Unexplained CTDs

[Aelthas]

This started happening to me after I updated to version 3.2 of SkyUI. The modders were quick to add a new version, 3.3, but it did not solve my problem, which makes me wonder what on earth is happening with my game if the new version worked for some people but not for me.

 

I already made TES5Edit run through my mod list and there were no load order issues and now I am at a loss about what is going on.

 

The CTDs happen when I:

 

- Try to access the inventory menu

- Try to access the magic menu

- Perform any attempt to save the game, whether it is Quicksave or normal save; sometimes I get CTD as soon as I have hit the ESC key

 

I already tried to troubleshoot the problem by deactivating SkyUI and any MCM mods that might depend on it, but then I will get CTD anyway if I perform any of the actions already listed.

 

Before I have to uninstall and reinstall Skyrim again, does anyone have any idea about what could be causing these CTDs without checking the Papyrus log, since the file is very large?

[legend8804]

Sounds to me like you could potentially be running on a corrupted save. Either that, or there is a script running which causes the game to crash (in which case Papyrus log is your best bet, painful as that is).

 

Is your SKSE up to date? It's a long shot, but I figure it'd be worth asking, since you seem to get crashes anytime you do something relating to the menus. Though generally, it should be warning you if your SKSE is out of date (I think, not sure I've run into that problem yet)....

 

Have you loaded up a previous save to make sure it's not isolated to just that one save? Or to that character? That would be a very quick test I would think which could tell you where the problem might lie.

[Aelthas]

I keep my SkSE to version 1.6.9 for now because I am running Skyrim 1.8-something

 

When the issues started with SkyUI, I found some functional saves but I would get CTDs at random. The menu would work, but later I would get CTDs the same way. It could be corrupted saves, but all I tested, with a few exceptions, worked for some time then suddenly I got CTD'ed. I am going back to test saves older than a week to see if the CTDs and the menu issue will be solved and failing that, saves older than a month.

 

My machine is new, with 8 gb of RAM, 2 gb VRAM and unfortunately, because this is a laptop, the processor is only 2.2ghz, but before I could get the CTDs with the menu, when they happened at random, I would open my Task Manager and my CPU would only have 4-5% of use. I run the game with Ultra Settings, but I use Hialgo Boost to make it smoother to play Skyrim. I tested it with High setting too, and it also worked.

 

I am really at a loss here.

 

My Skyrim has more than 200 mods, most of them armor, some custom followers, some NPC overhauls and lots of texture, but I optimized the textures with the Optimizer. Removing those, my "gameplay" mods are:

 

List of Mods

 

(0 -> 0) Skyrim.esm
Skyrim.esm
Update.esm
Dawnguard.esm
HearthFires.esm
Dragonborn.esm
Fantasy Music Overhaul.esm
ApachiiHair.esm
ApachiiHairFemales.esm
ApachiiHairMales.esm
OblHairs01.esm
OblHairs02.esm
OblHairs03.esm
OblHairs04.esm
OblHairs05.esm
OblHairs06.esm
OblHairs07.esm
OblMaleHairs01.esm
JSwords.esm
SPIKE.esm
TERAArmors.esm
Lanterns Of Skyrim - All In One - Main.esm
HighResTexturePack01.esp
HighResTexturePack02.esp
HighResTexturePack03.esp
Unofficial Skyrim Patch.esp
Unofficial Dawnguard Patch.esp
Unofficial Hearthfire Patch.esp
Unofficial Dragonborn Patch.esp
Unofficial High Resolution Patch.esp
ABT - Bolts Renamed for BS and CCO.esp
ABT - Faster Arrows Improved +50%.esp
ABT - Faster Bolts Improved +50%.esp
ABT - Loot Arrows HARDCORE.esp
ABT - Merchants Arrows HARDCORE.esp
ABT - Progressive Damage (with Nord Hero Arrow).esp
ABT - Recover 10% Less Arrows and Bolts.esp
Auto Unequip Ammo.esp
Blacksmithforge water fix Vanilla.esp
Blacksmithforge water fix DG.esp
Blacksmithforge water fix DB.esp
BR_HoodCirclets.esp
Brawl Bugs.esp
dD-No Spinning Death Animation.esp
dD - Realistic Ragdoll Force - Realistic.esp
MIDFollowMeCloser.esp
3DNPC.esp
AchieveThat.esp
AdventurersAndTravelers.esp
BoethiaVolunteer.esp
dD - Enhanced Blood Main.esp
dD-Dragonborn-Dawnguard-EBT Patch.esp
DSpSoB.esp
FNISspells.esp
iHUD.esp
Improved Combat Sounds v2.2.esp
LightRoom.esp
NPC_Overhaul_1_3_.esp
NPCPhotoBooth.esp
OpenFaceGuardHelmets.esp
People Have Torches.esp
RaceMenu.esp
RealShelter.esp
Reduced Distance NPC Greetings.esp
SkaalKidAetaCoat.esp
Skyrim - Player Re-Voiced - Elven Races Complete - Male.esp
SkyUI.esp
Warmer Magic Lights v2 - White - Big.esp
ethereal_elven_overhaul.esp
LiFE.esp
Beards.esp
Brows.esp
FantasyEyes.esp
Iridum Eyes NRT.esp
TheEyesOfBeauty.esp
TairenSoulWarpaint.esp
WyldMenuPlugMale.esp
WyldMenuPlugFemale.esp
Presets 2-3.esp
ImpeREAL Empire - Unique Cities - Falkreath.esp
Riverwood Reborn.esp
Castle Stonespire.esp
HallsOfDovahndor.esp
RiversideLodge.esp
SHH1.esp
SHH2.esp
SHH3.esp
SHH4.esp
SHH5.esp
SHH6.esp
RiverwoodHuntingCabin.esp
Saviors Lodge - Player Home.esp
Chesko_WearableLantern.esp
Chesko_WearableLantern_Caravaner.esp
Lanterns Of Skyrim - All In One - The Goddess ENB.esp
SkyTEST-RealisticAnimals&Predators.esp
WetandCold.esp
WetandCold - Ashes.esp
Windfull Skyrim.esp
83Willows_101BUGS_V4_HighRes_HighSpawn.esp
LFox Alchemists Have Ingredients Light.esp
BetterQuestObjectives.esp
BetterQuestObjectives-Dawnguard.esp
Better Skill and Quest Books Names.esp
BetterQuestObjectives-BSaQBPatch.esp
Cartographers Map Markers.esp
Chesko_Frostfall.esp
CrossbowsRevamped.esp
DragonCombatOverhaul.esp
DragonCombatOverhaulDragonBornPatch.esp
Duel - Combat Realism.esp
DungeonQuestAwareness.esp
GuessDistance.esp
HarvestOverhaul.esp
HarvestOverhaulDawnguard.esp
HarvestOverhaulCreaturesDawnguardHearthfire.esp
HigherLevelEnemies.esp
Hunting in Skyrim - No Perks.esp
InvestedMagic.esp
minemapmarkers.esp
MineMarkers.esp
moredragonloot.esp
Run For Your Lives.esp
SkyRealism - Detection Durations.esp
SkyRealism - Simple Save System - OOC - 5 min.esp
Skyrim Perk Enhancements.esp
SPERG Dawnguard Patch.esp
ValsCraftingMeltdownAlpha.esp
When Vampires Attack.esp
FollowerWander2.esp
FollowerWander2Serana.esp
Convenient Horse Herding.esp
Convenient Horses.esp
UFO - Ultimate Follower Overhaul.esp
UFO - Dawnguard AddOn.esp
UFO - Heartfire AddOn.esp
My Home Is Your Home.esp
Better Followers - SP.esp
HearthfireMultiKid.esp
Alternate Start - Live Another Life.esp
Blackout_Skyrim.esp
Blackout_Dawnguard.esp

