Random crashes and days darker then nights

[krzykyle]

I've been playing Skyrim with STEP 2.2.6. and I've had several problems:

• Random crash to desktop with no error
• Random crash to deskop or screen freeze with error "Skyim has stopped working"
• Really bright interior when coming in from a daytime exterior - after a few seconds or minute or two in the interior the lighting goes back to default
• Really dark daytime (darker then night) often happens after exiting an interior
• I get the following error in MO's log file: ERROR (14:54:27.0232): failed to remove limit on archive list!

I believe all these problems are due to possible conflicts with some of my mods but I have so many installed I'm not sure where to begin. The last two problems I'm sure have to do with RCRN conflicting with a particular mod but I'm not sure which one. If anyone knows any particular mods that have problems with RCRN please let me know. And then the first two problems I mentioned don't seem to happen with any consistency for me to troubleshoot them. The last time my game crashed I was just riding on my horse down the road. The crashing used to be a lot worse until I installed compatibility patches for RCRN and sounds of skryim, installed simple border-less window, and cleaned all plugins that had dirty files through TES5Edit.

 

The following is my load order:

 

 

Skyrim.esm

Update.esm

Dawnguard.esm

HearthFires.esm

Dragonborn.esm

Skyrim Project Optimization - Full Version.esm

Lanterns Of Skyrim - All In One - Main.esm

SPIKE.esm

HighResTexturePack01.esp

HighResTexturePack02.esp

HighResTexturePack03.esp

Brawl Bugs CE.esp

Unofficial Skyrim Patch.esp

Unofficial Dawnguard Patch.esp

Unofficial Hearthfire Patch.esp

Unofficial Dragonborn Patch.esp

Unofficial High Resolution Patch.esp

Weapons & Armor Fixes_Remade.esp

Better Dynamic Snow.esp

Rainbows.esp

BWS.esp

Clanking Armor.esp

IHSS.esp

Improved Combat Sounds v2.2.esp

randomthunder.esp

Thundering Shouts.esp

mintylightningmod.esp

StaticMeshImprovementMod.esp

StaticMeshImprovementMod-DragonbornTernFix.esp

TradeBarter.esp

83Willows_101BUGS_V4_LowRes.esp

Ars Metallica.esp

Ars Metallica - Dawnguard.esp

Ars Metallica - Hearthfire.esp

Ars Metallica - Dragonborn.esp

BirdsHFclean.esp

Birdsofskyrim.esp

BLESSINGS - Altar Descriptions.esp

Bring Out Your Dead.esp

Chesko_WearableLantern.esp

Chesko_WearableLantern_Guards.esp

Chesko_WearableLantern_Candle_DG.esp

Chesko_WearableLantern_Caravaner.esp

ClamsDropPearls.esp

Dead Body Collision.esp

Disease Descriptions.esp

DD_Dawnguard Additions.esp

DD_Dragonborn Additions.esp

Dual Sheath Redux.esp

DungeonQuestAwareness.esp

fFastTravelSpeedMult_4.esp

Lanterns Of Skyrim - All In One - Default.esp

manny Lantern Caretakers.esp

MVABasic.esp

MVAIvarstead.esp

MVARorikstead.esp

Moss Rocks.esp

Oblivion Gates v3 without Markers - Skyrim + Dawnguard DLC.esp

ORM-Arvak.esp

PilgrimsDelight.esp

Point The Way.esp

RabbitsPlus.esp

Radiant and Unique Potions Poisons and Booze.esp

ShootingStars.esp

Skyrim Flora Overhaul.esp

SkyrimImprovedPuddles-DG-HF-DB.esp

SMDropLitTorch.esp

Traps Make Noise.esp

Convenient Horses.esp

Destructible_bottles.esp

Auto Unequip Ammo.esp

Chesko_LoreBasedLoadingScreens.esp

Footprints.esp

Footprints - Ash.esp

NoxUE2.00.esp

RaceMenu.esp

RaceMenuPlugin.esp

