Copying old setup to new windows install

[michaelrz167]

Since I never got an answer to my last topic about being stuck eternally sorting mods and was unable to restore the files lost in my appdata folder, I resorted to restoring a backup of the whole drive, which failed. The system just has so many problems after being pulled from that backup it's not even worth troubleshooting... couldn't even log into windows. I lost 3 days on my machine to that nonsense. I was able to pull the files... only the system itself was broken, it seems.

 

So here I am on a fresh install of windows 10. My understanding of how this should work is that I copy my old appdata folder over. But it seems it is not that simple because when I copy my old vortex appdata/roaming in, vortex will no longer load. It just hangs on the splash screen. It does load when freshly installed, so clearly there's something I'm missing. Probably many things. Trying really hard not to lose 400+ Fallout 4 mods setup with about 300 of them being loose texture mods with all sorts of interlocking rules in place.

 

Basically all I've done is install Fallout 4 from steam, install vortex, and copy everything over from the vortex's appdata from my backup. Am I missing something? I've seen posts on it, but they all describe the process differently. What is the real scoop? The only thing I can see would be different is that my user folder name has been changed. My name is 'Michael' and I went by 'mike' on my old setup. Now windows insists my name is 'Micha' which it surely is not.

 

Is that a problem? And is there a way around it? Because as far as I can tell that should really be the only difference.

[Purr4me]

I am not too familiar with Vortex to guied you but I can talk about the basics.

the name Vortex keeps in it's profile settings can be duplicated if you know exactly where in the profiles Data the information for that name is located.

 

you make a profile name in the new installation in vortex and close it. This must match the old name and not have any mods r any adjustments yet made.

 

This is based on a launch fail scenario , what you do then is close it at that point and copy just these specific files into the new installation of Vortex and again run it as a failed scenario. You are looking for deliberate fails and an explanation of what the failures are, forcing the program to tell you what's wrong.

 

then close down vortex. You copy the mods unpacked from your back up to a new location. you run Vortex once to install just one of these mods but from the nexus Original location, download tab on the site. this will establish a location that you need to know where what gets installed @ and know where the mods you installed also are being placed.

 

NOW you have a map to go by, from this point Vortex closed and not monitoring anything, you can open up the exact locations the data needs to be placed, and the mod packages need to go ...NOW you can copy your old setup rules into the new profile, not before.

 

This is about data recovery . it's not about normal procedures but is in fact a procedure you must follow through with.

Your attempting to use old registry entries on a new system so you need t match what once was first.

 

If none of this makes any sense to you the just ignore me. But I will tell you I remote in to peoples systems and go through this every time and fix all this non-sense my self in front of the user in real time and just make their eye's pop out.

 

It's up to you.

 

Kitty Black

[HadToRegister]

What you've found out is that it was something in your appdata folder that was causing the problem with Vortex.

I suggest you start fresh with Vortex instead of wasting another three days trying to restore the appdata folder for Vortex

[michaelrz167]

What you've found out is that it was something in your appdata folder that was causing the problem with Vortex.

 

I suggest you start fresh with Vortex instead of wasting another three days trying to restore the appdata folder for Vortex

 

 

I'm hoping not! The files I'm pulling are a little further back than when it crashed - everything was working and I was able to play quite a lot after the time when this backup was made, even making changes to texture packs. It's possible there WAS a problem that would later lead to the data loss that prompted this whole nightmare scenario, but I don't see why, if I reproduce it exactly as it was before, it wouldn't function the same... at least well enough for me to take account of everything and start fresh with that info.

 

Honestly, if that does end up being the case, I have to strongly consider alternatives to vortex. Because if it's going to one day pull the switch on a HUGE mod setup AND the backup from a time when it was working is not able to be dropped-in, that's kind of a BIG issue. Trust is a major issue for me there. Why put in the time at all if that's on the table? If there is no reliable way to backup and restore the entire mod setup, rules and all, I can't use it... not with the amount of mods I wind up dealing with. All of the time in the world won't make me able to reproduce everything I did, especially since it can't do everything and I often need to go into mods manually.

