DIM suddenly hates content not on C: drive
mugwumpr
Posts: 21
For years I've been using content on a folder on my D: drive. Suddenly last week, DIM started acting weird. If I point anything in the Advanced Settings options to any drive but C:, DIM has a meltdown. It can't find half of my stuff, says the other half isn't installed, then spends most of its time as "Not Responding" until it eventually crashes my computer in spite of not using excessive resources.
I've:
- uninstalled,
- reinstalled,
- restarted,
- deleted the DAZ3D folder in AppData/Roaming,
- checked the drives for errors,
- defrag'd.
In short, I've done everything I could think of but it simply will NOT see the content it's been working with for years on a not-C: drive.
The C: drive is a small drive on my machine, mostly for program files. There's no way it has anywhere near sufficient space for all the associated data files, which is why I've had it set up the way it has been.
As a corollary, I've also started having problems connecting to PostgreSQL even though Task Manager says it's running under DAZ Studio.
To the best of my knowledge, nothing changed overnight between the day is was working fine and the next day when it imploded all over itself.
Please help?
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Comments
Is the DIM config file being saved properly? (%APPDATA%\DAZ 3D\InstallManager\UserAccounts\[yourUsername.ini]). It should have an entry (or several) in a section called [InstallPaths] with your choice of path(s).
It sounds like the Not-C-Drive can't read/write data. Where is the CMS data cluster? By default it is in the AppData\Roaming\DAZ 3D\cms folder. If you deleted the entire DAZ3D folder under Roaming, you nuked your database. You can re-build it by re-importing your metadata (product and user) in Studio.
The config file is there and shows the proper paths. I've even tried editing it manually in Notepad++ with the same resulting implosion. (What can I say, I was desperate....)
The Not-C-Drive is my main data drive. It absolutely can read/write data and does so for everything not-DIM without problem. I've checked it for errors and defrag'd it, just for luck. No errors and only 1% fragmented.
I've tried pointing DIM to my external backup drive with the same result.
CMS folder is exactly where it should be.
Yeah, I've nuked the database a few times, but it hangs when I try rebuilding it.
It baffles me that these settings have worked relatively problem-free for years on 2 different computers, but suddenly it decided not to work the day after it was working, for no apparent reason.
Sounds like it might be harware trouble, especially if you've been using the drive for a few years. I had the same problem with an SSD some time ago and my biggest regret was not backing up everything I could at the first sign of trouble. I eventually lost the disk and everything on it.
If your data is important, I suggest don't use it until you get another disk then copy across everything you can before checking for errors. It's probably going to go bye-bye soonish.
It does the same thing for both my D: and G: drives; it's unlikely that both are dying in the same way at the same time. (G: is the external drive backup of D:.) Also, DIM is the only thing having any problems at all.
I've run CHKDSK on both, with no errors on D: and a fixed one on G: with no subsequent errors found.
I've had a few drives auger in over the years, and I now back things up obsessively, both locally and online. I hate that sick feeling of having a drive fail without backups.
I wonder if it is the C: drive that has a problem as that is where DIM keeps the manifest files.
Unlikely but possible;e. I know cause it just, within the last few months happened to my wife. Both secondary drives went. One went one day and a few days later the next went. CHKDSK, doesn't always find problems with dying drives. What manufacturers are the drivers? Several of the manufacturers now offer software to check and diagnose their drives and can fix it if possible but will tell you either way. Wouldn't hurt to check, just in case. I'd also say it's possible it may be your C drive. Unless you've changed it the manifest is saved on the C drive and they contain the location and tell you what is installed. If the C drive is acting up it could be causing your issue cause it isn't reading the manifest files properly.
They're HP, Samsung and Seagate. All now tested with manufacturer's software and all passed with flying colours.
The primary problem is that DIM goes into some kind of death spiral of non-responsiveness before crashing my computer. Just DIM, nothing else. And it doesn't do that if all the default paths point to C:.
That would indicate that the problem is with DIM, and only DIM.
So, working under the assumption that all my harddrives aren't on the verge of packing it in, is there anything else I could try in the meantime, please?
Have you looked in the DIM log? I haven't seen it mentioned so far. The regular log and Helper log (for s/w products) might have some useful info.
I changed the Downloads --> Package Archive path in Advanced settings to D: and then back to C:, and these are the log entries (no change in HLog):
and then:
After the change to D: there's some chatter about "Tags Missing", and after the change back to C: there's some chatter about "Remote Name Collision", both on about half a dozen different product files, different half-dozen files for each. No errors or warnings otherwise.
The settings on D: sent it into it's death spiral, which stopped immediately when I finally managed to change it back to C:. The only thing I changed was the Package Archive path.
