1. Run Internet Explorer by double-clicking on the application desktop icon.
2. Click 'Tools,' which is found on top of the Internet Explore page.

3. Click 'Internet Options' in the drop-down menu.
4. Click on the 'Advanced' tab, which is found on the top half of the 'Internet Options' dialog box.
5. Browse through the 'Settings' list and remove the checks from the 'Disable Script Debugging' and the 'Display a Notification About Every Script Error' option boxes.
6. Click on the 'Apply' button.
7. Click 'OK' and close out the Internet Options dialogue box. All alterations will now be in effect, and your runtime error is now eliminated.

Restore a Website Error on Internet Explorer 6
1. Launch Internet Explorer 6, click on the 'Tools' menu displayed on the upper left side of the window and select 'Internet Options.'
2. Click the 'General' tab, locate the 'Temporary Internet Files' section, click on the 'Delete files' button, select the 'Delete all offline content' text box and then click 'OK.'

3. Locate the 'History' section also displayed under the 'General' tab section, click the tab that says 'Clear History' and then click 'Yes' to confirm. Restart your Internet Explorer 6 and then access the website that was giving you an error.
Restore a Website Error on Internet Explorer 7
4. Open your Internet Explorer 7 browser, access the 'Tools' menu on the upper right side of the IE 7 window and click on the 'Delete Browsing History' option
5. Wait for the 'Delete Browsing History' box to pop-up, select the check boxes displayed next to 'Temporary Internet Files,' 'History,' 'Form Data' and 'Cookies' and then click on the 'Delete' tab at the bottom of the box.
6. Close your Internet Explorer 7 browser, restart it and then navigate to the website that was displaying an error message.
Restore a Website Error on Internet Explorer 8
7. Open your Internet Explorer 8 Web browser, locate the 'Tools' menu on the top right side of the screen and click on it. Select the 'Internet Options' choice and click the 'Delete' tab displayed under the 'Browsing History' section.
8. Wait for the 'Delete Browsing History' window to pop up, select the check boxes next to 'Preserve Favorites website data,' 'Temporary Internet Files,' 'Cookies,' 'History,' 'Form data' and InPrivate Filtering data' and then click on the 'Delete' button displayed at the bottom of the window.
9. Reboot Internet Explorer 8 and navigate to the website that was previously giving you an error.

1. Click the 'Start' button and select the 'Computer' icon.
2. Click the 'Organize' pull-down menu in the top-left corner of the window and select 'Folder and Search Options.'

3. Click the 'View' tab. Select the 'Show hidden files, folders and drives' radio button and remove the check from the 'Hide protected operating system files' box. Windows hides certain files and folders by default because it can damage the computer to modify them incorrectly. You may wish to return to this screen later and reset these options to their original settings.
4. Click 'OK.'
5. Double-click the 'C:' icon.
6. Open the 'Users' folder.
7. Open the folder for your Windows username.
8. Open the 'AppData' folder.
9. Open the 'Local' folder.
10. Open the 'IM' folder. The 'Runtime' folder is located here.

1. Insert your operating system's installation disc. Reboot your computer.
2. Select the language settings, click 'Next' and then 'Repair Your Computer.'

3. Select 'Startup Repair' on the System Recovery Options menu. Allow the Startup repair utility to repair the issues that are preventing your system from loading. Your system will restart automatically when the process is complete.

1. Click on 'Tools' at the top of the Internet Explorer browser. Go down to the last option on that list, and click on 'Internet Options.' The 'Internet Options' window will open.
2. Click on the 'Advanced' button. Go down to the 'Disable script debugging (Internet Explorer). Click inside the box to put a check mark in it. This disables 'Script debugging.'

3. Go down to the box that says 'Disable a notification about every script error.' Click inside the box, to remove the check mark.
4. Click on 'Apply' and click on the 'OK' button. The settings take effect when you click the 'OK' button.
5. Close Internet Explorer. Open a new Internet Explorer browser, by double clicking the 'Internet Explorer' icon on the desktop or the one that is located on the task bar.

1. Click 'Start' and 'My Computer.' Navigate to the 'C' drive on your system and select the folder marked 'i386.' Find your 'Winnt32.exe file and double-click it.
2. Press the 'Enter' button.

3. Click 'Launch Setup' when the Windows Setup page appears. When you click this choice and not the 'Boot Legacy Operating System' selection, you will not receive the 'disk error' message any longer. Adhere to the directions on your screen to finish the process of reinstallation.

Using Device Manager
1. First try updating the driver in the Device Manager. To do this, click the Windows 'Start' button and right-click 'My Computer.'
2. Click the 'Properties' to open the System Properties window. Click the 'Hardware' tab and click the 'Device Manager' button.

