New Laptop - game keeps crashing
#1 04-03-2017 
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*Advised to post here by BiolingOil on simbology*

Hello Everyone,

I recently purchased a new laptop and after going through the headache or installing TS2 on windows 10, my main game keeps crashing. I have my uberhood (separate sims 2 folder) and my main hood (separate sims 2 folder). The uberhood plays great - never crashes and I've played and added as much cc to it as my main game. My main game rarely crashed on my old laptop, but on the new laptop, it gets the pink flashes within minutes of loading and it crashes afterwards :pissed:.

What I've tried:
1. Used delphy's download organizer to get rid of duplicates
2. Use hack conflict utility to remove some hacks (bv poster, danceposition & skintoneselector).
3. Use double killer to delete duplicate files
4. Last resort - deleted my neighborhood.
5. Created a new neighborhood and added same dl folder - same issue with pink flashes and crashing.
6. Replaced new hood's build/buy mode folder with uberhood's build/buy mode folder - didn't work.
7. Removed thumbnails and neighborhoodmanager files so new ones can generate - didn't work.
8. Used Hoodchecker to see if hood is corrupt (I used an old backup neighborhood with only sims - no lots) - no issues found.

System specs:
Processor: AMD A12-9700P RADEON R7, 10 COMPUTE CORES 4C+6G 2.50 GHz
Installed memory (RAM): 8.00 GB (7.45 GB usable)
System type: 64-bit Operating System, x64-based processor

I really don't know what else to do. My uberhood is good, but I don't enjoy it as my mainhood.
Thanks in advance for the help.

Attached File(s)
.txt  ADI-PC-config-log.txt (Size: 10.23 KB / Downloads: 482)
(This post was last modified: 05-03-2017 12:46 AM by xhyleh.)

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#2 04-03-2017 
If I were you, I would follow the 'rules' of this section and include a -config-log.txt file for Kiri to look at. Without that file, she's not going to be able to do anything!

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#3 05-03-2017 
@xhyleh

Your graphics card.sgr, as it is, is fine. We may tweak it, but the solution maybe outside this as well. So I will be helping you to fix this, but it's not going to be an immediate fix. These sort of things can take some time as we find the actual source of the problem, rather than just applying solutions.

The pink flashing is because your texture memory is running out for your game.

Basically, what is happening is that the game was programmed to load the textures it wants into the texture memory space, if it runs out it overwrites already used texture memory, so when the game wants to use the texture memory that has been overwritten - it flashes pink. (There is a great youtube explaining it here -



That can be because of a few reasons, it could be because it's loading up too much even though you're not using that much. It could be because your card is actually not working properly, it could be because you have a more textures than the game can cope with. It could be that the graphics card is just doing too much work. And it could be something else that I haven't thought about.

Now. Do you still have your old laptop? If you do we can do a comparison so that I can see what is different. If not, we'll work with just the new rig.

I'll also need to know how much CC you've got - and a basic run-down of your download hygiene.

1. Can I have a DXDiag from your laptop (both of them if you've got them).

To do a DXDiag -
Press the Window button on your keyboard with the R. It will bring up the 'Run' window.
Type in DXDiag, and press enter or OK. It will bring up the DXDiag window.
Wait until the processing has completed.
Press the 'Save All Information' button, which will save the values as a text file. Remember to name your file with an ID that will let me know if this is your laptop or the new laptop (if you can).

2. Download Hygiene - This is something I wrote out for a different forum, so I'm quoting it verbatim here, not all of this will be relevant -

a. Everything in your The Sims 2 folder gets loaded into RAM regardless of whether it's a package or not. If you have a lot of text files, pictures, backup files, etc, etc, then that will limit your CC.

Decrudulator will determine this, and help you clean it up if not.
Alternative Download for Decrudulator

b. Any special characters cause the game to use more space for loading a package which adds up. Seriously - just setting your game up with names that use alphabet, numerics, underline and dash can change things.

Bulk Rename can help you sort that out.

c. Have you compressorised your packages - There's a lot of blank space in the packages and they take up more RAM than they need. Texture heavy recolours won't reduce much - but your likely to get a lot of RAM back if you compressorise them.

Compressorise by djfade is the tool for this.
Note: if you compress your package, you can't simpe your package without causing corruption. It's a function that should go last.

d. Bundling Packages. There is actually a numeric limit on the number of downloads that you can have - it's not just MAC users who have this problem. PC users have a much higher limit, and it is affected by RAM, but it's still there. Starting with Hairs, which work bundled. Not everything bundles (because objects like to have unique identifiers)

Here's a post on how to bundle.

e. How many levels of folders do you have? Folders take up space in RAM as well. It's recommended that you stick to no more than 3 levels of folder hierarchy including the download folder. Some Downloads can also be stored outside the downloads folder. (eg. I have my buy/build/skin defaults outside the downloads folder).

f. How many duplicates do you have in game? Duplicates use up space without adding anything.
You can use Sims2pack Clean Installer to find duplicates, and remove them from the game.
I also use a program called DUPFILES to find them. It will find duplicates that others don't find.

All of these can affect how much CC you can have in RAM and remember that as well as your CC, you've got your game and all it's packages in RAM as well - so the older your hood is, the more packages and size your game will take up in RAM as well.

3. Other Fixes?
a. Greater than 2G Ram fix.
b. Remove Securom and use NoCD hack to start game.

4. Large Textures. Textures that are 1024x1024 or larger take up significant space in your texture memory. Two of these that are easy to spot are Jonesi's Blanket and Beddings.
How many of each do you have of these?

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#4 05-03-2017 
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Kiri,

First off, thanks for the help.
1. DxDiag - file for my new laptop attached.
2a. Decrudulator - 21 files deleted
2b. Special characters - Very few. I renamed most of them.
2c. Compressor - cc, sims, lots, mainhood, and subhoods all compressed.
2d. Bundling - pending. I'll test putting some downloads outside the dl folder later.
2e. Folder levels - 4 levels with a total of 1,657 folders
2f. Duplicates - none
3. Greater than 2gb fix - already done and I use a NoCD hack
4. Large textures - pending

Attached File(s)
.txt  DxDiag_New Laptop.txt (Size: 90.44 KB / Downloads: 585)
.txt  DxDiag_Old laptop.txt (Size: 26.73 KB / Downloads: 523)
(This post was last modified: 05-03-2017 07:10 PM by xhyleh.)

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Before you post requesting help
Information we need

  1. The -config-log.txt from the Logs folder in the My Documents\EA\The Sims2\ Click "full editor" below to attach a text file.
  2. Your operating System.
  3. What the problem actually is - that will be a picture to show the problem (optional), and accompanying text files that turn up (optional), and a detailed description of what happened, and what you expected to happen.


Sorry, that is a members only option