crashing and green screen

[Luke]

is there any other fix?

A couple of years ago I had a fix-disk execution that looked as though it would take days.

At prpr's suggestion of
"You could always use dd to blank the disk (and then use the Humax software to partition and format) or run mke2fs manually to format whichever is the troublesome partition (presumably /dev/sda2)"
I ran
dd if=/dev/zero of=/dev/sda bs=1M
to blank the disk and every thing went fine after that.

Providing you have a recent version of the custom firmware then it doesn't matter if your laptop is disconnected see https://hummy.tv/forum/threads/fix-disk-continue-running-if-connection-dies.7656/#post-104254 Best advice would be to upgrade the custom firmware to the latest version before trying again because there have also been improvements to fix-disk.

Is the tmenu package now incorporated as part of the c/f? You use to have to install the tmenu package if you wanted to disconnect.

 

[Tik33]

thanks - I've been running it all afternoon while away - have come back and it's showing this:

Sun Dec 16 14:47:40 GMT 2018: Checking partition /dev/sda2...
e2fsck 1.42.13 (17-May-2015)
Pass 1: Checking inodes, blocks, and sizes
/dev/sda2: |===                                                     -  5.9%

if it stays like that for the next hour - is there any other fix? as it kept crashing last time I tried to use the fixdisk.
I'm running the latest custom firmware I believe (couldn't see any more recent than 2017).

the disk is readable for a while before it crashes - any other thoughts on how to salvage?

thanks!

have left it for a few hours and nothing. given my experience in Feb and again this weekend, looks like it will keep crashing and so won't get to the end of the fix disk. Is there any way around this crash?

if not, I suppose my options are:
1. fix HD disk if possible?
2. buy a new HD disk - transfer existing data on to new disk and fit to existing Humax box
3. buy a new PVR and transfer existing data on to it
4. something else I haven't thought of yet!

thanks!

 

[Tik33]

A couple of years ago I had a fix-disk execution that looked as though it would take days.

At prpr's suggestion of
"You could always use dd to blank the disk (and then use the Humax software to partition and format) or run mke2fs manually to format whichever is the troublesome partition (presumably /dev/sda2)"
I ran
dd if=/dev/zero of=/dev/sda bs=1M
to blank the disk and every thing went fine after that.


Is the tmenu package now incorporated as part of the c/f? You use to have to install the tmenu package if you wanted to disconnect.

thanks for your thoughts.

ideally I'd like to keep the current footage - is there a guide as to do that? I don't have a PC at home - just a laptop. I do have an external drive though which I think is 1 or 2 TB.

 

[Black Hole]

I don't have a PC at home - just a laptop.

?

Are you saying your laptop is not a PC?

 

[prpr]

Is there any way around this crash?

Looks like you are going to have to backup and reformat. There is nothing apparently wrong with the disk itself, according to the SMART stats. you posted, so I guess it's just filesystem corruption - easily fixed, albeit potentially time-consuming copying files back and forth.
No need to buy anything new.

 

[Tik33]

Looks like you are going to have to backup and reformat. There is nothing apparently wrong with the disk itself, according to the SMART stats. you posted, so I guess it's just filesystem corruption - easily fixed, albeit potentially time-consuming copy files back and forth.
No need to buy anything new.

thanks, PRPR would your diagnosis explain why sometimes the Humax stays stable for 10-30 mins and then gradually (after a reboot) stays stable for less and less time - and finally less than a minute?

in terms of back up and recovery do you happen to know if there a guide on here to backup and reformat? I had a quick look but couldn't see anything specific

Are you saying your laptop is not a PC?

I meant that it's not a 'tower'. my laptop runs windows.

my understanding from what I've read is that there is a piece of kit where you plug in the old drive - but not sure what the piece of kit looks like or whether it is USB powered or needs a 'tower' slot...

thank you!

 

[Black Hole]

my understanding from what I've read is that there is a piece of kit where you plug in the old drive - but not sure what the piece of kit looks like or whether it is USB powered or needs a 'tower' slot...

