Latest Windows update-- Skyrim wont go borderless windowed or fullscreen

[woodathan]

I just got the latest Windows update a couple days ago and my game won't launch to fullscreen or borderless windowed no matter what I do. I've tried re-installing and getting BethINI but it always comes up the same size window with a big white tab/border on the top no matter what resolution or aspect ratio i change in the launcher.

Any ideas or help? Anyone else with the windows update experiencing issues?

Edit: OneDrive is the issue. See comment 24 for solve

[craigsters]

did you click on the options menu upon game launch, you can adjust it in the options menu

[CrackeR]

Still works great for me... you likely have a settings issue!

[cheshirm]

delete the .ini files in folder Documents\My Games\Skyrim Special Edition
maybe a setting does not agree with the updated windows
try the game again

if it still fails, windows update has failed twice on me in the last 6 months.
and other problems arose - like bluetooth drivers became corrupted.

perhaps check your windows system files.

open a command prompt and run these commands to check windows system files

sfc /scannow
dism /Online /Cleanup-Image /ScanHealth
sfc scans and repairs Windows system files
dism fixes corrupt files in the Windows system image, use it when SFC can't repair files

and nvidia driver updates have also failed.
perhaps uninstall your graphics card driver with a utility like Display Driver Uninstall
reboot
CLEAN install latest drivers
reboot
try game again

[woodathan]

Originally posted by cheshirm:

delete the .ini files in folder Documents\My Games\Skyrim Special Edition
maybe a setting does not agree with the updated windows
try the game again

if it still fails, windows update has failed twice on me in the last 6 months.
and other problems arose - like bluetooth drivers became corrupted.

perhaps check your windows system files.

open a command prompt and run these commands to check windows system files

sfc /scannow
dism /Online /Cleanup-Image /ScanHealth
sfc scans and repairs Windows system files
dism fixes corrupt files in the Windows system image, use it when SFC can't repair files

and nvidia driver updates have also failed.
perhaps uninstall your graphics card driver with a utility like Display Driver Uninstall
reboot
CLEAN install latest drivers
reboot
try game again

I tried these with no success :(. In fact this is an almost comprehensive list of the fixes I've attempted. https://www.reddit.com/r/skyrim/comments/1culko1/wont_go_fullscreen_or_borderless_windowed/

very confusing, but I dont know what else to do. Maybe some error or bug will be patched in the next few weeks and it'll just fix itself?

[woodathan]

interestingly enough I'm having the same issue with Fallout 4... No matter what the launcher says or my geforce experience has optimized for its Display Mode. It launches in a window with a big white tab on the top that says the game's name...

[cheshirm]

had the win 11 kb5036980 kb5037771 kb5037591 updates earlier this month
and yesterday's nvidia 555.82 update.

both skyrim se and fallout 4 still work fullscreen with no big white tab at the top

would have to know what windows update changed. perhaps go to the MS website and find out what files were changed with the update the caused the games to stop working/not working correctly.

[Altbert]

Just guessing here! Are you on version 1.6.1170? Did you block updates? If so, there was a small 132K update a couple of weeks ago for which there are no patch notes to be found. I had the same issue and had to set

bBorderless=0
bFull Screen=1
iSize H=1200
iSize W=1920

in SkyrimPrefs.ini in the Documents/My Games/Skyrim Special Edition folder.

[woodathan]

Originally posted by Altbert:

Just guessing here! Are you on version 1.6.1170? Did you block updates? If so, there was a small 132K update a couple of weeks ago for which there are no patch notes to be found. I had the same issue and had to set

bBorderless=0
bFull Screen=1
iSize H=1200
iSize W=1920

in SkyrimPrefs.ini in the Documents/My Games/Skyrim Special Edition folder.

The ONLY SkyrimPrefs.ini file I found won't allow me to open. Gives me an error message saying
"Windows cannot find 'C:Users\(myname)\Backup\(some script in arabic?)\My Games\Skyrim Special Edition\SkyrimPrefs.ini'

I can't copy paste the error message but as soon as I saw the arabic i was confused. is that supposed to be there? I tried deleting the backup folder but it reappeared when I launched skyrim to check if it worked. seems that that's where it wants to create the .ini files.

Can I not open this file or is there another way?

