Resources

I’ve installed and uninstalled Turning Point two or three times last year on my PC (Windows XP, SP3, tons of RAM and disk space) and all worked fine. Now, when installing, I get error 1610 ‘configuration data for this product is corrupt’. I’ve visited all the sites I can find on the error and it’s the only game out of many I’ve installed that cause this. Any solutions?

Most of the time, when you get a 1610 error, it will tell you to contact your administrator or support personnel. Since it looks like you’re on your own here, you’re going to have to do a little troubleshooting to fix the problem.

First Fixes

The first thing to try is to copy the program directly onto your system and run the installation from there and see if you get the same error. You can also try to get into Safe Mode by pressing F8 on startup and try to load the disks from there. If the program loads successfully, reboot the computer and see if it will run.

Registry Error

My guess is that you are dealing with a registry problem, probably caused by a corruption in the registry that happened when the last version of the game was uninstalled. The safest thing to do in this case is to purchase and run a registry cleaner such as RegCure. You can download a free version that may find the errors for you before you purchase the program in its entirety.

Although I don’t recommend changing the registry manually, it can be done if you are very careful. Changing the registry can severely damage your machine, so if you’re not comfortable with it, this is best left to a professional. At the very least, set a System Restore point before you get into the registry so you have something to go back to if there is a problem.

Go to Start and then Run and type in: regedit. Navigate to the following key:

HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\CLASSES\INSTALLER

Now you need to find the key for Features. By looking at the keys here, you may be able to find the key for Turning Point. It will probably have two entries - one for features and one for Products.  If you find them, delete both of the keys for Turning Point by choosing the key and right clicking to choose Delete. Once the two keys have been deleted, exit out of the registry and try the installation again.

I think fixing the registry will solve your installation problems and you should be able to install normally as you have in the past.

I recently got Sims 3 for my Mac (I’m running Leopard 10.5.7 with a 2.66 Ghz Intel Core 2 Duo processor with 8GB of memory and I have over 850GB free on my hard drive) so it’s running no problem. I can’t get any downloaded custom content to work. The instructions say to right-click on the sims3.app and choose “show package content”. I have right-clicked, control-clicked and every other conceivable combo-clicked and I cannot get the “show package content” option to appear. I tried clicking on other apps to see if it worked then and it doesn’t show up there either. I’m at a total loss. I’ve looked all over and I can’t seem to find anyone else who’s had this problem.

You are correct about there not being very much information on this issue. However, you might be in luck because my son has a Mac and he was able to clue me in on what should happen as well as a possible workaround for this situation. Read through and follow these suggestions that should resolve the problem for you. Hopefully it does because I can understand why not being able to get to the custom content would be frustrating- it’s one of the best features for the game!

Downloading Sim3 Custom Content: Right Clicking

When you right-click on the Mac, it is a bit different than right clicking on a PC. You should be able to control click and gain access to what you need. It should go as follows:

If you navigate to your dashboard and select “finder” and then navigate to the menu that appears across the top and select “go” and then “applications”, it should list all of your applications or folders for applications on your computer. Now you need to highlight the launcher icon for the Sims 3 and “control click” on the icon (make sure you are not using the command key instead of the control key.) This icon should be identified as the one with the logo for the Sim3 game. This strategy should work on your Mac as it works on other Macs. If it does not work on yours, try rebooting your machine and starting from scratch. If this does not work, try the following workaround that should get you to the “show package content option.”

Downloading Sim3 Custom Content: Actions Drop Down Icon

Basically, you’ll start out with similar directions to the ones above, but with a twist, so read through to the end.

• Navigate to your dashboard and select “finder.”
• Navigate to the menu that appears across the top and select “go.”
• Select “applications”, which should list all of your applications or folders for the applications on your computer.
• Look for the actions drop down icon (looks like a gear) in the top of the applications window. Once you know where it is, highlight Sims 3 and click the “actions drop down option” icon and the “show package content” option should appear.

I have just downloaded a game torrent file in the form of a zip file and have extracted the file but when I click on the game a message appears saying Windows cannot play this game, what would you like to do? What program can I use to open this game?

