Last minute check before playing

[nrot]

*** TL;DR version (I'm requesting assistance to help me find any obvious load order or other stupid mistakes I may have made before playing Skyrim. Spoiler tagged load order is below.) ***

 

Hi all,

 

I'm able to start up and play Skyrim without any CTDs or similar oddities so far, just trying to address any potential problem areas before I start playing to keep it that way. Over the past couple of days I've poured many hours into researching the best mods out there, learning as much as I can about the various tools & utilities (SKSE, NMM, BOSS, WB, & TESVedit, etc.) and was hoping the community could assist me in making sure I haven't committed any grievous errors or omissions before I go back to the land of Skyrim (my first playthrough was at release and 100% vanilla). I've modded Oblivion in the past but that was years ago and I've had to relearn everything.

 

I've read that with Skyrim if you make mod mistakes in the beginning, you can permanently bork your save games and leave yourself completely SOL as far as repair options go... obviously, I want to avoid that. I got excited and went into n00b happy mode like many do and downloaded virtually every mod that looked cool and shiny, all at once. I was up to ~120 mods/plugins at the max, and now have it down to under 100; removing redundant, conflicting, and some no longer supported mods, while ensuring I've installed all appropriate compatibility patches (I hope).

 

I know I've probably created a problem for myself due to having old files modified or added which are now likely deleted after uninstalling the mod that added or altered them. I'm not sure how to go about making sure I get the install order correct this time. For example, I just finished downloading the official HD DLC, but already installed the HD 2K mod a couple days ago... I omitted the DLC at first because I figured it would be redundant, but then realized there are probably textures updated by the DLC that may not yet have been updated by HD 2K or other texture mods. By chance, is there a tool that can check for incorrect install orders from a master list similar to the way BOSS does for load orders and inform me of any corrections I need to make? If not, will simply deactivating and reactivating mods in the correct order in NMM or WB fix any install snafus I've made, or will I need to completely delete/redownload/reinstall those mods?

 

The final issue I want to make sure I understand correctly is concerning dirty edits... specifically the ones BOSS finds in the official Bethesda .ESMs. If I have understood correctly, it is safe and recommended to use TESVedit to clean up Dawnguard and Hearthfire .ESM dirty edits (assuming one is careful and creates backups beforehand), but do not to ever touch the original Skyrim.esm or the Update.esm... otherwise all the NPC's will simultaneously take an arrow to the knee (:hurr:... sorry), Sweetrolls will go missing (:hurr:... sorry again), and Tamriel in general will simply implode. Causing me to have to start over from scratch.

 

...Do I have all that about right? Anyway, here is what Wrye Bash currently reports for my load order:

 

 

 

 

Bashed Patch, 0.esp

• Overview

 

• Leveled Lists

 

 

 

Overview

 

 

Date/Time

• 1/26/2013 8:21:19 PM

 

• Elapsed Time: 0:00:11.165

 

 

 

Active Mods

• 00 Skyrim.esm

 

• 01 Update.esm

 

• 02 Dawnguard.esm

 

• 03 HearthFires.esm

 

• 04 GeneralStores.esm

 

• 05 MagicDuel.esm

 

• 06 moonpath.esm

 

• 07 SPIKE.esm

 

• 08 TravellersOfSkyrim.esm

 

• 09 Hideout.esm

 

• 0A HighResTexturePack01.esp

 

• 0B HighResTexturePack02.esp

 

• 0C Unofficial Skyrim Patch.esp [Version 1.2.6]

 

• 0D Unofficial Dawnguard Patch.esp [Version 1.1.4]

 

• 0E Unofficial Hearthfire Patch.esp [Version 1.0.3]

 

• 0F Chesko_Frostfall.esp

 

• 10 Better Dynamic Snow.esp

 

• 11 EnhancedLightsandFX.esp

 

• 12 StaticMeshImprovementMod.esp

 

• 13 Economics of Skyrim.esp

 

• 14 Economics of Skyrim - Dawnguard.esp

 

• 15 BLESSINGS - Altar Descriptions.esp

 

• 16 Chesko_WearableLantern.esp

 

• 17 CookingExpanded.esp [Version 1.2b.]

