Skyrim "New Game" Freeze Crashes...

[FastestDogInTheDistrict]

Is anyone else having this problem...???

 

I just found this out today. I'm having a huge amount of difficulty making a new character.

 

For the first time since the recent 1.4 patch, I've tried making a new character to play with. However, I cannot make it through the game's opening intro-creation-tutorial phase without the game completely freezing-up. The only way to get out of the freeze (short of turning the power off) is the spam "ctrl+alt+del" and the "windows" key to get back to the desktop, open "Task Manager" and "end process" the game.

 

I try again, and again, and the same thing happens - a complete freeze. Not necessarily at the same point each time. I have not yet been able to make it past the execution/dragon attack point.

 

Validating the cache via Steam, two full, clean, re-installs (ugh!) - none of these have solved the problem. It just keeps happening. With or without mods.

 

Note that my existing lvl 40-50 character is still skipping along, apparently completely unaffected (which, thankfully, is good)...

 

Is there some kind of ongoing "issue" (of the kind that people make "air-quotes" gestures about when speaking the word "issues") with the opening phase of the game??

[RogueMage]

I started a new game a few hours ago without problems until now. Reinstalled yesterday because of another issue and decided to change from NexusModManager to TESModManager.

 

Cause you have tried it with and without mods, mod conflicts should not be the problem. Here some things popping up on my mind:

 

- Have you reinstalled the CK as well. It creates a folder (data\scripts\source) with the scripts. I haven't had time to deal with Papyrus right now, maybe this has something to do with it...

 

- I read about gamecrashes if the language strings are missing.

 

- Are you using an old ini-file of some kind?

 

- For some reason my update.esm unchecks from time to time. Don't know why, but it gave me a CTD here and then.

 

- I had a lot of hang-ups with the last SKSE-version. Now its better.

 

- Do you use Script Dragon? Some modders stated that they won't update their mods because the code has changed too much.

 

- After my new installation I got endlessloads and CTDs on startup. For some reason the 'Extended Slider' mod is the reason.

 

Well, just some wild guesses. Good luck finding the reason.

 

 

[shedidwhat]

after the uninstall did you delete all the mod leftovers

that might have been in the \Steam\steamapps\common\skyrim folder

 

your lvl 40-50 is still skipping along,

did you backup your save games then delete

all the stuff in your C:\Users\xxx\Documents\My Games\Skyrim folder

 

[FastestDogInTheDistrict]

Hey guys - many thanks for your response! To keep my reply clear & structured, I'm going to use "numbers".

 

 

 

I started a new game a few hours ago without problems until now. Reinstalled yesterday because of another issue and decided to change from NexusModManager to TESModManager.

 

Cause you have tried it with and without mods' date=' mod conflicts should not be the problem. Here some things popping up on my mind:

 

- Have you reinstalled the CK as well. It creates a folder (data\scripts\source) with the scripts. I haven't had time to deal with Papyrus right now, maybe this has something to do with it...

 

- I read about gamecrashes if the language strings are missing.

 

- Are you using an old ini-file of some kind?

 

- For some reason my update.esm unchecks from time to time. Don't know why, but it gave me a CTD here and then.

 

- I had a lot of hang-ups with the last SKSE-version. Now its better.

 

- Do you use Script Dragon? Some modders stated that they won't update their mods because the code has changed too much.

 

- After my new installation I got endlessloads and CTDs on startup. For some reason the 'Extended Slider' mod is the reason.

 

Well, just some wild guesses. Good luck finding the reason.

 

 

[/quote']

 

1. Yep. Completely uninstalled the CK. I'm not going to re-install it until there's a major bug-fix update.

 

2. I've heard this also, with regard to languages-other-than-English. I'm only using English, the files for which should (hopefully) all be present.

 

3. No - all files are current & up to date.

 

4. Yeh, mine is routinely unchecked in Nexus Mod Manager. I've never known it to cause a problem in my case.

 

5. Yep, my SKSE is the very latest available.

 

6. No, I don't use Dragon script.

 

7. I don't use the extended slider mod, as I don't really have an in-game use for it.

 

 

 

 

after the uninstall did you delete all the mod leftovers

that might have been in the \Steam\steamapps\common\skyrim folder

 

your lvl 40-50 is still skipping along' date='

did you backup your save games then delete

all the stuff in your C:\Users\xxx\Documents\My Games\Skyrim folder

 

[/quote']

 

1. Yep, I did a full & total Skyrim unistall/reinstall. I even uninstalled & reinstalled Steam. Included in this were any & all modded files present at the time. These freezes seem to be occurring during play-testing both prior to and after installing mods again.