WetandCold.esp

WetandCold - Ashes.esp

SkyUI.esp

iHUD.esp

daedric_phelm.esp

Elemental Staves.esp

ExplosiveBoltsVisualized.esp

imp_helm.esp

imp_helm_imp.esp

imp_helm_dawn.esp

Lock Overhaul.esp

Gildergreen Regrown.esp

Run For Your Lives.esp

When Vampires Attack.esp

SkyrimChimneysRW.esp

The Paarthurnax Dilemma.esp

SkyrimCoinReplacer.esp

Acquisitive Soul Gems.esp

Appropriately Attired Jarls Redux.esp

BetterQuestObjectives.esp

BetterQuestObjectives-PaarDilemmaPatch.esp

BetterQuestObjectives-DBForevertoMisc.esp

BlockSparkles.esp

Distant DetailHF.esp

DiversePriests.esp

DiversePriests_BringOutYourDeadPatch.esp

dynamic fires.esp

FSS-No pause between lines.esp

Guard Dialogue Overhaul.esp

masser Size x0.5.esp

More Salt Please.esp

More Salt Please - Dragonborn addon.esp

dD-No Twitching Dragon Death Animation.esp

NonEssentialChildren.esp

BetterQuestObjectives-NECPatch.esp

secunda Size x0.5.esp

dD - Enhanced Blood Main.esp

dD-Dragonborn-Dawnguard-EBT Patch.esp

TheChoiceIsYours.esp

TheChoiceIsYours_Dawnguard.esp

BetterQuestObjectives-TheChoiceIsYoursPatch.esp

Thieves Guild Requirements.esp

Waterbreathing Breathless Emerge.esp

aMidianborn_Skyforge_Weapons.esp

WeaponsArmorFixes_MultiMod_DLCPatch.esp

AIMP - Antz in my Pantz.esp

Chesko_Step418_SN.esp

SoS - The Dungeons.esp

SoS - The Wilds.esp

SoS - Civilization.esp

dD - Realistic Ragdoll Force - Realistic.esp

BFSEffects.esp

DeadlySpellImpacts.esp

Dual Wield Parrying_SKSE.esp

Enhanced Soul Trap.esp

Soul Gems Differ - E.esp

dD-No Spinning Death Animation.esp

Beards.esp

Brows.esp

Slightly Reduced Distance NPC Greetings.esp

SPTConsistentOlderPeople.esp

Follower Trap Safety.esp

moveitLWT.esp

rcrnShaders.esp

RCRNvolumetric.esp

SoS - The Dungeons-PatchRCRN.esp

SoS - The Wilds-PatchRCRN.esp

SoS - Civilization-PatchRCRN.esp

Animated Weapon Enchants.esp

DawnguardRuneWeaponsFXSReplacer.esp

WATER.esp

WATER Plants.esp

WATER DB Waves.esp

SPTConsistentOlderPeopleCompatability.esp

DiversePriests_ConsistentOlderPeoplePatch.esp

ASG-AWE Patch.esp

Unique Region Names.esp

Dual Sheath Redux Patch.esp

 

 

[TechAngel85]

My guess is it's an issue with RCRN as you said. Have you tried completely removing it (including all files in the root directory and in the Data folder) and see if the problems persists? I didn't see any mods from a quick glace that would cause conflict, but I also haven't ran RCRN in a really long time.

[Aiyen]

The CTD´s can be due to any number of things. But since you also have issues with lighting then there might be a correlation.

RCRN seems the most likely culprint since it does include stuff that can in fact do what you describe. Even though it is a bit weird I admit.

 

Try to remove it and test too see if the problem persists.

For CTD´s I have to ask that you try to reduce the amount of textures you might use to a minimum. If that solves the CTD´s then you have had memory issues. If not then it is most likely a mod conflict.

An easy trick to do this is to extract the textures.bsa in MO and load it first and let other mods overwrite it. Then when you want to test out you can just move the mod with the vanilla textures down to the bottom of the mod list and it will overwrite everything. That way you do not have to disable a load of mods and reactivate them again. It is a real timer saver.

