How to Get Vortex to Re-Scan Game Folders and Rebuild its Database of Deployed and Available Mods

[ebaleytherogue]

Vortex 1.13.3 (12/10/2024)
Electron 28.2.0
Node 18.18.2
Chrome 120.0.6099.227

I did a boo-boo the other night, at 3AM, and renamed a folder or something. Now my Vortex configuration is yacked. The active profile still works but my other profiles will not load. I get the "Stuck? Check the log" message, and checking the log, there are no problems reported but the final lines say "reverting the last profile", and there I stay. I've attached a recent log showing the profile reverting back to its current state near the bottom of the file.

All my games work (FO4 in various flavors, RDR2, Fallout New Vegas, Witcher 3) when I launch them via their mod-friendly launching techniques.

I've played around with Vortex, manually changing the mod staging folder value, etc., but that has done no good to restore Vortex functionality.

Since all the games' \data folders are fine, and their mods load just fine, I'd like to simply uninstall Vortex, reinstall it, and have it detect both the games themselves and all the mods within the data folders. I think this might be unlikely, since the already-installed mods' metadata might then be lost.

I am aware of what the Mod Staging Folder and Downloads Folder each does, and how they relate to deployed mods. I am hoping there is a way for me to manually edit each profile to a) get Vortex to recognize all is well, and b) potentially repair/replace its folder management files.

What would YOU do to get Vortex to recognize these games and their installed mods?

Thanks for any advice!

vortex.log.7z

Edited January 2 by ebaleytherogue

[vortexposer]

Oof. I think I can visualize what kind of situation you're describing... and know that pain all too well but without getting into details - I've never found an efficient way to recover from an orphaned Staging folder (which has lost the install/metadata connectivity) - except to be mindful to not break, again. All I can add is; I've learned to build each profile that's important to me into their own draft collection, so I can always revert Staging folder to an uninstalled state and automate their entire restoration.

Currently, I'm sitting here dropping 5578 archive into a new fallout new vegas set up...
but thankfully, I've got 7 highly curated drafts ready to install stuff, once they're added
 

Edited January 2 by vortexposer

[7531Leonidas]

I 'think' I have seen this after someone moved their mod staging folder w/o first purging their mod links on the 'Mods' tab.  Search this forum for 'purging mods', or something similar, and check.

[vortexposer]

Maybe drop a pic or 2 to demonstrate the damage done.

[ebaleytherogue]

Thanks, all. Good stuff.

I decided to address it via brute force. I uninstalled and reinstalled Vortex, and I'm starting with one of my Fallout 4 deployments to fix first.

The mods are recognized, without their meta data, meaning they were all listed by name, with an ID number, but without the Version column populated, nor author, category, etc. That all makes sense. Example:



So I ended up reinstalling each mod, from Nexus, allowing them to over-write the existing version. I could have simply dragged them, from the downloads folder, into the 'Drop Files' area, but I really wanted a) the 'Downloaded Time' value to equate to a true download time, and b) ensure I am getting the proper version installed. The latter is due to previously having multiple versions of the same mod due to multiple versions of FO4 on the PC. I'm to the point where I just want to finish my SIM Settlements 2 run-through and not bother with London until that is done, and thus I don't need different flavors of the same mod simultaneously. In addition, redownloading the game allows me to have the 'Open on Nexus Mods' option again, and thus also allow for automatic checking for mod updates for each mod.

I keep launching the game and letting my save tell me what mods are still needed, and I back out and add them in.

The act of reinstalling each mod is somewhere between a PITA and cathartic, depending on my current mood.

@vortexposer, I laughed when you mentioned creating draft collections, because this idea occurred to me, about a month ago, and I thought, 'Christmas is coming up. I'll do that in January.'. {sigh} Coulda shoulda woulda! Once I'm all reinstalled I am going to do that. Thanks for the reminder!