MOM - Multiple Oblivion Manager
A new way to manage more than one install setup

By: InsanitySorrow and Hanaisse
Version: 1.0
Release Date: 08/16/2011
Download: http://tesalliance.org/forums/index.php?/files/file/997-multiple-oblivion-manager-mom/

Description

MOM is a new take on managing multiple Oblivion installs. It's a small app with a powerful punch that will ease the confusion of trying to manually switch between two or more Oblivion setups.

Multiple installs are becoming an increasingly popular trend. For anyone who has ever wanted to have a testing environment without messing with their current install, this is for you. Or for retaining an OOO oriented install but want to try a new TIE install.

MOM will create and manage each completely separate Oblivion setup (called "images").

Best of all, MOM will swap out these images with a click of a button. No more manually renaming folders!

Read the included README for all detailed information.

Features

• Import one or more existing install setups.
  
• Create new copies of an existing install setup.
  
• Name each image however you'd like to easily organize each setup.
  
• Manage each image completely separate from each other.
  
• Auto-detection of your existing install.
  
• Customize install settings.
  
• Easy launch of Oblivion, the Construction Set or Wrye Bash.
  
• Quick and easy to use.
  
• Error logging for fast support.
  
• Full support.

Contact

InsanitySorrow @ TES Alliance
Hanaisse @ TES Alliance

Please report any problems/issues via this thread. Be prepared to provide the error.log and any pics that show the issue.

Legal

Do not upload this file anywhere else.
Do not change or copy this file in any way.

Ooooh, nice! Does this work with Steam??

It should work perfectly fine with Steam, only thing that problably won't work is the Auto install detection as Steam likes to hide registry keys in stupid places.

Rotate MOM 180 and you've got my response. :thumbsup:

Yay! Released!

Great job on this one, IS. :thumbsup:

Woo-hoo, I'm going to try this for Nehrim as soon as I complete my FCOM run : )

At first glance then the only thing that seems different from mTES4Manager is these two bullet points:

• Error logging for fast support.
  
• Full Support

Not trying to bash as those two are significant points.

Just want to ask if this takes precautions above and beyond what http://www.gamesas.com/index.php?/topic/1210451-rel-mtes4-manager-thread-3/ does.

I assume it also auto groups and renames game directory, save games, and AppData and the interface looks similar to mTES4M. Does it do this with placed ini files as well?

Should we assume that UAC is going to be an issue with this as well?

Steam compatible? GFWL?

Does this handle Fallout3 like mTES4Manager (which is nice but I don't use it)? Be nicer if it also handled F:NV -- or even Morrowind!

Does it work with Vista and Win7 and XP? I suppose it must with the user telling it where to look.

About BAIN (an interest of mine) - I'd like to advocate for the use of one BAIN archive for all installs. I know on the surface it seems that it would be complicated, but actually it is much easier to manage. If I update an archive for a mod that I use in all 4 of my installs then all I have to do is open BAIN in the other installs and anneal in the changes - no swapping out BAIN packages 4 times!

I detailed the differences between the two approaches to BAIN and multiple installs http://www.gamesas.com/index.php?/topic/1084204-bain-mod-installation-projects/page__view__findpost__p__15798007.

If I get good reports and see praise for this I will direct people to this thread from the mTES4Manager thread. Since, however, mTES4Manager has never given me grief - I'm not jumping ship right away. Very curious to hear what those who cannot get mTES4Manager to work have to say and if they have the same issues.

I have always wanted to play Nehrim (with a separate install), but my SSD with Oblivion is full. Can this allow me to install an "image" on another drive?

Ugh...wish people would stop comparing MOM to meTES4 :rolleyes:

Okay so I've never used or will use mTES4, so not sure what precautions it takes nand don't know how it works, so can't comment on any direct comparisons. But I'll answer what I can about MOM.

• No, MOM does not use INI files, she uses one external file called Images.XML that is located inside MOM's folder (located next to the EXE)
  
• UAC will not be a problem for those that install outside of the program files folder, though I have mine installed there and MOM hasn't had any issues with that.
  
• Since Oblivion does not make use of GFWL live MOM does not deal with it at all either.
  
• MOM should work fine with Steam as long as the user points her to their Oblivion folder inside the Steam directory.
  
• No MOM does not handle additional games, I'd rather her work with one game perfectly well than work ok with several games
  
• She has been tested on Win7 and Vista and works fine, she should work perfectly fine on XP too.

That is an interesting reaction.

What do you really expect when it is the only two tools available that does this. Comparisons and questions are inevitable. Why fight it? I'd be glad to help - though I must admit that no recognition of the original tool is a bit off putting.

Your interface http://i361.photobucket.com/albums/oo54/psymon11b/mTES4-interface.jpg mTES4Manager even ... and the names/nomenclature of how to manage the installs are the same.

Granted it looks more configurable and has more settings (more hands on).

