May need a fresh reinstall after trying to install Diesel Stuff (*UPDATED, SOS)

[ZacSz]

Sigh. If I need a fresh install, this is going to be the second time a stuff pack has done it.

Anyway, I'm on a Macbook Pro running Mac OS 10.6.8. My CD drive is a little glitchy but works sometimes, though I also have an external. I tried putting Diesel stuff into my normal disc drive (In the laptop) and it wouldn't boot up, so I put it in my external drive to install it and that seemed to work... at least until it didn't. The whole install went fine until the very end when it "quit unexpectedly." I don't know at what point in the installation it was at, but when I tried to reinstall it the prompter said "Diesel Stuff is already installed on this computer, do you want to overrite it?" I decided not to, just to see if it really was installed. I clicked on the Showtime icon, the game launcher opened, and it only showed TS3 and Showtime as being installed... no other EPs/SPs. I was bit mortified, but not too much as it's happened before.

Then I decided to go ahead and overrite whatever incomplete version of Diesel Stuff had been installed. When I clicked "continue" and "install" the next installation took approximately 30 seconds, versus 10 minutes. It's like it was just adding on to the other, unfinished install. Now the launcher says that TS3 and Diesel Stuff are the only things installed... but at least Diesel Stuff seems to be reading properly now? 

So.... anything I can do, or does a fresh install sound like it's in the cards? The last time this happened it was because I was trying to install OLS after I had already gotten Showtime and a ton of other stuff. Obviously, the stuff I already owned was too current for OLS, so I had to go back. That much I understand.  But any guesses on what's the deal here? It's certainly not a chronology issue... any help would be appreciated.

[Pam]

This isn't going to help your current situation, but maybe it will in the future.  We recommend a complete re-install with every expansion and stuff pack.  It's good maintenance to re-install the game periodically and the release of packs is a good time to do it.  It's more time consuming now with all the packs that have been released, but it's worth it.  My last re-install at the time of Showtime's release took me exactly an hour.

[JudesSims]

This isn't going to help your current situation, but maybe it will in the future.  We recommend a complete re-install with every expansion and stuff pack.  It's good maintenance to re-install the game periodically and the release of packs is a good time to do it.  It's more time consuming now with all the packs that have been released, but it's worth it.  My last re-install at the time of Showtime's release took me exactly an hour.

How did you do it in just an hour? It took me three days counting download time via the launcher. You must have the disks.

[Pam]

How did you do it in just an hour? It took me three days counting download time via the launcher. You must have the disks.

Yes, I have the disks.  I removed all of the games through Control Panel, then just sat here and fed the disks to my computer one by one.  Of course, I backed up my game first and put the game files and such back in the newly installed game.  It automatically prompts for the updates before each disk starts downloading.  No problems at all.

[fortheloveofcake]

The problem may have stemmed from trying to overwrite the first partial installation of Diesel. I would suggest uninstalling it using the Sims 3 uninstaller and then trying again.

[ZacSz]

Thanks for the suggestion, cake. There's not a lot I can do right now because I'm on an extended vacation and won't have access to the disks other than showtime and diesel for about a month. I tried uninstalling the stuff pack, but then when I looked at the UnInstaller again, the original game was all that is showed up. Is there any chance that even if the games don't show up in the launcher, opening the game might still have the extra stuff from the expansion packs in it? Or could this cause even more problems? I don't want to mess up my saved games. Thanks again everyone for the help.

[fortheloveofcake]

You could always make a copy of your saved games and put them somewhere other than the Sims 3 folder. That way, if you do end up losing info, you will still have your saves for later. I'm going to assume that if the expansions/stuff packs are not appearing in either the launcher or the uninstaller, they are not installed at all, at least not properly.

[ZacSz]

I have an update to this issue that maybe someone can shed some light on.

I just came back from my trip today, and pretty immediately tried to do a Fresh Install.

Everything was going fine until I got to Master Suite. If you recall in the first post, I noted that when trying to install Diesel Stuff the installer quit unexpectedly, after which the rest of the EPs/SPs and base game appeared to no longer exist.

Master Suite quit unexpectedly trying to do this fresh install and I got very nervous. I clicked the launcher, and lo and behold, everything was gone again (except for, randomly, Generations).

The only thing I did differently this time was to open the launcher once or twice every 4 disks or so to make sure everything was registering (it was). I didn't download any patches while doing that-- just clicked cancel-- were either or both of these actions a mistake, or is something else potentially wrong? I don't really know what's going on, but it seems one unexpected quit during an installation is enough to mess up everything. I was obviously near the end, too, so very frustrating...

Thanks in advance...

[Pam]

Hi ZacSz.

If I understood you correctly, you're not installing the updates as you go along with the installation of the expansions and stuff packs?  What normally happens is that you install the base game, then when you install World Adventures (or whatever your first expansion is), the game prompts you to update your game.  After you update, the installation continues.  You put in the next disk and it prompts you again to update.  You say ok, it updates, then continues the installation.  It does this with each and every disk you install.  When you've installed the last disk, the final update goes in and you're done.  If you're not allowing these updates, it could possibly be causing problems.  I don't know for sure that it would cause the specific trouble you're having, but I strongly recommend that you install all the updates as prompted.

You also need to install the expansions and stuff packs in the order in which they were released.  Again, I don't know exactly what could go wrong if you don't, but Electronic Arts says we need to go in order of release.

[ZacSz]

Yes, the second part I've been doing (installing in order).

