Copied recordings from old Hdr drive unavailable

[Jim Craddock]

Hi, wonder if any Linux/Humax gurus out there can help?

I recently replaced the drive in my Foxsat-HDR as it was failing. I put a 2TB drive in, and successfully started recording programmes (ie I see them, and they can be played back).

Off the old drive, I had copied off all the recordings I want to keep. Some were copied off using FileZilla (slowly), others by putting the drive in a (USB 3.0) docking station and using Ext2Explore (quicker).

So far, so good! Now I have 400GB (I know I need to do some serious housekeeping!) of files that I needed to copy to the new drive. My solution was to buy DiskGenius, which is capable of writing to the Ext3 formatted drive.

So I accessed the Video folder, and made subfolders and copied the files. Then I refitted the drive to the Foxsat. But when I look under Media, none of the new folders/files are shown! I know they are there as DG says they were copied and the Foxsat is showing 23% full. (They are not showing under Radio, Music or Photos either.)

So how can I access them? Could it be that the folders/files are Hidden by the copy process, and I need to change the attributes (to Normal)? Do I need to delete them, and create empty folders first (in the Foxsat), to DG copy the files into.

As you may have guessed, Linux is completely new to me, whereas Windows and DOS I'm much more familiar with!

 

[Black Hole]

Did you copy just the video files themselves or the whole set (including sidecar files)?

I'm not familiar with the Foxsat file system, but presume there's nothing special about it. Do any imported recordings show up if you put them directly in Video without any sub-folders? I'm thinking maybe the Foxsat doesn't know about sub-folders it hasn't "registered" internally, so if you make the folder first and then import into it...

My other thought is that I don't trust non-native file system utilities in Windows. You really don't need to be nervous of Linux these days, choose the appropriate distribution and it will seem pretty familiar (Wondows-like). The problem is the number of distributions to choose from! Download Linux Mint Cinnamon, burn it to optical or USB (whichever you can boot from), and run it as a live boot (no need to install).

As you have a docking station, why not just hook it up to the Foxsat and view recordings directly, or copy them in directly, from the Foxsat menus? I realise the copy will be slower, but it's a set-it-going-and-go-do-something-else type automated process.

 

[Jim Craddock]

Forgot to mention that I have also run the fixfilepaths utility from FW v4.1.3, as that has previously sorted out files that I copied using FileZilla. That didn't make them available either.

 

[Luke]

Did you copy just the video files themselves or the whole set (including sidecar files)?

Jim, which did you do?

And if you did also copy the sidecar files did you then try the procedure described in your earlier discussion:

Cannot see copied files

Hi all, I wonder if anyone can help me with this issue. I have a film on dvd that I want to play on my HDR (let's say it's Jaws as that's a short title to type!) I used AnyDVD to rip to the computer's hard drive, then joined the sections (*.VOB) together using Bandicut. I then ran the new...

hummy.tv

Because you started off with a clean slate when you installed the replacement drive the HDR won't know it has recorded them.

 

[Jim Craddock]

Black Hole, Yes, I copied the hmt/ts/nts files. They are showing under DiskGenius, but not on the Foxsat. I'm thinking of deleting them, make the new folders in Foxsat/File Manager/Function /Make Folder(s), then copying the files into those folders.

 

[prpr]

Would suggest you learn how to use the cd and ls commands on Linux (using Telnet connection).

 

[Luke]

I copied the hmt/ts/nts files.

Have you followed Dino's advice for the last time that TS files and their sidecar files copied to your FOXSAT were not viable?

Try using the Webif rename function on the film. Click on the OPT icon, then select 'Rename' and then update. You don't actually need to change it but you can if you want to confirm something has changed.

Then check to see if it is visible in media.

 

[Jim Craddock]

Hi Luke, I tried Dino's advice. Whilst the Webif rename changed the filename as seen from the PC, it was unchanged when viewed in Media! Surely the filename showing in Media should change too?

I also ran the fixfilespath utility, but that didn't make them visible either. (This has worked previously when I have copied files across using FileZilla, and has changed them from being invisible to visible.)

And the files I copied were not visible, only visible were the ones recorded on the Foxsat.

Black Hole and prpr, maybe I need to dip my toes in the Linux water. I don't fancy running the files from USB, or letting the Foxsat use it to copy the over, that will take way too long, I think.

What I find so frustrating is that the files appear to be there (drive usage showing 23%), but I can't play them!

 

[Black Hole]

What I find so frustrating is that the files appear to be there (drive usage showing 23%), but I can't play them!

No, because (apparently, unlike HDR-FOX) the Foxsat doesn't know about them unless they are listed in its own internal registry.

This is way above my pay grade to advise how to do it, but what you need to do is either use the Foxsat standard user interface to perform the transfer (just try it on one, and does it really matter how slow it might be?), or use some mechanism to con the Foxsat into thinking it has done the copy.

As for the difference between the filename and the media name - again, the media name is stored in the sidecar files. If the WebIF functionality is unable to update the media name, then maybe the sidecar files have not been copied correctly? Which might also explain why fixfilespath didn't work.

 

[Dino]

When you ran fixfilepaths did the log show anything untoward such as mismatched file set ?
I'd suggest using filezilla to transfer a small subset of file sets from the 400GB backup to the HDR.
Preferably choose some file sets that you backed up with filezilla and some with ext2explore.
Use either the webif rename or fixfilepaths to align the files sets in their locations on the replacement disk.


Then check to see if they show up and play. If they do it might suggest disk genius is doing something odd.

 

[Jim Craddock]

Thanks to all for their helpful advice. Have now managed to copy the files onto the Foxsat HDD, this is how I did it.

I didn't fancy learning/installing Linux Mint (too old a dog for that new trick!), so persevered with DiskGenius.

or use some mechanism to con the Foxsat into thinking it has done the copy.

I discovered that when a folder is made by Foxsat (Media/File Manager/Function/Make Folder) it contains an empty folder called .usr. This seems to be how the Foxsat recognises the folder (and therefore any contents I copy into it) as legitimate files. So I copied an existing .usr folder from the Foxsat HDD, copied that into each of the folders I wanted to copy onto the Foxsat, and set DiskGenius to work. When it finished (not too long at about 6 MB/s), I refitted the HDD into the Foxsat, and there were all the copied folders/files showing under Media (I also ran fixfilepaths utility which found and corrected a couple of discrepancies). I've played one or two of them and they work perfectly.

So now I have all my files on the new HDD, showing about 22% full. Result!

 

[Dino]

Glad you got it sorted, but for what it is worth, even though the on screen file manager does create a .usr directory, I'm unconvinced it is part of the mechanism for the HDR recognizing the file sets.
I've used all flavours of Foxsat custom firmware since mogie's telnet hack.
CF is used daily to make and rename directories on the HDR, move file sets between locations, rename files as required and collect one off recordings into appropriate directories.
Less routine - when replacing hard disks CF is used to copy recordings to and from a backup location.
Many of these things cause the HDR to lose track of fileset locations and the fix for me has never required creating a .usr directory.
I don't recall ever seeing a .usr directory until I did a test using the on screen menu to make a directory.

 

[Jim Craddock]

Thanks Dino, maybe it working for me is a bit of a red herring. But hopefully I won't be in this position again for a while!