DAZ lost its library yet AGAIN
spearcarrier
Posts: 686
Seriously, DAZ programmer folks. This is a SERIOUS bug. I can't get the hated content management service to go. I've tried running it as administrator. I have all of my antivirus systems completely shut down (so they can't be blamed). For the love of all that's unholy patch this bug. There is something inherently wrong with me sitting here in near tears on my rare "me time" (happens maybe one day every 3 months??) because once again DAZ 4 won't work. I REALLY regret upgrading!!!(cries)
I'm running Windos 7.
Daz 4.5, the latest.
CMS won't run. This started out as an intermittent problem that is now permanent.
I can't uninstall CMS to try to fix this corruption I hear so many people speak of - there is no uninstaller. Not in the menu as promised. Not in the uninstaller folders.
Uninstalling DAZ itself and re-installing to overwrite doesn't help.
I had to manually add the databases folder.
I have tried all day to follow the fix instructions I found on this forum.
Please someone wave a magic wand.
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Comments
Win 7 has two methods to Uninstall. One is in Control Panel called Uninstall a Program
The other is in the Start Menu > Programs the Daz3D and tada..
Also the CMS shutting down at a whim is Often a sign the DataBase is corrupted.
I've not had that problem ... sounds not very fun at all. Not sure why you do not have an uninstaller as that sort of product will (should?) create one (unlike content where you used to get the choice with the installer). My uninstaller is in a folder called Uninstallers inside the folder where I got the CMS to install to: C:\3D\DAZ_CMS\Uninstallers
When I had an issue the CMS would up and quit at random times, the service would often die as soon as Daz Studio started. Eventually I had had enough and 'nuked' the database files. Restarting the CMS re-built base files and then, after that, doing a re-import of the metadata got it all back working as it should.
Without exact knowledge of what the problem you actually have is can I suggest:
a) Shut Daz Studio, if running
b) Ensure the CMS service is not running (Control Panel> Administrative Tools> Services. Select DAZ Content Management Service and ensure Status is not Started.)
c) Create a temporary folder somewhere 'easy to find' (call it, maybe, db_backup)
d) In Explorer navigate to the folder where you specified the CMS database should reside. If you are not sure where, or cannot find, do a file search for ContentDB.vdb)
e) There will be a handful of files there, called ContentDB.* and one called master.vdb. Let's engage belt and braces and select all the files and them copy them to the temporary folder you created in step c. Once they have copied delete the original files.
f) In Services (under Control Panel, etc.) start the CMS service. A new set of basic database files should now be created.
g) Start Daz Studio.
h) Under Content Library select the context pop-up menu (icon is triangle with 4 lines), then check Process Metadata Queue and click Accept.
i) Under Content Library select the context pop-up menu (icon is triangle with 4 lines), then check Re-Import Metadata and click Accept.. You will be shown a list of all your metadata (hopefully!). Leave everything checked (they will be by default, optionally uncheck the top entry which will be User Data). Click Accept and go make a cup of tea - it may be some time!
j) Stop and restart Daz Studio - with luck things should be working.
If it all goes 'orribly wrong then all you need do is shut down both Daz Studio and CMS and copy the files back from where they came.
ALWAYS copy/move ANY database-related file ONLY when the database is shutdown!
Jaderail - How irritating that this database system must be so unstable for it to constantly corrupt so easily. GRRR! As for uninstalling - when I said there was no way to do it, I meant there was no way to do it. As in, I know how to uninstall programs and... the options aren't there. :-) Maybe CCCleaner can do it. That's a third option I haven't tried.
Simon: Thanks for the step by step! OMIGOD Thank you!!! I'm going to print this and if CCcleaner doesn't have the trick I'm going to try..
Okay. CCCleaner didn't have it in the program list to uninstall either. So I started with the steps, got to b... and... I'm looking for "content managemnt" or "DAZ Content management" right? Cuz it ain't there TO start or stop.
Okay i did as much as could, but I'm still stuck at where I was at the beginning. CMS won't run. It won't start. It won't go. I have no uninstallation options in order to do a clean reinstall. I can delete the files and install that way but that doesn't help. I can't use this program. It flat won't run. Short of formatting my computer I'm stuck. And if i have to format for this, I'm taking out a loan and getting Poser. -_-
Thanks for the help you guys have attempted so far. Hopefully someone has an answer. Somewhere.
If you HAVE No installer in any of the locations then your CMS never installed fully to start with. Just be sure the CMS is not running in the Task manager (and DS is CLOSED) and find the Folder with the CMS exe in it. DELETE the file and then just Re-Install DS it will only prompt to uninstall the DS installed. It will not uninstall any of your content. If after a reinstall you still do not have a Uninstaller for CMS your PC has a bigger problem than you think. TIP Install as Admin ONLY!
When reinstalling DS, choose different locations for CMS and CMS databases -- that will make sure the new version gets installed. The upgraded database client in the beta builds is much more stable.
