I am having problems saving my work in EIG. I get the Microsoft error that shuts the program down. Sometimes it will save and sometimes, not. I am using a large map for the first time. Could that be a factor?
I have cut away a lot of the land mass already to make the map smaller.
Do I need to shut down some stuff in the task manager? I never have done that before. I tried shutting down CAW once I got in EIG, but it did not seem to make a difference.
It seems it is taking a long time to save the world in EIG when it does work. I am using the Pets version of CAW. I don't know if that is the problem or not.
Here are my computer stats. I think my computer should handle all this well. Any suggestions?
System Information
------------------
Time of this report: 12/28/2008, 10:13:05
Machine name: YOUR-EFFC7DEA10
Operating System: Windows XP Home Edition (5.1, Build 2600) Service Pack 3 (2600.xpsp_sp3_gdr.080814-1236)
Language: English (Regional Setting: English)
System Manufacturer: americanfuture
System Model: MS-7360
BIOS: Default System BIOS
Processor: Intel® Core™2 Duo CPU E8400 @ 3.00GHz (2 CPUs)
Memory: 2048MB RAM
Page File: 471MB used, 3472MB available
Windows Dir: C:\WINDOWS
DirectX Version: DirectX 9.0c (4.09.0000.0904)
DX Setup Parameters: Not found
DxDiag Version: 5.03.2600.5512 32bit Unicode
Thanks, Judy
You only have 2 GB of memory in your computer, CaW and EIG normally use more than that especially with more EP's and data in the world itself. Closing other programs that are running might help.
Ah, I see you only have 2gb's of ram, so LAA won't help you. I know it's possible to run Caw on 2 gb's, I'm pretty sure Simsample said once they run on 2 gb system. However, Simsample knows the ins & out of their computer and probably has everything running squeaky clean.
With XP it's possible to run CAW with only 2GB of RAM. I'm not sure why it is crashing, but it is possible it is taxing your memory. Are you building all your lots in EIG and then saving? You didn't list your graphics card in your stats it may be struggling as well.
You may have to export your blank world, install it, build the lots in a game save, save them to the bin and then when you are ready open in EIG and place a few lots, save, place a few more and save.
Limit your time in EIG to 30 min intervals, you may even need to restart your computer to clear any residual memory used. Your computer allocates a portion of your hard drive to virtual memory, you may be able to extend this amount and that might help. It really sounds like you are running out of memory when trying to save and windows would just rather shut it down than let it continue.
Also Pets is an extreme resource hog. Simmers that didn't have trouble before are finding a lot of trouble with the way their game plays. I've also heard the the dual core processors are having trouble with Pets, but I don't know for sure. My daughters computer has an AMD dual core, and only 2GB of RAM. She can run the game on med settings (she has all EPs except LN but no SPs installed) We haven't tried to actually do more than open CAW so I couldn't tell you if it works well on her system or not. (it's a Vista system so I doubt it since Vista used 40% of her available memory) I never actually built in CAW on it as I had replaced it with this computer before CAW was released. Even my gaming computer needed some upgrading before it could handle lengthy sessions of EIG. My mid range Graphics card was being pushed past it's acceptable parameters. It would quickly get too hot if I chose to build in EIG and not just place pre-built lots.
I was thinking I might need to build in game, too, and not try to do my building in EIG. I am also going to try turning off some programs in the task manager.
Can I put more ram on my computer? It has been very sluggish for a long time, but my computer guy says it is due to register errors that have built up over the years my in Windows XP. He also says I am too impatient wanting things to load faster. LOL
I have had no problems with playing Pets, but I do think it has affected my CAW. I built my last world lots of Dracul Isle in EIG and had no problems at all. But my CAW has been very sluggish with this new Pets version.
So using the large map is no problem????
Here is my card information.
