Broken Laptop, Hidden Lurker

[Chocklitkiss]

Yes, it finally happened.

I got so excited at the YouTube announcement of the Seasons expansion pack, I actually JUMPED UP with the laptop on my lap. :faceslap:

Needless to say, the poor thing is fried. Done. Kaput. It will be at least 2 months before I can play a sim again. *feel no pity....my beloved husband loves a peaceful home, and is purchasing a gaming laptop for me, so as to accommodate my Sims addiction and the Seasons expansion pack, thus leaving him to his winter manly pursuits....such as farting.*

So.....now that I am just a lowly lurker on these here forums, I would like to know what it is that YOU do, when you cannot Sim, SPECIFICALLY when it is a tech issue.

I am about to go on a downloading spree....got a new flash drive....

Thanks for easing my addiction, and Yayyy, Olympics!!

[~MadameButterfly~]

If I cannot sim, I am usually on one of my other gadgets that has internet access. I can be found studying tech purchases which will speed my recovery back to the Sims.

When my PSU blew up a week ago, my son's advice was to watch YouTube on my iPad until I could get the PSU replaced. I am not sure you can take his advice or not, especially since it was YouTube that started your problem. :D

[justeffingpeachy]

I definitely feel your pain. My computer is broken, it won't go for more than a few hours without getting a blue screen or shutting down. I've been using my laptop for my other computing needs, but I don't think it could handle the Sims 3 at all. :-( So I've been spending my time without the Sims looking into building a new computer/ getting mine repaired. I've also catching up on the legacies I follow and starting to read a few new ones when I get that Sims craving.
Good luck to you!

[ssd21345]

I definitely feel your pain. My computer is broken, it won't go for more than a few hours without getting a blue screen or shutting down. I've been using my laptop for my other computing needs, but I don't think it could handle the Sims 3 at all. :-( So I've been spending my time without the Sims looking into building a new computer/ getting mine repaired. I've also catching up on the legacies I follow and starting to read a few new ones when I get that Sims craving.
Good luck to you!
this happen on this(now)computer :cry: ,but after recovered it don't get stupid blue screen or shutdown again. :gjob: :Pint: :lol:

[DuskTrooper]

Well, I rarely have any technical issues with computers. Though when I do, I'm usually trying to figuring out how to fix the new-found problem instead of worrying about playing The Sims..

[chyrun]

My graphics card died a few days ago. It was old and wasn't suitable for playing sims 3 with expansions anyway, it was having a hard time with sims 2, uni and seaons already. I haven't been able to really play Sims 3 anyway. Words cannot express how unhappy I am, especially now that SN and Seasons are coming. Unfortunately I will not be able to buy a new computer because of financial situation. Don't know if I ever will be able to. But still I keep reading about SN and Seaons. Oh, how I wish... :'(

[Nekochild]

Being a soldier deployed in Afghanistan, I have many alternatives for when the inevitable time something goes wrong in terms of entertainment. (It's not a matter of if, it's a matter of when after all)

In the event that my internet goes down, my first back-up is my PC games, which are plentiful. In the event that my whole laptop goes down, I have a PS3 and mini-TV to sustain myself. In the event that goes down for some reason, I always have my handhelds. DS, PSP, and Vita. Should those run out of battery life due to power going out, I have about 10 or so large books that I've been meaning to read, but internet and games keep me latched tight like a clingy toddler. After that though..I might start writing stories or fanfics on pen and paper. XD

[IzzyBess]

Have triplets. It always works in game when you sim doesn't have anything to do.

But seriously I had my laptop down for 4 months or so, until I bought PC. I was just searching for new CC or trying to recover at least some of them that I've lost (hard drive was burnt). Books are also good thing, if you ever liked reading. Movies. Music. And if you've got husband I guess I don't have to write what can you do lol.
I'm usually cut off from sims when I'm at home (like now), because I've got my gaming machine at university. It's good to have a break, even a long one, everything is more fresh then.

[Zokugai]

Download crap. That's what I do if I can't play. I find a whole bunch of neat things I want to add in when I do play. You could take this time to rebuild your CC folder.

[simsample]

I never have any technical issues that can't be solved by using my spare computer, or my spare spare computer, or my spare spare spare computer.

You have to be prepared! ;)

Now, if only I could find some spare time, I'd be well sorted! :lol:

[JustTheDoll]

You could sue EA :rofl:

[Belzader]

I never have any technical issues that can't be solved by using my spare computer, or my spare spare computer, or my spare spare spare computer.

You have to be prepared! ;)

Couldn't agree more, many, many times my "main" computer have "gone down" for various reason, it never fails that i have to be able use internet to find a solution, find a driver, or for any other reason need another computer.

One time though all went down almost at the same time...

[Chocklitkiss]

I never have any technical issues that can't be solved by using my spare computer, or my spare spare computer, or my spare spare spare computer.

You have to be prepared! ;)

Now, if only I could find some spare time, I'd be well sorted! :lol:

Alas...3 days after I dropped MY laptop, the house '911' laptop decided it hated us and died. Now....I DO have TS2 on my desktop, but it is hella unstable, and the graphics card is 'butt'.

Actually, for the first time since TS1, I didn't make a downloads disk....something I learned to do a looooooong time ago, from these here forums. Still downloading my previous downloads....

[Vintage_Eve]

I definitely feel your pain. My computer is broken, it won't go for more than a few hours without getting a blue screen or shutting down.
Good luck to you!

You might want to reinsert your memory stick ;) If you know a bit your way in your computer's parts you may want to do this. I previously have a PC does that and I did reinsert the memory chip and works fine. But if the blue thing does again. If you know how to reformat your PC it will go back to its working state. Unless your motherboard is the problem. If your PC beeps 4x and keeps going to restart. This means you need a new motherboard.From what I know the blue thing that does in your screen is a memory dump.
I learned all that while building my custom PC just for Sims 3 coz I have to read the tech issues a PC will have. ;) Hope it helps and can get you back in game.

