Manually installing mods with NMM

[Ches]

I get the feeling that there's a bit of an anti-NMM sentiment within this forum's community (perhaps justified), but maybe someone here might be able to assist me.

 

So I'm trying to install this mod (http://skyrim.nexusmods.com/mods/30926), which isn't natively NMM compatible (I already have UNP and 'Remodeled Armors - UNP version' installed).  I don't want to install it manually because I'd like to be able to uninstall it at a moment's notice (if there is some way to easily uninstall a mod without using a mod manager, then please, let me know).  NMM has a built-in feature which allows it to add mods which it hasn't downloaded, and I've tried that with this mod, but it doesn't seem to work -- installing it after pairing it with NMM yields no result (I've tried with other mods, too, and all but this one seem to work).

 

Anyone have any suggestions on how I might remedy this?

[Veta]

Just select the ones you want add them to a folder . and then turn them into a rar ( will require programs like winRar) ,use that rar on NMM .

[Koko.Hekmatyar]

There is no easy manual install that I know of but you can easily make a mod NMM compatible all you have to do is reorder the mods folders so they match the file path for example if it installs Textures like an armor retex for this example we will use Daedric you would set it up the file paths like this.

 

Data->Textures->Armor->Daedric

 

Then you just compress the folder using Winrar or 7zip, add it to NMM, activate it, and you're done.

[Ches]

I'm not sure I understand... aren't the mods folders for that particular mod already in that order?  What do I have to change?

 

Ugh, forgive me for being so ignorant about this, I'm quite new to modding.

[Ches]

Just select the ones you want add them to a folder . and then turn them into a rar ( will require programs like winRar) ,use that rar on NMM .

 

I tried this (though I don't know if I did it properly).  Still nothing.

[Brigade]

Try it this way:

 

- Open folder.

 

- Find folder that says "Data"

 

- Drag folder into your Skyrim folder.

 

 

This is how we did it for years, and it still works today.

[Ches]

I know that's an option, but the problem is that there are so many different vaguely-named armors that it'd be a pain to uninstall them all after manually installing them (and I don't want there to be any permanent changes, I'm only testing).  My whole problem is that there would be no easy way to uninstall this after manually installing it.

[myuhinny]

If a mod is made but doesn't work with NMM the easiest way to do it is make a folder place a data folder inside of it meshes and textures folder go inside of the data folder. The .esp sits outside of those folders by itself name the first folder what the rar is named and rar it up. Then drop it into your folder that holds your mods for NMM. Bring up NMM or refresh it and the mod should be in the list. Not sure how hard it would be or if it would be the same for mods with tons of multiple files.

[Ches]

If a mod is made but doesn't work with NMM the easiest way to do it is make a folder place a data folder inside of it meshes and textures folder go inside of the data folder. The .esp sits outside of those folders by itself name the first folder what the rar is named and rar it up. Then drop it into your folder that holds your mods for NMM. Bring up NMM or refresh it and the mod should be in the list. Not sure how hard it would be or if it would be the same for mods with tons of multiple files.

 

 

You know, I don't even see an ESP file anywhere in this mod...

 

And it contains many files.  Is there anything at all I can do short of manually installing this?  

[Ches]

Let me try asking another question.  The mod I'm trying to install modifies another mod, called Remodeled Armors - UNP version.  If I manually install the mod I'm having trouble with on top of that one, could I later uninstall the Remodeled Armors mod without any adverse effects?  Does it only modify the Remodeled Armors mod, and not the base game itself?

[Brigade]

I've only ever seen a single mod that overwrites the vanilla content. What most mods do is override it, which is simply telling the engine to use your data instead of its own. As long as the mod doesn't change the main BSA packages, it's just overriding.

 

In case you're curious, the one mod was a night eye replacer for oblivion. Overwriting game data seems like a bad idea, but the mod was stable.

[Ches]

I've only ever seen a single mod that overwrites the vanilla content. What most mods do is override it, which is simply telling the engine to use your data instead of its own. As long as the mod doesn't change the main BSA packages, it's just overriding.

 

In case you're curious, the one mod was a night eye replacer for oblivion. Overwriting game data seems like a bad idea, but the mod was stable.

 

If that's the case (and forgive me for sounding like a broken record), how can I uninstall it after finishing with it, short of hunting down every individual file and deleting it manually?  Would a manually-installed mod show up in Skyrim's Data Files so that I could simply check or uncheck it?

[Brigade]

 

I've only ever seen a single mod that overwrites the vanilla content. What most mods do is override it, which is simply telling the engine to use your data instead of its own. As long as the mod doesn't change the main BSA packages, it's just overriding.

 

In case you're curious, the one mod was a night eye replacer for oblivion. Overwriting game data seems like a bad idea, but the mod was stable.

 

If that's the case (and forgive me for sounding like a broken record), how can I uninstall it after finishing with it, short of hunting down every individual file and deleting it manually?  Would a manually-installed mod show up in Skyrim's Data Files so that I could simply check or uncheck it?

