Sims 3 Not Launch Service unable to start game service initialization failed 0x065d0274

[PotatoOfFate]

So I borrowed my friend game by family library sharing, downloaded the game but after i tried to launch it the error menu pop up and says Service unable to start game service initialization failed 0x065d0274

My laptop spec
Processor AMD Ryzen 9 5900HX with Radeon Graphics, 3301 Mhz, 8 Core(s), 16 Logical Processor(s)
System Type x64-based PC
Installed Physical Memory (RAM) 16.0 GB
Graphic Card AMD Radeon RX 6700M

I've tried this method but it's not working
https://github.com/LazyDuchess/AlderLakePatcher/releases

Tried changing the The sims 3 name to The sims 3 Backup but not working
C:\Users\Documents\Electronic Arts\The Sims 3

Please help me. Thank you.

[puzzlezaddict]

You don't need to bother with the Alder Lake patch because AMD processors don't have this particular issue.

Did you disable any packs from loading after you installed the game? If not, do you use a third-party antivirus, and which one?

[PotatoOfFate]

Originally posted by puzzlezaddict:

You don't need to bother with the Alder Lake patch because AMD processors don't have this particular issue.

Did you disable any packs from loading after you installed the game? If not, do you use a third-party antivirus, and which one?

I tried disable packs like you said but i get "There was an error during startup" instead.
They antivirus I have is Norton Security which come with the laptop itself and the subscription is already expire. Should I just delete it?

[puzzlezaddict]

I actually meant that disabling the packs could cause problems: the packs are deleted but their registry entries remain. That's why you're seeing this error.

Normally I'd say reinstall the packs and try again to play, but the service initialization error can also be caused by broken registry entries, so it would be more efficient to do a clean uninstall and then reinstall. Please use Revo Uninstaller to uninstall, or uninstall the normal way and use Piriform's CCleaner to clean the registry. (The free version is fine for either one.) Then reinstall just the base game and see whether it works.

If you'd prefer to remove the registry entries by hand, they're here:

HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\WOW6432Node\Electronic Arts\Sims(Steam)
HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\WOW6432Node\Sims(Steam)

It's best to confirm that these entries are gone before reinstalling the game. Click Windows key-R, enter "regedit" without quotes in the run box, and then expand each path above.

And yes, if you're not using Norton and it's expired, it's best to uninstall it.

[PotatoOfFate]

Originally posted by puzzlezaddict:

I actually meant that disabling the packs could cause problems: the packs are deleted but their registry entries remain. That's why you're seeing this error.

Normally I'd say reinstall the packs and try again to play, but the service initialization error can also be caused by broken registry entries, so it would be more efficient to do a clean uninstall and then reinstall. Please use Revo Uninstaller to uninstall, or uninstall the normal way and use Piriform's CCleaner to clean the registry. (The free version is fine for either one.) Then reinstall just the base game and see whether it works.

If you'd prefer to remove the registry entries by hand, they're here:

HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\WOW6432Node\Electronic Arts\Sims(Steam)
HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\WOW6432Node\Sims(Steam)

It's best to confirm that these entries are gone before reinstalling the game. Click Windows key-R, enter "regedit" without quotes in the run box, and then expand each path above.

And yes, if you're not using Norton and it's expired, it's best to uninstall it.

OMG thank you so much!!!!
I uninstall The sims 3, download CCleaner and go in the registry editor to delete this:
HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\WOW6432Node\Electronic Arts\Sims(Steam)
HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\WOW6432Node\Sims(Steam)

But I still got the same message but after I deleted Norton Security (which i forget) I finally be able to launch it game!!

Btw the game is not recognize my graphic card. Do you have any way to fix it?

Thank you for helping me. Love u.

[puzzlezaddict]

That's great to hear.

For the unrecognized graphics card, it's easy enough to fix. Depending on your GPU's device ID, you might be able to use an already-existing pair of .sgr files, but the ones I've seen aren't fully updated. The other option is to edit your own .sgr files by hand, which I can show you how to do.

At any rate, please go into Documents > Electronic Arts > The Sims 3, open deviceconfig.log, copy the lines between "Graphics device info" (about 30 lines down) and "Options" (about 40 lines down), and paste them here. This section doesn't contain any personal information, just some data about how Sims 3 reads your graphics card.

[PotatoOfFate]

Originally posted by puzzlezaddict:

That's great to hear.

For the unrecognized graphics card, it's easy enough to fix. Depending on your GPU's device ID, you might be able to use an already-existing pair of .sgr files, but the ones I've seen aren't fully updated. The other option is to edit your own .sgr files by hand, which I can show you how to do.

