Troubleshooting
This page is an attempt to dive deeper into some common issues and solutions.
Before assuming this is a problem with MO2 please make sure to:
- Test running things outside Mo2.
- Testing on a new empty profile (select DefaultGameSettings when creating it)
- Making sure you don't have leftover mods in your actual game folder and data folder that could cause crashes.
- Have correct version of script extender for the correct version of the game, as well as all the script extender mods being up to date as well.
- Disabling Antivirus.
- Completing Windows Updates.
- Rebooting PC (using the actual "Restart" option, not shutdown, or it will not help).
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Failed to start process (the parameter is incorrect [87])
My mods don't show up in the game / LOOT / Wrye Bash / xEdit!
Bodyslide failed to load setup.xrc / BodySlide.xrc file!
Form 43 warning
The form 43 warning typically involves Skyrim LE plugins that were ported to a Skyrim SE install. The latest version of plugin files that was released on LE was 43, while SE has a newer version 44. Sometimes, the game is able to load older records and so this may not be an issue, however, it is typically ideal to upgrade the plugin files to the latest version.
To do so, you will need to install the Skyrim SE Creation Kit. Instructions are here. This will need to be added to Mod Organizer 2 as an executable. It can typically be auto-detected, so restarting MO2 may be all that you need to do. It is important to install SSE CreationKit Fixes, otherwise some forms won't convert properly.
Launch the CK via MO2. Once the GUI has finished loading, you will need to use the 'Open' dialog to select the plugin that you wish to upgrade. Right click the plugin and select it as the 'primary' plugin and make sure the box has an X. Once this is done, hit OK to load the plugin into the CK. This process can take quite some time, and there may be a lot of warnings. You can usually just ignore these.
The CK will generally automatically upgrade the form version simply by resaving the plugin, however you often need trigger the CK to flag the plugin as being changed first. The easiest way to do this is to find a record stored in the plugin file, typically marked by an asterisk (*). You can add a letter to a record name, change it back, and it will then be marked as having a change. Simply save the plugin and the form should now be updated to version 44.
Disable anti-malware and anti-virus programs
USVFS hooks into the programs you run through MO2. To many anti-malware programs, this can look like a nefarious action. Many of these program will interfere with MO2 or USVFS with absolutely no indication to the user. Adding exclusions or exceptions to the entire MO2 installation folder, not just the executable, may allow MO2 and USVFS to work correctly. Some particularly stubborn programs seem to not respect exclusions and may need to be completely uninstalled.
Note: Not all users will be affected by this in the same way.
Note: This list is non-exhaustive. This only includes programs we've seen interfere.
Acronis
Some versions of Acronis backup software include anti-ransomware protection. Adding an exclusion for ModOrganizer.exe should work. Last reported: 2018-08-03.
Avast
No details available.
Bitdefender
Adding exclusions for the entire MO2 installation folder works for some users. Other users have had to completely uninstall Bitdefender. Last reported: 2018-08-01.
Malwarebytes
No details available.
VIPRE Advanced Security
Adding exclusions for the entire MO2 installation folder works for some users. Other users have had to manually specify exclusions for each executable in the MO2 installation folder. Last reported: 2018-12-29.
Windows Defender
No details available.
Check the options for the executable
In the Modify Executables dialog, double-check the "start in" and "arguments" fields for the executable having problems. The possible problems are too numerous to list here. If you're not sure what they should be, maybe ask in the Discord channel.
Check the Windows Event Log service
For currently unknown reasons, the Windows Event Log service can be critical to properly hooking some programs like LOOT, Wrye Bash, and xEdit. As of version 2.1.4, MO2 will warn the user of a busted event log service when running an executable.
To check the state of the service, open the Windows start menu and type "Services". Find the "Windows Event Log" service in the list. The status should be "running" and the startup type should be "automatic". If they are not in this state, double-click the service to bring up the properties. Change the startup type in the drop-down menu, hit apply, and then hit the start button.
If the service refuses to start, something could be wrong with Windows logs. Fixing this is out of the scope of this wiki. One user has reported success by deleting the logs located somewhere in the C:\Windows folder.
Do not clear the Windows system log
For currently unknown reasons, the Windows system log can cause problems if it has been cleared. This can happen if it's done manually with the Windows Event Viewer or if it's done automatically with a tool like CCleaner. Any time the system log is cleared, your PC must be restarted for MO2 to work properly.
In the case of CCleaner, this should be able to be avoided by disabling the "Advanced > Windows Event Logs" option.
