Before installing this game update, you must check for corrupt content that may be slowing down your game.  Follow these steps to remove the content before installing the game update:

• If you have an object called "Girl Doll Dressed" in the Installed Content in your Launcher, please uninstall it.
• To delete the file: 0x038a68fe04da61a6aa65f939d77fbc37.package, go into your DCBackups (C:\Documents and Settings\your name\My Documents\Electronic Arts\The Sims 3\DCBackup), find the file and delete it.
• If you had that file in your C:\Documents and Settings\your name\My Documents\Electronic Arts\The Sims 3\DCBackup folder, this may have attached itself to your exports. If you had that file and recently exported content to your Launcher, delete that content from your Export folder and your Launcher.

To install this update, please start your game and use the “Updates” tab in your Launcher.

This game update includes:

• Dead relatives will no longer appear alive in your Sims’ family trees while traveling to Egypt, China, or France
• Sketches your Sims create using the Drafting Table are now valued properly based on your Sim’s Painting Skill Level and related Profession Level
• Sims will no longer walk on water to view paintings placed on swimming pool walls
• Fixed an “Error 13” issue caused by saving the game immediately before having your Sim give another Sim a makeover
• Ghost Hunter Sims can no longer “Show Off Banshee Banisher” to child Sims
• Fixed issue that prevented players from Changing Active Household while in Edit Town mode
• Fixed issue that prevented Sims from fishing when certain seeds were in the Sim’s personal inventory
• Optimized memory usage when deleting lots via Edit Town mode 
• Optimized memory usage for complex Sim homes created with Buy Mode
• Sims will now exit the police station when doing the “Do Low Level Police Work” interaction when they are sufficiently stressed
• The game will no longer temporarily freeze when routing on and off home lots placed by players using the World Editor in Edit Town
• Sculptures on the Sculpting Station will no longer lose functionality when cancelling a drag interaction while in Buy Mode
• The Styling Station will no longer lose functionality when going to the Main Menu while performing a makeover on a Sim
• Kleptomaniac Sims are no longer able to steal the holes created by the Miner invention
• Users are no longer able to place lots on top of the sidewalks when using the World Editor while in Edit Town
• Sculptures completed by Sims will now function properly when players complete them at the sculpting station, then save and load the game.
• Fire Engines will now maintain all functionality after Sims drive them in Egypt, China, or France
• Fixed an issue that prevented Private Investigator Sims from completing cases with certain case steps
• Sims in the Firefighter and Ghost Hunter careers can now continue their careers after the household has been saved to the Library, then placed back into the neighborhood
• Fixed an issue that caused Sims to become invisible upon loading a saved game
• The “Possession is 9/10 of the Law” Lifetime Wish now requires your Sim steal items worth the appropriate number of Simoleons before being completed
• Junkyards can no longer be purchased as  Real Estate properties
• Content from The Sims 3 that is uploaded via The Sims 3 Ambitions version of the Launcher now functions appropriately
• Fixed an animation pop from the “Start Collecting!” interaction with the Harvester invention (63294)
• An upgraded Fire Extinguisher will now remain upgraded upon saving, closing, and loading the save file
• Fixed an issue that caused household members to disappear upon reloading a save file
• The “Intrigued by Great Lecture” moodlet now has an icon
• Neighborhood Sims that are not in the currently active household will now properly quit playing with the Sim Gnubb set
• Sims that catch on fire from the Invention Workstation can now have the fire put out when the firefighters are called
• Fixed an issue that caused Sim relationships to break when traveling to Egypt, China, or France
• The magical laundry bear Abracadabra will no longer block Sims from moving after disappearing
• Fixed a crash caused by setting the alarm for Self-Employed Sims
• Create-a-World will now work properly once The Sims 3 Ambitions is installed
• Small and Medium digital picture frames no longer float in the air after loading a save game
• Sims will no longer cheer at City Hall forever when switching active households after a celebration
• Holes created by the Miner invention can no longer be detonated or salvaged by inventors
• Magical gnomes from Ambitions will now behavior appropriately
• Fixed an issue that caused Sims to have broken or inappropriate hair styles after aging up
• Inventions sold at the consignment store will now count towards a Self-Employed Inventor Sim’s promotion
• Sim animations will no longer break when the “Offer Tattoo to…” interaction is used
• Mac Only: Fixed an issue where text strings were broken in the Czech version of the Launcher
• Mac Only: Fixed a launcher crash for the Mac Digital Download
• Mac Only: Fixed several issues where icons were not properly lit in the Launcher
• Mac Only: Fixed an issue to prevent a crash when users place a lot in World Editor mode via Edit Town

Before installing an Update for The Sims 3, an Expansion Pack, or a Stuff Pack, it is a good idea to run through the following checklist to ensure your game continues to work smoothly.
If you have any questions about the below steps, please visit the Technical Support forum on the official Sims 3 community found at this URL: http://forum.thesims3.com/jforum/forums/show/10.page

Step 1: Disable Custom Content

Custom Content is all Sims content that did not come from an official The Sims 3 Update, The Sims 3 Store, Expansion Pack, or Stuff Pack. Custom Content is created by 3rd Party Developers that are not regulated by Electronic Arts or The Sims 3 Development Team and may not work with new updates. Custom Content may cause the game to behave unexpectedly or not function entirely.

To disable your custom content, undo whatever you did to install this content to get your game back into an unmodified state. If you placed it in a Sims 3 directory folder, move it to a new folder that is outside your Sims 3 file directory. Your Sims 3 file directory can be found using the paths listed below:

Windows File Directory: C:\Documents and Settings\USER\My Documents\Electronic Arts\The Sims 3

Mac File Directory: User/Documents/Electronic Arts/The Sims/

Once you have installed the official update you may re-enable your custom content. If you experience problems, disable it again until the 3rd party developer updates their content to work with the official Update, Expansion Pack, or Stuff Pack.

Step 2: Back Up your Save Files

It’s always a good precaution to back up your save files before installing an Expansion Pack, Update, or Stuff Pack. To do this, copy the “.sims3” folders found in the Saves folder onto your desktop or another file directory.

Your Sims 3 Saves folder can be found using the paths listed below:

Windows File Directory: C:\Documents and Settings\USER\My Documents\Electronic Arts\The Sims 3\Saves

Mac File Directory: User/Documents/Electronic Arts/The Sims/Saves

After the Update is installed, run the game to verify your saves still function correctly.

Step 3: Let the Update Complete Entirely

Updates can sometimes be rather large and may take a while to download and install completely. Cancelling the update before it has completed may cause unexpected problems, so it is always best to let it finish entirely. Do not close the Launcher until you have confirmed the update is completely installed, as this will cancel the update.