Do I Need to Reinstall ALL This?
draine761_c7a1098aa1
Posts: 111
I finally switched over to Windows 10 from Windows 7. I did a clean install, because the upgrade kept hanging. I have reinstalled Daz Studio, but all my content shows it has yet to be installed. It's there, but grayed out..
Because my C: drive got too crowded, I had been putting all of my content into an external drive file called F: My Daz 3D Library. It's all still there. What I'm asking, in my hopeless Luddite way, is there some way I can get Daz Studio to recognize all that content in that file in a way that I won't have to reinstall everything? I mean, it's thousands of items.
As always, thanks for whatever advice you can impart!
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Comments
You probably just need to remap content folders and runtimes in Daz Studio >Content Manager and what installer you use.
This is all you need to do. Point it towards your external drive.
I've added F:/My Daz 3D Library in the Content Directory Manager (to Daz Studio Formats), but the situation is the same. All the content icons are visible, but all are grayed out and waiting to be installed.
By the way, should I change the Base Path Location in Daz Central to F:/My Daz 3D Library, as well, if that's where I'd like new content to be sent?
I have a bad feeling about whether or not I'm going to spend a loooong time individually installing all this content. =(
Thanks again for any advice.
Nope, nope, nope. You have just started with the Content Manager. Connect all of the content folders that have a data folder and runtime to the Daz Studio format; you should have two at least (My 3D library for official Daz stuff and My library for third party stuff). You should have a place in the Content manager to designate where the 3D library data folder is; I will send an image as soon as my render is over. Finally, you must link all of the runtimes in the Poser format; each of the content folders has a runtime. Besides keeping some geometry for older products, most textures, the runtime is also home for the files and icon images that drive Smart Content and the library. Let's do the normal stuff before you try to redownload your stuff again.
Okay, you open Preference of Daz Studio and click on the Content tab. In the center is the Content Manager.
If like me you neither use CMS or so-called smart content the process is much simpler and you can just ignore steps 1 and 2. Forget smart content and just use the Content Library. The problem being is if you haven't manually installed content to where you can find it, you'll now never find it. All sorts of stuff will be nested within folders within more folders in the most illogical locations. So now you've got stuff you have no idea where it is. Auto-update for some product doesn't work, no real biggie. Auto installing content is like running an .exe on your PC and to hell with the consequences. Now you need a seperate app to find all your stuff because PAs have no consistancy with naming or locating their products. What a dog's breakfast.
Here's what my Content Manager currently looks like (before I try to implement above suggested changes). Is any of it set up as you suggest already?
I'm trying to not sink into a profound depression, but now I'm thinking about all the conversions of Gen 2 and 3 to Gen 8 that I did. Not to mention that all my Renderosity folders are gone, too. This move to Win 10 is feeling like a huge mistake. Still, I have electricity and water, so I'm doing a lot better than last week.
Central installs to the most idiotic place imaginable so don't use it, DIM is still available. You have nested libraries, F:/My DAZ 3D Library and F:/My DAZ 3D Library/Applications/Data/DAZ 3D/My DAZ 3D Library.
I'll be honest, I like DIM better, too. As to the nested libraries, since everything resides in F:/My Daz 3D Library, should I point everything (DIM included) to F:/My Daz 3D Library?
Thanks for the help, and I'm so wishing I had gone to a technical school.
A couple of questions:
Your screenshot shows your CMS database cluster on your F:\ drive. Was it always there, or did you move it from your C:\ drive?
And if so, did you actually copy the current database cluster files from your C:\ to your F:\ drive?
How did you originally install your content? (DIM, Central, Connect or manually?)
Do you still have some content installed on your C:\ drive, or did you move it all to F:\ ?
And as jestmart noted, you want to remove that nested library reference - probably the first one (F:/My DAZ 3D Library)
Ah, we cross-posted.
About the nested reference: the one you want is the one that has subfolders like "Data", "People", "Props", "Runtime" in it.
Thanks, MelanieL. Regarding the CMS database cluster,I don't believe I made changes or did anything to the C: drive. Truth be told, I'm not even sure what it is.
I have installed content with DIM and Central.
I moved everything from the C: drive to the F: drive (I was just flat outta space on C:)
Regarding the nested issue, F:\My DAZ 3D Library contains everything content-wise, including Runtime, Data, People, etc. It's all in there. So should I be removing all the listed directories in the Content Directory Manager except for F:\My DAZ 3D Library?
Thanks again, helpful citizens!
By the way, here's how my DIM is currently set up. Remembering that EVERYTHING is located in F:\My DAZ 3D Library, what should I change to be sure things I download and install from DIM will get to the right place? Thanks again!
Man, there's something about considering having to manually install over 6200 items that's making me feel pretty urpy.