 

• 18 CraftableCloudStorage(GS).esp

 

• 19 UnlimitedBookshelves.esp

 

• 1A Radiant and Unique Potions and Poisons v2.0.esp

 

• 1B Skyrim Flora Overhaul.esp

 

• 1C SwiftPotion.esp

 

• 1D TravellersOfSkyrim - Vanilla.esp

 

• 1E Convenient Horses.esp

 

• 1F Chesko_LoreBasedLoadingScreens.esp

 

• 20 Dragon Soul Relinquishment.esp

 

• 21 Footprints.esp

 

• 22 WetandCold.esp

 

• 23 SkyUI.esp

 

• 24 iHUD.esp

 

• 25 SaveHotKeyMCM.esp

 

• 26 Cloaks.esp

 

• 27 Cloaks - No Imperial.esp

 

• 28 Cloaks - Player Only.esp

 

• 29 One handed Crossbow.esp

 

• 2A UniqueLeveledItemsUpgrade.esp

 

• 2B Lock Overhaul.esp

 

• 2C Convenient Horse Herding.esp

 

• 2D Gleaming falls.esp

 

• 2E hideout - hearthfires.esp

 

• 2F moonpath_questdata.esp

 

• 30 RayeksEnd.esp

 

• 31 Reaper's The Dark Tower.esp

 

• 32 RiverwoodHuntingCabin.esp

 

• 33 AchieveThat.esp

 

• 34 BetterQuestObjectives.esp

 

• 35 Headbomb's Better Sorting - Ammo.esp

 

• 36 Headbomb's Better Sorting - Books.esp

 

• 37 Headbomb's Better Sorting - Food (Normal Weight).esp

 

• 38 Headbomb's Better Sorting - Ingredients.esp

 

• 39 Headbomb's Better Sorting - Miscellaneous.esp

 

• 3A Headbomb's Better Sorting - Potions (Normal Weight).esp

 

• 3B Headbomb's Better Sorting - Soul Gems (Ranked).esp

 

• 3C Headbomb's Better Sorting - Spells.esp

 

• 3D Guard Dialogue Overhaul.esp

 

• 3E Headtracking.esp

 

• 3F More Salt Please.esp

 

• 40 NonEssentialChilds.esp

 

• 41 Proper Aiming.esp

 

• 42 TheChoiceIsYours.esp

 

• 43 TheChoiceIsYours_Dawnguard.esp

 

• 44 UnreadBooksGlow.esp [Version 2.0.1]

 

• 45 Hunting in Skyrim.esp

 

• 46 Open Cities Skyrim.esp [Version 0.9.8]

 

• 47 Eld-combinePotions.esp

 

• 48 SkyRe_Main.esp

 

• 49 SkyRe_Combat.esp

 

• 4A SkyRe_EncounterZones.esp

 

• 4B SkyRe_EnemyAI.esp

 

• 4C SkyRe_EnemyScaling.esp

 

• 4D SkyRe_StandingStones.esp

 

• 4E SkyRe_Survivalism.esp

 

• 4F Acquisitive Soul Gems.esp

 

• 50 UFO - Ultimate Follower Overhaul.esp

 

• 51 UFO - Dawnguard AddOn.esp

 

• 52 TravellersOfSkyrim - UFO Compatibility Patch.esp

 

• 53 Reduced Distance NPC Greetings.esp

 

• 54 SPTConsistentOlderPeople.esp [Version 1.3]

 

• 55 Follower Trap Safety.esp

 

• 56 DudestiaMultiMarriages.esp

 

• 57 moveitLWT.esp

 

• 58 Spousetocustomhome.esp

 

• 59 Alternate Start - Live Another Life.esp [Version 2.2]

 

• 5A SkyRe_Races.esp

 

• 5B WATER.esp

 

• 5C Atlas Map Markers.esp

 

 

 

Leveled Lists

 

 

Delevelers/Relevelers

• Dawnguard.esm [ADR]

 

• Unofficial Skyrim Patch.esp [ADR]

 

• Unofficial Dawnguard Patch.esp [ADR]

 

• Economics of Skyrim.esp [ADR]

 

• SkyRe_Main.esp [ADR]

 

• SkyRe_EnemyScaling.esp [AR]

 

 

 

Merged Item Lists

• ArmorStormcloakSet

 

• Cloaks.esp

 

• Cloaks - No Imperial.esp

 

• Cloaks - Player Only.esp

 

• ArmorStormcloakSetNoHelmet

 

• Cloaks.esp

 

• Cloaks - No Imperial.esp

 

• Cloaks - Player Only.esp

 

• LItemFoodInnCommon

 

• Unofficial Skyrim Patch.esp [ADR]

 

• CookingExpanded.esp

 

• LItemFoodInnCommon10

 

