GIMP Version: 2.8.14
Operating System: Windows
GIMP Experience: New User

List any ERROR messages you received:
Deactivating removed addons

---

My brushes sets are working just fine.
I followed the same steps for pattern sets. Now if I right click on patterns in GIMP I have the Patterns sets option, open that and Pattern sets Manager comes up, I choose a set click OK and the green bar freezes and says - Deactivating removed addons.
MY GIMP 2.8 ME Pattern folder is empty and patterns in pattern_storage in Capitalized folders (open in GIMP my patterns still have over a hundred showing?!?!)
My ini file:
[all]
# enable:brushes dynamics fonts gradients palettes patterns scripts
enable:brushes fonts gradients palettes patterns scripts
addons_active:{GimpUser}/{type}
addons_stored:{GimpUser}/{type}_storage
menu_location:{<type>}
menu_entry:{type} sets...
menu_description:Manage {type} sets...
dialog_title:{type} sets manager
[brushes]
menu_location:<Image>/Help
extensions:.gbr .vbr .gih .abr .GBR .VBR .GIH
#[dynamics]
#extensions:.gdyn .GDYN
[fonts]
menu_location:<Image>/Help
extensions:.ttf .otf .TTF .OTF
[gradients]
menu_location:<Image>/Help
extensions:.ggr .GGR
[palettes]
menu_location:<Image>/Help
extensions:.pal .PAL .gpl .GPL
[patterns]
menu_location:<Image>/Help
extensions:.jpg .png .pat .JPG .PNG .PAT
[scripts]
menu_location:<Image>/Help
extensions:.scm .SCM
I haven't overwritten either of the files, but I guess i've done something wrong, can anyone help please?

A couple of things to check.

1. If you have had the plugin running the settings are held in the file .gimp-2.8\pluginrc The old settings will show instead of the new ones. Delete that file, pluginrc, start gimp up to rebuild a new one.

2. Do you have the patterns in either sub-folders or zipped (individually or as a collection) ? That is what you need.

edit: A bit more to look at.
In each folder 'fonts_storage' / 'patterns_storage' ..etc is a file .active This holds the names of the resource(s) copied over to the main folder. The ticked boxes in the manager. Delete that and the plugin thinks everything has cleared. Of course you then need to go into the main folder and remove those copied files, but you are then back to square one.

Yep rich, deleting the active file works a treat, do I now 'have to live with' the patterns my GIMP seems determined to retain, I could do without just about all of them, as I say there's over a hundred there.
I'm tempted to go into the program file and strip them out, but Rod suggested on another thread that this may be a bad move, what do you guys think?

SOLVED - i bit the bullet and did it anyway, now what I've got to do is track down rogue patterns that fail to load - got a few of them.