Please help me. I was installing a new prop that I downloaded, and I dropped the Runtime folder into my Poser folder like I always do, expecting it to add the new files. But when I opened Poser to play with my new toy, everything else was gone! So I opened my Runtime folder, and there's nothing there except for the new prop in my folders! Instead of adding to the folders, it replaced them all. It's never done this before. How do I get it back? Everything is just gone. It's not even in my trash, so I can't restore it. I'm in tears right now. Please somebody help.

Make sure that you are looking in the right folder. If you originally installed Poser from Metacreations the Poser directory will be: C:Program FilesMetacreationsPoser 4 If you installed the Curious Labs version it will be somewhere else, probably in: C:Program FilesCurious LabsPoser 4 My guess is that you are looking in the wrong directory, and that the right one exists somewhere else. Do a search for Poser and see if you find two directories. I do not think what you did could erase your other items, just overwrite existing files of the same name and path.

Any joy, AliasAngel??

What was the prop and what operating system do you use?

I am looking in the right folder. And I first noticed the problem when running Poser and discovered all my folders empty except for the new prop, so I'm certain I'm in the correct folder. I don't know why this happened! Dropping a Textures folder (for example) into my Runtime folder should only replace a texture of the same name if there is one. It should not replace the Textures folder with the new folder. Right? But this time it did. And with all my Runtime folders. If anybody can restore my folders, I will even pay you. Please. I'm very desperate here. I can't have lost everything.

If you have Windows XP home or pro you can do a restore system, like yesterday and see if it brings it back.

Alias: First of all, don't do anything like add more files or install new stuff to the hard drive - this might over write the "missing files". You say that the files are not in the trash so it may be that there has been a hard drive error of some sort. If you have something like Norton utilities already installed -- run the disc diagnostics. If you don't, run a scandisk or a CHKDSK and see if it reports any problems. I had a similar experience with about a month's worth of downloads of which there was a lot of stuff that I had bought. I was able to run Norton and after it did its "thing" I rebooted and the files were all back . . .

I use Windows XP. The prop was called Temple Ruins, and I downloaded it off some web site that I didn't bookmark and can't find again.

How do I do a restore system? I don't want to accidentally do something that will wipe out everything on my entire computer. I'm also afraid of restarting.

Just a word of advice. If Scandisk or chkdsk finds errors, DO NOT let them fix the errors. Go and get a good recovery program that will only copy the repair to a different drive or the CD-R's. Twice I have learned the hard way. Do not let anything write to the questionable drive, especially Scandisk or chkdsk. Each of the two have caused one of my problems, and then I searched the internet and found out I wasn't alone. I have used OnTrack's recovery program since then with good results, but I do not believe they sell it anymore. Again, just a word of caution. What package were you trying to install, and what OS as PhilC asked. This info could help.

Sorry for the cross posted questions!

The web site will probably still be in your browser history. Do you have the exact name of the zip file that you downloaded? Not sure this will help, just exploring all avenues.

Well, I don't know if there's actually been an error. When you replace a file, it never puts the old one in the trash, it just replaces it and it's gone. But I've never had to deal with anything like this before, and I have no clue about anything. Isn't there somewhere where the replaced files go in case you replace them accidentally and need them back?

In WinXP go to Programs, Accessories, System-Restore. I did it this week and it works great.

The site isn't in my history. I downloaded it quite a while ago but just now got around to installing it. And now that I've bothered to actually look at the readme, I see that it's a warez file. Excuse me for a minute while I swear. I don't believe this. I thought it was just a really large freebee. Dammit, it's actually Hankster's Temple Ruins Part II for Poser, and it's from the marketplace. Just great, so I deserved this. It's bitter poetic justice! But I didn't know it was warez, I was just searching for some free ruins. I'm sorry! starts sobbing

Try the System Restore and go back to yesterday. I used this last night to undo a program update that had gone pear shaped. I was easily able to restore the previous version even though the new had over written the existing.

Sorry to inundate you with responses - but Rwilliams is correct. Check for errors but don't do the repairs. Usually these repairs from scandisk/chkdsk give you just give you hunks of useless file fragments. If a check does reveal an error, a proper utility like Norton will actually recover the files intact. I believe that Norton will allow you to run its repair functions from its CD. It is important not to install a bunch of stuff on the affected drive -- as I said before it might over right the missing file if there has been a disc error. Also, is it possible that you accidentally dragged your runtime folder to a new location? This is a long shot but might have occured. Just try to search for a file that you know the name of and see if comes up. Another thing to check - you might have some weird type of virus. I'd run a virus scan too. If you come up clean, that is just one more possible problem you have eliminated. Finally, the different versions of windows do things in slightly different ways so that is important to know your Operating system. Do you have Win 95/98/Me or do you have Windows 2000 or Windows XP?

