GONE! No content in DAZv3 or DAZv4

IceScribe

Help!
Last night I was working in DAZ Studio version 3 and also in DAZ Studio version 4.0.
This afternoon, I start up my DAZ 4.0 and there is nothing of the installed content, ie Genesis, and nothing of my additions.

So I go to my trusty DAZ version 3 and it also has NOTHING!
Both of these have been rather stable, so what the heck is going on? They disaapeared while I wasn't on the computer.

on trying to start either, I get a message to look at "the log". I dont' know what that is or how to look at it, or how to comprehend log lines, I don't do programming.
Can anyone help me?

And, I'm not sure I'm ready for 4.5 as I have read there are still crashes and such that I have no programming skills to work with. I'd be real happy if I could get DAZ version 3 content back, as much of that is older.

wancow

Are you looking in Smart Content? I've had issues with that. I have no experience with DS3, though, so I don't know what might be going on there...

IceScribe

@wancow
thank you for responding, I'm halfway between despair and full on irritation. Nah, the "Smart Content" is not part of Version 3. And, I know why that usually doesnt work---I'm too lazy to build yet another database. I just use "import" if the Content Library tab can't find something, which is usually 50/50 chance. Sometimes I load the metadata, but I don't care about the Smart pane. I use the other pane for selecting, edtiting...if there was something there!

Deep breath. Ok I used the itty bitty teeny tiny arrow in the content pane of V. 3 "search for content", and yay, it refound my stuff. However, it ignored the folders and made new ones. I don't know how to edit away the now empty folders. Version 3. At least I can get back to creating instead of programming. Thankfully, I got my new computer glasses today so I could find the itty bitty arrow.

But I'm still scratching my head over the Version 4. Genesis doesn't load upon startup which it did last night. Just yellow triangles in the little thumbnails, mocking me with showing me file names and extensions, but when clicked on, nothing happens, for objexts...I know about how textures etc won't load unless there is an Actor, Prop, etc. There are none. Just mockery.

mjc1016

What operating system...Windows?

Have you considered that it may not be a DS problem? That in fact, it's possibly a hard drive problem?

Disappearing content folders, between boots, 'smells' of file system errors...or a dying hard drive. Be safe and get a back up. Then, run some drive diagnostics...

IceScribe

@mjc1016
thank you for taking the time to reply. I do have my Windows machine well cared for and backed up but am loath to have to go the route of restoring if I don't have to. I did not find any other problems in other areas except that both DAZ Studio versions lost contact with their content. Mysteriously, between 3am last night and 3pm this afternoon, both versions were empty. I am not a programmer nor a computer guru, but I'm going to suspect that something that both versions have in common. like file path references was somehow lost. That disturbs me, I have no way to understand that, but other non-DAZ applications work. I did not have any previous trouble with anti-virus problems.

So update, in v 4.0 I just tried various Content Library tab options--darn it, I forgot which one got some content back into it. Noggins Macaw is the only thing that showed up in the Smart Content pane. Isnt' that odd? Surely metadata for Genesis predated that?

However, I was able to search for Genesis, and see the Genesis icon come up along with other things that must have Genesis in their tags, and clicked on it and loaded successfully. So I'm good to go with getting on creating since I can load---I'll limp along with either version. I prefer the 3.0 for editing tool acess, but I like being able to "kit bash" ( I just learned what that was called) with Genesis. I don't use the Smart tab that much anyway.

But why did this content lose contact with both versions? Just eerie and irritating.

mjc1016

What version of Windows...and where is the content located?

If both versions are using the same content folders then that's a commonality...especially if that folder is on another drive or partition.

IceScribe

mjc1016 said:

What version of Windows...and where is the content located?

If both versions are using the same content folders then that's a commonality...especially if that folder is on another drive or partition.

@mjc1016 Hi again,

Its Windows 7 with DAZ3 in the XP programs supported section, and DAZ4.0 in the W7 programs section.
I have not added any other software or done any system changes. If there was a Windows Upgrade, I did not get a notice. As I mentioned earlier post, it was working at 3am last night, and not at 3pm this afternoon. The computer was in hibernation.

I did enter the file reference paths according to each version's menu. Any DAZ item is installed with the installers wherever the installer chooses. All non-DAZ items are installed in a main folder called "Content".

BTW Content Management Service is running per Task Manager. I did nothing with it earlier or now.

And here is the weird part, version specific items are established again, as if nothing happened. Genesis is back in Version 4.
I can load the Gen 4s and other from Version 3.

IceScribe

Thank you for listening. Functionality has been restored to both versions. Not everything is quite where it used to be, but I can live with that.

I just opened DAZ Version 4.0 and there was Genesis preloaded as normal, with the Smart Content panel re-populated with both the original content and products I purchased.

Don't have any idea why this happened. I'm just going to roll with it.