My categories disappeared, search doesn't work

Jaderail

fixmypcmike said:

davidridlen said:

Thanks for sharing your method. I dont quite understand. I am sorry to say, but the Daz/Poser content system remains a convoluted mess. I maintain terabytes of content for Lightwave and Maya that is nowhere near the same nightmare.

You don't have to use separate content folders for DS3 and DS4 the way Jaderail does if you prefer not to.Correct. I had my DAZ Studio 3 content folder before DAZ Studio 4 was released. I just started a new folder for all DS4 content. Both sets of content together in one folder would work fine I just never did it.

Mr Rid

1.  I dont know how to restore my Categories after having to reinstall Daz, after a drive failure.   Re-import Metadata does not help.  And I had never used 'Export User Data' before.  I posted this in another thread but no one was able to help there.    

But I believe I had all files related to my previous Daz install backed up, including in folders in "My DAZ 3D Library", and "ProgramData\DAZ 3D\CMS" and "Users\Public\Documents\My DAZ 3D Library."  I hoped it would simply be a matter of copying every file and folder from the previous install over to the new drive. Surely there is some kind of auto-generated index file that tells Daz where/how to see Categories each time Daz opens.  What might that file be labeled, and where would I find it in my backup, and can I just manually copy it over and have Daz start seeing my categories again?  

I am trying to use the latest version of DS 4.8 Pro.  My previous, backed up install was DS 4.6.3, but it appears to have been using Valentina CMS.  Although I dont understand what or where the database files are, or if they contain the data that would restore my categories and the Content Library to see all my content folders like before.

Also, I now recieve errors often when I try to load content:

 

2. On load, several content items get an error "Unable to read..." and Daz locks up, and I have to kill Daz process in Win Task Mgr, and reopen Daz.   

 

3.  When I load Genesis (and some other content), I get an error message "Duplicate formulas found in files.  Make sure content is properly installed.  See log..."  It seems to load anyway, but i dont know how to eliminate the error.  

 

4.  DS4.8 is suppose to install with G2 and G3 'starter essentials.'  I cant tell if that means the base models are included, or are they just morphs for G1, or what exactly?  If so, where would I find G2 or G3 in the content library?  All I find is "Genesis."  I see no clear explanation in the product pages.  When I search the Daz site for say 
"Genesis 2 Male" it only lists accessories.  If there are G2 or G3 base model pages, I cant find them anywhere.  Where are they?  I want to apply a morph character for G2 Male, but I cant find how to do it. 

 

 

 

 

JimmyC_2009

First of all, you need to go to Edit > Preferences > Content Library > Content Directory Manager and make sure that the path to your content is listed as BOTH DAZ Studio Formats AND Poser Formats

Duplcate Formulas sounds like you are using an older version of Genesis, you should really install using DIM (DAZ Install Manager) and that will keep everything up to date.

Genesis 2 Starter Essentials and Genesis 3 Female Starter Essentials are available in your Product Library, they do not appear in the store since they are free and are added to your Product Library when you first 'buy' DAZ Studio.   The original Genesis Starter Essentials should also be available in your Product Library.

Genesis, Genesis 2 and Genesis 3 Female are all seperate figures and not morphs of any other figure.

Mr Rid

JimmyC_2009 said:

 

Thanks.

My Content Directory filepaths are correct.  

I installed everything available in the Install Manager related to G1, G2.  Now, I do see G2 in Content Library, but when I load G1 or G2 I still get the 'Duplicate Formulas' error.  

 

I keep wanting to manually fix these problems, instead of using installers and proceses.  I would like to know which specific files to look for in folders on my drive that I could check, move, replace, etc, if anyone knows what to look for.  Like, where would I look for a duplicate file and and try moving/replacing one of them to see if it fixes.  Or like does anyone know what specific file contains the Content Manager info/index?  It seems like the simplest fix for my lost catagories is to just copy the file over from my backed up files.   

mjc1016

Duplicate formual errors are very difficult to track down, because the error is IN a file...specifically a morph file.  The log should help narrow it down, but doesn't always have enough information to fix it.

fixmypcmike

Since you have the Valentina CMS database (which are the files in ProgramData/DAZ 3D/CMS, a bunch with the filename ContentDB.xxx and one other, as I recall), if they aren't corrupt, you may be able to use the "PostgreSQL CMS from Valentina CMS Conversion" to import them.  I don't know if that requires Valentina CMS to be installed, and Valentina CMS is no longer packaged with DS4.8 or DIM.