Can I place Daz3d content on an external disk?
didierbekaert
Posts: 3
Hi,
I have an SSD disk so that daz3d start very fast.
If I install my daz content on thsi disk a lot of expensive disk space is gone and I would like to preserve this for programs only.
Is it possible to install the daz 3d content to an external (USB) -disk?
Thank you
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Did you intend posting this in the Bryce forum, or did you mean to post in the DAZ Studio forum?
If you meant it for the DS forum I can move it for you.
Hi Chocola,
I'm sorry for this nmistake.
It is indeed about das 3D. Can hou please move It.
Sorry for this.
Friendly greetings
There you go, BTW DAZ 3D is the Company. Daz Studio is the program. Just to save confusion.
I have Studio installed on my main drive, and ALL of my Runtimes are on my 1TB USB drive to help keep my main drive clean. I've used this setup for years and no problems with the content on another drive :)
Thanks Chohole, Thanks Atryeu. I will remove all my content and reinstall It on a new external hard disk.
Thank you again for the help.
For your Runtimes, if you know where they are in your folder setup you can just copy them to the other drive rather than reinstalling them all to the new one. Just remember when you go back into Studio that you'll need to go into the settings and tell the program where to find your Runtime(s) since they won't be in their default location :)
Thanks. Nothing but great tips which saves a lot of time. Thank you Atryeu.
One other gotcha — do you install your content manually or use the DIM? Installing with DIM needs a bit of forethought before you start, especially if you want to avoid putting unnecessary stuff in your main drive. The DIM has three folder path settings pointing by default to your main drive; one for installing the DAZ|Studio program, one for installing your content, and one for storing your content installers (unless you set DIM to delete them after installing). If you miss any of these, especially the third one, then your main drive will still be stealthily filling up as you add more DAZ content.
Also, as Atryeu mentioned upthread, you must set D|S to look for content in the same place DIM has just put it. This does not happen automatically, the two programs are not aware of each other's settings.
To add on to what SpottedKitty wrote, if you use DIM and don't want it to delete the installers but don't want them on your main drive, you can also go into DIM's settings and set it to download the files to your other hard drive where you want them saved as well. Being on dialup I prefer to keep my installers in case I need them again. Otherwise I would literally have 1000s upon 1000s of hours of downloading to attempt again :( LoL I don't mind downloading with DIM (although I really liked the exe files much better) but I install manually so I can name folders what I want them named and put them where I want them placed.
Thanks atryeu and SpottedKitty. Great info here.
I am getting ready to install Studio on a brand new (never had any version of Studio) computer. After a couple years of not using Studio I feel like a NOOB - not a newbie. So, pardon me if these seem like noob questions.
I haven't decided whether to use DIM or as I did in the past, a more manual installation. DIM seems to have ease and speed in it's advantage. But I remember issues trying to find things in Studio after they were installed by the Bit Rock installers. Hopefully, DIM and Studio's content manager has cleaned that up some.
Opinions on pros and cons of DIM vs manual content installation would be appreciated.
As to questions...
If I follow the above and I use DIM for installing content:
- I put the main program on my SSD - let's call the path C:/Programs/ for the 64 bit version,
- I put the installed content and plug-ins on an internal HD - let's call that path E: /3D Content/DAZ Studio.
- And last (but not least) store the installers (zip files) on an external drive - let's define that path in DIM as J:/Installers. (I set the external drive letter so that it is always the same designation when I plug the drive into my PC.)
Is this all correct?
Are the installers just placed on the third path without any organization? (I am assuming so. But I could reorganize them to make it easier to find files.)
If I uninstall some content and later decide I want to re-install, can DIM do that with the installer on my J: drive? Or do I have to re-download the file? (I know the advantage of re-download would be to insure I use the most up to date version of a model/plug-in when I do reinstall the file.)
Is the zip file I just download from DAZ the same zip file that would end up on my J: Drive via DIM? (May be smart to just download onto my storage drive in my preset paths and not keep the installers via DIM..)
Thanks in advance for answering these noob (or maybe they rate newbie status) questions.
