I appreciate anyone who takes the time to read this, figure it out, and offer me any help.

I was trying to revert from ugridstoload=7 back to the default of 5. I was using the method shown http://www.geforce.com/Optimize/Guides/five-fast-elder-scrolls-v-skyrim-tweaks-guaranteed-to-make-your-game-look-even-better, on the bottom of the page. This method, I now realize uses some console commands that are unusual (compared to others I've since seen) including:

• setini "ugridstoload:general" 5
  
• saveini
  
• refreshini

I've now lost access to most of my recent savegames. As soon as I try to load one, I crash. I need help getting back my progress.

I made backups of my savegames before attempting the procedure. I also have backups of Skyrim.ini and SkyrimPrefs.ini. When I restore my original savegames and ini files I STILL crash when trying to load the savegames. So what else got affected that isn't in the original saves and ini's?

Also, if I delete my ini files, and try to let the game create new ones, it creates a Skyrim.ini file that looks like THIS
Like, what the heck happened? Is that Chinese? Every time I've been in trouble like this I was able to easily delete and rebuild some default ini files.

So I think that wraps up all I know. I have original saves and ini's. The problem is bigger than restoring just them. My game (or maybe everyone's due to a patch?) doesn't rebuild a default SkyrimPrefs.ini anymore. Thanks for you attention. I relish any responses.

look here http://www.gamesas.com/topic/1274926-ugridstoload-skyrimini-comparisons-and-explanation-default-57911/

alternative way to revert back would be to load the game...

make sure to load the save you want..

alt tab out of the game... manually modify the skyrim.ini file to ugrids 5 and the correct cell buffer.. save the file...

alt tab back into the game and use the console typing "refreshini" give it a moment.. and then attempt to save a NEW game....

Set your uGridstoLoad to whatever the value was in the save game. Then use those console commands. and save your game. Delete the original saved game that you loaded. You'll have to repeat this process on EVERY save game you wish to recover with the uGridstoLoad set differently than your new desired value. i.e. : If you have 5 save games you want to keep that all have uGridstoLoad set to 7, then set your uGridstoLoad to 5 in the ini, then load the first save. run those console commands, then save the game. Then go delete the game you just LOADED (not saved). Then go back into your ini and change the uGridstoLoad BACK to 5 and load the next save location you want to keep, and repeat the process. It's tedious but necessary.

I'm either misunderstanding both night-thief and paladin181 or they're misunderstanding me. I hope it's my misunderstanding, because then there's hope.

It seems like both scenarios you describe involve my loading up the non-working save as the first step. Am I right? The problem is, I can't load the save at all. The second I try to load a broken save, I CTD. Are you somehow saying to enter the game on a non-broken save, use the console for various commands, and then I'll be able to load the broken save?

I've tried loading all broken saves with my ugridstoload at 5, 7, and the entire line missing in Skyrim.ini. There's no scenario where those saves will load. None. It seems like there's some sort of third thing that's being referenced which I'm missing. That third thing got changed.

You need to set uGrids to what it was when you saved (or higher) to load your save.

I'm saying there's *NO* uGrids setting that allows me to load the saves. I've only ever had it at 5 or 7 and neither setting allows those saves to do anything other than CTD.

I can load older saves. I can start a new game, save it and load that save. I can't load anything recent with any uGrids setting.

You might have another Skyrim.ini file in the Skyrim folder (within the Stem folder). If so, delete it.

Negative on that. But I do have another SkyrimPrefs.ini in the Steam folder.

hmm.... perhaps that needs to be deleted. You could try renaming it and seeing if your saves work

Renamed it. Tried starting everything with original (uGrids at 7) settings. Didn't work.

I appreciate your (and anyone else's time). I'm still wondering what's up with the Chinese-looking Skyrim.ini file that gets created when I remove all ini files. What's up with that? I'd think understanding that would lead to a possible solution. Does that happen to everyone now?

No idea, first time I see that(the chinese-looking characters) in the skyrim.ini. But on-topic, the ugridstoload shouldn't break your game, only if you tried to launch a saved game with an inferior value to the one the saved game was, should your game break, but the saves would work if you changed back your ini to =7,=9, or whatever your ugrids was.
So what I'm trying to say is that maybe you're doing something wrong. Try removing mods if you have any, and try deleting all the inis, in the My Documents\My Games\Skyrim folder. And then, with the ini set to ugridstoload=7 and the respective changes (Ipreload and uexterior cell buffer) try to run your saved game.
Also, alternatively, you can upload the save file to see if one of us can run your saved game. Hope this helps you, good luck.

Last night I had Steam reverify my files. One file needed to be redownloaded. After that was done, when I deleted my .ini files, Skyrim correctly rebuilt default ones without the Chinese characters at the top.

But I still can't get into my save games. No scenario I've tried, no ugrids setting, allows me to restart those saves. I even tried using the newly minted Skyrim.ini and SkyrimPrefs.ini files, changing only the ugrids setting to 5 and 7. Nothing worked. Those saves seem seriously borked.

But still, the questions remains for me. I have fresh, untouched copies of the saves and I have the original .ini files used for them. Why doesn't restoring those two pieces allow the saves to start. What else is being referenced during the process?

Alright. This is a followup for anyone paying attention to this thread either now or in the future.

I learned a lot of information in these two threads, http://forums.steampowered.com/forums/showthread.php?t=2278311 and http://forums.nexusmods.com/index.php?/topic/490666-patch-13-vs-ugridstoload/page__p__4013601.

I'm not sure anything in the threads contained my solution directly, but they helped. Probably the most interesting information I learned was that somewhere in the process of using either the setini, saveini, or refreshini console commands, Skyrim created a large ini dump file that has the name of the last mod in your load order with an .ini ending. In my case it was something like "Valdacil's Item Sorting.ini". I believe that file to be the missing piece of my (original save) + (original .ini files) + X = crash equation I've been wondering about throughout this thread.

What I've done to make things work so far (besides deleting the file mentioned above) is go to an older, working save. Then I opened the console and typed: setini "uGridsToLoad:general" 7. That immediately crashed the game and I was able to restart the game and use the files that weren't working. Basically I've reversed everything that got me into trouble and I'm back at my starting point hoping once again that I can lower my uGrids setting from 7 to 5.

I join others in the threads I've been reading that warn that you hesitate to mess with your uGrids settings. The visual improvements wers not signifcant enough for me, probably mattering the most for screenshots, at best. Thanks to the people that tried to help me.

go in to skyrim folder that's in your steam folder. look for a data folder or another skyrim folder there will be your be your other .ini or SkyrimPrefs.ini. hope that helps.