 

[legend8804]

I can't help but notice Live Another Life is installed.... which might be part of what is causing you to crash constantly?

 

How large are your save files? If they're above 20mb in size, I would say your issue is probably save bloat, and there is not an easy way to fix that. Beyond that though? I think checking the Papyrus log is about the only way you're going to get any definitive answers with a mod list that large, sorry to say.

 

Come to think of it? Even if your issue *is* save bloat, probably the only way to figure out what's causing it is via the Papyrus log.

 

The more I look at what you've written, the more I can't help but think just generating the log and seeing what causes the crash is probably the fastest way to get your answers.

[Aelthas]

The largest save I have is a bit over 11 mb, but still not close to 12 mb.

 

I tried to look at Papyrus log, but it is like trying to read chinese. I have no idea about what I should check for. The last lines always accuse the mannequin issue, both before and after I installed that vanilla fix mod; they are the warnings with most lines.

 

Aside that, what should I look for in the logs? If someone else is willing to take a look for me, I can upload the log, compressed to 7zip, Winrar or Winzip, to my MediaFire account.

[legend8804]

You may find this post to be rather helpful to you. Basically what you are looking for is the last few lines, at least from what I can gather on the subject. The key is to find out what precisely is triggering the event - so according to you, this 'mannequin issue' is probably what is causing the crash...

 

If you could upload the log that would be great - hopefully someone smarter than me might be able to help you out.

 

 

 

-----

 

A little additional research into this subject prompts me to ask a very stupid question: Have you used the console to place Mannequins into the game? If so, that could potentially be the root cause of this particular issue.

Regardless, I'm looking forward to taking a peek at that log file, if only for curiousity's sake.

[Aelthas]

Well, this is the Papyrus Log save in one of my characters, one of my oldest saves that I saved again when I thought it was working, unlike the save below: Ikyrath. In this one, SkyUI and the menu works, I just have CTDs out of the blue, in any situation. Even if I am only standing idle: it CTDs after a couple of moments.

And this is one of the most recent (like, right now), in a different character. It crashed when I was looting a corpse, shortly before the inventory menu appeared: Talaebaste

There is a lot of lines "cluxChildkiller" or some such that I have no idea if it has something to do with Claralux, which I uninstalled ages ago while I was in a smaller, interior cell. I did that for both saves. The error with the mannequin has been going on forever too, even before I installed the Vanilla Fix - they simply increased in amount after the fix was installed. I did not add any mannequins via console and I am actually thinking about disabling via console each and every one I see in game.

I read somewhere, however, that those mannequin messages are harmless.

[Bullfye]

I has this problem and it was a Mod that changes NPC, not a single one but a NPC changing pack...most of the times CTD happened to me was related to some Follower Mod or NPC Mod...

[Aelthas]

That is possible, Bullfye.

 

I have the "Inhabitants of Skyrim NPC Overhaul" that changes the looks of a lot of NPCs. I will uninstall it and test to see if it will solve the problem of the CTDs, but there will still remain the problem of the CTDs in some saves when I try to access menus in any way. Anyway, if the constant CTDs stop with the uninstallation of the NPC Overhaul, then it will be worth it and I can just start a new game again with working menus and no CTDs.

 

I will try that and will come back after a couple of days to report, or in less time, if the problem remains.

[vlaka]

could be possible you're just overloading the weakling of a game engine Skyrim runs on :(

I used to run with the npc overhaul mod but found my game to be a little to unstable with it installed.

 

Try troubleshoot the problem by installing mods slowly (one by one) and then playing for a few hours so you can see if they are indeed the cause of your CTD's. This is what I did and it has paid off :)