 

2. Yep, kept saves, then trashed the rest.

[shedidwhat]

and still freezing and crashing ?

ok what dir do you install steam to ?

 

Program files Dir is not a good place

for mods to install to.

 

I get freezes sometimes when scrolling through

alot of armors in my inventory

windows Defrag has seemed to help.

 

any mods from steam auto installing ?

 

are you using a Steam backup to install skyrim

or have you already tried a fresh downloaded from steam.

 

I have found that if you use a very earley save

like save #5 and use it to do a showracemenu

and make a new player, that way works

if you have too

 

 

 

 

[Surenas]

Verify the integrity of your Steam game cache.

[FastestDogInTheDistrict]

I'd tried using early saves (my early save is right at the point of being asked "Wait... who... are you?" prior to the opening character-creation stage), and I verified my cache integrity prior to posting this thread.

 

I have found a work-around, in a sense. I can run through the opening phase of the game & make new characters on my OTHER machine, which does not freeze-crash. From now on, if I want one, I'll just do that.

 

It may very well simply be a proverbial "Something" (not necessarily viral, etc.) gumming up the works on my desktop, rather than the game itself having problems. It's due for an upgrade (cpu?/graphics/64-bit/it all depends on price at the time) and a full re-install in a few months, so I'm not going to lose too much sleep.

 

I appreciate all of you taking the time to respond to this query - many thanks!!

 

 

[Evilokami]

You could get the developers start. it starts you at the end of the cave. You make you character, you choose who you side with, than you run outside.

 

little late for input. but hey why not.

[galgat]

After reading this I went ahead and made a new character, just to see if there was a problem, but I made a new one with out a hitch.

 

Wish I could help, but with out the problem it is hard to figure.

[shedidwhat]

Fastest, start a new game

try to get to a point where you can save it

then upload the save here.

 

or if you already have a save of a new game that crashes

then upload that as well

 

[FastestDogInTheDistrict]

You could get the developers start. it starts you at the end of the cave. You make you character' date=' you choose who you side with, than you run outside.

 

little late for input. but hey why not.

[/quote']

 

I have never heard of this Developers' Start - is it widely available? Google seems ambivalent on this point - I may have been asking it the wrong questions.

 

 

 

 

After reading this I went ahead and made a new character' date=' just to see if there was a problem, but I made a new one with out a hitch.

 

Wish I could help, but with out the problem it is hard to figure.

[/quote']

 

Yeh, I currently have one machine on which - happily - I have the same experience. No problems at all.

 

When I went looking for info on this, most of the entries seemed to date from Nov./Dec. of last year, but nothing recent. Thanks for taking the time to double-check the issue at your end!

 

 

 

 

Fastest' date=' start a new game

try to get to a point where you can save it

then upload the save here.

 

or if you already have a save of a new game that crashes

then upload that as well

 

[/quote']

 

 

Righto! My save is attached below.

 

 

***Y'know, I can't recall whether I was getting this same problem when I first played the game back last year. I suspect that I did - at least up until the initial dragon attack. The attached save is "Number 1", right at the point of character creation. The next one (since deleted - my save game folder was just getting too big at close to 1,000 saves recently) that I'd *kept* was when I'd finally managed to run all the way from Riverwood to Whiterun, was some 100 saves later.

 

[RogueMage]

Your save runs fine. Starts right there where the prisoners left the wagon. Ulfric in front of the PC. No longer loading times, no problems at all.

 

Will now try it out.

 

OK, just saw Alduin flying away. No crashes, no strange behaviour. I had a quick look with the tesmodmanager and recognized that only the skyrim.esm and the update.esm have been registered. So: we have no mod conflicts, inis have not been modified. Not much left. Maybe your settings for the grafic card are too high or you use some settings Skyrim does not like? Overclocked maybe? Actually: I don't have a clue.

 

PS: Maybe you wanna try the new beta patch? Worth a try if there are no options left.

[FastestDogInTheDistrict]

**UPDATE**

 

 

Righto - here's a new save (see attached). Completed the opening Helgen tutorial. Basic male Nord, just arrived in Riverwood & spoken to the Blacksmith, loyalty is Imperial, appearance now fully tweaked.