 

If you can't figure out which folders to delete on your own, you probably shouldn't be installing/uninstalling mods on a whim. 

 

This is an armor mod. Go to Data\Meshes and delete the Armor folder. If you have any custom armor mods installed, you'll have to go into the Armor folder and manually remove everything except the custom armors. 

 

Want to keep the UNP armors, but remove the no panties version you're installing? Reinstall the UNP armors, overwrite the files.

[Ches]

If you can't figure out which folders to delete on your own, you probably shouldn't be installing/uninstalling mods on a whim. 

 

Which is why I'm trying to avoid doing just that.  I have no experience in handling mods without a mod manager (NMM to be specific), so forgive me if I come off as ignorant about this.

[Brigade]

Install the first mod manually, install the second mod manually. 

 

NMM, piece of shit that it is, wasn't designed with overwriting data from another mod in mind. If you want to modify content from a mod, you'll have to install both mods manually.

[moomore]

I really suggest looking at the folder structure in the archived mod folders. The path to understanding mod installation begins with being comfortable with the folder structure in the skyrim data folder. There's 3 ways off the top of my head that you can do to install a mod and easily revert in your situation

 

The first is easy but requires some foreknowledge about these mods. Essentially, the mod you are trying to install only affects mesh files that concern Mak's conversion. With this knowledge, the steps go as:

1. Manually install the mod you are testing. Overwrite as necessary.

2. If you decide to rollback, just uninstall and reinstall the original Mak's conversion in NMM. Overwrite as necessary.

 

The next one is tedious and requires being comfortable navigating to the armor folder; that concept is also important in order to manually install the test mod.

1. Navigate to skyrim/data/meshes/

2. Copy the armor folder and paste it somewhere else like the desktop; this is now your backup.

3. Install your test mod in the skyrim/data/meshes/armor folder like normal. Overwrite.

4. When you decide to rollback: Go back to skyrim/data/meshes/ and delete the armor folder.

5. Copy the armor folder that you made as a backup to replace the one you deleted.

Alternatively, one could simply just take their backup and overwrite the modified armor folder.

 

This method is so braindead simple we can make up a corollary:

1. Backup your data folder (mines is 20 gigs last i checked)

2. Manual Install test mod

3. When ready to revert delete data folder and copy over your backup.

 

The final possibility consists of one easy step and alot of hard ones.

1. Use Skyrim Mod Organizer

2.

The mod isolation feature allows one to mod their skyrim without actually changing files of the original skyrim folder.  It also features selectable profiles so i can have an ADEC playthrough and an UNPB master body race Ugrids of 7 playthrough only a few clicks away. However, weaknesses include incompatibility with FNIS and difficulty with java based mods like reproccers. There are solutions around those that warrant another discussion that i don't care about because i cheated and run those through NMM. I've only watched the first video because by then, I got all i needed from MO and was therefore content. MO is awesome.

[Ches]

I really suggest looking at the folder structure in the archived mod folders. The path to understanding mod installation begins with being comfortable with the folder structure in the skyrim data folder. There's 3 ways off the top of my head that you can do to install a mod and easily revert in your situation

 

The first is easy but requires some foreknowledge about these mods. Essentially, the mod you are trying to install only affects mesh files that concern Mak's conversion. With this knowledge, the steps go as:

1. Manually install the mod you are testing. Overwrite as necessary.

2. If you decide to rollback, just uninstall and reinstall the original Mak's conversion in NMM. Overwrite as necessary.

 

The next one is tedious and requires being comfortable navigating to the armor folder; that concept is also important in order to manually install the test mod.

1. Navigate to skyrim/data/meshes/

2. Copy the armor folder and paste it somewhere else like the desktop; this is now your backup.

3. Install your test mod in the skyrim/data/meshes/armor folder like normal. Overwrite.

4. When you decide to rollback: Go back to skyrim/data/meshes/ and delete the armor folder.

5. Copy the armor folder that you made as a backup to replace the one you deleted.

Alternatively, one could simply just take their backup and overwrite the modified armor folder.

 

This method is so braindead simple we can make up a corollary:

1. Backup your data folder (mines is 20 gigs last i checked)

2. Manual Install test mod

3. When ready to revert delete data folder and copy over your backup.

 

The final possibility consists of one easy step and alot of hard ones.

1. Use Skyrim Mod Organizer

2.

The mod isolation feature allows one to mod their skyrim without actually changing files the original skyrim folder.  It also features selectable profiles so i can have an ADEC playthrough and an UNPB master body race Ugrids of 7 playthrough only a few clicks away. However, weaknesses include incompatibility with FNIS and difficulty with java based mods like reproccers. There are solutions around those that warrant another discussion that i don't care about because i cheated and run those through NMM. I've only watched the first video because by then, I got all i needed from MO and was therefore content. MO is awesome.

 

You've been massively helpful.  I greatly appreciate your assistance.