Sims 3 Re-Install Issues - Fixed!!

[BonnieLM77]

that's where I got the super patch originally, and I got some of my other patches for the other EP's and SP's from Mod the Sims and from the Sims Wiki, my discs did want to install Origin after Pets and I did allow it, it's currently open and asking me if I want to install the EA app but I am not clicking install until I make sure the game will run and not give me the unrecognized video card error, I may re-install the EA app again-the version I had before I did the uninstall and re-install I mostly had shut off and only turned it on if I wanted to buy simpoints and I think I did set it to play offline, I never used it to play any of my games before I did the uninstall, but it sounds like they may have done some updates since I last had it installed, but I will make if I do eventually reinstall it that it's set to play offline again, I had that issue with Origin when I upgraded to University Life and IP, it wanted to update to the 1.69 patch and I had to do an uninstall and reinstall of the game then but just didn't go beyond Seasons, I'd like to be able to run just the stuff packs 70's, 80's and 90's stuff and movie stuff but I do not know if I have to install UL and IP in order to get those to work or if they will work with just Seasons

[MrsFlynn]

The stuff packs should work without having to install University or IP.

[BonnieLM77]

ok, thanks, I just ran Seasons, and it gave me that unrecognized video card error, so I will try copying the graphics files again and if that still doesn't work, I will try doing it manually as it states in the article

[MrsFlynn]

Okay.

[BonnieLM77]

or, since I still have my old device.config file from when I yanked my sims 3 folder to the desktop-since it says found and matched, can I use that since I already copied the latest version of the Graphics_Files-Oct2023.zip to the game bin? Or do I have to try and get the game to recognize it on it's own? I did try turning off my anti-virus and copying the files to the bin, but the device.config file still shows found 0 matched 0, or could it be Origin blocking it or I might need to do a restart?

[MrsFlynn]

I am not sure on that.  When I added the graphics files to my game I deleted the old device.config log file. It should regenerate a new one after you launch the game once with the new graphics files installed.

[BonnieLM77]

ok, I kept a backup of the original graphics files so I am going to try restoring them, going to the Sims 3 main menu and then copying the new files again, and see if that works, this worked when I first had the Nvidia card installed and it's the same driver that was installed with the card, I had the computer shop update it in April to the most recent version but it messed up my game and wouldn't allow it to launch (plus it wouldn't recognize my 2nd monitor) so I rolled it back to the original and the game was working fine after that and I'm hesitant to do anything with it further since it was running the game fine.

....but I'm not going to try troubleshooting it again until the morning, lol it's getting late and I have to work tomorrow, thanks for your help, if you can fix the files for me, I can try them and see if that will work, I greatly appreciate all the help and advice you've been giving me, I hadn't thought of trying to delete the device.config file that's currently there and seeing if it will recognize the card, but I will try that tomorrow night

[MrsFlynn]

Good to keep a backup of your original graphics files.

I'm not sure which files you're referring to me fixing?

If it's the graphics files, you can find updated graphics files attached at the bottom of this post linked below:

How-To: Get Sims 3 to Recognize a New Graphics Card
https://www.carls-sims-4-guide.com/forum/index.php?topic=26753.msg446248#msg446248

It should have your graphics card added. If it doesn't, let me know and I'll add it.

Or if you're referring to maybe needing a new Sims 3 folder, you can download one I updated earlier this year, from my SimFileShare Account.

http://www.simfileshare.net/download/2548728/

[BonnieLM77]

no I have the Sims 3 folder in my documents, I was referring to the deviceconfig.log, but as mentioned, I will try copying those graphics files again, this was the steps I took last night, copied the graphics files to the game bin after getting the video card not recognized error, launched The Sims 3 and didn't get the unrecognized video card error, but found in the graphics options it was set to the lowest settings but it would let me change them-so they didn't seem to be locked, but when I checked the deviceconfig.log file, it still showed found 0, matched 0, but I will try it again tonight after work and see what happens

[MrsFlynn]

Ah okay. I can't fix the DeviceConfig.log, as it's a file specific to your computer. However, you can do that yourself by either deleting your current one or moving it to the desktop and launching the game after you've added the new graphics files.

[BonnieLM77]

sorry, I meant the graphicscards.sgr and graphicsrules.sgr files, I'm not my best in the morning, lol, I was just providing my deviceconfig.log file so you could get the card info from it, it's driving me a little crazy that it wasn't recognizing the card when I did the exact same thing when I first got this card installed and it worked and the deviceconfig.log showed the found one matched one correctly, I ran dxdiag as well and it said the video card was working correctly and that the driver was fine-I was worried about that when I had to roll back to the original driver in April after it was updated by a computer tech (the update didn't work properly and wouldn't recognize that I had dual monitors for one thing, and also blocked both the EA app and the sims launcher, which was why I just rolled it back) but it's almost something is blocking the deviceconfig.log from finding and matching the card, which was why I was asking if I just copied the old one that found and matched the card if that might work.

[MrsFlynn]

I've never tried it, but it might work.

[BonnieLM77]

I can check over at NRAA's too (like you recommended before) and see if they've ever heard of that, it's just a weird thing and I don't know if something is blocking it or I just need my video card driver re-installed after having to roll it back in April (I have copies of the ones that were used at the time on my computer), I ran a test game too and it seemed to be ok, weird and wonderful issues, lol

[MrsFlynn]

It sounds like things are going okay so far?

[BonnieLM77]

other than the deviceconfig.log not showing what it was supposed too, lol but I left it alone last night just to get a breather and may take a break from trying to troubleshoot it for a few days, I just had a lot going on last week and this was just the icing on the cake, Sims 3 is normally one of the things I use to de-stress myself, but if it's adding to it, I think I need to step away for a little bit.