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Howto: Enable Modding - Archive Invalidation

The first step into (advanced) modding is to enable the "archive invalidation". With that your Fallout 4 can load so called "loose files", which many mods needs. This how-to will show you how to enable it.

Step 1: Find your Fallout4Custom.ini

For Mod Organizer 2:
  • In MO2 open menu "Tools", go into "Tool Plugins"  and click "INI Editor"
  • Click on the tab "fallout4custom.ini"

For Vortex or no/other mod manager:
  • Go into the folder "Documents\My Games\Fallout4\"
  • If there is no file "Fallout4Custom.ini" create it.
  • Open the file "Fallout4Custom.ini" with any text editor.

Step 2: Add/change INI values

  • If your INI don't have an "[Archive]"  section add it to the end
  • Go to your [Archive] section
  • If you already have a line starting with "bInvalidateOlderFiles=..."  in this section then delete it
  • If you already have a line starting with "sResourceDataDirsFinal=..."  in this section then delete it
  • Add the line "bInvalidateOlderFiles=1" without quotes in your [Archive] section
  • Add the line "sResourceDataDirsFinal=" without quotes in your [Archive] section

Now that INI part should look like this:
[Archive]
bInvalidateOlderFiles=1
sResourceDataDirsFinal=

That's it! Your Fallout 4 is now ready for modding!

Article information

Added on

Edited on

Written by

m8r98a4f2

48 comments

  1. Mustaf40
    Mustaf40
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    i tried adding this mod and it doesnt even show up in the mod list nor the menu just vortex i enabled archive invalidation it still doesnt work.
  2. eliozashvili
    eliozashvili
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    so when I add [Archive]
    bInvalidateOlderFiles=1
    sResourceDataDirsFinal=    to fallout4custom.ini file my game wont start at all. 

    any thoughts? why this is happening? i am running next gen. but as far as i know next gen
    1. Krysee
      Krysee
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      • 23 kudos
      Assuming that you've got no mods installed, then this problem will not happen.

      Considering you are having this problem, perhaps it's time to look at which mods you have installed, whether they've been updated for the Next Gen game update, *how* the game isn't starting "at all" (there are different stages of the game not starting and which stage it crashes tells us a lot) and do other troubleshooting relating to whether your mods need other mods.  And that's out of the scope of this sort of message board.  Too many variables, and it's not the result of following the original post.
    2. DubstepGun2
      DubstepGun2
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      next gen update broke a lot of mods, if youre trying to run the script extender it wont launch because they haven't updated F4SE for the update yet
    3. Raunien
      Raunien
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      I have the same problem. I have the discovered that since the next-gen update setting bInvalidateOlderFiles=1 causes the game not to load. In my case, it starts, then immediately CTDs.  The solution I have found is to set
      sResourceDataDirsFinal=STRINGS\, TEXTURES\, MUSIC\, SOUND\, INTERFACE\, MESHES\, PROGRAMS\, MATERIALS\, LODSETTINGS\, VIS\, MISC\, SCRIPTS\, SHADERSFX\
      (this is a catch-all list that should include all possible directories for mod files)
      and have bInvalidateOlderFiles=0 or just delete that line entirely. Unfortunately for some reason Vortex autoupdates fallout4.ini using the old method, but I am running an older version, maybe newer versions don't do this.
    4. Wntrwlf
      Wntrwlf
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      @Raunien

      You solved this for you, and holy crap ALL my mods work now!
    5. tdxcvxz
      tdxcvxz
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      Doesn't work. Cannot find the picket fence magazine. 
    6. mrlstreeep
      mrlstreeep
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      Then I just the get PRKF error.  So frustrating.
    7. vrynex
      vrynex
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      @Raunien