DIM can reinstall from its download folder. I move the downloads from my organized archive folders back to the downloads folder if I want to reinstall -- if you use DIM online it will check if the downloaded version is up-to-date.
A helpful trick I use -- if I want to uninstall a product but might want to reinstall it later, I uninstall it and reinstall it to a dummy location, then delete the files from the dummy location. That way they don't take up disk space, but DIM still considers them installed, so it won't clutter up your Ready to Download/Ready to Install tabs. You can easily filter by the install location if you forget whether something is installed for real. When I want to install them, I put the downloaded zip back in the downloads folder, uninstall from the dummy location (DIM doesn't care if the files aren't there anymore), and reinstall to the real location.
For content they're the same zips, software and plugins will be installers rather than zips if you download them manually.
No re-download needed, if the installer is still where DIM put it (note my previous answer), it just gets reinstalled.
the interface your external drive connects will determine the speed in which you can load, save or browse your runtime(s).
If you can use an internal SATA drive for runtime it's going to be faster and cheaper. If external is the only option and USB 3.0 is available a USB 3.0 can access data significantly faster than USB 2.0 but USB 3.0 is still slower than a 3GB/s 7200 RPM internal SATA drive.
And A 7200RPM drive is going to be more responsive than a 5000RPM drive.
Best case scenario for a non solid state drive, 2nd internal SATA 3 or 6GB/s 7200 RPM drive, USB external as backup.
Another couple of 'gotchas'. DIM writes manifest files for all installed content and these files are written to Public/Documents/DAZ 3D/Install Manager folder by default, thumbnails are also written here if you choose to download them. These locations cannot be changed from within DIM so you need to 'hack' the "Account.ini" file found in C:/Users/[User Name]/AppData/Roaming/DAZ 3D/InstallManager/UserAccounts. Look for the lines: OverrideManifestDir= & OverrideThumbnailDir= ... add the path to the directory you want to use after those 2 lines and save (you should always make a back up of the file before 'hacking' it).
Wow, it looks like everybody else beat me to my reply. You asked for pros and cons on using DIM though and I'll share mine below.
Personally, I strictly use DIM for downloading only, as it provides an option to resume dropped downloads (priceless feature for us dialup users who can't download those "massive" 100mb+ files). However, I don't use the installation features. I have a specific organized setup I use for my runtimes and prefer it stay that way. By using DIM to install, and still be able to have to option to uninstall in the future, you wouldn't be able to organize your folders or DIM won't be able to locate those files in the future to remove (or update) them unless you use some of the methods somebody else above mentioned. I also don't care for the Studio "Smart Content" features and would rather use my own customized folder setup that I spent so much time setting up over the years.
So for me, it's great for downloading from, but I have no intentions of using any of the installation features it provides due to my existing runtime setups.
Thanks to ALL who responded to my questions.
Fantastic information and useful tips.
I appreciate the time everyone took to add their well thought out responses.
adding my two cents here about external drives. I'm the guy people call when their hard drive starts giving the click click, click click, click click sound. The desperate person then asks "is there anything I can do"?
No, there is not. Well not without spending a huge amount of money.
Just because you are using an external drive does not mean you are safe from failure. You MUST still back it up. So go get a second external drive now and start backing up your primary to the secondary. Come up with a system, like once a month just replace everything on the secondary with a new copy of the primary. Or get fancy backup software. Just don't wait for click click, click click.
Always a good idea to back up in multiple means. I have 5 external drives with different backup files. (And each one I buy stores more than all the previous ones).
I generally take really important stuff (a relative and subjective term, I know) and burn it to CD/DVD (and now that I have a Blu-ray burner....). If kept away from heat, high intensity sunlight, rumor has it the live expectancy of a DVD disc is over 100 years. Haven't seen an number for Blu-ray... I'd hope at least that long.
Thanks for the info... sound advise regardless which method you use.
Of course, reminds me of the punch line to a story. God told Satan and Jesus to write the greatest computer program ever written to see who was the better programmer. They both pounded out code non-stop for months. Suddenly, God let loose with a lightning bolt. Satan screamed and cussed. Jesus just sat and smiled. Remember: Jesus Saves. (No religious message intended - just a story I hope you enjoyed.)
