MOD S.T.E.P. fix plugin order with LOOT failed exit code 3221225477

[aba42]

Having played Skyrim with 252 mods (using NMM only for load order), I decided to "clean up" the experience, and use the guidance in the UserNeovalen S.T.E.P. guide Skyrim Revisited Legendary Edition.  Got a clean, no mods, Skyrim install (i.e., Skyrim, Update, Dawnguard, HearthFires, Dragonborn, HighResTexturePack 1, 2, and 3. That's it, nothing else.  I began going through all of the S.T.E.P.s.  I put Mod Organizer, SKSE (select files), LOOT, TES5Edit, and WryeBash all in the root directory of <Steam><steamapps><common><Skyrim>, per several online suggestions that they ALL be located there (that wasn't clear from the S.T.E.P. guide).  I began going through the MOD Organizer setup.  I got to the <LOOT><Run><Sort> instruction.  That puppy hums for a few seconds, then generates an error window "loot failed. exit code was: 3221225477".   The little messages at the bottom of the Mod Organizer screen say "no more processes in job".  I have been unable to find ANY solution to this problem, other than suggestions that ALL of these programs associated with Mod Organizer need to be in that Skyrim Root Folder (i.e., on the same level as the<Data> folder, NOT inside the <Data> folder).  So, what the heck am I doing wrong?   Yes, I have Norton Security Sweep.  No, the Firewall AND the Anti-Virus are both disabled during this process, JUST in case Norton tried to be too helpful.  Suggestions welcome, especially if they resolve the problem and I may continue?  Thanks!  Allen

[GrantSP]

Welcome to STEP @aba42

 

According to Microsoft that error code is: Access violation. Indicates that the executed program has terminated abnormally or crashed. (Really helpful isn't it! :O_o:  Not!)

Normally at this stage I would say you have installed LOOT and MO into a folder with UAC imposed on it, but since you say you have already read up on that step and installed elsewhere (good effort on your part, well done), we'll have to find another reason.

 

Let's just clarify a popular misconception about where these tools NEED to be installed. MO, LOOT & xEdit (as TES4Edit, TES5Edit, FO3Edit, FNVEdit & FO4Edit are collectively called) DO NOT NEED to be installed into the root folder of the games that they work with. ALL of these tools find the game by checking for entries in the Windows registry and therefore can be safely installed ANYWHERE.

 

Now with that out of the way can you test something? Does LOOT operate correctly if called from outside MO? If so are you sure you have correctly set the application settings for it in MO's settings?

In the 'Arguments' field of MO's "Executables" dialogue, have you set this to read: --game=skyrim

 

Lastly are you using MO 1.3.11 & LOOT 0.8.1?

[aba42]

Yes, I have MO 1.3.11 and LOOT 0.8.1, per the S.T.E.P. guidance and links.  Curiously, or not (depending on which is correct), when I start Mod Organizer, the title bar says "Mod Organizer 1.3.11 (not logged in)"...is that "not logged in" relevant?  I'm assuming from your message that it's okay to leave all those programs in the Skyrim directory, correct?  Yes, LOOT appears to run correctly, EXCEPT THAT, the S.T.E.P had me organize as Skyrim, Update, Dawnguard, HearthFires, Dragonborn.  LOOT reverses HearthFires and Dragonborn loading order.  It was that way (on the right side of MO) when I was running LOOT too, right before the error occurred.  Please forgive my ignorance, where is the "'Arguments' field of MO's 'Executables' dialogue"?  Is that the startup string in Mod Organizer (right-click properties), General?  IF so, no the only thing there is ModOrganizer.exe.  There are no arguments listed after that.  When I FIRST started Mod Organizer, I was asked which application I wanted to use MO for, and I selected Skyrim.  I no longer get that options window.  Clear as mud, right?