No, don't keep that one, you should remove that and leave the one DIM is installing to. Unless you mean that Runtime, Data, People etc are literally right there directly inside F:\My DAZ3D Library (e.g. F:\My DAZ 3D Library\People - in which case I'd have to ask how did they get there?)
I'm tellin' you, *everything* is in F:\My DAZ 3D Library. Runtime, Data, People, Environments, Textures, Shaders, Hair, Lights.... Everything. As to how it got there, as near as I can remember, I just created the file and then moved everything over in one go. Until a couple of days ago, when I switched from Win 7 to Win 10, everything worked beautifully. Didn't matter if I installed from DIM or Central, it was just there and ready to use. For my Renderosity stuff, I just sent it to my Downloads on C:\, and then drag and dropped them into F:\My DAZ 3D Library as I unzipped and opened them.
I have a feeling I'm going to have to just tell my DIM to install all 6250 items, and leave it alone for...well, no telling how long. I don't think I'm going to suss out a way for content to simply be recognized as installed.
That's why I want to make SURE my DIM is set up to install to the right folder.
Whoa, hang on a moment. Something happened. I changed what was going on with the directories in the Content Directory Manager (please see attachment). I didn't do anything to the CMS Cluster Directory or the Daz Connect Data because, well, hang it, I still don't even know what those do. However, I pointed everything else only to F:\My DAZ 3D Library. Suddenly, everything showed up as installed in the Content Library under Daz Studio Format.
In the Programs drop-down, however, the only things that are showing as installed are items I installed from DIM today. Everything else is stilled grayed out.
Same for Smart Content. Whatever I installed with DIM today is showing as ready to go. Everything else is grayed out.
This is a very exciting development, as I see now that a solution is possible. I'd just really love to fix a few things. I want my content to show up as installed in the Smart Content, for one. I'd like to have the content in the Product drop-down show up as installed, too (without going back to individually install everything). Also, as you can see in the image, the icons in the Content Library are painfully tiny. I have to see if that can be remedied.
I feel like I'm close to having this work out. I'm just not doing something. Any further advice or wisdom would be greatly appreciated! Thanks.
I also moved my content recently. You should be able to get your smart content going again by doing the following steps:
1. Open Daz studio
2. Right-click on the Smart Content tab.
3. Click Content DB Maintenance.
4. Click Reimport Metadata
5. Leave everything checked.
6. Click Accept.
This will take a while, longer for a larger library. It will even say it's at 100% and continue to work for a long time. Don't worry. It's still doing its thing. Afterward, smart content should work. If not, come back and maybe someone will have another suggestion. I know there can be several things that hang up smart content.
Not sure what you mean by having content show up as installed. I never install directly from the software. If you mean show up installed in DIM, that's a matter of finding manifest files, I think.
Good luck!
If DIM says nothing is installed despite it is, the path to the ManifestFiles folder (which DIM uses to keep track of installed files) is wrong, or the folder is missing. If you had that folder on its default location on the C: drive and you don't have a backup of it, I don't think there's any way for DIM to see what's already installed. Here's my own setup, I've moved the ManifestFiles folder to F: so I don't lose it if I reinstall the system.
If they just moved everything over, then the manifest files should be there, somewhere. It's just a matter of finding where they were put.
Well, sounds like you got quite a lot working, but your DIM setup now won't match you DS library setup - you need to get DIM to install at F:\My DAZ 3D Library instead of where it is set to right now.
Taoz's post should help you get on top of your Manifests files. You may need to uninstall the things from that other (nested) library F:\My DAZ 3D Library\ Applications\Data\My.....(etc)... and reinstall them when you have the DIM install path set up correctly.
Looks like things are now fixed! Turns out it wasn't as complicated as I feared. It's just that my brain is not as complicated as I hoped. =)
I started fresh with DIM and Daz Studio (making sure to remove any residual files in AppData), then I just had to inform DIM of my existing copied folder in the external drive that held everything (F:\My DAZ 3D Library) in the Content Path Shortcuts area. I verified the additional directory in the Content Directory Manager in DS. I manually made the Content Library icons larger and much more visible (a real doofus moment of realization for me). And, finally, I reinstalled the metadata to get back my Smart Content functionality, as well as having items available in the Products drop-down in the Content Library. There is still plenty for me to re-do (G2 and 3 conversions to G8, for instance), but I can get back to rendering! I'm a happy artist. =)
Everyone who pitched in suggestions and pieces of the puzzle has my enormous gratitude. I've said this before, but it bears saying at every opportunity: the community on the Daz Forums is simply wonderful. No matter how thick-headed my inquiries (or anyone else's), so many of you come through with your experience, knowledge, and compassion. Thank you SO much.