Intel HD 6000 – fixed Graphics files for Sims 3

Published on by BluebellFlora

Only applicable to the 32-bit version of the Sims 3

That pesky Intel HD 6000 chip that’s caused so many problems for Mac users attempting to play Sims 3? Well, after some testing we’ve finally managed to get it working, and I have pictures to prove it:

This Intel chip has proven to be the most difficult for users to get working and I could not have edited the GraphicsCards.sgr and GraphicsRules.sgr files successfully without zebragirls1221’s help. She has the 2015 13″ MacBook Air and after swapping information back and forth she can now successfully load and play her game. I cannot thank her enough, and neither should you when you get your game working again!

If you would like to apply this fix to your game you can download the edited files from my SimFileShare download. I have also included instructions on how to do it. All it involves is copying and pasting text from my files to yours.

Download Link – http://simfileshare.net/folder/38108/ or here

Remember, there are two other very important fixes you will need to apply to your game if you have Ambitions/Late Night/Fast Lane/Outdoor Living:

  1. Adding the packs to the Launcher
  2. Fixing the Unknown Error message

So, after following those three sets of instructions, you should be good to go 🙂

42 thoughts on “Intel HD 6000 – fixed Graphics files for Sims 3”

  1. My daughter downloaded Sims 3 to her 13″ MacBook Air (Intel 6000, running High Sierra) yesterday and has not once been able to get the base game to run. Unknown Error message. No mods or EP’s at all. Just the base game. I spent hours trying to get it to run- Installed the 1.67 patch, tried moving documents folder to desktop, bypassing the launcher, uninstalling and reinstalling, every tip I could find. Bypassing the launcher provided the most improvement – for the first time the game got far enough into loading to generate a log before service failure message. Was so excited to see this post with a potential fix. Followed instructions… no luck. Any additional advice?

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      1. My deviceconfig does show found 1 matched 1. So, it seems the graphics update was successful but there is some other glitch…

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        1. Not some, lots! The game has always been problematic on Macs. I don’t know which model 13″ MBA you have but High Sierra is not supported, in fact no version of macOS since 10.8 Mountain Lion has been in Sims 3. When you uninstall you need to make sure you get rid of everything Sims/Transgaming related before reinstalling. You also need to regularly purge RAM.

          Thanks for confirming the Found/Matched. At least that’s one workaround crossed off the list!

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  2. I think I’m having the same issue as the above commenter. My computer is a 13″ MacBook Air from 2017 (Intel 6000, running Sierra), but since the model identifier also said MacBookAir7,2, I figured I would give this fix a shot. However, it still says “Unknown error” when I try to open it. It’s also worth noting that I couldn’t find the DeviceConfig file in the Sims 3 folder. There were a bunch of folders (ContentPatch, DCBackup, DCCache, Downloads, Exports, InstalledWorlds, Recorded Videos, Screenshots, and SigsCache) but they all appeared empty. There was also an empty file called Sims3LauncherLogFile.log. Where would the DeviceConfig file be found? Is this fix even equipped to work on my computer?

    Thanks in advance!

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    1. Update: I followed the instructions to bypass the launcher and got this error message when opening the game: “Unable to start game
      Service initialization failed (0x0175dcbb)

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    2. Update #2: After following the instructions to bypass the launcher, I checked for the DeviceConfig file again. This time, it was there, and all the other files were gone. It said “Found: 0, Matched: 1,” so I must have done *something* wrong, but I have no idea what it was. Any advice?

      Thanks again!

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          1. It might not mean anything to you but is the most important part of editing the files as it tells the game which graphics chip you have. The files you downloaded are correct for your Mac, providing you copied and pasted the text from them into your own GraphicsCards.sgr and GraphicsRules.sgr files correctly. I have had several people testing this with the Intel HD 6000 and they are all working, including another with the exact same Mac as you. The Found:0 relates to the GraphicsCards.sgr file that should be checked first. If you like, upload your .sgr files here so I can check them – http://www.mediafire.com/filedrop/filedrop_hosted.php?drop=de462b164f0f0f0f0eae92354aea140edb60d76576278cd2bba2e2932d4eda89

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  4. Hello, thanks for all your work. 🙂
    I have a MacBook Air 2017 with the Intel HD Graphics 6000. (the same as Mabel !)
    I only installed the base game and I had the unknown error.
    I did all of what you said with the sgr files.
    BUT! I had forgotten to put the game patch (the 1.67……17)
    So I did and changed the sgr files again after that.

