Long breaks during SkyrimSE
Long breaks during SkyrimSE
So I'm still using SE 2.0.2, skse 1.5.97 and around 180 mods including hdt-smp, cbbe 3bA, better vamps, all the really important and necessary like patches etc. Everything was tuned and organized with Vortex and everything worked perfectly.
I have one Nvme drive, Steam account active, no enb.
I stopped playing for a month, did other things. Then started again, didn't touch anything new, just kept going from where I left. Now I'm experiencing 15-20 second pauses every time I wait, before the clock even moves—pauses before entering any map door, before quicksave, quickload, save, load. Basically, it's happening every time storage is accessed instead of from cache.
I've tried updating older mods, reset better vamps, fixed xpmse right column and cloak, deleted src files from data, only 10 saved games. If it's a common fix on Google, I think I've already tried most of them except for renaming or deleting skse save files.
Anyone have more suggestions?
When you save your existing files, there are reliable methods to install the newest version and then revert to 1.5. An unofficial Nexus mod appears to function effectively. Additionally, examine perfmon and the Event Viewer to determine if any background activities occur while pausing.
had a comparable problem with Fallout: New Vegas freezing whenever I entered a new area, used menus, or saved/loaded.
backed up the entire installation path,
restarted the base game via Steam,
and gradually reinstalled my mods to identify the cause.
ultimately, all of them were reinstalled and the game functioned normally, so i never pinpointed the exact issue.
took a significant amount of time to restore all mods and set up again.
in the end, i opted to discard my backed-up install and proceed with the new one.
I don't understand much about that game, so please forgive my lack of knowledge. I just noticed it and thought to bring it up since the symptoms seem a bit connected. Maybe it's just a coincidence.
Vortex operates slightly differently from the standard version. The core game remains unchanged, offering vanilla functionality. Mods can be added through an overlay, which appends data files afterward. Introducing a mod shifts all write operations outside the game, preventing permanent changes to other mods' meshes and textures. These modifications are temporary, reverting when the overlay is disabled. LOOT is integrated, ensuring smooth loading order based on a master list created by testers. Every mod functions correctly without conflicts, artifacts, or hidden issues—just a pause. It seems a fresh installation of the base might be sufficient; no need to reset any mods, as it’s an external setup. Main files are located in pfx86/steam/common, and save data resides in windows/documents/appdata. There could be a conflict somewhere in that directory.
I've noticed some UAC problems when using the pf folder. The solution is to relocate the game away from that area to prevent triggering UAC or requiring admin rights. If this causes issues, try disabling UAC first before moving the game.
Are you certain your Special Edition wasn't modified in any way? When AE launched, SE was upgraded to a version that significantly disrupted many mods.
Yeah, AE messed with SKSE, but that only affected AE. SE wasn't impacted. The main change was some CC content that broke mods already using those addresses. Most of AE just means adding native mods and about 50 more for Xbox users. Even with all that, I played happily in mid-December, the update was in mid-November, and since updates are applied automatically when needed, I didn't have any AE content at all.
I spent a lot of time in the smoke box checking—every mod is functioning perfectly, animations, weapons/armors, HDT files, body upgrades, inventory, everything works as expected. Only when the game needs to access storage for a new map or load/save does something go wrong. That’s confusing.
I'm still using the 1.5.97 SE from 2019, none of the four updates to 1.6.xxx. The game remains unchanged unless I launch it via Steam, which doesn't impact vortex or wrye bashe or MO that use a different launcher. Anyone who manually sets the Steam Update this way is protected from AE contamination unless they do something extreme like launching the game through Steam instead of outside it.
This is what's puzzling me about the issue—it ran perfectly, then stopped for a month, later restarted and it's pausing at any save, auto or quick save. No updates, no Steam updates, only a security update was applied, and nothing else changed except storage writes. The game works just fine otherwise; all mods function correctly. The problem appears only when saving is written to storage. Reading works without issues, but writing causes problems. It seems to affect Skyrim specifically, not other titles.
I ran the script ReCleaner, cleared all but three saved games, disabled OneDrive, removed mod conflicts, and reset animations and order. No changes were made to reinstall the base game, as that would include the 1.6xx AE updates. This is the only update I can rely on for a stable version.