[Liquid Inc]

Originally posted by woodathan:

The ONLY SkyrimPrefs.ini file I found won't allow me to open. Gives me an error message saying
"Windows cannot find 'C:Users\(myname)\Backup\(some script in arabic?)\My Games\Skyrim Special Edition\SkyrimPrefs.ini'

I can't copy paste the error message but as soon as I saw the arabic i was confused. is that supposed to be there? I tried deleting the backup folder but it reappeared when I launched skyrim to check if it worked. seems that that's where it wants to create the .ini files.

Can I not open this file or is there another way?

It shouldn't be in any folder called "backup" at all. Seems like you have some kind of backup program taking control of the games files and that's where it's putting them.
Uninstall any backup programs you might have on your PC, especially if it's called OneDrive. They cause no small number of headaches when it comes to games, especially Skyrim.

[woodathan]

Originally posted by Liquid Inc:

Originally posted by woodathan:

The ONLY SkyrimPrefs.ini file I found won't allow me to open. Gives me an error message saying
"Windows cannot find 'C:Users\(myname)\Backup\(some script in arabic?)\My Games\Skyrim Special Edition\SkyrimPrefs.ini'

I can't copy paste the error message but as soon as I saw the arabic i was confused. is that supposed to be there? I tried deleting the backup folder but it reappeared when I launched skyrim to check if it worked. seems that that's where it wants to create the .ini files.

Can I not open this file or is there another way?

It shouldn't be in any folder called "backup" at all. Seems like you have some kind of backup program taking control of the games files and that's where it's putting them.
Uninstall any backup programs you might have on your PC, especially if it's called OneDrive. They cause no small number of headaches when it comes to games, especially Skyrim.

weird, indeed. I did actually uninstall OneDrive a few days ago in this process per reddit suggesttion. I just uninstalled an app called SmartBackup and even though there's a feature called Windows Backup that still exists (and won't go away) under the Windows Feature Experience Pack, The .ini files have chosen to migrate.

I now find them in 'C:\My Games\Skyrim Special Edition\SkyrimPrefs.ini' which is under Local Disk, no Documents folder. Same error message, though. still says:

"Windows cannot find 'C:\My Games\Skyrim Special Edition\SkyrimPrefs.ini'. Make sure you typed the name correctly, and then try again."

Although now, Geforce is also unable to retrieve current settings and just suggests optimal settings. its pathway takes it to 'C:Program Files (x86)\Steam\steamapps\common\Skyrim Special Edition\' which has its own .ini files that show the same error unreadable messages

[Altbert]

The SkyrimPrefs.ini file is in the C:\Users\<your username>\Documents\My Games\Skyrim Special Edition\ folder.
If you can't open that file, right-click the file and choose properties. Uncheck the "Ready Only" checkbox.

[woodathan]

Originally posted by Altbert:

The SkyrimPrefs.ini file is in the C:\Users\<your username>\Documents\My Games\Skyrim Special Edition\ folder.
If you can't open that file, right-click the file and choose properties. Uncheck the "Ready Only" checkbox.

There was no Documents folder in that location so,
--I created one and placed the My Games folder with SSE in it. I launched SSE and it created another My Games folder where the previous one was-- under 'This PC\Local Disk'.

--I tried taking that My Games folder and putting it in the same documents folder to replace the previous My Games folder.

--Launched SSE again and it created another My Games folder under Local Disk.

SSE.exe wants to create a My Games folder under Local Disk even if I give it a Documents folder and maintain the path that I guess is the usual for everyone else?

--I unchecked Read Only on both Skyrim.ini and SkyrimPrefs.ini and tried to open both and they still give me the:

"Windows cannot find 'C:\Users\<username>\Documents\My Games\Skyrim Special Edition\SkyrimPrefs.ini'. Make sure you typed the name correctly, and then try again"

error message, even though I'm in that exact location.

wat.

[Altbert]

This PC\Local Disk\ is the same as C:\ unless you have installed Windows on another drive. Which ever drive your operating system is installed, use that drive designation to find the folder I was referring to.

[woodathan]

Originally posted by Altbert:

This PC\Local Disk\ is the same as C:\ unless you have installed Windows on another drive. Which ever drive your operating system is installed, use that drive designation to find the folder I was referring to.

Yes, that is what I did in the previous reply. Please see above

[Altbert]

You don't have to create those folders/directories yourself. These are automatically created by installing the operating system or by installing a Steam game. My operating system is on C: drive.