Like I said before, it could be your graphics card is a little overloaded. Did you try playing it in window mode like I suggested? It sounds like you're having the same problem I was.
To change it to window mode, right click on your desktop shortcut, and go to properties. In the field that's labeled "target," go all the way to the end (without deleting anything!), press spacebar once, and then type -w. Your game should now play in a window.
DJAnnamarie, you should post your dxdiag so we can see what kind of hardware you're using and to see if it gives any indication of why you're crashing so frequently.
Here's the main info.
Operating System : Windows 7 Home Premium 64-bit (6.1, Build 7600)
System Manufacturer : Dell Inc.
System Model : Inspiron 1545
BIOS : Phoenix ROM BIOS PLUS Version 1.10 A14
Processor : Pentium(R) Dual-Core CPU T4300 @ 2.10GHz (2 CPUs), ~2.1GHz
Memory : 3072MB RAM
Page File : 1245MB used, 4308MB abailable
DirectX Version : DirecetX 11
Operating System : Windows 7 Home Premium 64-bit (6.1, Build 7600)
System Manufacturer : Dell Inc.
System Model : Inspiron 1545
BIOS : Phoenix ROM BIOS PLUS Version 1.10 A14
Processor : Pentium(R) Dual-Core CPU T4300 @ 2.10GHz (2 CPUs), ~2.1GHz
Memory : 3072MB RAM
Page File : 1245MB used, 4308MB abailable
DirectX Version : DirecetX 11
That doesn't tell what graphics card you have or how recent its drivers are, but you could be crashing due to insufficient memory. 3GB of RAM isn't much to run Sims 3 and all of its expansions combined. You should look into a utility called Sims 3 Large Address Aware, which will let your games use more than 2GB of RAM and improve performance. You should consider increasing your page file (virtual memory) as well.
Thanks for the help guys. I've decided to just give up and buy a new laptop. Does anyone know what kind of laptop I should be looking for that will run pets ? Any advise on RAM or Graphic's Card etc.
I tried to follow the tips, but it did´nt work for me, so I right clicked on TS3W and made a shortcut to desktop. My launcher does not work, but this TS3W does. I can play again. :-) Just hoping my CAW will work again soon.
Thanks for the help guys. I've decided to just give up and buy a new laptop. Does anyone know what kind of laptop I should be looking for that will run pets ? Any advise on RAM or Graphic's Card etc.
Unless you absolutely HAVE to have a laptop, I would just try to go for a nice desktop instead. You get more power, and a better chance of having something that the game will run on smoothly... and oftentimes, you get the bigger bang for the buck.
But if you do need something portable, I have a friend who recently purchased an Acer (I'm not sure of the exact model, but I can find out and post later) that runs the game like a beast. I was actually shocked, because I tend to stick my nose up at Acers... but I saw it with my own eyes.
Unless you absolutely HAVE to have a laptop, I would just try to go for a nice desktop instead. You get more power, and a better chance of having something that the game will run on smoothly... and oftentimes, you get the bigger bang for the buck.
But if you do need something portable, I have a friend who recently purchased an Acer (I'm not sure of the exact model, but I can find out and post later) that runs the game like a beast. I was actually shocked, because I tend to stick my nose up at Acers... but I saw it with my own eyes.
Yes, I must have a laptop, at the moment I have a dell. I bought it instead of a Toshiba (Shame really, ths Toshiba was much better) I'll bring the game box with me and ask them could they possibly find me a laptop that is above the minimum requirements by a lot.
Well if you set on a laptop...you gonna need to fork out some extra $ to play properly...most of the "off the shelf" ones wont cut the mustard.
Afew simply things to look for in a new lappy or one that will play this game...
*4 gigs ram and preferbly running win 7 64bit os.
*A dedicated graphics card with a minimum of 512mb dedicated ram (stay away from intergrated graphic chipstes)..and although its down to personal choise...the preffered card should be Nvidia..Ati cards are ok...but they can be abit iffy when running this game
*a processor made by intel...either an i5 2.4ghz or higher or an i7 2.0 ghz or higher
But most of these componets combined mean the the laptop is gonna be pretty expensive...thats the down side...but if you have the cash to spend..well.....its your choise
Well if you set on a laptop...you gonna need to fork out some extra $ to play properly...most of the "off the shelf" ones wont cut the mustard.
Afew simply things to look for in a new lappy or one that will play this game...
*4 gigs ram and preferbly running win 7 64bit os.