At any rate, please go into Documents > Electronic Arts > The Sims 3, open deviceconfig.log, copy the lines between "Graphics device info" (about 30 lines down) and "Options" (about 40 lines down), and paste them here. This section doesn't contain any personal information, just some data about how Sims 3 reads your graphics card.

i have watch the YouTube about how to make the sims 3 recognize graphic card but I am so confuse.
First in Deviceconfig file:
Name (driver): AMD Radeon(TM) Graphics
Name (database): AMD Radeon(TM) Graphics [Found: 0, Matched: 0]
Vendor: ATI
Chipset: Vendor: 1002, Device: 1638, Board: 13161462, Chipset: 00c4
Driver: aticfx32.dll, Version: 31.0.14043.7000, GUID: D7B71EE2-5578-11CF-8A6C-CD056BC2D235

My graphic card is AMD Radeon RX 6700M but it show AMD Radeon(TM) Graphics instead. Is this mean that the game is using my Integrated Graphics instead of GPU?

Second in Graphicscard.srg:
The list does neither contain AMD Radeon RX 6700M nor AMD Radeon(TM) Graphics name on it.

[puzzlezaddict]

The way Sims 3 labels AMD GPUs can be a little weird, but in this case, the game is definitely using the integrated graphics chip. The "Device: 1638" entry makes that clear. The Vendor: 1002 is AMD's ID, and the Board:13161462 means... you have an MSI laptop, I think? But that's not relevant here.

To force Sims 3 to use the dedicated card, hit Windows key-i, select System > Display > Graphics settings, click Browse, find TS3W.exe (with the W), click Options, choose the high-performance option, and save. Then load the game again. The Device ID should have changed from 1638 to (I believe) 73DF.

And definitely play with your laptop plugged in, not on battery, or else your computer will throttle performance to preserve battery life. That can mean using only integrated graphics as well as downclocking the processor, both of which mean worse performance.

Please post that same section of the deviceconfig.log again, except also include the Texture Memory a couple lines below where you cut off the info this time around. This matters because if the game isn't reading your 6700M's texture memory, it will underrate the GPU and throttle some settings as a result, possibly including a couple that aren't easy to reach. Fixing this is a very simple edit, but it's best to only do that edit if necessary.

[PotatoOfFate]

Originally posted by puzzlezaddict:

The way Sims 3 labels AMD GPUs can be a little weird, but in this case, the game is definitely using the integrated graphics chip. The "Device: 1638" entry makes that clear. The Vendor: 1002 is AMD's ID, and the Board:13161462 means... you have an MSI laptop, I think? But that's not relevant here.

To force Sims 3 to use the dedicated card, hit Windows key-i, select System > Display > Graphics settings, click Browse, find TS3W.exe (with the W), click Options, choose the high-performance option, and save. Then load the game again. The Device ID should have changed from 1638 to (I believe) 73DF.

And definitely play with your laptop plugged in, not on battery, or else your computer will throttle performance to preserve battery life. That can mean using only integrated graphics as well as downclocking the processor, both of which mean worse performance.

Please post that same section of the deviceconfig.log again, except also include the Texture Memory a couple lines below where you cut off the info this time around. This matters because if the game isn't reading your 6700M's texture memory, it will underrate the GPU and throttle some settings as a result, possibly including a couple that aren't easy to reach. Fixing this is a very simple edit, but it's best to only do that edit if necessary.

=== Graphics device info ===
Number: 0
Name (driver): AMD Radeon RX 6700M
Name (database): AMD Radeon RX 6700M [Found: 0, Matched: 0]
Vendor: ATI
Chipset: Vendor: 1002, Device: 73df, Board: 13161462, Chipset: 00cf
Driver: aticfx32.dll, Version: 31.0.14043.7000, GUID: D7B71EE2-309F-11CF-8A6C-CD0560C2D235
Driver version: 7000
Monitor: \\.\DISPLAY1
Texture memory: 8192MB
Vertex program: 3.0
Pixel program: 3.0
Hardware TnL: 1

I've edited something in GraphicRules.srg before:
seti textureMemory 8192
# setb textureMemorySizeOK false

[puzzlezaddict]

You edited the texture memory correctly, so we can skip that step. First, open graphicscards.sgr, and just underneath the first line:

vendor "ATI" 0x1002

create a new line and add this:

card 0x73df "AMD Radeon RX 6700M"

Make sure this entry lines up with the one below it, which means one tab in from the left. You can also just modify the line below by changing the device ID and the name of the card if it's easier.

Save your work, close the file, and open graphicsrules.sgr. Ctrl-F to search for 29? (with the question mark), which will take you here:

lseif (match("${cardVendor}", "ATI"))
if (match("${cardName}", "*HD 29?0*") etc.

Change the HD 29?0 to 6700M , but leave everything else intact, including the asterisks. Save, close the file, load the game, quit, and check the deviceconfig again.

