Thank you everyone for the advice! Okay, I have read everything here and in any old help guides and other forum threads, tried to make sense of a procedure that should work. There are a few questions along the way, but in general have I got this set of instructions right? Any errors? Have I missed anything? I feel like this should be something Daz tells you, rather than having to piece it together from different web pages, forums, wikis and help guides!

The issue for me is that I don't just want to install assets on the D:; I want a fresh install of Daz Studio (e.g. if I reinstall Windows or get a new PC) to be able to find and use those installed assets exactly as before I reinstalled Windows, so I don't have to download and install the assets all over again.

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STEP 1: PREPARATION

Uninstall all my current stuff so I can start fresh.

Use Daz Central to uninstall Daz Studio and content, then uninstall Daz Central through Windows.

I may still have to do manual cleanup, since it's made overly complex by Daz Studio not having its own installer:
https://helpdaz.zendesk.com/hc/en-us/articles/360055963392-How-do-I-uninstall-delete-Daz-Studio-

STEP 2: INSTALL DIM

Download and install DIM from https://www.daz3d.com/install-manager-info/

Run it, login, but tick "Work Offline" (so I can set my preferences).

STEP 3: SET UP DIM

Then follow the instructions at http://docs.daz3d.com/doku.php/public/software/install_manager/userguide/configure_install_manager/tutorials/settings_for_install_manager/start

Downloads info:
"In the top right corner is a small Gear icon. This is where you access your settings."
"Downloads - Allows you to set the location to save your downloaded files"
"The Downloads and Installation pages are where most of your customization will take place. In Downloads, you tell the application where to save the files you download from your store account.
"Download To Where - Click the “ … ” browse button and choose the location you want the application to save any content installers it downloads from your account. This can be on your local drive, or an external location."

So I set this as a location on my D:, so it will survive Windows reinstalls etc. Maybe a folder called Daz Downloads.

Installation info:
"Installation - Allows you to set and add Content (Runtime)install paths"
"Once you have your location added, switch over to the Installation Page… "
"If you use one program and have a single location set for content installation, you will see “Recommended Folder”."
"To change the Recommended Folder location, click the “…” browse button next to the path in the list. Browse to the new location."
"Any added locations will now be available in the Install To: drop-down selection above."

Again, I set this as a location on my D:, so it will survive Windows reinstalls etc. Maybe a folder called Daz Content.

[Question 1: I will have pointed DIM at the content, do I then have to do something similar in Daz Studio? e.g. one comment said "If you go to the Content Library and right-click "DAZ Studio Formats", you can add a folder on your hard drive alongside your main content library. I presume you can also use this to switch your main content library, but I've never done it that way. I'm not sure if there's some special handling required for the default content folder."]

STEP 4: DOWNLOAD CONTENT

Make sure I am now “Working Online”. [Find some option to go back online now it is set up.]

The “Ready to Download” tab should be populated with everything I bought on the Daz Store, plus Daz Studio and some freebie starter content.

Daz Central had only let me download items one at a time (if I tried to download multiple items it cancelled previous ones and only downloaded the last one I ckicked on) but DIM should let me select and download multiple items, or even just set everything off at once.

I should untick "Install after Download" (or it will bog my PC down doing too much at once, better to break the task up.)

DIM should then download and keep everything in the D: location I set above, Daz Downloads.

STEP 5: INSTALL DAZ STUDIO AND BASICS

Open the “Ready to Install” tab once I have downloaded everything (or a batch I then want to install, with the rest to be downloaded and installed later).

There will be a list of downloaded but not installed items.

In the drop-down at the bottom of the window choose the D: location I set up earlier for installs, Daz Content.

[Question 2: "Install Product Updates to their respective “Installed To” path(s) - When checked, will install updates to their currently installed location." Do I tick this, or not?]