Having fielded many questions about mTES4 - I'm happy there is an alternative - and I look forward to seeing if others have issues with this too. You see Gaticus and I didn't have them just like you are saying you don't have them with this.

... huh? So wait, you wanted an application for handling multiple oblivion installs so badly that you made a new one from scratch, but you never even tried the existing app that did the same thing?

Not bashing or anything, competition is always good and all that jazz (and I was actually planning to try out multiple installs soon so this is really convenient!) but I'm just kind of wondering why not? Do you have a grudge against the guy that made MTES4 or something?

Thanks for the comments, Psymon.

As you may recall, I was one of the people using mTES4 that ran into that strange problem of suddenly not being able to switch clones anymore. Well, yes, this is why MOM is born, to manage installs the way mTES4 managed installs, in a slightly different fashion. Yes, they are technically the same tool. We are not trying to claim MOM is better (or worse) at what she does, she's just an alternative way to get there. You're absolutely correct that people are going to compare them, and I'm fine with that. We just put the choice out there. Frankly I'm surprised no one else has done one.

Regarding BAIN and the way to handle it, we leave that entirely up to the user if they want to use one Mods folder or multiple. I see no reason to force one way over the other. I'm sure we all have different opinions on this.

@dAb and anithinks; We have not tested MOM to handle Nehrim. Let us know if it works.

@anithinks; No, you will not be able to redirect the copy to a different drive. It will copy beside the current Oblivion install.

Thanks for the comments everyone!

Would rather not fight either, just tired and kinda annoyed MOM hasn't been out long before the comparisons started , And yes MOM is influenced by it. I've not used mTES4 myself, but Hana has, so that's where the influences come from.



Nope nothing like that :no:, I'd never bothered with multiple installs before, don't play enough to need such things. MOM was just an idea that came up while chatting with Hana and since I have an interest in programming and it seemed like a good challenge I decided to give it ago and MOM is the result of that.

While I'd rather avoid comparisions to mTES4, I have nothing against it, as Pysmon points out parts of MOM are influenced by the app.

Well I'm sorry if comparison's are unwanted ... :shrug: but with the other tool already known and used by some - the best that can happen is that this is better and everyone jumps ship.

Gaticus did leave it - dropped it and never returned.

If this works better then you have me sold. Why I asked those questions.

As for one BAIN archive or mutliple ... if you read http://www.gamesas.com/index.php?/topic/1084204-bain-mod-installation-projects/page__view__findpost__p__15798007 - I detail how to do either variant. Please feel free to use or link to all you like. ... hmmm Ohh I see - that post makes liberal use of the words mTES4Manager ... well I can change that. It was, after all, the only tool available.

Just want to hear feedback on how this works then maybe try it and then will alter the BAIN and Nehrim threads as needed.

MOM handles Nehrim just like any other Oblivion install.

As for mTES4, there are a few things I feel MOM does a bit better (namely the clone import process), but apart from that the only other thing different between the two is that MOM is, at this point, being actively supported. Personally, I prefer to use programs that are being supported over abandonware (which mTES4 unfortunately is now), but others may feel differently, especially if they have already configured mTES4 the way they wanted and feel there is little reason to switch over. Because I do know mTES4 did its job the way it was supposed to.

Hannisse and Insanity Sorrow,

Thank you very much for putting time and effort into this tool. I'm one of the mTES4 users that had it break on me (shortly after getting it all set up and running) and could never (after following every suggestion I could find, including the ones in the thread that Psymon was kind enough to start) get it to work again.

The fact that you all are using xml, it has an error log, and I've seen Insanity around the forums forever, gives me a LOT of hope for this tool.

I need a tool like this because I like to try a lot of different stuff. Not having a tool like this has kept me from doing some things that I'd like to do (like Nehrim). Although, I have to admit that my experience with mTES4 taught me enough to know how to create "clones" manually. But, it's a chore and I'm lazy : )

Anyway, I'll be putting this to the test this weekend and will report back my findings.

Again, your effort is really appreciated. Heck, I appreciate the effort of the author of mTES4. The fact that people like yourselves, and the other author, are willing to even try to do this kind of work to help others is just awesome.

Thanks,

Tarl

Hi, I have my first bug report .

Basically, it won't let me locate to C:\Users\Ali\AppData\Local\Oblivion\ when choosing an AppData folder. It's not the windows explorer thingy that comes up when you can just paste the directory into the address bar, but I have to manually open each folder etc. and the "AppData" folder just isn't showing for me. I even tried creating a folder called "AppData", but all it told me was one existed, asked if I wanted to merge the contents, then the folder proceeded to disappear. Tried choosing a random folder, but it came up with an error unfortunately.
I use Windows 7 64bit, if it helps.

Cheers!

Do you have that folder set to hidden in windows explorer?

I know with Vista it is set to hidden by default.

Most probably. How to I unhide it??