Sims 3:Large Address Aware

Overview

All 32-bit applications (including The Sims 3) that run on Microsoft Windows, by default, have the large address aware (LAA) bit disabled. In layman's terms, this means the application cannot address more than 2 GiB (2,147,483,648 bytes) of virtual memory. The Sims 3 can, under certain circumstances, reach this limit causing the game to crash to the desktop without warning. There are tools available that allow you to mod The Sims 3 executable(s) which allows the game to use up to 4 GiB (4,294,967,296 bytes) of virtual memory.

Diagnosing LAA Crashes

The Sims 3 produces exception (xcpt*.txt and xcpt*.mdmp) files in the user's My Documents directory when it crashes. To determine if the crash was caused by LAA:

1. Open an xcpt*.txt file with Notepad or your favorite text editor.
2. Behind Free virtual memory:, is it less than 200 Mb? If yes, LAA most likely caused the crash. If no, something else most likely caused the crash.

Applications That Can Diagnose LAA Crashes

• The Sims 3 Crash Log Analyzer

Applications That Can Enable the LAA bit

Because modifying an executable is no easy feat, the modification must be performed by an application. Here are some of the applications known to work (in order from easiest to most difficult).

• Game Help:4GB Patch
• Game Help:CFF Explorer

32-bit Operating Systems

If you have a 32-bit version of Windows, and additional step is required in order for The Sims 3 to use more than 2 GiB of virtual memory. You must have at least 3 GiB of RAM installed in your system before taking these steps.

Windows XP, Server 2003

1. Open System Properties.
   • Right-click on My Computer and select Properties.
2. Select the Advanced tab.
3. In the Startup and Recovery area, click Settings to open the Startup and Recovery dialog.
4. In the System Startup area, click Edit to open the Windows boot.ini in Notepad.
5. Make sure to disable Word Wrap from the Format menu (you do not want a check to appear next to it).
6. Find the [Operating Systems] section. Each line below this header represents an operating system installed on your computer.
7. At the end of each line under [Operating Systems] add the following after /fastdetect (or whatever is at the end of the line):
   • If you have 3 GiB of RAM installed: /3GB /userva=2560
   • If you have 4 GiB of RAM installed: /3GB
8. Save the changes and close Notepad.
9. Close all open dialogs and restart your computer.

In case of trouble

Repeat the above steps but instead of adding /3GB and /userva, remove them.

Windows Vista, Windows 7, Server 2008

1. Open the Command Prompt with administrative rights.
   • Open Start.
   • Open Programs.
   • Open Acessories.
   • Right-click on Command Prompt and select Run as Administrator.
2. Type the following and hit enter:
   • If you have 3 GiB of RAM installed: bcdedit /set IncreaseUserVA 2560
   • If you have 4 GiB of RAM installed: bcdedit /set IncreaseUserVA 3072
3. Close the command prompt and restart your computer.

In case of trouble

Repeat the above steps but use the following command instead: bcdedit /set IncreaseUserVA 2048

64-bit Operating System

No extra steps are required; however, in order to provide the most memory to The Sims 3, it is recommend you have more than 4 GiB of RAM installed in your system.

Invalid File Found: TS3*.exe

Enabling the large address aware bit via any method may result in future patches throwing an "Invalid File" error on the executable. To correct this in The Sims 3 Large Address Aware, click on "Reset LAA." To correct this in CFF Explorer, follow the instructions here but uncheck "App can handle >2GB address space" box instead of checking it. Now you should be able to install the patch without problems. Remember to make the game large address aware again after the patch(es) are installed.