"Checking the “Delete Installer Once Installed” will do exactly that. When you install a file, its Zip file will immediately be deleted from your computer. Be sure to Uncheck this box if you want to keep a copy of your Zips! "
Since I'm not 100% sure yet (having not tested it) that the installed content will carry over if I reinstall Windows or get a new PC, for now leave this unticked. The downside is that all content takes up twice the HDD space - once for the downloaded zip, once for the installed version in a different folder. But, if I reinstall Windows and Daz can't find the installed content, I could hopefully get DIM to see the doanloaded zips and install them. It would take some time, but be quicker than also having to download them. And, if I later found that this process worked perfectly without ever needing to use the zips again, then from then on I could delete them after installing content.

Then install Daz Studio this way. (I wish DS just had its own installer; and all the DIM stuff was just built in to Daz Studio, so there was only one piece of software to deal with!)

STEP 6: INSTALL OTHER CONTENT - ASSETS

Then install any assets I want, possibly in batches, similar to the procedutre in STEP 5.

[Question 3: What does DIM do when it finds files that will over-write others on installation? Does it keep one (which? biggest, newest?), or both? If I install zips manually this issue seems to occur quite often, with files with the same name and path in different products.]

"Once you have installed your products you will see them in the “Installed” pane. You can also check this pane to see if the product installed Metadata. If so, there will be a checkmark underneath the “Smart” column, letting you know it will show under “Smart Content” in DAZ Studio 4 and higher."

[Question 4: So, presumably, some items but not all will appear in the Smart Content pane in Daz Studio; for others I'll need to look in some other area of Daz Studio to find the content?]

At the end I should have my assets installed on the D: (Daz Content), and a second path with the downloaded pre-install backup zips of the assets on the D: too (Daz Downloads).

STEP 7: TEST CONTENT IN DAZ STUDIO

Maybe do this after installing a few items at a time. Check I can find them in Daz Studio, that they show up as Smart Content if applicable, that they load and work okay, that there are no problems that might require a refund.

STEP 8: REGULAR BACKUPS

I do a full backup of my D: regularly. So this would mean I am also backing up the downloaded asset zip files in one folder (Daz Downloads), and the installed Daz assets in another (Daz Content) - doubling the storage requirements but meaning I am covered for a few potential scenarios.

[Question 5: since I want to be able to reinstall Windows/get a new PC, do fresh installs of DIM and Daz Studio, then point them at the already downloaded and installed content, is there anything else I need to back up? i.e. Do DIM and Daz Studio use some kind of metadata/profiles.ini/database/settings file(s) that need backing up too (to be restored on the fresh Windows)? I worry that I could point the fresh Daz Studio and DIM installs at the existing folders and it still not work, and the programs are unable to use the content because it turns out there was some other file that told it what was installed, and without that it can't "see" the installed content. That worry comes from DIM Wiki notes such as:
"Install Manager will not 'see' files saved in locations not mapped within the application, nor will it see files downloaded via other applications or manually."
"Since Install Manager can only track products it has managed (downloaded), you will not be able to see any files that may have been saved to the same location. For example, saving zip files from a store other than DAZ3D. "
So, is there anything else I need to back up if DIM and Daz Studio are installed on my C:?]

(In an ideal world any metadata/profiles.ini/database/settings file(s) required so the software can "see" content in subfolders, would be stored in the actual root folder of the content, so you could back them all up together, and pointing a fresh install at that folder would work perfectly.)

[Question 6: I am assuming this comment is related to Question 5 above, but I am not sure how to build it into which steps, where/what the Content Cluster is, and whether this is referring to DIM, Daz Studio, or Windows Explorer:
"If the content is not installed to the C: drive then it would survive a reinstall of Windows. If you move the ContentCluster folder out of the C: drive (Edit>Preferences>CMD Settings, makes sure Daz Studio, Install Manager, and any other applicatrions or tools that use the content management system are closed before copying/moving the folder itself) then even the database would survive, though you would have to reset its location in preferences."
So if that could be built into the appropriate place in my instructions I would appreciate it!]