Display Devices
---------------
Card name: NVIDIA GeForce 8800 GTS 512
Manufacturer: NVIDIA
Chip type: GeForce 8800 GTS 512
DAC type: Integrated RAMDAC
Device Key: Enum\PCI\VEN_10DE&DEV_0600&SUBSYS_23321682&REV_A2
Display Memory: 512.0 MB
Current Mode: 800 x 600 (32 bit) (60Hz)
Monitor: Plug and Play Monitor
Monitor Max Res: 1600,1200
Driver Name: nv4_disp.dll
Driver Version: 6.14.0011.7779 (English)
DDI Version: 9 (or higher)
Thanks so much, Judy
Depending on your Motherboard and the type of memory it supports, yes you can add or replace your memory. This is something your computer guy should be able to tell you. If you know your registry is clogged up, maybe you could look for a free Registry Cleaner online to run.
I can say from experience that upgrading to 4 GB of memory from 2 GB on our old PC helped us quite a bit.
(03-01-2012 10:09 AM)Sookielee Wrote: [ -> ]Depending on your Motherboard and the type of memory it supports, yes you can add or replace your memory. This is something your computer guy should be able to tell you. If you know your registry is clogged up, maybe you could look for a free Registry Cleaner online to run.
I can say from experience that upgrading to 4 GB of memory from 2 GB on our old PC helped us quite a bit.
I had gotten a registry cleaner and was using it. When my computer guy did not recommend those cleaners. He said they could do more damage than good, so I uninstalled it. I will check with him for the added memory. Thanks.:)
Quote:You may have to export your blank world, install it, build the lots in a game save, save them to the bin and then when you are ready open in EIG and place a few lots, save, place a few more and save.
This is what I would do as well. Shoot, it's what I DO do, even with four gigs of RAM and a much better computer than my old one.
I use CCleaner to clean up my registry occasionally, always making a back-up before I proceed. It sounds to me like your computer guy might be erring to the side of caution with his advice because it isn't at all difficult or harmful to scan for errors then pick through them and clean up obvious problems, like entries left over from software that was uninstalled eons ago and stuff like that. In a worst-case scenario a person would have to restore the back-up and start over. CCleaner is also a super fast way of cleaning up old log and temp files that are hidden away on your computer. I run it three or four times a week and every time delete no less than 200mb (including browser caches) of junk off my hard-drive. When I was using XP I mainly did that stuff manually because it only took about five minutes then I started using CCleaner which takes a couple of minutes to set up then the actual cleaning takes under a minute. It saves the setup so you don't have to do that every time you use it. It's a nifty little free program that has quite a number of useful features.
With XP 32 bit the max memory the operating system will recognized it 4 GB. That was why I suggested that particular amount of memory. If you do get more memory be sure to also download Large Address Aware, so you can let CaW and Sims 3 use more that 2GB.
We actually didn't use any registry cleaners, but we also did clean installs of XP at least every other month or so. Talk about cleaning out the old.
Quote:With XP 32 bit the max memory the operating system will recognized it 4 GB.
Really? I was sure I read just the other day that XP 32-bit could only handle two gigs of RAM, but dog-gone, I just looked on crucial.com and you're right! I'll edit my above post to remove any confusion.
(03-02-2012 01:33 PM)Regina Wrote: [ -> ]Quote:You may have to export your blank world, install it, build the lots in a game save, save them to the bin and then when you are ready open in EIG and place a few lots, save, place a few more and save.
This is what I would do as well. Shoot, it's what I DO do, even with four gigs of RAM and a much better computer than my old one.
I use CCleaner to clean up my registry occasionally, always making a back-up before I proceed. It sounds to me like your computer guy might be erring to the side of caution with his advice because it isn't at all difficult or harmful to scan for errors then pick through them and clean up obvious problems, like entries left over from software that was uninstalled eons ago and stuff like that. In a worst-case scenario a person would have to restore the back-up and start over. CCleaner is also a super fast way of cleaning up old log and temp files that are hidden away on your computer. I run it three or four times a week and every time delete no less than 200mb (including browser caches) of junk off my hard-drive. When I was using XP I mainly did that stuff manually because it only took about five minutes then I started using CCleaner which takes a couple of minutes to set up then the actual cleaning takes under a minute. It saves the setup so you don't have to do that every time you use it. It's a nifty little free program that has quite a number of useful features.
