ERROR: Invalid File Found or File not found

Problem
While patching I get this error message:  Update Error: Invalid File Found or Update Error: File not Found

Solution
For Patch 1.24 this error seems to occur if your Origin is not updated to the newest version. Make sure you have Version 8.2.1.458 - 90843. If you are not up-to-date, get the newest version here: http://www.ea.com/de/site/origin

This error occurs if a file does not match the file the patch is expecting or a file is missing. There are multiple reasons for that.

Most of the time, you have replaced a original file with a modded file. In this case you will need to reapply the original file that you have hopefully saved. If you did not do that, I recommend reinstalling your game which is probably faster then finding the file you will need. If you want to replace a file in the future, always make sure that you backup the original file.

To find out which file is invalid you can either use the Patch_Log_Viewer or the Patch Downloader (both at MTS).

The following files are most often the culprit

• shaders_win32.precomp: The very first nude patch changed this file. Put the original back. This mod should not be used anymore for apart not working anymore anyway, it can mess-up your game. There are many alternatives around.
• VideoCamera.ini: Various camera mods change this file. Put the original back.
• Custom Music Folder: There are supposed to be 7 files in this folder.  
• code_version.txt: 
• Variant 1: You are probably not using the right manual patch. Make sure your region matches your patch. If you are using the incremental patches, make sure you upgrade from the right version. To find out more about versions, check this blog entry: TUTORIAL: How to find your game version.
• Variant 2: Moving the file Version.tag found in the user directory  to your desktop may help. The file should be recreated. If it works now, you may delete the file from your desktop.

To omit the problem, you can use the cumulative superpatches instead of the incremental patches. You will be able to patch but you will get the error again next time you patch and the superpatches are not available for all EP/SPs.

Other Causes

• If your game was not patched to the newest level before applying this patch, you might need to install patch after patch. Older patches can be found here: Game_Help:TS3_Patching:Patch_Download/Archived.
• Be sure you have the right patch that matches your game region and patch level: TUTORIAL: How to find your game version.
• If something went wrong while patching (ex. loss of power), the game might not be in a state that lets you patch correctly. Reinstalling is probably your only option.
• If you have made your exe-fiel large address aware (4 GB patch), make sure to reapply the original exe file

Further Reading

• Game Help:TS3 Patching:Invalid File Error 
• Sims3Patch Error: "Update Error: Invalid File Found"