Google is my friend:  I got curious about "Five and Dime stores".  and found out that the original idea for the first "Five and Dime" was just as a "five", as in a whole store dedicated to the idea of a 5-cent bargain table already in vogue, but quickly evolved to "five and dime".  Who would'a thunk it?  And they originated in Central NY State not too awfully far from me (well, maybe 200 miles), 

https://www.unitedstatesnow.org/what-is-a-five-and-dime.htm#:~:text=The first five and dime,store where he had worked.

Richard Haseltine said:

WendyLuvsCatz said:

fight for what you paid for

but

honestly I can understand not wanting to give them any more, that is truly shoddy treatment you got

That implies it is deliberate, rather than an account glitch of some kind.

Instead of logging a ticket for each item that's gone as soon as I find out I would appreciate a support person to look into this.

- items are missing.

- sometimes it's a whole order, sometimes only one of multiple items.

- in parallel, I cannot connect to my product library through DIM or Daz Central because of some JSON error.

- Logged a tech ticket and provided a log.

- Deinstalled and reinstalled DIM and Daz Central, nothing changed.

What else am I supposed to do? Get a lawyer?

Totally confused.  I used Daz Central for install. When I got the intial error message, I used the cog to set the scripts menu option. Now, I'm getting "please select only one pose" error. I have only one pose selected. I closed DAZ out to make sure nothing else was selected. Got the same error after restart. Just to be clear, I am using the sequence, select gen9, select pose, then script from scripts menu

WendyLuvsCatz said:

let me get this straight

when you say they are missing from your library you mean they are missing from here

https://www.daz3d.com/downloader/customer/files

and not showing a Red purchased logged in browsing to the product in the store.

if they are there and purchased it's an error on your computer 

if not yes you legitimately have a huge problem with customer service and honestly need to go through your entire order history with a spreadsheet application and submit a complaint 

They are missing from my product library and not showing a red purchased flag.

I am spending hours going through my order history (which is not really searchable), making screenshots and logging tickets.

Reinstalled DIM and Daz Central, they still fail to connect to my product library. The log, which I provided, states a JSON compiler error. Nobody replies to my tech ticket.

Judging by what you wrote, it sounds like you are installing your content with DIM, but also logging in to DS... You should not be doing both.
DIM installs the metadata to \Runtime\Support\, but that is not where the metadata updates during starting DS are saved. See the attachment for how to set your DS startup options to stop logging in to DS.

Wrote this on another thread;

The structure of (traditional) DAZ Content Library is actually quite logical, but when trying to find a simple "push button" solutions for new users, DAZ has created a situation where different default functions do not play well together.

-At first the (new) user is offered DAZ Central for downloading and installing DAZ Studio and all the content that comes with it, no other alternatives are offered or even mentioned.
-When the user has downloaded and installed everything with the default settings/options and starts DS the first time, one is presented with a dialog that asks the user to log in, with the default option to keep logging in automatically in the future, giving the user the impression that logging in is necessary.
-Once the user is in DS and starts browsing the available content in 'Smart' Content, one is told that the content is not installed (with DAZ Connect), giving the user the impression that the content needs to be installed again, when in fact it is not necessary.
-If the user does as is suggested, the content gets downloaded and installed the second time to another location, taking twice the storage space. The installation location is non-traditional, which does not work with scripts and older content, and whatever gets installed by DAZ Connect, overrides the installations made by the other installation methods (DIM/DAZ Central/Manual installation), even when the DAZ Connect installations fail to work due to for example decryption failures.

The general concensus is that the DIM is the best tool for installing DAZ content.
DAZ Central is just a simplified version of DIM

DAZ Connect inside DAZ Studio was created at a time DAZ experimented with encrypted content, which did require logging in to DS/DAZ servers to verify the users licence for that content. The experimentation with encrypted content was ended some 5-6 years ago, but the user is still asked to log in without being told why or being warned about the possible consequences and side effects - The decryption errors are due to the content still being encrypted at DAZ servers that are used by DAZ connect to download them.

Personally I use manual installation as it gives me total control over the installations without having to track down settings in an installation program to get it to do what I want. The only thing the installation programs have is the ability to uninstall content with a push of a button, otherwise everything works just as if the content was installed by any other method.

Notice the little square at top-right of the product thumbnail for the one that will let you rmove the file, and that it is absent fror the other. Thatv indicates a product that can be isntalled through Daz Studio but isn't, compared to one that was installed through Daz Studio. Right-click on the container (the pseudo folder with the product name) for the latter and you should be able to Uninstall it, leaving the Daz Central install showing and with deletable files.

