Moving content to new computer
kenmo
Posts: 923
What are the steps involved in moving my DAZ content and any custom categories I've added.
In the past when I tried this, I lost all of my custom categories and had to spend the next two days re--categorizing. Which is something that should happen seemlessly...
I've already moved over my massive Lightroom collection of photos (close to 3TBs), Lightroom presets, Photoshop presets/brushes, etc and it was a very simple process. No need to re-enter any custom metadata in Lightroom.
I've moved my Vue assests to a new computer in the past, again, it's is very easy. And takes very little time.
Any steps, guides, how tos or FAQ would be greatly appreciated.
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Can anyone help or give me any tips? Surely someone here must have upgraded their computer and been faced with the task of moving over all their DAZ assets...
To preserve your custom categories, use "Content DB Maintenance" > "Export User Data". This will create file(s) in the Runtime:Support folder of your first DS-format content folder named UserData_1.dsx (and _2, etc., if necessary) with all your custom data. When you Re-Import Metadata on the new computer that will bring in your customizations.
Thanks for the reply. Will I have to re-install all my DAZ content? Or can I simply copy them over from the old computer to the new computer? I anticitipate I would have to mimic the exact same drive and directory path structure on the new computer from the old computer.
You can copy over the content (but re-install software and plugins). You don't have to have the same drive and directory path, just make sure you set the new content locations in Content Directory Manager before you Re-Import Metadata.
If you use DIM to install content you'll want to copy over C:\Users\Public\Public Documents\DAZ 3D\InstallManager to keep your list of installed products and the thumbnails, if you've downloaded them.
Exporting and Re-importing metadata can take up to several hours. Just copy the whole database that is normally on the "C:\Users\%username%\AppData\Roaming\DAZ 3D\cms" folder and it will take only less than 1/2 minutes.
On my old computer when I go to Services in Control Panel I see a service named "DAZ Content Managemnt Service" running. I know in the past I've had to stopped the service to backup my content database, And of course restart the service.
On my new computer I do not see a service with this name running or even remotely close.
Both computers are running Windows 10 Home 64 bit and DAZ 4.9 64 bit. On the new computer I've tried the option in DAZ Studio--?Content Library-->Start CMS but I do not see any service running in Control Panel.
I've also copied the database files from the old to the new computer.
Any help would be much appreciated...
"DAZ Content Management Service" is the older Valentina CMS; when PostgreSQL CMS is running you'll see about half a dozen processes named postgres.exe running.
Thanks kindly for the reply...
On my old computer the database is located in this path
C:\ProgramData\DAZ 3D\Content Management Service\databases
And consists of the following files
ContentDB.blb
ContentDB.dat
ContentDB.ind
ContentDB.vdb
master.vdb
Does the new PostgreSQL CMS use the same data oath and database files?
Again many thanks
No, but there is a Valentina to PostgreSQL conversio utility - "installing" it will run it and attempt to covnert your old valentina database to PostgreSQL. If you have been using DS with PostgreSQL you may want to export the user data (Content Library option menu, the lined button in the top corner, Content DB Maintenance, check Export User data and click Accept) to ensure it isn't overwritten.
A little more on this topic, does Daz Studio, or any of the Plug-Ins you have installed, need to be deactivated on the old computer before they can be installed and or activated on the new system?
Not for the most part - Garibaldi Express, Look at My hair, and Infinito use a different rgistration system but even they seemed to reinstall without issue when I reinstalled Windows a couple of months ago.
I posted this a while back. I run 2 identical copies on 2 computers, and have used this method a few times. No content lost.
Daz default installs into /users/yourname/documents. So do a clean install of Daz onto the new drive, and copy all of the daz libraries to the new one (users/yourname/documents/daz 3d.
If you have a runtime directory, copy it to the same place it was. For example, i have c:\programs 86\curious labs\poser\runtime. So, create a directoy in the exact place it was on your old disk onto the new disk.
If you use install manager, that defaults to users\public\public documents\daz 3d. This was one of the most helpful things for me, as I have like 1500 files in that. So, install download manager, the copy your download folder to it. Then you open installation manager, uninstall everything except daz3d and genesis, and reinstall it.
Now, despite the fact that the directories have copied exactly, you may on occasion have to reinstall certain files if you can for example see them in your content but they don't work, so I hope you saved all of your installers.
As an aside, my new computer has a 980 gig ssd (225 at Bestbuy), at it makes a huge difference in loading files and running the program. It's like night and day.