3. Scroll down and identify the CD or DVD-ROM drive with a yellow exclamation mark.
4. Right-click the drive once you have identified it and click 'Update Driver.' Follow the guided prompts to update the drive and restart your computer when the process is complete. If that does not solve the problem, move to the next section.
Using the Registry
5. Click the Windows 'Start' button and click 'Run.'
6. Type 'regedit' (Without quotes) and press 'Enter' to open the registry console.
7. Click the 'HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE' folder on the left panel and click 'SYSTEM.' Click 'CurrentControlSet' and click 'Control.' Click 'Class and click the '{4D36E965-E325-11CE-BFC1-08002BE10318}' key. Delete the following entries if they exist under this key: LowerFilters, LowerFilters.bak, UpperFilters, UpperFilters.bak.
8. Click 'File' and click 'Exit' to close the registry console. Restart your computer.
9. Double-click 'My Computer' on the desktop after your computer has restarted and verify that your CD or DVD-ROM drive is visible. You should also check the Device Manager again to see if the exclamation mark has been removed from your CD or DVD-ROM drive.

1. See 'Resources' for a link to the the registry scan download site. Click the large green 'Start Download Now' button. A pop-up window will ask if you want to save the file to your computer. Click 'Save File' and the download will begin.
2. Double-click the file's icon once the download has completed. The icon will be on the desktop or in a 'Downloads' window (or possibly in both locations). Click 'OK' and then 'Run' to launch the installation wizard.

3. Follow the steps provided in the wizard to finish the installation and complete the setup.
4. Open the program by double-clicking its desktop icon (if the software doesn't launch automatically when the installation is complete). Perform a full system registry scan. The software will now search through the registry for any errors. Once completed, leave all the found problems selected and chose 'Remove All.' The program will remove the errors from the registry and the runtime error should be fixed.

Turn off DEP
1. Enable an exception in DEP for the Sims 3 by right-clicking 'Computer' and then left-clicking 'Properties.' Data Execution Prevention is a service that protects your PC from viruses and other attacks. Some programs and games will shut down or display errors when DEP is turned on.
2. Find 'Performance' and examine the DEP settings under the Advanced tab. If it says, 'Turn on DEP for all programs and services except those I select,' Click 'Add.'

3. Browse to the Sims 3 executable. This file is found at 'C:\Program Files\Electronic Arts\The Sims 3\Game\Bin\TS3.exe.' If you're a 64-bit user, look at 'C:\Program Files(x86)\Electronic Arts\The Sims 3\Game\Bin\TS3.exe.'
4. Click 'OK' to confirm the change. If DEP is set to 'Turn on DEP for essential Windows programs and services only,' leave it as is. This setting doesn't affect your game.
Other Possible Fixes
5. Pause the game each time you save. There's no explanation from Electronic Arts as to why this works, but many players have success avoiding Error Code 12 by pressing 'Pause' and then 'Save' or 'Save As.'
6. Check the system requirements for the Sims 3 and its expansions to see if your computer meets the requirements. There's a list of minimum requirements, but the recommended requirements are more important. Just meeting the minimum means the game will run but just barely. Expect to encounter any number of problems, including lag, crashes and error messages. If your PC isn't above the recommendations, upgrade the weak components, if possible.
7. Delete Custom Content from the Sims 3 folder in 'My Documents>Electronic Arts>The Sims 3>Mods' or 'C:\Program Files\Electronic Arts\The Sims 3>GameData>Mods.' Also, if you've downloaded anything from the exchange, start the Sims 3 Launcher and go to Installed Content to remove them. If the custom content is important to you, you'll need to remove a little at a time to isolate the problematic file. Follow the steps in the Resources link to remove a virus-like doll from the game that may also cause this error. This doll has infected many games even if you did not download it directly.
8. Click 'Save As' when you encounter Error Code 12. It won't stop the error, but will usually salvage your game and allow you to save. Type a new name in the box, and try again if it doesn't work the first time.
9. Start the game over from scratch if the error has corrupted your saves. The quick way is to delete the entire Sims 3 folder described in Step 3. The next time you load the game, this folder will be re-created with clean neighborhoods. Alternatively, try to back up an old save as directed by EA Support.

1. Click on 'Control Panel,' which you can access from your Start menu or the My Computer folder.
2. Click on the 'Administrative Tools.' Once you are inside of that folder, you will see a folder called Event Viewer. Click on the 'Event Viewer.'