• Unofficial Skyrim Patch.esp [ADR]

 

• CookingExpanded.esp

 

• LItemIngredientFoodPrepared

 

• Unofficial Skyrim Patch.esp [ADR]

 

• CookingExpanded.esp

 

• PerkMasterTraderGold

 

• Hideout.esm

 

• hideout - hearthfires.esp

 

• VendorGoldMisc

 

• Economics of Skyrim.esp [ADR]

 

• hideout - hearthfires.esp

 

 

 

Empty Item Sublists

• LItemEnchCircletEnchanting

 

• LItemEnchRingAlchemy

 

• LItemEnchRingEnchanting

 

• LItemNecromancerRobesEnchanting

 

• LItemPoisonDrainAllSkills

 

• LItemPoisonDrainAllSkillsBest

 

• LItemPoisonDrainArmorSkills

 

• LItemPoisonDrainArmorSkillsBest

 

• LItemPoisonDrainBlock

 

• LItemPoisonDrainBlockBest

 

• LItemPoisonDrainCombatSkills

 

• LItemPoisonDrainCombatSkillsBest

 

• LItemPoisonDrainConjuration

 

• LItemPoisonDrainConjurationBest

 

• LItemPoisonDrainDestruction

 

• LItemPoisonDrainDestructionBest

 

• LItemPoisonDrainMagicSkills

 

• LItemPoisonDrainMagicSkillsBest

 

• LItemPoisonDrainMarksman

 

• LItemPoisonDrainMarksmanBest

 

• LItemPoisonDrainMeleeSkills

 

• LItemPoisonDrainMeleeSkillsBest

 

• LItemPoisonDrainRestoration

 

• LItemPoisonDrainRestorationBest

 

• LItemWarlockRobesEnchanting

 

 

 

Empty Item Sublists Removed

• LItemApothecaryPoisonAll75

 

• LItemDrainMagicSkills

 

• LItemEnchCircletAll

 

• LItemEnchCircletAll25

 

• LItemEnchCircletAll75

 

• LItemEnchRingSkillMagic

 

• LItemEnchRingSkillStealth

 

• LItemPoisonAll

 

• LItemPoisonAllBest

 

• LItemPoisonDrainAllSkills

 

• LItemPoisonDrainAllSkillsBest

 

• LItemPoisonDrainCombatSkills

 

• LItemPoisonDrainCombatSkillsBest

 

• LItemPoisonDrainMagicSkills

 

• LItemPoisonDrainMagicSkillsBest

 

• LootBanditChestPotions100

 

• LootBanditChestPotions15

 

• LootCWImperialsChestPotions100

 

• LootCWImperialsChestPotions25

 

• LootCWSonsChestPotions100

 

• LootCWSonsChestPotions25

 

• LootDwarvenChestPotions15

 

• LootDwavenChestPotions100

 

• LootEnchNecromancerRobes25

 

• LootEnchWarlockRobes25

 

• LootForswornChestPotions100

 

• LootForswornChestPotions15

 

• LootForswornPotions10

 

• LootHagravenChestPotions100

 

• LootHagravenChestPotions25

 

• LootVampireChestPotions100

 

• LootVampireChestPotions15

 

• LootWerewolfChestPotions100

 

• LootWerewolfChestPotions25

 

• TGRewardPoisonAllBest

 

 

 

 

A huge thanks in advance for anyone willing to help me out. If I left out any important information or bad memes please let me know. :)

 

[Edit]

 

Forgot the BOSS log

 

 

 

These plugins are recognised by BOSS and have been sorted according to its masterlist. Please read any attached messages and act on any that require action.

 

Skyrim.esm Active

Update.esm Active

Contains dirty edits: 52 ITM, 1 UDR records. Needs TES5Edit cleaning. (http://www.creationkit.com/TES5Edit_Cleaning_Guide_-_TES5Edit)

Dawnguard.esm Active

Contains dirty edits: 602 ITM, 82 UDR records. Needs TES5Edit cleaning. (http://www.creationkit.com/TES5Edit_Cleaning_Guide_-_TES5Edit)

Bash Tag suggestion(s): {{BASH: Delev, Relev}}

HearthFires.esm Active

Contains dirty edits: 171 ITM, 11 UDR records. Needs TES5Edit cleaning. (http://www.creationkit.com/TES5Edit_Cleaning_Guide_-_TES5Edit)

