DIM Questions
atryeu
Posts: 612
Does anybody know if the DIM program can be installed to and run from a USB stick? I'm on dialup and without resume support I can't download most of the files, but if I find somewhere in town to access a computer to download a little from in the future, could I do this and set the download path to the USB stick to transfer the files to my computer later.... Would my main install of DIM on the computer register that the copied files were downloaded?
Also, I just logged into my account and it says I have a product update but I don't understand how that is now. Everything I read said that the only way it would notify you of product updates was if you had downloaded AND installed the product through the program. I have done neither, but it clearly says there is a product update available for the file I have not downloaded or installed. I did look through my list of "ready to installs" and it is not downloaded. I have not installed a single file yet since I don't have the full products, just some of the smallest files so far. Any ideas why it sees an update for something I didn't download or install?
Thanks!
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Comments
I don't know the answer to your first question, but as far as product updates, I've logged into DIM and found updates to products I've downloaded but not yet installed. If you've already downloaded the file, I can't believe DIM would wait until you've installed it before giving you an update.
Not sure about updates showing if you haven't at least downloaded it already. I download files as soon as I see them, so haven't run into that particular scenario as yet.
I only had that happen once so far, for ashley for M5. I hadn't downloaded that product at all, and suddenly there's an update for it.
Mine is the "Genesis Female Genitalia" file. I ran through my list of 100 downloaded files so far because the file is small enough to where I may have grabbed it (I've done everything I had on the list up to 300kb so far) but I hadn't downloaded it yet at all. I wonder why it showed up like that then. I thought we were told product updates would only show up like this if we had downloaded and I thought also installed a product. LoL
Hopefully somebody has an idea for the first question... maybe tomorrow :) I'm sure most people around here are on high speed connections though so nobody probably really has the need to try something like that LoL Us poor dialup users are being left behind :(
I guess I should've asked earlier, but are you working "online" or do you have the "work offline" option checked. If you are working actually logged into your account (online) then whatever's on the server will show up. If you're working offline, then I think the only things you'll see are the files on the Ready to Install tab, because the Ready to Download tab is disabled if you're not logged into your account.
I think, though I'm not perfectly sure, if you've bought a product it's in your account, so DIM is assuming you need the update whether or not you've actually downloaded it and/or installed it. It's only seeing what you are entitled to have.
I saw the Genesis Female Genitalia updates also, but I can tell you that I've seen Companion Files and such come through for products I had purchased before I got the main files. Why? I have no idea. I can only assume because the conversion of those files to the new DIM zip format were completed before the conversion of the main file for the product, or they just happened to be pushed up to the server where we now download from when using DIM, assuming it's a different server than the one where the old Bitrock installers are kept, before the main products were uploaded to that server.
NOTE: If you got the Stephanie 5 morph for Genesis it included the Genitalia. So if it has been Installed the update would show in your DIM.
I just tried this. Installing the DIM onto a USB stick one one computer and then try to run it off another computer. The answer it did not work.
You would need to do is carry the installer on your USB Stick. When you found a computer with a High speed connection to install the DIM to the computer doing the downloads. You could set the Download folder to a Folder on the USB stick and start sucking down content. When you are finished just uninstall the program.
Once you are back home, you could move those to the Download folder on your hard drive, then start the DIM in offline mode and the files would show up under your "Ready to Install" Tab.
The best idea would be to find a cheap or older Windows XP laptop (with a Wireless Network Adapter) and install the DIM on that. Then you could run into a McDonald's or Starbucks which have Free internet connections and suck down the content, for the cost of coffee.
The best idea would be if the DIM would do an Auto Reconnect attempt if the connection to the server dropped, (like when call waiting beeping in) and then would resume the download from where it left off once the connection was reestablished.
BTW if your dropping issue is do have call waiting, there is a way to turn that off while you are on the internet. you would have to check with your phone company to get their *# sequence, then you could put that in your dial string for your dialup internet.
I hope that helps.
I edited this post myself to remove incorrect information.