 

Not to mention I have a feeling I am not doing something correctly. I was hoping to hear from someone who's familiar with what I'm attempting to do, and what their process was. If it can't be done, it can't be done. But I'm not ready to give up on it until I'm sure I've tried everything. The time put in will be a drop in the pan compared to the time I will spend starting from scratch.

[HadToRegister]

 

What you've found out is that it was something in your appdata folder that was causing the problem with Vortex.

 

I suggest you start fresh with Vortex instead of wasting another three days trying to restore the appdata folder for Vortex

 

 

I'm hoping not! The files I'm pulling are a little further back than when it crashed - everything was working and I was able to play quite a lot after the time when this backup was made, even making changes to texture packs. It's possible there WAS a problem that would later lead to the data loss that prompted this whole nightmare scenario, but I don't see why, if I reproduce it exactly as it was before, it wouldn't function the same... at least well enough for me to take account of everything and start fresh with that info.

 

Honestly, if that does end up being the case, I have to strongly consider alternatives to vortex. Because if it's going to one day pull the switch on a HUGE mod setup AND the backup from a time when it was working is not able to be dropped-in, that's kind of a BIG issue. Trust is a major issue for me there. Why put in the time at all if that's on the table? If there is no reliable way to backup and restore the entire mod setup, rules and all, I can't use it... not with the amount of mods I wind up dealing with. All of the time in the world won't make me able to reproduce everything I did, especially since it can't do everything and I often need to go into mods manually.

 

Not to mention I have a feeling I am not doing something correctly. I was hoping to hear from someone who's familiar with what I'm attempting to do, and what their process was. If it can't be done, it can't be done. But I'm not ready to give up on it until I'm sure I've tried everything. The time put in will be a drop in the pan compared to the time I will spend starting from scratch.

 

 

 

Well, you're completely confusing me

Your other thread sounded like the appdata folder was bad.

Now it's not.

 

Have you tried COMPARING the files in the appdata folder you want to restore, with the appdata folder BEFORE you restore?

However, you must've backed up something in your appdata folder that stops Vortex from working when you restore it, OR he backup went bad.

Because why else would Vortex stop working again, once you restore the old backup folder?

 

 

I would suggest (If you can) comparing the two folders (If that's at all possible now, since you restored the old appdata folder) with something like "Beyond Compare" or WinMerge that will tell you if any files are different

[Purr4me]

 

What you've found out is that it was something in your appdata folder that was causing the problem with Vortex.

 

I suggest you start fresh with Vortex instead of wasting another three days trying to restore the appdata folder for Vortex

 

 

I'm hoping not! The files I'm pulling are a little further back than when it crashed - everything was working and I was able to play quite a lot after the time when this backup was made, even making changes to texture packs. It's possible there WAS a problem that would later lead to the data loss that prompted this whole nightmare scenario, but I don't see why, if I reproduce it exactly as it was before, it wouldn't function the same... at least well enough for me to take account of everything and start fresh with that info.

 

Honestly, if that does end up being the case, I have to strongly consider alternatives to vortex. Because if it's going to one day pull the switch on a HUGE mod setup AND the backup from a time when it was working is not able to be dropped-in, that's kind of a BIG issue. Trust is a major issue for me there. Why put in the time at all if that's on the table? If there is no reliable way to backup and restore the entire mod setup, rules and all, I can't use it... not with the amount of mods I wind up dealing with. All of the time in the world won't make me able to reproduce everything I did, especially since it can't do everything and I often need to go into mods manually.

 

Not to mention I have a feeling I am not doing something correctly. I was hoping to hear from someone who's familiar with what I'm attempting to do, and what their process was. If it can't be done, it can't be done. But I'm not ready to give up on it until I'm sure I've tried everything. The time put in will be a drop in the pan compared to the time I will spend starting from scratch.

