Skyrim is a game that occupies a prominent place in the universe of Ancient Scrolls. Currently, this is the last game in the series, which has absorbed many ideas, developments and experience of developers since the time of TES: Arena. However, this does not save her from various annoying errors and bugs that players often have to deal with on their own. One of such errors is the unstable work of the launcher, which sometimes prevents you from entering the settings menu or downloading add-ons (if the launcher does not see files and Skyrim starts without mods), as well as launching the game itself. Moreover, this can happen not only on pirated versions: owners of licensed copies are also not immune from such situations. There are several ways to fix these errors.
Steam restart
As you know, the Steam client works in close conjunction with every game purchased through this service, controlling the license, player statistics, updates, etc. TES V was no exception, and sometimes this interaction leads to the Skyrim launcher "doesn’t see the modification files and doesn’t let it into the settings, and sometimes it doesn’t let the game run, displaying the" Install "item in the main menu instead of" Game ". Clicking on it usually does not lead to anything, and the game still does not start. The problem is solved by banal restarting of the Steam client with logging out of the account and completely disconnecting from the network.
Starting the game directly / through a third-party launcher
The previous method, unfortunately, does not always work out. Therefore, in cases where the Skyrim launcher does not see files and settings, you can start the game directly from the skyrim.exe file. True, this method is suitable only for those who play without mods. Players who do not think of the game without add-ons will have to use third-party programs (WryeBash, Nexus Mod Manager).
Editing game files
This method is usually used when there is no problem starting the game, but the Skyrim launcher does not see add-on files . The SkyrimPrefs.ini file, which “lost” the configuration parameter “bEnableFileSelection = 1”, which is located in the [Launcher] block, is to blame. To prevent the situation from happening again, the game must be prohibited from making changes to this file by setting the Read-Only attribute on it. You can find the desired file in the game's save folder.
It will also be useful to make certain manipulations with the registry by running which (using the Win + R hot keys and the "regedit" command), open the HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE section and follow the path SOFTWARE \ Wow6432Node \ Bethesda Softworks \ Skyrim. By right-clicking on the Installed Path column, select "Change" in the context menu, and then enter the path in the installed game in the "Value" field.
It should be remembered that the Windows registry editor must be handled carefully, clearly following the instructions. Careless handling can lead to Windows malfunctioning or even system failure.
Restore default settings
The method is effective, but it is used quite rarely - in those cases when nothing helps at all. Most often, this problem is created by the users themselves, for one reason or another, copying the folder with ready-made saves from external sources, replacing the game settings files at the same time. After which the launch of Skyrim follows, and the launcher does not see the game files at all. There is a compatibility problem. The solution is to delete all configuration files from the folder, and then restart the Skyrim launcher, which will automatically create them again.