Running Downloaded Games

Without knowing what the game is, and what Windows operating system you are running, it’s not possible to tell you’re the program that you are missing. However, you can work through these steps and try to figure out how to configure your computer for the game.

Check the Game Compatibility

When Windows gives the message that it doesn’t know how to open the file and suggests that you use a web service to find an appropriate program to open it, it means that your computer doesn’t have the program it needs to open the file. This might be the case if the game is built for Mac or Linux and isn’t supported by Windows. You can check this by going back to the torrent file and checking the specifics to see if it is Windows compatible.

Install a Utility to Open the Game Files

If the game is Windows supported but still won’t play, depending on the game and the type of torrent you downloaded, you will need to try different tools and programs to open the files. Once the folder is unzipped and you can see the extensions of the files that are inside it, you can try putting the extension in a web search (check our Filetonic File Extension Library) to find out what programs or utilities will work to open it. For example, there is a utility called Daemon Tools than is popular on many game sites. You can try looking for information for your particular game there. If the game is obscure or built in a different language, you might need to install language support programs as well.

Game System Requirements

Another way of going about troubleshooting your issue would be to check out the system requirements for the game. It is possible that your computer operating system, graphics card or other hardware component is insufficient to install and support the game. A quick web search should turn up the game’s minimum system requirements; make sure that your computer meets them.

If you are still struggling to install the game, you can write again with some details about the game, the file extensions, your computer specs and your operating system and we can take it from there. Good luck!

I need to reload my Sims3 game but can’t find the original box with the serial number? What do I do?

It drives me crazy when product keys are on the box rather than on the jewel case, or better yet, the CD. After all, how many of us keep old software boxes lying around the house? Plus, half the time, the boxes get mangled because of over aggressive packaging. But, enough venting. Let’s see if we can figure out how you can reinstall Sims3 and reactivate it.

Retrieving Sims3 Serial Numbers via The Sims3 Web site.

If you registered your copy of The Sims3 at the The Sims3 Web site, then you may be able to recover your serial number there.

Contacting Electronic Arts  

Electronic Arts has two mechanisms in place for replacing illegible or lost serial numbers. If the serial number is illegible and you purchased the game in the last 90 days, the replacement will be free. You must submit the page from the manual or the jewel case insert containing the illegible serial number to Electronic Arts before you will receive your new serial number. Since this doesn’t apply to you, let’s take a look at EA’s policy for lost serial numbers.

Unfortunately, this option is going to cost you $10 USD. You will need to submit a check made out to Electronic Arts, proof of purchase, and explanation, and your name, address, and phone number to:

Electronic Arts Warranty Department

9001 N I-35 Suite 110

Austin, TX 78753  

Now, what does Electronic Arts consider “proof of purchase”? If you have the user’s manual, the proof of purchase is located there. If you do not have it, then Electronic Arts will accept a photo or a photocopy of the Sims3 game disc.

For further instructions and conditions, visit this EA Tech Support page. In fact, you might want to explore the tech support pages here for The Sims3 as there’s a wealth of information, patches, and advice offered. For example, the latest patch, patch 1.2.7, has been released. Among other things, it fixes a game freeze error that occurs when Sims characters clean out their refrigerators. You might want to patch your game after you receive your replacement serial number.

How do I install NFS ProStreet from CD?

NFS Prostreet or Need for Speed ProStreet is one of the games put out by EA Games. It’s available for the computer, Playstation 3, Playstation 2, PSP, Xbox 360, and Nintendo. For the PC version, not only can you enjoy playing the game, but you can also put up photo shots of your game play to share with other NFS ProStreet enthusiasts. If you are receiving an error message that is stating that you need to insert the CD/DVD for the game, then most likely you are experiencing one of the following: faulty drive, incorrect drive, or pirated version of the game.

How to Install NFS ProStreet: CD Drive Versus DVD Drive

Some computers come equipped with a CD drive and a DVD drive. It’s important to make sure that you are using the correct one. Since the Need for Speed ProStreet version for the computer is currently sold in a DVD version, you need to have a DVD drive on the computer. If you are working off of an older model of PC, then you might not have a DVD drive on your machine. Even if you have a newer computer, you might have inadvertently placed the disk into the CD drive and not the DVD drive. However, if you have one of the earlier versions that was sold in a CD, make sure that you have placed the disk in the CD drive and that the drivers for it have been updated.

