just got my first gaming pc, never used mods in my entire life so im a little confused as to how to download them both manuelly and with the downloader, how to activate them, what folders to put them in or even how acess these folders, as i said im brand new to all this stuff so if anyone can help me out it would be greatly appreciated

http://forums.nexusmods.com/index.php?/topic/460588-start-here/ is one tool to use if one is downloading from the http://www.nexusmods.com/ it handles more than one TES game and Fallout 3 and Fallout NV.

Details about load order are usually found in the mod description of a mod you may want at the Nexus.

Steam Workshop is another option.
Make sure to read the author's notes and possible feedback on either forum to see if it is good to add.

You can either download mods through Steam or the Nexus. Steam tends to be a bit easier, but you can have much more control with the Nexus.

For Steam, click the "Browse the Workshop" button to access the workshop. Then if you find a mod you like, "Subscribe" to it. The launcher will download and update it when you open the game.

For the Nexus, create an account and then just go here: http://skyrim.nexusmods.com/. You can either download mods manually or through the Nexus Mod Manager. While other managers are available (such as the brilliant Wrye Bash), for simplicity's sake it's easier to use the NMM (never install mods manually).

You can download the NMM here: http://skyrim.nexusmods.com/mods/modmanager/

Then when you find a mod you like, just click the "Download with manager" button. It'll download, install and you can use the Mod Manager to enable/disable it.

Hopefully that made a bit of sense.

I would recommend if you haven't already researching mod managers and use one to manage your skyrim mods, there are a few available the most popular being http://skyrim.nexusmods.com/mods/modmanager/ (nexus mod manager) which is a good, what I call starter utility to use, but if you want to start using mods more seriously and see what is happening in your game then I recommend wrye bash http://wryemusings.com/Wrye%20Bash.html#Installation, it is more complex but is worth a read and is worth using in the long run if you plan on adding more and more mods.

Download NMM and give that a go to get started then if I were you, i'd give bash a read and have a look at using that, especially if you add more and more mods in your game. Heres a guide to installing mods with NMM http://wiki.tesnexus.com/index.php/How_to_install_Skyrim_mods

First off, welcome to the wonderful world of mods. You've started off on the right track - by asking for assistance. Using mods recklessly when you don't know what you're doing and then continuing to play can wreck your save game. But have no fear - you can always go back to that earlier save game from before you installed the mod. Make sure you save your game manually rather than relying on quicksave or autosave.

Rule number one - Reading. Do your research. Read the mod description to find out any specific instructions and requirements. Also check the mod comments by other users. Don't be afraid to ask questions, but make sure you've read the description and the first couple of pages of comments first - often your question will have been asked and answered there already.
Rule number two - Install one mod at a time. Test out that mod for several hours of gameplay before installing another. It's too easy to be tempted to install a load of mods at once - but then if you have problems, how would you know what was causing them?
Rule number three - never uninstall a mod and continue with the same save game. If you want to remove a mod, you'll need to go back to an earlier save from before you installed that mod.
Rule number four - Load Order. This is important - if you're unsure, use http://skyrim.nexusmods.com/mods/6 to sort your load order correctly. Mods can conflict, and putting mods in the correct order from the start will prevent issues.


As for the install process, both NMM and Steam will do the job for you.

Why use one rather than the other?

Steam is very simple - just click "subscribe" and it'll install the mod automatically. If the mod is updated by the author, Steam will automatically download and install the latest version of the mod. Why wouldn't you want this? Sometimes the new version of a mod might have new features you don't want, or it might be too demanding on your system, or a new version might be incompatible with your other mods. If the mod author removes the mod from Steam, you might find that it's automatically uninstalled from your game - which can cause problems as your save game is likely to rely on it still being there.

NMM is probably a better bet - it doesn't update your mods automatically, and gives you more control with what goes into your game - it still alerts you when updates are available but gives you the choice as to whether to install the update or not. Gopher has an excellent video tutorial for people new to mods, talking you through NMM - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ClqtmSUsFhg. I'd strongly suggest sitting down for 5 minutes and watching the tutorial.

As SamA92, Wrye Bash is also pretty essential for advanced mod users - it can also work as an install manager, but not all mods are set up correctly to allow you to do this easily - but it's pretty indispensible for its ability to make mods that are incompatible work much better together. I'd suggest getting to grips with one or two mods the easier way before looking into Wrye Bash.

Installing manually is the other option - once upon a time, all mods were installed this way! Most mods you download will have two files in them (and maybe a readme text file too) - an esm or esp file and a bsa file. An esm or esp file contains the changes, and the bsa file contains any new graphics, sounds, or scripts used by the esm or esp file. I'd suggest using a manager to install (and more to the point to make it easier to uninstall), but it's useful to know what the manager is doing. Skyrim is in your Steam folder on your computer - usually program files/steam/steamapps/common/skyrim on your C: drive. you can browse there and have a look at what's there already. You'll see a "Data" folder- this is where all mods are installed to. Both the esm/esp and bsa go inside this data folder. (Some mods have other loose folders as well as these - this is because the mod author hasn't combined the loose files into a single bsa file - and managers like the NMM allow you to keep better track if the mod has loose files).