Jaderail: Thank you! I ended up deleting the entire folder. My databases were stored on another drive so I thought maybe once things were reinstalled the library would be restored, but somehow through all this the library is just gone. But at least things are working now.
I always install as administrator, so I'm not sure what happened to this install. But at least things are almost back on track.
fioxmypcmike: You know I tried that first, but when I did that the install would crash. I really don't know what was going on.
...so how does one do this? I never saw anything in the installer UI that prompts one to do so as "Administrator".
I'm basically at the point of unsinstalling/reinstalling both 4.5 and 3Advanced because of the mess the original installs were (after doing an exhaustive review, I discovered that all Omnifreaker and Shader Mixer/Baker built in content was directed to the Programme Files folder where it should not have gone, even though the other components did go to the right locations). I'm going to force the install to the C:/Root like I had it on my notebook so hopefully nothing will go where it shouldn't be.
As to the seemingly ongoing CMS/Database ills (and the constant maintenance headaches as outlined in this and other threads) I keep reading about, it really makes me wonder about the wisdom of Daz adding this feature and making it so critical to the application. As I use the content tree display, I'm thinking of just nuking the CMS and Smart Content DB after installing. 3Advanced and earlier versions got along just fine without it.
...and if you know the structure and setup of your runtimes, is such a service really necessary?
By using an administrator account - which you are as I recall.
Which files? The actual shader files are meant to be in the application folder, in \Shaders, just as plugins go in the \Plugins folder.
As others have said it sounds like the original install (or part of the uninstall/reinstall cycle/saga) has had knock-on effects! Do I read your reply to Jaderail as you now have a functioning CMS?
Simon - yes, as far as i can tell! But my library organization is gone. Thousands of stuff thrown back to the ether... and although I've read the instructions on how to back up I don't seem very successful at getting them to work. I'll try again when I have things organized again, if I can get DAZ to find my stuff again. It's not wanting to so far.
Kyoto - the only account on my computer is an administrator one. But I also will right click on the file and choose "install as administrator" to be sure, and that seems to do it. Except with DAZ I noticed that it installed DAZ as an administrator, but when it came to installing the supplementary program not so much. I've noticed this with other programs as well that are actually installing more than one program with the same installation go. I've never really worried about it before.
Again, thanks to everyone who chimed in to help!!! I got a nice render yesterday and turned it into a gorgeous painting. Hopefully I'll be able to release it to the public to show off soon.
Good to know, but sad about the organization.
In a cunning burst of irony my CMS has just suffered from database issues and is currently undergoing the nuke and rebuild process .. ;)
OH cruel fate! I hope you're able to salvage more than I was able to!
I do no customisation, so nothing was lost - just a bit of time required to do the re-import of metadata :)
...but these (all the Omnifreaker ones) being in the Programme Files folder in Win7 (rather than I guess, "Documents") is what I have been told is causing the "perpetual" Not Responding errors which freeze up the app. (similar to what occurs with Hexagon) when I am working with them in the Surfaces tab.
...and how do I actually tell if the apps installed under the correct user status?
Again I should have more than sufficient processing power and memory available compared to my old system to support 4.5, so these "Not Responding" lockups and crashes to the desktop should not be occurring unless there is something wrong with the installation.
KK: What files are they? There should be .sdl in the Shaders folder and dsa scripts in the Scripts/Support\omnifreaker/Rendertime and Scripts/Support\omnifreaker/shaderDefinitions folders within the application folder.
...OK, loooking at the C:/ProgrammeFiles/Daz3D/DazStudio4folder.
in the /Plugins folder (along with a lot of dlls), there are the following folders
--PowerPose which has both .dsx script and .png files for the Subdragon
--Reality, which has the Reality .dll
In the /shaders folder yes, all are .sdl
In the /docs folder, there is a folder for AOA's atmospheric cameras which contains a number of .jpg files
In the /scripts folder and subfolders, all are .ds .dse, .dsb, or .dsa
In C:/ProgrammeFiles (x86) there isa Daz and Daz3D folder
--The Daz folder contains /people/Victoria4/Puppeteer presets which has a .dsb script and .png for G4.as well as a "read me" folder.
--The Daz3D one has the DIM and Hexagon files (which include Hex content).
So if this is all correct, then why do I keep getting the "Not Responding" hangups in 4.5 when working in the Surfaces tab with US/HSS components or getting occasional crashes to the desktop while opening a new scene after working on a previous one. This to me says something is either still wrong with my install of 4.5, a conflict with the way Win7 is set up on my system, and/or possibly an unplugged memory leak somewhere (or a combination of all three).
I've yet to even come close to, not much less push, the limits of my workstation's resources. A lot of times when the app hangs up, CPU load is minimal and memory commitment isn't even a third of what the system has so it has to be related to some kind of conflict in the Daz4.5 and/or win7 setup.
All of those should install to the DS application folder. If you installed DS4 outside of Programme Files, I have no idea how you managed to get the US/HSS files there. Was DS4 ever installed there?