Tutorial

Resetting the game to factory settings without reinstalling

June 2, 2011 /

Many problems can be pinpointed on cc or corruption in your user data. There’s an easy way to reset your game to factory settings without going through the ordeal of reinstalling the whole thing.

Path can be different depending on your OS:

  • Make a backup of  theSims3 folder in Documents\ElectronicArts to an external drive.
  • Rename your theSims3 folder in Documents\ElectronicArts to Sims3_Backup
  • Start the game or the launcher (All your save games will be gone, your options will be reset to factory settings and all your store cc will be gone. Not to worry, it’s all still there in that backup folder).
  • A new Sims3 folder will have been recreated in your documents\electronicArts folder. Some folders might be missing for they are only created when you need them.
  • Quit the game and the launcher
  • Move the options.ini file from your backup folder to your newly created folder in documents\electronicArts\thesims3 to recover your graphic/sounds/gameplay options
  • Start your game. You will need to start a new game for the other one is still missing right now.

See if your error is gone. If so, you can put starting the folders back, starting with your saves. Check your game after every folder.

  • This file UserPresets.package is all your custom styles you created in game, so you need to copy that one back as well.
  • The files PassportData.package and  ChallengeData.package contain your SimPort and Achievements progress. Make sure to put back.
  • The folder Collections contains your collections. Make sure to put that back.
  • If you had a mods folder in your programs folder, don’t put it back. CC does not go there any more.
  • If you find a mods folder in your documents folder, make sure you only put the stuff back that you know to be compatible
  • ALL CC can be bad and cause problems. If you found out which folder is causing problems, use the 50%-Method to find the guilty parties. Remember that more then one object can be faulty.

If you still have problems after creating a new folder, try the following

  • Go to programs\electronicarts\thesims3 and make sure you DO NOT have a mods folder there. If you do, move that to your desktop. Also make sure that there is no resource.cfg on that level (there will be on in your gamebin folder, don’t delete that one).
  • Repeat above step for every expansion you have.
  • If you have the download version of the game through Origin, make sure there aren’t any left over installation files. They can be found here:  programs\Origin Games\<name of the expansion>\__Installer.

Further Reading