[Question 7: the DIM Installation tab is apparently where "Applications - Lists the location (paths) of your supported applications" and
"The Applications tab simply shows a list of paths where recognized software is located". So I could set Daz Studio (like my content) to install itself on my D: rather than the C:. Would that be beneficial? I assume that would be slower (my D: is HDD and C: is SSD). But maybe all metadata would be there on the D: too, so if I reinstalled Windows (then DIM and DS on D: in the same place) there is more chance of DIM and DS seeing and using the content correctly? Or would it make no difference because if I reinstall Windows and then go through these steps again, Daz Studio would just get freshly installed on the D: and overwite any existing profiles/metadata, and lose that connection anyway? Or it may be irrelevant because DIM has some kind of settings that need backing up, and DIM itself can only be installed to C: anyway? If so, it might make more sense to just back up the relevant profiles/metadata from the C:. See Question 5, above.]

STEP 9: REINSTALLING WINDOWS / GETTING A NEW PC

Instructions for the situation where I reinstall Windows, or get a new computer (where I'd copy my D: backup contents to the new PC's D:).

I would perform steps 2-5 above, choosing the same paths (so they actually now point to installed content on the D:).
STEP 2: INSTALL DIM; STEP 3: SET UP DIM; STEP 4: DOWNLOAD CONTENT; STEP 5: INSTALL DAZ STUDIO AND BASICS

Hopefully DIM and Daz Studio then find all my existing installed D: assets, and use them as before, so Smart Content etc in Daz Studio works.

[Question 8: but how would STEP 4: DOWNLOAD CONTENT work? If things went to plan, wouldn't DIM see all the downloaded content on the D: without needing to download it again, making STEP 4 redundant? If DIM showed content waiting to be downloaded, that would mean something has gone wrong?]

[Question 9: related to Q8, shouldn't STEP 6: INSTALL OTHER CONTENT - ASSETS be redundant now, because DIM could see all the installed  content on the D: without needing to install it again? If DIM showed content waiting to be installed, that would mean something has gone wrong?]

[Question 10: were there any settings to change in DS? e.g. "If you go to the Content Library and right-click "DAZ Studio Formats", you can add a folder on your hard drive alongside your main content library. I presume you can also use this to switch your main content library, but I've never done it that way. I'm not sure if there's some special handling required for the default content folder."]

[Question 11: related to Question 5, would there be some metadata/profiles.ini/database/settings file(s) that I need to restore first (to DIM or Daz Central) so that it can "see" the installed content as before? Presumably after installing DIM and Daz Studio, but before installing any newly bought assets (so that the backed-up settings exactly match the paths and content of those on my D:).]

Worst case scenario is that I reinstall Windows then all the Daz software, as above, but DIM and Daz Studio don't "see" the previously-installed Daz assets; or DS sees them but treats them as manually installed content, so Smart Content doesn't work in Daz Studio. In that case, as long as DIM can see the downloaded zip files, I can manually delete the installed assets from my D: Daz Content, leaving that folder empty; then point DIM at Daz Downloads and reinstall everything from the downloaded zip files. (Which at least saves downloading everything again.)
Evidence:
"If you have the zips Install manager will use them, as long as they are in its downloads folder (the location of which you can set)."
"If you saved the zips that DIM installs from then no, you don't have to download again. All you have to do is put the zips in whatever location you set as your default download folder. Once the zips are in there then they will show in ready to install within DIM."

[Question 12: is this something I need to build in to my steps, or can I ignore it?
"My understanding is that scene files contain links to the files where the content actually lives - I really don't want to be bombarded with millions of "can't find this file" dialogs when I open an existing scene after I've moved the underlying content."
"If the content is in mapped content directories then DS (and the Content Management Service) keep only the relative path, the location within the content directory. Moving the files into a new content directory, which you have told DS to use, will not cause issues. Only Install Manager has to keep the absolute path, and you can reinstall everything from the Installed tab (as long as you kept the zip) by right-click menu or just tell DIM to use the new installation path for updates in itss ettings (the risk there is an old file being left over after an update when it should have been deleted)."]

