I am so confused by ENBoost

[psychotrip]

Hi everyone. The topic of this thread is going to sound very stupid, but I assure you I've been trying my best to keep up with all the instructions and explanations you guys have offered.

 

I've been modding games since I was a kid. I've been playing my modded version of Skyrim for years and I like to think I have a basic understanding of what things are how things work. But this ENB stuff confused the hell out of me. Every single time I try and download ENBoost, I spend half an hour stumbling through the website and searching for information before my eyes glaze over and I just give up. Any help you can give me would be appreciated, even if you need to talk to me like I'm 5 years old. 

 

So, I'm trying to follow the STEP instructions, but I've already run into issues in the first two steps (https://wiki.step-project.com/ENBoost):

 

1. The instructions say I need DirectX 9. This appears to be an old version from 2010. Can I not update it any further? Or is this the most recent version? After installing it, does it matter where I put the file? I just want to make sure I'm not missing any details

 

2. I'm trying to download the ENB binary, but for the life of me I can't navigate the ENB website. The link in the STEP page takes me to what looks like a changelog with no actual downloads (http://enbdev.com/download_mod_tesskyrim.html). When I click the "download" tab, it takes me to a general page that lists patches for several different games (http://enbdev.com/download.htm). When I click on Skyrim, it takes me to a page with an outdated download link (http://enbdev.com/download_patch_skyrim.htm). I have no idea where to go from here. 

 

So yeah like I said, I'm sure I'm just missing something obvious here but this entire process has baffled me for years and I apparently can't follow simple instructions. Can anyone help explain what I'm missing? Thanks in advance.

Edited September 9, 2019 by psychotrip

[Greg]

Windows 10 comes with DirectX 12 installed, but I don't think the DirectX9 runtime files are installed and this is required for ENBSeries so install it. Also keep in mind that Skyrim was released way back when DirectX 9 was the new kid on the block. We've since gone through DirectX 10, 11 and 12 but Skyrim is still set in its ways.

 

If you are using Skyrim Legendary Edition, click the link provided and scroll past the release notes. At the bottom of the page you'll see a lot of older versions listed, and you'll want the newest version. These all look like plain text but these are links so click v0.389. You'll land on a page containing more release notes. Scroll down to the bottom of the page and you'll see an icon with "download next to it. Click the icon. At this point your browser should ask you to save the file.

[psychotrip]

Windows 10 comes with DirectX 12 installed, but I don't think the DirectX9 runtime files are installed and this is required for ENBSeries so install it. Also keep in mind that Skyrim was released way back when DirectX 9 was the new kid on the block. We've since gone through DirectX 10, 11 and 12 but Skyrim is still set in its ways.

 

If you are using Skyrim Legendary Edition, click the link provided and scroll past the release notes. At the bottom of the page you'll see a lot of older versions listed, and you'll want the newest version. These all look like plain text but these are links so click v0.389. You'll land on a page containing more release notes. Scroll down to the bottom of the page and you'll see an icon with "download next to it. Click the icon. At this point your browser should ask you to save the file.

You sir are an absolute hero! The fact that everything looked like plain text was my exact issue all these years. I've looked at this page maybe 8 times and I've had no idea what I was supposed to click on. Thank you!

 

So I've downloaded Directx 9 Runtime. Is there a specific place I should put it after I install it? Like in the Skyrim directory? Also, after downloading I notice that this says DirectX10. Wasn't 9 the one I needed? I found a link to 9 so I guess I'll download that instead. Odd that the link sent me to 10 though. I guess I'll delete that one. 

 

So I put d3d9.dll, enbhost.exe, and enblocal.ini into the Skyrim folder, not in the data folder. Is that all? How do I know if things "worked"? I suppose I should tweak the enb ini files as suggested as well, but is there anything else? 

 

Thank you so much for your help so far!

Edited September 10, 2019 by psychotrip

[Greg]

The June 2010 runtimes linked in the guide you you linked in your original post is the correct version you need to download and install.  When you install the runtimes, it should install into the default location. I think this is C:\Windows\System32 and/or C:\Windows\SysWOW64 by default. Do not install the runtimes into the Steam or Skyrim folder because it won't work.

 

When you download ENBSeries, you'll need to extract the files in the WrapperVersion folder into the Skyrim folder (the same folder with skyrim.exe and skyrimlauncher.exe). You should also note that this includes a d3d9.dll. This is a "fake" DirectX9 DLL that hooks into Skyrim.exe and then loads the real d3d9.dll from the system folder.

 

Edit enblocal.ini in the Skyrim folder and ensure UsePatchSpeedhackWithoutGraphics=true is in the [GLOBAL] section near the top of the file. This basically enables the memory optimizations and disables the new graphics stuff. You can change this to false later if you decided to install an ENB preset. For now, keep it simple. Also read the guide on the settings you should change in enblocal.ini since some of these depend on your graphics card.

 

When you run Skyrim, you should see red text at the top saying graphics has been disabled (although I don't remember the exact text). This is perfectly normal and lets you know ENBSeries is working.

[psychotrip]

The June 2010 runtimes linked in the guide you you linked in your original post is the correct version you need to download and install.  When you install the runtimes, it should install into the default location. I think this is C:\Windows\System32 and/or C:\Windows\SysWOW64 by default. Do not install the runtimes into the Steam or Skyrim folder because it won't work.

 

When you download ENBSeries, you'll need to extract the files in the WrapperVersion folder into the Skyrim folder (the same folder with skyrim.exe and skyrimlauncher.exe). You should also note that this includes a d3d9.dll. This is a "fake" DirectX9 DLL that hooks into Skyrim.exe and then loads the real d3d9.dll from the system folder.

 

Edit enblocal.ini in the Skyrim folder and ensure UsePatchSpeedhackWithoutGraphics=true is in the [GLOBAL] section near the top of the file. This basically enables the memory optimizations and disables the new graphics stuff. You can change this to false later if you decided to install an ENB preset. For now, keep it simple. Also read the guide on the settings you should change in enblocal.ini since some of these depend on your graphics card.

 

When you run Skyrim, you should see red text at the top saying graphics has been disabled (although I don't remember the exact text). This is perfectly normal and lets you know ENBSeries is working.

Alright awesome! I adjusted the .ini and got that red message you mentioned. Weirdly though, this happened before I put the Directx10 in the place you suggested (I put it in the Skyrim directory). Maybe it's working off the DirectX9 I also installed? I'm going to re-download the correct one and put it where you suggested. It didn't have a default place to go when I downloaded the first time. It actually told me to manually suggest a location. I'll fix it now though. Also, since my Skyrim is in D: and not C:, should I put the directx in D: instead? Or C:?

 

Okay so I found the exact folder you said to put it in, but when I try to install it there it tells me "The folder is invalid. Please make sure the folder exists and is writable".

Edited September 10, 2019 by psychotrip