhaps consider whether playing at all is a good idea.
> @igazor said: > @ambrosia04 - Afraid I'm not understanding the problem here. Pets in Sims 3 can go wherever they choose to and we can always direct them back home. Are you by any chance playing Sims 4 where pets are not controllable?
It may be something wrong with my own game sorry! It is Sims 3 but when it happens it's like the cat is out of the map and when I try to send it home it just instantly cancels the order.
@ambrosia04 - Can you try resetting the cat when this happens?
Ctrl+Shift+C to bring up the cheats console, then resetsim (first name) (last name) + enter. So if the cat's full name is Fluffy Smith, it would look like resetsim Fluffy Smith (enter).
@IzaPineapple Sims 2 should run quite well on your computer, although you may need to edit some game files. I don't own Sims 2, so I can't tell you what the process looks like, just that other people say it's necessary.
New members can't post links, and the links to profile pages don't work either. But we get the tag notifications regardless.
Hi! New forum member here, but I’ve been playing the game for years. I recently got a new computer and after setting it up downloaded my sims games and all their packs. After playing around in the Sims 3 for a bit I realized that I was missing two of my expansion packs. Specifically Seasons and Supernatural. My origin doesn’t say that I own these packs despite me remembering my excitement for getting them and playing around with them when I got them. I don’t want to have spend the 40$ total to replace them if a fix is possible. The only idea I had was that they were initially disks and never fully downloaded themselves to my game but still let me play on them if I had the disk in. But I quickly debunked that after I remembered more of my games having disks rather than online downloads. Anyone have any idea to help? Thanks!
@MC_Sammie It used to be possible to install packs via disc without registering the codes in Origin even if you had an Origin-controlled install. So it's entirely possible you never registered only these two packs. It's also possible that you registered the other packs on the Sims 3 Store site, not Origin per se, but they're now in your Origin account because it and the store share information.
Anyway, the first thing to do is try to register the product keys that came with the discs. You can still do so now if the keys were never used: open your Origin game library, click + Add a Game in the upper right corner, and enter the key. You could do this on ea.com or the store site as well, provided you login to the same account.
If the packs' product keys show as already used, you'll need to contact EA customer support and ask for help. Take a photo for each pack showing the disc, case, and insert with the code printed on it; you can upload these when you're submitting the help request. A support rep may be able to help you figure things out.
Oh my goodness, I just had the WEIRDEST series of glitches.
Been playing 64-bit fine on my 2019 Macbook Air using Origin + 4 expansion packs. Totally fantastic, mods and CC, no issues (besides the common snow missing one + grainy hair in CAS). Laptop doesn't even fan.
Today I added Aurora Skies, then went back to my normal save. For some reason, all of the walls on the lower floor were GONE. Straight gone. They came back only in walls-up mode, no matter if it was in live or build/buy. . This is an issue I could find nothing about online. I exited w/out saving, but it still remained. I then bulldozed the house and lot, placed a new lot and tried from scratch - same issue of zero walls, just invisible lines where the floors meet. I realized that this appears to be an issue with platforms, as I was using platforms as a foundation due to height. However, the last 3 days of building have not had this platform issue. Other homes on normal foundations did not have this issue.
So, I figured whatever. Went to download the AS fire station + a house, from the official Exchange and TSR. They would not install, instead they just had the yellow ! sign. Weird, because I know I was missing 2 packs but was totally good with the replace option. When i'd try to install them, it froze the entire launcher and had to be force quit. When i tried to delete them, same thing. So I went into my documents folder and deleted the caches per online instructions. Tried to open - 2 sims 3 launchers popped up (which has happened before but never caused an issue). It froze and would not open. So I checked out the space on my laptop. It turns out I had TWO 7gb slots taken w/ the sims 3 - one from Nov and one from now (the latter being the one I use). So i closed out everything and then deleted the November version of TS3 and launcher, which seemed separate and shared no ties with my main Sims 3 folder in Documents or Origin.
THEN I restarted and was like, okay, lets do this. Except when I opened Origin, all of my expansions were GONE. Origin kept pinging me saying "update ready!" and when i clicked it, it would do the quick update, finish, and ping me again for an update. Expansions said "finalizing" or "install" -- i never uninstalled them in the first place! But even when bypassing Origin, TS3 launcher showed zero packs. Origin then became frozen on finalizing, so I force quit and followed BlueBellFlora's guide to clearing out Origin by hand, so I did. I deleted everything they said to delete, then restarted and installed Origin again. Now it's back totally fine, and it has auto started to install my expansion packs again (which it didn't before).. The update ping is over too. Now it's midnight though, and I've lost all my time to game :( My saves, CC etc are all intact, in the original documents file.
