PC Another Steam Update, Another SKSE Fail

[SaveVsBedWet]

Can anyone tell me what happened between the beginning of this week and now with Steam/Skyrim updates? Was there another update to the main game? Because once again now when I try to run SKSE I get a message about the wrong version of Skyrim and this time when I update to the latest SKSE following the instructions exactly, I get both the SKSE and non-SKSE execution processes popping up a small command window, then a larger one which looks like the screen is going full/loading the game, and then immediately back to Windows.

I've got to say, I've grown tired of this. Every single update there is an issue. I've checked cache integrity, defragged cache, restored the entire Skyrim directory from backup, and now I'm back to wrong version of Skyrim meaning this must have happened before I backed up the partition two days ago.

So now I'm overwriting the Skyrim directory with the last backup I did before playing in Windows 8. Hope that works, because if not, I have no intention of reinstalling Skyrim and no less than 40 different active mods plus the ones that aren't currently active, and then reconfiguring .ini files for post processing, etc so my save games will load. It will pretty much be the end of my Skyrim experience at that point and I'll simply wait for Bioshock Infinite to drop.

If anyone is having similar issues or can shed some light so I can continue loving Skyrim and actually get to see the Dawnguard DLC, I am grateful for your help in advance.

 

[SaveVsBedWet]

Actually now I get some crap about TESVAL.dll either not being written for Windows, or being corrupt. Once again, this has survived several overwrites, Steam updates, and the upgrade of the SKSE file version to 1.8.151. That is the latest version available on their site, which claims it's still a beta.

It works in my Windows 7 x64 install that I was using, and worked up until this last Steam update in Windows 8 x64 Pro, but now it doesn't. So I have to reboot the computer and boot into Windows 7 in order to play this game now thanks to POS Steam.

Thanks Zasthur for your help, but I have done all of that now and have been doing it since 5pm yesterday. It's now 1:30am. I'm done with it. I'll just play off my previous installation at this point and will make sure never to buy another game through Steam for as long as I draw breath on this planet.

 

[Orc Smash!]

Actually now I get some crap about TESVAL.dll either not being written for Windows, or being corrupt. Once again, this has survived several overwrites, Steam updates, and the upgrade of the SKSE file version to 1.8.151. That is the latest version available on their site, which claims it's still a beta.

It works in my Windows 7 x64 install that I was using, and worked up until this last Steam update in Windows 8 x64 Pro, but now it doesn't. So I have to reboot the computer and boot into Windows 7 in order to play this game now thanks to POS Steam.

Thanks Zasthur for your help, but I have done all of that now and have been doing it since 5pm yesterday. It's now 1:30am. I'm done with it. I'll just play off my previous installation at this point and will make sure never to buy another game through Steam for as long as I draw breath on this planet.

All your answers are on http://skse.silverlock.org/. A new version was just released a couple days ago so be patient.

Current release build (1.6.4, compatible with runtime 1.8.151.0 on 24 October 2012):

SKSE will support the latest version of Skyrim available on Steam, and only this version (currently 1.8.151.0). When a new version is released, we will update as soon as possible; please be patient.

 

[ShenziSixaxis]

I'll just play off my previous installation at this point and will make sure never to buy another game through Steam for as long as I draw breath on this planet.

Uhh, why? Right click the game in the Steam Library and click Properties, then just disable the option to automatically DL new stuff.

And it's not Steam's fault that something that didn't come from Steam or Bethesda isn't working right.

Also, your issue sounds like it, in the end, has nothing to do with SKSE and rather is a mod conflict.

 

[Jojamaba]

So guys, help me out here ... should I install the latest SKSE release myself or is this something that happens automatically? I'm a bit confused by the "please be patient" bit. I'm not patient, I want to play!!

 

[ShenziSixaxis]

You need to install it yourself. I just copied everything in the downloaded SKSE folder and pasted it into the main Skyrim folder and overwrote everything and it worked.

 

[SaveVsBedWet]

Uhh, why? Right click the game in the Steam Library and click Properties, then just disable the option to automatically DL new stuff.

And it's not Steam's fault that something that didn't come from Steam or Bethesda isn't working right.

Also, your issue sounds like it, in the end, has nothing to do with SKSE and rather is a mod conflict.

No actually, I did a direct overwrite of a new installation of Skyrim with my Windows 7 Skyrim directory the day I installed Windows 8 clean. It ran fine.