The "kit" you mention is a USB to SATA (serial HDD interface), allowing naked drives to be connected to any USB port - whether that port is on a tower, desktop, luggable, laptop, notebook, netbook... and regardless of whether it is running Windows, MacOS, Linux...

Very uselful to have in the toolbox (and if you might want to play with older drives, some also have the old PATA connector). If buying one, ensure the item on sale includes an external PSU.

https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/USB-3-0-...dapter-with-Power-Supply-UK-Plug/222990310685

 

[prpr]

would your diagnosis explain why sometimes the Humax stays stable for 10-30 mins and then gradually (after a reboot) stays stable for less and less time - and finally less than a minute?

Difficult to say, but it seems unlikely. The only way to know whether there's another problem, as well as the disk problem, is to fix the disk problem and then see what happens.

in terms of back up and recovery do you happen to know if there a guide on here to backup and reformat?

There are so many ways to do it, depending on what bits you have to hand, how you want to approach it, and your skill level.
If you don't have a USB caddy for your spare disk, then the easiest way to backup is to copy files from the Humax to your PC over the network (file copy via SMB, FTP, rsync etc.). The fundamental starting points for that are: How full is the 1TB drive on the Humax and do you have enough space on the PC?

 

[Black Hole]

the easiest way to backup is to copy files from the Humax to your PC over the network

Not if the Humax is flaky!

 

[MartinLiddle]

If buying one, ensure the item on sale includes an external PSU.

https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/USB-3-0-...dapter-with-Power-Supply-UK-Plug/222990310685

As a slightly cheaper alternative I recently bought one of these:
https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/USB-to-S...DD-SSD-Hard-Drive-Power-Adapters/273412840087
and found it much faster than my old SATA 1 adapter when connected to an HDR-2000T.

 

[Tik33]

thank you everyone for your thoughts and posts

As a slightly cheaper alternative I recently bought one of these:
and found it much faster than my old SATA 1 adapter when connected to an HDR-2000T.

great, thank you, appreciate the link - have ordered!

Once I have it - what's next?

I assume that:

1. Remove Humax HD and back up to an external drive.
Question: I have read that I can only read 'SD files' - most of mine are - but I do have the odd HD file. Will it sit on the external drive as an encrypted unreadable file or would it be best just to copy over the SD files?
2. Reformat Humax HD
3. Reinstall programmes back to Humax HD
4. plug back into Humax and fingers crossed!
Question: should I then run fixdisk again to take a look at the diagnostics of the drive or once it's been reformatted will it not need it any more?
5. If I did want to buy a new Humax in time for Christmas movies... - will I be able to copy over the back up files to the new Humax? is this true of any of the new models?


thanks again!

 

[Black Hole]

I have read that I can only read 'SD files'

Wherever you read that it wasn't here. All recordings are encrypted, see Things Every... (click) section 5.

The encryption doesn't matter when it comes to backing up and restoring, or even storing and replaying off-box, but only the original box will replay them.

Then there is the question of how to read the HDD to back it up, and where. For access: see Things Every... (click) section 12.

For my money: I would install a completely new HDD, and then restore the recordings to it from the old HDD via the USB-SATA adapter and the HDR-FOX's USB port.

 

[Trev]

will I be able to copy over the back up files to the new Humax? is this true of any of the new models?

Copy? Yes. Play? No. They are all encrypted unless you decrypt them first on the machine on which they were recorded. (Not strictly true, but the method is a bit circuitous)

 

[MartinLiddle]

5. If I did want to buy a new Humax in time for Christmas movies... - will I be able to copy over the back up files to the new Humax? is this true of any of the new models?

If the recordings have had the encryption removed you can copy them to the newer Freeview Humax recorders.

 

[Tik33]

hi all, just an update on where I've got to on this particular problem. the Sata to USB kit arrived - thanks to @MartinLiddle for the link

As a slightly cheaper alternative I recently bought one of these:
and found it much faster than my old SATA 1 adapter when connected to an HDR-2000T.