[CeJaye]

I finally decided to upgrade a bit, and ordered some ram and a new hard drive (going from 1GB ram to 2GB, and 20GB hard drive to 500 GB), and now my computer won't even start when I tried to turn it on to move some important files from the hard drive to my external (in preperation for the new parts, they aren't installed yet). Hours and googling later, it's probably a power suppply problem, mother board, or CPU. I'm taking it to a computer dude tomorrow, hopefully it's something easy and cheap to fix.


So on my old laptop, I've decided I'll redownload all my CC, and organize it all nice and stuff. It's pretty much the only thing I can do to quell the "play Sims" urges, and I think I'll dig up my Sims 1 disks and play those...my laptop won't play anything better then that, otherwise I'd install my sims 2 disks. Plus I'm catching up on my reading, and using my amazon prime free trial to watch some streaming tv shows and movies. Oh, and doodling house plans I want to build on a notebook.

[Vintage_Eve]

usually when I have problems on my computer I test each part on a working computer to see which part is not working. When you buy some parts the one thing you have to check is the compatibility and what your processor or motherboard supports otherwise it won't work and will further make harm at times.

[CeJaye]

usually when I have problems on my computer I test each part on a working computer to see which part is not working. When you buy some parts the one thing you have to check is the compatibility and what your processor or motherboard supports otherwise it won't work and will further make harm at times.

I should type better. :rofl: I meant that in preperation for the new parts I was going to move files today, but the computer wouldn't turn on. I haven't installed the new parts yet, so I know for sure it isn't them.

[chreai]

You might want to reinsert your memory stick ;) If you know a bit your way in your computer's parts you may want to do this. I previously have a PC does that and I did reinsert the memory chip and works fine. But if the blue thing does again. If you know how to reformat your PC it will go back to its working state. Unless your motherboard is the problem. If your PC beeps 4x and keeps going to restart. This means you need a new motherboard.From what I know the blue thing that does in your screen is a memory dump.
I learned all that while building my custom PC just for Sims 3 coz I have to read the tech issues a PC will have. ;) Hope it helps and can get you back in game.

Gah! Now you tell me! After installing the Pets demo last fall, my PC started crashing to the BSOD and I tried everything I could think of to get it working right again--updating drivers, doing system checks, virus checks, even restoring to factory settings--and nil. I didn't think to check the memory sticks, and now my computer won't even boot. I think I may have accidentally killed it while trying to fix it. Before, it would crash to the blue screen and I could only turn it off via the power button. Sometimes it wouldn't even turn on and would only blink and beep at me, but then would turn on after I waited awhile. Took it in to the Geek Squad for a free analysis and the guy couldn't figure out what was wrong with it, because of course it didn't crash on him. :rolleyes: I would try again to see if I can figure it out but, as I said, it won't boot now and I don't know if there's a way to get it to boot. I think it's dead. :( I'm glad my laptop can handle the base game + SPs + EPs so far but I know that SN and Seasons will probably kill it and I doubt I'll be able to get a new PC before next spring. But, thank you for this! It is good to know for future reference, in case this ever happens to me again, I will test the stick(s)!

[Vintage_Eve]

I guess that happened to me before in my old pc rig to the point that I have to replace my powersupply . Do you know what kind of video card are you using? , If you do you can check the benchmark of your graphics card so you will know what kind of game/s it can run. Before I try install a game and play it I check the game's system requirements so as not to crash my PC coz this happened to me alot of times before and ended up destroying my pc :( . I saw this one from ea system requirements for EP pets they have minimum and recommended requirements. https://help.ea.com/article/the-sims-3-pets-minimum-system-requirements

[Amp_RNA]

This isn't specifically tech, but if I'm in a simming mood when I don't have time to play sims (which happens quite a bit), I plan out different families/scenarios I could do. I usually don't get around to half of them, but it's pretty fun. My most common one is pretending I might actually teach myself to use CAW and make a fantasy/medieval type worlds.

[eskie227]

Those "minimum" requirements EA lists are, I believe, in my opinion, and in the opinion of many here, grossly inadequate, if not outright misleading. The base-game might play with those specs, but the experience will be painful and frustrating. I think it's safe to say that for PETS, those specs are simply not going to provide you with any game-play that resembles well, a game, rather something more like a tooth extraction without anesthesia. For graphics card specs, try this link http://modthesims.info/wiki.php?title=Game_Help:TS3_System_Requirements .

[chreai]

Do you know what kind of video card are you using?

I know it is an Nvidia GeForce but I'm not sure what model and no way to check now. :( But I vaguely remember checking my PC with CanYouRunIt? before installing TS3 and, if I recall correctly, it exceeded the requirements. My problem presented itself after I installed the Pets demo, which was also shortly after I had updated my graphics driver. I do remember, during my search for solutions, reading that the latest Nvidia driver was incompatible with TS3 and that could have been my problem. On a tech's recommendation, I even uninstalled the new driver and downgraded to the previous one but it seemed not to do any good. Fortunately, the PC that will be replacing my current one has a Radeon HD card so hopefully, as long as it is up to spec, I won't have to worry about incompatibility.

[chyrun]

I had to replace my dead graphics card with an ancient radeon x300 so I could keep on using this computer. I thought that I'd at least get to play Sims 1 with it, but it keeps crashing and freezing so bad I have to restart and the graphics are so damn blocky and ugly. So not even Sims 1 for me. :(

[haricots]

Go to your friend's house who is also a heavily addicted Simmer. Conquer his/her house. Play.