After my third install of skyrim, due to crashes when loading a
saved game, I figured it was time to find a way to prevent this
problem from recurring.
I assume that's why you're here, reading this now. You went to
load a saved game, and your game crashed and sent you back to the
desktop. And you were pulling your hair out trying to find why the
game keeps crashing. You have spent countless hours in the game,
and you have spent many hours downloading, installing, setting up,
and tweaking your mods.
Well, my friend, you have come to the right man. JJ, the
Ultimate Witch Doctor of Skyrim
If you want to keep your game running, you have to follow my
instructions to the letter. Do not skip anything. Do not take shortcuts.
Remember, you are taking time to do this now, to save yourself from
losing ten times that amount of time trying to fix it later, or worse,
trashing your entire game and starting over.
If this is helpful to you, please have the courage and courtesy to
endorse my page. I have spent countless hours trying to help you, so
at least take a minute to help me.
What is happening when Skyrim is crashing? The best I have
been able to determine so far is that the game has a system of scripts
that dynamically altar the game, but it lacks sufficient controls to
harness the scripts being used. Think of it as a network of streets,
where some of the streets are missing traffic lights. It is only a matter
of time until there is an accident at one of the intersections.
Let's do this!
Please follow these steps, one by one, and do it as you read it, and
you will avoid having missed an important step:
*** (note: these steps include a new installation of Skyrim, so you
will need your disc and activation number.)
---1---
Obtain a screen capture program called Screen Hunter Pro. This application will
allow a scrolling capture. This means that when the window being captured is too, too
big for the screen, it will scroll it to get the rest of the window. An alternative to this is to
just take snapshots of the window in segments.
WHAT WINDOW AM I TALKING ABOUT? You ask me.
I am talking about the Nexus Mod Manager Window.
Take a picture of the Nexus Mod Manager window, as shown below, AFTER you
click the tab that says “INSTALL DATE”. This will sort the mods by day. Make all the
green check marks come to the top, JUST LIKE IN MY PICTURE.
This is SCREEN HUNTER
Easy instructions for screen hunter:
a) click “FROM” (tab)
b) click “SCROLLING WINDOW” (the small dot option)
c) click “TO” and change the option on right side to “JPG”
d) open your Nexus mod manager, and sort by date as I told you above, and Press F6. You
will see a red box appear when you hover your mouse over the window. Click the
scroll bar on the Nexus Mod Manager, and wait for the snapshot to appear.
e) A message box will appear, close it, then click “FILE”---->”SAVE AS” and save your pic.
Now you have a record of you MODS in the ORDER YOU INSTALLED THEM. Why?
Because we are going to reinstall all of your mods.
---2---
Now we must reset your Nexus Mod Manage, so that it will not
assume you have already installed your mods. So to do this, we must
either delete the Install Info, or move it. Save it if you have sentimental
value in junk (like me). Otherwise delete the Install Info:
* C:\Games\Nexus Mod Manager\Skyrim\Installs Info
---3---
(WARNING: DO NOT PLAY SKYRIM UNTIL INSTRUCTED.)
Re-install your Skyrim. You will need your activation key. One
important tip: steam will assume you want to download the entire game
from the net. So, you “might” have to stop the download and force it to use
your CD for the install. Click to stop the download----> click your CD and
click “Install Skyrim”, when the window asks.
After the disk install, it will need to DOWNLOAD UPDATES from steam,
so let it spend an hour or so doing that DOWNLOAD. Obviously this
download would be best when it is time so nap or sleep.
---4---
Install absolutely everything you will need. This is the most
critical part to this process. You must install your FNIS, Static Mesh, and
ENB early (and dual sheath redux if you use it, though I advise you don't).
Then you must install and tweak all of your mods next.
THIS IS WHERE YOU USE YOUR MOD PIC, the one you made as show
when we started (above).
VERY IMPORTANT: look over your MODs Pic carefully. And thoughtfully
consider TWO THINGS:
(1) what order should these be installed?
(2) do I need all of these?
