Oblivion won't even start

[seven11]

I can't get Oblivion to work at all it won't even start. I click play it brings up that small window in the top and then cuts off could anyone tell me whats wrong? pls help.

 

I tried to unstall and can't even do that.

[Balakirev]

I can't get Oblivion to work at all it won't even start. I click play it brings up that small window in the top and then cuts off could anyone tell me whats wrong? pls help.

 

I tried to unstall and can't even do that.

 

If you tried to uninstall and couldn't do that, then it sounds as though your initial install was incomplete. I suggest you backup your registry, then type Regedit. Do a search on every mention of Oblivion, and delete it. Reboot, simply remove your current Oblivion files, and try a new install.

[dezdimona]

disk needs to be installed to uninstall. also once you uninstall go and make sure you manually delete all oblivion files because uninstall leaves some which will bork your new install

[Maigrets]

Sometimes when you install Oblivion it can take up to 10 minutes for the Installer to finish after it asks if you want to view the Readme. It may seem to have locked up but don't force it to quit. Wait until it's finished or you'll get exactly the problems you describe.

 

Run Setup.exe with the DVD in the drive to uninstall cleanly.

 

Follow the advice already given in the above posts and see what happens.

 

Or more info on installing and uninstalling can be found here:

http://www.bethsoft.com/bgsforums/lofivers...hp?t561101.html

[SavageArtistry]

Another thing you might check is the master files your mods depend on. If they are dependent on something you don't have that will make the game close. For example, my Knights of the 9 Rings mod is dependent upon the Knights of the 9 official plugin. If you run the game without the official plugin you will get a problem like that.

 

To check dependency you can go into the Data Files option in the launcher, highlight each of your mods and it should show in the text area which .esp or .esm it needs in order to work.

 

If you can't even uninstall though, I'm inclined to agree with the idea that something may have corrupted.

[Arcelas]

One more thing that does it to me occasionally is wrong load order. Make sure the really important esps are in the right place.

 

ie, patches, overhauls (OOO, etc.), then put cosmetics at the end. I found that to be the least CTD causing system.

[bben46]

If you do decide to muck with the registry do a back up first. A mistake in the registry - such as deleting the wrong entry, making an untended change in the wrong line, of as one person I know did, saved it with a misspelled name. Any of these will make you computer unable to boot. So not only do you need a back up of the registry, you need to know where it needs to be restored to, and a boot disk or CD to boot so you can restore it.

 

An easier way, fixes 90% of registry problems, is to use a registry cleaner program. There are many available and most will work fine for cleaning Oblivion references. I use and recommend FREE Ccleaner. Its also very fast compared to some others. By fast, I mean 10 to 15 seconds as opposed to 10 to 15 minutes. Available FREE here:

http://majorgeeks.com/download4191.html

 

Bben46 Complete Reinstall Procedure for Oblivion

Revised 3/9/09: modified the disclaimer.

 

I would appreciate any feedback on this as it is something I expect to post often and I hate to give bogus or useless information.

 

Even though this has worked for many people, You get a disclaimer, just like the big software companies use to limit liability.

This is usually a last resort and your game is already trashed. I cannot be responsible for any damage you manage to do to your game when trying this. You are free to use this procedure and post it as you see fit. If you make any changes, please take responsibility for them and document your changes so people won't blame me. As far as I know, no computer, game or animals have ever been harmed by the indiscriminate use of this procedure.

 

When you uninstall Oblivion it doesn't really uninstall everything. Then when you start adding mods before you have started the game, some things may not get initialized properly. Here is my recommended procedure for uninstalling and reinstalling.

 

The game uninstaller does not remove your mods, save games or Oblivion.ini or the entries that the original installation of Oblivion placed in your Windows registry. It also does not remove helper programs such as OBSE, OBMM, Wrye Bash, The construction set or any other programs you have installed in the \Oblivion folder or the save game folder.

 

DO NOT delete the Oblivion.exe or the Oblivion folder as that will cause problems when you try to uninstall or reinstall - allow the game uninstaller to take care of it.

 

 

Uninstalling Oblivion - you gotta remove it completely before you can reinstall it.

 

DO NOT DELETE THE GAME FOLDERS YET! This is very important.If you delete them,it causes problems later.

 

My instructions assume you are using Windows XP and have installed Oblivion into the default location. If you are using Vista or Linux, the file locations may be different, however, the procedure will be the same.

 

For a full reinstall, first you can try to preserve your mods and save games. I recommend that you save them in a new folder with a new name. Create the new folder in C:\Backup_Oblivion - or any other name you will remember, just as long as it is not in the programs folder.