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I do apologise for how complex this is and the time I am taking up. I have no problems backing up all my emails and Thunderbird profile and pointing a fresh install at all the content seamlessly, as with other programs I use a lot (browser, office suites, GIMP with plugins etc) but Daz seems to make it way more complex. I generally prefer to get hands on in backing up and restoring content and profiles,  trying out different OSs etc (I dual boot with Linux) so the fact that much of how Daz works seems to not be covered in help guides for situations like the one I list in my first post makes it a lot harder. And, because it isn't intuitive (the main program has no installer, and is installed by another program from a choice of two, without it being clear how it works in terms of profiles and DB settings) I feel like I'm on a steep learning curve! But I'd like to get a rock-solid procedure ready now so that I don't waste time in the long run. Cheers!

Make sure that not only are all products needed have been installed, but also that the installation method of all 3 (ie DIM, connect, central) is the same, and all were placed in the same runtime. 

I am not certain that US works at all if installed with Connect.

Thanks for the speedy reply, but they were all installed using DIM and all are in the same MyDAZ 3D Library that DIM extracts to.

Make sure that not only are all products needed have been installed, but also that the installation method of all 3 (ie DIM, connect, central) is the same, and all were placed in the same runtime. 

I am not certain that US works at all if installed with Connect.

No Central is not the best choice.  Stick with DIM, when you run it for the first time check the Work Off-line box and then set your preferences.

Thanks PerttiA, if Daz Central puts EVERYTHING in subfolders of a single location (includign Daz Studio, and presumably all its settings; also zip files of all content) maybe that means Daz Central is my best bet to save everything? So that would work even for reinstalling Windows/new PC, saving redownloading everything? (See my comment to Margrave, above). Though I guess since there are fewer options with daz Central, it downloads the zip file, installs it, and keeps BOTH? Cheers!

DAZ Central is not a replacement of DIM, it is something DAZ has created for new users to install DS and whatever assets the user has bought and when using DAZ Central, everything is installed into one base directory and it's sub-directories.

Manual download links for everything you have bought from DAZ store can be found in your "My Account -> Product Library", but the concensus is that DIM is the best way for installing DS and content.

Daz Install Manager and Daz Central are the same core with different interfaces - Central isd simplified for new users (the only choice is of the base location, from which everything else then branches). Install Manager continues to be developed, and is the tool to use if you want to do anything other than lump everything into sub-folders of a single location (if you install it it will pick up the Daz Central settings to start with).

Question about Permanent Installation of Assets. (I wasn't sure where to place this: Technical Help, New Users, or Daz Studio Discussion. It seems relevant to them all. I'll try here!)

BACKGROUND 1: I bought a load of Daz stuff. By default it was installing on my C: SSD. That was soon full, so I needed to take a step back and work out how to install and access assets from my D:. My main desire is permanent installation of assets. i.e. I want to install all assets on the D:. so they 1) get backed up as part of my regular D: backup, and 2) don't fill my C:.

BACKGROUND 2: The Daz site and install systems seem to be a bit confused. The main Daz site seems to recommend Daz Central as the way forward: it is what you get pushed towards when you go to download Daz Studio. https://www.daz3d.com/dazcentral However, the Help pages about software don't even mention Daz Central, and instead only refer to Daz Install Manager (DIM), which I get the impression is older software that Daz is moving away from: http://docs.daz3d.com/doku.php/public/software/start As such, it seems to make sense for me not to base my process on Daz Install Manager, since presumably that will disappear at some point, fully replaced by Daz Central. So this is a bit confusing. It also explains why the forum posts covering problems like mine have left me more confused than ever, since many of them are older and only refer to DIM, so don't necessarily apply. To add even more confusion: in Daz Central you can click on a gear icon and there is an option called "Base Path Location". But there is no explanation of what that is a base path for. Installed assets? Saved scenes? Daz Studio? Temporary files? As I say, the help Wiki doesn't even cover Daz Central, so it's hard to find out what anything really means. I changed the base path to my D:, installed an item, opened Daz Studio, the item showed in Smart Content, but when I tried to load it everything had an excalamation mark and failed, so I am not sure if that option is a red herring and doesn't work at all.

WHAT I WANT

The third reason for putting assets on my D: is that I sometimes resinstall Windows. I want to store content on the D: so that if I reinstall Windows, and then reinstall Daz Studio, I DON'T have to reinstall all my content (which comes to many GB and would take days of downloading an item at a time).

