New to DS - problems with installing manually/or with DIM

leatherguyver_fa0fa39295

I'm pretty good with computers (since DOS 6 days), and a longtime poser user (since version 1), but I actually haven't been using it much the past couple or 7 years due to time and health restraints.  I've been hearing and readng great things about DS, mainly the capabilities of the Genesis figures, and I've bought several dozen DS/Genesis "assets" for it.  This year I had a couple weeks off in January, and I resolved to use it getting to know DS. 

A few days ago I finally installed the latest DS.  Manually, as I don't allow programs to dump themselves into either Program Files or under the User folder.  In fact I have a P:\ drive with nearly a terabyte of space just for Poser, and all other 3D programs I use.   I managed to install the DS for Win64 into a DS folder on drive P.  Then, since I've bought several hundreds of dollars worth of DS assets, I thought I'd streamline things by installing DIM to help speed things up.

DIM installed quickly, and immediately, without pausing for any input from me,  proceeded to download another copy of the current DS, and all attendant files and packages, and INSTALL A SECOND COPY OF DS AND ALL THE ACCYS AND SUPPORT FILES INTO THE DEFAULT FOLDERS ON THE C:\ DRIVE!!!!!!!!  This is what I wished to avoid.  I keep a lean trim C:\ drive, and don't allow random programs to crap it up willy-nilly.  I am NOT happy with DS for doing this. I've just spent 4 days of my all-to-rare free time foundering  and clicking around through a warren of "Tutorials", FAQs, Wikis, etc both on the DAZ site, forums, and Youtube videos, etc.  There are TONS of dead links, 404s, obsolete data, irrelevant step-by-steps that don't relate to the current versions.  A time-wasting exercise in futility.

I have 2 problems/questions;

What's the best/correct way to uninstall DS from my C:\ drive? I've looked in control panel, and it only lists one copy of DS as being installed.

Where are step-by-step instructions for the proper sequence to install DS where I want it?  I don't want a single scrap, dll, or duf to exist on my C:\ drive. I have run DS long enough to confirm that the program is actually quite aware of both installations.  I have no interest in proceding with the program until the crapped-up installation is corrected.

An additional issue; . . . Also, when I "fired up" DS, the text is incredibly tiny on my screens. I have multiple 27" monitors, and decent vision, and normally sit with my eyes 24-48 inches from my monitors, but the text of the DS interface is so teeny-tiny that I can only read the text in DS by leaning forward to within 8 - 12 inches of the screens.  This aggravates a pinched nerve in my neck after about 180 seconds and I have to rest my chin on my chest for a couple minutes til the pain and tingling subxide.  Where is a current tutorial on how to customize the text size in the interface?

 

 

Richard Haseltine

I'm not clear whether you installed manually or with DIM - or perhaps both (DIM wouldn't know about the manual installs). If the second isntalls were by DIM you can uninstall by clicking the buttons next to them in the Installed tab. I would do that, uninstall the manual installs, then open DIM and click the gear icon at top-right to open preferences, to to the Isntallation tab and edit the paths for applications to point to your P: drive, set your content diectory in the main body of the window; you will also want to use the Downloads tab, I expect, to specify where the zips should go - especially if you keep them after installing. DIM uses manifest files to track what it has installed - there's no way to stop them going to the C: drive (Public Documents) in the UI but you can edit the C:\Users\YOU\AppData\Roaming\DAZ 3D\InstallManager\UserAccounts\Account.ini file to set an override folder for those and for thumbnails, if you download those. Once that is done install PostgreSQL and DS, then in DS go to Edit>Preferences and in the CMS Settings tab change the Content Cluster folder to set the location of the database. Finally in the Content tab of DS preferences use content Directory manager to make sure DS is going to be looking in the right places for content.  you shoudl then be able to install as you wish.

jestmart

Please complain to DAZ about removing the auto download and install for first time users.