How To Recover Saves - PC Only Guide

thank you(Y).
id' done loads of things to try and sort this out!
and i read your post and it took me 1 minute and it was done.

thanks again!

i did exatcly that but it still isnt working. does it mean that my backup file is als corrupted? in that case, does it mean theres no way around it and i have to just start over?

If the game is fully updated to the latest version and restoring from a backup save file is still not working, then the only recourse is to start a brand new game as in a brand new town unfortunately. It is quite possible, though rare, for the backup files to become corrupted themselves somehow. As you progress through your new game, it is recommended that you create manual backups of your save files for safekeeping:

How do I back up my saved games?
http://easims.custhelp.com/cgi-bin/easims.cfg/php/enduser/std_a
dp.php?p_faqid=22753

Thanks, for explaining the save issues, you must get it a lot, but you saved me days of work, I don't mind losing a few hours here and there but the last time I dealt with this stupid error, by deleting the entire folder, and I was toast. This time I lost four hours of gaming but I proffer that to having to built my Sim back up from nothing.

Thanks a million for the advice.

Thank you for this !

For those that do not appear ".sims3.backup" ... make sure you have deselected "Hide extensions for known file types" in "Start-Settings-Control Panel-Folder Options-double click on this - from there select "View" - and deselect "Hide extensions for known file types". That worked for me. After that in "Save" folder appear both files.
I hope that will help!

hey shadow i want to know if all of this will work for the new patch for the sims 3 (1.5/1.6). i dont want my save files to delete because i have about 9+ of generations in my sims game. so will this work for the sims 3 new patch because i have read all the problems with it and i dont wanna lose my save files

. please help

edit: umm idk what all that stuff there was but here ill post it again lol but please reply back.

hey shadow i want to know if all of this will work for the new patch for the sims 3 (1.5/1.6). i dont want my save files to delete because i have about 9+ of generations in my sims game. so will this work for the sims 3 new patch because i have read all the problems with it and i dont wanna lose my save files. please help!

edit(again): ok just ignore what i said but i still need help lol sorry im new to the forums

Update 11/17/09

For those who are using game version 1.6.6 or later, please refer to the following EA Support article for instructions on save file recovery:

http://easims.custhelp.com/cgi-bin/easims.cfg/php/enduser/std_a
dp.php?p_sid=y8HafoNj&p_accessibility=0&p_redirect=&p_faqid=23
834

I knew about renaming the backup file.

My problem, at least now (have not even tried to play since all the problems), two families are noted as "Sunset Valley C. Steel Cannot load this save game. It may have been saved with expansion pack data that is no longer present on this system". Do you have any idea what to do with this particular little minor glitch? ? ? And, yes that wonderful EP (WA) IS present on the system.

Please help if you can.

Have you ever loaded your game to find your saved game missing, or error code 13 while saving and lost your progress? To retrieve your saved game, do the following:

Finding Your Saves Folder
1. Go to My Documents.
2. Electronic Arts
3. The Sims 3
4. Saves

After that, find your saved game's name. If you named your game Sunset Valley, you should see:
Sunset Valley.sims3
Sunset Valley.sims3.backup

Instructions
Rename Sunset Valley.sims3.backup to Sunset Valley.sims3
Delete Sunset Valley.sims3

If you have a file that ends with .bad, delete that. Anything that ends with .bad, delete.

Start up your game, and your town will be back. The game will auto generate another backup file. If you don't have a backup file, all you need to do is just delete SunsetValley.bad, and your saved game should return.

Conclusion
Since this is a PC only tutorial, I can't do Mac as I'm not familiar with with it. I'm sure someone such as Lawertend, or Unsecretcrush can help out if you're on Mac.

-------------------

Troubleshooting/FAQ's
Question:
I don't have a SIMS3 file, but I do have a backup file. What can I do?
Answer:
Try making a copy of your backup file, and then renaming it to end with .sims3.

Question:
There are only two files - .sims3, and .bad. What do I do?
Answer:
Delete your .bad file. Don't worry about having no backup file. The game will regenerate one, automatically.