No, I don't set it to "work offline". If I'm downloading, which is all I've been trying with it (I have my own runtime setups and don't want an unorganized mess with my folders), I generally have to keep the program online to work :P I have 1500+ files "ready to download" (most which I'll never be able to get anyway) and just slight over 100 "ready to install" that I did download so far. I have never downloaded the one saying it had an update.
Jaderail: Do you mean it was included in the same zip file as the S5 shape? I thought it was separate in it's on file, which I already would have listed from the V5 bundle anyway. Either way, like I said in my 1st post, I have NOT installed a single file using DIM so it should not see any product updates. I haven't downloaded any of the shape files for Genesis either yet and the genitalia file was not downloaded yet either, so it has me confused why it's showing as an update. It seems since it wasn't downloaded or installed it would have updated itself in the main list instead of saying it was a product update, or so the Help files and such would have you believe.....
Haslor, thanks for looking into it for me. Unfortunatly I won't be able to install to the computer I'd be using. They have somebody go in and disable a massive amount of features (including basics like the ability to copy or install files to the computer). I guess there goes that idea.... I have no income and can't afford a laptop, and no transportation to find somewhere with WiFi... I'm over 20 miles from town LoL I wish I could download to my Kindle Touch and transfer the files. I tried that on one of my trips to town once and the Touch doesn't let you :(
I guess my only option is to just give up on the DIM program all together unless they add in resume support someday. There's no point wasting my time downloading the smaller files if I'll never be able to get the larger ones :(
Thanks for the answers everybody. I'm still curious about the "updated" file, but I guess the other question is answered.
Hmm... if it was not installed then I have not a clue how the update showed up. Only thing I can even think of is DIM used your Ready to Download Files to check for updates. I'm not sure DIM even works that way but that is all that could explain the file.
Editing to say I missed the note about the next version allowing custom locations... That means I could run the program 100% off the usb drive then? Like I said before, the computers I would have access to cannot have anything installed to them. I'd have to run the program off the usb and hope it even lets me do that...
While I have you here, do you know (or can you find out) if resume support will be added in the next version or a future version? We were told it would have it originally and it doesn't :( Tech support had told me before the program's release that dialup users would be able to do the larger files because the program would have resume support. Then again they also said that for file updates, only the updated files in the product would download, not the full product, which I was told would not be setup after all. :( I can't hardly do the files 20mb+ anymore due to various issues, but even without problems my limit is about 60mb due to my ISP's session limits, and most files now days are 100mb (and even all the way up to 400mb+) :( I couldn't even download those from the library when they first put the computers in due to the 1hr time limit on them....
I know that was not pointed towards me, but that's where my question started in the first place. The file in question that says has an update was never downloaded (or installed). Since I had never downloaded that particular file, how could it show there was an update for it?
In my case personally, I don't care to install with the DIM program. I hate how the folders are setup with the different products... Some use their product name written correctly and some without spaces or abbreviated, and some use the creator's name and have 1 or more subfolders before you find the products. I have a specific setup for my runtimes where in the Libraries folder, depending on what runtime it is, (Generation 4, for example) I have a folder setup for 1 figure and within that I have a subfolder for files relating to the base (characters, textures, poses, etc) as well as the outfits for that figure. Same for other runtimes with non people figures. Props for example I have a few subfolders for different types of buildings/scenes (sci fi, fantasy, modern, goth, etc) as well as other similar setups for other items. I can't have my setup with DIM and I have no interest at all in the content manager.
Installing is simple enough... I really don't see the need to uninstall something unless you are asking for a refund, but if you need to uninstall it only takes a minute or two to manually delete the products files.
For beginners, the program would be easier, but if you know your way around the computer even the slightest bit, it's really very easy to do everything manually yourself with your own setup the way you want it and remove any files that need removed.
If you want to install to a dummy location and then rearrange folders, it seems to me that it doesn't matter whether you install with DIM or a Bitrock installer or unzip the DIM files manually. Once you've installed to a dummy location with DIM it has the manifest of what was installed, so you can then rearrange it and move it to your real content folder. That gives you the benefit of DIM checking for updates without changing your normal procedure.
When installing the actual DIM program the installer is hard coded, no user options. Once in the program you have complete control where things are downloaded to and installed to, just click the Cog Icon to open user preferences.