A few days later, SKSE was telling me it didn't work with my TESV.exe version. Realizing that meant it had been updated, and hoping for the best, I installed the latest version of SKSE, and also upgraded Nexus Mod Manager to latest version.

It hasn't worked since that message popped up, despite fresh installs of Skyrim, compatibility mode fiddling, etc. Small cmd window, followed by larger cmd window looking like it's trying to switch video drivers, then the desktop and no running process. Eliminated NMM from the equation, running skseloader.exe directly. Same thing. Ran TESV.exe by itself. Without skseloader, I get the TESVAL.dll bellyache mentioned in an earlier post. Following advice on another site about that specifically, I remove TESVAL.dll and run TESV.exe directly again. Same window failures, just without the TESVAL.dll bellyache.

I blame Steam because every Steam update to Skyrim breaks SKSE, the configuration choice to decline automatic updating is only relevant when there are no updates, and because with Skyrim being a game that was designed with expectations of modding, such realities show that the company that has taken over as the shepherd of its distribution and version control has so little regard for the game and its fanbase that they are handling such tasks with software that is completely mod ignorant.

And then of course, there's the "you don't own the game you bought" factor which make it impossible to play the game unless you connect to their Trojan interface program and break your install first. By the time you can realistically run the game with Steam in offline mode, it has already done its updates and turned everything it has touched to porpoise poop.

 

[SaveVsBedWet]

All your answers are on http://skse.silverlock.org/. A new version was just released a couple days ago so be patient.

Current release build (1.6.4, compatible with runtime 1.8.151.0 on 24 October 2012):

SKSE will support the latest version of Skyrim available on Steam, and only this version (currently 1.8.151.0). When a new version is released, we will update as soon as possible; please be patient.

Yes, that is the exact version I am running actually...

 

[ShenziSixaxis]

It hasn't worked since that message popped up, despite fresh installs of Skyrim, compatibility mode fiddling, etc. Small cmd window, followed by larger cmd window looking like it's trying to switch video drivers, then the desktop and no running process. Eliminated NMM from the equation, running skseloader.exe directly. Same thing. Ran TESV.exe by itself. Without skseloader, I get the TESVAL.dll bellyache mentioned in an earlier post. Following advice on another site about that specifically, I remove TESVAL.dll and run TESV.exe directly again. Same window failures, just without the TESVAL.dll bellyache.

And then of course, there's the "you don't own the game you bought" factor which make it impossible to play the game unless you connect to their Trojan interface program and break your install first. By the time you can realistically run the game with Steam in offline mode, it has already done its updates and turned everything it has touched to porpoise poop.

That... wow. I have no idea what the hell's going on. I've been getting a lot of random CTDs lately, but I think a bit of mod management fixed that. However, I'm running on Windows 7 Professional, which Skyrim was designed to run on. My gut is telling me this is related to Windows 8, but I could be wrong.

Hmm, I suppose you have a point, and Steam did note just now that only fully up to date games are available in offline mode, so here's what I suggest: Keep a back up of your entire Skyrim game folder, the folder within the steamapps folder. I had no issue with copying that entire folder to another hard drive to save as a back up in case I came across a modding issue that I could not fix. My game folder with a number of mods is about 14GB now, but I don't think storing the ~7GB that the vanilla game is would be an issue, or even a higher size with mods.

So what I think is... uninstall the game, then do a fresh install. Then, before anything, back up that game folder. That way in case you screw up installing any mods or want to play an older version of Skyrim, you can do so easily.

I hope that all made sense.

 

[SaveVsBedWet]

Uhh, why? Right click the game in the Steam Library and click Properties, then just disable the option to automatically DL new stuff.

And it's not Steam's fault that something that didn't come from Steam or Bethesda isn't working right.

Also, your issue sounds like it, in the end, has nothing to do with SKSE and rather is a mod conflict.

Actually, when I first installed Windows 8, before the Steam update, I had only to overwrite a newly installed Skyrim directory with the one from my Windows 7 drive, mods intact, and then copy over my save files to the appropriate directory to begin playing no problema. A few days later, SKSE told me it was not compatible with my current version of Windows. I updated SKSE to the latest version. It has not run since, with or without SKSEloader.exe being invoked.

Running TESV.exe directly does not work either, and it is a different excuse every time, or else just a small black window, then a bigger one, then nothing.

