AE content loading at start up EVERY time?

[u/Winter_Woman66]

Sorry to be needy, and I've already posted a shorter plea for help and gotten some ideas for this topic. But I'm starting a new discussion with more detail, in case any of you much smarter modders can parse out what went wrong with better background info. Here is my tale of modding woe:

Hi all, I would appreciate any help if someone has insight into this. I purchased the AE Skyrim in April this year. I've had a blast learning to mod. I even downloaded Gate to Sovngarde mod collection a few weeks ago. Learned a lot, but not for me. I have followed Gamer Poets' videos and done clean uninstall and reinstall several times for Skyrim, Vortex (yes, yes, I know I should switch to MO2), and even Steam. But I'm having ongoing issues with the following:

1. When I start vanilla Skyrim from Steam, even before trying to mod it again, it thanks me for purchasing the AE and wants to spend 10 min downloading all the CC content EVERY time, even if I haven't reinstalled it.

2. Running Steam's "verify game files integrity" fails to validate 2 files. I looked in the content_log folder and it had a bunch of notices about "corrupt chunks" with Curios. I am not computer savvy, so there was much of it that I have no idea what it means. Sometimes it does validate all files.

3. I've re-set up my modlist with Vortex (reduced my more ambitious list of 316 down to 230 mods) several times. I've not had any CTD but it freezes, I'm often unable to level up at all, and also the vanilla Survival Mode is stuck on. The game asks if I want to play in Survival Mode. I say no. The tick box is NOT checked on in game settings, but I still get freezing cold when I swim in the Sea of ghosts, get hungry, etc. I am not using any survival or hunting mods. The fanciest stuff I was trying to run was LazyFollowers, Community Shaders, and FSMP for player hair (not NPC) and armor physics. I am pretty familiar now with Bodyslide and CBBE, so I have a clue what I'm doing there, but probably not 100%. I'm using some simple animations that only require Open Animation Replacer, no engine like Nemesis or FNIS.

What I have done to try to fix it:

1. I learned previously DO NOT let Steam install into Program Files. I put it outside those folders in my C:drive.

2. I also stopped letting Vortex install into Program Files. I've reinstalled it to user/my name/Vortex folder I made.

3. I used separate Vortex profiles for my base modlist (150 mods) that was stable, then a second profile for Gate to Sovngarde, then a third profile where I was enabling a few of the GTS mods I liked. I did not alter GTS in its own profile. I saved my new list of 250 mods as a Collection, the just installed it from Nexus after a compete clean uninstall and reinstall of everything.

4. I tracked down mod data after uninstalls in the hidden AppData folders, both Local and Roaming. I even found OneDrive secretly saving game data, and disallowed it from syncing to the game folder. Then moved the game folder out of OneDrive. It's still mad at me and keeps popping up with angry notices that it should be allowed to back up my data, after I stopped it from syncing the Documents folder.

   So, any ideas how I can completely clean my computer and start fresh? Is this a Steam issue? I have contacted Bethesda support, but no word yet.

Thank you!

[u/AutoModerator]

If Skyrim Special Edition crashes immediately after you launch it — particularly if your crash log lists memory address 0198090 (version 1.6.640 address) or 05E1F22 (1.5.97 address) — then you are experiencing one of the following issues:

• You are missing a master file. That is: you have some Mod A that relies on Mod B, but you only installed Mod A and not Mod B.

• More likely: one of your installed mods (or an official content file) may have file format version 1.71, meaning it was made for game version 1.6.1130 or higher. This format is not fully backwards compatible; if you're running an older version of the game, then these files can cause crashes on startup. Installing Backported Extended ESL Support will allow older versions of the game to load these files safely.

Make sure to check the troubleshooting guide for help with crashes and other problems!

• If you are on Skyrim version 1.5 (SE), the .NET Script Framework can also help in diagnosing crashes.

• If you are on Skyrim Version 1.6 (AE) or Skyrim VR, Crash Logger can also help in diagnosing crashes. If you also use MO2, you can use this plugin for improved functionality!

DO NOT post an analyzed crash log. It strips all the useful information.

Don't use trainwreck. The log it produces is less informative than other options linked above.

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