Moving my content to a different drive
pratiktiki
Posts: 7
[How to move my content to a different drive?] I've been operating from my SSD, but I'd like to move it to my HDD.
Post edited by Richard Haseltine on
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How do you install your content? (to know which settings will need to be updated)
Congratulations. Was there meant to be a question?
I've installed my content primarily through DIM, but have been using DAZ Central for the last few.
Sorry, I read it as you had moved the content.
My bad yeah I'm trying to figure out how to make the transition
How did you install? It makes a difference at one point
I installed my content through DIM and Daz Central.
I have a similar question, but in a reverse direction... to move my inventory from my Mac harddrive to an external portal drive, would I simply move everything in MyDazLibrary to the external drive?
And perhaps change some options in Preferences in DS and DIM to point to the new drive. I assume that I will leave my DS application within the Mac harddrive.
Thank you so much for your thoughts... my harddisk is nearly full!
Hey guys, in the meantime while waiting for more informed responses that might pertain to your specific situations, take a look at this and it might get you through the process in one of the many ways it can be done...
https://www.daz3d.com/forums/discussion/407716/moving-daz-content-off-of-c-drive-in-2020
@DMax The first section is about a mass transfer options in Windows, but I'm pretty sure if you read the other couple sections regarding pointing DAZ and DIM to the location you copy your My DAZ 3D Library to, you'll be good to go. I've done the process 2 more times since posting that trying the performance of an external HDD, which was no good for me at least, @pratiktiki . I ended up replacing the few HDDs still attached to my system with internal SSDs which has made a huge difference after doing the process of copy and point DAZ and DIM again to one of those SSDs...
@phatmartino : what didn't you like about having your Library in the HDD? I am currently fully on my Mac SSD (500GB almost full) but am thinking of purchasing an external HDD (5TB) for my Library.
@DMax Ever since the last DAZ update I've experienced longer loading times for assets when bringing them into a scene, etc. which I'd been trying to figure out but was manageable... It seemed when I moved everything to an external USB HDD the problem was even worse... It could be that it's just the HDD going idle or something and having to spin back up, etc... and I admittedly didn't look into whether there are OS settings to stop that from happening... and/or maybe it's just entirely my particular system and setup but I've always noticed the same thing to a very minor extent when browsing to a USB external HDD in any fashion if it hadn't been accessed for a little while. I just personally decided to switch to all SSD drives installed internally and got rid of the couple HDDs I was using figuring the SSDs would perform faster, last forever, no fragmentation, and on a PC at least, I'm sure SATA internal performs better than a USB external.
You could absolutely try what you were planning and it may work perfectly fine for you! Other than the actual time to copy the files, the rest of the process is very quick and easy if you find you experience anything like what I did and want to try another drive, though that doesn't necessarily help the decision to make a purchase. The 5TB sounds niiiiiice....
@Phatmartino Thank you so much for the detailed response. I don't really have an alternative because my new Mac only has 500GB and it already has 200GB of Daz stuff which is very unhealthy. I am in the midst of transferring MyDazLibrary to an external 5TB HDD which I happen to have handy. Next, I will read and follow your entire other forum thread about transferring libraries and adjusting the preferences/point-to's, etc. Great info there but rather daunting stuff for a newbie! I am hoping the I will be satisfied with the HDD speed or else I am willing to purchase a 1TB portable SSD. As you can imagine, I am unable to upgrade the SSD within my existing Mac. Thanks so much kind sir!
@DMax Ah, good! That's awesome you already have a drive you can test with. Hopefully (for you) it's just the particulars of my already existing minor issues that made an SSD dedicated to Daz seem necessary for me... Also, trust me, the process for pointing DIM and DAZ to your new folder really is pretty simple. It only looks overwhelming because I made sure to describe every little detail of every step to make sure anyone could follow. Once you've done it once, you wouldn't need to look back at those instructions again.
Glad I could help, any problems or questions, absolutely feel free to ask on this or that thread and/or let us know how things work out in general!
Just did it! My Daz Library is now entirely on my portable HDD... and your guide from the other thread was a GODSEND!
I did notice that it's slower to load a scene, perhaps double the time but it's a reasonable compromise... I havent yet worked with the HDD enough to gauge the speed of pre-render, actual rendering etc... will report back! But for now, I am probably going to purchase something small from Daz to test the DIM then rename my old Daz Library drive (just to remove reliance on it, again as a backup test to make sure my migration was successful)! ps. thanks for giving me another little excuse to make a purchase hahahah
Move content? I have a hard enough time telling DIM I want to use something other than the default drive. I haven't tried to move content in years and never succeeded when I did. But if you're able to do it, you've leveled up. Congratulations!
phatmartino had written a super guide for content migration and it's available here!
https://www.daz3d.com/forums/discussion/407716/moving-daz-content-off-of-c-drive-in-2020
Thanks, I won't be moving content any time soon.
@phatmartino I just found out to my horror, that within the same directory in which sat my previous MyDazLibrary, there is another folder "Daz3D > InstallManager > Downloads" which has what appears like a duplicate of allllll the stuff in my MyDazLibrary folder... in .zip and .dsx format... worth over 100GB! What are these and can I delete them??? Sheer horror!
@DMax Oh, yes you can definitely delete those!
You can also open DIM, and on the Ready to Install Tab, at the bottom you can Check the Box next to "Delete Package Once Installed", and then you'd never have to manually delete future Installaion ZIPs, thankfully.