Hehe, lucky me I just call myself for computer repairs :D Backups are always a great idea. I store so much in organized folders and when they build up to a big enough point I burn copies to dvds.
Wow, I'm jealous of the blu-ray burner! I want one, but it's not something we can find around here and we can't afford to drive to our regular computer store to get one (it's about a 90 minute drive one way).
Robert, haha, I just heard that joke/story on a show recently but I forget what it was from now.
Just to throw in my recent experience. I have used external HDs for years, because it allowed me to work on both my desktop, and laptop. It also allowed me to have lots of specialized runtimes. I also had a lot of the free and payed content from all over the place, organized and as well documented as possible, with a lot of work going into that. I had copies of everything, on more than one HD. A couple of years ago, I hit a period where money and time were tight, so I had to cut back, and this was one of the places that got the chop. This was also about the start of Studio 4, so that also influenced my decision.
A couple of weeks ago, I had my home robbed. Among the things they took, were four HD's, with ALL the copies of my content, and the runtimes. As it happens, I had been looking through them with my desktop for some files, and did not have them with me at work. Luckily, I had some of my oldest content, as well as some more "recent" downloads, on CD's, as well as the data off of my old computer. Of course, most of my Daz purchases can just be re-downloaded via DIM, but a LOT of stuff is just gone.
So, when you back up things, make sure that you have copies of all that good stuff in a safe place. Burn anything you cannot get back to disks, and file them away. And check on those disks, as they have a limited shelf life. I am not going to go down the "should have done" route, as the thieves were willing to break in my back door, and trash the place in the process. But, if I had burned everything to DVD, as I had planned to do years ago, I might have it all. Then again, they tore up the metal disk container that I had to put them in as well, so there you go.
This incident has brought me back to Daz, in any case. I had been seeing the adds in a lot of places I had been, but hadn't yet gotten around to hitting the site again.
This is all very interesting as I have been considering copying the My Library files from one computer with loads of space to a hard drive for use on my overloaded laptop. I am not, however, clear on how I access the files when I have the drive attached to the laptop. I am sure it must be dead easy, and there are probably loads of idiot guides, but I would welcome an idiot's idiot guide....
I really need to do something like this myself. I currently have Daz installed on my desktop and my laptop, with copies of some runtimes on both. It's a royal mess. I have two externals hooked up to my desktop and I am sorely tempted to just uninstall everything and start from scratch again, but this time with the runtimes and all else on the externals.
Sometimes things get so cluttered up the best way to fix it is...to start all over again. Unfortunately.
My prolem is that I have been blundering around and now have more than 2500 DIM files, let alone the ones that have been downloaded from other sources, so my original whizzo idea of copying the library to a 128gb stick was doomed to failure before I thought of it, and now I have even more....
But I don't know how to get at the files on the hard drive (having simply copied them from the My Library folder).
1) If you make your own categories, tags, or metadata, make sure you Export User Data first.
2) If you saved the zips when you installed with DIM (or have a fast uncapped connection to download them again), uninstall and reinstall the items to the new location; otherwise, just move the content folder to the new location.
3) In DS, go to Edit > Preferences > Content Library > Content Directory Manager and in BOTH "DAZ Studio Formats" and "Poser Formats" add the new path and remove the old one.
4) Re-Import Metadata
Make sure that the external drive is always connected before starting DS, especially if on a Mac.
Being a coward, I don't want to erase the old links (but should doso for the sake of my memory...)
As it happens, not doing so is not showing me the 140gb of files I have...
As I would like to free up my computer hard drive I would be grateful for aa complete idiot's guide to how to do this.
I'm guessing there is one somewhere, but I still haven't found it yet. But I have an internal 2 Tb drive strictly for Daz content that is filling up fast, and I need to seriously decide do I want get a 3 Tb internal drive to replace it, or a larger dedicated external drive for Daz and free up that space on my computer for something else.
My advice is go for the external drive, but mine is 6TB and practically full. Mind, I don't erase the dowloaded files after installing, which might be wise, but I just don't know whether to do so.