Mod problems

[ADK38]

I've got some problems with my mod installation; i've tried both ways for mod installing and only mod i could install was ren's beauty pack. I was trying to install mods using OBMM , and I did everthing and when I activate mod it won't appear in game and that happens to every single mod I activate.

[Striker879]

You don't give much info regarding what mods other than Ren's you've had trouble with.

 

Here's a step by step that I use for manual install (I only use OMODs for mods that don't 'respond' well to my manual install methods). You could also call this 'Striker's Rather Lengthy Manual Install Procedure'. :tongue:

 

 

1) Carefully read and understand the installation instructions that are listed on the mod's description page. Almost all mods come with instructions for installation ... the ones that don't have instructions need to be awfully tempting sounding before they'll make it onto my hard drive. Where the installation instructions differ from my method I use the mod's recommendations. If I'm not sure about something I post a question on the mod's Comments page and wait until I have a good understanding before proceeding.

 

2) Download the mod and save it in a separate directory from your Oblivion install. I have a directory named H:\OblivionDownloads but if you don't have a separate hard drive as I do, you can make the directory on your C drive. Each download goes into a separate subdirectory off that (e.g. my Dark Glass Extra Set mod is in H:\OblivionDownloads\DarkGlassExtraSet).

 

3) Using the 7-Zip utility (available here) I unpack the archive into the same directory I downloaded to (7-Zip makes that easy by defaulting to that directory). 7-Zip can be used for more than .7z files ... it works fine on .rar and .zip files too. Now when I look inside my H:\OblivionDownloads\DarkGlassExtraSet using Windows Explorer I see H:\OblivionDownloads\DarkGlassExtraSet\meshes and H:\OblivionDownloads\DarkGlassExtraSet\textures (and if I look further I will see more subdirectories below that named armor, weapons under meshes and armor, menus etc under textures). When you unpack other mods you may only initially see a Data directory, but when you look inside you'll see the further subdirectories needed for the mod. Not all mods have the exact same directory structure, it depends on the type of mod. For example some mods will replace the stock vanilla armor with new meshes and textures, resulting in everyone in Oblivion using the new armor. Others, like this Dark Glass Extra Set example, adds extra content to the game and leaves the vanilla Oblivion stuff alone. The mod description will tell you which. Other mods add quests or change the Oblivion environment ... read the instructions.

 

4) Open the subdirectories all the way until you can see the files contained in the lowest level. Note the names of the files and names of the directories that they're in. Look inside your Oblivion install directory. You will see a Data directory with other subdirectories below that (meshes, Textures, Sound etc.). Open those directories and note where the directory names are the same as your download. Inside any directories that are the same name look for further ones until you get down to the level that shows you the files contained in them. Any files in a directory structure that's identical to your download will need to be backed up. Single left click one level higher than your Oblivion install directory and then File - New - Folder from your Windows Explorer menu (e.g. on my machine that will create the new directory in my Bethesda Softworks directory). Name the new directory MyBackups or whatever you chose. Create a subdirectory below that the same way, and name it to match the mod you're installing. Now recreate the directory structure of the files you're going to backup, starting at the Data directory. Example ... if I was going backup my skeleton.nif that's located in my _1stperson directory I would create the following directory structure Data\meshes\characters\_1stperson such that it matches my Oblivion install exactly from Data on down. Right click the file or files that you are backing up and select Copy from the right click menu (skeleton.nif in this example ... you can Ctrl + click to select more than one file at a time). Paste into the directory you created in the MyBackups directory (_1stperson directory in this example). Do this for all files that will be overwritten. The reason for recreating the directory structure from Data on down is to make it easy and error free if you need to restore the originals at a later date.

 

5) To install the extracted mod in Oblivion you will copy the files, maintaining the directory structure, into your Oblivion install using Windows Explorer. To do the copy I like to have two Windows Explorer windows open at once, but you can do this with only one open and navigate between your download directory and your Oblivion install directory. In this example I don't have a Data directory in my DarkGlassExtraSet but I do have meshes and Textures. To copy right click in the download directory on the meshes subdirectory and select Copy from the right click menu. Navigate or switch windows (depending on the method you're using) and then right click on the Data directory in your Oblivion install directory. Select Paste from the right click menu. You will get a dialog asking if you want to overwrite the meshes directory and all it's contents ... click Yes to All. In this example we are not actually overwriting any of the files contained in the meshes directory, we're adding extra ones. If the mod was a replacer we might be overwriting files which we have already backed up in step 4. In my Dark Glass example I would do the same with the Textures directory, copying from the download directory and pasting into my Oblivion install Data directory. If the mod came with a Data directory (containing subdirectories like meshes and Textures) I would do the copy all in one click, copy and paste but instead of pasting into the Data directory I would paste into the Oblivion directory. Always paste into one directory level higher than you're copying. You'll know you've got it wrong if you check your Oblivion install and see a Data directory inside your Data directory (or meshes inside meshes etc.). If you get it wrong delete the extra Data or meshes directory and paste again in the next level up. Another clue is if you don't get the OK to overwrite dialog you're probably not pasting into the right directory.