*A dedicated graphics card with a minimum of 512mb dedicated ram (stay away from intergrated graphic chipstes)..and although its down to personal choise...the preffered card should be Nvidia..Ati cards are ok...but they can be abit iffy when running this game
*a processor made by intel...either an i5 2.4ghz or higher or an i7 2.0 ghz or higher
But most of these componets combined mean the the laptop is gonna be pretty expensive...thats the down side...but if you have the cash to spend..well.....its your choise
When I bought the one I'm using at the moment it cost me 800 euro. I don't mind paying extra. I know it will be expensive but I've spent a lot more on the Sims games over the years, so it would be a shame to not be able to play at all. I have gone through 3 computers playing the Sims so this will be number 4. If they come out with the sims 4 then I'm not going to buy it, I'll stick with 3 and it's expansions. I'm tired of buying a new laptop whenever EA decides to change one tiny thing . .
Laptops go obsolete very quickly, that's why they're not considered gaming machines. The price you pay for that small computer is that everything is integrated. The integrated components can't be upgraded like desktop components can, and beyond that, they tend to have a wide variety of proprietary quirks. It's hard for any programmer to support ALL of the many variations of laptop hardware that are out there, and you're going to face that with many publishers.
I think EA can't ignore laptops, but at the same time, if you don't like replacing computers but still want to have new games as they're released, then laptops are really not the right choice for you.
Okay So I ordered a new laptop that is way above the requirements (thank you tech guy in the computer store) and it'll be here tomorrow. I'll post all details of it and how it's running the game here. Watch this thread !
Comments
Do I type -w. or just -w ?
Here's the main info.
Operating System : Windows 7 Home Premium 64-bit (6.1, Build 7600)
System Manufacturer : Dell Inc.
System Model : Inspiron 1545
BIOS : Phoenix ROM BIOS PLUS Version 1.10 A14
Processor : Pentium(R) Dual-Core CPU T4300 @ 2.10GHz (2 CPUs), ~2.1GHz
Memory : 3072MB RAM
Page File : 1245MB used, 4308MB abailable
DirectX Version : DirecetX 11
That doesn't tell what graphics card you have or how recent its drivers are, but you could be crashing due to insufficient memory. 3GB of RAM isn't much to run Sims 3 and all of its expansions combined. You should look into a utility called Sims 3 Large Address Aware, which will let your games use more than 2GB of RAM and improve performance. You should consider increasing your page file (virtual memory) as well.
Try the Crash Log Analyzer here: http://www.modthesims.info/download.php?t=416883
This can give you a more accurate idea on why your crash is occurring.
Unless you absolutely HAVE to have a laptop, I would just try to go for a nice desktop instead. You get more power, and a better chance of having something that the game will run on smoothly... and oftentimes, you get the bigger bang for the buck.
But if you do need something portable, I have a friend who recently purchased an Acer (I'm not sure of the exact model, but I can find out and post later) that runs the game like a beast. I was actually shocked, because I tend to stick my nose up at Acers... but I saw it with my own eyes.
Yes, I must have a laptop, at the moment I have a dell. I bought it instead of a Toshiba (Shame really, ths Toshiba was much better) I'll bring the game box with me and ask them could they possibly find me a laptop that is above the minimum requirements by a lot.
Afew simply things to look for in a new lappy or one that will play this game...
*4 gigs ram and preferbly running win 7 64bit os.
*A dedicated graphics card with a minimum of 512mb dedicated ram (stay away from intergrated graphic chipstes)..and although its down to personal choise...the preffered card should be Nvidia..Ati cards are ok...but they can be abit iffy when running this game
*a processor made by intel...either an i5 2.4ghz or higher or an i7 2.0 ghz or higher
But most of these componets combined mean the the laptop is gonna be pretty expensive...thats the down side...but if you have the cash to spend..well.....its your choise
When I bought the one I'm using at the moment it cost me 800 euro. I don't mind paying extra. I know it will be expensive but I've spent a lot more on the Sims games over the years, so it would be a shame to not be able to play at all. I have gone through 3 computers playing the Sims so this will be number 4. If they come out with the sims 4 then I'm not going to buy it, I'll stick with 3 and it's expansions. I'm tired of buying a new laptop whenever EA decides to change one tiny thing . .
I think EA can't ignore laptops, but at the same time, if you don't like replacing computers but still want to have new games as they're released, then laptops are really not the right choice for you.