GeneralStores.esm Active

MagicDuel.esm Active

moonpath.esm Active

SPIKE.esm Active

TravellersOfSkyrim.esm Active

Hideout.esm Active

Warning: Original file was released before the CK (07 Feb. 2012) a compatibility patch fixed and cleaned with TES5Edit can be obtained here. (Compatibility Patch)

HighResTexturePack01.esp

HighResTexturePack02.esp

Unofficial Skyrim Patch.esp Active

Bash Tag suggestion(s): {{BASH: Delev, Relev}}

Unofficial Dawnguard Patch.esp Active

Bash Tag suggestion(s): {{BASH: Delev, Relev}}

Unofficial Hearthfire Patch.esp Active

Chesko_Frostfall.esp Active

Better Dynamic Snow.esp Active

Contains dirty edits: 6 ITM, 0 UDR records. Needs TES5Edit cleaning. (http://www.creationkit.com/TES5Edit_Cleaning_Guide_-_TES5Edit)

EnhancedLightsandFX.esp Active

StaticMeshImprovementMod.esp Active

Economics of Skyrim.esp Active

Bash Tag suggestion(s): {{BASH: Delev, Relev}}

Economics of Skyrim - Dawnguard.esp Active

BLESSINGS - Altar Descriptions.esp Active

Chesko_WearableLantern.esp Active

CookingExpanded.esp Active

CraftableCloudStorage(GS).esp Active

UnlimitedBookshelves.esp Active

Radiant and Unique Potions and Poisons v2.0.esp Active

Skyrim Flora Overhaul.esp Active

SwiftPotion.esp Active

TravellersOfSkyrim - Vanilla.esp Active

Convenient Horses.esp Active

Chesko_LoreBasedLoadingScreens.esp Active

Dragon Soul Relinquishment.esp Active

Footprints.esp Active

WetandCold.esp Active

SkyUI.esp Active

iHUD.esp Active

SaveHotKeyMCM.esp Active

Cloaks.esp Active

Contains dirty edits: 4 ITM, 0 UDR records. Needs TES5Edit cleaning. (http://www.creationkit.com/TES5Edit_Cleaning_Guide_-_TES5Edit)

Cloaks - No Imperial.esp Active

Note: Use only one cloaks*esp

Contains dirty edits: 14 ITM, 0 UDR records. Needs TES5Edit cleaning. (http://www.creationkit.com/TES5Edit_Cleaning_Guide_-_TES5Edit)

Cloaks - Player Only.esp Active

Note: Use only one cloaks*esp

Contains dirty edits: 50 ITM, 0 UDR records. Needs TES5Edit cleaning. (http://www.creationkit.com/TES5Edit_Cleaning_Guide_-_TES5Edit)

One handed Crossbow.esp Active

UniqueLeveledItemsUpgrade.esp Active

Lock Overhaul.esp Active

Convenient Horse Herding.esp Active

Gleaming falls.esp Active

Contains dirty edits: 8 ITM, 63 UDR records. Needs TES5Edit cleaning. (http://www.creationkit.com/TES5Edit_Cleaning_Guide_-_TES5Edit)

hideout - hearthfires.esp Active

moonpath_questdata.esp Active

RayeksEnd.esp Active

Reaper's The Dark Tower.esp Active

Contains dirty edits: 17 ITM, 9 UDR record. Needs TES5Edit cleaning. (http://www.creationkit.com/TES5Edit_Cleaning_Guide_-_TES5Edit)

RiverwoodHuntingCabin.esp Active

AchieveThat.esp Active

BetterQuestObjectives.esp Active

Headbomb's Better Sorting - Ammo.esp Active

Warning: Contains unexpected (or out of order) records. A compatibility patch fixed and cleaned with TES5Edit can be obtained here. (Compatibility Patch)

Headbomb's Better Sorting - Books.esp Active

Warning: Contains unexpected (or out of order) records. A compatibility patch fixed and cleaned with TES5Edit can be obtained here. (Compatibility Patch)

Headbomb's Better Sorting - Food (Normal Weight).esp Active

Warning: Contains unexpected (or out of order) records. A compatibility patch fixed and cleaned with TES5Edit can be obtained here. (Compatibility Patch)

Headbomb's Better Sorting - Ingredients.esp Active

Warning: Contains unexpected (or out of order) records. A compatibility patch fixed and cleaned with TES5Edit can be obtained here. (Compatibility Patch)

Headbomb's Better Sorting - Miscellaneous.esp Active

Warning: Contains unexpected (or out of order) records. A compatibility patch fixed and cleaned with TES5Edit can be obtained here. (Compatibility Patch)

