Multiple mods not functioning correctly and I've run out of patience...

[gnarbar]

So, the title says it all. I've over-tweaked my game, it seems. I can still load my save file, but the mods I want the most (DD, CD, etc.) are simply not working as intended. 

 

Instead of uninstalling each single mod and reinstalling them (which ive tried several times), I would like to start fresh. What I would love to do is keep my save file, clean it, and install mods again. In your experience, modders, what is the simplest way to do this? I can imagine such a process would take HOURS reinstalling skyrim itself along with each mod. 

[gvman3670]

Do a fresh install (be sure to go to documents/my games/Skyrim and take the .ess save files out then delete that whole folder). Download and install Mod Organizer. Add your mods (you can take the whole mod folder that NMM stores it's archives in and save that for reinstallation). Clean everything with TES5Edit. Add all your mods back. Then take your save files and slip them into Mod Organizer/profiles/saves folder (not the .SKSE saves either, the regular .ess saves).

 

The good news is that after doing this you'll never have to reinstall Skyrim again and you will have the power of MO at your fingertips.

[guk]

From my experience, such a savegame is not recoverable.

Here's a little guide how to restore your Skyrim installation in a fool-proof way, and make sure you never have to download it again:

 

___________

 

 

First you want to uninstall all mods through your mod manager, so you don't leave a mess in that.

Next go to steam, right-click on Skyrim, then:

 

-> properties -> local files -> click [browse local files] and after that click [delete local game content]

 

Manually delete everything from the skyrim folder you just opened to make sure that all files are gone.

Then there are 2 more folders where skyrim is saving data:

 

c:/users/<username>/documents/my games/skyrim

 

c:/users/<username>/AppData/local/Skyrim

 

just delete everything in there, then go back to Steam and click on local files -> [verify integrity of game cache]

Steam will now download the game again and you have a 100% fresh and working game.

 

Before you start modding again, you first should start the game once through the launcher so all necessary setup files are created, and then make a backup of your steam-skyrim folder and the "my games" and "AppData" folders. So the next time you want a fresh install, you can just delete those 3 folders and copy&paste the backups (make sure to verify game cache with steam if you ever do that).

 

You also might want to consider using Mod Organizer this time. Even though the description is scary and the feature list alone is 1000 pages long.