So, in this scenario, assuming I had used Daz Central to install assets to my D: (and that it worked - I don't know exactly what to xchange and what order to do it in to get it working!); if I then reinstall Windows and Daz, can I point the freshly installed Daz Central to the content on the D:. to save installing it all over again? Is there some other metadata that needs backing up and restoring so that Daz Studio knows where to look for the existing smart content? I imagine this is a common scenario (not wanting to spend days having to reinstall all the Daz assets just because you reinstall Windows, or change to a newer version of Windows).

Once I know what to do it will be brilliant, because then I only ever have to install items once, but will still have access to them if I reinstall Windows (and still have access to loading stuff via Smart Content).

Otherwise I get the impression that the only way to do this is to MANUALLY install content on the D: by unzipping files into a Content folder there and pointing Daz Studio (not Daz Central) to that folder (which is why I am trying to do it that way). This has downsides, such as Smart Content not working; many older items may not work properly; the file structure being determined by the asset's creator, and not being consistent; Daz refusing to support users who chosoe manual install; and also some issues where unzipping things reveals the same path and file names, but different file sizes, so it isn't clear which file to keep. I'd like to avoid all that if possible, which is why I'm hoping I can install via Daz Central once, but get Daz Studio (and Daz Central) to recognise the content even after I reinstall Windows, after I point it to the correct places for content and any metadata.

Fingers crossed there is a way to do this! I imagine my scenario is a common one, of a user buying lots of assets; wanting them on the D:; and not wanting to have to reinstall all the assets if they reinstall Windows or upgrade their hardware/PC. Any advice on a simple procedure to achieve this will be highly appreciated!
[In an ideal world I guess there would be no separate DIM, DazCentral AND content settings in Daz Studio - you'd just do everything in Daz Studio, which would be a normal downloadable (and savable) installer. It would be much simpler, all settings in one place. Then I'd be able to have assets on D:, and back up some Daz Studio config file. Then if I changed computer I would install Daz Studio again, replace the config file with my saved one, and it would find and use all the content on my D: exactly the same as before. That's how most of my other software works.]

Sorry your having all these issues.  You can install all of your Daz content on another drive. If you decide to do it manually then you have to move the files yourself. The zip have an extra folder in there that you don't want and that the other install methods take out. You will want to empty that folder and carefully put them where they are suppose to go. What a lot of people do is put and empty "Runtime" folder on their desktop and unzip the pack into there. Once in there you need to move them to the designated folders, carfully (be sure to get it in the right place or it will break the pack). This way it won't put anything from the pack on your main HD. I'm betting that your Daz folder has the extra "Content" folder. If so you'll need to move all the files into their proper place. You may want to think about using DIM Daz Connect, or Daz Central or DIM  too do your installing and they all can be directed to any drive you want as well, plus you will get all the updates as they become available in live time. There is nothing wrong with installing manual so don't take that bad. Actually a lot of people still do it manually. It is just streamlined if you install with one of the other 3 methods and the files go where they are suppose to.

As far as the other issue, if your installing the products with Daz Studio open then you will need to re-import your meta data, then they should show unless its a different issue. But, typically when you do manual installs you need to do that. I make it a habit now to do it regardless of what method I use to install. It won't hurt anything. I've been away for a while for medical reasons so they may have fixed these issues. I'm not 100% but you can check and if what I'm explaining is right then we'll know.

frank0314 said:

How are you installing? Manual, DIM, or Daz Central? Is Daz Studio open when your installing?

manual, i open dim, then let's say in search type tara then when it appear i click to install then it goes well on the DIM side the issue also happens using the central, the issue don't seens to be coming from then, but rater from daz itself, because it's not the first time i'm having issues with tara, this is a old issue which i had in the past before before had bought the new HD and formated my pc, now i'm reinstall everything and trying to having all daz stuffs being instaled in my slave hd(4 tera) which is another issue which i'm having, because no matter how hard i'm trying to install everything on the slave hd daz still cheat on me and keep installing some stuffs in my primary hd eating a lot of space from it, like it already eat like 4 giga from hd primary hd and it's really annoying, but it's another issue here

https://www.daz3d.com/forums/discussion/507871/need-help-with-install-daz-in-a-secondary-slave-hd

and i would love some help here too

coming back to main issue it's seens something on daz side when installing some products somehow daz overlap this other product over tara making it's looks like it get uninstalled but still installed, it's a really annoying issue.

