Help with DIM
Fae3D
Posts: 2,874
I've had to work on my computer, and now I'm having to tell DIM where to find things again. The problem is, it's changed since I last did it (must have been an update).
I want to tell it to find all of my stuff on another drive. I went to Settings>Basic Settings, and changed the Base Directory to the new drive. But then it wanted to install everything again! It's already moved to that drive!
Then, when I closed out of DIM, and reopened it, it showed the directory back as my old one, but it still shows all of my stuff needing to be reinstalled.
I'm so lost. Any help would be SO appreciated!
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Yes, there was an update to DIM a few weeks ago. The settings dialog you are used to is under Advanced Settings. I don't know if Basic Settings can change those folders other than the Base Path (your installation folder), or just show them to you. Even so, it is apparently only for the session, so Advanced Settings should save it permanently.
For DIM to find your installed content, you need to set the Manifest Archive to point to the proper folder. If you never changed it from the default, it will be in (if I remember) "C:\Users\Public\Documents\DAZ 3D\InstallManager\ManifestFiles", or wherever you had it before.
Thank you, NorthOf45, that explains why my old method no longer works.
But now I'm really confused. I want it to find the Daz Studio Application on my C drive, but my Content library on my new drive. But everything looks so complicated now!
No matter how I seem to enter the info, it still thinks I need to reinstall everything.
Aaaaaannnd now my password doesn't work anymore in DIM. It won't even let me in.
That shouldn't have affected your account. There have been some slowdowns and failure to connect in DIM, but that was a while ago. That aside for now, you can configure the rest in Offline mode.
Since it worked before, I'll assume the account setup is okay (current problem notwithstanding).
On the Downloads tab, you can set the Package Archive where you want the downloads to go, if you keep them, like a folder on an external drive. The Thumbnail Archive can go anywhere; I find it convenient to be next to the Package Archive folder.
For the Installation tab, you can configure one or more Content Path Shortcuts (where DIM installs your content). This is where you make sure you define the path to "your stuff on another drive" with the "+" sign at the bottom left (if it is not already there). Make sure you select that Content Path Shortcut from the drop-down list after. The Manifest Archive should be the path as described earlier. If you can't find it, search for a folder called ManifestFiles. This is important as it contains the records of all installed products. The default location of 64- and 32-bit software is standard, unless you have installed Studio itself somewhere else. The Content database shouldn't need changing.
For Applications, if Studio is in its default location, it should show up here. (Something like: Name: DAZ Studio 4.5+ (64-bit) Path: C:/Program Files/DAZ 3D/DAZStudio4)
Restart DIM to make sure the changes are saved. If your password still does not work, you can still see if the setup is correct in Offline mode.
Thanks again. I can't really figure out if I've got anything right, since now I can't log in. I've put in a ticket to fix my login. I appreciate your help, and will try what you said when I can get back in!
They might have some safeguard in place that locks your account after what it registers as failed attempts.
Or maybe they saw me messing with settings I have no idea about, and locked me out so I didn't blow anything up lol! But seriously, I guess that's possible. I put in a ticket, so I guess I'm locked out for the weekend :(
...I get logon failures after every time there is a new DIM update. What happens it for some reason the ..ini file isn't going in the right folder. Check your desktop to see if it shows up there. If it does move it to: .
C:/Users/<username>/App Data/ Roaming/DAZ3D/Install Mnager/User Accounts/<firstname>%20<lastname> folder.
If that doesn't work, what I usually do is untick the "remember me" box manually key in my email and password and that usually fixes it.
You can find the DIM config files here: C:\Users\[user]\AppData\Roaming\DAZ 3D\InstallManager
You could try to post the content of the AppSettings.ini and the .ini file in the UserAccounts folder (default name is Account.ini) here, that might give a clue of what's going on. Just be sure not to post the long line of gibberish on top that looks like this:
Account=sewws2322lske343sllslladehskle23slkj34lijd09uslij.....
as it may contain sensitive information. You can also skip the data in the [Tags] and [ApplicationPaths] sections.
Thank you, everyone, for your help!
Ok, so we figured out the login issue - somehow the DIM had forgotten my first and last name and put something else there! Once that was sorted, I can log in again.
I'm still confused as to how to get my purchases there, though. They were in the default location (C drive), now I've put them on another (we'll call it D). BUT I left the program itself on C drive so that all my favorites and temp files and stuff would be the same.
Does anyone know how to make it see my purchases in D drive? And then I need Daz Studio to find them there, too.
Please assume I am very stupid (I am with technology) when explaining, I promise I won't be offended lol!
Okay, from the top. Exactly what have you moved to the new disk? The library (where everything is installed) or the downloads themselves (the .zip files), or both? "Your purchases" could refer to either one, depending on your point of view.
Do you keep the .zip files after installing? Doesn't really matter, but there is a file that is downloaded (or maybe created by DIM) for each file you retrieve with DIM. Those files (the same name as the download, i.e., IM000xxxxx-01_ProductName) with a .dsx extension shows DIM that it had been downloaded at some point. You need to tell DIM where that folder is now for it to know what you have downloaded. (see Attachment) (Note: Using Advanced Settings)
Once you have DIM looking in the right place, it will find your previous downloads and they should change to Ready to Install after a refresh. (It shouldn't change to Installed because this step does not affect the installation status, and if it didn't say Installed before, this alone won't make it so). The next step will be to tell DIM where this stuff was installed to, but one step at a time. Reply when you have completed this step, or if you have any questions.
I have moved the folder "My Daz 3D Library", with all it's contents. I don't think I keep the zips, I have it checked in DIM to "delete package once installed". If I do have zips, I don't know where.
I don't see an attachment? So I'm not sure what in Advanced Settings I'm supposed to change.