 

 

 

I managed to get a new character through the opening phase.

 

Whatever is occurring seems to be happening at or around the *INITIAL* character creation point. This is where most of the freezes have occurred, although it did occur twice during the opening wagon-ride as well the other day.

 

First try - I tried editing the character's appearance using the sliders etc. After a few seconds of trying this (maybe 30secs., *max.*), the game freezes.

 

I re-opened the game to the relevant save, and just waved the character through, hitting "R" and picking a stop-gap name. Saved every half-a-minute or so (or just where it seemed appropriate), and this time I made it through the initial scripted phase where you have no control over your character except via moving the mouse for view.

 

The other day it was freezing continually and randomly through this whole opening intro, regardless of whether anything had been touched at the character creation point or not.

 

I'm not sure if anything's changed - or if nothing at all has changed - or if I simply got a lucky shot...

 

I'll try it again...

 

 

 

 

 

[shedidwhat]

ok so you DONT use a save manager ?

I have (for what ever reason...) have had problems

with starting a new game when I have alot of save games 500+

 

after deleting lets say 400 of them I had alot less

problems.

 

when you restored your save games

did you move all of them back over

or just a few

 

[FastestDogInTheDistrict]

ok so you DONT use a save manager ?

I have (for what ever reason...) have had problems

with starting a new game when I have alot of save games 500+

 

after deleting lets say 400 of them I had alot less

problems.

 

when you restored your save games

did you move all of them back over

or just a few

 

 

 

Nope' date=' no save manager. I only run one character at a time. To create these new ones, all I did was move my "Saves" file to the desktop, and create a new one in the required for each of these characters as I made them. Now I'm playing on my "main" again, so only that file is in the game's required location, and the others are safely stored away elsewhere until I'm ready to play them.

 

And yes, I *DEFINITELY* dumped almost all those 1,000-odd saves! I only kept a few: the very first, and the past 10 or so. I figured that'd be enough. There's more than that there now of course, as I've been playing away & getting myself into all kindsa trouble, but every so often I'll be culling a couple of hundred so that it stays manageable.

 

 

 

 

... okay, tried again.

 

No worries. It took three tries to actually *make* a character, as I was trying to make a basic Imperial female, and that takes a few seconds longer. The game froze during this step on the first two attempts.

 

BUT - success!

 

[img']http://i1231.photobucket.com/albums/ee515/FastestDogSkyrimPics/ScreenShot17-1.jpg[/img]

 

 

Whatever is occurring to make the game freeze is *definitely* happening in the opening pseudo-cut-scene phase up to the actual beginning of the tutorial itself (ie: running across to the tower with the prisoners to escape the dragon). I've never had a "freezing" problem past that point. Additionally, "showracemenu" seems to work just fine to create a character once that point is passed, as the above picture indicates.

 

I'm quite relieved that, yes, apparently I *can* still actually create new characters on this machine. It just seems to be something of a crap-shoot as to whether it gets to the tutorial phase without a freeze-crash (..."c'mooooon Lucky Seven! Pappy needs a new set a' saves!").

 

It's weird...

 

 

[sbseed]

i have run into a similar bug/glitch with the game... just outside of the gate to the imperial fort, were character creation begins.

 

always CTD with no error messages... always with a new game, clean saves not an issue.

tried checking game cache, nothing... tried re-installing, nothing...

i think this is the same essential bug/glitch.

 

far as i know there is no 'fix' for it, happen since the last update consistently... so until the next update were beth fucks something else up new save games = screwed.

 

i think im going to check the registry to see if its something with steam itself... it likes to cause major issues with its 'drm' garbage on games.

either that or ill just grab a pirated version, since i cant currently play what i paid for.

[lordreyiss]

Disable Official HD DLC. This was my problem. I had to delete the files and redownload them to be able to start a new game with them active.

 

If you dont have the Official HD textures DLC then I am unsure what to say.

 

Try starting a new game with Just Skyrim and Update ESM's active. If that works. Slowly add the DLC's to see if one of them is causing it.

 

----

 

Just checked your above save Noticed you where trying with Only Skyrim and Update. My brother said did you make sure to delete all ini files associated with the old install as well. And to make sure if you updated graphics drivers that they installed properly.

 

Sorry for posting advice earlier before checking what your uploaded save was using.