Discontinued products
vonHobo
Posts: 1,700
I have several Marcius products which I noticed are no longer available at DAZ.
My question is: For these products, and any other discontinued products, do I need to make sure I have a backup of my own?
Would the products be able to be re-downloaded and installed from DAZ if I were to get a new PC?
I have the "Delete Package Once Installed" checked on Install Manager because it frees up a lot of disc space. So I have no idea what nightmares await me when I get a new PC as far as DAZ products are concerned.
I have well over 2,000 installed products and many of these are no longer available in the DAZ3D Shop for whatever reason.
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You have online access to the files for every product you have purchased in the store, no matter what happens to the product after the purchase (there may be rare exceptions for different reasons).
True, that. However, take note that you do not necessarily have to re-install everything. You can literally copy the entire library and supporting files (Package Archive, Thumbnail Archive, Manifest Archive) to the new machine. If you were happy with the setup, use the same settings in DIM and Studio. Reimport your metadata (including your user data), and you should be ready to go. (Personally, I keep a copy of the source files on an external drive, just in case...)
Thank you.
I know where the user data file is located and I back that up frequently.
But can you point me to the entire library location (Package, Thumbnail, and Manifest archives)?
There are some files for DAZ in my user directory, and some are on the Public directory. Unfortunately I don't know which is which.
I have always used the default directories that DAZ Studio uses and have never changed them. Just don't know what they are for.
Just look in your DIM Advanced settings. The various tabs have the locations that you are currently using for each of those, plus your Content Path Shortcuts (Library folders).
Great! Thank you so much!
These are the directories from my DIM:
C:\Users\Public\Documents\DAZ 3D\InstallManager\Downloads (empty because I had delete package after install checked in DIM)
C:\Users\Public\Documents\DAZ 3D\InstallManager\ManifestFiles (manifest files)
C:\Users\Mikey\AppData\Roaming\DAZ 3D\cms (content management system)
C:\Users\Public\Documents\DAZ 3D\InstallManager (thumbnails)
Is there anything else I will need to backup before installing a new PC?
The Downloads directory is empty since I have DIM checked to delete packages after installation to save space.
So with an empty Downloads folder, is there anything else I need to backup?
In addition, this is where my user data is stored, under My Library:
C:\Users\Mikey\Documents\DAZ 3D\Studio\My Library
The downloads folder shouldn't be completely empty, it does keep a manifest as a record of having downloaded the file, with order number, package date, order date, etc. It has the same name as the .zip file, with a .dsx extension. (Not to be confused with the .dsx files in the Manifest Archive that happen to have the same name). I am not sure if they get removed if you have "Delete Package Once Installed " checked.
That should be everything you need, unless someone else knows better...
Thanks! Good to know!
There is a folder with manifest files. And it is them DIM uses for reference. You can see the folder path in DIM advanced settings.
I'm not disagreeing with anyone, but it doesn't hurt to have downloaded backup copies of everything you've purchased... Well maybe if it's like 42,000 items and the only room in the house with good WiFi reception where you can download them from is filled with irate scorpions having a stinging contest... that'd be a little painful... But what if you are suddenly faced with a scenario in which the US decides to sell the state of Utah to Belgium, then Belgium is taken over by a race of hyper-intelligent ducks who then cut off all access to Utah because they felt diplomatic niceties were not extended quickly enough, so now nobody can access their content online... Well, except for hyper-intelligent Belgiumian...? Belgimese...? Belgiumonium...?... Big smart ducks from Belgium.
What then?
Sure, you are probably thinking "That's nuts, of course DAZ has a backup plan for that scenario..." which honestly, based on some of the stuff I've seen happen here, I wouldn't be surprised if they do... I mean I'd definitely believe they'd work out a plan for that first as opposed to working out how to have the little render completion percentage bar window remain open until you save the render with the time it took to complete the render available right to there to see and take note of with you little eyeballs, instead of you having to find hidden folders and search logs...
Hyper-intelligent evil duck contingency plan- Definitely...
Tiny little note on total time to complete a render easily visible- Never... but that's besides the point...
What if...?
You never know what's next...
Have not the events of the past few years shown us anything is possible as long as it's weird and thoroughly unpleasant?
Covid, monkey pox, murder hornets, death otters?...
Or are we all so completely distracted by cartoon frogs selling cereal and little smug lizards hawking car insurance that we have forgotten the immediate past immediately?
I'm just saying, I personally chose to back up all my content... if not for me, for the sentient cockroaches that will one day be digging through the rubble of this world trying to figure out what humans did in their free time before the Great Duck Wars.
Thats just my two cents... (or .000009632 BTC)
I was just trying to figure out what directory to backup that contains the installed content since I don't keep the packages in DIM.
That backup, along with the DIM manifest files and thumbnails, should put everything back on the new system?
