Hello (again, for many of you) and thanks for reading.

So, this weekend I completed the first stage (about 50 mods; planning for about 70 total) of the install that I've been planning and downloading for this past week. Overall, it went pretty smoothly. While it took a little while to learn my way around Wrye Bash, it's an exceptional program with deeply impressive utility, as you all know. Once I got over a few items I need clarified/verified (thanks, community!), I was packaging up BAINs with ease and assurance.

But it was not entirely tranquil in the land of Oblivion. I had some serious menu issues early on that I managed to fix with some Darnified UI fixes and an Oblivion .ini back-up.

I also kept having a serious issue with most of the elements on my screen turning black. At first I thought it was Unnecessary Violence III, but it wasn't (uninstalled it — still happened). I thought it might be the notorious, widely reported Nvidia Black Screen Bug, but the fix is ticked in Wrye Bash AND I installed a mod fix for it as well. Also, it appears that bug makes your whole screen go black/gray. This is different. When this happens, many, but not all, elements go black. So some are still distinguishable — like an NPC might turn all black, but the campfire he's sitting at visible. Menus were also affected. I have no experience with such issues, so anything I come up with is a pure guess. These pure guesses would be: shaders or video RAM hitting a limit or some such (though my card has a robust 2GB). At least two times, I experience a moment or two of radical slowdown/stutter before it occurred. The only thing I've done thus far as a potential fix was uninstall OBGE and it's add-ons. I don't think I've installed any mods that require it yet, and I'm not using its features. Again, OBGE as the culprit is a pure guess. Even if that was the problem, I'm a bit stumped since this install stage didn't really include graphics mods, save for Oblivion Character Overhaul 1.2 (older, more stable non-Blockhead version). That said, I haven't had the issue since, but I can't say that I've got enough play time in yet to feel confident it's gone for good.

Bag of Alchemy Rewrite just flat out CTD when used. Several folks on the Nexus download page commented about the same. So I just uninstalled it. It's non-essential.

And the one irritating issue since the above is a whole cluster of "WTF" missing meshes in the Wawnet Inn against one wall. No idea of the cause or how to clear that up, but if anyone has any tips, I'd greatly appreciate it. I'm afraid, like cockroaches, when there's one it means there will be more.

The only warning I get from Wrye Bash/BOSS upon install is that I have a number of unclean mods loaded. Some it says should be left that way. I know nothing about "cleaning," and it seems like it may be time-consuming/complex. Still, is that something I should definitely pursue?

Oh, and I'll happily supply a Wrye Bash/BOSS report, etc., (EDITED: if you could kindly tell me what the standard is and how that's handled here on the forums). Since Dubiousness provided instructions, mod list from Wrye Bash is below:

00  Oblivion.esm01  All Natural Base.esm  [Version 1.34]02  Cobl Main.esm  [Version 1.72]03  Oscuro's_Oblivion_Overhaul.esm  [Version 1.35Beta]04  Armamentarium.esm  [Version 1.35]05  Artifacts.esm  [Version 1.1]06  Better Cities Resources.esm  [Version 5.4.1]07  CustomSpellIcons.esm08  nVidia Black Screen Fix.esp  [Version 1.0.0]09  Unofficial Oblivion Patch.esp  [Version 3.4.5]0A  UOPS Additional Changes.esp0B  Oblivion Citadel Door Fix.esp0C  DLCShiveringIsles.esp0D  Unofficial Shivering Isles Patch.esp  [Version 1.5.3]++  USIPS Additional Changes.esp0E  Better Cities .esp0F  All Natural.esp  [Version 1.35]10  All Natural - SI.esp  [Version 1.35]++  Symphony of Violence.esp11  Atmospheric Oblivion.esp12  Sounds of Cyrodiil.esp  [Version 1.1]13  ClocksOfCyrodiil_BC_OBC_OC_OCLR_Vanilla.esp  [Version 5.3.0]14  More Effective Enchantments.esp15  Enhanced Economy.esp  [Version 5.4.3]16  BookTrackerOBSE.esp17  Quest Log Manager.esp  [Version 1.3.2]18  QZ Easy Menus.esp19  Dynamic Map.esp  [Version 2.1.1]1A  Map Marker Overhaul.esp  [Version 3.9.3]1B  Map Marker Overhaul - SI additions.esp  [Version 3.9.3]1C  Enhanced Hotkeys.esp  [Version 2.3.1]1D  ExnemRuneskulls.esp1E  Cobl Glue.esp  [Version 1.72]1F  Cobl Si.esp  [Version 1.63]20  Oscuro's_Oblivion_Overhaul.esp  [Version 1.35Beta]21  OOO-Armor_Perks_WearRate_Repair.esp  [Version 1.33]22  OOO-Combat_Skills_Perks_Marksmanship.esp  [Version 1.33]23  OOO-DaedraLord_Quests.esp  [Version 1.33]++  OOO-Dangerous_Traps.esp  [Version 1.33]24  OOO-Deadly_Combat.esp  [Version 1.33]25  OOO-DLT_Immersion.esp  [Version 1.33]26  OOO-Magic_Effects+Enchantments.esp  [Version 1.33]27  OOO-Magic_Effects+Spells.esp  [Version 1.33]28  OOO-Magic_Game_Settings.esp  [Version 1.33]++  OOO-Potions.esp  [Version 1.33]29  OOO-ThiefGuild_Difficult.esp  [Version 1.33]2A  More Effective Enchantments OOO.esp**  OMOBS_SI.esp  [Version 2.0]2B  OMOBS Optional Combat Settings.esp  [Version 1.0]2C  ArmamentariumArtifacts.esp  [Version 1.35]2D  OOO 1.32-Cobl.esp  [Version 1.72]++  ArmamentariumLL4OOO.esp  [Version 2.01]++  ArmamentariumLLMagicOOO.esp  [Version 1.35]2E  Artifacts.esp  [Version 1.1]++  Artifacts - ArmaCompleteAddon.esp  [Version 1.0]2F  Salmo the Baker, Cobl.esp  [Version 3.08]30  Better Cities - House price patch.esp  [Version 1.0]31  Harvest [Flora].esp  [Version 3.0.0]++  Harvest [Flora] - Shivering Isles.esp  [Version 3.0.0]32  Auto Update Leveled Items And Spells.esp  [Version 1.2.5]33  Better Dungeons.esp34  Bullet Time Custom.esp35  HUD Status Bars.esp  [Version 5.3.2]36  Dungeon Actors Have Torches 1.6 DT.esp37  Exterior Actors Have Torches 1.3 DT.esp38  Toggleable Quantity Prompt.esp  [Version 3.2.0]39  ATakesAll.esp3A  Enhanced Economy - House prices.esp  [Version 5.4.3]3B  RealisticForceMedium.esp3C  SupremeMagicka.esp  [Version 0.90b]3D  SM_ShiveringIsles.esp  [Version 0.90]++  SM_OOO.esp  [Version 0.90]++  SM_COBL.esp  [Version 0.90]3E  SM_EnchantStaff.esp  [Version 0.90]++  SM_Scrolls.esp  [Version 0.90]++  SM_SigilStone.esp  [Version 0.90]3F  Oblivion XP.esp++  Item interchange - Extraction.esp  [Version 0.76]++  Item interchange - Placement.esp  [Version 0.76]40  1em_Vilja.esp  [Version 4.04]41  bgBalancingEVCore.esp  [Version 10.52EV-D]42  Oblivion_Character_Overhaul.esp  [Version 1.0]43  bgMagicEV.esp  [Version 1.7EV]++  bgMagicSpellTomes_for_WryeBash.esp  [Version 1.68EV]++  bgMagicItemSigil.esp  [Version 1.68EV]++  bgMagicEVStartspells.esp  [Version 1.68EV]44  bgMagicBonus.esp  [Version 1.7EV]++  bgMagicEVAddEnVar.esp  [Version 1.68EV]45  bgMagicAlchemy.esp  [Version 1.57]++  bgBalancingEVOptionalClasses.esp  [Version 9.0EV-U]46  bgBalancingEVLAMEAddition.esp  [Version 10.51EV-D]++  bgBalancingEVLAMEGlue.esp  [Version 10.0EV-D1.62EV]**  bgBalancingEVOptionalNPCDiversityLAME.esp  [Version 10.5EV-D]47  Better Cities Full.esp  [Version 5.4.1]48  Better Imperial City.esp  [Version 5.4.0]49  Better Imperial City FPS Patch.esp++  Better Cities - COBL.esp  [Version 5.4.1]**  bgMagicEVShader.esp  [Version 1.7EV]++  bgMagicShaderLifeDetect.esp  [Version 1.68]4A  bgMagicLightningbolt.esp4B  MiniMap.esp++  Cobl Filter Late MERGE ONLY.esp  [Version 1.53]4C  Cobl Silent Equip Misc.esp  [Version 01]**  All Natural - Indoor Weather Filter For Mods.esp  [Version 1.35]4D  Bashed Patch, 0.esp