My question is, what the heck happened tonight?? I'm SO confused. I had to send like 6 error reports and now I'm using all of my data to install packs that never should have been uninstalled?*
*I realize after clearing O off I had to re install, I'm talking about the initial post-cache clearing when all of my EPs disappeared which led me to manually delete O.
@kitkat978 First, the easy part: one of the Sims 3 folders you deleted contained your packs. When you install the 64-bit version, you get both a "The Sims 3" folder and a "The Sims 3 Packs" folder in Applications or Users > your username > Applications. This change is because around a year ago, Apple implemented new standards about what kinds of application data and content could be added within an .app, so the old method—installing Sims 3 packs inside the app's Package Contents along with everything else—is no longer acceptable.
Origin acts up sometimes, just because. The manual uninstall method was the right move.
I don't know why you were seeing multiple launchers, although I could speculate if you want. Multiple plumbobs in the dock however is normal when you're actively installing content through the launcher: the second plumbob is for the installer. I wouldn't worry about it if the game works now.
If you want to troubleshoot the Exchange and TSR content not installing, let me know. Using the launcher to install content is still as much of a mess as it ever was, or perhaps even more so than before.
64
As for your missing walls, I'm not a builder and don't really have any idea what might be going on there. I haven't seen any other comments about walls disappearing entirely in the 64-bit version, so I'd guess it's probably an in-game issue.
I play all my Sims games on laptop connected to a monitor (using extend mode), and never once have I had an issue with dragging my game onto the monitor so I don't have to use such a tiny screen. For some reason, even clicking off fullscreen mode on Sims 3, I can drag it onto my monitor screen fine but I can't click the little button that enlarges the tab (next to the 'X' button to close the tab), it just stays unclickable and grey. Is there a way I can go into my settings on the game and make it so I can enlarge the tab?
> @puzzlezaddict said: > @kitkat978 First, the easy part: one of the Sims 3 folders you deleted contained your packs. When you install the 64-bit version, you get both a "The Sims 3" folder and a "The Sims 3 Packs" folder in Applications or Users > your username > Applications. This change is because around a year ago, Apple implemented new standards about what kinds of application data and content could be added within an .app, so the old method—installing Sims 3 packs inside the app's Package Contents along with everything else—is no longer acceptable. > > Origin acts up sometimes, just because. The manual uninstall method was the right move. > > I don't know why you were seeing multiple launchers, although I could speculate if you want. Multiple plumbobs in the dock however is normal when you're actively installing content through the launcher: the second plumbob is for the installer. I wouldn't worry about it if the game works now. > > If you want to troubleshoot the Exchange and TSR content not installing, let me know. Using the launcher to install content is still as much of a mess as it ever was, or perhaps even more so than before. > 64 > As for your missing walls, I'm not a builder and don't really have any idea what might be going on there. I haven't seen any other comments about walls disappearing entirely in the 64-bit version, so I'd guess it's probably an in-game issue.
Thanks for such a fast reply!!
1) Can you tell me which folder I deleted contained packs, so it doesn't happen again?? I followed cache cleaning instructions only.
2) The two launchers would then freeze, which was the issue. 2B) The weirdest part was having 2 full Sims 3 downloads under applications - both 7GB, full TS3 files. I think that may have happened when I moved stuff from my old computer onto this one. The secondary TS3 had not been active since November, when I got the Origin TS3 -- the primary game file was showing active as of yesterday. It was SUPER bizarre, and maybe contributed to some of the slow down? IDK. I have screenshots but can't upload them here (?). So I deleted the old sims file.
3) I'd love to know how to download more efficiently. I have hundreds of CC items from TSR with zero issue until this house + AS fire station
4) Yes, the walls on platforms disappeared entirely. Will have to see if this accidental new install fixes it.
Currently installing my packs and then will let you know how it goes. Should I take out all of my CC and mods?
No downloads work now via launcher. It just opens the second launcher and freezes, has to be force quit. All my previous CC is still there and downloaded in launcher, just can't add new stuff. :(
@kitkat978 The Sims 3 Packs folder is called exactly that, and it would be in either Applications or Users > your username > Applications. It's not within Origin. I thought from your initial description you had a Sims 3 folder with just the base game (it's 7 GB in size), and a Sims 3 Packs folder with about 7 GB worth of packs installed. But if you transferred data from an old computer, maybe you did in fact two copies of the base game content. In that case, deleting one shouldn't have made your packs disappear—the game should have been entirely intact, or the base game should have disappeared as well.
