Last 48 hours have been hell trying to get my game working again. It worked flawlessly but after trying to get a fresh install for no real reason I screwed things up pretty bag. Long story short I re-installed Windows 7 and re-installed the game.

Now the game runs, but the NPCs at the start do not talk so we get stuck in the cart. The game is fully patched to latest version, I've verified the game cache a dozen times, no mods are active...

I can't figure this out, and I'm suspecting a registry issue or some files I haven't really cleaned up when un-installing...

So, what's the best way to COMPLETELY remove Skyrim from my computer so I can try yet again to install it and get it working as it was?

Why did you create another topic? In Steam, properties of the game, local files and then "delete local game content".

Sorry, I forgot something. Before re-installing go to the installation folder in ProgramFilesx86>Steam>SteamApps>Common>Skyrim and delete everything that was left there after un-installation.

And if you actually have Steam installed in program files I'd recommend installing it elsewhere. Like C:\Games\Steam. Windows 7's UAC can cause issues with games and other programs if they're installed inside the program files folder, especially if you want to mod them.

That won't be the cause of your specific issue but it might save you some trouble down the road. There's really no downside to it, other than the fact that you'll need to move all your installed steam games.



You can also use http://www.piriform.com/ccleaner which has a registry cleaning feature, it'll remove any redundant leftover registry entries. Very handy.

Only if you are not the admin of your computer I think. There is Wise registry cleaner that works fine too. Anyway, how do you change the Steam folder location?

https://support.steampowered.com/kb_article.php?p_faqid=231


You also need to wipe out all the rest of the stuff. Check to see if the folder for Skyrim is still under /Steam/steamapps/common/. If it is, delete it completely. Then go to /(My )Documents/(My )Games/Skyrim/ and backup the saves if you want, then delete that folder.

Thank you! They say that moving the folder to an external hard drive can cause performance problems. Has anyone experienced this yet?

Another folder I forgot. This one is hidden and you'll find it in C:Users>Username>AppData>Local>Skyrim and contains three lists: DLCList.txt, plugins.txt and SteamModList.txt. Given the fact that you have uninstalled everything, mods included, you can delete them too.