Some items were fixed, some are still missing, and I'm discovering new ones missing and logging new support tickets.

I really need to understand what is going on.

I still cannot access my product library either through DIM or Daz Central. Nobody is replying on my tech ticket on this.

If you delete then they will fail, for the most part scenes and presets are pointing to the data in the content directories. Merging two content directories, however, is fine as the scenes and presets store only the relative paths - the locations within the content directory - and not the location of the original content directory. Do note, however, that Install Manager and Daz Central do record the absolute location, starting from the drive idenitifer, of the files they place.

AllenArt said:

Are you saying the items disappeared from your COMPUTER????

One of the missing items was Genesis 8 Female Body Morphs which I bought again today to avoid getting stuck with projects.

As soon as I re-bought it, it was back without installation.

In parallel to items gone, I cannot connect with DIM or DAZ Central.

Five open tickets and no reply.

I guess I'll return anything I still can.

I never used Daz Central nor Daz Connect, Daz Install Manager does the job very well. Manual install for 3rd party content.

Besides of that, I never use Smart Content, it's far from being "smart". Content Libraries are easy to manage, backup, move to other PCs or  share via a network.

I can't launch Daz Central. It just says "not responding", uninstalled, re-installed, same. Is there a way to update Studio without Central?

Daz Central won't even open for me anymore. Removed it, re-installed, no luck. Just get "not responding"

I never used CMS.

Installing Ds with Daz Central instead of the stand alone installer seems to have fixed the issue. Don't know why / how.

Richard Haseltine said:

Is there not a check box at lower left to stop the product check from running at start?

In DIM? There is, but each time I uncheck the popup box it seems to re-enable itself when next I start it. Central is the worst though, because it claims I don't even have the studio installed, which means I can't uninstall it or even run the thing through Central.

bohemian3 said:

Everyone is doing a great job - here are a few of the images that really caught my eye this go-round.

@Shimrian This is terrific - moody - the lightening and rain very well done and convincing. It's great as is - one small suggestion. Perhaps you can think about make the central character a little lighter (not much) - for me blends too much into back ground and 'competes' with the ruins for attention. Because the ruins are better lit, my eye is pulled more to them. Again, great job as is.

Shimrian said:  Title: The coming storm Intermediate challenge

@Daedalus-7 Everything is working here for me - the posing, the lighting of the orb. Your use of fog is really good here - the background elements are artistic and intentional, keeps our eye focused on the foreground, helping to the 'guide' the eye the way a good photographer or director does. Very well done.

Daedalus-7 said: Magic Crystal Ball

 

@aki3d Amazing detail work - vivid, atmospheric. Just a thought - the color rim on the right side of the face is perfect, really well done - perhaps a subtle brightening of the left side, not much. It fades into the background while the metal of the body suit 'pops.'  Also, the GUI graphics are excellent, convincing and really artistic.  Overall terrific job. 

aki3d said: mission to the sun intermediate challenge

All the work here is really great - thanks all of you for 'putting yourself out there' to grow and inspire others.  

I agree.  Everyone is doing a great job.  

And I would like to thank everyone for taking the time to create these wonderful images and share them with us.

Everyone is doing a great job - here are a few of the images that really caught my eye this go-round.

@Shimrian This is terrific - moody - the lightening and rain very well done and convincing. It's great as is - one small suggestion. Perhaps you can think about make the central character a little lighter (not much) - for me blends too much into back ground and 'competes' with the ruins for attention. Because the ruins are better lit, my eye is pulled more to them. Again, great job as is.

Shimrian said:  Title: The coming storm Intermediate challenge

@Daedalus-7 Everything is working here for me - the posing, the lighting of the orb. Your use of fog is really good here - the background elements are artistic and intentional, keeps our eye focused on the foreground, helping to the 'guide' the eye the way a good photographer or director does. Very well done.

Daedalus-7 said: Magic Crystal Ball

 

@aki3d Amazing detail work - vivid, atmospheric. Just a thought - the color rim on the right side of the face is perfect, really well done - perhaps a subtle brightening of the left side, not much. It fades into the background while the metal of the body suit 'pops.'  Also, the GUI graphics are excellent, convincing and really artistic.  Overall terrific job. 

aki3d said: mission to the sun intermediate challenge

All the work here is really great - thanks all of you for 'putting yourself out there' to grow and inspire others.  