Regardless, deleting Origin files shouldn't have anything to do with whether your packs show up. Last I checked, all those files could be flushed without affecting how the game itself runs. However, running the Origin reset tool, or deleting one of the hidden library files related to Origin, as it sounds like you did, will prevent store and custom content from installing correctly. Already installed content may show up in the launcher but won't work in-game. Both issues can be fixed by repairing the game in Origin, which restores the relevant .plist files that make the content work.
From where you are now, I'd repair the game, then try to install one item. If that doesn't work, clear out the Downloads folder inside the Sims 3 user folder—you can place those files somewhere else—download a fresh copy of one item, and see whether it installs. If not, try a new user folder: move the entire Sims 3 folder out of Documents > Electronic Arts, open the launcher to create a new folder, and install one item. If it works, you can install the rest of the new content you want; there's a fairly simple way to combine old and new content in one user folder. It gets more complicated with premium store content though, so leave any of that for later.
As far as downloading more efficiently overall, it's not possible past a certain point. The launcher has always been somewhat unstable and very finicky, and various files can get corrupted seemingly at random. The most helpful step is to only install a few items at a time, as in, check half a dozen boxes, click Install, wait for the installer to finish, then install a few more items. It's also helpful to save a backup copy of your user folder with everything installed, so if the folder or something in it gets corrupted, you can restore the backup instead of starting from scratch.
If you're installing new custom content, it's best to do so in a clean user folder first, so you can see what you're installing. If you see extra cc that you didn't want, or the launcher crashes while you're looking, or the cc doesn't work properly in-game, you can trash the new user folder with no harm done. If everything is fine, you can reinstall into your existing user folder. It's a lot easier to take precautions than to try to uninstall one bad cc item or even rebuild the entire folder.
My sims are siblings living alone and just now i noticed that after i had sent the child to boarding school, moved and sent them again, they lost the sibling relationship and are only friends. how do i fix this?
@MerukaiYT - If not averse to using mods, NRaas MasterController can be used to set the sibling relationship again (MC Cheats add-on module required). I don't think there's any way to do that for sims already in play in TS3 without mods.
i have the sims 3 along with the pets, seasons, and island paradise expansions. all except IP are physical copies, and are installed on my old pc -- which i can still acces, by the way! i could've sworn i linked them to origin, but they dont appear when i checked which dlc i own, except for IP of course. is there still a way i can have them put onto my origin account? i don't have the disks or boxes anymore 🙁
Comments
NRaas has moved!
Our new site is at http://nraas.net
NRaas has moved!
Our new site is at http://nraas.net
I'm not new to the Sims, I've played the Sims 4 PC for a few years now but I have never played any other games in the franchise. I went to an op shop the other day and found the Sims 3 starter pack (all discs included), and have watched a few videos and am now really wanting to play, since a lot of people say it's way better than the Sims 4 (not to start controversy). A few things I am concerned about after reading a few old crusty forum posts from 4 years ago; will it ruin or melt my computer since it is not built for gaming at all (my dad bought it as a router), and if it can run, can it run the Pets EP by itself with no other packs? And if it's *far* from the requirements (I know integrated graphics cards aren't the best for gaming), is it better to play Sims 3 on my old Xbox 360 instead, or is it not worth it?
I'm not that good with computer specs and whatnot but I'll post what's most commonly asked in those old threads here:
Windows 10 (64 bit)
Intel(R) Core(TM) i3-2100 CPU @ 3.10 GHz
Memory: 8192MB RAM
Just a sidenote: I can run the Sims 4 on it, but only on the lowest graphic settings and still sometimes get lag spikes. Currently I can run Seasons, Get Famous, Laundry Day, Eco Lifestyle, City Living and Parenthood with the settings i mentioned. I'm not interested in running any other packs for TS3 or custom content. If possible, I would prefer not to have to download anything extra as I have bad anxiety when it comes to downloading things (viruses and malware, even if I am 100% sure it isn't malware.)
Thanks, sorry for the long comment lol ;)
The game doesn't exactly melt computers, as in, it doesn't have any special powers to override the thermal throttling that hardware does on its own. However, a system already having cooling issues may end up overheating while trying to run the game, which can definitely cause damage. The solution is to monitor internal temperatures while you play, which you would in fact need a third-party tool to do, unless one came already installed on the computer. I understand your anxiety, but tools like hwinfo and GPU-Z are widely used and safe to download.
