Going back to go forward

[moosemother12]

Just a casual observation. After downloading a lot of mods, it seems as though Skyrim keeps CTD even after I've uninstalled them. I'm guessing that when you've screwed around with the text enough times, errors are bound to creep in (sort of like DNA). So my clumsy solution is to uninstall skyrim completely. It turns out that I can actually find things to do in the several hours it takes to reinstall, and then I can start anew (screwing it up).

[Miles Tails Prower]

Any mod you have with scripts in them will forever be part of your save unless you load a save prior to using that mod. There is no way around this without save editors, and the complexities of removing scripts from saves is an entirely difficult and frustrating process. The only way to insure Skyrim is at it's best possible performance is to use the K.I.S.S method of modding.

Keep it simple, Stupid! Find mods that do what you want them to do in the least amount of effort and resources.

Avoid mods that add scripts or effects to game that enhance it visually. JIT Lighting scripts, etc are one such mod. Mods that alter vanilla scripts are usually fine. Very few aesthetic mods actually add scripts, but it's something to consider when adding mods.

Another thing. If you're using Windows 7, Consider Swapping to Basic Theme. It'll save you a lot of system resources and will keep skyrim running better. Swapping back is harmless. Razer Game Booster is excellent for this since it's a one button push to toggle sort of thing. The amount of FPS you get is based on system specs, but lower system specs can notice roughly 5 FPS difference in some places.

Defragging your computer should be done. I recommend PerfectDisk for this. Set it to S.M.A.R.T Aggressive and let it run overnight, with Auto-shut down turned on. Because Texture packs usually unload a lot of loose files, it creates a lot of fragmentation when you uninstall and reinstall texture packs. Keep your computer defragged at least once a month. Excessive defragging actually makes it worse.

Remember, the best advice is to only download what you need. Do you really care that Ivy is 2048x2048 and photo-realistic? Probably not. Grab the unofficialy patches and just use the Hi-Rez DLC and don't bother with anything else, honestly. It fixes most of the issues, the Skyrim 2k is better on resources because the textures for that are better optimized. Your choice, there.

Unless you've done all you want to do in Skyrim and you want something new, avoid heavy quest mods like Wyrmtooth. These mods implore dozens of scripts that bloat your save. Removing the mod can be frustrating, and often times these quests feature bugs or are unfinished. I usually avoid quest mods because they lack enough voice overs, etc, and are constantly being updated. As such, you tend to not get the best possible experience until it is in its final release.

When it doubt, ask yourself "Will this make me enjoy Skyrim enough to beat it?" If the answer is no, then you probably don't need the mod, and no amount of mods would help make you beat the game. For me, there are only a few mods that are necessary. One of those is Better Vampires 5.7 because Vampirisim in Dawnguard sucks without it.