DO NOT INSTALL WHAT MAY BE CAUSING TROUBLE. DO NOT INSTALL
WHAT MAY BE CAUSING LAG. DO NOT INSTALL WHAT DOESN'T ADD
ENOUGH IMPROVEMENT TO YOUR GAME. By considering these things,
you will improve the speed and appearance of your game. And, finally,
never install any mod without reading the instructions or description.
If you can't read well, then ask someone to help you. Some guys on
craigslist will even come to your house and do it for you for $25. Just
do it safely, since craigslist can be hazardous to your health.
You will now notice that all your Mods have red “X's” next to them in
nexus mod manager. This makes it easy to see what mods have been
installed.
-----If it says that a similar mod has been installed, do you want to replace
it, SELECT “NO”.
-----But if it asks you if you want to overwrite files, then select “YES”.
(WARNING: DO NOT PLAY SKYRIM UNTIL INSTRUCTED.)
---5---
Next, extract “JJ's Skyrim Repair Patch” into your Skyrim Main folder.
---6---
Once all mods are installed, the you are read for the “preservation
stage”. You will save Slyrim in a file called an ISO, to protect it from
infection, and to use to repair your Skyrim whenever it has a problem. This
file will be your permanent Skyrim repair file.
Whenever you have a save that will not work, you WILL use this file to
repair your game. You will need to:
(1) Obtain an ISO program. I recommend “Magic ISO”.
(2) Drag and Drop skyrim main folder into Magic ISO, click the SAVE
Icon, and save is as an ISO. Remember where you put it.
(3) When your game won't load a save, or keeps crashing for
whatever reason, open your Skyrim main folder, go up one level, to the
folder Named “COMMON”, or just save an explorer link to this folder:
*** C:\Program Files (x86)\Steam\SteamApps\common\
AND move or, better yet, delete the whole skyrim folder. ANY MODS YOU
INSTALLED AFTER TODAY will be deleted too.
Now simply EXTRACT THE SKYRIM ISO into your COMMON
folder. In simple terms, you are gonna put this ISO skyrim in the
place of the bad one, after you delete the bad one.
If you want to install more mods after today, I recommend you test
them for a few days, and make sure your Skyrim is “STABLE”, then and
only then, MAKE A NEW ISO file and save your Skyrim folder again.
Otherwise you will be sorry.
This process is fool proof, if you follow these steps. The key to making
this work for you is to VERIFY then save. If you do not verify that your
Skyrim is STABLE, and you save an UNSTABLE Skyrim ISO, when you
exrtact the ISO into your COMMON folder, it will be crashing again before
you can say, “oh darnit!!!”.
VERIFY, THEN SAVE. And then, be safe – be happy.
---6---
THE MOMENT OF TRUTH
*** Will your existing saved games work now? good news: IT SHOULD!
This is a very important question at this point. Why? Because it will
reveal if you have permanently damaged your saved games, or have
installed a bad mod. This is how to know the answers:
1) uncheck all plugins except for the ones required to run skyrim. Then
see if you can play the saved game that has been given you trouble,
or run skyrim to see if you otherwise have the same trouble.
(A) If the game stops crashing after unchecking the plugins, activate
them “THREE AT A TIME” and run Skyrim each time, UNTIL THE PROBLEM
COMES BACK. When it returns, you will know it was one of those three
plugins. You can then find out which one, or uninstall all three mods.
This may be hard, but you will at least know what mod should never
be installed again.
(B) If the game doesn't stop crashing after you UNCHECK all nonessential
plugins, then you will have to create a NEW SKYRIM I SO, using
mods you can be sure are safe and stable. I recommend fewer mod installs
at that point.
2) If you have permanently damaged saves, then your best option is
to start over, with a new game. Delete EVERYTHING INSIDE YOUR SAVES
folder :
*** C:\Users\My Computer\Documents\My Games\Skyrim
AND DELETE EVERYTHING INSIDE YOUR SKSE FOLDER. Both of these
folders are inside this my Games\Skyrim folder.
….................... then go to the top above and start over.
HEY! Buddy, if it's any consolation, when you're done, your
skyrim is going to be way faster and look way better and be way
more stable!
ENJOY!
PEACE!
JJ!
ENDORSE!
