CTD on the cart

[Chudders]

Hello, me again.

 

So, I managed to get wrye bash working and installed all the mods. Or at least I thought I did. I could load the game up, but it would CTD whilst a few seconds into the opening 'cart' sequence.

 

I tried a few things (messing with settings, refreshed ini) still no joy, so I uninstalled everything (I couldn't get Skyrim to work even after uninstalling all the mods via wrye bash), then uninstalled skyrim, THEN uninstalled Steam (because I forgot to reverse the skyrim unplugged thing), and then set about following the guide again and doing it manually/via NMM when prompted.

 

Same thing again, a couple of seconds into my cart ride I get a CTD with no error or message. It simply closes. :(

 

Hugely frustrating, i have spent hours this week trying to get this to work. I am fairly close to giving up all told.

 

Since you were all so helpful last time I thought I might ask if anyone has any ideas?

 

I'm running a 2.4ghz dc, 4gb ram, gtx260.

 

Thanks in advance.

[frihyland]

Sounds like you have 1GB or less VRAM and installed all the high res graphics.

[Chudders]

Do you think that might be the issue? I'm pretty sure I picked all the low res texture packs where possible (kowing my machine wouldn't be able to handle it up high). Will try tinkering again tonight when I've finished work.

 

And thanks.

[Bealdwine]

The standard memory config for the GTX 260 was 896MB.

 

Other than that your system is fairly equivalent to mine, with the major difference being my graphics card having a full 1Gb memory. I suspect from that Fri is correct and possibly you are simply pushing your use of High(er) Res textures too far.

 

When you reinstalled you did check that Skyrim was starting ok before you began modding again?

 

I would look at the main texture mods, even if you have the 1K versions, and maybe decide to try using a subset of those recommended. Possibly use the HD DLC + SRO or Skyrim HD - 2K, but not both.

 

Another possibility is to read up on the Guide:DDSopt_&_Texture_Overhauls

and consider optimizing the vanilla and HD DLC especially, and 'maybe' the major texture mod you decide on. If you want to test if this will help you could try using Skyrim Mods Complex Optimizer but if you do I recommend backing up your texture .bsa(s) and possibly your texture folder as well, and then after checking return to the guide and redo the optimizations properly with DDSopt.

[MadWizard25]

I suspect that it may be a VRAM issue as well. The opening scene is pretty gpu heavy with having to render all the scenery, foliage, actors, etc. To see if its gpu based, download a mod/ program called Skyrim Performance Monitor from nexus. Use it and you will be able to see if you hit your VRAM ceiling of 900MB. If you hit the ceiling and then crash you will clearly be able to see this on the graphs.

 

Ij the unlikely event that its a script conflict, since there are many running at that point, try papyrus logging and see if you keep getting the same script error right before the crash. The logging requires a ini tweak. You can easily find the details on google. If you have any questions about the logging if your unsure about something dont hesitate to ask :)

[Chudders]

Thanks for the considered replies all. I will download the performance checker and see if there's an issue with Gpu, and/or try using a reduced number of the high tech mods. To answer a couple of questions raised here:

 

I definitely checked vanilla worked before starting moding again;

 

I had previously optimised the textures using the simple version of the optimiser suggested in the STEP guide;

 

This morning I managed to load a previous save (from the test of vanilla above) just before the character creation. It ran ok and even managed to tinker with the character creator for a bit (but I was getting a lot of black textures) before it crashed again.

 

I'll let you know how I get on this evening. Thanks again!

[Chudders]

Here I are, back again, etc. With a picture for you. And I think it may confirm your suspicions. That also, I appear to be missing a gig of ram (I think). :confused: Greatful for your thoughts.

[z929669]

Here I are, back again, etc. With a picture for you. And I think it may confirm your suspicions. That also, I appear to be missing a gig of ram (I think). :confused: Greatful for your thoughts.

 

 

Install GPU-z and check your VRAM using that. I cannot tell by the PerfMon what your dedicated/dynamic VRAM useage is.

 

 

 

GPU-z should be our standard for measuring this I think, or at lease use it in conjuction so that we can determine what PerfMon is telling us.

[Chudders]

Bugger it - I've just cleared the install! Was going to try again using Wrye Bash as its more of a hassle deleting manually installed files than just starting again. At least I can play around with it in Wrye Bash (at least, that's the theory). Shouldn't take me too long to get up and running again and will upload a report when I do.

 

Thanks for your help.

[Chudders]

This is interesting. I tried vanilla skyrim with the Official HD texture pack, all graphical settings turned to 'high, 4XAA, 16XAF, averaging out at about 8 on the scales for object/actor/light fade (specularity set to max). I basically rarely went over 25 fps, and in some places it dropped to about 12. In fact, it crashed, not too far into the cart scene (a bit further than usual) :\. The GPU-Z log says I was running at about 750mb of vram for the entire time, but don't think that's enough to cause a crash right? I don't think I've ever actually tried using the official HD pack, as hadn't really played Skyrim since they came out. Always thought my PC could handle it.

 

So I tried with plain old ugly vanilla skyrim with the same settings and my FPS was improved (averaging 25-30 although still a bit sluggish in the busy places i.e. approaching the town, getting my head chopped off, etc) but it didn't crash and Vram usage was about 640mb.

 

I'm pretty certain that it used to run better than that before, although I did download the latest beta drivers the other day.

Does this tell me (i.e. you) anything? I'll do some more testing tomorrow and get some proper notes.

[MadWizard25]

Sluggish FPS, gpu-z and SPM reporting high VRAM use still sounds like you are running out of VRAM. Also be aware that VRAM use measurements are not really accurate, i think +/-5% is a good range, and in addition windows itself can take up to 100MB VRAM so you still might be hitting the ceiling.

 

The new beta drivers should offer improvements for skyrim, especially if they are nvidia.

 

How many other background processes are you running as well (apart from SPM or gpu-z)? You can use a program called gamebooster to ensure that all other programs and services are shut down allowing skyrim easier access to your computers resources.

 

You can also use a program called CCleaner to clear all redundant files from your computer, as these can also have an effect. In addition, the same program will also clean up your registry. You should also defrag the driver that contains skyrim fully. These things may help.

 

Regarding the Hi-Res DLC from Bethesda, they state an absolute minimum of 1GB VRAM required to run it, and strongly recommend 1.5GB VRAM. With only 900MB VRAM you should consider Vano's Hi-Res Optimized DLC pack, and pick the lowest settings, this might give you the effects of the DLC with less a hit on performance.

 

In any case im happy to hear its not crashing anymore :)

[Chudders]

Thanks madwizard all sensible suggestions that I will look into. I'm going to try a few things (namely, avoiding the high res texture packs entirely) and see how I get on. I'm hoping that its not an issue with my load order/set up and I simply didn't consider that my system wouldn't be able to perform. This is the first time I've come across that so perhaps an upgrade is I'm order.

 

I'll be back to update once finished.

[Bealdwine]

Just to add to MW's tips, also check out FPS Background Booster. I have used this and although not so dramatic as claimed it did offer a little FPS increase.

 

This one - HiAlgoBoost FPS Performance Accelerator Full Version - I have not yet tried but might be promising.