Gratefully,

ELB

Missing meshes are (usually) due to bad insallation so you can try reinstalling the mod in question. One way to test when you have many mods is to turn half of your mods off and see if the problem persists. If no, do the same for the other half. If yes cut that half in half and if the problem persists, and continue doing this until you locate the file(s) that's causing you problems. As far as I know, unless they made some new smarter tool in the meantime, there is no way to determine which mod is problematic unless you know exactly which features are messed up and can connect them to the mod, or by testing one mod by one at a time.

Listing your mod's load order might also be helpful, something might not work well with something else that you haven't noticed in the readme, or incompatibility wasn't yet discovered by the mod author so you couldn't know in the first place.

Lol sorry I wasn't exactly horribly helpful, but you could at least try something.

While not exactly the same, here are some notes I have on similar issues:
* Black Screen

- Problem
The game screen would randomly turn black except for the user interface every 30 minutes or so.

Cause
Unknown - but potentially an overtaxed graphics card via heat or overclocking

Workaround
This appears mostly on computers running Nvidia's Geforce 7xxx and 8xxx series video cards; downclocking the video card and/or changing the video card's driver seems to fix this problem on most computers. Additionally, disabling the HDR feature seems to help solve this problem. It has also been found that disabling AGP fast writes on AGP-based video cards may fix this glitch as well. Setting "int shadows" to 0 solves this problem when using HDR (tested on a GeForce 8800 GTX overclocked from PNY).

Workaround 2
Hit the tilde key (~) to bring up the console. Type CAL and hit enter. Hit the tilde key again. Resets the game's graphics and brings the game screen back.

* Black Screen or Game Crash in Exterior Cells

- Problem
The game screen turns black upon entering an external cell, or CTDs.

Cause
Bad shader implementation in the video cards drivers, mostly seen on Intel GMA X3100 integrated graphics when using Windows 7.

Workaround
Change the following values in the Oblivion.ini file:

bUseWaterShader=0
bUseWaterReflections=0

"WTF" always indicates the mod is missing textures. Usually this means they didn't get installed, but sometimes it can mean the path is wrong. With BAIN that usually is because you failed to select the appropriate file in the "sub-packages" box, but might also be because the mod uses a BSA that did not get installed. Check out the "Missing" and "Mismatched" tabs in the upper right portion for the mod in question. And make sure you have "BSA Redirection" enabled (WBPG, "Installers Intro 1" page). Some mods require you rename their BSA file to match the name of the particular ESP you are using. This is because a BSA will not be used if there is no ESP active that has the initial part of the ESP/BSA filename the same. This should always be covered in the mod documentation.

