Updates & Content Loss

john_9bea886c

I gotta say, Daz really needs to up its game when it comes to application updates.

I've just updated to 4.15 and yet again all my content has disappeared. I keep all my content on a separate drive (a 2TB Baracuda) while the Daz app runs on my SSD. I've spent probably two hours now on the "Content Directory Manager" trying to redirect the app to the drive without any success. I did finally manage to get my content back, but it was all greyed and required downloading again for use, which I'm not going to do as it will clearly either simply overwrite existing data or duplicate elsewhere. Now all content has disappeared again.

Same in the DazCentral app - it thinks everything needs downloaded again, and in fact is prompting me to install Daz as if the application isn't even there.

I know this is fixable, and I'm not computer illiterate, but I really shouldn't need to do this after a simple update. It's really frustrating, and could be so easily avoided with a bit more effort from Daz. Why on earth doesn't the updated app simply pick up the existing content and data paths from the previous version. Just incomprehensible.

I'll keep looking through the forums to find some other advice, but at this point it's looking like a complete uninstall and reinstall, which will be an overnight job. But that will be better than spending more time trying to get all the various directories pointed correctly. It's enough to really just make you not bother with updates.

Richard Haseltine

This is not a direct consequence of an application update, it should retain settings and for most users does. Are you using a third-party uninstaller tor emove the old version of the application? Are you sure the folders are still in the correct place, with the original name and drive letter?

Demonslayer

I have the same issue. I get real tired of setting up and oganizing everything over and over again because they can't create a directory preferences file that isn't ERASED at every update.

john_9bea886c

Richard Haseltine said:

This is not a direct consequence of an application update, it should retain settings and for most users does. Are you using a third-party uninstaller tor emove the old version of the application? Are you sure the folders are still in the correct place, with the original name and drive letter?

I can assure you, I'm using nothing but Daz and Daz Central to manage content. No 3rd party installers or otherwise. I have some non-Daz content which I access through the Content Library tab and it's unaffected. All the Daz original content is gone.The files are all still there on the E drive, I just cannot get either Daz or Daz Central to look at them and realise they are downloaded.

I honestly did nothing else than click "update" when Daz Central suggested it, then when I opened Daz... nothing. When this happened before it didn't take me too long to sort, but this time I can see no option but a reinstall on the basis that when I set up the new install it will ask me to set the content directories afresh and should see the existing files. Do you think that won't work?

Richard Haseltine

john_9bea886c said:

Richard Haseltine said:

This is not a direct consequence of an application update, it should retain settings and for most users does. Are you using a third-party uninstaller tor emove the old version of the application? Are you sure the folders are still in the correct place, with the original name and drive letter?

I can assure you, I'm using nothing but Daz and Daz Central to manage content. No 3rd party installers or otherwise. I have some non-Daz content which I access through the Content Library tab and it's unaffected. All the Daz original content is gone.The files are all still there on the E drive, I just cannot get either Daz or Daz Central to look at them and realise they are downloaded.

I honestly did nothing else than click "update" when Daz Central suggested it, then when I opened Daz... nothing. When this happened before it didn't take me too long to sort, but this time I can see no option but a reinstall on the basis that when I set up the new install it will ask me to set the content directories afresh and should see the existing files. Do you think that won't work?

Is the third party content installed to the same location as the Daz content?

john_9bea886c

Richard Haseltine said:

john_9bea886c said:

Richard Haseltine said:

This is not a direct consequence of an application update, it should retain settings and for most users does. Are you using a third-party uninstaller tor emove the old version of the application? Are you sure the folders are still in the correct place, with the original name and drive letter?

I can assure you, I'm using nothing but Daz and Daz Central to manage content. No 3rd party installers or otherwise. I have some non-Daz content which I access through the Content Library tab and it's unaffected. All the Daz original content is gone.The files are all still there on the E drive, I just cannot get either Daz or Daz Central to look at them and realise they are downloaded.

I honestly did nothing else than click "update" when Daz Central suggested it, then when I opened Daz... nothing. When this happened before it didn't take me too long to sort, but this time I can see no option but a reinstall on the basis that when I set up the new install it will ask me to set the content directories afresh and should see the existing files. Do you think that won't work?

Is the third party content installed to the same location as the Daz content?

No, as per recommended, it's in a separate directory.

I can't believe I have wasted an entire evening trying to get Daz to recognise content it recognised just a few clicks ago. Judging by the number of people who are reporting the same problem (there's been plenty since the last update) this is not an isolated problem. I've uninstalled everything and calling it a night. My content is still safe on the separate drive so maybe after a fresh reinstall I'll have some success. I also note that I was completely unable to delete on of the Daz directories - I had to run a chkdsk and the repair the drive before it would complete the uninstall. This is one very grabby, and very untidy application.

Richard Haseltine

john_9bea886c said:

Richard Haseltine said:

john_9bea886c said:

Richard Haseltine said:

This is not a direct consequence of an application update, it should retain settings and for most users does. Are you using a third-party uninstaller tor emove the old version of the application? Are you sure the folders are still in the correct place, with the original name and drive letter?

I can assure you, I'm using nothing but Daz and Daz Central to manage content. No 3rd party installers or otherwise. I have some non-Daz content which I access through the Content Library tab and it's unaffected. All the Daz original content is gone.The files are all still there on the E drive, I just cannot get either Daz or Daz Central to look at them and realise they are downloaded.

I honestly did nothing else than click "update" when Daz Central suggested it, then when I opened Daz... nothing. When this happened before it didn't take me too long to sort, but this time I can see no option but a reinstall on the basis that when I set up the new install it will ask me to set the content directories afresh and should see the existing files. Do you think that won't work?

Is the third party content installed to the same location as the Daz content?

No, as per recommended, it's in a separate directory.

I can't believe I have wasted an entire evening trying to get Daz to recognise content it recognised just a few clicks ago. Judging by the number of people who are reporting the same problem (there's been plenty since the last update) this is not an isolated problem. I've uninstalled everything and calling it a night. My content is still safe on the separate drive so maybe after a fresh reinstall I'll have some success. I also note that I was completely unable to delete on of the Daz directories - I had to run a chkdsk and the repair the drive before it would complete the uninstall. This is one very grabby, and very untidy application.

Which directory? One in the application folder? Are you sure DS had finished closing?

john_9bea886c

Basically I keep all the native Daz ("smart") content in the main "My Daz Library" folder where it's always been happy (other then updates). When I download new content it appears there and is instantly usable. 

Third party I just keep in another directory (on the same drive) which I access via the Content Library tab. Never had an issue there either. 

When I had the directory refusing to delete I rebooted to a clean start and only then when it wouldn't delete did I do the disc repair, after which it went with a shift+del. I know Daz hangs onto files and processes for ages after you shut down the app.

I honestly can't point to anything I'm changing or any 3rd party apps that might cause this.

Thanks for responding to my posts, appreciate you taking the time. 
 

Richard Haseltine

Daz Studio does remain in the background, tidying up after itself, and depending on what was in the scene on close that can take a while. I'm not aware of any other way in which it takes ownership of files and folders, though, so I'm not sure what you mean there. Given the repeated loss of the database or the actual content files (I'm not entirely clear on what is happening there) it does sound as if there is something else, non-standard, going on but what that may be I can't guess.

john_9bea886c

Well, if you are correct then a clean reinstall should fix it. I've had the Kingston SSD and Barracuda for 4 years now, I wonder if it's time to move to an M.2 SSD, do a clean W10 install and replace the HDD. The Barracudas don't have great reps for longevity.