If I right clicked "remove" on objects from an esp, is it possible to restore the full mod if I didn't make a backup?

[Brambleshire]

Hello team!

So I was trying to use JK's Skyrim AIO in a modular way, by removing parts of it I don't want. I followed gamerpoets video "JKs modular Skyrim", and removed the entirety of Dawnstar from the mod, by going to the references and cells, and right clicking "remove". 

However I failed to make a backup of the esp, and now I realize I actually need some of the objects I had removed. This entire time I thought I could just reinstall the entire mod, however, I see that even if I re-download and re-install JK's Skyrim, all the objects I removed are still removed. I didn't understand until now what the "create backup" checkbox actually meant, and I didn't have it ticked for whatever reason... So if I didn't create a backup, and I want to restore aspects of (or a full) JK's Skyrim, am I screwed? Is there a way to restore it in xEdit?

I also need to ask because I have removed a lot of different things this way, and I think it's very likely this would come up in the future.

Thank you for your help!

[Mousetick]

Reinstalling the mod in your mod manager will restore the original unmodified copy of the plugin. If that's not the case, there is a user error or misunderstanding somewhere in the procedure.

What mod manager are you using?

1 hour ago, Brambleshire said:

I see that even if I re-download and re-install JK's Skyrim, all the objects I removed are still removed.

Where do you "see" that? In xEdit?

[Brambleshire]

Thank you for your help!

User error is very likely here I'm afraid lol.
I'm using MO2, and I'm launching xEdit through MO2. 
 

45 minutes ago, Mousetick said:

Where do you "see" that? In xEdit?

First I uninstalled JK's Skyrim from MO2. Then I re-downloaded and re-installed a fresh copy of JKs. Then I load up JKs in xEdit.
However, all the cells and assets associated with Dawnstar and Morthal (that is what I had removed from JKs previously) are not visible anywhere in the left window of xEdit. For example when I expand Cell>block 4 is still missing. Also Cell>block 5>sub block 4 is also still missing. This is also the case for all the objects from Worldspace>0000003C>00000D74>persistent>00077D61,00087678,00087695etc are all still missing.

Edit: I forgot to add that I visited JK's Dawnstar in-game and all the objects unique to JK's Dawnstar, such as the big ship, were all still missing.

Edited December 14, 2023 by Brambleshire

[Mousetick]

That's impossible. You must have another copy of the plugin somewhere, the one you pruned before, which is then loaded in xEdit.

In the plugin list on the right-hand side of MO2, locate the JK plugin (type its name in the filter box at the bottom if needed to find it), and hover your mouse over it. A small window will pop up. The first line at the top of the pop up will say:

Origin: [name of the mod]

where [name of the mod] is the name of the mod containing the plugin in the mod list on the left-hand side of MO2.

That mod should be the one you freshly reinstalled. If it's not the mod you freshly reinstalled, then that's the problem. If it's the mod you freshly reinstalled, then further troubleshooting is needed to find out why it's not actually freshly reinstalled.

[Brambleshire]

AH. Its probably because I only removed it from the left side. I right clicked "remove mod" from the left side of the panel. I'll test it out in the morning.

[z929669]

2 hours ago, Brambleshire said:

AH. Its probably because I only removed it from the left side. I right clicked "remove mod" from the left side of the panel. I'll test it out in the morning.

If you removed the mod from the MO left pane, then the plugin is also removed.

Just do that, then launch xEdit to verify it no longer sees the plugin. Then reinstall the mod to check that the plugin is there again.

Alternatively, rename the edited plugin using MO Files or Explorer, reinstall under a different mod name, and compare your edited version to the original in xEdit.

[Brambleshire]

Interesting. So I loaded up 2 JK's Skyrim, one renamed and the other as is. The plugin I renamed to "JK's Skyrim2.esp" all the missing cells and worldspaces were there, while said cells and worldspaces were missing from the other. When I changed the name back to "JK's Skyrim.esp" they disappeared again. It seems that no matter which install or copy of JK's Skyrim I use, if it is named "JK's Skyrim.esp" then in xEdit it goes back to the state it was in after I removed all those cells. If I change the name to "Jk's Skyrim2.esp" all the cells I previously selected as romoved, are suddenly there. No matter which "copy" of JKs I am using. Does that make sense?

[Mousetick]

Yes, it means you have more than one copy of the plugin named 'JK's Skyrim.esp'. One copy you reinstalled. The other one you previously edited is lurking somewhere and is (virtually) overwriting the pristine one in the mod manager. I have no idea how your stuff is set up or how you ended up in this state. You need to locate that second copy and get rid of it or put it out of the way. Only you can find it. I gave you some tips earlier to locate that edited plugin, have you tried them yet?