[PotatoOfFate]

Originally posted by puzzlezaddict:

You edited the texture memory correctly, so we can skip that step. First, open graphicscards.sgr, and just underneath the first line:

vendor "ATI" 0x1002

create a new line and add this:

card 0x73df "AMD Radeon RX 6700M"

Make sure this entry lines up with the one below it, which means one tab in from the left. You can also just modify the line below by changing the device ID and the name of the card if it's easier.

Save your work, close the file, and open graphicsrules.sgr. Ctrl-F to search for 29? (with the question mark), which will take you here:

lseif (match("${cardVendor}", "ATI"))
if (match("${cardName}", "*HD 29?0*") etc.

Change the HD 29?0 to 6700M , but leave everything else intact, including the asterisks. Save, close the file, load the game, quit, and check the deviceconfig again.

GraphicRules
elseif (match("${cardVendor}", "ATI"))
if (match("${cardName}", "*6700M*") or match("${cardName}", "*HD 36?0*") or match("${cardName}", "*HD 38?0*") or match("${cardName}", "*HD 4??0*") or match("${cardName}", "*HD 5??0*") or match("${cardName}", "*Radeon 5xxx*") or match("${cardName}", "*HD 6??0*") or match("${cardName}", "*HD 7??0*") or match("${cardName}", "*Processor*") or match("${cardName}", "*V77?0*") or match("${cardName}", "*V87?0*"))
seti cardLevel $cardLevelUber
seti isCardMatched true

Deviceconfig

=== Graphics device info ===
Number: 0
Name (driver): AMD Radeon RX 6700M
Name (database): AMD Radeon RX 6700M [Found: 0, Matched: 0]
Vendor: ATI
Chipset: Vendor: 1002, Device: 73df, Board: 13161462, Chipset: 00cf
Driver: aticfx32.dll, Version: 31.0.14043.7000, GUID: D7B71EE2-309F-11CF-8A6C-CD0560C2D235
Driver version: 7000
Monitor: \\.\DISPLAY1
Texture memory: 8192MB
Vertex program: 3.0
Pixel program: 3.0
Hardware TnL: 1

Still not found

[puzzlezaddict]

The Found: 0 value means the edit to graphicscards.sgr wasn't done correctly. (If that was fine but the graphicsrules.sgr edit was not, you'd see Found: 1, Matched: 0 instead.) So please double-check that entry, make sure it's exactly right.

If it helps, you can just duplicate another line in the file and edit it to show your GPU's information: change the device ID to 0x73df, and the name to something with 6700M in it, and don't delete any of the formatting.

[PotatoOfFate]

Originally posted by puzzlezaddict:

The Found: 0 value means the edit to graphicscards.sgr wasn't done correctly. (If that was fine but the graphicsrules.sgr edit was not, you'd see Found: 1, Matched: 0 instead.) So please double-check that entry, make sure it's exactly right.

If it helps, you can just duplicate another line in the file and edit it to show your GPU's information: change the device ID to 0x73df, and the name to something with 6700M in it, and don't delete any of the formatting.

I found what cause the problem!! It is me who is the problem, I edited it but forgot to save

May I ask another help for Smooth Patch 2.1 From https://modthesims.info/d/658759/smooth-patch-2-1.html

The problem is that the after download and installed the ld_TS3Patch10.zip for steam, I was able to launch the game but when I selected any town to play a window pop up "Serious error has occurred while loading (town name)"

Thank you for your time and patience.

[puzzlezaddict]

The "serious error" message usually means that the save's .nhd file is corrupt, which isn't an issue if you're trying to start a new save, or that the game can't write to the user folder. The latter is often antivirus-related, and that's the most likely cause if Sims 3 works fine when you don't add the Smooth Patch.

Since you uninstalled Norton, you're probably using Windows Defender, and in that case I'd suggest either disabling Controlled Folder Access or setting an exception for the Bin folder, as the instructions describe. That folder would be here by default:

Program Files (x86)\Steam\steamapps\common\The Sims 3\Game\Bin

And don't use the Smooth Patch MasterController compatibility mod if you're not using MC.

[PotatoOfFate]

Originally posted by puzzlezaddict:

The "serious error" message usually means that the save's .nhd file is corrupt, which isn't an issue if you're trying to start a new save, or that the game can't write to the user folder. The latter is often antivirus-related, and that's the most likely cause if Sims 3 works fine when you don't add the Smooth Patch.

Since you uninstalled Norton, you're probably using Windows Defender, and in that case I'd suggest either disabling Controlled Folder Access or setting an exception for the Bin folder, as the instructions describe. That folder would be here by default:

Program Files (x86)\Steam\steamapps\common\The Sims 3\Game\Bin

And don't use the Smooth Patch MasterController compatibility mod if you're not using MC.

Your advice is really accurate and helpful. Thank you for your time

May all your traffic lights be green.