 

6) So far we have copied the resources the mod needs into the Oblivion install directory. Some mods, like armor replacers, will only have these resource files, in which case the installation would be complete. Other mods will also have an .esp file (and possibly an .esm file and/or .bsa file) that will also need to be copied into the Oblivion install. Depending on how the mod directory structure is organized the esp and esm/bsa files may have been copied when the Data directory was pasted into the Oblivion directory (if they were located in the Data directory of the download), other times, even if there is a Data directory in the download the esp and esm/bsa files may be located outside the Data directory. For Oblivion to find these files they will need to be located in the Oblivion\Data directory of the Oblivion install. In the download directory find the esp (and esm and/or bsa if the mod has one) and copy it into the Oblivion install Data directory using the same right click, copy and paste method. It is also possible that the mod has an esp file but no other resources like meshes or textures, in which case only the esp file would be copied ... read the instructions that came with the mod.

 

7) The last step is activating the mod so that Oblivion knows to load it when it starts up. On the game launcher click on Data Files. In the resulting window find the esp (and esm if there was one) for the mod in the left hand panel. Click on the box to the left of the name to get an X in the box. Click OK to close the window and then Play to load the game. Follow the instructions from the mod description (or readme if the download came with one in the extracted archive) to find your new bauble, start your new quest, activate your new feature or whatever the mod does. If the mod didn't come with an esp or esm (like the armor replacer mentioned before) you will not have the activating through the Data Files step ... you'll just start your game. In either case, check out the mod and see that everything is working. If you have any problems the first place you should ask for help is in the Comments page of the mods download page or on the forums if there's not much recent action on the mods comment page. If you enjoy the mod, consider endorsing it on the mod download page along with your comments. If you're wanting a bunch of mods, avoid installing more than one mod at a time and test each one before moving onto the next. It makes troubleshooting and figuring out what is causing problems much simpler.

 

A note on ArchiveInvalidation: Mods that replace vanilla Oblivion resources such as armor or clothes (or animations or a myriad of other things) need to have a way to direct the game to use these new resources rather than the stock ones. I use the Archive invalidation option off the Utilities button menu in Oblivion Mod Manager. Other options include Wrye Bash or BSA Patcher ... I have no experience with those methods, do your own research.

 

 

Good luck.

[bben46]

If your problem is mods do not show up in the game after installing AND you have either Vista or Win7 then you have a problem with the Windows UAC - It doesn't like mods. And that is where the game installs itself by default.

 

Best solution - uninstall and reinstall outside of the UAC protected Program Files folders.

 

Recommended C:\Games\Oblivion - UAC will not interfere.

 

If you need instructions for a true full uninstall/reinstall - Here is a link to my complete uninstall/reinstall procedure located in the articles section of the Nexus

http://www.tesnexus.com/articles/article.php?id=240

 

It allows you to preserve any saves and mods, or remove them completely - your choice.

[ADK38]

You don't give much info regarding what mods other than Ren's you've had trouble with.

 

Here's a step by step that I use for manual install (I only use OMODs for mods that don't 'respond' well to my manual install methods). You could also call this 'Striker's Rather Lengthy Manual Install Procedure'. :tongue:

 

 

1) Carefully read and understand the installation instructions that are listed on the mod's description page. Almost all mods come with instructions for installation ... the ones that don't have instructions need to be awfully tempting sounding before they'll make it onto my hard drive. Where the installation instructions differ from my method I use the mod's recommendations. If I'm not sure about something I post a question on the mod's Comments page and wait until I have a good understanding before proceeding.

 

2) Download the mod and save it in a separate directory from your Oblivion install. I have a directory named H:\OblivionDownloads but if you don't have a separate hard drive as I do, you can make the directory on your C drive. Each download goes into a separate subdirectory off that (e.g. my Dark Glass Extra Set mod is in H:\OblivionDownloads\DarkGlassExtraSet).

 

3) Using the 7-Zip utility (available here) I unpack the archive into the same directory I downloaded to (7-Zip makes that easy by defaulting to that directory). 7-Zip can be used for more than .7z files ... it works fine on .rar and .zip files too. Now when I look inside my H:\OblivionDownloads\DarkGlassExtraSet using Windows Explorer I see H:\OblivionDownloads\DarkGlassExtraSet\meshes and H:\OblivionDownloads\DarkGlassExtraSet\textures (and if I look further I will see more subdirectories below that named armor, weapons under meshes and armor, menus etc under textures). When you unpack other mods you may only initially see a Data directory, but when you look inside you'll see the further subdirectories needed for the mod. Not all mods have the exact same directory structure, it depends on the type of mod. For example some mods will replace the stock vanilla armor with new meshes and textures, resulting in everyone in Oblivion using the new armor. Others, like this Dark Glass Extra Set example, adds extra content to the game and leaves the vanilla Oblivion stuff alone. The mod description will tell you which. Other mods add quests or change the Oblivion environment ... read the instructions.