I just did a restore, and I think it's all back! (Although I needed to go back several days, which will likely bite me regarding something.) But YIPPEE!!! You guys are awesome! I LOVE YOU ALL! And I've learned my lesson. I will never, ever, ever download files again without making certain that they're not stolen first. Free stuff is good, but only when it's meant to be free - warez are EVIL. And if I ever find that site again, I'll give you guys the URL so that you can yell at them and get them closed down. And again, THANK YOU!

AliasAngel, You said "I dropped the Runtime folder into my Poser folder"....if it was the Runtime folder you moved and not the files in the folder, you overwrote the existing Runtime folder with the new one. You may be able to use an Unerase or Undelete program to get the old files back but it may not find the all as the new Runtime folder replaced some of the files that were in your old Runtime folder.

Glad the Restore worked. one of the best features Windows has put in the system in a long time I think. Glad it worked out. If you find that link with the Temple ruins don't post the link in the forum that will just give them free traffic, send an IM to Hankster and Clint and have them blast the site :)

As somebody who's runtime exceeds 17gb of data I can vouch for the importance of running a weekly back-up. Most windows versions has the free Microsoft Backup program in System Tools under Accessories and this can be used easily to do incremental backups of folders to other hard-drives. I have an external hard drive purely for back-up and every sunday my computer kicks into geat and back-ups my Runtime, poser working folder and other important folders. Don't risk losing anything, give up a few minutes a week and back-up. Best wishes Jody

Oh wow I'm so glad you recovered your stuff, I would have been in tears for sure!

Do what I do - NEVER EVER allow anyone (any zip for instance) to run loose in your Poser folder. Do your unzips to a dummy folder, anywhere else but in Poser, then copy the folder tree on top of your runtime manually, after checking it out first. I do this for every sigle thing I install in Poser - I keep each downloaded zip in its own separate folder on a different drive, do the unzip there, go through it, rename folders if necessary, check files etc, then finally copy the folder structure to my Poser runtime. That way I know what got installed and where. The only exception is DAZ since their stuff comes as exe files. I don't like it one bit but there's nothing I can do about it. Never trust anyone - I don't necessarily mean people are bad, just maybe they are not experts - and why let them decide how my Poser folders look? That's my business only. :] Fish

Fish You can install the Daz stuff to any folder, and then copy it across manually, just change the destination folder by clicking 'cancel' on their searching screen and you'll be presented with a way of alterting the installation path.

I just can't figure out how it could happen. Are you SURE you didn't move the original Runtime somewhere? I once got my Character folder to dissapear by accidentally dragging it to one of the other folders. Of course it was still there but it was "hidden" inside one of the other folders. I can't see how a zip can actually delete something, it overwrites stuff (after asking if it's ok) but it doesn't delete.

I don't think a zip can replace a folder, it can replace files automatically but the way Windows file copying works when copying folders is if the folder is present, files are moved into it and then the user is prompted for any files that may be overwritten. Best wishes Jody

I agree ernyoka1,Alias had to of dragged the Runtime into another folder unknowingly....too easy of a thing to do,and nothing to let you know you just did it. Anyway,I'm glad you got everything back to normal Alias. SWAMP

If you use the WinXP explorer to open zips it warns you that a folder already exists, and gives you the chance to cancel, but it doesn't do a file-by-file overwrite warning. Still sounds odd though, I too would suspect a Windows error in the unzipping or an unintended drag-and-drop.

No, I didn't just drag the folder elsewhere (and I doubt I could move a 7GB folder without noticing). I know this because first off, I checked. Secondly, I had a readme file from something else inside my Runtime folder that was still there; it was only the files in the folders inside the Runtime folder that got replaced. So it must have been an error or a virus or something. I'm just glad it seems to be back to normal now.

Actually there is an option in WinXP somewhere I forget where, where when replacing files it will not ask, it will overwrite. which is what happened to you. I've had the same thing done, and I don't drag and copy to folders now, I copy the files and put them IN their folders. I don't remember where the option is, its one of those deep down file association options and you have to hunt for it to change it.

sounds like a very bad file system error.. happend to me once... a scandisk helped.. but the files where gone