I am not sure if this is the right place to post this but: After Win7 updated recently, there were ten critical updates in the bunch, Skyrim would no longer start, would CTD before loading screen was done loading. Used system restore to go back to a point before the ten updates and now Skyrim works fine again. I am not sure which of the ten updates caused the problem but hopefully this info will save people some headaches. I had been playing fine for about a week and changed nothing in my mod list which clued me in to the only thing that had changed and that was the Win update.

Odd indeed.

Skyrim has been running more stable for me since I installed these updates.

Seeing as many of those updates were security related, have you run an A/V scan on your machine of late?

Yes I run A/V stuff regularly and that I had possibly picked up a virus or some malware was what I looked into first when the issue arose.

This is worth a try:

1. Make backups of your Skyrim.ini & SkyrimPrefs.ini.
2. Delete or move them from the ...\My Documents\My Games\Skyrim directory.
3. Ttry running the vanilla Skyrim launcher (this will recreate the ini files).
4. Adjust settings if it gets them wrong. T
5. Try launching the game.

I say vanilla launcher, because the SKSE launcher (if you're using it) goes directly into the game launch.

That's a point, but i would hear more opinions about that, from other Windows 7 users.

If you have done the updates, so probably others have done the same, so other should have the exact same problem as you !?!

You could just tell us what updates you have installed !!!!

You can see that from control panel -> Windows update -> View update history...

Beside that If you click installed updates you can remove updates that may or not cause your problem with your Skyrim game !!!

Those are your updates: http://imageshack.us/f/849/zti3.jpg/

And here, you can uninstall an update: http://imageshack.us/f/855/zv4i.jpg/

These are the updates that were installed and then removed. It is good to know that they could be removed one at a time rather than doing a system restore. I doubt that it was the Microsoft Security tool, kilbits, Software removal tool or the Internet Explorer update that was causing the problem but I have not tested this. Not sure what the other Security updates tweaked. If no one else has experienced the same problem then perhaps it was due to some Windows glitch that was cured by the system restore. Would be interested to know if this has happened to others.

Update for Microsoft Security Essentials - 4.4.304.0 (KB2902885)

Cumulative Security Update for Internet Explorer 10 for Windows 7 Service Pack 1 for x64-based Systems (KB2888505)
Security Update for Windows 7 for x64-based Systems (KB2862152)

Security Update for Windows 7 for x64-based Systems (KB2868626)

Security Update for Windows 7 for x64-based Systems (KB2868725)

Security Update for Windows 7 for x64-based Systems (KB2875783)

Security Update for Windows 7 for x64-based Systems (KB2876331)

Windows Malicious Software Removal Tool x64 - November 2013 (KB890830)

Cumulative Security Update for ActiveX Killbits for Windows 7 for x64-based Systems (KB2900986)

Update for Windows 7 for x64-based Systems (KB2893519)

None of those could have something to do with your game !!!!!

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The last one is: KB2893519 to Address a Credentials Issue

LANDesk Security: (November 15, 2013) Microsoft has released KB2893519 which addresses an issue with the SspiPromptForCredentials function in Windows 7, Windows Server 2008 R2, Windows 8, Windows RT, or Windows Server 2012.

(I thing it has something to do with smart cards !!!!)

So, not even that should have something in common with skyrim !!!!

I'm a Windows 7 user and I installed those same exact updates a couple weeks back without it causing issues with Skyrim, so the updates are not the problem. Something else must be causing the problems you're having.

First of all have you crashes in other games too ?????

Secondly have you mod's installed ?????