 

4) Open the subdirectories all the way until you can see the files contained in the lowest level. Note the names of the files and names of the directories that they're in. Look inside your Oblivion install directory. You will see a Data directory with other subdirectories below that (meshes, Textures, Sound etc.). Open those directories and note where the directory names are the same as your download. Inside any directories that are the same name look for further ones until you get down to the level that shows you the files contained in them. Any files in a directory structure that's identical to your download will need to be backed up. Single left click one level higher than your Oblivion install directory and then File - New - Folder from your Windows Explorer menu (e.g. on my machine that will create the new directory in my Bethesda Softworks directory). Name the new directory MyBackups or whatever you chose. Create a subdirectory below that the same way, and name it to match the mod you're installing. Now recreate the directory structure of the files you're going to backup, starting at the Data directory. Example ... if I was going backup my skeleton.nif that's located in my _1stperson directory I would create the following directory structure Data\meshes\characters\_1stperson such that it matches my Oblivion install exactly from Data on down. Right click the file or files that you are backing up and select Copy from the right click menu (skeleton.nif in this example ... you can Ctrl + click to select more than one file at a time). Paste into the directory you created in the MyBackups directory (_1stperson directory in this example). Do this for all files that will be overwritten. The reason for recreating the directory structure from Data on down is to make it easy and error free if you need to restore the originals at a later date.

 

5) To install the extracted mod in Oblivion you will copy the files, maintaining the directory structure, into your Oblivion install using Windows Explorer. To do the copy I like to have two Windows Explorer windows open at once, but you can do this with only one open and navigate between your download directory and your Oblivion install directory. In this example I don't have a Data directory in my DarkGlassExtraSet but I do have meshes and Textures. To copy right click in the download directory on the meshes subdirectory and select Copy from the right click menu. Navigate or switch windows (depending on the method you're using) and then right click on the Data directory in your Oblivion install directory. Select Paste from the right click menu. You will get a dialog asking if you want to overwrite the meshes directory and all it's contents ... click Yes to All. In this example we are not actually overwriting any of the files contained in the meshes directory, we're adding extra ones. If the mod was a replacer we might be overwriting files which we have already backed up in step 4. In my Dark Glass example I would do the same with the Textures directory, copying from the download directory and pasting into my Oblivion install Data directory. If the mod came with a Data directory (containing subdirectories like meshes and Textures) I would do the copy all in one click, copy and paste but instead of pasting into the Data directory I would paste into the Oblivion directory. Always paste into one directory level higher than you're copying. You'll know you've got it wrong if you check your Oblivion install and see a Data directory inside your Data directory (or meshes inside meshes etc.). If you get it wrong delete the extra Data or meshes directory and paste again in the next level up. Another clue is if you don't get the OK to overwrite dialog you're probably not pasting into the right directory.

 

6) So far we have copied the resources the mod needs into the Oblivion install directory. Some mods, like armor replacers, will only have these resource files, in which case the installation would be complete. Other mods will also have an .esp file (and possibly an .esm file and/or .bsa file) that will also need to be copied into the Oblivion install. Depending on how the mod directory structure is organized the esp and esm/bsa files may have been copied when the Data directory was pasted into the Oblivion directory (if they were located in the Data directory of the download), other times, even if there is a Data directory in the download the esp and esm/bsa files may be located outside the Data directory. For Oblivion to find these files they will need to be located in the Oblivion\Data directory of the Oblivion install. In the download directory find the esp (and esm and/or bsa if the mod has one) and copy it into the Oblivion install Data directory using the same right click, copy and paste method. It is also possible that the mod has an esp file but no other resources like meshes or textures, in which case only the esp file would be copied ... read the instructions that came with the mod.

 

7) The last step is activating the mod so that Oblivion knows to load it when it starts up. On the game launcher click on Data Files. In the resulting window find the esp (and esm if there was one) for the mod in the left hand panel. Click on the box to the left of the name to get an X in the box. Click OK to close the window and then Play to load the game. Follow the instructions from the mod description (or readme if the download came with one in the extracted archive) to find your new bauble, start your new quest, activate your new feature or whatever the mod does. If the mod didn't come with an esp or esm (like the armor replacer mentioned before) you will not have the activating through the Data Files step ... you'll just start your game. In either case, check out the mod and see that everything is working. If you have any problems the first place you should ask for help is in the Comments page of the mods download page or on the forums if there's not much recent action on the mods comment page. If you enjoy the mod, consider endorsing it on the mod download page along with your comments. If you're wanting a bunch of mods, avoid installing more than one mod at a time and test each one before moving onto the next. It makes troubleshooting and figuring out what is causing problems much simpler.

 

A note on ArchiveInvalidation: Mods that replace vanilla Oblivion resources such as armor or clothes (or animations or a myriad of other things) need to have a way to direct the game to use these new resources rather than the stock ones. I use the Archive invalidation option off the Utilities button menu in Oblivion Mod Manager. Other options include Wrye Bash or BSA Patcher ... I have no experience with those methods, do your own research.

 

 

Good luck.

Tnx :)