While trying to download and install the patches for Oblivion and Shivering Isles, it came across errors where there were no older files. I have also found that I cannot launch Oblivion through its launcher. I downloaded Oblivion on to my external hard drive and a couple of times it came unplugged without doing it safely (I have Vista Ultimate). So I think when it did that it corrupted some files. I now need to reinstall Oblivion. The thing is I want to save my character. It's level 45 and I've spend a lot of time and effort into it so I really do not want to have to start all over. Please help!

Thanks,
skids

Your save is located in My Documents>My Games>Oblivion>Saves. Just copy those. (Also if you have GOTY edition of the game it doesnt need the patches, it is already up to date).

Re-installing won't normally lose any saves, but not having the same set of mods could make them unusable. Do you use a manager, such as OBMM or Wrye Bash that will help you restore your load order?

There are some players who believe that reaching level 45 is an indication that the character is already ruined, and not worth saving!