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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 just bought the Sims 3 and when I try to press the install button it says there’s zero KB available so I deleted some of my stuff in my hard drive but it will not work. Please help me!

Minimum System Requirements

First of all, your computer needs to meet some specific hardware and software requirements in order to be able to support your new SIMS 3 game. You can consult your computer user’s manual to check the specifications.

If you are running a Macintosh:

• Leopard 10.5.7
• 2 GB RAM
• 6.1 GB free disk space
• Sims 3 is not compatible with either Intel GMA 950 class of integrated cards or Power PC processors 

If you are running Windows XP:

• Windows XP Service Pack 2
• 2.0 GHz Pentium 4 Processor, or similar
• 1 GB RAM
• Minimum 6.5 GB of hard drive space - plus an additional 1 GB for custom content

• 128 MB Video Card - with Pixel Shader 2.0 support

If you are running Windows Vista:

• Windows Vista Service Pack 1
• 2.4 GHz Pentium 4 Processor, or similar
• 1.5 GB RAM
• Minimum 6.5 GB of hard drive space - plus an additional 1 GB for custom content

• 128 MB Video Card - with Pixel Shader 2.0 support

If your computer uses a built in graphics set, you need to have at least:

• Intel Integrated Chipset GMA X3000 or higher
• 2.6 GHz Pentium D CPU or 1.8 GHz Core 2 Duo
• 0.5 GB extra RAM

SIMS 3 Compatible Video Card

You also need to consider your video card. If you are using a NVIDIA GeForce Series card the SIMS 3 game requires: FX 5900, FX 5950, 6200, 6500, 6600, 6800, 7200, 7300, 7600, 7800, 7900, 7950, 8400, 8500, 8600, 8800, 9600, 9800, GTX 260, GTX 280.

If you are using an ATI Radeon Series card, you need: 9500, 9600, 9800, X300, X600, X700, X800, X850, X1300, X1600, X1800, X1900, X1950, 2400, 2600, 2900, 3450, 3650, 3850, 3870, 4850, 4870. Or an Intel Extreme Graphics GMA X3×00.

You might not have removed enough data from your hard drive to make 6.5 GB of hard drive space. Here are steps to use Windows to check the available hard disk space.

1. Click the Start button
2. Choose My Computer, then choose Local Disk C:
3. You will see a chart displaying your hard drive used and available space

If you are still over the limit, you can either delete unwanted data, or you can use external devices like CDs, flash drives or an external hard drive to transfer material off your hard drive and freeing up space for your game.

Update your Software

Some users also report better SIMS results after upgrading their Internet Explorer installation. Getting the latest software is usually a good idea to keep your computer compatible. You might want to use Windows Update to get the latest updates. I hope this helps!

I have a problem with the Sims 3. I feel like I have tried everything. I bought Regcure and that didn’t help, I have tried to update my drivers but I have no idea which one to update. By the way I have a Dell Latitude D610 and it will only let me download one of the updates of the three it has given me on Dell.com. HELP PLEASE! I just can’t figure out what to do.

Sims 3 Requirements

One of the first steps that everyone should take when purchasing a game is to check the system requirements for it before they buy it. You’ll find a whole list of requirements for Sims 3 at their website here: Sim3 Requirements. The list is divided according to operating system so make sure that you look at the correct one. Check it out and make sure that your system at least meets it if not goes over the minimum requirements.

Pay particular attention to the amount of RAM and the video card. If any of your hardware falls below the minimum expected requirement, then you need to upgrade your hardware so that it is compatible with the game. Remember that each one of the requirements must be met or you will have problems playing the game.

Sims 3 Requirements after Installation

Computer games take up an incredible amount of resources. Each time you save data to a computer game, you take up even more space. If you take up too much, you are not going to be able to play the game. How do I know this? Because I have kids. Because I have kids who have friends in college who borrow their computer to play their Sims 3 game. Not only do you need room to install the game, but you also need room to play the game and to save it. If you don’t have enough room (memory) then you won’t be able to play it no matter what drivers you upgrade.

So, what I am saying here is that you might need to free up some memory on the computer by deleting old documents, photos, games, and programs that you no longer want to use and make sure that you don’t have too many programs running when you want to play Sims 3. Open “My Computer” and double click on the hard drive icon to access the details concerning how much space you have available. If you don’t have much, then you might want to consider installing additional RAM. The bottom line is that you need a lot of memory to play the game and sufficient memory to install your updated drivers.

Download Drivers or Updates

To update the video driver (a task that might help here,) you need to access the Device Manager. Make sure that you have sufficient space or memory on the computer to do so. Also, I suggest that you close all other applications while installing new drivers or while playing this game. It doesn’t like to share. To do so, follow this path:

1)      Click on “Start.”

2)      Click on “Control Panel.”

3)      Click on “Performance and Maintenance” or “System.”

4)      Click on “Hardware.”

5)      Click on “Device Manager.”

6)      Look for signs of trouble and check it out if you notice any yellow icons. If not, open the video icon and select update drivers.

