"OOTP 15 has stopped working"

[jotro]

Originally Posted by old timer

Can you tell me how this worked for you? What was happening when you tried playing the game before you did this? Was it crashing? If so, can you tell me what you were doing that would lead to the crashing (or was there no pattern)?

I was able to play the game fine, for a while, but it would randomly crash after an hour or so. Although it could be unpredictable, it crashed most frequently when I would sim a few days or weeks at a time. That's what made me think to add the exe to my DEP settings, and it's been stable for me ever since.

[old timer]

Originally Posted by jotro

I was able to play the game fine, for a while, but it would randomly crash after an hour or so. Although it could be unpredictable, it crashed most frequently when I would sim a few days or weeks at a time. That's what made me think to add the exe to my DEP settings, and it's been stable for me ever since.

Thanks for sharing this. I noticed that EA recommended doing this for an older version of The Sims 3 so I guess it's something known to cause problems with certain programs. So it sounds like it's worth trying if someone has random crashes like this.

Plus making sure your security software is not set to block too much (as someone in this thread pointed out) is something worth checking too. Thanks everyone for your input!

[soxfan34]

Originally Posted by jotro

This option will depend on your PC setup, but it worked for me:

Change Data Execution Prevention settings

Applies to Windows 7


Data Execution Prevention (DEP) is a security feature that helps prevent damage from viruses and other security threats by monitoring your programs to make sure they use the computer's memory safely. For more information, see What is Data Execution Prevention?


If you want to turn off DEP for a program you trust, first check to see if the software publisher has made a DEP-compatible version of the program or made an update available before you change any DEP settings. If an update or DEP-compatible version is available, we recommend installing it and leaving DEP turned on so you can benefit from the protection it can provide. But if the publisher has not released an updated, DEP-compatible version of the program, you can turn off DEP for the program. You'll be able to use the program, but it might be vulnerable to an attack that could spread to your other programs and files.

1. Open System by clicking the Start button , right-clicking Computer, and then clicking Properties.
2. Click Advanced system settings. If you're prompted for an administrator password or confirmation, type the password or provide confirmation.
3. Under Performance, click Settings.
4. Click the Data Execution Prevention tab, and then click Turn on DEP for all programs and services except those I select.
5. To turn off DEP for an individual program, select the check box next to the program that you want to turn off DEP for, and then click OK.
   If the program is not in the list, click Add. Browse to the Program Files folder, find the executable file for the program (it will have an .exe file name extension), and then click Open.
6. Click OK, click OK in the System Properties dialog box if it appears, and then click OK again. You might need to restart your computer for the changes to take effect.

Change Data Execution Prevention settings

Was holding out hope this would work... It didn't.

[soxfan34]

Originally Posted by Markus Heinsohn

We will release patch 2 tomorrow, which fixes many reported issues. Please try that, and if you still have trouble, contact our support guru: gary.breckenridge@ootpdevelopments.com

Patched the game today, restarted the computer. Still no luck.

I sent Gary an email... We'll see what happens. I will surely report back with what I hear.

[soxfan34]

Just a quick update, I was working with Gary Breckenridge on this problem but it seems communication between he and I has ceased.

We tried a few solutions, none of which worked, so he contacted Andreas. Last I heard from Gary he was waiting to hear back from Andreas. I've emailed him a few times since but he has not responded. It's now been over a month.

Quite disappointed as this is the first year since OOTP2 that I haven't been able to fully enjoy the game.

If anyone has any other suggestions or routes in which to take to get help, I'd love to hear them. Thanks!

[Defgraby]

I have the same problem, have dl'd all the patches, and game still crashes????? Also, how to do the 3D mode??/

[Markus Heinsohn]

Originally Posted by soxfan34

Just a quick update, I was working with Gary Breckenridge on this problem but it seems communication between he and I has ceased.

We tried a few solutions, none of which worked, so he contacted Andreas. Last I heard from Gary he was waiting to hear back from Andreas. I've emailed him a few times since but he has not responded. It's now been over a month.

Quite disappointed as this is the first year since OOTP2 that I haven't been able to fully enjoy the game.

If anyone has any other suggestions or routes in which to take to get help, I'd love to hear them. Thanks!

I'm sorry to hear that. We will release another patch Friday which fixes some crashing issues, maybe your problem was fixed as well. If not, I fear there is not much I can do than to offer you a refund. There is a tiny number of systems which simply refuse to work well with the game, and there is nothing we can do about it, that's the beauty of an open system like Windows and its infinite possible configurations.