Merging MO installations

[Sunip]

Hey all,

 

I have a minor question, that google wouldn't answer, I tried various terms and even visited the second page of results, but I'm probably the only one in the intersection between forgetful enough to have this problem and lazy enough to rather ask for advice than just do it by hand.

 

I created a specific folder for the MO installation in my user directory ages ago, stopped playing the game in question for a while, later started playing again, had forgotten about the first directory and created a new MO directory in my Program Files folder to start modding again. Shoddy, I know, but my file organisation paradigms shifted in the meantime and I didn't even look for the first installation, because why would I put a programm in my personal files? Stopped playing again, started again later, found the second installation, played with it. Something felt off, I thought I remembered some mods that weren't in that list. Today, I wanted to start up MO again, browsed to my user directory (shortcuts got thrown out in a cleanup), found an alien modlist, recognized it as the first one. Either installation had mods the others didn't, and I loathe the idea of manually comparing the two and re-downloading the difference (because I like having all the nexus info and stuff). In my defence, I have a lot of mods, otherwise the manual solution would be less effort than writing a thread about it.

 

The question is now, since both directories are for the same game, can I easily merge the two installations? Do I just toss the two folders together and let windows sort out the correct merging, do I need to manually edit some .ini or .xml to account for the new files, is it just not possible at all or is there perhaps a tool that merges the filetrees and sorts out any necessary file modifications? Is whatever solution exists easier than the manual one?

 

Thank you all in advance!

 

-Sunip

[Greg]

I don't recommend this because you may run into conflicts with different versions of the same mod or duplicate mods with slightly different names that can be a pickle to troubleshoot. This will also take the modlist and load order from one instance of Mod Organizer and blow away the other so in the end you still have only one active profile instead of a "merged" set.

 

Of course, you can note what's different in the download folders between the two instances, copy the files from download folder to another, and install them as if they are freshly downloaded from Nexus.

[GrantSP]

... and move it out of Program Files while you're at it. UAC issues will be a problem if you leave it there.

[Sunip]

I don't recommend this because you may run into conflicts with different versions of the same mod or duplicate mods with slightly different names that can be a pickle to troubleshoot. This will also take the modlist and load order from one instance of Mod Organizer and blow away the other so in the end you still have only one active profile instead of a "merged" set.

 

Of course, you can note what's different in the download folders between the two instances, copy the files from download folder to another, and install them as if they are freshly downloaded from Nexus.

Thank you, that last option sounds like the least painful way to do it.

 

... and move it out of Program Files while you're at it. UAC issues will be a problem if you leave it there.

UAC won't be an issue, I didn't think it necessary to clarify that in my post, but the folder in question is not the system's PF folder but rather my personal program folder on a different harddrive alltogether and configured to avoid exactly that kind of issue. I thought I'd make one central place to install programs in rather than having some on my rather small SSD and some in abritrary folders in my user directory on my HDD and created a folder on my HDD for that express purpose. Thank you for the warning though!