Headbomb's Better Sorting - Potions (Normal Weight).esp Active

Warning: Contains unexpected (or out of order) records. A compatibility patch fixed and cleaned with TES5Edit can be obtained here. (Compatibility Patch)

Headbomb's Better Sorting - Soul Gems (Ranked).esp Active

Warning: Contains unexpected (or out of order) records. A compatibility patch fixed and cleaned with TES5Edit can be obtained here. (Compatibility Patch)

Headbomb's Better Sorting - Spells.esp Active

Warning: Contains unexpected (or out of order) records. A compatibility patch fixed and cleaned with TES5Edit can be obtained here. (Compatibility Patch)

Guard Dialogue Overhaul.esp Active

Headtracking.esp Active

More Salt Please.esp Active

NonEssentialChilds.esp Active

Proper Aiming.esp Active

TheChoiceIsYours.esp Active

TheChoiceIsYours_Dawnguard.esp Active

UnreadBooksGlow.esp Active

Hunting in Skyrim.esp Active

Open Cities Skyrim.esp Active

Eld-combinePotions.esp Active

SkyRe_Main.esp Active

Bash Tag suggestion(s): {{BASH: Relev, Delev}}

Warning: The SkyRe has many conflicts with other mods. Please read the readme before playing with mod. This will prevent many problems. Read it here.

Note: If lockpicikng is not work then try to delete 'interface\lockpickingmenu.swf'

Note: If you have a problem with aiming try to install this mod.

Note: To make aiming easier, recommend to add the following lines to Skyrim.ini:

Note: [Actor]

Note: fVisibleNavmeshMoveDist=12288.0000

Note: [Combat]

Note: f1PArrowTiltUpAngle=0.64

Note: f3PArrowTiltUpAngle=0.64

Note: fMagnetismStrafeHeadingMult=0.0

Note: fMagnetismLookingMult=0.0

SkyRe_Combat.esp Active

SkyRe_EncounterZones.esp Active

SkyRe_EnemyAI.esp Active

SkyRe_EnemyScaling.esp Active

Bash Tag suggestion(s): {{BASH: Relev}}

SkyRe_StandingStones.esp Active

SkyRe_Survivalism.esp Active

Contains dirty edits: 3 ITM, 0 UDR records. Needs TES5Edit cleaning. (http://www.creationkit.com/TES5Edit_Cleaning_Guide_-_TES5Edit)

Acquisitive Soul Gems.esp Active

UFO - Ultimate Follower Overhaul.esp Active

Warning: UFO - Heartfire AddOn.esp required to work properly with Hearthfires (Official Bethesda DLC)

Note: For safe install need dismiss all your followers, save, delete all included mods, load again, save and install UFO. For safe uninstall or update see special instructions on mod page.

UFO - Dawnguard AddOn.esp Active

TravellersOfSkyrim - UFO Compatibility Patch.esp Active

Reduced Distance NPC Greetings.esp Active

SPTConsistentOlderPeople.esp Active

Follower Trap Safety.esp Active

DudestiaMultiMarriages.esp Active

moveitLWT.esp Active

Spousetocustomhome.esp Active

Alternate Start - Live Another Life.esp Active

SkyRe_Races.esp Active

WATER.esp Active

Atlas Map Markers.esp Active

Bashed Patch, 0.esp Active

ReProccer.esp Active

 

 

Edited January 27, 2013 by nrot

[ripple]

1) I recommend installing mods using the Mod Organizer rather than NMM or manual installation of mods. MO does not install mod files directly into the game data folder, but keeps them in their own isolated folders then 'reassembles' the installation into a 'virtual data folder' when you launch the game (or SKSE) through MO. This means you no longer have to worry about installing mods (especially texture replacers) in the 'wrong order.' You can adjust mod installation order in MO just like how you adjust load order of esp's. I believe this is what you were asking in the first question? Regarding the HD texture DLC. It's textures are compressed into BSA files, so it shouldn't be an issue in your case. Anything texture replacer mods will overwrite the BSAs in cases of conflict if the mod resource files are in loose file format.

 

2) You BOSS log shows that there are many esp's in your load order which needs to be cleaned. So download TES5Edit from that link and follow the instructions to clean the esp's identified by BOSS as containing dirty edits (including the DLCs).

