No...as long as the upgrade is 32-bit and it does not go screwy...good luck with that. If you upgrade to 64-bit, then yes, you'll have to reinstall. Reinstalling Oblivion is really not as bad as it seems. You can copy the contents of your old Data folder into the new one. I am going to write a guide on moving the Oblivion setup that should help avoid losing the old state of the modified setup. In other words, you should be able to move it and keep playing as if nothing had changed.

There is a 64-bit version of XP, two or three I think... I had one such version but there was no driver support and I soon switched to 32-bit Pro. Your hardware supporting 64-bit only means that you can run a 64-bit OS on it, not that you can't run a 32-bit OS. 32-bit is still supported, can't say much for 16-bit. It is still partially supported, if you get the right software to use such programs.


Edit: The point is, your OS's architecture (32-bit vs. 64-bit) is the important piece as far as software usage is concerned.

Damn.

Disabled autosave, etc. as per the .INI Tweaks page . . . latest mod order:



Have had two CTDs while saving with that load order. Geeze this is getting old.

I see when I run OBMM Conflict Detector that I got several things in red, particular mods and Knights. So, I am resorting to more basic measures: deactivate Shivering Isles, Knights, and the mod stuff that applies to those.

OBMM's conflict detection is horribly unreliable. If you want to check inter-plugin conflicts, use TES4Edit - http://tesivpositive.animolious.com/index.php?page=tes4edit


Edit: That load order is way too simple for those kind of crash problems. Also, disabling the DLCShiveringIsles.esp will only stop the resources from being loaded, which would be far from helpful. What is that Hungry, Thirst whatever mod? I recognize all of the mods but that one.

Have you tried resetting your codecs or running the game on the clean boot with this minimized load order?

This is all happening with a clean boot. Only my wireless adaptor and my Security Suite are running.

Not sure what resetting my codecs would be . . . *doh*

As for the Hungry mod, it is just a mod that builds in basic needs (hunger, thirst, fatigue when running, tiredness from lack of sleep).

http://www.tesnexus.com/downloads/file.php?id=24079

When any of these "diseases" afflict you, you suffer a drain on stats. Eat some food, drink some water or an alcoholic beverate and hunger and thirst go away respectively. Do some sleep and that makes the sleep deprivation "disease" go away. Stop running and your Fatigue meter goes back up. Basically, it forces you to roleplay basic needs by diminishing your character attributes (Agili, Endurance, Strength and Intelligence IIRC, by a little bit when you don't meet your basic needs). For water, it introduces a new potion type "Water" that you can "summon" by casting a "Get Water" spell when you are standing at a well. You can buy a Well-key that enables this spell at any General Store in Tamriel. The mod also includes a Bedroll that you can buy at any Gen Store that enables two spells Open Bedroll and Close Bedroll. You can then sleep anywhere you want too (assuming you are sleepy).

I've seen other mods that included bedrolls, but no other one that I've found that covers all basic needs like this one does.

I'm still suffering crashes even with that HungerThirst mod deactivated, and I had previously played somewhere between 100 and 200 hours with that mod running and had no real problems.

TheNiceOne has a mod sort of like that one... Anyway, did you ever say anything about the music being on or off or am I just lost on that point...?


Edit: ...and the codecs?

Music is off. Also the other two onboard sound tweaks are set.

Not sure what it means to reset the codecs; I don't think I ever did that.

I forgot you did not post your entire Dxdiag. Try this - http://nightmare2013.brashendeavors.net/directshowfiltersreset_v4.1.zip

If you need extra codecs for something, install the K-Lite codec pack. Standard or basic are enough for the average user. The pack's codecs are all fine for gaming usage, at least for Oblivion...

Cool. Set a system restore point and will try resetting the Codecs to see if that fixes it.

One question though: I have Oblviion installed on an :E drive not a :C

Will that Directshowreset app give me a browse option to reset the reg keys from the E instead of C?