Thanks, Regina. I think I should build in game also and just transfer lots. I think the EIG game is getting too hot or like you said, not enough memory to save. I tried transferring a couple of finished lots in EIG today right after I entered it and it saved fine. Then I staying in the game and worked on a lot and for about an hour or so and tried to save and it errored again. I think it is workable, but I will just have to do it a different way.
I talked to my computer guy today and he said I could get more memory, but my Windows XP would only recognize the 2.5 gb I have for the most part. And updating my memory card might help, but not that much. (I hope I am saying all this right.) He is recommending I get a new computer with Windows 7 because most of the new software is geared to Windows 7 now. He said that adding more memory and such would only be putting a bandaid on my old machine. :bounce: He is probably right. My machine is over four years old now and getting outdated. He is pretty honest and a good guy, so I trust he is telling me the truth.
As far as the Register Cleaner, yes, he does tend to be very cautious. He says the cleaners do have a risk that they can damage the registry and then one has to reinstall Windows. That might never happen, but there is a risk it could, so it would be up to me.
I am so confused about what to do, so for now, I am going to do nothing.
I just want to build my world.
(03-02-2012 02:23 PM)Sookielee Wrote: [ -> ]With XP 32 bit the max memory the operating system will recognized it 4 GB. That was why I suggested that particular amount of memory. If you do get more memory be sure to also download Large Address Aware, so you can let CaW and Sims 3 use more that 2GB.
We actually didn't use any registry cleaners, but we also did clean installs of XP at least every other month or so. Talk about cleaning out the old.
Sookie, I thought someone said I had to have a 64 bit system to use that Lg Address program. I have a 32 bit system. Gee, I am so lost with all this. I don't know what to do. I can afford to get more memory, but is my system going to recognize it with Windows XP? My computer guy says no.
Judy, Large Address Aware (LAA) is only needed if you have more than two gigs of RAM but no more than four. It's just a very simple app that lets you set CAW's exe up so that the program will use up to four gigs instead of being limited to two.
The goofy thing to me is why on earth CAW was programmed to only use two gigs of RAM to start with.
If you can afford it I would also recommend a new computer. I know how it can be, though, sometimes those kind of things just aren't doable.
I understand your confusion. From some of the things you are saying it seems that your computer may have been a bit dated when you purchased it 4 years ago. What I mean is that it might have been a "new" computer with older model parts.
I think given your current situation exporting your world empty and building in game and only placing lots in EIG may be your best solution. It might be more work, but it will be lots easier on your computer.
It shouldn't be too long before you see new PC's with one of the new AMD APU's Such as the A4, A6 and A8. These systems will be reasonably priced because the CPU (brain) and the graphics are both on the same chip. One of our new computers (we built it) has the AMD A8 and it runs the sims fantastic without the need for a separate video card. Not needing an separate video card is what will make these pre-built systems cheaper and the graphics are amazingly good. (much better than any onboard graphics I have ever seen)
There are some amazing developments going on with computers right now--way more so than in the past. My son was telling me the other day that there is a new type of RAM in development that won't empty when a computer is turned off. Surely there will have to be some way to empty it if a person needed to (I can't imagine programs written with memory leaks totally disappearing).
My daughter who's learning all the ins and outs of computers tells me that touch is going to be the wave of the future. I can't say I'm keen on that idea in a desktop environment, but I know it's making big strides.
One thing, Judy, if you should be able in the future to buy a new computer do it before Windows 8 is installed on all of them. Windows 7 is guaranteed at least ten more years of support from MS and I would be VERY leery of buying a computer with an OS installed on it that is basically designed for smartphones and touchpads. A beta version has been released to the public, though, so there is already starting to be information about it put online.