I am experiencing the same issue as well with Daz Central.Hopefully it will be resolved one day soon. Perhaps I should just reinstall the program.

It seems that every time I open up Daz Central it wants me to update Daz Studio which always takes forever because it keeps getting suck. First at 78% and then I have to close it down and re-open it after which it gets stuck at about 85% and so on. Then lately it says 'installation will begin after previous installations' ??

So I close it and re-open it and again... it's stuck back at 78%!

I have had the same problem, before.

I attempted to install the program using Daz Central several times.

I opened a support ticket, the guy told me to use DIM, I did that and I never go back using Daz Central.

My reccomendations to all those to want using Daz Studio is to avoid to all cost using Daz Central and use Daz Install Manager.

In the navigation ribbon, click the the top right Green Icon.

Click the Product Library Icon, once you are at the Product Library page do this:

Below Filter:

Type in the space "Install Manager" without quotation marks and click FILTER Button

Now you have landed on that page, click the corresponding installer for your Operating System, in the example screenshot I got the 64-bit version for Windows

In the page for the Install Manager, you have the choice of either Zip or Exe file to download to your computer.

Click the exe file, this is the fastest way to get the things done for you.

Once downloaded in the location of your choice, locate the file and launch it.

Accept the defaults if you are using a single disk, for the other way to install it if you have an SSD, I can't give you an answer because I did try to do a custom install but failed. 

 Hope this can help you!

RAMWolff said:

Good LORD I've spent more time refreshing pages and just giving up trying to post here with Cloudfare constantly misstepping.  Why DAZ chose this company to run their company through I will never ever understand.  I don't have this issue ANYWHERE else.  
 

The primary reason is the servers are powered by one poor little, somewhat physically challenged hamster...

(Forgive my for reprinting this, as by now many have heard the tale...)

THE TRUE STORY OF BERT THE SERVER HAMSTER

Perhaps some of you have never heard of the Server Hamster...

Poor little Bert was never the fastest hamster, nor was Bert the smartest hamster, but Bert had something other hamsters at Hamster Depot didn't...
Bert had three extra toes on his left foot and a really weird looking patch of missing fur in the shape Guatemala on his back... But that's not what made Bert different... it wasn't even his strange odor or his spontaneous narcolepsy whenever he heard loud noises...

Bert had heart.

Well, technically 3/4 of a functional heart, but Burt had spunk and determination which nothing, not even his chronic flatulence or his lazy, much larger right eye could interfere with.
From the moment he was eaten by his mother and subsequently spit out, he was determined to become the best hamster ever... to show everyone that by underestimating or trying to eat him, they were wrong and one day they'd wished they had gotten to know him or had treated him better.

Bert was dead set on being adopted by a nice school teacher who would make him the class pet and that he'd teach all the little children about the true meaning of determination and courage... and that generations of little children would grow up to be better people for having known Bert. 
But no matter how much Bert tried, he was never adopted... not even by the evil mad scientist who wanted hamsters to experiment on.

Bert was heartbroken, but he persevered. 

Every time someone came by his Hamsterarium, he'd run on the exercise wheel as fast as he could... usually he'd fall off or get his head jammed in between the bars, but he sure did put on a show... yet always after he'd wake up from one of his narcolepsy episodes he'd inevitably experience while putting on a show, it was the other more handsome or less drippy hamsters with no missing fur in the shape of any Central American nation that were chosen.

Bert was always rejected.

But he never stopped trying.

Then one day one of the hamster wranglers that worked at Hamster Depot was passing by and spotted Burt... he bent down and looked right at him!

"This is it!!" thought Bert... "Someone called in an order for a spunky hamster with courage and determination!!"... "I've got a home!!" 
Bert started doing his signature hamster dance knowing it might trigger his narcolepsy, but regardless, he'd have to risk it.

The hamster wrangler shook his head and winced and started putting on some rubber gloves... "That's odd..." thought Bert. 
But undeterred, he continued doing his little hamster dance so the hamster wrangler wouldn't grab the wrong hamster.

The hamsters wrangler opened the hamsterarium reached right for him and picked him up.

Bert was overjoyed!

The hamster wrangler held him up and examined him... "Ugh, what's that weird cheese smell?" 
Burt blushed a bit, he was proud of his odor and no one ever complimented it before.

