Can I put OBSE_loader.exe safely in my Oblivion folder?

[Sebiale]

So, I've been installing mods recently (mainly via NMM), and run across a few that insist I do not have OBSE installed when I try to activate them, and this seems to be because they don't know how to recognize the steam version.

I've found that I can trick them into thinking I have non-Steam OBSE installed by just placing OBSE_loader.exe into the Oblivion folder with the three .dll. Is there any way I could run Oblivion and the mods using OBSE_Loader.exe without worrying, or do you think it might be possible to just have the .exe there when activating them, and removing it afterwards to prevent any problems?

Or will I just have to do without the mods?

[Striker879]

Having obse_Loader.exe in your Oblivion folder in a Steam version game is quite a bit different than trying to start the Steam version of the game with obse_Loader.exe. The OBSE team worked with the Steam team to make OBSE work with the Steam version of Oblivion. The method used for Steam is different than the method used for the disk versions of the game (Steam version uses an extra .dll ... disk version uses obse_Loader.exe).

 

If just having obse_Loader.exe in your Oblivion folder works to get OBSE dependent mods thinking you have OBSE loaded (which you do have via the Steam version .dll files) then you have accomplished what you need.

[Sebiale]

But can I run Oblivion while still having OBSE_loader.exe in my Oblivion folder if I'm using the steam version with mods that looked for the .exe when they were activated? Will they still be looking for and trying to use the .exe, and would that cause problems, or would OBSE work fine in the Steam version, despite the .exe being present? Edited June 10, 2012 by Sebiale

[Striker879]

I would think that any mod that looked for obse_Loader.exe as a way to determine whether or not you have OBSE will see the file and figure that means you're running OBSE. When that mod uses an OBSE function in one of it's scripts all will be well because you have OBSE activated via the three OBSE .dll files that Steam requires.

 

I'm quite sure that if you tried running the Steam version of Oblivion using the obse_Loader.exe you'd run into trouble (probably failure to even start the game). Just having obse_Loader.ex sitting in your Oblivion folder won't create any problems ... it can't run unless called (via double click in Windows Explorer, run command or desktop shortcut for example) and no mod is going to call obse_Loader.exe as it needs to run before the game starts so it can inject it's code.

 

Looking for obse_Loader.exe is just a way the modder has tried to cut down on support problems by looking for it and probably warning the user if it's not found. You could find the part of the mod installation script that looks for obse_Loader.exe and comment it out and be alright (I'm assuming that it's OMOD scripts that are raising this issue for you).