I understand it's good to have backups of the products, but I only have a 1GB drive and so I had to check the box that says "delete packaged after installation" because what is the sense of keeping them on the hard drive. It's like using twice as much disk space than is necessary for every product installed.
So just like 3rd party content manually copied to the Library directory, I'm sure there is a directory structure somewhere that DIM installs this stuff to that can be backed up for safe keeping, and then restored to a new PC. I just have to figure out where that is located, so I can make sure it is backed up when I move to a new system.
That's a lot quicker than waiting for DIM to reinstall 2,000 + products.
You want to keep the content directory/ies you are isntalling to plus the Manifests folder (which tells Install maanger what it has installed and where - it does store the absolute path so if the new location is different from the old you will need to use a good text editor to batch update (copies of) the files on the new system. The Advanced Settings for Install Manager store these locations (gear icon at top-right)
Thanks for all the advice.
I have put together a short guide on migrating DAZ to a new PC but I have not tested these instructions yet as I have not purchased a new PC.
So I hope this works when it is needed...
Restoring DAZ Studio to a new PC
When you migrate to a new PC desktop, follow these instructions:
1. First be sure to export your user data (favorites) by right-clicking the Content Library pane and selecting 'Content DB Maintenance' from the context menu. Check the box for 'Export User Data' and press [Accept]. The information will be written here:
C:\Users\Username\Documents\DAZ 3D\Studio\My Library\Runtime\Support\UserData_1.dsx
2. The DAZ Studio installed content is in the My Daz Connect Library under your Username directory, and the DAZ Install Manager data is the Public Documents folder. So be sure to backup all of these folders, which will also backup the user data mentioned above:
C:\Users\Username\Documents\DAZ 3D
C:\Users\Public\Public Documents/DAZ 3D
C:\Users\Public\Public Documents/My DAZ 3D Library
C:\Users\Username\AppData\Roaming\DAZ 3D
3. After powering up your new desktop, install the DAZ Studio and DAZ Install Manager software programs.
4. Restore the backed up folders - from step 2 - to the new desktop.
5. Run DAZ Studio and ensure that it is recognizing all products and user data (such as your custom Favorites categories). If so, then you are done; otherwise, proceed to the next step.
6. Restore the custom Favorite categories by right-clicking the Content Library pane and selecting 'Content DB Maintenance' from the context menu. Check the box for 'Re-Import Metadata...' and press [Accept]. You will see a new window that shows all the content with metadata that DAZ Studio detects. Make sure that UserData / UserData 1 are the only boxes checked and press [Accept]. You will now see a progress bar move as DAZ Studio re-imports your user data.
7. If DAZ Studio is not recognizing the other products that belong in the Smart Content pane, then repeat step 6 and check all the metadata content boxes.
8. Note that anything that installs as a plug-in (actual plug-ins, plus some scripts and older shaders) will need to be reinstalled on the new system.
I was just saying that because I was bored and happened be doing a render before and I was reminded again of how that little window that tells you elapsed render time disappears as soon as the render is complete, and I took making a response post to your question as an opportunity to subtly complain about that...
I honestly don't think hyper intelligent ducks will take over Belgium... if anything it would be mutant pigeons from France...
But I'm not going to get into why I have it on good authority that there is a good chance of this other than to say, if the damn window is already displaying the elapsed render time, why not just leave that information there and have it say "Elapsed Time: 2hrs 14 min 6 sec", is that so hard to do?... it was literally a thing a second before and "poof" it disappears... it's like it's mocking you... it would hardly be more annoying if it actually made a "poof" sound as it disappeared... but that's neither here nor there...
I do download all my content and store it, only because I'm paranoid and tend to hoard stuff like that... that and toilet paper, paper towels and tiny period costumes for parakeets... mainly because of the pandemic... I'm concerned the next pandemic which appears to be the Monkee Pox, which scientists are now saying saying can be spread by casual contact, will change everyone in aging 60s actor/musicians who won't know how to operate a server and quickly we won't be able to access our content... but that just me... but trust me, you'll feel differently about this in a few months if you can't buy a decent Victorian formal gown for your parakeet.
I don't actually store my hoarded content on my computer, I buy external hard drives when I find them on sale at BestBuy... I usually spend about $50 for a 2TB drive... I store lots of stuff on these various drives, mostly pictures and backup copies of crap I've made.
I don't expect other people to do this though, in fact I'm just wasting time as a really complicated Filter Forge filter I made very slowly renders out a seamless texture I'm sure will look nothing like what I'm hoping it will.
Not that communicating with other forumites is a waste of time for me... quite the opposite... it is the poor bastard who took the time to read this who's time was wasted...
Sorry.
But yeah, I wasn't making any suggestions I thought anyone should follow... other than the parakeet costume stuff.
Cheers.
I can see how having an external drive for all your DAZ content and products would really help when it comes time to get a new PC. Just reinstall the DAZ software on the new PC and plug in the drive :-) after telling DAZ Studio where to look for the content?
This might be a better solution for me.