      When I add that line - 
      sResourceDataDirsFinal=STRINGS\, TEXTURES\, MUSIC\, SOUND\, INTERFACE\, MESHES\, PROGRAMS\, MATERIALS\, LODSETTINGS\, VIS\, MISC\, SCRIPTS\, SHADERSFX\
      The game loads, and the mods work, but when attempting to go to the Pause/Esc menu, the game crashes.
    8. iTchnik
      iTchnik
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      @vrynex Вы решили эту проблему?
    9. ahnjd
      ahnjd
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      I would like to know too. I tried the updated line, but it still says "Pipboy Tabs" Check if loose files enabled, pipboytab will not work properly. After that msg it sends me to a link how to Archive Invalidation
    10. EagleGundam
      EagleGundam
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      I have the same issue did anyone find a fix??
  3. D33pImpact
    D33pImpact
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    hey my "fallout4custom.ini" just says
    [Display]
    iLocation X=0
    iLocation Y=0
    [General]
    SLocalSavePath=Saves\

    thats it 

    edit: i found it!!!
    it was in "fallout4.ini" not "fallout4custom.ini" i already did the modifs it was telling me to do now ill install fallUI and open the game and post here an update 
    edit 2: we good
    1. pHoenixlikesintotheradius
      pHoenixlikesintotheradius
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      were did you put [Archive]bInvalidateOlderFiles=1
      sResourceDataDirsFinal= ? in the ini folder
  4. alecirielli2907
    alecirielli2907
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    main menu still not appearing
    appdate: it was my fault
    1. pHoenixlikesintotheradius
      pHoenixlikesintotheradius
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      do you have a fix? this still isnt working
  5. GORPS1
    GORPS1
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    the mod is working the item ikons are fucked up but i thats the problem for future me curetly im having an issue with the pipboy being darks as f*#@ bearly redable tryed adding: bInvalidateOlderFiles=1
                          sResourceDataDirsFinal=
    to the ini files few times
    also tryed to get a fresh pipboy trough console and fast travel 
    and to dissable nvidia optimalization 
    still no luck . the last resort im thinking of is boosting the brightnes of pipboy in the game files to the f*#@ing sky
  6. dhuber2197
    dhuber2197
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    I'm having an issue where when I am using Vortex, specifically to download the Settlement Raiding Mod 1.1... When the Mod is deployed, it defaults "fallout4custom.ini" back to its original configuration:

    [Display]
    iLocation X=0
    iLocation Y=0
    [Archive]
    [General]
    SLocalSavePath=Saves\

    Then, I try to add:

    bInvalidateOlderFiles=1
    sResourceDataDirsFinal=
    underneath [Archive]

    Upon either deploying another mod, or running the game, something is defaulting my "fallout4custom.ini" file back to:

    [Display]
    iLocation X=0
    iLocation Y=0
    [Archive]
    [General]
    SLocalSavePath=Saves\

    automatically.

    Strangely, this does not interfere with the function of the majority of my mods, however, Settlement Raiding 1.1 does not function, it cannot find the batch files in the command menu (~). Anyone have any thoughts on how to fix this?
  7. twopucktwo
    twopucktwo
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    i have two fallout4custom.ini folders, does anyone know why
  8. tommytt1184
    tommytt1184
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    Hello,
    I download vortex and tried to changed the .ini folder and choice the wrong one, so I just uninstalled vortex and fallout 4. After I redownload it the custom.ini folder disappeared, but kept the other .ini files like baked and base. 
    Does anyone know what to do because I dont understand creating a new fold custom.ini.
    And I dont have the beginning codes for custom.ini if i created one I believe. Maybe?

    1. WolfStarEX
      WolfStarEX
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      delete all files related, and try redownloading everything
    2. GeeseDawg
      GeeseDawg
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      you need to delete the main game directory, the the fo4 folder in documents, as well as any mod staging folder (you can find where this is through vortex) in order to do a clean install.
  9. Bogdik2284534654656758765
    Bogdik2284534654656758765
    • member
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    нихера моды не рабротают боже дайте просто поиграть  с модами почему эти идиоты не сделают нормальную прогу как в террарии или майне
  10. DingoBojangles
    DingoBojangles
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    I keep having to add this entry but every time I install a mod through Vortex, the entry is removed, and this happens even when I set the ini to read-only. How do I keep it from doing this?