He held Bert up by the scruff of his neck turning him all around... "Yup... just as I thought... missing patch of fur the shape of Nicaragua, leaky orifices and uncontrollable seizures... Terminal Deranged Hamster Syndrome... 

"Wait... What?" thought Bert, "that was dancing, not a seizure and it's Guatemala, not Nicaragua!..."

But it was too late... the wrangler shook poor Bert a little to see if any parts would fall off and then said "Sorry little fella, but it's the hamster compactor for you... we can't have diseased hamsters like you infecting all the other handsome hamsters"...

And with that he tossed Bert into a bucket labeled "Hamsters For Compacting".

Burt landed with a squishy thud... he lay there in abject sadness... his tiny drippy weird smelling soul crushed like a spoiled grape under the wheel of a shopping trolley in the grocery store.

He lay there for hours awaiting compaction... maybe it was better this way he thought... "Who wants a drippy, smelly hamster who keeps falling off his exercise wheel?"... "I'm probably more useful as a fine paste used in cosmetic products"... "I was a fool for thinking I'd ever amount to anything"...

The hamster wrangler came by two more times with customers looking for "adorable hamsters"... Bert heard the other hamsters being adopted and silently cried at the bottom of the compaction bucket.

The wrangler passed by one more time and looked down at Bert... "Oops, sorry... I didn't forget about you... I'll be back for you as soon as I take care of this next customer..."

Burt cried uncontrollably... he barely heard the wrangler and the customer talking over his hysterical sobs...

"Well, they told me to pick up a new hamster... the adorable ones keep dying", said the new voice... "But these ones are all too expensive... are you sure there is nothing cheaper?" 

"No, that's it, those are the cheapest entry level hamsters we have... they are sold as is, no warranty or repairs... fairly disposable actually"...

Bert sobbed harder... he wasn't even "disposable quality"!

"Okay, I guess that's it... the cheap bastards won't spring for a halfway decent hamster, I guess we'll just have to use a diseased sewer rat to power our servers... it's the worst case scenario, but they are determined not to spend money on their forums, so..."

The voice paused... Bert looked up at the strange face staring down into his death bucket... 

"What's going on with that one?" the voice asked.

"Oh... he's got deranged hamster syndrome... he's not for sale." said the wrangler to the customer with the strange face.

The man with the strange face replied "So does that mean he's free?"

"No, no it doesn't... but you know what... I'm busy and turning on the hamster squasher takes five minutes for it to warm up... you know what, you can have it... just get it out of here now", said the hamster wrangler.

Before Bert knew it he was snatched up and dropped into a mostly empty Starbucks matcha green tea latte cup and taken away.

After a long journey in the cup holder of a high mileage late nineties Saturn SL sedan, Bert was brought into a janky old brick building way across town and brought down into the basement into a dark room that smelled of mildew and burning electrical insulation.

The man with the strange face dumped Bert out on a table littered with old scratch-off lottery tickets and Settebello Pizzeria menus.

He took an old sweat sock and dabbed off the whipped cream and green tea from Bert’s fur and grabbed him by the scruff of the neck.

He then carried Bert over to a old machine made of yellowing beige plastic and dented up metal… on the side was a hamster wheel with a handsome looking hamster laying dead on the wheel. 
The strange faced man picked up the dead hamster and unceremoniously tossed it in the recycling bin far across the room. 

It landed with a muffled "thump".

“Damn, I was aiming for the trash bin”, he said… and without a proper greeting or introduction, he tossed Bert on the wheel. 
“Well, you know what to do…” said the man. 

Bert knew exactly what to do... he ran... he ran with all his three quarters of a functional heart, he ran as fast and as best as he could... he ran because he knew who he was... he was now the Server Hamster.
And with that Bert began his origin story as “Server Hamster". 
Bert started running and hasn't stopped... aside from when he falls off the wheel or has a seizure or gets his head stuck in the bars. 
But Bert has a purpose and he'll never give up... because he finally has a home and he's gonna show everyone he's the best damn hamster ever.

So now you know… the forums are wonky because they are powered by a spunky, funny smelling, drippy hamster with a patch of missing fur the shape of Guatemala, who frequently has narcoleptic episodes whenever someone slams a door or the water cooler compressor turns on, or even if someone sneezes on the third floor… the servers may freeze, they may falter and really suck because of it, but they always come back because of plucky and courageous Server Hamster… or as we know him…

Burt.

His demise has been prematurely reported many times... but he still keeps going...