Good luck!
Does DAZ Central use the same or a different directory then Install mager - "users\public\public documents\daz 3d. "
I as ask as I am once agaon going through my3 to 4 year computer upgrade process....
Cheers & many thanks.
Ken
Not on a clean install, it uses a single maste Daz 3d folder with sub-folders on the drive you specify. Why not use Install manager if it is what you are used to/has featrues you need?
Since I orignally posted this article in 2016, I started using DAZ Central in summer 2020.
I noticed on my old I7-4770 computer with GTX 1060 card I have two InstallManager folders
C:\Users\kenmo\AppData\Roaming\DAZ 3D\InstallManager
C:\Users\Public\Documents\DAZ 3D\InstallManager
Do I copy over both to my Ryzen 7 3700 computer with RTX 2060 video card?
The AppData path is where DIM settings are stored. The Public Documents path is probably where the downloads, thumbnails, and manifests are stored. I assume you haven't yet installed Daz Central on the new computer? In that case, yes, copy both to the corresponding locations on the new computer. If you've already installed Daz Central on the new computer (before DIM) it will have created its own settings.
Too bad DAZ did not have a migration utility for those who frequently upgrade their computers.
Prior to retirement I worked as a network systems analyst. One of the tasks I was responsible for was upgrading our Novell Netware file/print servers.
We would install a basic Netware OS onto the new server - assigning it a temp hostname & ip number. We would then run the Novell migration utility selecting the old server and the new server replacing it.
The migration utility would then put on the new server all of the old servers attributes NDS (network directory services), hostname, file server name, ip add and migrate over the file shares with it's file structure maintaining who had access to the shares by groups & usernames. It would then power off the old, and reboot the new. It would happen overnight and next morning clients logging into the new server would not notice a thing.
It would be nice if DAZ had such an utility.
Moving over Vue & content is painless task. Lightroom Catalog and photos is alightly more difficult but a walk in the park compared to DAZ.
I love DAZ software, the DAZ community, forum, members and staff. But management of it's content with it's weird driectory structure for Poser runtimes and Daz content is horrible and needs to be streamlined and let go of the old legacy format. Doing so should make it easier for those who frquently upgrade their computers.
On my old computer DAZ Studio was installed in
"C:\Program Files\DAZ 3D\DAZStudio4"
New computer :
"C:\Daz 3D\Applications\64-bit\DAZ 3D\DAZStudio4"
On new computer there is also folders
"C:\Daz 3D\Applications\InstallManger\Downloads"
"C:\Daz 3D\Applications\InstallManger\ManifestFiles"
It also appears unlike past version of DAZ Studio it must be downloaded via DAZCentral as I can not find a DAZStudio download on this webesite like I could in the past.
Can DAZ Studio be dowloaded separately and installed without DAZ Central or Install Manager.
I wish to install it in the C:\Program Files\ directory.
No, you don't need to use Daz Central, you can use DIM or download the stand-alone installer here: https://www.daz3d.com/downloader/customer/files#prod_13176
Since you installed Daz Central first, it installs everything in one place, C:\Daz 3D\
On the new computer I've uninstalled DAZ Studi via DAZ Central and then uninstalled Install Manager & DAZ Central.
However DAZ Studio remains installed at "C:\Daz 3D\Applications\64-bit\DAZ 3D\DAZStudio4" and still launches via the DAZ desktop icon.
DAZ does not appear in my Windows 10 Add Remove Progams. And I do not see an unistaller in folder "C:\Daz 3D\Applications\64-bit\DAZ 3D\DAZStudio4"
How do I unistall it? Deleting the folders would still leave entries in the Windows registry.
Reinstall DIM to uninstall it.
Hello everyone :- )
I am wondering how I can move my scenes, poses and render library to a new computer. My old computer only had a C drive and my new computer has a small C drive and a 2T D drive. I seem to be having success with having changed the paths to install content from my Daz account but I am unsure on the process to move these other files. If there is a current article/tutorial you can point me to, that would be great.
I put in a feature request ticket asking for just such a migration tool to be added to the install manager.
It was suggested I ask in the Product Suggestions forum instead in the event that one of the PAs wanted to address such a product.
Not sure if it would help, but posting support for something like this in the thread I started on the Product Suggestion page may help get us one.
www.daz3d.com/forums/discussion/480121/move-content-library-to-new-drive
Experienced users may not see the need for it.But the new users (and lazy users like me) that can't or don't want to have to deal with it would sure appreciate it.