 

3) The BOSS log also shows a number of plugins (looks to be from one mod) that have error records, most likely because those esp's were generated using a pre-CK tool like TESVSnip. Make sure you download the updated fix patch for those mods, as indicated by BOSS. But really, looking at the name of the plugins, it looks like that's a mod for sorting items, which basically just changes the name of the items. There are many of these 'sorting mods' on the Nexus, I'd advise downloading one that is already updated for the latest patch. These sorting mods can be very time consuming to make (depending how how many items they rename) but very easy to generate via something like TES5Edit. Even if you can't find a sorting mod you like, you can use TES5Edit to make one in probably 10 - 15 minutes (in other words, it's not worth risking the stability of your load order by having a sorting mod in it which contain error records).

 

4) Does the BOSS log show any esp's it did not recognize (and thus need to be manually arranged in the load order)?

 

5) You are absolutely right about mods leaving junk in savegames. Unlike previous Bethesda games like Oblivion and Fallout 3, there are things like papyrus scripts that won't be cleaned through a cell reset (producing potential CTDs, game anomalies, bloated savegames, and spammy papyrus logs). It is advised that you consider very carefully which mods you let into your load order club, and avoid yanking out mods later and leaving orphan junk in your savegames

Edited January 27, 2013 by ripple

[nrot]

Thanks a bunch, ripple. That was just the type of reply I was hoping for. :thumbsup:

 

I'll go ahead and read up on this mod organizer (I'm shocked I didn't come across it earlier) and give it a try. Do you know off-hand if its a big chore to switch to using it, or something as simple as moving mods from one folder to another?

 

As far as errors go, BOSS summary shows zero errors (it had errors previously, but I took care of them). It does however show 12 warnings, all related to patches I have already installed. I asked about this in another thread a couple days ago and was told that BOSS isn't able to verify those patches are present (no idea as to why) and to ignore the warnings. Was I told correctly?

 

There was in fact 3 unrecongized plugins (forgot to ask about that) those 3 are:

 

Crossbows_Basic_Collection_DE_LL.esp Active

Better Sorting - Hearthfire Food (Normal Weight).esp Active

CornersofTheSkyrimMinus1.esp Active

 

I'm guessing since the master list doesn't include them, I should check the descriptions for clues on where to put them in the load order?

 

As far as the sorting mods go... it seems like a case of pick the best of 2 bad options... either don't choose to have one at all and have a disorganized mess in menus, or pick an updated one and hope it doesn't cause any conflicts with other mods *AND* stays updated by the author, because if it isn't, you can't go back and it might bork your saves. :ohdear: Am I understanding that correctly?

[ripple]

1) It might be a bit of work to 'migrate existing mods' over to MO from NMM. I actually don't know how much work might be involved. I got frustrated with NMM's limited functionalities after a week of banging my head against it. This was a past version of NMM, before users could categorize mods (which MO can do, by letting you tag installed mods). So I switched over to MO through a complete reinstall. But even though MO has features that facilitates migrating from NMM, migration is not actually required. You can install new mods through MO, which will continue to scan your data folder to load the mods you've already installed through NMM. Then when you have to update mods, just uninstall the old version through NMM (removing the mod files from your game data folder), and install the updated version through MO (which will be installed to it's own folder outside of the game data folder)--a sort of 'gradual migration.'

 

2) When I said esp's that need to be cleaned with TE5Edit, I mean ones like this:

 

Better Dynamic Snow.esp Active

Contains dirty edits: 6 ITM, 0 UDR records. Needs TES5Edit cleaning. (http://www.creationk...uide_-_TES5Edit)

 

But if you already took care of them, then no worries. It wouldn't hurt to post the new BOSS log if you want more eyes to double check.

 

3) By the compatibility error messages, I assume you mean like this:

 

Headbomb's Better Sorting - Ammo.esp Active

Warning: Contains unexpected (or out of order) records. A compatibility patch fixed and cleaned with TES5Edit can be obtained here. (Compatibility Patch)

 

This is what I was referring to about plugins (probably) made using pre-CK tools like TESVSnip. If you have the compatibility patch, that's fine too. Sorting mods very often conflict with other mods by virtue of the vast number of items they rename, especially those that edit or fix object properties and such, even though sorting mods just rename the items and it's not a 'true conflict.' You can use TES5Edit to make your own compatibility patches to merge the conflicts, but if you can do that, you can probably just do your own sorting mod/patch so it conflicts with nothing in your load order. Still, I think you should just uninstall it and install another sorting mod....