Reading through several forums, other individuals have mentioned having some success getting their Sims 3 game to work by downloading the chipset drivers for their computers. You can access Dell’s drivers and see if it works for you.

My Macbook Pro meets all the Sims 3 system requirements. However, the installation goes through the process and gets hung up on file 206 before locking up. I know it’s downloading something somewhere, because I went from having 60 GB free, to having 54.21 GB free after two install attempts. But no folder ever gets created, no files appear, I can’t find any trace of what it downloaded to erase it. My system is as follows: Leopard 10.5.7, Intel Core Duo, 2 GB RAM, Radeon X1600.

Mac Sims 3 Requirements

Let’s make sure that your computer meets all of the Sims 3 requirements. Leopard 10.5.7 is required, so that part of it looks fine. In addition, your computer must have at least 2GB of RAM and 6.1 GB free hard drive space as well as an additional 1GB for saving games and customizations. Computers running either Intel GMA 950 class of integrated cards or Power PC processors cannot run Sims 3. Electronic Arts has an online system requirements checker that you can run to be sure that your system is fully compatible. Once you’re sure that your computer has meets all requirements, let’s move on to the next steps.

Install from the Desktop

Since you have the CD, you can try to load it onto the desktop and install it from there. Insert the disk and right click on it to open it. A new window should pop up. Right click on Sims3 Installing and Show Content. Copy and paste the contents to the desktop. Open the contents folder on your desktop, go into the MacOS folder and install from there. Many people have found that the “hang” problem goes away - at the very least they can find out the reason for the corruption by using this method.

It’s also possible that you have a bad CD or something on your Macbook is interfering with the installation. For example, programs such as Roxio Creator and external devices like iPods and iPhones can interfere with disc authentication as can numerous CD emulator programs such as Daemon Tools, Clone CD, and Nero Image Drive. The Sim3 Support Web site details known software conflicts with the game. Try installing the program with all other applications shut down and all external devices disconnected.

Uninstallers for Mac

Do you have an uninstaller program for your Mac? You may need to remove the bad installation and try installing again. AppTrap is a free uninstaller tool for Macintosh. It may be able to remove your partial installation so that you can try again.

Other Tips and Workarounds Once Sims 3 is Installed

Other users have reported success with Sims 3 installations after renaming the Sims 3 folder and the application. By inserting an underscore (_) into the name, the program was able to be launched.

Is it at all possible that the program is installing but you can’t find it? If so, the next time you try an installation, change the installation directory to the desktop. Then you can search for “Sims” in Spotlight to show the icon and launch the game.

Something may be missing in the Sims 3.app folder structure. We suspect that this is preventing Sims3 from running. If Sims 3 is on your system, try this: Right-click “The Sims 3″ (under Applications) to Show Package Contents. Now, go to Contents and MacOS. Double-clicking the word “cider” should open a Terminal.app window where you can then launch Sims 3.

Because this is a new launch with some bugs in it, the Sims3 MacForum might be a good resource as things pop up. Hopefully, one of these solutions worked for you, but let us know if you’re still having problems.

If you think you have a defective disc, you can contact Electronic Arts for a replacement.

A friend loaded Sims 3 on an external hard drive. I have no idea how to load it on the computer he said something about a virtual CD. Please help.

Okay, sounds like you need some basic information to understand what’s going on here. I’ll go over just exactly what a virtual CD is, why you might need one, and how you can use one.

What is Sims 3?

Sims 3 is the third version of the original Sims game. This video game offers life simulation play in a fun and enjoyable setting. As a player you get to control a family and its family members’ lives in every aspect from the house they live in to the jobs they have and more.

Make sure your registry isnt corrupted, loads of problems with running Sims 3 and other online games are caused by missing, corrupt, duplicates or empty file references. Heres a free 2 min registry scanner to check for problems

What is a Virtual CD?

A virtual CD is one that can be used in place of a physical CD on a computer. Generally, people like to create virtual CDs of their physical disks so that they can use them on more than one computer, laptop, notebook, or netbook without the need to purchase a portable CD drive if they don’t have one. Virtual CDs are image formats of the physical disks and are often referred to as ISO files.

Opening a Virtual CD

Physical CDs and virtual CDs contain the same basic information on them. The difference is that you cannot simply open a virtual CD because you want to use it. In the same way that you need a particular type of program to open a DVD, pictures, documents, Zip files, etc, you also need a particular type of program to open a virtual CD.

How to Run Sims 3 from External Drive

Running Sims 3 from an external drive means that you have a virtual CD and need a special application or utility to open it. Basically, you need a player that will act like a CD drive so that you can open the ISO file of Sims 3 that you have. Since you don’t have the physical CD, you need to trick the computer with the tool or player to think the CD is in the CD drive (even though it isn’t.)

You will still need to install Sims 3 after you download it to your hard drive. Therefore, you need to make sure that you have enough memory on the machine (netbook, laptop, etc) that you are using to play Sims 3.

Tools to Open a Virtual CD

In order to open a virtual CD, you need to download an optical media emulator.