First of all:

2.53 Ghz core i5
4 GB PC8500
GeForce 460M (1.5 GB with GDDR5)
Windows 7 Ultimate

I decided to install Oblivion on a new laptop to see it in all its (slightly dated) glory. I can install it and boot up vanilla fine, but decided to try to add some mods to change gameplay and content -- most notably OOO and LAME. I spent *hours* and *hours* finding mods, copying them, unzipping them, troubleshooting, reinstalling a half dozen times at least, and installing straight to the root directory to avoid permissions conflicts. Once I thought I had EVERYTHING working and could load up old savegames and putz around just fine, I tried to start up a new game... and I get nothing. It dumps me straight back to the menu like nothing had happened. I've read other forum posts about this, so I know it isn't a new issue. However, I haven't been able to fix it and am wondering if anyone has some suggestions. I'm on the verge of just giving up since I've already put close to 15 hours into just getting the game working properly.

Any help would be much appreciated.

I suspect a mod problem, please post your load list.