Smart Content Gone
michaelmiranda
Posts: 0
I opened up Daz Studio 4.6 and clicked the smart content tab. It did not load anything. So I went over to the content library and found V4.2 and right clicked to show in the smart content. Smart Content shows the V4.2 icon but when I double click to load into scene, Studio crashes. There is a dialog box that comes up to save and send an error report. I can save the report but when I click the link to submit it, it takes me to the knowledge base page and there is no place to submit the report.
Anyone have any ideas as to what is going on the the crash?
I tried to post the log here, but it gets cut off.
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Comments
Check to see if you CMS is running
My guess is this is a problem with CMS data base getting corrupted. If this is what happened, don't worry, it can be rebuilt.
There are instructions on checking if the CMS is running here: http://docs.daz3d.com/doku.php/artzone/pub/software/dazcms_check
Before trying to rebuild it, you should make sure that is the problem. On a PC the CMS is installed in:
C:\ProgramData\DAZ 3D\Content Management Service
I think there is a log directory under this with a log file in it. Look at it and see if there are error messages in it.
Here is what it says:
Tue Jan 7 2014 13:54:47.416000 (TID 28216): ERROR: Unknown error
Tue Jan 7 2014 13:54:47.417000 (TID 28216): Server terminated
I also checked in the Task Manager and it says the CMS was stopped. When I right clicked to start it says "the operation could not be completed. Access denied"
I tried to double click the "Start CMS" icon under Start>All Programs>DAZ 3d>DAZ Content Management Service>Start DAZ Content Management Service
A Window comes up and it says its starting but still no Smart Content. And in the Windows Task Manager it still shows as stopped.
I'm just guessing but I'd have to say it is probably a corrupt database then
Perhaps this is unrelated but I opened up the install manager and signed in. It wants to download and install Genesis Starter Essentials. But if I look on the Installed tab, that has already been installed.
If it is Genesis 2 - DMC or something like that, it is a new package. Completely unrelated to your problem.
There are instructions here on how to rebuild the CMS data base:
https://helpdaz.zendesk.com/entries/22523891-Trouble-shooting-the-Smart-Content-Pane
Ok, Ill check that out.
Are you sure its not an update? I know I had an update to mine
My bad. It was an update. Waited for it to install. Didn't help at all with the smart content.
After reading what the help desk had to say about Smart Content, I guess I'm looking at reinstall?
Which is fine. My only concern is I have one character I don't want to lose. What would be the best way to preserve that character?
I don't think you need to re-install. I think you just need to delete your current courupt DB and then re-import the meta data to rebuild it.
Also, make sure that your anti-virus is allowing the database sever.
Ok I followed the directions. Tried to RE-IMPORT THE METADATA and REBUILD THE METADATA DATABASE. That did not correct the problem with the Smart Content.
I uninstalled and reinstalled the CMS and DAZ 4.6. The CMS did not get reinstalled. No folder was created in the DAZ3d folder for CMS. I checked %programdata% and the files that the instructions say to remove and save did not get replaced by a new install. Daz 4.6 did get installed and seams to function as before. Still no Smart Content items in the tab.
What antivirus are you running?
Did you allow the CMS in it?
I run Avast for Anti Virus.
When I installed for the first time (3 weeks ago) I had no issues.
I don't believe I've ever been prompted by Avast to allow the CMS.
Avast should have the option to allow/disallow things...it's been a while since I done anything with that one. But even if it initially allows it, an update to either Avast or DS could throw things for a loop. Since it is server software we are dealing with, there are several 'extra' layers of protections that all have to work together for it to run. If one of them fails, then the server is shut down.
The fact that CMS won't run at all...or install...seems to point to something blocking it. And yes an av can silently block the install of something it deems 'harmful'...and server software can fall into that list.
Ok. Got into Avast and just turned it off. Uninstalled Daz 4.6 through the Daz Install Manager (DAZ was not listed in the control panel>programs section of Windows for uninstall). Then restarted the computer. Avast off, I then used the Daz Install Manager to reinstall Daz 4.6. Still no CMS installed. Daz 4.6 installed and seems to work other than the Smart Content Tab.
At this point should I just start over?
How can I go about just uninstalling everything and doing a clean install?
Maybe this is related to some of the freebies I've installed recently?
Doubt it on the freebies...most of them have nothing to do with CMS, mainly because it takes time and effort to get anything that isn't Genesis specific into it.
I've had problems with reinstalling before when there were parts of the CMS software were still around...try searching your system for and of the files...and not just in the folders listed in the instructions from before...do a system-wide search.
What would I be searching for?
I found ContentDB.blb, ContentDB.dat, ContentDB.ind, ContentDB.vdb and master.vdg in C:\ProgramData\DAZ 3D\Content Management Service\databases
and the same in a folder on my desktop. The ones on the desktop are the one I saved as instructed from the Help Center.
Do you have Windows set to show system and hidden files?
That whole folder, Content Management Service should have disappeared when uninstalling...maybe, the files that weren't added by the installer could have caused it to stay around. Since it is still there, the installer may be detecting it and thinking that CMS is still installed and not really go ahead with the install.
I'd almost be ready to download the manual installer and run it instead of using the DIM, but I'm not sure if that's needed, yet.
Try moving that whole folder out of the way and reinstalling DS...
Also, which version of Windows?
I'm running windows 7.
I just uninstalled the DAZ install Manager and then reinstalled. It's interesting that doing this gets the CMS to install and create a CMS folder. According to the Help Desk article the CMS gets installed when you Install DAZ Studio 4.6, but it was installed when I reinstalled the Install Manager.
Went to the task manager>services and found the CMS stopped. Went into services, right clicked to start and it says:
"Windows could not start DAZ Content Management Service on Local Computer. For more information, review the System Event Log. If this is non-Microsoft service, contact the service vendor and refer to service specific error code 87."
See if you can find any references in the Event Log...because it is looking like something IS blocking it from running....either a permissions problem or something like a firewall.
I'm not really sure what I'd be looking for. What should I be looking for?
BTW, I just want to thank you for trying to help me on this.
Anything in the Event Log dealing with the Content Management Service...I'm not sure what the file/service names to look for would be, as I'm not on a Windows system and can't check.
I looked around. Not seeing anything DAZ or CMS related in the logs. There is a lot of stuff in there, I have no clue what it all is. I would think that Windows would have given the event an Event ID number but I don't think it did.
I'm not opposed to a total uninstall / reinstall. But I think I've essentially done that.
Or did I miss something?
I tried the Start CMS and the black window always comes up and then disappears right away. Anyway I captured it on a print screen and from that was able to associate with this in the event log:
0000000052: 2014-01-08 15:45:06:200 Exception : Access to the path 'C:\ProgramData\ATI\ACE\Profiles.xml' is denied. Exception Called by: ATI.ACE.APM.Server.XmlDocumentSaver::SaverWorker processID:08808 threadID:( ) domainName:(CCC.exe ) assemblyName:(APM.Server, Version=2.0.3924.37961, Culture=neutral, PublicKeyToken=90ba9c70f846762e) ************************************************************************************************************************
If that means anything.
That seems to be an odd error for the CMS server...it's related to video drivers. You wouldn't happen to have an AMD video card, by any chance?
Yes that's what I thought. I do have an AMD video card. Sorry, most of this stuff is over my head. I saw that in the event viewer. It was the newest event.
It is a permissions problem...and it can cause errors. Try updating your video drivers to the latest version...