How are you installing? Manual, DIM, or Daz Central? Is Daz Studio open when your installing?

Genesis 3 Starter Essentials, Genesis 3 male Starter essentials if ainstalling through Central/Install Manager

PerttiA said:

When that happens, I keep the newer one.

I think that's my preference, EXCEPT often the "newer" one has today's date, so it seems to be the date it was copied to my HD, not the date it was created - meaning it may be older. I find Daz installation options to be ultra confusing. :-(

Ideally I wouldn't have to manually install. My main desire is permanent installation of assets. i.e. I want to install all assets on the D:. so they 1) get backed up as part of my regular D: backup, and 2) don't fill my C:. Your answer would do that.

I know I can edit the Base Path Location in the Daz Central Settings (the gear icon in the top right corner of Central) so my purchases install on the D: drive.

However, the third reason is that I sometimes resinstall Windows. I want to store content on the D: so that if I reinstall Windows, and then reinstall Daz Studio, I DON'T have to reinstall all my content (which comes to many GB).

So, in this scenario, assuming I had used Daz Central to install assets to my D:; if I then reinstall Windows and Daz, can I point the freshly installed Daz Central to the content on the D:. to save installing it all over again? Is there some other metadata that needs backing up and restoring so that Daz Studio knows where to look for the existing smart content? I imagine this is a common scenario (not wanting to spend days having to reinstall all the Daz assets just because you reinstall Windows, or change to a newer version of Windows).

Once I know what to do it will be brilliant, because then I only ever have to install items once, but will still have access to them if I reinstall Windows (and have access to loading stuff via Smart Content).

Otherwise I get the impression that the only way to do this is to MANUALLY install content on the D: by unzipping files into a Content folder there and pointing Daz Studio (not Daz Central) to that folder (which is why I am tring to do it that way). This has downsides, such as Smart Content not working; many older items may not work properly; the file structure being determined by the asset's creator, and not being consistent; Daz refusing to support users; and also some issues where unzipping things reveals the same path and file names, but different file sizes, so it isn't clear which file to keep (as here). I'd like to avoid all that if possible, which is why I'm hoping I can install via Daz Central once, but get Daz Studio (and Daz Central) to recognise the content even after I reinstall Windows, after I point it to the correct places for content and any metadata.

Fingers crossed there is a way to do this!

romboutv said:

@TheMysteryIsThePoint Many thanks for all the work you've put into this!

EDIT

Ive put the file in '''C:\Program Files\DAZ 3D\DazCentral\plugins''' but it doesnt seem to work from there. Ill check if i can find other folder. I basically dropped it in the default folder

This is why i kinda hate Windows, why 2 folders? Probably due to the other folder being the Central app for downloading. 
just found this folder '''C:\Daz 3D\Applications\64-bit\DAZ 3D\DAZStudio4'''

It still doesnt show up in studio 4.15 on Windows?

 

EDIT2

Okay got it, its under the edit menu, i was looking under export > options dropdwon

You are very welcome. We do what we can.

Sorry about the Edit menu... for some reason there's a DzEditAction class, but no DzFileAction class, and I'm just lazy. I think you can still put it wherever you want by clicking on Windows|Workspace|Customize.

Let me know how it works out for you.

kyoto kid said:

Taoz said:

AbyssalEros said:

Taoz said:

I definitely hope the last version of 4.15 will be reasonably well done.  I just worked for 3 hours on a render in 4.15.0.2, then suddenly it crashed when I adjusted a pose.  I'd just saved the scene a minute before so no big deal I thought, but it would not open, DS kept crashing every time I tried.