 

It's like.....let's say your load order is a dinner party. The mods you install are guests that you think will make the party fun for everyone. There is one guest who tells funny dirty jokes, but is also a trouble-maker (the esp containing error records--which can actually cause CTDs) that may not play well with your other guests. So you have to invite 'Friend X'--the update fix patch for that mod--whose job is basically to keep an eye on the trouble maker so s/he doesn't start fights with the other guests and make a mess of the party, causing it to end prematurely (CTD...). You don't even like or know 'Friend X', but now you have to make room for him/her and an extra table setting, just to keep the trouble maker mod in line when you could just as easily invite another guest who also tells funny dirty jokes but isn't socially dysfunctional and contain error records.

 

I don't know....it's up to you :)

 

4)

Crossbows_Basic_Collection_DE_LL.esp Active

Better Sorting - Hearthfire Food (Normal Weight).esp Active

CornersofTheSkyrimMinus1.esp Active

 

You should check the records of these esp's in TES5Edit and see if they conflict with other esp's in the load order. If they don't, then you can load them anywhere (above your compatibility patches like Bashed Patch). If they do, then you'll have to decide who you want to 'win' in the load order and arrange them accordingly. Once you decide where they should load, you can use the 'BOSS Userlist Manager' to set custom rules for these esp's, so their load order position won't be reset every time you run BOSS. You can post some TES5Edit screenshots of conflicting records here if you are not sure.

Edited January 27, 2013 by ripple

[nrot]

Thanks again for the information, ripple. I have learned a bit more about Mod Organizer since you suggested it (although I still fall heavily into the noobie category) and have it installed. Unfortunately, I have run into a problem with that utility as well and cannot find a resolution anywhere. The readme and tutorials (as well as threads on the net) keep referring to the 'ModOrganizer' folder where the tool is installed... on my setup, there is no such folder. For reference, I did unpack the MO archive in my Skyrim folder as the author suggests. My Skyrim folder is also not in a protected location, I am logged in as Administrator, UAC is disabled, and hidden files and folders are visible to me (in case any of that is a potential cause).

 

2. (optional) Download the NCC optional file and extract it to the ModOrganizer directory. This will provide more convenient installation of archives intended for the Nexus Mod Manager. This does require you to have the .Net-Framework installed.

 

http://wiki.step-project.com/Guide:Mod_Organizer#tab=First_steps

 

This is the reason I was looking for the 'ModOrganizer' directory, I have downloaded this NCC optional file and don't know where to put it now. I have an updated version of .NET framework, so that doesn't seem to be the issue. I downloaded the compressed archive version of the utility, and upon opening it up in 7zip, there is no such folder in there either... so, I'm really not sure how to proceed. I quickly updated to version 0.12.5 after install (as the author highly recommends) and this doesn't seem to have made a difference. I was going to uninstall MO and reinstall it using the self installer version, but there is no uninstallation option for MO (the readme confirms this), and I'm not sure if I should manually delete every file/folder the archive created or if doing so will cause problems. Or, if problems will arise if I try to install another copy over the current version (especially since the self installer option is running v0.12.3 and not the latest patch). My final idea is simply to create this folder myself and throw the NCC file into it, but I'm not sure if it will work correctly if it isn't specifically made by the utility itself or if doing so may cause any problems in the future.

 

Getting back to the dirty edits topic, you were correct concerning the TESVedits I still need to make, I was referring only to the compatibility patches for mods reported by BOSS as having been updated. So, dirty edits are still on the 'todo' list for me. Once I reach that step, I'll be sure to follow your advise and post the results here to see if I messed up in any way. I'm just hoping to get past this MO hurdle first. :wallbash:

[ripple]

The readme and tutorials (as well as threads on the net) keep referring to the 'ModOrganizer' folder where the tool is installed... on my setup, there is no such folder. For reference, I did unpack the MO archive in my Skyrim folder as the author suggests. My Skyrim folder is also not in a protected location, I am logged in as Administrator, UAC is disabled, and hidden files and folders are visible to me (in case any of that is a potential cause).

 

That's weird. So, if you downloaded the manual install archive version, where did you extract the files? What program do you use to navigate the files and directories on your hard drive (e.g. windows explorer)?

 

The installation order should go something like this:

1) install MO 1.2.3. For the archive version, just extract the 'ModOrganizer' folder and its contents somewhere. For organizational simplicity, I recommend creating a directory just for Skyrim utilities, and install all Skyrim third party utilities into that directory (e.g. BOSS, Wrye Bash, BUM).