 

I'll offer only one avenue to assist you further and at least allow a eye;s on opportunity to see if the restore "can be done" with current software you have.

It is a direct remote connection VIA team weaver on discord so we can talk live while dealing with on sight facts.

 

Again, this whole thing IS about restoring what was lost ? Correct ?

[Purr4me]

I just got home from a marvelous night out with my husband and had a blast. Now I need to unwind. So I am here for you.

 

Kitty Black

[michaelrz167]

Kitty, I really appreciate that offer. Seriously! That is super-nice of you to take the time. But I'm not entirely comfortable with that. It's not that I doubt you at all... it's just something I'm not willing to give to anyone. Thank you though. You are awesome to even offer to go crawling through someone else's broken system for free.

 

 

 

What you've found out is that it was something in your appdata folder that was causing the problem with Vortex.

I suggest you start fresh with Vortex instead of wasting another three days trying to restore the appdata folder for Vortex

I'm hoping not! The files I'm pulling are a little further back than when it crashed - everything was working and I was able to play quite a lot after the time when this backup was made, even making changes to texture packs. It's possible there WAS a problem that would later lead to the data loss that prompted this whole nightmare scenario, but I don't see why, if I reproduce it exactly as it was before, it wouldn't function the same... at least well enough for me to take account of everything and start fresh with that info.

 

Honestly, if that does end up being the case, I have to strongly consider alternatives to vortex. Because if it's going to one day pull the switch on a HUGE mod setup AND the backup from a time when it was working is not able to be dropped-in, that's kind of a BIG issue. Trust is a major issue for me there. Why put in the time at all if that's on the table? If there is no reliable way to backup and restore the entire mod setup, rules and all, I can't use it... not with the amount of mods I wind up dealing with. All of the time in the world won't make me able to reproduce everything I did, especially since it can't do everything and I often need to go into mods manually.

 

Not to mention I have a feeling I am not doing something correctly. I was hoping to hear from someone who's familiar with what I'm attempting to do, and what their process was. If it can't be done, it can't be done. But I'm not ready to give up on it until I'm sure I've tried everything. The time put in will be a drop in the pan compared to the time I will spend starting from scratch.

 

 

 

Well, you're completely confusing me

Your other thread sounded like the appdata folder was bad.
Now it's not.

Have you tried COMPARING the files in the appdata folder you want to restore, with the appdata folder BEFORE you restore?
However, you must've backed up something in your appdata folder that stops Vortex from working when you restore it, OR he backup went bad.

Because why else would Vortex stop working again, once you restore the old backup folder?


I would suggest (If you can) comparing the two folders (If that's at all possible now, since you restored the old appdata folder) with something like "Beyond Compare" or WinMerge that will tell you if any files are different

 

I'm sorry, maybe I wasn't explaining it well. Can't deny that I'm extremely frustrated and disappointed. Two things that have always worked for me let me down in tandem and left me high and dry... right at the start of the work week, when all I have to put towards it is that precious time after work. But then, if I don't, it eats away at me... so damned if I do or don't. It definitely has me feeling a bit fragmented and spun-out. Worse yet, I've been refining the whole thing... it was legitimately so close to its final form. Very few things I had left that I was still changing. The other 90% has been what it was for 6 months.

 

I'll try to explain the whole story again. Before all of this... while I was working with a texture pack in Vortex, it crapped out and all of the information for deployment and rules was lost. I've seen very little about this, but apparently it has happened and nobody who talked about it came forward with a solution. I saw some chatter on the github about it, but the user dropped off... probably gave up and started over. I don't know if they ever shared logs. Kinda wish I had mine now. This may be a serious issue for some people, something that needs to be fixed on the dev's end. It seems like when it gets stuck sorting like it has for me and a handful of other people, things go very wrong. It's something to do with changing or removing a deployed mod within the game folder - when Vortex catches up, gets your verdict on what to do, and tries to update its deployment manifest/staging folder to account for the missing file, the floor drops out and it botches the deployment and rules data. And from there it forever hangs on deploying, with no way to go back. The data is gone and there's no way to get Vortex to recreate what it needs... that I or anyone else found, at least.

