MarkInMKUK

Hence why I recommended GameBooster - if you configure it to kill all the background processes it will, AND restart them, which for an OCD sufferer is as close as they are going to get to "the game does not affect the OS" while still doing so.

I believe one of Duke Patrick's mods has a proof-of-concept dual wield - but as he bases his mods heavily on the way REAL combat works, it may well also be a blade-plus-blocking-blade system. However, his stuff generally teaches you a lot about practical combat, so if you prefer a more realistic approach it may well be worth a look.

It's just something to rule out - when you built your OMODs, was one of them packaged differently? The usual giveaway is a Data folder inside the main Data folder in your Obliviobn install directory, i.e. ...\Oblivion\Data\Data. If so, disable each mod in turn to find the offender, and extract that archive to disc, then select the Data folder INSIDE the archive when rebuilding the OMOD.

Re the PC bottlenecks: Oblivion is inherently a single core process, so on a dual core system you will NEVER make 100% CPU utilization, you'll max out at 100% for one core. Some of the ini file tweaks can offload SOME background processes to a second core, but it's minimal. The best system for Oblivion is a very fast single core processor. To remove background processes AND automatically restart them once the gaming session is over, try Razer Gamebooster - it's also configurable to leave extra things running or shut even more down. Also, look at your antivirus system - Oblivion is a busy game and is forever opening and closing files in the background. By excluding the Oblivion (and OBSE if used) processes from the real time protection, you'll get smoother gameplay.

Having read through the thread so far, I have two comments: 1) Wrye Bash and BAIN installers/BCF files seems like the best choice for you, over OBMM, because of your OCD. The reason is the function which lets it track when a mod overwrites files from another mod, and automatically restores the original file when the later mod is removed. For example, Arthmoor has made a whole series of village mods, which include updated scenery paintings used elsewhere in Oblivion, to reflect the changes his mod makes. When the village is removed, Wrye Bash will restore the original painting. 2) Be careful when adding larger "additional quest" mods, as they MAY not be "idiotproof". Some mods define the conditions where they will begin carefully, and are thus easy to integrate into the Oblivion experience. Others may not do so well, and assume your character is at a higher level than they are, or even has completed the Main Quest, when they are in fact just starting out. That additional bit of checking before installing a mod may save you a lot of mental stress when something "doesn't fit" On a similar note, I would recommend SM Plugin Refurbish in addition to the official DLC files. It adds delayed starting conditions to them all so you don't get a heap of immersion-breaking information suddenly dumped into your game journal. Adds to immersion, and doesn't make the content seen inappropriate. It also works with some of the expanded/extended DLC versions from the modding community. (I tend to class any mods which help to make the game world more believable for me as "immersion" mods - there are, of course, myriad different ways to define "immersion".)