That... wow. I have no idea what the hell's going on. I've been getting a lot of random CTDs lately, but I think a bit of mod management fixed that. However, I'm running on Windows 7 Professional, which Skyrim was designed to run on. My gut is telling me this is related to Windows 8, but I could be wrong.

Hmm, I suppose you have a point, and Steam did note just now that only fully up to date games are available in offline mode, so here's what I suggest: Keep a back up of your entire Skyrim game folder, the folder within the steamapps folder. I had no issue with copying that entire folder to another hard drive to save as a back up in case I came across a modding issue that I could not fix. My game folder with a number of mods is about 14GB now, but I don't think storing the ~7GB that the vanilla game is would be an issue, or even a higher size with mods.

So what I think is... uninstall the game, then do a fresh install. Then, before anything, back up that game folder. That way in case you screw up installing any mods or want to play an older version of Skyrim, you can do so easily.

I hope that all made sense.

It did actually, haha. I just think it might be too late because whatever changed about TESV.exe as a result of the update, that which broke SKSE, is already going to be installed as part of a fresh install, before I have a chance to tell Steamjan Horse anything about what not to do.

I don't have a completely clean install folder on my Windows 7 drive because I'd never needed one. I was meticulous about the mods and despite having in excess of 30 running standard, none of them conflict. I can play Skyrim right now all I want on my Windows 7 install and it looks like artwork and runs rock solid, with every mod doing its job. It was running like that when I first copied the \skyrim folder over to Windows 8 and ran it there. And from there in the course of one work shift we go to not even making it to full screen mode no matter what is tried.

Furthermore, I haven't changed Steamjan Horse's update settings to manual in Windows 7 and have played it several times since that update day, and still have no problems. The SKSE overwrite? Blew right through that, and I am still running things on an NMM install that's at least two versions old. I'm not cut off from Skyrim, it's just ridiculous that I have to reboot into a different OS to play one game. Especially to a 17 year IT guy. It's pathetic actually, lol. Not to mention that now I can't wipe that drive and make it Windows 8 D: unless I wave goodbye to Skyrim.

I guess last chance is to do it the hard way, install the game clean yet again, and simply see if it starts like that even. Then do NMM, then go mod by mod until they're all in, and see if and where it breaks. It sucks, but that's what clean install means. Early on I'll just back the install up with Acronis to external drive.

 

[Jojamaba]

You need to install it yourself. I just copied everything in the downloaded SKSE folder and pasted it into the main Skyrim folder and overwrote everything and it worked.

It works, thanks!

 

[SaveVsBedWet]

Gave up on this. Back to Windows 7 x64 now as nothing I have done has worked to get this running again on Windows 8. Same thing as always. Small black screen, full screen black screen, back to Windows desktop, with no logo, no sound, no nothing to indicate Skyrim had run except that stupid ass Steam window full of ads left over. Disgusted and tired of trying now.

Runs like a brand new top on Windows 7 though, so...gotta say that since Windows 8 was the reason I went out and dropped $700+ on new monitors, there should be no misunderstandings about how much of a decision maker Elder Scrolls is for me, lol.

 

[SaveVsBedWet]

My final update.

Got this working - finally. Took a hint form some other sites where they talked about the problem having something to do with ENB. Although I had tried to rectify this earlier by renaming d3d9.dll, it didn't work probably because there is one in the data directory I missed, plus I missed the .ini files for ENB. So this time I renamed both copies (in the root and in the \data directory), plus the inis in both locations, and the d3d9DEX.dll files in both locations, then went to Steam and verified cache files.

Steam found a missing file and reinstalled it, but I can't see what it was. There is no new d3d9.dll file in either locale I mentioned. Anyway, from there I was able to start the game up as before from Steam, and using SKSE via NMM. It looks lousy without the overlay properties of ENB although my other texture mods are all in place, but it works. Now I just have to find out whether or not ENB or another injector type mod has been produced in a version that does not break the game at its current version level. Anyone running an ENB mod that works with the current Skyrim and SKSE versions?

So it was a mod after all, but that still gives me a reason to grumble because a game designed specifically to allow modding should not be accessible or maintained via a program that is completely mod ignorant. At bare minimum, we should be given the opportunity to manually update rather than finding out the program had updated before we even realize something had happened, and now the game is fubar.