    It worked since the deviceConfig.log now says:
    Name (database): Intel (R) Iris Graphics 6000 [Found: 1, Matched: 1]

    But I still can’t open the game.

    When I bypass the launcher. It says:Unable to start game
    Service initialization failed (0x0175dcbb)…
    Do u have any advice? ?

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    1. Urgh. That error can also be caused by so many things. Trash the cache files in your Sims 3 folder and see if that helps:
      CASPartCache.package
      compositorCache.package
      scriptCache.package
      simCompositorCache.package
      socialCache.package

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      1. Hey! thanks for the answer 🙂 What do u mean? Should I create these folders in : Contents/Resources/transgaming/c_drive/Programfiles/EA/TS3/Caches ?

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        1. sorry I thought you said TRY the cache files..Ok so in Contents/Resources/transgaming/c_drive/Programfiles/EA/TS3/Caches I only have the sunset valley cache and a txt with the version of the game. Should I trash the packages you mentionnned? I can’t find them

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      1. Hi, I have the same problem as topitpa, so I trash the file too and it didn’t work.
        Name (database): Intel (R) Iris Graphics 6000 [Found: 1, Matched: 1]
        Any ideas? :/

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        1. + the game worked in the past – I install SP/EP and copy files in the Transgaming etc, but now it isn’t working.. The base game not works too. Maybe I should install late night for example and use your instructions?

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  6. Hey, first off you are an amazing person for helping so many people. I just bought Sims3 from origin for mac last night , just the base game, and have been trying to make it work all day. I patched to 1.67, bypassed the launcher, and also fixed the file for my graphics card (intel hd 6000). I can’t tell you my found and matched values though because I don’t have a deviceconfig file, because my game never launches far enough to get to the town chooser screen. The error I get now is “There is a problem connecting to the server, Please ensure your internet connection is active.” But my internet connection is definitely active. I thought maybe it was my firewall so I allowed sims3 through it but that didn’t do anything. 2015 13″ macbook air, 1.6 GHz Intel Core I5 Processor, 4GB Ram.In the meantime I’m gonna keep reading your posts to see if I find anything else , thanks so much if you read this.

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      1. ya I saw, thanks 🙂 i was following that forum as you guys were figuring it out. Haven’t had a chance to try the fix yet but will let you know when I do.

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  7. MacBook Air (13″, 2017)
    macOS 10.14
    Intel HD Graphics 6000
    So I downloaded your files, followed your instructions and after bypassing the Launcher it says: Unable to start game
    Service initialization failed (0x0175dcbb)
    deviceConfig.log now says: Intel (R) Iris Graphics 6000 [Found: 1, Matched: 1]

    still doesn’t function, any advices?

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  9. Hey, I followed these instructions and I’ve already patched my game to 1.67 but I still get the “Unknown error occurred” message when I try to open the game. Any clues/ideas on what to do? x

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  10. i’ve had an early 2015 macbook air for a few years now and repeatedly tried to download and play the game in the past with no luck. i’ve just found your fix and reinstalled the game, followed the instructions and i can just about get to the opening page, but as soon as i try to open it it gets stuck on the loading screen, and it says it cannot connect to the server. i’m positive i followed the instructions properly, so that can’t be the issue. do you think it could be due to old files from my old installations of the game? i remember having deleted them but i might’ve missed some. any advice?

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  11. Hi, I have a MacBook Air (13″, 2017)
    macOS 10.14 . 6
    Intel HD Graphics 6000
    When I try to start the game I automatically get an error message and I can’t load it. Is there any way you could help me figure this out?

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  12. Hello! Thank you for the help, I have this exact computer, I checked 3 times! I also tried to do this 2 different times and it didn’t work. The only thing I can think of is I’m on 10.11.6 not 10.12.6. I’ve tried updating but it always says no updates available. Any advice on what I’m doing wrong? Thanks for the help!

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  13. Hi. Is the Sim file share link going to be available soon? I’m not sure how long that maintenance message has been there for as I’ve only just tried to access it. Thanks!

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  14. Hi there, I did exactly what was said and followed the instructions but every time I check the DeviceConflig.log file nothing has changed, I don’t know what I did wrong because I made sure to do everything as you said. Maybe I missed a step or did it wrong but I made sure to do everything as you say so I’m just lost at this point and I just want to play the sims 3 so can you please help me figure this out? ❤

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  15. how can i do this when my game is installed through origin, not by disk? i can’t find the graphicsrules.sgr files because i can’t find a direct path to it – i only have the sims 3 launcher app and not the actual sims 3 app.

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