The other issue is in pushing your hardware to its limit when running Sims 3 or another demanding app. Again, there's nothing special about Sims 3 here; it's just that computer components wear out over time. Playing games shouldn't speed up the process much unless the hardware is overheating. But you'd notice the symptoms of wear and tear much sooner when playing than you would when engaged in lighter tasks, which I think is part of why people blame Sims 3 for melting their computers. The bottom line is, as long as you're taking care of your system overall, not letting it overheat and watching for other issues, running Sims 3 wouldn't necessarily shorten its lifespan.
Having said all that, if you get repeated crashes or notice overheating issues, you should definitely back off and perhaps consider whether playing at all is a good idea.
> @ambrosia04 - Afraid I'm not understanding the problem here. Pets in Sims 3 can go wherever they choose to and we can always direct them back home. Are you by any chance playing Sims 4 where pets are not controllable?
It may be something wrong with my own game sorry! It is Sims 3 but when it happens it's like the cat is out of the map and when I try to send it home it just instantly cancels the order.
Ctrl+Shift+C to bring up the cheats console, then resetsim (first name) (last name) + enter. So if the cat's full name is Fluffy Smith, it would look like resetsim Fluffy Smith (enter).
NRaas has moved!
Our new site is at http://nraas.net
New members can't post links, and the links to profile pages don't work either. But we get the tag notifications regardless.
Anyway, the first thing to do is try to register the product keys that came with the discs. You can still do so now if the keys were never used: open your Origin game library, click + Add a Game in the upper right corner, and enter the key. You could do this on ea.com or the store site as well, provided you login to the same account.
If the packs' product keys show as already used, you'll need to contact EA customer support and ask for help. Take a photo for each pack showing the disc, case, and insert with the code printed on it; you can upload these when you're submitting the help request. A support rep may be able to help you figure things out.
https://help.ea.com/en/contact-us/
Been playing 64-bit fine on my 2019 Macbook Air using Origin + 4 expansion packs. Totally fantastic, mods and CC, no issues (besides the common snow missing one + grainy hair in CAS). Laptop doesn't even fan.
Today I added Aurora Skies, then went back to my normal save. For some reason, all of the walls on the lower floor were GONE. Straight gone. They came back only in walls-up mode, no matter if it was in live or build/buy. . This is an issue I could find nothing about online. I exited w/out saving, but it still remained. I then bulldozed the house and lot, placed a new lot and tried from scratch - same issue of zero walls, just invisible lines where the floors meet. I realized that this appears to be an issue with platforms, as I was using platforms as a foundation due to height. However, the last 3 days of building have not had this platform issue. Other homes on normal foundations did not have this issue.
So, I figured whatever. Went to download the AS fire station + a house, from the official Exchange and TSR. They would not install, instead they just had the yellow ! sign. Weird, because I know I was missing 2 packs but was totally good with the replace option. When i'd try to install them, it froze the entire launcher and had to be force quit. When i tried to delete them, same thing. So I went into my documents folder and deleted the caches per online instructions. Tried to open - 2 sims 3 launchers popped up (which has happened before but never caused an issue). It froze and would not open. So I checked out the space on my laptop. It turns out I had TWO 7gb slots taken w/ the sims 3 - one from Nov and one from now (the latter being the one I use). So i closed out everything and then deleted the November version of TS3 and launcher, which seemed separate and shared no ties with my main Sims 3 folder in Documents or Origin.
THEN I restarted and was like, okay, lets do this. Except when I opened Origin, all of my expansions were GONE. Origin kept pinging me saying "update ready!" and when i clicked it, it would do the quick update, finish, and ping me again for an update. Expansions said "finalizing" or "install" -- i never uninstalled them in the first place! But even when bypassing Origin, TS3 launcher showed zero packs. Origin then became frozen on finalizing, so I force quit and followed BlueBellFlora's guide to clearing out Origin by hand, so I did. I deleted everything they said to delete, then restarted and installed Origin again. Now it's back totally fine, and it has auto started to install my expansion packs again (which it didn't before).. The update ping is over too. Now it's midnight though, and I've lost all my time to game :( My saves, CC etc are all intact, in the original documents file.
My question is, what the heck happened tonight?? I'm SO confused. I had to send like 6 error reports and now I'm using all of my data to install packs that never should have been uninstalled?*
*I realize after clearing O off I had to re install, I'm talking about the initial post-cache clearing when all of my EPs disappeared which led me to manually delete O.
Origin acts up sometimes, just because. The manual uninstall method was the right move.
