F4SE held hostage by a $49.99 file opening app.

[SpikeBrown]

After finally finding time to update my mods, including F4SE, which was great before the Bethesda update, I was unable to open F4SE either with Vortex, or manually. Before I could open the mod after a manual D/L two small windows opened to tell me that their $49.99 program could open that file for me.  WHAT?  I then tried to open F4SE through Vortex.  F4SE appeared in my  "Enabled" mod list, but doesn't show up anywhere else on my computer.  Before starting the udate process I deleted  an older version of F4SE to D/L  V.0.7.2   I decided to start the game to see what would happen.  Disappointment.  No F4SE . I realized that Vortex was wrong about F4SE being enabled.  I had intended to make a donation to the folks who worked so hard to fix what Bethesda broke once I could play the game again with everything functioning as it should.   Now I'm not sure who/what the blackmailer is.  BTW...Vortex is up to date.

Anyone else here have the same probem?  Spike is sad.

[showler]

You need to start F4SE with the F4SE_loader.exe.  Vortex can do that for you or you can do it yourself.

[SpikeBrown]

"I then tried to open F4SE through Vortex.  F4SE appeared in my  "Enabled" mod list, but doesn't show up anywhere else on my computer.  Before starting the update process I deleted  an older version of F4SE to D/L  V.0.7.2   I decided to start the game to see what would happen.  Disappointment.  No F4SE . I realized that Vortex was wrong about F4SE being enabled."

Downloading via Vortex, or done manually, F4SE did not show up in my downloads folder, nor did it show up anywhere else on my computer, but for some reason Vortex showed it as Enabled in my mods list on Vortex.  I waited a  bit and tried again, and it finally D/L'd properly, and all is well now.  Thanks for your response showler.