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HOW DO YOU BACKUP ALL YOUR DAZ-FILES WHEN REINSTALLING WINDOWS???

kim-fairy2_47513f7033kim-fairy2_47513f7033 Posts: 7
edited May 2013 in Daz Studio Discussion

Hello everybody,

My computer is getting slower and slower, so a friend of my sister is going to reinstall windows 7 for me. This means I have to backup every file on my computer.
I have made a lot of people-models myself, so I can't just download everything again. Plus, there's like 80 GB of stuff I'd have to redownload - and I don't even remember where I got half of it.

I have looked on the internet, but I'm one of those people that only knows what I need to know about computers, so I don't really get the computertalk. I'm kinda lost here.

So my question is: do I just copy every folder related to DAZstudio to an external Hard Drive and put them back where I found them once I have reinstalled windows 7? And which folders are those?
And which things do I really need to reinstall? (I assume I have to reinstall DazStudio, for sure)

For now, I only know I have to backup the content folder and the program files folder, but I'm afraid that's not enough and I REALLY can't lose my self-made models, because they are awesome..

So I really hope you can help me get a proper backup, in simple language ;)

Thank you in advance!

ps: I am using DazStudio 3. I don't know if that helps.

Post edited by kim-fairy2_47513f7033 on

Comments

  • Richard HaseltineRichard Haseltine Posts: 102,337
    edited December 1969

    DAZ Studio itself, plugins and actual shaders (not shader presets) will need reinstalling. You should back up all of your content directories, plus C:\Users\AppData\Roaming\DAZ 3D\Studio 3, plus (if you use the Install Manager) C:\Users\Public\Public Documents\DAZ 3D. AppData is a hidden folder - type folder options in the search box on the Start menu, click its shortcut, and in the View tab set Hidden Files and folders to Show.

  • jestmartjestmart Posts: 4,449
    edited December 1969

    Before you go to the extreme of re-installing Windows give this a try. Download CCleaner and Revo Uninstaller. Cleaner cleans up the registry and old temp files. Revo does a better job of uninstalling programs as it tracks down associated file and folders basic uninstall can leave behind, it also cleans up the registry and temps files. After you have ran these defrag the harddrive(s), the built in Windows defrager may be slower than some others available but it gets job done and done safely.

    http://www.piriform.com/ccleaner
    http://www.revouninstaller.com/

  • kim-fairy2_47513f7033kim-fairy2_47513f7033 Posts: 7
    edited December 1969

    Richard Haseltine said:
    DAZ Studio itself, plugins and actual shaders (not shader presets) will need reinstalling. You should back up all of your content directories, plus C:\Users\AppData\Roaming\DAZ 3D\Studio 3, plus (if you use the Install Manager) C:\Users\Public\Public Documents\DAZ 3D. AppData is a hidden folder - type folder options in the search box on the Start menu, click its shortcut, and in the View tab set Hidden Files and folders to Show.

    I veel very stupid for asking, but what are shaders again? ;)
    Thank you! I will backup every folder you mentioned. I suppose I will just have to put it back where I found it after the reinstall?
    What about the program itself (the exe file)? should I reinstall that?

    Thanks again!

    x

  • kim-fairy2_47513f7033kim-fairy2_47513f7033 Posts: 7
    edited December 1969

    jestmart said:
    Before you go to the extreme of re-installing Windows give this a try. Download CCleaner and Revo Uninstaller. Cleaner cleans up the registry and old temp files. Revo does a better job of uninstalling programs as it tracks down associated file and folders basic uninstall can leave behind, it also cleans up the registry and temps files. After you have ran these defrag the harddrive(s), the built in Windows defrager may be slower than some others available but it gets job done and done safely.

    http://www.piriform.com/ccleaner
    http://www.revouninstaller.com/

    Thank you, but I already tried that. I tried cleaning the computer with a vacuum cleaner (seeing as my computer itself actually sounds like a vacuum cleaner ;) ), Ccleaner, formating the disks, etc. Nothing works. And because I don't know anything about computers I don't want to try anything else, so I will just let that friend take care of it ;)

    But thanks for the tip, Ccleaner is a really great program!

  • Richard HaseltineRichard Haseltine Posts: 102,337
    edited December 1969

    kim-fairy2 said:
    Richard Haseltine said:
    DAZ Studio itself, plugins and actual shaders (not shader presets) will need reinstalling. You should back up all of your content directories, plus C:\Users\AppData\Roaming\DAZ 3D\Studio 3, plus (if you use the Install Manager) C:\Users\Public\Public Documents\DAZ 3D. AppData is a hidden folder - type folder options in the search box on the Start menu, click its shortcut, and in the View tab set Hidden Files and folders to Show.