That's exactly one reason why I stay with my DAZ 4.14, as it rarely crashes on me. A lot of my fellow creators have similar issues as you with DAZ 4.15.
And to be honest, when DAZ needs up to 5 mins to start (constantly checking for connect-updates that it is unable to fix) and then needs 20+ minutes to load the scene, such crashes are absolutely unacceptable if you wish or need to create more than one image per week.
Loading times of my scenes are often longer than render times with render quality 3 and less. Every crash because of a faulty implementation of the new posing mechanics is a huge problem.

Actually 4.15 rarely crashes for me, and it loads in about a minute (maybe because I use DIM only, and never Connect).  I only have 8 GB RAM and 8 GB VRAM in my render PC so I can't create huge scenes so loading time isn't that big either.  I think long scene loading times, at least in cases when using newer characters, may have to do with having a lot of these characters and their morphs packs installed which slows down character load, which is well known.  After uninstalling 80+ % of my characters, character load time dropped drastically.  But this is a general problem, not a particular 4.15 problem, AFAIK.

4.15 has issues, but for me and what I use it for it's not a big problem, I just don't like the idea that when I save a scene I can't be sure that I can load it again, and I hope it's not something that's going to plague future versions.

...can you completely disable or delete Connect and Daz Central?

Connect is easy - just don't log in to your account from Studio - ever. If you log in, Studio/Connect will automatically download and install any and all metadata updates which can put your smart content out of sync with your content library.

Central is pretty much the same - just don't use it. Use DIM or download and install products manually.

kyoto kid said:

Taoz said:

AbyssalEros said:

Taoz said:

I definitely hope the last version of 4.15 will be reasonably well done.  I just worked for 3 hours on a render in 4.15.0.2, then suddenly it crashed when I adjusted a pose.  I'd just saved the scene a minute before so no big deal I thought, but it would not open, DS kept crashing every time I tried.

That's exactly one reason why I stay with my DAZ 4.14, as it rarely crashes on me. A lot of my fellow creators have similar issues as you with DAZ 4.15.
And to be honest, when DAZ needs up to 5 mins to start (constantly checking for connect-updates that it is unable to fix) and then needs 20+ minutes to load the scene, such crashes are absolutely unacceptable if you wish or need to create more than one image per week.
Loading times of my scenes are often longer than render times with render quality 3 and less. Every crash because of a faulty implementation of the new posing mechanics is a huge problem.

Actually 4.15 rarely crashes for me, and it loads in about a minute (maybe because I use DIM only, and never Connect).  I only have 8 GB RAM and 8 GB VRAM in my render PC so I can't create huge scenes so loading time isn't that big either.  I think long scene loading times, at least in cases when using newer characters, may have to do with having a lot of these characters and their morphs packs installed which slows down character load, which is well known.  After uninstalling 80+ % of my characters, character load time dropped drastically.  But this is a general problem, not a particular 4.15 problem, AFAIK.

4.15 has issues, but for me and what I use it for it's not a big problem, I just don't like the idea that when I save a scene I can't be sure that I can load it again, and I hope it's not something that's going to plague future versions.

...can you completely disable or delete Connect and Daz Central?

I only use DIM. Not DAZ Central. When I start DAZ in online modus or activate it DAZ tries to actualize Smart contents. Apparently, it always tries to update the same 6 items and fails for 2. But I cannot figure out which. Next start it resumes the same process.

kyoto kid said:

Taoz said:

AbyssalEros said:

Taoz said:

I definitely hope the last version of 4.15 will be reasonably well done.  I just worked for 3 hours on a render in 4.15.0.2, then suddenly it crashed when I adjusted a pose.  I'd just saved the scene a minute before so no big deal I thought, but it would not open, DS kept crashing every time I tried.

That's exactly one reason why I stay with my DAZ 4.14, as it rarely crashes on me. A lot of my fellow creators have similar issues as you with DAZ 4.15.
And to be honest, when DAZ needs up to 5 mins to start (constantly checking for connect-updates that it is unable to fix) and then needs 20+ minutes to load the scene, such crashes are absolutely unacceptable if you wish or need to create more than one image per week.
Loading times of my scenes are often longer than render times with render quality 3 and less. Every crash because of a faulty implementation of the new posing mechanics is a huge problem.