A lot of people (obviously with all the drive space in the world) like having the ZIPs in case they need to re-install without the internet, or if a product disappears from the universe, or having a migration like we've both just done, do-able by other means (choosing to "Re-Intall" via DIM, having already changed the pointer in DIM to the new desired Library location ahead of time)...
More space on both your drives, though. Awesome! Glad it's all worked out so far. Hope the extra leg room relieves a bit of stress and gets the creative juices flowin! :D
I guess I should also mention and maybe add to that other thread, that you can move your My Library folder (which holds all of your personally Saved Scenes, Subsets, Presets, Poses, etc...) exactly the same way you did the My DAZ 3D Library folder.
Just copy it to your HDD as well, then in Daz Studio's Content Library Tab, go through the exact same process, replacing the current > My Library (under both >DAZ Studio Formats and >Poser Formats) with your new copy on the HDD.
This folders' size should be nothing like the Content folders' as far as worrying about it eating an entire drive, but can get somewhat sizeable I'm sure...
If one were to want to move that folder, it's best (as far as I understand) to actually do this:
In the Content Library Tab, under >Daz Studio Formats, Right Click on, and choose Remove Base Directory for both:
>My Library
>My DAZ 3D Library
Then Right Click on the now empty >Daz Studio Formats, choose Add a Base Directory... and browse to your new HDD copy of My Library first, then do it again for your new HDD copy of My DAZ 3D Library
This is just to end up with your new versions in the right order under >Daz Studio Formats, because Daz Studio looks for the first folder in that hierarchy to find your personally Saved files, no matter what that first folder is called, apparently.
This process needs to be done under both >Daz Studio Formats and >Poser Formats, so that your new folders are migrated for both and in the right order so that it still looks like this:
>Daz Studio Formats
>My Library
>My DAZ 3D Library
>Poser Formats
>My Library
>My DAZ 3D Library
UNBELIEVABLE! My Mac SSD just got from 45GB to 398GB entirrreeeellyyy thanks to YOU kind sir!!!
And while I was cleaning up the SSD, I was rendering a new piece of art and I shall dedicate that to you!
I've noticed that DAZ gets really confused when I move my content libraries, I end up letting it redownload in DIM all over again. I'll read over that other thread and see if it has any pointers of what I might be missing.
As long as they were correctly set up (not one content directory inside another) and properly selected after the move then there certainly shouldn't be any issue - DS and the Content Managment System use relative paths (otherwise it wouldn't be possible to use all the store and free cotnent made on other machines), they don't care where the content directory is just that the files are in the correct place within it.
Hi, I'm also in the process of moving something to another hard drive because my HD is full. Regarding what you write in your linked instruction. I have not been using the "delete package once installed" option on Install Manager. Is that saving space on the hard drive? Is it something I can do with what is already installed? Or can I delete everything and re-install it with the "delete package once installed" option? What effect does it have?
Thanks.
When I bought my latest laptop (3 years old now), I installed my base 3D CG programs on the internal SSD drive (500 Gb) with support files (manifest files, etc.) going to my internal HDD (1 Tb) and all content (except that which installs with the base program) installation going to an external HDD (5 Tb). I have DIM set to delete packages once installed but I also manually download the same content from my Product Library to a different external HDD to keep as a backup. The package that DIM downloads is the same one that is in your Product Library. Since you have set DIM not to delete packages once installed, all of those files are taking up increasingly more space wherever they are being downloaded to. If you don't mind, OK. If you want to regain that storage space, you can either go to that download location and move the files to another storage location or you can manually delete the files.
Once DIM has installed a package but not deleted it, you don't have to reinstall the package if you move or delete the package files. You'd only need to reinstall a package if you delete the content (via DIM or manually). Content installed by DIM and then later deleted by DIM will again show up in DIM as content available for download and installation. That is not the case if you manually delete the content files.
I moved My DAZ 3d Library to an external drive on my laptop. All of my DAZ sourced content loads properly via DIM. The problem I'm having is that none of the content from other sites that I install manually in the folder system in file explorer is visible in DAZ, though I can see it in file explorer. What have I missed?
Where are you looking?
I'm looking at My DAZ 3D Library on my external drive, which is where I've been trying to install the non DAZ sourced assets.
@gfdamron1 A few things to check...
1. Is your new External drive properly mapped for both Daz Studio Formats and Poser Formats in the Content Directory Manager (CDM)?
2. Did you try and refresh the Library in Daz Studio? (Right-Click in Content Library pane/box and select Refresh)
3. In the Content Library pane, your maually installed 3rd-Party products will be under Daz Studio Formats -> My Library
If they are not showing you can go to the options menu (i.e. hamburger menu) and choose "Scan Known Directories For Files" and they will be put in Categories under Default -> Scan Results
NOTES:
Use the "My Library" folder under your username for anything you install manually.
"My Daz 3D Library" under Public is for things installed with DIM or DazCentral.
"My Daz Connect Library" is for things installed with Connect (from inside Daz Studio).
In "Smart" Content, or the Content Library?
The Products and Categories in Content Library are also database driven views, which rely on metadata like "Smart" Content does - Metadata for DAZ store bought products is made by DAZ (not by the PA's), products bought from other sources do not have that data.
If the product is correctly installed, it will be found in Content Library, under DAZ Studio Formats -> [Name of your Content Library]
Attached also instructions for manual installation