Rebuilding DIM Manifest from installation files possible?
beregar
Posts: 269
I've been slowly downloading and installing my content over a few years (about 4100 items) since I accidently ended up nuking my content manifests not only once but twice in the past. I had only a few hundred left when I ended up having to reinstall Win10 because of a small mishap involving sysprep and users folders which I always keep in a separate location from my actual OS installation. Long story short: I backed up the user folder naturally but ended up nuking it after thinking I had everything restored - except apparently I did not.
Now I'm stuck with DIM showing all 4100 products available again and no manifest files BUT I've a separate folder with all the install pack zips and dsx-files. Is there a way to rebuild the manifest using those or am I going to have to give up for good? Rebuilding the "#%¤#"& content almost twice was more than enough.
I can't possibly remember which products I have already installed and comparing the installation pack contents to actual products is going to take forever. I certainly do not want to have duplicates since I have pretty much all content in custom locations. Also don't want to do the whole reinstall hubbub with all the DSB files which I have already converted to DS-mats BUT I want them to show installed because I have borderline obsessive need to keep the install list (and folders) neat.
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Comments
Also obviously all the formerly installed files show up in DIM still. They just show up as "ready to install" as opposed to installed. Also I can try the dummy installation method - that is, create some random content folder, hit install, and then remove all the files. It's just pain in the ass to do and won't give accurate paths for removal then.
How do you keep losing the manifest files?
I believe I already explained it so do you actually have anything constructive to add or just snide comments?
DIM has some wit issues... mine has about 600 updates ready to download ... and they all have the same package date as the currently installed ones...
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if would be nice if DIM could just go through the data on what's installed but I think it creates info that it looks at...
my DIM says many of the files that reside on disk G (my current daz disk) in the tool tip that shows where items are installed it says they are on H an old drive.
they work fine because the content directories are on G and the content manager is there.
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obsessive? like having a 100 content folders on the base drive broken out in to categories so you just install items there?
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I just back the shit out of them...
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I've got 8000 installed and can't imagine having to reinstall them and yet I have so much invested I can't walk a way....
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it seems there should be some way to create a script that would read all the products in the content library and then create a list like DIM uses...
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as for my 600 products... one night DIM decided to download them... but then a week later it decided they all needed to be updated again.
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have you put in a request with Daz for something to do it?
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good luck
Luckily I've all content locations backed up so nothing is lost if the HDD decides to crap out but because the manifests are apparently under user data AND not where the program (DIM or DS), content or anything else DS related is I have trouble with them. It would be much better if the manifests were actually where everything else is instead of a different drive entirely. I guess I have to do the dummy installation method. Not the first time I've done it but never with so many products.
I think the installer will still uninstall everything it's supposed to as long as I've the correct folder selected even if it was originally installed into different folder - that is if I have need to uninstall anything.
it seems about half the time if the uninstall location doesn't match where the item really is.
it uninstalls by changing the manifest to uninstalled status or such
because I've had it remove items from the phantom drive ..
and while there's logic that the uninstalled zip should end up in the folder you download into (on another drive because of size)
it will want to download the stuff again because it lost the uninstalled stuff
The manifest files stoer absolute locations, so if you move the content it won't be uninstalled.
Edit to add: This comment addresses the issue of not being able to uninstall with DIM after moving content to a different drive letter.
It is easy to edit the manifest files all at once with a tool like Notepad++ and change the drive letter. I did that just recently, because I moved content to a different drive with a different Windows mapped letter. After editing the manifest files, I was able to uninstall content just fine with DIM. Only attempt this if you are comfortable with editing the files manually. You might want to keep a backup copy first, just in case.