For the "BAIN" tab, right-click on the "Packages" column header and select "List Packages". For the "Mods" tab, right-click on the "File" header and select "List Mods". Copy to the clipboard and paste in your forum post. They already include the formatting to appear as "Spoiler/Show/Hide" buttons.

Edit: As for cleaning mods, it's really pretty easy. You need "TES4Edit", which is simply a renamed copy of http://www.nexusmods.com/oblivion/mods/11536/? these days. The download page has a link to the current Cleaning Guide. In general, follow BOSS recommendations as to which files to clean, but if the mod docs say you shouldn't clean it, "don't" without researching the pros and cons experience of others.

-Dubious-

Interesting notion, since the effect seems not dissimilar, but I think this is extremely unlikely (also, the game does not freeze, nor are these the typical "artifacts" one gets with heat). My PC is very well cooled and I've had the card for some time and running many other games with it without issue. I've ran Furmark, along with the Heaven benchmark and others without issue. Furthermore, it is only mildly overclocked — well within its limits — and this did not call for any increase in voltage. Plus, this did not occur outside in some GPU-intensive area, but rather in the tutorial dungeon among a few rats and little else — this is hardly taxing stuff. Still, just out of curiosity, and since it is summer and I'm not sure I had the card last summer, I'll watch the MSI Afterburner levels, checking temps. But I'm confident the issue lies elsewhere.

Actually, this is helpful in terms of a diagnostic process. Even though I installed all my mods with Wrye Bash, I'm not sure with all of them that it's just a matter of clicking "uninstall," since some make .ini changes and there's a more involved process in uninstallation (like Weather All Natural, for example). But that's probably just a few. If I find no better way of identifying the issue, and especially if I see it elsewhere, I'll follow a process just like this.

As I mentioned in my earlier post, what's the best way to export a list of your mod order for use on the forums? I presume Wrye Bash/BOSS can do it.

Thanks,

ELB

Dubiousness, thanks for the detailed assistance. I'll address point-by-point:

• As I say in my above post, I'd be shocked if my video card overheating is the issue. I've pushed it previously in tests, and given my current cooling I can't get it anywhere near the danger zone. And it's very mildly OC'd. No voltage increase. So unless Oblivion responds poorly to such settings, I can't imagine it's my video card hitting its performance limit. And it's a GTX 760 2GB, not an older 7XXX or 8XXX card.
• I did read HDR could be cause. Also HDR with OBGE. It would be a shame to have to turn this off, but not a catastrophe (of course, I'll have to see how bloom looks). As it is, I think the game is quite pretty at just 1920 x 1080. I was going to add visual mods like Qarls TP3 Redimized, but I'm not sure I'll even bother now. Plus, this happened inside, so, in an interior cell.
• I'm not sure about AGP. Don't know if this applies to Nvidia cards. The control panel lists no such option and I can't find anything on it on the net. The references seem to be to ATi cards.
• I'll try the "~" key and CAL if it happens again.
• It hasn't happened outside, but I'll perform that .ini fix if it does.
• I pasted my mod load order in my post that began this thread. Thanks for that.
• Cleaning doesn't seem too bad. And the list from Wrye Bash/BOSS wasn't that long. I may give it a try.
• Going to try that "BSA Redirection" option right now (I would have thought that'd be active by default, but we'll see). I was very careful when installing to read the readme files and to take my time and check the "missing" and "mismatched" tabs. I never saw anything there. One can always make a mistake, but I don't believe I omitted any .bsa or other necessary files.

Thanks again. We'll see how this plays out. I'd love to be able to just play the game...if you're looking for a way to ruin the immersion, troubleshooting is it.

- ELB

Based on Dubiousness' response, I went looking for "Mismatched" files. Here's what I have and why.

Unofficial Oblivion Patch (overridden by Realistic Ragdolls and Force)