    I veel very stupid for asking, but what are shaders again? ;)
    Thank you! I will backup every folder you mentioned. I suppose I will just have to put it back where I found it after the reinstall?
    What about the program itself (the exe file)? should I reinstall that?

    Thanks again!

    x

    Yes, reinstall the application - I'm not certain you can no longer simply copy the executable and its bits off and then back without having to run the installer (which would avoid the shader and plugin issue) but it's probably safest to reinstall. Shaders are things like the uberLights, the PoseWorks shaders - mostly they are by omniFreaker or PoseWorks.

  • kim-fairy2_47513f7033kim-fairy2_47513f7033 Posts: 7
    edited December 1969

    Richard Haseltine said:
    kim-fairy2 said:
    Richard Haseltine said:
    DAZ Studio itself, plugins and actual shaders (not shader presets) will need reinstalling. You should back up all of your content directories, plus C:\Users\AppData\Roaming\DAZ 3D\Studio 3, plus (if you use the Install Manager) C:\Users\Public\Public Documents\DAZ 3D. AppData is a hidden folder - type folder options in the search box on the Start menu, click its shortcut, and in the View tab set Hidden Files and folders to Show.

    I veel very stupid for asking, but what are shaders again? ;)
    Thank you! I will backup every folder you mentioned. I suppose I will just have to put it back where I found it after the reinstall?
    What about the program itself (the exe file)? should I reinstall that?

    Thanks again!

    x

    Yes, reinstall the application - I'm not certain you can no longer simply copy the executable and its bits off and then back without having to run the installer (which would avoid the shader and plugin issue) but it's probably safest to reinstall. Shaders are things like the uberLights, the PoseWorks shaders - mostly they are by omniFreaker or PoseWorks.

    Okay, but I only have to reinstall DazStudio itself, right? The models are saved automatically?
    Thank you so much for your helping me; I appreciate it a lot :D

    xx

  • Richard HaseltineRichard Haseltine Posts: 102,337
    edited December 1969

    Just DS and any extra plugins or shaders, yes - the content you should get from your back ups.

  • macleanmaclean Posts: 2,438
    edited December 1969

    Just a quick question. Is there a way to export all shortcuts from DS? I seem to remember doing this, but not how I did it. Is it Action Manager?

    mac

  • Richard HaseltineRichard Haseltine Posts: 102,337
    edited December 1969

    You can save them from the Customise dialogue, in DS4 you get a choice of what is saved. You can also back-up the current settings -they are in actions.dsx in the AppData folder for DS (C:\Users\You\AppData\Roaming\DAZ 3D\Studio # on Vista or later).

  • macleanmaclean Posts: 2,438
    edited December 1969

    Ah, of course! I forgot it was F3.

    Thanks

    mac

  • kim-fairy2_47513f7033kim-fairy2_47513f7033 Posts: 7
    edited December 1969

    Hi, it's me again!

    I need your help one more time..

    After two years of not using DazStudio at all, I finally decided to buy a decent computer and put all my old DAZ3d stuff on it.
    But seeing as DazStudio has changed about ten times since I last used it, I was wondering if it will still work...

    I want to keep all my old models (some I've made myself) so I have to copy the content folder and the appdata folder.

    All my old stuff worked in Daz Studio 3. But now I've installed version 4.7 on the new computer. And according to you guys, I have to copy the AppData file as well. Since the file is named "DazStudio3" and I have 4.7, I wonder if that will work.

    So, do I deinstall 4.7, instal 3, put all the old stuff on there, and after that upgrade to 4.7 again? Is that nessecary? Do I need to do something else?

    Thanks so much for your help!

    Kind regards,

    Kim

  • kim-fairy2_47513f7033kim-fairy2_47513f7033 Posts: 7
    edited April 2015

    .

    Post edited by kim-fairy2_47513f7033 on
  • fixmypcmikefixmypcmike Posts: 19,600
    edited December 1969

    Your old content will still work in DS4.7 -- appdata has your settings, which won't transfer, but make sure you go to Edit > Preferences > Content Library > Content Directory Manager in DS4.7 and add the DS3 content locations (both DS formats and Poser formats). If you used Categories in DS3, DS4.7 can import your Categories.

  • kim-fairy2_47513f7033kim-fairy2_47513f7033 Posts: 7
    edited December 1969

    Thank you so much!

    I actually figured it out yesterday, I wanted to post the answer here but accidentally deleted my whole message.
    But I did what you said and it worked, yay! :D
    So I have all my old models back.
    Thanks a lot for the help ;)

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