I don't know why you were seeing multiple launchers, although I could speculate if you want. Multiple plumbobs in the dock however is normal when you're actively installing content through the launcher: the second plumbob is for the installer. I wouldn't worry about it if the game works now.
If you want to troubleshoot the Exchange and TSR content not installing, let me know. Using the launcher to install content is still as much of a mess as it ever was, or perhaps even more so than before.
64
As for your missing walls, I'm not a builder and don't really have any idea what might be going on there. I haven't seen any other comments about walls disappearing entirely in the 64-bit version, so I'd guess it's probably an in-game issue.
> @kitkat978 First, the easy part: one of the Sims 3 folders you deleted contained your packs. When you install the 64-bit version, you get both a "The Sims 3" folder and a "The Sims 3 Packs" folder in Applications or Users > your username > Applications. This change is because around a year ago, Apple implemented new standards about what kinds of application data and content could be added within an .app, so the old method—installing Sims 3 packs inside the app's Package Contents along with everything else—is no longer acceptable.
>
> Origin acts up sometimes, just because. The manual uninstall method was the right move.
>
> I don't know why you were seeing multiple launchers, although I could speculate if you want. Multiple plumbobs in the dock however is normal when you're actively installing content through the launcher: the second plumbob is for the installer. I wouldn't worry about it if the game works now.
>
> If you want to troubleshoot the Exchange and TSR content not installing, let me know. Using the launcher to install content is still as much of a mess as it ever was, or perhaps even more so than before.
> 64
> As for your missing walls, I'm not a builder and don't really have any idea what might be going on there. I haven't seen any other comments about walls disappearing entirely in the 64-bit version, so I'd guess it's probably an in-game issue.
Thanks for such a fast reply!!
1) Can you tell me which folder I deleted contained packs, so it doesn't happen again?? I followed cache cleaning instructions only.
2) The two launchers would then freeze, which was the issue.
2B) The weirdest part was having 2 full Sims 3 downloads under applications - both 7GB, full TS3 files. I think that may have happened when I moved stuff from my old computer onto this one. The secondary TS3 had not been active since November, when I got the Origin TS3 -- the primary game file was showing active as of yesterday. It was SUPER bizarre, and maybe contributed to some of the slow down? IDK. I have screenshots but can't upload them here (?). So I deleted the old sims file.
3) I'd love to know how to download more efficiently. I have hundreds of CC items from TSR with zero issue until this house + AS fire station
4) Yes, the walls on platforms disappeared entirely. Will have to see if this accidental new install fixes it.
Currently installing my packs and then will let you know how it goes. Should I take out all of my CC and mods?
No downloads work now via launcher. It just opens the second launcher and freezes, has to be force quit. All my previous CC is still there and downloaded in launcher, just can't add new stuff. :(
Regardless, deleting Origin files shouldn't have anything to do with whether your packs show up. Last I checked, all those files could be flushed without affecting how the game itself runs. However, running the Origin reset tool, or deleting one of the hidden library files related to Origin, as it sounds like you did, will prevent store and custom content from installing correctly. Already installed content may show up in the launcher but won't work in-game. Both issues can be fixed by repairing the game in Origin, which restores the relevant .plist files that make the content work.
From where you are now, I'd repair the game, then try to install one item. If that doesn't work, clear out the Downloads folder inside the Sims 3 user folder—you can place those files somewhere else—download a fresh copy of one item, and see whether it installs. If not, try a new user folder: move the entire Sims 3 folder out of Documents > Electronic Arts, open the launcher to create a new folder, and install one item. If it works, you can install the rest of the new content you want; there's a fairly simple way to combine old and new content in one user folder. It gets more complicated with premium store content though, so leave any of that for later.
As far as downloading more efficiently overall, it's not possible past a certain point. The launcher has always been somewhat unstable and very finicky, and various files can get corrupted seemingly at random. The most helpful step is to only install a few items at a time, as in, check half a dozen boxes, click Install, wait for the installer to finish, then install a few more items. It's also helpful to save a backup copy of your user folder with everything installed, so if the folder or something in it gets corrupted, you can restore the backup instead of starting from scratch.
If you're installing new custom content, it's best to do so in a clean user folder first, so you can see what you're installing. If you see extra cc that you didn't want, or the launcher crashes while you're looking, or the cc doesn't work properly in-game, you can trash the new user folder with no harm done. If everything is fine, you can reinstall into your existing user folder. It's a lot easier to take precautions than to try to uninstall one bad cc item or even rebuild the entire folder.
NRaas has moved!
Our new site is at http://nraas.net
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