Still Having Trouble?

If you're still having trouble with your game, try these links to solve your problem.

CRASH TO DESKTOP - Possible Solution
A list of unofficial bugs and issues with The Sims 3 *UPDATED 06/18 - 2 NEW FIXES!*

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I was wondering if you could help me. Well, the problem is that I don't have a .bad file , all of my files are fine and I don't have a legacy file for Agnes2 [saved game name- which had all of the latest stuff I did] I only have a legacy file for Agnes [saved game name-saved a long long time ago]. It all started when the power was down.. I played for a while with the backup battery and constantly saved the game just in case it would shut down unnexpectedly,then as I was saving it once again once the save was done the computer shut down [due to the back up battery].When the power came back I immediately turned down the computer to continue playing but for my suprise the file wasn't there [ just the old file I saved long long ago]. I tried restarting the computer and it didn't work , so then I tried looking for answers but none seem to fit my situation.Please, I'm begging you! Help meeeeeeee!!

Thanls In Advance

Hi, I hope Shadow or Nickademus can help me. I have a problem with my original family (File name Byrd)I created on Sims 3. Basically I had a family I’d worked on for several months. I then created another family that was going to be an “extended” part of this original family. I used “edit town” to import this extended family into the saved game of the first family so that both families lived in the same “saved game town” (sorry, hope that makes sense!)
This had been working for quite some time, however recently I discovered my first saved family had disappeared from the Sunset Valley startup menu. And my second family saved game (File name Johnson) was now called the name of the first family.
Their house/ game icon has disappeared from the Sunset Valley saved game file list as well as their saved game from the “save” file under My Documents BUT the weird thing is their family AND house exists in my second made families saved game?

Ive tried deleting the sunset valley.sims3 and re-naming the back up file and also deleting the suggested cache files. And my save file didn’t contain any “bad” files.
So my question is…..is there any way I can get my original Family back??

I considered renaming the second family back to their original name..but I somehow figure it wont fix the problem.
Any help would be greatly appreciated.

heeeeeeey,

im wondering if you could help me.
i hadn't played my sims 3 game for a week or so..
and i just put it on there now..
and it just says new game, my saved game which took me so long to make amazing, IS GONE

i have went into my sims 3 saves folder and there is nothing in it at all?
do u have any idea what i should do to get my sims and town back?

write back asap!

xoxo

My sims neighbourhood when loaded said 'There is an error...try restarting the application'. So I restarted the sims and my computer as well STILL NOTHING!

I also tried to use the backup file but none ended with .bad and this did nothing now I have only got the bakup I renamed to my original neighbourhood name and it has completley disappeared from the game!

PLEASE HELP!!

i cannot change the type of file from BACKUP to a normal one. my back up files do not have .backup in the name but i checked the properties and it says it is a back up file anyway. i do not know what to do HELP!

Wrath_dee has provided helpful instructions for showing file extensions on page 8 of this thread:

From Wrath_dee:

I browsed through the entire thread & there wasn't a solution for this type, so I extended my searches & found an answer.
Perhaps the next neurotic simmer could seek "solace" with the following:-

> Open the Windows Start Menu, select "Run"
> Type in the word: 'explorer' (without the quotes)
> Hit "Enter" then a new MyDocuments would appear
> Under that page, click on "Tools" & select the "Folder Options"
> Now, select the "View" tab
> Deselect the option box that says: "Hide File Extensions for Known File Types"

Tadah!
You should now be able to see the file as xxx.sims3.backup instead of previous (Name of File: xxx.sims3 & File Type: Backup).

It's just a simple tweak to our PC configurations which I reckon it's not really related to the game itself & so it might have been overlooked.
Hope this would work for troubled games & happy SIMMING!

I have done this before, and it HAS worked, but this time around it is not working. I had no 'bad' files this time, and I deleted the original .sims3 filed and removed the .backup from the filename. The game still will not load.

Can anyone please help me? I have no CC.