Skyrim AE won't load past save screen - CTD RESOLVED

[Bluegunk]

I got a weird mystery.  Skyrim AE 1.6.353.  On SSD drive away from C:.   Using MO2.  I've started having CTDs on this:

 

Skyrim SSE v1.6.353
CrashLoggerSSE v1.0.0

Unhandled exception "EXCEPTION_STACK_OVERFLOW" at 0x7FF8CA550AA7 nvwgf2umx.dll+1B10AA7

 

I decided to start a new play-through and got my new game going OK. Then it started to CTD after 2 seconds on the load save menu.

Analysing the DMP file only tells me there is heap corruption.  The above DLL may be part of the Nvidia drivers.

 

So here's what I've done:

• Checked the SSD drive for errors, cleaned up files, trimmed it etc. Ran a registry check
• Reinstalled Nvidia drivers and switched off Geforce Experience
• Removed ENB files
• Reinstalled SKSE
• Disabled DLL-mods in MO2
• Ran game verification and dropped the exe back to 1.6.353
• Checked PC using Anti-virus

 

This set up was running absolutely fine up to now.

 

I'd be grateful for any thoughts on this. Routes I can go to check.

Thank you!

 

 

 

[traison]

...and there's no overlays, screenshot "helpers", extra hotkeys, filters, effects, fps counters, temperature dohickeys or other silly stuff on your screen? As in, there's nothing you can see or do that is NOT part of the original Skyrim experience?

[traison]

Reddit says you should do a clean install of the video driver. Seems plausible.

 

Edit: Probably should clarify. If by reinstall you mean you already did this then I'd perhaps suggest you do an actual clean install, that is boot into safemode and remove the driver there. Clean installs when the system is running has as far as I know never worked properly. Though usually when you have to do a clean install that's already a sign of something having gone wrong in the first place; that is to say, I've probably only ever had to do one or two proper clean installs of a video driver in my 30 or so years with computers.

Edited January 1, 2023 by traison

[Bluegunk]

Thank you for coming to my rescue.

 

I switched off all the overlays.  For what it is worth this started happening after I installed the Witcher 3 (GoG) and its v4 upgrade.  That game is on another drive away from C:, but it's root is GOG which is in program files. But it's not carrying a copy of nvwgf2umx.dll.

 

I did try rolling back the Nvidia drivers but that didn't work.  Looks like I'll have to do a safe mode and uninstall....

 

 

 

 

[Bluegunk]

OK, I removed my Nvidia drivers in Safe Mode and installed an earlier set. Still no deal. Updated to current set, still no luck.

 

There's something going on in my MO2 build. The game will run from the original exe under Steam, which is enough evidence for me to seek a fault in the mods array rather than something basic between the game and the PC build.

 

Thanks for your assistance, @traison. (Once again!).  I might be wise to clean out my aged game folders and make a 100% fresh start.

 

Let's not progress this thread any more.  Cheers!

Edited January 1, 2023 by Bluegunk

[traison]

1 minute ago, Bluegunk said:

installed an earlier set. Still no deal. Updated to current set

 

For posterity, this is exactly what you shouldn't do outside of safemode if you're having issues with files getting left behind from previous installs. You boot into safemode, remove the driver, boot and install the only version you plan to use. The reason why files like nvwgf2umx.dll may not get updated is that Windows may be locking the file if a handle is open to it.

 

In your case however if running it modded is the only time that crash occurs, it probably has nothing to do with the display driver (or its bundled software). Quite interesting though that nvwgf2umx.dll took the blame for it. Also for posterity, stack overflows typically occur in functions used recursively without a recursion limit, ie. what you found is most likely a legit program bug however the environment where it occured has too many unintended variables for anyone to say its a problem nvidia should fix.

[Bluegunk]

13 hours ago, traison said:

For posterity, this is exactly what you shouldn't do outside of safemode

Agree. This is a local problem and the Nvidia dll is taking the fall.  Since it's in my MO2 loadout, the kind of crash narrows down the culprit.

 

I will let folks know what I find, for future use.

[Bluegunk]

Fault discovered.

 

I discovered the cause of the crash on my PC was the mod Nvidia Reflex Support, by Doodlezoid.

 

Now....I'm not sure why this would start causing me issues, but it might be because it injects a menu into the ENB GUI, and I had withdrawn the ENB binaries from my new game set up while I assessed mods.  So let's assume this is the cause. The mod has been working with no problems previously.

So I am not blaming the mod, I am blaming an interaction / bad user practice on my behalf!  User error!

 

I'm not enough of an expert to understand the nuts and bolts, but at least I have a working game now.

 

I'll leave this parked up in case it helps anyone else.

Edited January 2, 2023 by Bluegunk