 

Then copy the data folder where your mods are to the new folder - do not erase them, copy them. And in the new folder, rename the \data folder to \olddata. Then copy and rename the folder that has your saved games and Oblivion.ini, C:\documents and settings\your user name\my documents\My Games\oblivion to something like \My games\Old Oblivion - this saves your saved games and the oblivion.ini file.

 

 

Then, using the original CD, NOT the Launcher on your Hard drive. Select uninstall.

 

After it completes the uninstall, reboot your computer - this is important as it allows Windows to remove some references to the original Oblivion.

 

This would be the time to erase all of the helper programs you have in the \Oblivion folder. Such as OBMM, OBSE and some others. The simplest way is to delete the folder completely. The new install will re create the folder for you along with a fresh oblivion.ini and when you start the game and make a save, a new save folder and new \data folder.

 

Now you can delete the game folders if you want to do a complete fresh reinstall. Your original saved games & mods are backed up if you want to try to resurrect them later.

 

Now to remove the registry entries that were left behind. If all else fails, this usually works to resurrect your game.

 

I do not recommend manually editing the registry unless you know what you are doing. A mistake here could make your entire computer unusable.

 

There are several good programs for removing left behind entries. The one I use is ccleaner. Be sure to reboot before using it, and again after. It is free and available here:

 

http://majorgeeks.com/download4191.html

 

This would also be a good time to do a file clean up. Run the built in Windows 'Disk Cleanup' routine. If you uses the ccleaner, most of this has already been done, but it won't hurt to do it anyway.

 

Now that everything is cleaned up, do a full defrag on your hard drive to leave a large uncluttered area to reinstall to. This prevents your game from installing in a fragmented way, with parts scattered all over the drive. It also will speed up the install a little. It takes a while, but may speed up your game as well as the rest of your computer.

 

At this point Oblivion should not exist on your computer.

 

 

Now to Reinstall.

 

Again using the original CD, install Oblivion.

 

NOTE: If you are using Vista, DO NOT install to the default directory. Instead make a new directory I recommend C:\Games. Install Oblivion there to avoid the hassle with Vista UAC blocking mods.

 

Before adding any mods, patches, helper programs, Shivering Isles or anything else, start the game and make a save. This initializes some stuff that needs to be initialized.

 

If you are using the Game of the Year version of Oblivion you should not need any patches, skip the patching part.

 

Now, If you DO NOT use Shivering Isles, patch the game using ONLY the latest Oblivion patch. All of the stuff from the earlier patches is included.

 

Be sure you use the proper language patch. If you use the wrong one it may work, but with a strange mixture of languages. (Germanglish?) Or it may crash.

 

NOTE: there are two English Patches UK & US and they are different. (Some people actually think we speak the same language) Use the one that matches your original disk.

 

If you use Shivering Isles, Install it now. DO NOT install the Oblivion patch. Install Shivering Isles, then ONLY the latest Shivering Isles patch. All of the updates for Oblivion are included. There is only one Shivering Isles patch for both US & UK English (Maybe sometimes we do speak the same language.)

 

Now, again start the game, make sure it looks right, move around a little to test it, and make a save. Test to be sure everything is working right (No purple objects or yellow blocks)

 

Before adding any mods, back up both your \data folder and the save game folder. Copy them, don't move or rename them, to a different folder - such as \Bethesda\Clean Oblivion\data and \Bethesda\clean Oblivion\saves. Note that this is a different folder than the one used for your old data and saves.

 

Note, Your Oblivion.ini file is in the same folder, but separate from, the save game folder.

 

Now, if you want to try to run with your old mods, first rename the original folders. The \data folder to \newdata and the \oldata back to \data. this restores all of your mods. You should now have 2 data folders \data, and \newdata in your \oblivion folder

 

To restore your original saves and ini file, rename the new My Games\Oblivion to something like \New Oblivion. and the \Old oblivion to \oblivion - this restores all of your saved games and your original Oblivion.ini file.

 

DO NOT erase the files you renamed. These are your backup files in case the original mods do not work or give you the same problem.

 

If you have the same problem, it is most likely caused by a mod. However, you now have a clean install to fall back on. You can You can COPY (NOT move or rename) the backup files back to what they were and be back to your clean install without having to reinstall again.

 

Sounds like lots of work, but you will have a clean install and a back up clean install when you are finished.

[myrmaad]

Almost always a missing master problem. Does your computer have the specs to handle the game?