A biggish post I'm afraid, which also containing potential spoilers.

This might be a bug and I think I am screwed but as there are some really smart people in this forum (grovel, grovel) maybe someone can help: I finished BG2 and ToB and decided to replay BG2. My journal has started to update very erratically and this means NPCs won't talk to me, and I am getting "non-finished quest build-up" in my journal. It is also starting to block further progress in the game.

I think it started with the Nalia quest: I completed the quest without her. THEN I let her join my party. Out of curiosity I went back into the keep. Bad move: the quest restarted except this time without any bad guys (or any way to complete the quest). So the journal contained some of Nalia's quest in the unfinished part, and the same stuff in the "done quests" part. Irritating but not important, I hoped.

So I went back to the city, decided I couldn't stand Nalia, ditched her for Anomen and went off to to do the unseeing eye quest. Quest done (I thought), beholder dead, rod returned, Gaal dead etc. etc. but my journal stopped updating this quest around about when I went down into the undead pit. The quest is done - I should be a hero but High Priest Oisig or whatever he's called won't talk to me. So yet another unfinished quest.

So I did the little "go get the illithium quest": no problem with the quest: Neb is now in small pieces (apart from his head) and Minsc is dragging 200 lbs of illithium around (very slowly). Only this time the quest stopped updating after I had talked to Hilldark in the Coronet and he told me to go after Neb. I can give the head to the Chief Inspector and get gold, reputation etc. but the journal just won't update. And Sir Sarles won't talk to me so I can't finish that quest.

Is the journal corrupted? Can I edit the file in some way or reset something?

I really don't want to go back to my post-Nalia quest save. That seems like a long time ago...

I think that the fact that key NPCs won't talk to you is caused by a major ToB bug.Try installing the last patch and that could fix your problem!
Welcome to the Ironworks!!!!!! :D

Wow, that was fast! Thanks, I'll give it a go.

And that patch is meant to fix a bug in the Jaheria romance in SoA which is really why I'm replaying the game. I don't care what everyone else thinks, I prefer mature women! Viconia is barking mad and Aerie, well just listen to her with HaerDalis - need I say more. Yuck!

Time to go and make some coffee and toast whilst the patch trickles down.

Thanks again Helspanth, the patch did the trick.