3. Find the words 'System and Apps' within the Event Viewer folder and click on them one at a time. On the right side of the screen, you will see the words 'errors' or 'warnings.' If there is an error or warning, right-click on it with your mouse and chose the 'Properties' option from the drop-down menu.
4. Click on 'Note error ID and Source.' This will open a new box, and you will see the error code or ID written in blue. Click on the blue link and confirm that you want to see the error code by clicking 'Yes' when prompted.
5. Disable or uninstall any program that the Event Viewer lists as causing the problem. You can uninstall a program by right-clicking on the program in the Applications folder and selecting 'uninstall' from the drop-down menu.

1. Save any files you are working on and close any running applications.
2. Click the 'Start' or 'Windows' button in the lower-left corner of your screen.

3. Click the right-facing arrow next to the 'Shut Down' button. A menu opens.
4. Click the 'Restart' option from the menu to restart your computer. As Windows boots, it will automatically check for and repair any registry errors using the native Scanreg.exe tool.

1. Load the web page creating the “Error on Page” message on an alternative computer and in a different web browser such as Mozilla Firefox. If you still get the error message, then the issue is likely on the server of the website and not on your computer.
2. Turn off script debugging in Internet Explorer (IE). To change the setting in IE 6 click the “Tools” option on the IE file menu and choose the “Internet Options” menu choice. In the “Advanced” tab, select the “Disable Script Debugging” menu choice. In IE 7 and newer, under the “Advanced” tab choose the “Display a notification about every script error” menu option.

3. Ensure Java, Active Scripting, and ActiveX are turned on or enabled in IE. Choose the “Tools” menu option followed by the “Internet Options” menu choice. Pick the “Security” menu tab, and select the “Default” or “Medium” level of security for the web browser.
4. Delete the temporary Internet files from the computer. In IE 6, select the “Internet Options” menu choice. Pick the “General Tab” and click “Settings,” “Delete Files” and “Delete Cookies.” In IE and newer, choose the “General” menu tab under “Internet Options” and click the “Delete,” “Delete Files,” “Delete Cookies” and “Delete History” menu options.
5. Ensure you have the latest Windows and Internet Explorer software updates installed on your computer found at the URL in the resource below if still getting the “Error on Page” message on your computer.

Limit Amount of Internet Explorer Memory
1. Restart the computer and wait for Windows XP to load.
2. Double-click on the Internet Explorer icon on the desktop to open the browser.

3. Go to the web page that has the Flash video that you were trying to view before Internet Explorer crashed. Avoid opening any additional tabs in the browser.
Upgrade Incompatible Version of Flash
4. Double-click on the Internet Explorer icon on the desktop to open the browser. Go to the Adobe Flash Player download page (see Resources).
5. Uncheck the box for 'Free Google Toolbar (optional)' and click the 'Agree and install now' button.
6. Click the yellow bar at the top of the web page and select 'Install this Add-on for All Users on This Computer.'
7. Click the 'Install' button when the Internet Explorer -- Security Warning dialog box appears to install the Flash player.
8. Wait while the Flash player is downloaded and installed for Internet Explorer.

Registry Edit
1. Click 'Start' and then click 'Run.'
2. Type 'regedit.' This will open the Windows Registry.

3. Navigate to 'HKEY_Local_Machine>System>CurrentControlSetup>Services>Browser>Parameters' by following each level in the navigation tree on the left of the window.
4. Right click on the key 'IsDomainMaster' in the right side of the window, click 'Modify' and set the data entry to 'False.'
5. Restart your computer.
Patch
6. Navigate to Microsoft Support article 894391 (see Resources).
7. Select the download appropriate for your computer's operating system. You will now be directed to the specific download site based on your previous selection.
8. Click 'Download' and then 'Save File.' Double click on the downloaded file to open the installation wizard.
9. Follow the steps of the installation wizard to install the patch.

1. Insert the Windows XP disc into the computer. Restart the computer, press any key when prompted to boot from CD, and press 'R' at the first screen to access the Recovery Console.
2. Type 'diskpart' and press 'Enter.'

3. Type 'select disk x' (replacing 'x' with the drive number upon which you wish to install XP) and press 'Enter.'
4. Type 'convert mbr' and press 'Enter.'

Check your printer cable
1. Make sure your printer cable is securely connected between the PC and printer. The cable should be less than 10 feet (3 m) long.
2. Check for any bent pins on the printer cable. If you find any, straighten them with needle-nose pliers.

