Hard Drive Swop

Chris Wagner

New Member
Hi

Does anybody have instructions on replacing the hard drive ..... i.e. formatting requirements/software inst/disc size etc. Mine has gone pop after many years service.

Regards

Chris
 
Does anybody have instructions on replacing the hard drive ..... i.e. formatting requirements/software inst/disc size etc. Mine has gone pop after many years service.
The safest bet is to get another Seagate DB35 series ACE IDE drive. This is not easy as they are no longer available through the usual retail channels. I resorted to buying one from Ebay earlier in the year and it was fine but obviously there is a risk. If you go this route I suggest using Seagate Seatools to test it on a PC before installation. The other options are to install a different type of IDE drive, but not all are compatible or to install a SATA drive and an IDE to SATA converter.

The actual installation is straightfoward and obvious. The box will offer to format the drive the next time you boot. There is no software to install. The original disk size was 160GB and personally I wouldn't see the point of going beyond 500GB but people have gone as large as 750GB but there is a limit to the maximum number of recordings, regardless of disk size, of (tired only memory struggling) 511.
 
Hi Martin....Thanks for the reply, sound a lot more straightforward than I thought. Will probably go for a SATA with converter if there are problems with compatability of other IDEs

Cheers

Chris
 
Hi Martin....Thanks for the reply, sound a lot more straightforward than I thought. Will probably go for a SATA with converter if there are problems with compatability of other IDEs
Some other drives work fine; others don't. My own advice is that unless you need the extra space or are unable to find a good Seagate DB35 ACE drive, make life easy by fitting a straight replacement.

If you do want to go the SATA route you need to be careful about the choice of SATA drive and converter. This is a thread over on Digital Spy about the SATA conversion http://forums.digitalspy.co.uk/showthread.php?t=960586&page=2 see my posts 34 and 37;unfortunately the drive I used is no longer readily available but other people have offered more recent alternatives if you do a bit of searching.
 
I upgraded my 9200T from it's 160GB to a new Seagate 500GB and to be honest it was simple, for best results you need the Startech IDE to SATA converter there is on on ebay item number 150558874831 (part code is IDE2SAT) and a 500GB seagate drive (model number ST3500312CS) it was just a simple swap but one word of warning when i read up on it someone said be very careful not to touch the heatsink otherwise it will blow the PSU so be VERY careful on that front, make sure jumpers on back of drive are done right, i think you have to set to 1.5GB speed or something like that, and formatting the drives takes seconds.

I have done it on 3 9200T and never had a problem.

All1
 
I replaced my 9200's failed 160 GB disk with a 500 GB SATA one a few months ago. I used the same components as Alloneword (ST3500312CS Seagate Pipeline disk and Startech IDE to SATA converter) and it was fairly simple to do. I found the documentation about jumper settings on the disk contradictory so tried it without any and it's worked without any problems so far.
 
Can someone please confirm that the reference to touching the power supply heatsink only applies if the mains is connected? Surely no one would attempt to work on the PVR when it is plugged in to the mains? Or is the power supply very, very sensitive to static and it is unadvisable to touch it at any time?

Just curious.
 
I don't know about this PSU as such, but it is very possible that dangerous potentials still remain within the PSU after the mains plug has been pulled. At least until the capacitors have discharged, and hopefully not through you!

Exercise caution. Safety first.
 
Can someone please confirm that the reference to touching the power supply heatsink only applies if the mains is connected?
The problem is with the mains connected. A number of people have applied power with the drive not secured, inadvertently nudged the box and once the drive touches the power supply, the power supply dies.
 
Several months ago my 6 year old 9200t started the usual playing up and I bought a new HD to install (WD500AVJB). Before I got the chance to do this the hummy received the latest firmware update and worked perfectly well. However it started missing recordings, corrupting files and recording programmes under different names a couple of days ago. So I popped in the new disk today...did a couple of factory resets and a couple of disk formats. The hummy recognises the disk and will record to it BUT the capacity is listed as 120GB and not the 500GB it should be. Any ideas anyone?
 
I read this thread as my 9200T disk as just failed. As there a few PATA disks available I thought about fitting a SATA disk with a converter; Scan have Seagate 320GB ST3320311CS Pipeline HDD's for £33 which seem a good buy. I have also looked at a similar thread on digital spy; a comment was made there that Seagate CS drives are slower to start up which causes problems. I have put a spare IDE HDD in my 9200T and it will record when switched on but not from standby. Has anyone else had similar problems with CS drives?
 
I read this thread as my 9200T disk as just failed. As there a few PATA disks available I thought about fitting a SATA disk with a converter; Scan have Seagate 320GB ST3320311CS Pipeline HDD's for £33 which seem a good buy. I have also looked at a similar thread on digital spy; a comment was made there that Seagate CS drives are slower to start up which causes problems. I have put a spare IDE HDD in my 9200T and it will record when switched on but not from standby. Has anyone else had similar problems with CS drives?

Not recording from Standby could be the infamous clock problem: http://forums.digitalspy.co.uk/showthread.php?t=1274989

Are you sure it's not this?
 
Thanks baz, I'll check that one out.

The problem with starting a recording from standby has only happened since I replaced the failed HDD with a spare one I happened to have. It was OK before but I can't go back to the original disk. I want to put a new HDD in and I understand that Seagate CS drives are designed for video recording but I have seen a suggestion that they do not start up quickly enough for use in Humax PVR's, hence my question about Seagate CS drives.
 
Not recording from Standby could be the infamous clock problem:
It could be but I think it is more likely to be that the 9200 isn't completely compatible with the non standard hard drive. I saw this behaviour when testing a Western Digital hard drive.
 
Martin

I understand what you are saying and agree that there is probably a compatibility issue with the replacement disk I am currently using. The replacement disk I used was simply to check that the 9200T was still working after reporting a hard disk error. I was not surprised that there were issues. The only disks of the type fitted by Humax are only available as used or refurbished units.

The Seagate CS range are designed for video recorders but I have read a report that suggested they might not be compatible with Humax 9200T. I posted my comments in order to find out if other people have found them suitable.

It would be useful if there was a list of disk types that were compatible.
 
The only disks of the type fitted by Humax are only available as used or refurbished units.
Trust me I am well aware of that problem. I bought three hard drives (whilst fixing a faulty 9200 as a favour for somebody I had not met) earlier in the year from reputable suppliers and all were faulty; I eventually received refunds but it was hard work. I did find a reliable seller on ebay in the end who claimed the drives he was selling had been removed from some product after nominal use as they were fitting bigger drives. The drive he provided was in excellent condition. I can look up his ebay ID if you want.
The Seagate CS range are designed for video recorders but I have read a report that suggested they might not be compatible with Humax 9200T. I posted my comments in order to find out if other people have found them suitable.
The only reliable way is to try it. Distance selling regulations mean you have 7 days to change your mind. From what I know there is a good chance that they will work.
It would be useful if there was a list of disk types that were compatible.
Feel free to compile one.
 
peterjh said: ↑
It would be useful if there was a list of disk types that were compatible.​
Feel free to compile one.
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You may be having a bad day Martin, but surely this response was a bit abrupt from an experienced Humax expert and moderator like yourself, to a new user of the site.

As a newcomer, had I been met with a reply like that to an innocent suggestion, I doubt I would have returned to share my experiences or seek further help.
Yes, I know there is a search facility on the site, but trawling through every possibly relevant post is hardly the way to encourage the poster to use the forum to solve his immediate problem. I think he assumed that with your level of expertise you would have a working knowledge of suitable drives, or at least be able to refer him to a reference or database.
 
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