Update or uninstall Alienware/Dell software
A crash in this manner is usually caused by a program that creates overlay icons on files. This is an incompatibility between these programs and Qt, the GUI framework used by MO2.
A known offender of this is software for Alienware or Dell computers that may be called Alien Respawn or Dell Backup and Recovery. This comes stock on many of their computers. Installing the most recent version of this software should resolve the issue. Alternatively, uninstalling the software should also fix the issue.
Hopefully useful information: https://www.dell.com/support/article/us/en/04/sln297423/dell-backup-and-recovery-18-overview-and-install?lang=en
Block Skyrim SE in your firewall
Skyrim SE has an annoying bug where it can crash when able to connect to the internet. For some reason, launching the game through MO2 can cause this issue to occur, even if it doesn't occur when the game is launched outside of MO2. To confirm this is an issue, I suggest you disable your entire internet connection and try again. Pull the Ethernet cable. Disable your WiFi antenna.
If the game launches successfully in that state, block anything remotely related to the game from the internet. That includes the game itself (SkyrimSE.exe), the Creation Kit (CreationKit.exe), and even SKSE64 (skse64_loader.exe). You can do this with Windows Firewall. On Windows 10, you'll want to use the app "Windows Defender Firewall with Advanced Security."
Check for pending Windows updates
Another one where we're not quite sure why it matters. May be related to the Windows event logging stuff. Install any updates you have pending.
When installing a mod, Mod Organizer will try to find the folder that contains the data files for the game. Some mods are not packaged in a way that Mod Organizer can recognise automatically. In this case, a message will be shown that looks like "The content of <data> does not look valid". The message may be different for some games.
When this happens, the folder that contains the data files must be located manually. Right-clicking this folder will show a menu that has "Set as <data> directory".
Once the correct data folder has been selected, Mod Organizer will instead say that "The content of <data> looks valid."
The correct data folder will contain the files and/or folders that would be copied to game's data folder if the mod was installed manually. In the example below, the folder Data Files is the correct one because it contains a folder Meshes, which is a folder that is used by the game Morrowind.
Other mods may have a data folder that is deeper in the hierarchy:
Some mods are not packaged in a way that Mod Organizer can install at all. For example, some mods will provide one data folder, along with multiple secondary folders with alternate versions of data files. In the example below, the main data folder is indicated by an arrow, but there are also several other folders that contain their own data folder.
This type of mod cannot be installed automatically by Mod Organizer. It must be installed manually, although it can still be managed by Mod Organizer. In this particular example, the mod could be first installed by selecting the main Data Files folder. Once the mod installed, its content can be opened in Windows Explorer (right-click the mod in the mod list, select Open in Explorer) and the content of the downloaded zip file manually extracted in the correct location.
The window also supports creating folders on the fly by right-clicking any existing folder. Files and folders can be moved around the list freely, which allows for setting up the structure within the window, prior to installation. For more complex structures, it is recommended to use Windows Explorer and to manually extract files from the downloaded archive.
There is no real general walkthrough for installing mods that are packaged this way. Each mod is different and must be unpackaged differently. Some mods will provide instructions in a text file inside the downloaded archive or on the website they come from, such as Nexus.
The mod list contains a special mod called Overwrite. It contains any new file created in the Data folder by the program being run. It will often contain logs or INI files, but it can also have the output of tools like FNIS. Mod Organizer will show a warning in the top right any time there is a file in overwrite. The warning is informational, it does not necessarily indicate a problem.
This Overwrite pseudo-mod will always be at the end of the mod list, with the highest priority. It cannot be moved. Therefore, if the same file exists in a mod and in overwrite, the latter will always win and will always be used by the game. If the files in overwrite are correct, the warning can be ignored. It is not an error. However, these files can also be moved to a new or existing mod to remove the warning and have more control on their priority.
There are several ways to handle files in overwrite:
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Leave the files there and ignore the warning. This is usually fine, but some mods may not work properly if some of their files are overridden.
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Move all the files to a new mod. Right-click the overwrite entry in the list, select "Create Mod..." and give it a name. All the files will be moved to that mod, which will appear at the end of the list, just above overwrite. The new mod is disabled by default and so should be activated to keep the files visible to the game.
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Move all the files to an existing mod. Right-click the overwrite entry in the list, select "Move content to Mod..." and select the destination mod. All the files will be moved to that mod.
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Move files manually to existing mods. Double-click the overwrite entry in the list, it will open a window that shows all files and folders present in overwrite. They can be dragged and dropped into existing mods in the list.
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Delete the files. This is not typically a good solution. The files may be necessary (such as the files created by FNIS) or might be recreated the next time the game or tool is run (such as log files).