[krzykyle]

Ok so uninstalling RCRN fixed the lighting problems but not the crashes. First my screen froze when attempting a fire shout at a large tree stump and then after I restarted Skyrim after about 10min. of playing I was walking into a room in the jarl's house in Falkreath when I decided to turn around at the last second and then got a "Skyrim has stopped working" error. From those two things I would say it does seem like it is probably a memory issue.

 

Not sure if this will be helpful but the last crash actually gave me a description this time:

 

"Files that help describe the problem:

C:\Users\'User Name'\AppData\Local\Temp\WER1DE3.tmp.WERInternalMetadata.xml

C:\Users\'User Name'\AppData\Local\Temp\WER36F0.tmp.appcompat.txt

C:\Users\'User Name'\AppData\Local\Temp\WER3710.tmp.hdmp

 

Read our privacy statement online:

https://go.microsoft.com/fwlink/?linkid=104288&clcid=0x0409

 

If the online privacy statement is not available, please read our privacy statement offline:

C:\Windows\system32\en-US\erofflps.txt"

 

I will try what you said Aiyen but what do you mean by the textures.bsa? However, I do find it odd that it would be a memory problem though because I installed all the mods from STEP via the baseline instructions and my computer is quite decent. I am using a laptop and do get occasional hiccups in FPS.

[krzykyle]

Also here are the specs of my computer from DxDiag:

 

------------------

System Information

------------------

Operating System: Windows 7 Home Premium 64-bit (6.1, Build 7601) Service Pack 1 (7601.win7sp1_gdr.130318-1533)

Language: English (Regional Setting: English)

System Manufacturer: CLEVO

System Model: P15xEMx

BIOS: BIOS Date: 05/07/12 11:37:07 Ver: 04.06.05

Processor: Intel® Core i7-3610QM CPU @ 2.30GHz (8 CPUs), ~2.3GHz

Memory: 16384MB RAM

Available OS Memory: 16280MB RAM

Page File: 4929MB used, 11349MB available

Windows Dir: C:\Windows

DirectX Version: DirectX 11

DX Setup Parameters: Not found

User DPI Setting: 96 DPI (100 percent)

System DPI Setting: 120 DPI (125 percent)

DWM DPI Scaling: Disabled

DxDiag Version: 6.01.7601.17514 64bit Unicode

 

---------------

Display Devices

---------------

This is my secondary display:

---------------------------

Card name: Intel® HD Graphics 4000 (please note that the video card listed is not the one I'm using, I'm using a GeForce GTX 680M with 4096 dedicated memory)

Manufacturer: Intel Corporation

Chip type: Intel® HD Graphics Family

DAC type: Internal

Device Key: Enum\PCI\VEN_8086&DEV_0166&SUBSYS_51051558&REV_09

Display Memory: 3729 MB

Dedicated Memory: 4036 MB

Shared Memory: 3788 MB

Current Mode: 1920 x 1080 (32 bit) (59Hz)

Monitor Name: Generic PnP Monitor

Monitor Model: unknown

Monitor Id: LGD01E9

Native Mode: 1920 x 1080(p) (59.934Hz)

Output Type: Internal

 

This is the display I'm playing Skyrim on:

--------------------------------------

Card name: Intel® HD Graphics 4000 (please note that the video card listed is not the one I'm using, I'm using a GeForce GTX 680M with 4096 dedicated memory)

Manufacturer: Intel Corporation

Chip type: Intel® HD Graphics Family

DAC type: Internal

Device Key: Enum\PCI\VEN_8086&DEV_0166&SUBSYS_51051558&REV_09

Display Memory: 3729 MB

Dedicated Memory: 4036 MB

Shared Memory: 3788 MB

Current Mode: 2560 x 1440 (32 bit) (59Hz)

Monitor Name: Dell U2713HM (DVI)

Monitor Model: DELL U2713HM

Monitor Id: DEL407E

Native Mode: 2560 x 1440(p) (59.951Hz)

Output Type: Displayport External

[Aiyen]

Falkreath is one of the most memory intensive areas in the game. So CTD´s there are most likely related to the fact that the game is running out of memory to load all assets.