I do not know. I have not had problems with troublesome codecs. I have watched a lot of anime on my computer, so I have had to pay a lot attention to my installed codecs. I would hope so though... My local disk is L, and my Oblivion drive (for everything but the game's install folders) is D.

Thanks Tom. I'm not sure that is gonna work though, cause I'm running Win XP Pro SP3 and the readme specifies only SP1 and 2.

ADDIT: I sort've doubt it is a CODECs issue, because apart from games the only media software I've installed is Win Media Player.

Interestingly, with a remoddification using only UOP, OBSE and Let There Be Dark, I just played a bit, saved many times and no CTDs.

Oh, cool. Keep up with the test, in that case. I was about to tell you there is a way to trick apps into thinking that you had SP2 installed, but that requires regedit, and yeah... Good job. ^_____^

Little update on my situation.

I pretty much deactivated everything. Then I created a .txt in which I'm keeping a journal of what I install when, about how much playing I do at each additional step in adding mods one by one, what game functions I perform (e.g., used F4, used Esc-Save, used Shift- and Ctrl- in TQP, etc.).

One thing different from my past efforts. After activating a mod in OBMM, I then run BOSS (not new) and then also run TES4Edit. I'm not sure if just running helps in anyway, but anyway that is what I have been doing. I'm not really looking at conflicts and then doing anything (don't see any reds, though I'm not exhaustively going through every sub-entry).

So far, I've reinstalled the following load order, and have had no more problems apart from a couple spontaneous CTDs from going into the Map (F4) window while I was wrapping up the Unfriendly Competition Quest (must've been the quest markers were slow in updating, cause no problems since).



So from the set I have created as OMODs and which I would ideally like to be able to use I have yet to install:
Map Marker Overhaul
Alchemy Advanced
Spell Delete & Item Remove
MD Saddle Bags
HungryThirstySleepyTired 1.0
The Lost Spires

The only one of those whose functionality I deem to be very important for me is the HungryThirstySleepyTired.

Without a mechanism to force me not to run all the time, to eat and sleep and drink, I just go into superhero-mode and roleplaying is out the door. I knew this from playing FO3, and noticing how much of an improvement a Basic Needs mod made for me with that game.

However, since the game is now running well, I'm going to hold off a bit and see if I can figure out an alternative to Tyler's mod. I think I will start a thread that specifically asks about this sort of mod; my searches on TES Nexus make me think the Tyler mod is the most up-to-date and best one available.

Very important.
I think more people should pay attention to this point.
I have the same problem in my last two characters and it starts when you have large quantities of items (especially ingredients).
I abandoned my last character at level 26 or 27 because of this and my current character suffer from the same symptom at level 30.
I'm using TQP and Alchemy Advanced too.

@ Ayleid_people: Does running TES4Edit after I install a mod and run BOSS help with minimizing conflicts?

Or do I need to run TES4Edit, then pore through all the records & sub-records to find red lines and then do something else to fix those manuall?

BOSS sorts your load order, a very important task. TES4Edit is utility you can use to look inside all of your plugins. Not all red records are necessarily bad, and you probably will not go through all of your subrecords. That would take forever...

There are other mods that do the same thing. Don't discount it as the possible source of your problems just because you want those effects. They can be easily reproduced by other mods.

Well, I have been testing all morning and by carefully adding one at a time, running BOSS and TES4Edit after each one, then playing for 20 to 50 minutes and keeping note of each exact step, I have had no problems.

My semi-final load order:



So far this seems to be working. There are of course others I'd like to add, but I will resist temptation and leave it like this for a few days, i.e., 5 to 15 hours of gaming, and make sure it is stable before adding more.

@Belanos: I tried Realistic Fatigue + Simple Essentials and could not get the water collection thing in SE to work. Are there other ones you recommend?

I have been using SM Encumbrance & Fatigue: http://www.tesnexus.com/downloads/file.php?id=12074. I tried RF when it was less developed and it did not offer enough for me. That is no longer the case though. The other option of course is to replace that needs mod.