 

At the time of the github post, it was assumed fixed by later updates... but clearly it can still happen.

 

Even then, Vortex WOULD still start. It would have all of my mods listed with the right ones enabled. It just would not deploy, would not start the game, and wouldn't allow me to see or alter rules. It was like it literally did not detect conflicts. It behaved as though there were no conflicts... which, if we're going by individual files in the mods, there were thousands. I also couldn't load profiles... it would try to deploy them and get stuck in the same way. From where I stood, it was not something I was willing to try to fix. I tried to do a file recovery but was unable to pinpoint them.

 

I'm getting off-track. But this is where it all started.

 

24 hours before this all happened, an automatic system backup was made via 3rd-party software. Vortex, appdata, and fallout 4 are all on this drive, so it caught everything in a working state.That is where the appdata/roaming I'm trying to fudge in came from. At the time of the backup, the data in that folder was good. Now, I'm on a fresh install with all of the prerequisites setup and Vortex fails to start at all when I copy that appdata folder in. Today, I even went back and made a new admin account that shares my old account's user folder path. Same result. It reminds me of what happens if you try to change the path of your user folder with apps installed. None of them will start because the programs either through their config or registry are still pointing to the old one. But in my case, that's not it - I haven't changed the paths of anything from what Vortex already knows, unless something in the fudged appdata is pointing to the wrong location and snagging it up.

 

So you may be right, something may be wrong with the appdata, but if that's the case, I no longer have any working one to compare against, as you suggested. The way it goes sometimes. :/ I will say that would be strange for other files to be bad, as all of the archives in the downloads folder and the extracted ones on the mods folder DO check out as intact, as per WinMerge. I can at least check those, because copies of the mods exist on the internet. What this tells me is that if a configuration-related file in that same folder is responsible, it was the only one affected, which I understand is possible, but not so likely. It's the same story with every other file on the drive. Not one single file that I have a 'good' version to verify against is corrupted. From what I have observed, the backup of most, if not everything was intact, but something to do with how EaseUS does its system backups doesn't roll my particular W10 environment out right. It may actually have been something with my install of W10. It actually boots and everything's there... I just can't get into the system directly because of something broken with logging-in. At first I thought it was the profile, but no accounts work and frankly that is NOT something I'm willing to try and fix with nothing but an admin-level command prompt at my disposal. At that point, I'm reimaging... meaning I keep my account and personal files, but no installs... back to square one.

 

Anywho, I have a feeling I am doing something wrong. It may be as kitty suggests related to registry, though I was under the impression that Vortex doesn't rely much on registry entries for the part of the process I seem to be having problems with. I do believe that it is appdata related. I just don't know how. It'd be nice if there was a way for me to simply reproduce most of it manually (installing mods and such) and then copy JUST the profile I want over when it has everything it needs set up to load that profile, both in my game folder and in vortex's folders, with the entire original path structure and everything. All of that I can do manually in not TOO much time. What I can't do in any reasonable time is figure out what mods were actually loaded and reproduce the whole thing, let alone start recreating all of the overwrite rules or figure out what mods I stupidly went in and patched directly to work together.

 

 

I've realized that I do at least have something to go by. At the time of the backup I have now, my profile was actually deployed, which I've heard is a no-no for transfers, but it may still save me somewhat. See... they are there in that backup's Fallout 4 folder. Running the game, it actually works with all of the mods loading! Hardlinks to the rescue? I didn't know hardlinks worked like that. If I'm getting it right, they're functionally just a second index of the same file... so when I copied them out of the mounted backup, the actual data they were pointing to elsewhere on the drive came along. That's actually pretty handy. I have everything that appdata folder has in it's final manifestation.

