1. If you are running Windows NT, make sure that you have installed the latest service pack and latest drivers for your video card and sound card, which must be DirectX 3 compatible.

2. If you are using Windows 95 or 98, make sure that DirectX 7 is installed on your machine. If you are unsure whether it is present, or did not install DirectX 7 when the game installed, it may need to be reinstalled:
- Go to the Start Menu then select "Run..."
- Press "Browse"
- In the "look in" field, select the CD-ROM (it should say "The Sims")
- Pick the "DirectX" folder
- Double-Click on "DxSetup" which will put the file in the "Run" window
- Press OK and follow the instructions to install DirectX 7, restart the computer, and try again. The run line should look like this: D:\DirectX\DxSetup.exe
Your drive letter may not be D, but the text should otherwise be identical.

3. If the error persists, you may need to disable some of the game's software verification routines by adding the "-skip_verify" and "-nodx6" switches to a shortcut to The Sims:
- Right-click on the shortcut and choose "properties"
- Go to the "shortcut" tab.
- Add the following switches to the end of the "target" line:
-skip_verify -nodx6It should then look like this:
"C:\Program Files\ Maxis\The Sims\Sims.exe"
-skip_verify -nodx6