Earlier, there was an entry about PostgreSQL, but it didn't reappear when I changed the settings in the Package Archive path:
The "could not connect" error also shows in the Helper log.
About the settings; I know you said you didn't change anything, but you never know...
You have D:/DAZ 3D/InstallManager/Downloads for the Current Download path in one case, and C:/Users/Public/Documents/My DAZ 3D Library in the other (assuming it is the Download Path, it isn't included in your snippet). It looks like the location on the C: drive is a library folder, not something I would recommend for the Package Archive.
There are several paths to consider, and you do not want them to be the same.
Content Path(s): aka Libraries, where the content goes.
Package Archive: downloads go here, with the first manifest (.dsx)
Manifest Archive: installation records go here, the second manifest (.dsx). The two manifests have the same name, but serve two different purposes. Make sure the paths are not the same.
When you change the Package Archive, DIM will try to scan the folder for the set of first manifests (the downloads), then the Manifest Archive for the second set of manifests. Between the two, DIM can determine what is Installed, what is Ready to Install, and what is Ready to Download.
On my system, this operation can take anywhere from 5 minutes to more than an hour, depending on whether the Windows File Indexer decides it wants to inspect every bleeping file in the Package Archive at the same time. DIM will attempt to create new manifests for the existing packages, or build a list of the missing products to add to the Ready to Download tab.
Are your downloads on the other drive, or are they on the C: drive? You can simply move them, and DIM will rescan and update the first set of manifests when you change the Package Archive folder. If you do it Offline, DIM can only access what is actually in the folders, and cannot contact the DAZ servers to see what should be there, so it might be something to try with a few products to see what it does.
Oops, my mistake, sorry. I chose the wrong folder when I tried to put it back where it started. Here are the defaults that DIM installs with:
Package Archive: C:/Users/Public/Documents/DAZ 3D/InstallManager/Downloads
Content Path: C:/Users/Public/Documents/My DAZ 3D Library
I've attached a screenshot of the Basic Settings screen from a fresh install.
I agree that the C: location isn't a good place for the Package Archive, but it won't let me change it.
The download and content folders are on the D: drive. The manifest and thumbnail folders are on C:.
Ideally I want it to continue to be what it has been for the past few years:
Package Archive: D:/DAZ 3D/InstallManager/Downloads
Content Path: D:/My DAZ 3D Library
I can change the Content Path, but if I change the Package Archive, it just hammers away until it blue-screens the machine. [ETA: this happens the same whether I'm online or off.] (I don't care where the manifests go; they're small enough to make no difference.)
I literally changed nothing [ETA: nothing with DIM, that is] when this started. I used it one day to sucessfully download & install Xmas freebies, then when I tried to use it to install the next day's freebies it turned on itself.
I've been manually copying installation files and content back and forth between C: and D: and it sorta works, but what a bleeping pain! Also, I've totally lost track of all the stuff I got over the past week, so who knows if it's actually installed or not? So frustrating that it chose to happen over the Xmas deluge and not after a single, trackable purchase.
Try putting the downloads in a different folder on the D: drive to hide them from DIM, and then change the Package Archive to what you want to use. Since there is nothing to scan, it might be happy to start with nothing. Then you can add a few packages to see what happens when you refresh. If it passes, add a few more and refresh again. There might be a corrupt archive, or something. If you are lucky it will fail on a particular file. If you are very lucky it won't fail at all. Or is that unlucky, since you will not have found the source of the error...
I remember once my explorer was very slow accessing a particular folder, like, 10 seconds to show the contents. I could not find any reason, no setting, configuration, that made a difference, so I just made a new folder and deleted the original. No more delays.
Ooo, good idea!
I created a new folder, "Package Archive" on D: and DIM didn't choke on it.
I changed the Manifest path to point to a Manifest folder on D:. If I'm starting from scratch, I might as well start ALL from scratch.
A few dozen items in, and it hasn't imploded yet!
I'll be quite happy if the error slinks off into the night, never to be named or seen again.
What a simple and elegant solution, thank you!
You're welcome, and good luck!
I tried transferring everything all at once, and the same problem cropped up, so I spent about a week transferring everything back to Documents in small batches of ~10 per each.
Turns out there were 4 corrupted files that triggered the problem.
I deleted them and redownloaded fresh copies, and DIM's back to working properly.
Now, if I can only find out how to un-nuke my PostgreSQL connection so I can get my Smart Content tab back, life would be so much better.
Assuming your content is in the same location (D:/My DAZ 3D Library), you should be able to simply Re-Import Metadata from the Content DB Maintenance utility. This will add whatever metadata was available when the products were installed, plus any modifications you made, assuming you exported the UserData at some point. Select everything, including User Data and Accept. If you have a lot of products, it could take a while...