2) extract contents of MO 1.2.5 update files into the the 'ModOrgaizer' directory, overwrite

3) extract contents of NCC 0.2.2 into the same directory (there should be no overwrites)

Edited January 27, 2013 by ripple

[nrot]

That's weird. So, if you downloaded the manual install archive version, where did you extract the files?

 

I extracted them to F:/SteamLIbrary/SteamApps/common/Skyrim

 

I did this by moving the 7z archive to this location and using 7zip > Extract Here

 

Once that was complete... hmm... well I had just written a sentence how I updated MO to v0.12.5, but MO reports it is still 0.12.3... strange. :turned: I thought I had updated it, I know I have the update downloaded... perhaps the lack of that folder is the cause.

 

Do you think it would hurt anything if I just manually created the folder where the rest of the data for MO already is in .../Skyrim?

 

[Edit] What files/folders are in your 'ModOrganizer' directory? Do all your mods go there, or is it only MO's own files? I have several files and folders belonging to MO that are scattered in my .../Skyrim directory on my system.

Edited January 27, 2013 by nrot

[ripple]

[Edit] What files/folders are in your 'ModOrganizer' directory? Do all your mods go there, or is it only MO's own files? I have several files and folders belonging to MO that are scattered in my .../Skyrim directory on my system.

 

Yeah, that sounds like you extracted the contents of the 'ModOrganizer' folder right int your Skyrim directory, rather than extracting the folder (which would then put all the contents inside the 'ModOrganizer' folder). If you still have archive, open it up so you can see the files and subfolders, use that as a 'guide' to delete the files you've already extracted so your Skyrim directory won't be a mess (I assume you weren't asked to overwrite anything when you extracted the contents the first time). Be *very careful* about doing this, obviously, so you don't delete any game files.

 

After you are done, create a new directory somewhere, let's called it 'Skyrim Utilities', then extract the 'ModOrganizer' folder, not just it's contents, into that directory, so you would have 'F:/Skyrim Utilities/ModOranizer/.....'

 

Then extract the 1.2.5 update and NCC into '.../ModOrganizer/'

Edited January 27, 2013 by ripple

[nrot]

Hmm... not sure why the archive didn't have a ModOrganizer directory, something strange must have happened. In either case, there have been so many 'redos' I've made in the past few days that I'm starting the process over from scratch. Already uninstalled/deleted everything and will be downloading from Steam in short order.

 

By chance, would you have a recommendation for which order to download the utilities in to avoid any conflicts? Does it matter if SKSE is installed before NMM or MO for example? I've read a couple FAQs here and elsewhere but haven't seen that covered (perhaps I've just missed it).

 

Also, would you consider it a wiser course of action to clean dirty edits one at a time for each mod before installing another mod? Or, do some dirty edits only arise or become 'visible' to BOSS after all are installed? From what I've gathered by others here, I think the "try 1 mod at a time and check everything before moving on" approach seems to be the recommended one.

 

Thanks again for all your help, ripple. I've since given you a kudos. :thumbsup:

[ripple]

By chance, would you have a recommendation for which order to download the utilities in to avoid any conflicts? Does it matter if SKSE is installed before NMM or MO for example?

 

It doesn't matter, since they don't overwrite each other. I advise installing utilities manually, even if they have an installer version (choose the manual install version instead), and use something like windows explore to navigate your hard drive, so you know exactly what files are installed and where they go.

 

Also, would you consider it a wiser course of action to clean dirty edits one at a time for each mod before installing another mod? Or, do some dirty edits only arise or become 'visible' to BOSS after all are installed? From what I've gathered by others here, I think the "try 1 mod at a time and check everything before moving on" approach seems to be the recommended one.

 

It's faster to clean all esp's (flagged by BOSS) at once, since every time you clean, you need to apply filters for cleaning (and TES5Edit will do all the loaded esp at once). I do recommend you start with a small load order rather than download and install something like 100 mods at once. Even with MO where there are no overwrites, it just make it easier to track down issues when and if you experience them in game.

 

If you are switching to MO from a clean install, you'll need to set up utilities like TES5Edit, SKSE, and Wrye Bash as executables in MO, and launch them from MO, so they will scan the MO 'virtual data folder.' Do that after you install the utilities, and before you install mods, to make sure the utilities are working perfectly so you can install and clean mods with ease.

 

Thanks again for all your help, ripple. I've since given you a kudos. :thumbsup:

 

No problem. :)

Edited January 28, 2013 by ripple