So.. the reason I've been so very absent lately.. is that upon starting college, I was required to upgrade my computer's Operating System.... which went more or less alright. Then the main hard drive crashed. Fixed that with few issues... only I had to completely reinstall everything - Windows, programs, etc... and Sims 3 promptly goes belly-up. The launcher simply won't run. I could bypass it, but without a lot of work and manual patching, it was still tough to play, and all my store and exchange and bonus content was completely un-reachable. 🙁   ... So I started searching for fixes. I found many. None worked. Appealed to the tech forums for help. Nobody's fixing ideas changed a thing - it still crashed. Did a full manual uninstall/reinstall (with all the expansions and stuff packs, mind you - this takes DAYS!) ... that didn't work. Called EA support, spent all day on the phone, and I thoroughly stumped all of the technicians and managers in the call center that day - so they "escalated" my call to the "experts." I get an email with a link telling me how to go mess with the registry for a complete install - and nothing else. Finally, I decide the limited playing I can do wasn't enough, so I tried yet another manual uninstall, this time including a lot of registry and other nonsense.. that again, didn't work. By this point, it's been over a month since my ticket was "escalated" .. so I contacted tech support live chat today. After three techs (and tickets) and a multitude of "fool proof" "solutions" that.. again, didn't change anything.. I finally, on the third tech, managed to get someone with a brain. The problem is - I am now informed that they're not even supposed to be working on the issue as techs because it's been turned over to the "experts" and I'm supposed to still be waiting for them.  0.o  ... SERIOUSLY????  Almost six weeks in the list to be contacted by them, and nothing.. aparently they're "very busy".  By this point, I've thoroughly had it. I wish I could log in to sims and commit Simicide in a multitude of ways... but nope. So.. in a "I don't give a rat's rear" moment, I decide that since I really wanted to switch my new Windows 7 version to the 64 bit from the 32 bit (to allow all my memory to be recognized) - which requires a .. yep.. again, fresh install of my operating system.  Going to keep my fingers crossed, but with the base game and World Adventures, the launcher is again working and patching, etc. I have my backups ready to install.. and my "order" finger is itching to order Seasons (which I didn't want to do if my sims wouldn't work at all!) .... so, I am truly holding my breath that the rest of the expansion packs install alright.    ... Moral of the story, barring an epic disaster, it appears something in the actual Windows installation was killing my Sims Launcher..  eeeeks!

(Posted on my Sims 3 blog 11/4/12) http://www.thesims3.com/myBlog.html?persona=IllusoryThrall&month=11&year=2012