HD-FOX CF Host UPD

What's going on here?:

I'm trying to reinstate CF on my HD-FOX on a different UPD, I first tried a brand new Sandisk 8GB and maintenance mode in 1.02.29/2.15 didn't think there was a suitable drive for Ext2 conversion. Maybe it's NTFS I thought, so I plugged in an old 2GB definitely FAT, ditto. I checked the 8GB and that was FAT all along.

Next I tried updating the firmware to 1.02.31/2.23. I thought I was getting somewhere, the conversion option showed on the menu now, but (with the 2GB UPD) it was reported as just under 8GB and the conversion failed:

Code:
      /---------------------------------------------\
      |  M A I N T E N A N C E   M O D E   M E N U  |
      \---------------------------------------------/

  [ Humax HD-Fox T2 (HDFOX1) 1.02.31/2.23 ]

  Note: Some areas of the hard disk are not mounted.
        Not all functions will be available.
        (normal if you have just run a disk check)

    1 - Convert USB flash drive to EXT2.
  epg - Clear persistent EPG data.
    x - Leave maintenance mode (Humax will restart).
 diag - Run a diagnostic.
  cli - System command line (advanced users).

Please select option: 1
This process wil convert the USB flash drive to EXT2 format.
Anything currently on the disk will be destroyed.
Are you sure you wish to run the conversion process? [Y/N] y
Are you sure you wish to do this? [Y/N] y

Disk is removable.
Disk is formatted as FAT.
Disk is 7680 MiB.
Converting flash disk on /dev/sda, slice 1 to EXT2...
 + unmounting.
 + formatting disk.
mkfs.ext2: not found

Press return to continue:

      /---------------------------------------------\
      |  M A I N T E N A N C E   M O D E   M E N U  |
      \---------------------------------------------/

  [ Humax HD-Fox T2 (HDFOX1) 1.02.31/2.23 ]

  Note: Some areas of the hard disk are not mounted.
        Not all functions will be available.
        (normal if you have just run a disk check)

        No suitable drive for EXT2 conversion detected.
  epg - Clear persistent EPG data.
    x - Leave maintenance mode (Humax will restart).
 diag - Run a diagnostic.
  cli - System command line (advanced users).

Please select option:

The problem seems to be pinpointed by the line which says "mkfs.ext2: not found".
 
One mystery solved: it's not a 2GB drive (CF 1 BH 0).

I could just use Linux in a virtual machine and format the UPD to Ext2 myself, but it would be good to get the CF process barrel-cleaned. In an effort to progress, I tried long-formatting one of the UPDs on a Windows machine, which of course wanted to use a minimum allocation unit of 2K bytes - I wonder if this is anything to do with it?
 
The problem seems to be pinpointed by the line which says "mkfs.ext2: not found".
That's a bug in CFW version 2.23.
Try this from the command line:

Code:
humaxhd# mke2fs -m 0 -O sparse_super -q /dev/sda1
humaxhd# fdisk /dev/sda
...
Command (m for help): t 1
Selected partition 1
Hex code (type L to list codes): 83

Command (m for help): w
The partition table has been altered.
 
humaxhd# mount /dev/sda1 /media/drive1
humaxhd# modinit
 
Will do. BTW, I think I saw "mkfs.ext2: not found" in firmware 1.02.29/2.15 also.

(My efforts to run Linux in a VM ran into trouble when I found I had only half installed it - but left all day it got no further. Something else to be barrel-cleaned.)
 
Last edited:
That seems to have worked, although I had to umount /dev/sda1 first.

My remote mounts are up and running (once I "remembered" what the modsettings should be).
 
What is a UPD?
This forum needs a dislike button!
Please stop digging this up at every opportunity and polluting threads. Goodness only knows what impression of this place newcomers get. I don't think UPD is the best term for it either but Black Hole can call it what he wants and if anyone genuinely doesn't understand, they can ask.
 
How about some proper moderator oversight to de-pollute topics? They're ready enough to act in other ways which seem less appropriate or within their remit.
 
What we need is an effective moderator who will stop this sort of thing.
@BH. You beat me to it. Just.
 
And if the moderators decided well known users shouldn't be using misleading terminology that needs explaining, everyone will abide by that will they?
 
Moderators have a specific role: keeping posts on topic, preventing spam, keeping posts clean, preventing on-line abuse. Tell me how your expectation fits any of those categories.

For the absolute last time (I mean it, this has been debated in the 'Arms - which is the appropriate circus ring): "USB stick" is no more universal than any other euphemism for the solid-state non-volatile memory devices which interface with a USB port. "Flash" is not appropriate because they do not have to operate on Flash technology; "Memory Stick" is not appropriate because that is a trade name for a particular type of NV memory card (not USB). I choose to call the devices in question UPDs, what you or anyone else chooses to call them is up to you, but might equally get queried by some people with other experience.

Similar situation: in the 1980's logic device manufacturers came up with programmable logic chips. As they were in competition with each other each had their own name. One called it "Programmable Logic Array", another "Programmable Logic Device", another "Programmable Array Logic". My company principally used devices from AMD, so the common term amongst the engineers (for any programmable logic chip, from any manufacturer) was PAL. Other communities of engineers call them PLDs.

"UPD" is coined from "USB Pen Drive", and this was one of the proprietary names for the device when another manufacturer called it a "Thumb Drive", etc. Why "Pen"? Because it came with a clip to fasten into the engineer's pocket like a pen, were typically thumb-sized, and certainly don't look like a stick. I did not coin it myself, though damned if I can remember who first suggested it (it was so long ago). It is a simple TLA, needing no more nor less explanation than any other acronym - either you know what it means in the context, or you don't. This is in contrast to typographic idiosyncrasies such as "WiKi".

'Nuff said? Bloody should be.
 
No-one has ever asked what WiKi means, strangely enough, not even you, but other users have asked what UPD means, so you have to be aware it is misleading. I do wonder if this entire thread is just a vehicle for you to promote UPD, which you feel the need to 'bump' every now and again, as 10 of the first 11 posts were by you. Maybe the moderator's tidy up should include moving this entire thread to the Arms where it belongs, then at least users of Humax products can avoid it
 
Back
Top