3. If you aren't sure about your cable, try swapping it with one from another printer. If the printer suddenly starts working, you know that your original cable is defective.
4. If you're replacing a parallel cable, be sure to get an IEEE 1284 (look at the packaging label or ask a salesperson). Older cables often won't work in newer printers, even though they might look like they should.
Update and reload your drivers
5. Check the Web site for your printer's manufacturer and download the latest version of the driver software for your printer.
6. Open the Printers folder through the Start, Settings menus.
7. Right-click on the icon for your printer.
8. Choose Delete.
9. Double-click on the Add Printer icon in the Printers folder.
10. Follow the Add Printer wizard directions to reinstall the driver software.
Verify printer properties
11. Open the Printers folder through the Start, Settings menus.
12. Right-click on the icon for your printer, then select Properties.
13. Verify that all of your printer's properties are configured as recommended by your printer's manufacturer. You can look up these guidelines in the documentation that came with your printer or, if you've misplaced it, on the manufacturer's Web site.
Check your parallel port settings
14. Right-click on My Computer and select Properties (in Windows 2000, you'll need to then click on the Hardware tab).
15. Go to Device Manager.
16. Double-click on Ports (COM and LPT).
17. Double-click on Printer Port (LPT1) and select the Resources tab.
18. Check the 'Conflicting device list' box for an interrupt request line (IRQ) conflict. No other device should be using the same IRQ as the printer port.
19. If you find a conflict, disable the offending device or assign it a new IRQ. To disable a device, find it in Device Manager, open its Properties dialog box, select the General tab and check 'Disable in this hardware profile.'
Remove temporary files and spool files
20. Windows must be off, so restart your computer to a DOS command prompt. In Windows 95, press F8 when you see the words 'Starting Windows 95' appear, then choose Safe Mode Command Prompt Only from the Startup menu.
21. In Windows 98, restart your computer, press and hold down the Control key after your computer completes the Power-On Self- Test, then choose Safe Mode Command Prompt Only from the Startup menu.
22. At the command prompt, type the word 'set,' then press Enter.
23. Write down the location (the DOS file path) of the TEMP variable.
24. Change your directory to the folder you noted in step 4. For example, if TEMP is set to C:WindowsTemp, you'll type 'cd windowstemp' and then press Enter.
25. Once you're in the Temp folder, you can delete any temporary files that might be there, by typing 'del *.tmp' and then pressing Enter. Don't delete these files while Windows is running, because Windows 95/98 or a Windows-based program might be using one of them.
26. Type 'cd windowsspoolprinters' and then press Enter to switch to the spool folder.
27. Delete any spool files you find here by typing 'del *.spl' and then pressing Enter.

1. Click 'Start,' and enter 'cmd' into the search box at the bottom of the menu. When the 'cmd.exe' file appears in the search list, right-click the file and choose 'Run as administrator' from the menu. Then click 'Continue' in the window that comes up to get to a Windows command prompt.
2. Enter 'netsh winsock reset' at the prompt, and press 'Enter.' A confirmation message appears in the window, followed by a new command prompt.

3. Enter 'exit' by the prompt. Press 'Enter' to exit the window. The Winsock2 file resets itself.

Rename a Copy of the Most-Recent Adobe Flash OCX File
1. Start Windows Explorer and look for files named \'Flash*.ocx\' in the folder C:\\Windows\\System32\\Macromed\\Flash\\. (\'Flash*.ocx\' means any file whose name starts with the letters \'Flash\' followed by 1 or more digits and/or letters, such as \'Flash9.ocx\' or \'Flash10b.ocx\'). If there is more than 1 such file, identify the file with the most-recent date.
2. Click once on the file's icon and press \'Ctrl C,\' and then press \'Ctrl V.\' (This creates the file \'Copy of Flash*.ocx;\' its actual name is based on the name of the file you just copied.) Click on the new file's name (shown below its icon) and enter \'Flash\' as the new name.

3. Close all open applications and reboot your computer. Rebooting ensures all running software that's not visible to you and that relies on Adobe Flash software is restarted automatically.
4. After the computer restarts, resume running the software you believe was reporting the \'Flash.ocx\' error. If the software no longer reports that error, you have been successful and can skip the remaining steps listed below.
Uninstall Adobe Flash Player Using Its Uninstaller
5. Download the Adobe Flash Player Uninstaller (see link in Resources). Save the Uninstaller on your desktop.
6. Close all applications, including those whose icons are shown in the Windows' system tray. To ensure all applications are closed, press \'Ctrl Alt Delete.\' In the Windows Task Manager under the Applications tab, click \'End Task\' to stop any additional running applications.
7. Start the Adobe Flash Player Uninstaller. When Adobe Flash Player Uninstaller finishes, delete the Uninstaller file from your Desktop.
Install the Latest Adobe Flash Player
8. Download Adobe Flash Player Installer (see link in Resources). Save the Installer on your desktop. Start the Adobe Flash Player Installer. This installs the latest version of Adobe Flash Player on your computer. When Adobe Flash Player Uninstaller finishes, delete the Uninstaller file from your Desktop.
9. Close all open applications and reboot your computer. Rebooting ensures all running software that's not visible to you and that relies on Adobe Flash software is automatically restarted.
10. After the computer restarts, resume running the software that you believe was reporting the \'Flash.ocx\' error. If the software again reports that error, you must either upgrade the software so that it is compatible with the latest version of Adobe Flash Player, or remove it and replace it with other software that is compatible with the latest version of Adobe Flash Player.