How to Install NFS ProStreet: System Requirements

It’s important to make sure that you have the system requirements needed to install and play this game. Check the package that it came in to see if you meet these requirements. Without them, you are not going to be able to install the game onto your computer. In general, you need at least Windows XP or Vista as well as 512 MB of RAM (XP) or 1 MB RAM (Vista). Plus, you need a DirectX 9.0c compatible sound card and video card as well as a Pentium 4 processor or better. Without any one of these requirements, you are going to experience problems with the game.

How to Install NFS ProStreet: Update the DVD Drivers

If you are sure that you are inserting the disk into the DVD drive and you are still experiencing problems, try updating the drivers for it. To do this, you can visit the manufacturer’s website for the particular DVD drive that your computer has installed on it.

Pirated Versions of NFS ProStreet

If you have purchased one of the many pirated versions of this game (as in you downloaded it free from the Internet or borrowed it from a friend), you will not be able to install and access the game since you are missing the key that you need to install it. Paid versions of this game only allow one download onto the computer. Therefore, the code is only available during the first installation. If you reformat the computer, you will lose the game and you will not be able to retrieve it. If you buy the game used from someone, you won’t get the code that you need to install the game.

When trying to connect to the Big Fish games site and my account page, the connection is VERY slow and no matter how long I wait, I cannot get by the processing stage and therefore am unable to purchase any games. I don’t know when it started to go wrong as I haven’t used the site for a while. I can get through eventually with Mozilla Firefox but it’s too much hassle.

The typical culprits behind a slow Internet connection include problems with the provider, too much data stored in temporary files, malware, or a bad connection. Since you can eventually log in to Big Fish Games, most likely the problem is with your available memory or malware infection. Clearing up some of these potential problems could be the fix that you need. Read through and try the following tips.

Troubleshooting Slow Connection to Big Fish Games: Clear Temporary Cache

One of the first strategies to try when your attempts to connect to a website are slow is to clear the temporary Internet cache on your web browser. Use the first set of directions to clear the cache in Mozilla Firefox:

• Open Mozilla Firefox.
• Select “Edit” and “Menu.”
• Select the section for “Preferences.”
• Select “Navigator.”
• Select “Clear History” and “OK.”

Use the second set for Internet Explorer:

• Open up Internet Explorer.
• Look for and open the section labeled, “Tools.”
• Navigate to “Delete Browsing History”
• Select each of the following by marking off the small white box in front of them: cookies, temporary Internet files, history, and form data.
• Click “Delete.”

Slow browsers can occur whenever you allow too many tabs to remain open for extended periods of time as well. Consider closer some of the tabs on the browser if you aren’t actively using them.

Troubleshooting Slow Connection to Big Fish Games: Scan for Spyware, Viruses, and Trojans

The presence of spyware or viruses can really slow down your computer, preventing you from gaining access to websites easily and quickly. You should update your anti-spyware/anti-virus application and run it on the computer to remove any lurking problems. Malware uses up a lot of bandwidth at times and can be responsible for response-time problems with the Internet.

Troubleshooting Slow Connection to Big Fish Games: Timing

If you have dial up Internet and you are trying to access the Big Fish Games website during a widely-used time of day, your connection could be lagging and produce this type of undesirable waiting period. Try using the Internet at a different time of day or night and see if that makes a difference and releases you from problems with a slow website.  

Troubleshooting Slow Connection to Big Fish Games: Update the Browser

If you haven’t updated your web browser, this fact could account for problems logging into different websites. Check the website for your browser and update to the latest version that is available. After you do so, check your settings to make sure they are where you want them to be.

Troubleshooting Slow Connection to Big Fish Games: Odd Tip

A tip that might seem a bit odd, but that has been suggested by Big Fish Games, is to make sure that the time and date on your computer are accurately set. Windows users can access this function through their “Control Panel.”

Troubleshooting Slow Connection to Big Fish Games: Security and Privacy Settings

Since you haven’t used the game in a while, it is possible that your security and privacy settings have changed. See if changing the level to medium level helps out.