In general you can get CTD´s from memory as far down as 2.4Gb used. If you get into a region that just requires a huge chunk of new stuff then the burst of data might be too much, and it will then upset the script engine, which will then cause the game to freeze or CTD.

 

It might be that your computer is more then able to handle it and it is not memory related at all! However experience has shown that most of the time it is in fact the cause. I just like to get it out of the way, before I start making long long posts about mod compatibility etc.

[krzykyle]

Ok makes sense. How would I go about extracting textures.bsa from MO? Also I haven't done texture optimization yet, I assume I should try that first? Oh and I should probably mention I'm running the game at a pretty high resolution 2560x1440 which reducing to 1080 should help significantly as well.

[phazer11]

To extract the files from the Vanilla .bsa's you should follow the DDSOpt guide. Once they are extracted you should probably optimize; yes. Decreasing your resolution is probably a must as it will hopefully allow you to avoid the 3.1GB Ram limitation.

[krzykyle]

Yeah I lowered the resolution but I still crashed when quick traveling. Also just started attempting to build my first house. The door wouldn't show up after I finished building the house. Also at one point when I quick traveled before completing the house all house structure options on the bench disappeared. Not sure if these bugs for hearthfire relate to my crashing just thought I'd mention them. I'll go ahead and follow the DDSOpt guide and continue from there.

[krzykyle]

Ok it's late where I am so I'm going to start going through DDSopt guide tomorrow, but I've noticed a few things that further supports the idea that I'm having some memory problems.

 

[] When being forced into a conversation with an NPC the dialog choices take a while to appear and I just have to sit and wait until they come up unable to quit out of the conversation or even open up any other menu in the game.

[] After killing an NPC with the soul trap spell it takes almost a minute before the soul is actually taken from the dead NPC. I was once out of sight of the dead NPC before the soul trap took effect.

[] When using the workbench to build structures for my house objects that are made back to back take a while to appear.

 

These above problems must be directly linked to my memory issue, I should be able to easily test them once I've gone through the DDSOpt guide to see if my memory issues are resolved.

[krzykyle]

Ok so I'm at the part in the DDSopt guide where I'm supposed to repair the HRDLC textures but I'm not 100% clear on the following step:

1. Move the "HRDLC1", "HRDLC2", and "HRDLC3" folders from the "Vanilla Extracted" directory to the working directory.

 

What does it mean by "working directory"? Does "working directory" mean the base skyrim directory in steam\steamapps\common\skyrim?

[phazer11]

The working directory is where you told DDSOpt to extract all of the files from the Vanilla .bsa files. In my case I always point it to XXXX Extracted the X's being whatever mod or asset I'm working on. In this case it would be Vanilla Extracted and would contain folders named Textures, HRDLC1, HRDLC2, and HRDLC3.

[krzykyle]

The working directory is where you told DDSOpt to extract all of the files from the Vanilla .bsa files. In my case I always point it to XXXX Extracted the X's being whatever mod or asset I'm working on. In this case it would be Vanilla Extracted and would contain folders named Textures HRDLC1, HRDLC2, and HRDLC3.

Yes but the instructions say to move the HRDLC 1, HRDLC2, and HRDLC3 folders from out of the Vanilla Extracted directory to a different directory which the instructions refer to as "the working directory."

 

 

Here again is a direct quote from the instructions:

1. Move the "HRDLC1", "HRDLC2", and "HRDLC3" folders from the "Vanilla Extracted" directory to the working directory.

[Kelmych]

The working directory is a separate directory, outside of the Skyrim directory that contains the Skyrim program and its data, used for processing the extracted HRDLC. Other than not being inside the Skyrim directory it can be almost anywhere. I expanded the description of it in the guide; hopefully the description is now clearer.

[krzykyle]

Ok I believe I successfully ran the HRDLC_Fix-START.bat as the only errors I received in the error log had to do with the placeholder.txt files. However before moving on I would like to double check if it was ok for me to remove the placeholderfile.txt files I found during the Extracting Textures section. I ask because step 6. only specifies unticking the placeholder.txt files and not the placeholderfile.txt files that I also found. I assume it's fine but I just want to double check.

[Kelmych]

Any placeholder related files should be removed.