1. Click on the 'Start' menu, then 'Settings' and then 'Control Panel.'
2. Double-click on 'System' and then 'Device Manager.' The System Properties window opens.

3. Click on the ' ' sign next to 'Disk Drives.'
4. Double-click on the first driver that appears under the Disk Drives heading.
5. Click on the 'Driver' tab and then click 'Update Driver.'
6. Click 'Next' and then click 'Next' again.
7. Check the box next to 'Microsoft Windows Update' and then click 'Next.'
8. Repeat the steps for every driver listed in the System Properties window. This should only take a few minutes.
9. Restart your computer.

1. Click the Start button in the lower-left corner of your computer screen. On the Start menu, select Run. A command screen should pop up.
2. In the command line, type the following: 'services.msc' and press Enter. The services window should now appear with programs listed in alphabetical order.

3. Look down the page, and select 'Windows Audio' and press Enter.
4. In the new window, you will see an option for 'Startup Type.' Be sure this is set to Automatic.
5. Under 'Startup Type,' you will see the line 'Service Status.' Click the Start button.
6. Restart the computer, and the sound should be working again.
7. If this did not fix the problem, there might be another program turned off that also needs to be running. The following programs may need to be started to allow the Windows Audio Service to function properly: Plug and Play, Windows Audio Endpoint Builder, DCOM Server Process Launcher, Remote Procedure Call (RPC), and Multimedia Class Scheduler. Go back and first make sure all of these programs are also running. To do this, repeat the steps listed for the Windows Audio Service for all the programs mentioned, and then restart the computer.

1. Ensure that your computer system has problems due to errors in the registry. Problems related to errors be unresponsive programs, lagging Internet service and computer lockups.
2. Download the CCleaner software (see Resources below).

3. Install CCleaner onto your computer by following the installation instructions.
4. Open and run the CCleaner software.
5. Click on the “Registry” symbol button, which is a blue cube icon on the left side of the program screen.
6. Check all of the options that you want to scan for errors under the “Registry Integrity” section.
7. Click on the “Scan for Issues” button, which is located on the bottom portion of the program screen. After the scan completes, all of the errors in your computer registry will appear in the main window displaying the “Problem,” Data” and “Registry Key.”

1. Shut off any anti-spyware programs running on your computer. If you are running Windows Defender, right-click its icon on the task bar and click 'Shut down Microsoft Antispyware.' Refer to the manufacturer's documentation to shut down other anti-spyware programs on your computer.
2. Try downloading and running Windows Live Messenger again. Move to the next step to clean your hard disk if you are still running into the 1603 error.

3. Click the Windows 'Start' button and click the 'Control Panel.' Click 'Performance and Maintenance' and click 'Free Up Space on Your Hard Disk.' This launches the Disk Cleanup utility.
4. Place a check on the following categories on the disk tab: 'Downloaded Program Files,' 'Temporary Internet Files,' 'Temporary Files,' 'Temporary Offline Files,' 'Offline Files.' Click 'OK' to delete unnecessary files from those locations and click 'Yes' to begin the disk cleanup.
5. Try performing the installation again.

1. Try to use the installer on another Windows system to see if the error is also present. If there is an error, most likely the CD is damaged or, if you downloaded the software, likely the setup file is corrupted. Obtain a new copy of the installer by downloading it from an official source. Even if you downloaded it before, there is a chance that the download finished prematurely resulting in a corrupted file.
2. If the installer runs fine on another system, the problem may be on your system. Perform a disk cleanup on your system by going to the 'Start' menu, clicking 'Run' and typing 'cleanmgr.exe.' Choose 'Drive C:' for cleanup, and check the box to clear temporary files. Restart your computer and try to run the installer again.

3. If the installer uses the Windows Installer engine, the engine may be corrupted or outdated. Obtain the latest Windows Installer.
4. If there are still problems, download a registry cleaner such as RegCure or Registry Mechanic and scan your computer for registry errors by following the interface after you install the application. Restart your computer after the registry scan is complete and test the installer to see if the error happens again.