Game crashes to desktop

[gerrr00]

I bought a new laptop today.  Every time I play the Sims it crashes to the desktop.  I know how to get to the DEP but I am not sure what setting I am suppose to have it on.  The launcher was crashing so I went to the DEP and checked the box for S3Launcher, I had read on the Sims 3 forum that would help the launcher from not crashing, which the launcher quit crashing but now the game crashes!  I went back and chose the option to turn on DEP for only essential  programs, it did not make a difference.  Which setting should I use?  Also I only have installed Sims 3 and LN, I wanted to make sure the game ran good on here (in case I wanted to return the laptop) before I went through all the time installing everything else. 

[Esther1981]

I responded to your PM Gerrr, but I'll post it here in case it can help someone else! 
I followed these instructions:
Click to open System.

Click Advanced System Settings.  If you are prompted for an administrator password or confirmation, type the password or provide confirmation.

Under Performance, click Settings.

Click the Data Execution Prevention tab, and then click Turn on DEP for all programs and services except those I select.

Hit add

Then I went to program files, EA, Ambitions, your newest would be LN, Game, Bin and open TS3EP02 (yours would be TS3EP03) and add it. Than it should work! 

[Pam]

Click to open System.

What exactly are you clicking?

[gerrr00]

What exactly are you clicking?

You go to control panel to get the 'system'.  It is a setting. 

The explanation I got is that certain viruses can cause a workload  on your computer, which the Sims 3 may also do.  So Windows automatically shuts down programs that cause the heavy work load.  Changing the DEP allows you to continue running the Sims.

[Saltypaws]

The video card looks pretty good.  I would not put graphics on high or maybe try it, but it would probably run better on medium.  You have to keep in mind future EP's also.  Sometimes it is cheaper to buy a better card at the beginning and then you won't have to worry about buying one later when more games comes out.  I know it is hard financially on alot of people, so I would never say to run out and buy something.  Amazon is pretty good about their return policy, so if something would happen, then at least they take their products back.  Good luck.

[Esther1981]

What exactly are you clicking?

I'm sorry Pam. Gerrr is right it's through the control panel. I searched help and copied from there. Sorry for the confusion! Thanks Salty!

[Joria]

The video card looks pretty good.  I would not put graphics on high or maybe try it, but it would probably run better on medium.  You have to keep in mind future EP's also.  Sometimes it is cheaper to buy a better card at the beginning and then you won't have to worry about buying one later when more games comes out.  I know it is hard financially on alot of people, so I would never say to run out and buy something.  Amazon is pretty good about their return policy, so if something would happen, then at least they take their products back.  Good luck.

Salty, what in your opinion is the best graphic card for a system using Windows 7 64 bit?  We've already had a problem with heat and I do like to run my graphics on high.

This thread has been so helpful in so many ways.  Unfortunately, my game is crashing to desktop now but ONLY when playing in Bridgeport.  I select my Sims as the household I want to use and it just kicks me out instantly when I go to buy a property.  I"m going to try a different family and then the same family in a different town to see what's up.

[TGBlank]

Sims 3 really doesn't ask much on the way of videocards, and as long as you framecap it or use vsync + triple buffering there should be no heat problems, it's a tad taxing on harddrive tho.

[Joria]

Sims 3 really doesn't ask much on the way of videocards, and as long as you framecap it or use vsync + triple buffering there should be no heat problems, it's a tad taxing on harddrive tho.

I have no idea what you said.  I'm totally pc illiterate so framecap, vsyn, triple buffering is greek to me.  And we had serious heat problems so went out and bought a new video card and got new drivers AND got a second cooling system.  I'm just concerned it could happen again and toast a pc as it did the older one.  (Older one was two year old Acer, new one is almost a year old now, Compaq)

I just tried to play BP and same problems.  My Sims could easily play other towns, but any Sim I tried with BP sent me instantly back to desktop.  The screen loads, I get the choose thingie, (and chose to install household), and bam, out of game.  This is ONLY with BP. 

EDIT:  Ignore last note.  I forgot to delete that grey lot which causes the crash.  DUH

[TGBlank]

Vsync and triple buffering are settings you can set on your videocard control panel for either everything or specific applications. Long story short, the game needlessly pushes your card to the limits to produce a myriad of identical and completely unnecessary images, causing overheating. Setting both of those settings on for the sims 3 and expansions will prevent the game from burning your very expensive new videocard.
Using an external application to cap the game's fps will have the same effect.

[Joria]

Thank you.  And where do you find these settings, please?

[Jancy]

I had the same problem a couple of weeks ago.  Trying to play Barnacle Bay and Bridge Port - Made my Sim picked a household property and then it shut me down to desktop. Had no problem with any other town.  This all started with the latest patch. At least for me it did.
I have a brand new iMac since September. I went into Documents, Electronic Arts, renamed my "The Sims 3" folder to "The Sims 3 Backup"
Started up BB and Late Night and all worked fine.
I put all my saved games back in and re-downloaded everything from the Sims site again and it works fine. I did have a problem with BB after playing a while where it was moving very slow and choppy-I saved my Sim to the bin and moved her to a new game on BB and everything is working fine so far.  Fingers crossed.

[TGBlank]

Jancy: that sounds a whole lot like corrupted/invalid/outdated cache files (although some outdated mods can cause that as well), it is a *very* good idea to backup saves and delete the cache files before updating or installing a new expansion.


Joria: As I said, videocard control panel. Under windows there should be an icon to access that on the taskbar, no idea where that is under mac. Nobody can really give you directions to it unless you tell us your operative system and your card's brand.

[Jancy]

TG I did delete the cache files first which did not help me with the game closing to the desktop. I also do not use mods, only purchased items from the Sims site.
Thanks

Joria if you are using a Mac, your video card specs can be located here -  Click the Apple icon on top left of your desktop, click About this mac, click More info, Under Hardware, click on Graphics/Display

[Saltypaws]

The only video card I use is Nvidia.  I upgraded mine when I got sims3, to a 1 gig, 9500 and upgraded my memory to 4 gigs.  I have used that brand of video card for ages.  With all of the crashes after installing LN, I am just wondering if there is a conflict with something on computer and the game along with the video card.  I have not had that happen, so far and I have read so much about it.  What the box says as minimum, is bare minimum.  I updated all my drivers, which people should check about every three months.  The Nvidia site always has updates and after the last one, my game ran so much better. I do not know anything about Mac machines, so I cannot be much help there.  The bugs are really getting out of hand lately.