[aba42]

Well, D'OH!!  Sorry 'bout that, Chief.  NO I did NOT have the dang argument field of the executable filled out (did it for the other two...just not LOOT...wasn't instructed to in the S.T.E.P. for any of 'em).  I filled in the "Start in" for LOOT as the root directory for Skyrim, and all went well...I think.  Onward, and upward...wandering aimlessly as I go.  I'm not a programmer, nor do I play one on tv.  I've just been futzing with PC's since 1984, and have picked up a lot of stuff.  So, if I ask REALLY dumb questions, it's probably because I was never immersed in Snobol and Cobol and stuff when I was a mere kid.  Allen

[aba42]

Okay, I KNEW it was too good to last.  I have now gotten to the S.T.E.P. where I select drop-down SKSE from the Mod Loader, and then <Run>.  This time, the error is "A component of the Skyrim Script Extender has stopped working", windows is looking for a solution.    This time, I went straight to the skse_loader.exe file, executed it, and Skyrim started right up.  BUT, not from within Mod Organizer.  I checked, and the Arguments field of the MO's executables for SKSE IS set up correctly...at least, I assume so.  Any clues for the source of this error?  (oh, yeah, SKSE 1.07.03).

[aba42]

There appear to have been two files generated by the error, initweaks.ini (the sole content of which is: 

[Archive]
bInvalidateOlderFiles=1

 

and lockedorder.txt, which only states:
# This file was automatically generated by Mod Organizer.

 

I checked the Windows Event Viewer, but all it says is that an unknown error occurred in skse_loader.exe

[aba42]

One final input, then I'll await any and all assistance.  In surfing through (not altering) the Mod Organizer, I found <Settings><Workaround><Load Mechanism> set to Mod Organizer, for Steam App ID 72850 and NMM Version 0.52.3.  Two checked boxes are <Force-enable game files> and <Display mods installed outside MO>.  the <Load Mechanism> has a drop-box that only contains one alternative:  Script Extender.  These are currently set correctly, right?  Everything else appears to have been set up identically to the S.T.E.P. setup instructions.  Thanks.  Allen

[GrantSP]

You shouldn't have to make any changes to any of those extra settings as MO works best with Skyrim and they are mainly to coax other games, e.g. Fallout 3 and Oblivion, to play nicely with it.

 

So let's just get this up to speed with where you are now.

 

LOOT runs and correctly sees the plugins you have and provides you with an order?

Those files created by MO are fine and contain the correct details, no need to worry about those.

Now as to the SKSE error. STEP asks you to install via MO the 'scripts' that accompany SKSE. You have followed those steps and have SKSE Scripts enabled in MO's left hand pane?

[aba42]

Yes, LOOT runs and correctly sees the plugins I have, and the order provided in the right-hand pane now matches that in the left-hand pane.  I followed the STEP instructions, and got the green "Looks good" message.  I do not remember running across the create-ini instructions that are in the "those steps" link in your message.  So, I created that ini, dropped it into the <mods><Skyrim Script Extender> folder, restarted MO, and everything ALMOST worked.  There was no SKSE error this time, after the ini creation, BUT MO does not close after I select <SKSE><Run> from within MO.  Is there somthing missing that's supposed to close the MO window while Skyrim's running?  AND, THANK YOU for that ini-creation instruction!!  It seems to have resolved the SKSE error.

[GrantSP]

In the "Executables" dialogue there is an option to 'Close MO when started'.

[aba42]

Well, I guess I really ought to quit using this simple program and go back to NMM, huh?  I got all the way through cleaning Dawnguard.esm twice, and after it says it's done, Dawnguard.esm, Skyrim.esm and Update.esm are all red and the bottom message in the right-hand pane reads:  "<Warning: Plugin contains 57 deleted NavMeshes which can not be undeleted>".  It REALLY shouldn't be this hard to continue...should it?

[GrantSP]

Well, I guess I really ought to quit using this simple program and go back to NMM, huh?  I got all the way through cleaning Dawnguard.esm twice, and after it says it's done, Dawnguard.esm, Skyrim.esm and Update.esm are all red and the bottom message in the right-hand pane reads:  "<Warning: Plugin contains 57 deleted NavMeshes which can not be undeleted>".  It REALLY shouldn't be this hard to continue...should it?

