Do not put mods/downloads into your Vortex install directory!

[HadToRegister]

Just thought I'd throw in here that Vortex is not actually downloading anything when I click "Vortex" on the Nexus. I am forced to Manually Download each mod, which places it into my Downloads folder, from which I then move it to the Mods folder (which has been where Vortex placed it and I am only learning now is the wrong location, which was in the Game directory). It then detected the mod and allowed me to activate it.

 

So all of this "managing a mod from birth to death" or whatever is being hinted at that Vortex is supposed to do is not how Vortex is working (at least for me). I've had to ask a bunch of questions and look like a complete moron on the forums because I was using NMM before and once I clicked "Download" and ran LOOT, everything (to coin a phrase) "just worked."

 

So, Vortex isn't doing it's actual job and now that the Nexus defaults to Vortex, even if I wanted to use NMM, it tells me the mod will be "Served by Vortex" and just... sits there...

 

 

You have this switch turned on?

 

 

[ChaywardtheGod]

Is this the cause for the Failure to deploy mods problem?

[HadToRegister]

Is this the cause for the Failure to deploy mods problem?

 

The cause can also be that your Mod Staging Folder isn't on the same drive as your games.

[quaruke]

 

I don't install anything to C, let alone Program Files. As a general rule of thumb, last time I knew, that was the first thing to avoid when modding (ie avoid putting games and mods and modding tools to protected directories).

 

This is a bad rule.

It's probably advice given for Morrowind, 15 years ago by people who didn't know better at the time and since then people follow it like it's been brought down from a mountain on a stone tablet.

But it's not a good idea today, this problem is testament to that.

 

Vortex is a standard conformant windows application, using a standard installer with default settings. It behaves like 95% of Windows applications out there, yet people manage to screw up their install and delete their data by using non-default install locations and manually changing their settings.

At that point you should ask yourself if maybe your "house rules" are standing in your way more than they help you.

 

The reason people may have advised you to avoid putting modding tools into "program files" is because those modding tools tried to write files (logs, mods, ...) to their installation directory. Vortex doesn't do that, so the advise doesn't apply.

The reason people may have advised you to avoid putting games into "program files" is because otherwise the write protection would prevent you from putting mods in there. But you could just as well disable the write protection punctually for the data directory. This is less work and more secure.

And most of the time you don't even have to do that because Steam (by default afaik) already allows writing to all game directories. So again, this advise doesn't apply for most games today.

 

I would say 99% of people who put game folders and or mod folders not in program files.. had to deal with vista..... extensively... *shuddders*

[Maxyoo28]

Hello everyone, I got fooled by the last update and lost all my mods when updating, but I managed to find a way to retrieve them. I downloaded Recuva from the CCleaner developers, pointed the scan at Vortex Root folder, and in less than 10 seconds, it found all my lost mods archives. Some of them could get impossible to retrieve, but at least you have the names :smile:

 

Hope it helps lost souls like me !

Edited February 13, 2019 by Maxyoo28

[STR4NGERxD4NGER]

Is this talking about when manually downloading and install mods?

[HadToRegister]

Is this talking about when manually downloading and install mods?

 

Are you manually downloading your mods INSIDE the Vortex INSTALL Directory?

 

If so, then don't.

[JamesPutney53]

i uninstalled all mods and skyrim still wont load. after upgrading to vortex

[HadToRegister]

i uninstalled all mods and skyrim still wont load. after upgrading to vortex

 

 

This is a sticky, please start a new thread for your specific problem

[DigitalTemerity]

This may sound stupid. But when I installed Vortex I took the default settings on everything. I used the per user setting for Vortex to set up different user accounts with different mod setups. However, in using the default settings, Vortex installed its default mod directory in {USERDATA}\{GAME}\mods and the default download directory in {USERDATA}\downloads. That automatically puts the directories inside the Vortex install directory. How was I supposed to know that was wrong? There was no warning or anything. I am having all kinds of trouble getting the folders moved. It is giving me an error that my system does not support hard links which I know is wrong. It supported them until I moved the folder!