I've managed to get it working - and just in case anyone else is stuck - thanks to this post: 360panoramas.co.uk/humax/ I downloaded Linux reader and have managed to work out how to find the files and copy over the .TS files to my external drive.

Two questions:
1. Is there any faster way to copy the entire contents of the HDD of the Humax to my external drive? At the moment, it appears as though I'll have to go through each individual file and back them up file by file
2. Before I go through that particular exercise which could take quite some time, I thought I'd better check that the two small files I downloaded worked. Of course, they are encrypted as they come directly from the HDD and not via the custom firmware/external USB since the Humax is freezing before that could happen. Is there anyway to see whether these files have downloaded correctly before I reformat the old drive, and restore? I've read the things everyone should know - but this appears to relate to a drive that is functioning ok rather than one which isn't.

thank you!

 

[Tik33]

happy christmas everyone!

thanks to all of your guidance, I have taken the opportunity of a few days off from work to keep going. I have managed to copy all of the files off the Humax internal drive on to my external 1.5gb drive.

What I noticed is that:
1. some movies have 3 files - a .ts file - this is the largest file, a nts file and a tiny thm file - I've copied them all across just in case
2. some movies only have the thm or the nts file - can I assume that these are 'corrupted' - they're tiny files. It appears as though the main .ts file either doesn't exist or has been deleted. Does that appear odd to you?

I am using 'diskinternals linux reader' to read the files and copy them across.

questions now:
1. can I run a 'disk check' on the humax HDD while it's out of the HUMAX case? if so, what software should I download to do so?
2. Otherwise I know I need to reformat the HDD - should I try and reformat it now while out of the case (again what software would be best for this) or should I put back into the HUMAX and reformat from those menus.
3. What's the best way to know about the health of the machine/disk drive. If I buy another HDD (say a 2TB one) - is there anyway to know whether the machine will keep crashing before I buy it? I assume that it's just a case of reformatting the original disk, seeing whether the problem continues and then make the call on buying a new one?

thanks again for all your help so far!

 

[Black Hole]

Recording set:
.ts - the actual media file, encrypted (when recorded);
.hmt - a properties file, created at time of recording and updated to save such things as resume point, bookmarks;
.nts - a properties file, created at time of recording to provide time indexes for trick play (fast forward, rewind, etc);
.thm - an image file created post-recording to provide the thumbnail displayed with the media listing.

The latter three we refer to as "sidecar files". There is another form of sidecar created when imported non-ts files are played.

While the .ts remains encrypted, it must not be divorced from its sidecars (particularly the .hmt), although it is possible to reconstruct them. In general, it is best to treat them as a set. That said, a decrypted .ts intended for external use has no need of its sidecars - only Humax playback uses them.

With regard to formatting etc, it's easiest to simply fit it and run the Humax tools to install it, and CF tools to check the file system. That way, all the relevant settings are the defaults - which you would otherwise have to supply on the command line.

More info: Things Every... (click) section 12.

 

[MartinLiddle]

1. can I run a 'disk check' on the humax HDD while it's out of the HUMAX case? if so, what software should I download to do so?
2. Otherwise I know I need to reformat the HDD - should I try and reformat it now while out of the case (again what software would be best for this) or should I put back into the HUMAX and reformat from those menus.

I would suggest using the manufacturers diagnostic tools on the drive whilst it is out of the Humax eg Seatools for Windows available from https://www.seagate.com/gb/en/support/downloads/seatools/

 

[Tik33]

thanks both very much! that's great help - will try Martin's suggestion of the seagate first and then will re-format using the humax itself.

do you have any thoughts on the files which didn't come across as a 'set'? can we assume that they are corrupted?

When I transfer the backed up files on to the reformatted drive - should I do that with the Humax drive out of the Humax, or when it is in the Humax?

thanks again!

 

[MartinLiddle]

do you have any thoughts on the files which didn't come across as a 'set'? can we assume that they are corrupted?

I would say so.

When I transfer the backed up files on to the reformatted drive - should I do that with the Humax drive out of the Humax, or when it is in the Humax?

Which ever is the quickest way. FTP would be one way to do it with the drive in the Humax.