Backup of Product Library?

vonHobo

This is probably an odd question, but I've invested so much in my now very large collection of DAZ products that it occurred to me that I might want to have a backup for safe keeping.

I typically install products with Install Manager and it's very conventient. However, is it good practice to do a manual download off the Product Library so that I can back up these products on a thumb drive in case I need to restore them one day, for instance, if I get a new desktop computer?

It's always been a good practice for me to keep backups of all software I purchase, because you never know. As an example, with Microsoft Money no longer being supported, I can still install the old program on my PC because I did a backup of the install file before Microsoft discontinued the product. 

Any advice would be appreciated. Thanks.

 

 

 

namffuak

My main system is not on the internet. Here's what I do.

1) Use DIM to download to a directory on a 2 TB USB drive.

2) Move the USB drive to my main system and use DIM offline to install.

3) Run a backup copy of the download directory to an external 4 TB USB drive. (I have two of these and alternate between the two)

I use SyncBackPro from 2BrightSparks for step 3 - for reasons known only to the developers ALL the .dsx files get their udate date changed evry time DIM connects to the store and just copy new and changed files to my backup. I was trying to do it by hand, but it got to be too much, so I went looking for a smart copy utility and ended up with SBP. This effectively gives me 3 copies plus the installed files.

fastbike1

@von Hobo

You have to ask if backing up is a good idea?

MelanieL

You say you are using Install Manager - so do you have it set to delete the installer after it has been installed? How about switching that off, so you still have a copy (no need to re-download from Product Library) which you can move it off to an external device if you don't want it on your main HDD.

For myself, I actually keep three copies on various externals, but that's because I'm a pessimistic coward!

ETA: I also have a full set of installers for DAZ Studio and it's plugins (where they are version-dependent) going back to DS4.5 "just in case"!

JonnyRay

For what it's worth, I protect my files this way:

• Nothing goes on my C drive. It's an SSD that I reserve for Windows and my games where load times matter the most.
• Daz Applications - Installed on my D drive. Not protected / backed up. I don't customize my application settings enough to worry about it.
• Daz Content Library - Also on my D drive and not protected at all. I can re-download / re-install anything I need to later on. I'm cool with that.
• DIM downloads and Manifests - On my E drive so that a D drive failure doesn't also kill these. Saves me having to re-download in the case where the D drive fails.
• 3rd Party Products - Non-DIM installed stuff I keep a copy of the install files (zip, exe, etc.) on my E drive for the same reason as the DIM files
• CMS Database - It's in my OneDrive sync'd folder. I REALLY don't want to have to recategorize all my stuff again!
• Scene files, Hexagon Projects, and Render Library - Also sync'd to OneDrive to have an online backup.

I also have a second computer that I don't use for graphics, but is sync'd with OneDrive; so I have a second copy of my most critical files on another computer in the event my Internet were to go down. Every once in a while ( kind of when i feel like I've done "enough" downloading to warrant it), I will copy the DIM Downloads and 3rd Party setup files over to that other PC as well.

Without the 2nd PC option that I have, I would probably be backing up my DIM Downloads, CMS Database, and Scene Files and Render Library to an external hard drive.