 

So I think I'll do what I was planning to before... which was compress all of my mishmashed texture mods into archives... I actually was planning to do that tomorrow, before all of this went down. I'm not making changes to my texture rollout anymore, so I can archive them. I can just go from there with a fresh vortex install... it's about 100 plugins to reinstall... maybe I can dump them in Vortex's downloads folder to save some time? Either way, I can then install all of my outfits and plugin-based mods. I never had any load-order-related conflicts letting vortex sort them, so assuming it does it the same way that's fine. I do have a good few esp's I have manually edited, and some patches I made myself, but again, I apparently still have those in the old game folder, so all good... I can overwrite where needed. I also installed a handful of mods after that backup, which I can get from my Nexus history by looking at dates. Not how I would've wanted to do things, but I also never considered it possible to begin with. This, I think I can manage in an afternoon :smile:

 

 

Still, I would be curious if anyone has any solid info on the process of restoring an old profile, so that I can start keeping working backups specifically of that data, so that the next time Vortex does this I'm not going through all of this crap again. I'm gonna sleep on it tonight... and tomorrow I will probably start packing those textures up.

 

I also just wanna say I appreciate the responses from both of you! In a way it has been a big help in me making sense of what I'm dealing with.

[Purr4me]

"Still, I would be curious if anyone has any solid info on the process of doing this, so that I can start keeping working backups specifically of that folder"

1. but something to do with how EaseUS does its system backups doesn't roll my particular W10 environment out right (CORRECT)
2. The restore for that program must come from that program BUT---you Can not use windows to restrore it.
3. There can be zero changes to the operating system for 3rd party backup recovery programs, Only windows can deal with changes.
4. The mystery your looking for you have already answered, the naming scheme you mentioned was out of wack, not the same.
5. EaseUS is looking for exact name schemes. <--- this is where yo concentrate your efforts, DO not make any more changes to that hard drives data, you back up every byte from it using an imaging application, NOT a backup program. Save your work.
6. All files are in use so a resolution will be impossible at this time on that drive under these conditions. Plan ahead.
7. Windows does not thoroughly back up all programs that are not it's won. Just active programs.
8. If you need t ogo further and all your work is that important, write down on paper the exact name the OS was, the profile log in was from long ago, so if you install a replacement hard dive and reinstall that OS, all the data will match.
9. Fro this thorough explanation I now realize the depth of the matter and warn you to stop making attempt's on the drive. Back it all up using an imaging software program to a clean empty drive as an iso or your choice. IF you do, your going to make things worse.

 

I've dealt with EaseUS before , it did not suite my purposes then and does not now.

[Purr4me]

1. Copy needed folder with all the data you want to keep to a usb ssd card 32gig if it will fit, they are very cheap now.
2. Image the drive for keeps sake to another separate ssd card that fits the size required.
3. Format this hard-drive because it;'s useless to you in this condition.
4. Install VIA boot usb image of windows 10 PRo useing windows media tool download and run to a blank usb drive
5. set bios to boot from usb
6. boot from the usb and install windows with the correct naming scheme and log in credentials.
7. verify this data is indeed the correct Original information from long ago before all this took place.
8. install the gaming software.
9. install the game
10. all paths MUST be exactly the same as it was before.
11. Run the game first from steam, not from the executable or from any other programs ,Just steam.
12. Establish a clean operating game and saved game function and verify re-entry functions correctly.
13. install Vortex "If you so desire."
14. incert the folder ssd card that has the mods in it "Only to read the installed order of them and begin"
15. DO not copy apps data, Please do not do that.
16. you only need the profiles copied to vortex.Pay attention to details and know that vortex creates it's own logs VIA time stamping for all virtual links.

 

it's not worth the effort to resolve system wide boot failure over a bad copy paste operating.

Once all of those mods are installed, you can extract from the imaged drive data VIA mounting it and reading the rules and reentering those rules by hand back into Vortex by hand.

 

I estimate 4 days of tedious work to get back what you lost.