Actually 4.15 rarely crashes for me, and it loads in about a minute (maybe because I use DIM only, and never Connect).  I only have 8 GB RAM and 8 GB VRAM in my render PC so I can't create huge scenes so loading time isn't that big either.  I think long scene loading times, at least in cases when using newer characters, may have to do with having a lot of these characters and their morphs packs installed which slows down character load, which is well known.  After uninstalling 80+ % of my characters, character load time dropped drastically.  But this is a general problem, not a particular 4.15 problem, AFAIK.

4.15 has issues, but for me and what I use it for it's not a big problem, I just don't like the idea that when I save a scene I can't be sure that I can load it again, and I hope it's not something that's going to plague future versions.

...can you completely disable or delete Connect and Daz Central?

I don't know, I just don't use Connect/Smart Content, or log in with DS.  I did for a short period once but dropped it again.  DAZCentral I've never used, I've always used DIM.  I recall DS sometimes offer to download and install content when loading an item that needs something I own but haven't installed, I guess that uses Connect, but I just say no and use DIM instead.  It's either the one or the other, to me.

Michaelrdavis said:

Interesting. My DAZ Central download did the same thing with the DAZ Studio installation. While Studio starts up OK, I get the 'fatal error' message after a few minutes. Maybe DAD Central needs to be fixed to instell properly.

Or maybe some sort of manual install option is in order?

I'd be interested to see if a solution is forthcoming.

With mine, it wouldn't even open, before I get the fatal error.  I tried installing a really old version of Daz that I have saved on a disk and it gets the same error.  I tried downloading the newer Daz iusing Daz Install Manager (maybe that would work for you, though?) instead of Daz Central and... no change.  

Taoz said:

AbyssalEros said:

Taoz said:

I definitely hope the last version of 4.15 will be reasonably well done.  I just worked for 3 hours on a render in 4.15.0.2, then suddenly it crashed when I adjusted a pose.  I'd just saved the scene a minute before so no big deal I thought, but it would not open, DS kept crashing every time I tried.

That's exactly one reason why I stay with my DAZ 4.14, as it rarely crashes on me. A lot of my fellow creators have similar issues as you with DAZ 4.15.
And to be honest, when DAZ needs up to 5 mins to start (constantly checking for connect-updates that it is unable to fix) and then needs 20+ minutes to load the scene, such crashes are absolutely unacceptable if you wish or need to create more than one image per week.
Loading times of my scenes are often longer than render times with render quality 3 and less. Every crash because of a faulty implementation of the new posing mechanics is a huge problem.

Actually 4.15 rarely crashes for me, and it loads in about a minute (maybe because I use DIM only, and never Connect).  I only have 8 GB RAM and 8 GB VRAM in my render PC so I can't create huge scenes so loading time isn't that big either.  I think long scene loading times, at least in cases when using newer characters, may have to do with having a lot of these characters and their morphs packs installed which slows down character load, which is well known.  After uninstalling 80+ % of my characters, character load time dropped drastically.  But this is a general problem, not a particular 4.15 problem, AFAIK.

4.15 has issues, but for me and what I use it for it's not a big problem, I just don't like the idea that when I save a scene I can't be sure that I can load it again, and I hope it's not something that's going to plague future versions.

...can you completely disable or delete Connect and Daz Central?

@TheMysteryIsThePoint Many thanks for all the work you've put into this!

EDIT

Ive put the file in '''C:\Program Files\DAZ 3D\DazCentral\plugins''' but it doesnt seem to work from there. Ill check if i can find other folder. I basically dropped it in the default folder

This is why i kinda hate Windows, why 2 folders? Probably due to the other folder being the Central app for downloading. 
just found this folder '''C:\Daz 3D\Applications\64-bit\DAZ 3D\DAZStudio4'''

It still doesnt show up in studio 4.15 on Windows?

EDIT2

Okay got it, its under the edit menu, i was looking under export > options dropdwon