Thank you SO MUCH for helping me, NorthOf45!
Try again, the attachment didn't stick the first time...
Ok, I changed that line to go to my D drive where I have the My Daz 3D Library. It then shows under "Ready to Download" stuff that would make since as not being there yet, NOT my entire library as before! So that's a great start!
That shouldn't be the Library, that goes somewhere else. Let's go look at the original default locations for a few things. That should be "Public Documents". Is that where you moved your "My DAZ 3D Library" from? There should be a "DAZ 3D" folder with more subfolders under it. What do you see under "Public Documents/DAZ 3D"?
Oh crud. Sorry.
I just did a search in finder (I use a Mac), and I don't see a folder called "Public Documents". I have a "Daz 3D" folder, but it just has an "Install Manager" folder inside.
I think I remember what was there, though. I think it was Users/Shared/Daz 3D/InstallManager/Downloads. I hope, anyway.
Actually, that's good. Sorry didn't know it was a MAC and that they have a different folder structure. Anyway, what's under Install Manager? That should have the info we're looking for. There should be several folders of interest, including ManifestFiles and Downloads, possibly Thumbnails (big maybe). Please list those folders, and what kind of files are in them.
I should have started out saying it was a Mac, so sorry!
Inside "InstallManager" are 3 folder: "Downloads", "Filters", and "ManifestFiles".
"Downloads" has .dsx and .zip files with names that start with IM0000...and then product names. It looks like the Bryce and Carrara stuff that doesn't ever install and just sits in DIM.
"Filters" has 8 folders, "Filter by Check", "Filter by Date", etc. These have .txt files in them.
"ManifestFiles" has a whole bunch of .dsx files in it, they look the same as the ones in "Downloads", except these have been installed, there like 4,000 of them. I guess these are all my purchased files?
No worries.
Great, I think we have what we need. So, for that previous section, with the attachment, go back to DIM settings, Downloads, and change the Package Archive to "DAZ3D/Install Manager/Downloads" as highlighted by the red box. Refresh DIM and you should see the ones with a zip file (those Bryce and Carrara files that are never installed) should show up in the Ready To Install tab. The rest might still be Ready to Download. If nothing changes, try restarting DIM. I'll get a screenshot or two ready for the next step.
Ok, I did it, and it worked as you said. Ready to Install and Ready to download are where they belong.
Great. Now go to the Installation tab and change Manifest Archive to "DAZ 3D/Install Manager/ManifestFiles"
Next, make sure your new library path is defined and set as the "Content Path". You can change the old one, since you will no longer use it, or add a new path.
The other settings you shouldn't have to worry about.
Accept and refresh and everything should fall into place in the Installed tab.
Ok, done! And the "Install" and "Ready to Download" are still in their proper places. You are an amazing teacher! ^_^
Will it download to the new D: drive now, or are there more steps in DIM?
Don't confuse Download with Install. As it is now, new products will install to the D: drive, as you want. You have to download the files before you can install, and as it is now, the zips will download to the main drive (C: I assume?) but seeing as you do not keep the zips, all that will remain is the .dsx file. Here, you have to decide if you want to move the download folder to the D: drive, or leave it where it is. Installation might actually be faster if you do it from the main disk. You can do that at any time, just remember to change the path in DIM when you do.
You can also move the ManifestFiles folder to the D: drive, again optionally, to save space on the main disk, and keep it with the installed content. Like the ManifestFiles folder, be sure to change the path in the DIM settings if you do.
DIM should be done, but does nothing show in the Installed tab? It should be filled with all those you had previously installed.
The next step is to get Studio to see the new Library, unless that already works.
Ah, ok. Now I see what you mean. Yes, I'll leave stuff to DOWNLOAD in C:, but INSTALL in D:. I don't think the downloads take up much room, so it should be fine.
And yup, everything looks installed in the Installed tab! Perfect.
If you wouldn't mind, could you walk me through the Studio part as well? I thought I knew how to do it, but it didn't work, so I guess not.
No problem, that's a single step. In Studio, open the Content Directory Manager. You can get there from Preferences -> Content -> Content Directory Manager (button at the bottom), or cmd-click on the Content Library tab and select Content Directory Manager.
Expand the DAZ Studio Formats tree and the Poser Formats tree and change the path you used to use to the new path for each one (the same as the Content Path that you changed in DIM).
Your content library should now be fully populated, and whatever smart content was there before should be intact.
Ok, I did that, but it's only showing the product I just intalled and something that says Local User. It still sees my freebie folders (I had done this step once before a long time ago to make it see a freebie folder), but even when I refresh it it doesn't show anything else under Products or Catagories.
I'm afraid to ask how many files in LOCAL USER. If there are 10's of thousands, then the CMS Database is empty. Check the Products view if there is anything showing other than the one you just installed and LOCAL USER. To re-fill the database, you need to re-import your metadata. Open the Content DB Maintenance panel and select Re-Import Metadata. That will read all the .dsx files in the Runtime/Support folder. If you had custom categories, I hope you had exported User Data at some point. There will eventually pop up a dialog box with all you products listed. Select all, including user data (if present) and take a break, it could take a while to process all that. That should take care of it...
Wait a sec. Are you looking in Content Library or Smart Content?
There are no files in the Local User folder, so I guess that's good? And I didn't have any kind of custom categories, so no worries there.
Also, when I clicked Re-Import Metadata, it brought up a HUGE list. So I think that means it found everything! It's busy re-importing now, probably will be all night LOL!
Once again, thank you SO MUCH. You are so kind to have taken so much time out of your day to help me with this, with screenshots and everything! You are a wonderful person ^_^
Hopefully I'll be good after this, bless you for your kind help!