You're doing just fine.

xEdit can't be used to clean NAVMESHES so you will always have that message. They're nothing to worry about anyway, 99.99% of the time.

[aba42]

AHhh, my mistake.  I thought I was supposed to keep looking for "green" lights in order to be able to continue.  Cleaning the Update.esm ended green, the first one after, Dawnguard.esm, ended red...despite two cleanings.  So, I just figured I was messing up again.  Sorry for the noob questions.  I'll get back at it.  Allen

[aba42]

It would be nice if the program did what the instructions state they will.  The relevant instructions here are:

-----------

Normally, when a file is cleaned through TES5Edit using Mod Organizer it is automatically moved back to it's original mod folder and any generated files are moved to <Mod Organizer Path>/overwrite. In the case of the base Bethesda ESM files there is no source mod and so post cleaning the cleaned ESMs are left in the Skyrim/Data folder while the backups are moved to the overwrite folder. The cleaned files should be moved to their own mod folder to preserve a clean Skyrim/Data folder and the backups restored from the TES5Edit Backup folder in overwrite. To resolve this problem, perform the following:

Close Mod Organizer.Navigate to Skyrim/Data and move the newly cleaned Bethesda ESM files to <Mod Organizer Path>/Mods/Cleaned Vanilla ESMs.Navigate to <Mod Organizer Path>/overwrite/TES5Edit Backups and move all of the backup files to the Skyrim/Data folder.Rename the .backup* files to their original name such as Update.esm, Dawnguard.esm and so on.Remove the TES5Edit Backups folder from <Mod Organizer Path>/overwrite.

-----------

And here is where they ended up for me.  Skyrim.esm (updated most recently of all the files) is in Skyrim<Data> folder (No, I did NOT clean it, it must have been being updated automatically while the DLC's were being cleaned?).  The edited Dawnguard.esm, Dragonborn.esm, HearthFires.Esm and Update.esm are all in Skyrim<overwrite> folder.   The two Dawnguard.esm.backup files, and Dragonborn.esm.backup, HearthFires.esm.backup, and Update.esm.backup are all in Skyrim<overwrite><TES5Edit Backups> folder. 

 

So, I should

 

1.  Leave Skyrim.esm in the Skyrim<Data> folder,

2.  Move the four *.esm files from Skryim<overwrite> to Skyrim<mods><Cleaned Vanilla EMSs> (a new folder I create).  THEN,

3.  Move the four *.esm.backup files (but only the most recent of the two Dawnguard.esm.backup files) to Skyrim<Data> and rename them *.esm (i.e., Update.esm, Dawnguard.esm, HearthFires.esm, and Dragonborn.esm). 

 

Is that correct?

[Greg]

Move the four *.esm files in Overwrite to their own mod folders so you can sort them into the correct order. When you're finished you should have this in the left pane:

• Cleaned Update
• Unmanaged: Dawnguard
• Cleaned Dawnguard
• Unmanaged: Heartfires
• Cleaned Hearthfires
• Unmanaged: Dragonborn
• Cleaned Dragonborn

The ones tagged "Unmanaged:" are the *.esms in the Skyrim\Data directory that haven't been cleaned. The ones named "Cleaned *" are the *.esm files in Overwrite that you just cleaned. In other words, create a mod named "Cleaned Update" and move Update.esm from Overwrite into this mod; then create a mod named "Cleaned Dawguard" and move Dawnguard.esm from Overwrite to this mod, etc.

 

Step 3 is correct, but you'll want the oldest version of Dawguard.esm.backup files. The oldest one is the one that hasn't been cleaned.

[aba42]

Thank you.  My left pane now is as your list above, except that all of the "Cleaned" entries are checked folders (e.g,, "<checkbox> Cleaned Update"), each of which contains the relevant, cleaned esm file.  Also, am I supposed to have cleaned the three HighResTexturePacks 1, 2 and 3?  Or am I supposed to have stopped, as I did, with cleaning only the esm files?  Thanks, again!