This'll replace the bedrolls and sleep need modifications: http://www.tesnexus.com/downloads/file.php?id=24649
Check the guides at the bottom of this section for others: http://tesivpositive.animolious.com/index.php?page=downloading_mods#GameTweaks

Why does the game run fine for hours and many scores of saves, and then suddenly develop a problem with CTDs?

I spent most of yesterday reactivating mods using OBMM in a step by step fashion. I kept careful track of which one I added in what order, how long I played till I added the next one. If I had any problems. Basically, I was able to play pretty much all day on and off. From about Noon till 10PM I must've played 6 hours total with my final load order



Tyler's was the last one I added (after I had tried Realistic Fatigue and Simple Essentials and deactivated them). The ones I had activated before that were Simple Essentials, after Realistic Fatigue, after Economy Enhanced . . .

I have changed NOTHING since finishing this testing process yesterday afternoon, and playing all evening with no problems. I keep my Save folder emptied down to as few save files as possible and archive saves in a directory above the Oblivion/Saves folder.

Nonetheless, after playing for an hour or so this morning. I have had repeated and predictable CTDs resume. If I extract multiple food items from a merchant or even steal them (e.g., from North Guard Tower) I get CTDs the next time I try to save.

I go into All Saints and purchase several ingredients in rapid fashion using the Shift-key function in TQP (I'm stocking up for an expedition, two more remaining forts to explore to complete a merchant quest from Economy Enhanced).

Should I deactivate the last one I activated (Tyler's Hunger mod) and see if it continues? Is there a way to use TES4Edit to see what is causing the problem and CTDs?

Or should I just uninstall the entire God-Cursed game and get back to work? This is not fun.

If I deactivate an OMOD, does that mean it _really_ is deactivated, and therefore if it was the source of CTDs that they should go away?

Is there a way to figure out what mod is causing CTDs?

I suspect it is either: Tyler's basic needs mod, Enhanced Economy, or TQP.

Had a look in TES4Edit and noticed there are some entries with red backgrounds where Tyler's is conflicting with Thieve's Guild.

DLing Wrye Bash. Frightened. Sounds vewwy, vewwy compwicated.

. . . please Sithis, help your loyal servant to get Oblivion running the way he wants . . . pweeze

Figured out how to use TES4Edit to filter and only show conflicts.

With Tyler's deactivated I'm only seeing one area of conflict

[05] Knights.esp \ Cell \ Block 6 \ Sub-Block 5 \ 0003542C \ Temporary \ 0000BC4C

There are a couple of X Y points there that seem to have different coordinates in Thieves Guild than in Oblviion.esm or in Knights.

I have no idea if that could've been causing the CTDs I've suffered, but I think what I'm going to do is just turn off Knights for now. I don't know exactly what that DLC does, but it sounds like it is really for more of a "knight" type character so I don't think I need it for now.

ADDIT: so i deactivated Knights and reran TES4Edit to filter only "benign
conflicts" or worse. All Entries text were green! Woohoo!

So now back to test if this new load order seems stable.

I seem to have a stable build put together. I commented on it here

http://www.gamesas.com/index.php?/topic/1104332-hunger-mod/page__view__findpost__p__16171745

So won't repeat myself.

Thanks to everyone for the help!

After getting my mod load order sorted out, and playing the game for probably 20 hours without mishap, I'm now having a problem with CTDs again. Again it seems to have to do with potions, this time without Alchemy Advanced installed.



It seems to occur when I try to save game after a certain type of actions have been taken. For example, I create a potion with Bergamot, Motherwort, and Ratmeat, close my inventory, go to save and it crashes. Happens if I do 20 potions or 1.

Is there anyway to decipher those error messages from Windows and figure out why this is happening so I can do somethign about it besides, re-deactivate all mods and re-activate again?

Did you try from a new game after uninstalling Alchemy Advanced? I'd try disabling the UI mods: Keychain, ATakesAll... Uninstall any installed UI mods, basically.