i just got through the same thing with the splash screens then a crash. the other tech do have it right. your game files are being corrupted. but not the actual game. so even if you uninstall the game thoses files are still on your hard drive. and unfortunatly reinstalling it will only double the files instead of overwite them. now i havent been able to determine the mischief makers for the game(but mostlikely the saved games since they are the consistant changers) but to be simple just delete the maxis folder (if the sims complete is the only maxis game you have. if not then open the folder and delete from there) and reinstall the game. now if you saved anything it will be gone, but your game will start as expected.