With regards to the updates, I don't get prompted unless I open the launcher. So... should I open the launcher after each install of a disc? And will the update be for the appropriate disc (meaning the right EP or SP)? I think I might have been seeing the word "update" and mentally replacing it with the word patch, but they're obviously different things.

Correct me if I'm wrong but it sounds I should install a disc, open the launcher, install the update, and THEN move on. I know that might not solve any or all of my current issues, but I haven't been doing that. Granted, another time I did a fresh install (after installing OLS way late) I didn't do the updates either and it worked but maybe that was a fluke.

Thanks a lot. If you could clarify that's what you mean before I try to go through it all again that would be excellent.

EDIT: I'm going to leave what I wrote above in case a Mac user sees this and might know what I should do. But I reread your post a little more carefully and it seems like you're saying each time you insert a disc past the base game, it should automatically prompt an update? To the best of my recollection, that doesn't happen on Macs or... isn't happening on my Mac. Each time I put in a disc I would just click the icon on my desktop which would open up the disc contents (just the Installer for whatever EP or SP). It installs the same as the base game without auto prompting any updates; the only difference is it says I must install it on the same volume as the base game. I'm 99% certain the only time I get prompted to update is upon opening the launcher.

[Pam]

I think maybe you're right about it being different on a Mac.  I'm going to ask one of our Moderators who uses a Mac to come by and see if she can help you.

[Ricalynn]

Yes, the second part I've been doing (installing in order).

With regards to the updates, I don't get prompted unless I open the launcher. So... should I open the launcher after each install of a disc? And will the update be for the appropriate disc (meaning the right EP or SP)? I think I might have been seeing the word "update" and mentally replacing it with the word patch, but they're obviously different things.

Correct me if I'm wrong but it sounds I should install a disc, open the launcher, install the update, and THEN move on. I know that might not solve any or all of my current issues, but I haven't been doing that. Granted, another time I did a fresh install (after installing OLS way late) I didn't do the updates either and it worked but maybe that was a fluke.

Thanks a lot. If you could clarify that's what you mean before I try to go through it all again that would be excellent.

EDIT: I'm going to leave what I wrote above in case a Mac user sees this and might know what I should do. But I reread your post a little more carefully and it seems like you're saying each time you insert a disc past the base game, it should automatically prompt an update? To the best of my recollection, that doesn't happen on Macs or... isn't happening on my Mac. Each time I put in a disc I would just click the icon on my desktop which would open up the disc contents (just the Installer for whatever EP or SP). It installs the same as the base game without auto prompting any updates; the only difference is it says I must install it on the same volume as the base game. I'm 99% certain the only time I get prompted to update is upon opening the launcher.

Morning Zac!  Trust me I totally understand about the broken CD drive.  Thank goodness for Applecare in my case though. 

Ok back to topic - I have reinstalled many times and it was only recently that I started getting the notices to make sure my game was up to date.   You see before the Generations came out there were patches for each indvidual EP but after Generations the main patch patched all of the EP and SPs as part of the base game patch.   It's a little confusing but that's how EA set it up and then changed their minds. 

My suggestion would be to uninstall using the uninstaller that should be in your The Sims 3 Folder under Applications.   Uninstall backwards starting with the newest one installed and ending with base game.  Then when you go to install after every installation of an EP/SP, load up the launcher and download the patch.  Go ahead and download the store content patch too if you want it takes like 5 seconds.  If you have another error where something quits unexpectedly, let us know.

The part that concerns me is that things are disappearing on you when it quits like that.  When you go to Applications > The Sims 3, are all the icons for the other games missing as well.  I have two for each EP/SP - one shortcut and one readme file.  Would know if they were there before the install quit?  I've never heard of this happening so I'm trying to think of things that could be done.  Do you use Time Machine?  Do you back up your computer often?  IF so, does it take forever to back up your computer?

There are actually quite a few Mac users around and I'm sure between us we may come up with something.  I also know someone I could contact if worse comes to worse.   Have you contacted EA Support or did you turn directly to us first?

[ZacSz]

Hey rica, thanks so much for the reply. Let me see if I can clear some things up.

First, yes I do back up but haven't in a few months. It took a long time the first time but doesn't take too long anymore since it's in smaller chunks.

As for uninstalling via the uninstaller, it's a weird thing. When things disappear from the launcher they don't show up in the uninstaller window... Just the base game.

The icons/shortcuts and readme's still show up in /TheSims3 which is very weird. they continue to show up even after these errors.

I haven't contacted EA yet because TBH I thought you guys would be more helpful and I haven't had the best experience with their support. That said, I'm not adverse to contacting them. I also didn't see the point until I returned home and had the discs available.

Anyway, please let me know if there's any information you could use. Thank you so much for all the help already. I'm out at the moment but as soon as I'm home I'll try to install and update as I do each disc. Thanks again, please let me know if anything else I can do will help you.

(and thanks Pam for grabbing a Mac user!)

[Ricalynn]

What I was going to say since you do backup was if it's not too much trouble you might want to think about doing a backup after every EP.  Especially if it doesn't take but so much time to do them you know?

If the files are still there, have you clicked on the shortcuts to see where they head?  That means the programs should be there by the way.  You won't be able to use the .exe files but that's something at least.  You're not losing them - it just means that your computer isn't recognizing them or something.

[ZacSz]

Well actually I'm a little confused. All of the shortcut icons are actually aliases... Is that right? Not sure they lead to anywhere in that case, though honestly I'm not really sure what an alias really is on macs. But yeah, they appear as such. I'm not sure if that should be.

I think that's always been the case, but I can check my backups to see.

Backing up after each isn't a bad idea, but if I have a problem what can I do? Just grab from my backups?