HDR-FOX T2 HDD swap with T1000 ?

[nvingo]

In the home are two T2s, one in the lounge and one in the 'AV' bedroom.
The lounge one is low use timeshifting and archive source for general interest, documentary and music programmes.
The bedroom one is high use for archiving movies, music programmes and entertainment series.
Also I spent £20 on a T1000 several years ago for 'spares' which has very low use as a HD tuner in the dining room and has staunchly recorded one or two programmes weekly which can be discarded.
I have read BH's excellent pictorial 'dismantling a HDR' (I have performed similar with a fundamentally DVD recorder to swap the HDD for an SD card slot to make a digital media recorder for analogue sources). I guess dismantling the T1000 is similar if not identical?

Last Tuesday our electricity supply was very briefly interrupted - an emersion timer was reset as was an outdoor PIR lamp yet mains powered alarm clocks and the microwave timer which usually succumb were unaffected.
The bedroom T2 had recorded a movie on the Monday night and I believe was in the process of shrinking and decrypting this file during power interruption; when I tried to copy the content of the HDD (installed in the T2 via LAN), it ceased progressing at that movie, but almost all the other recordings present copied successfully. Using the Webif on that T2 is v-e-r-y slow and frequently unsuccessful - stopping once the header is displayed.
(nothing below this):

On the HDD diagnostics screen when I saw it, were three lines backgrounded in red which I take as critical failure.

As per thread title I propose to swap the HDDs from that T2 and the T1000 - both original-fit 500GB. That the T1000 may cease to be able to use the HDD is of little consequence.
What procedure should I follow to commission the ex-T1000 HDD in the T2? Obviously the T2 already contains the modified firmware, but the HDD needs to be correctly partitioned (in the T2) and webif files installed - would that be easiest by copying from the old drive, from downloads, or after fitting in the T2?
Thanks in anticipation, Norman.

 

[nvingo]

Just power cycled the T2 and got the HDD report:

 

[Luke]

It certainly is right now failing to keep the temperature under 55 degrees.
What have you got the fan package set to?

Regarding the extremely small number against 187 and 198, when was the last time you ran fix disk?

It is if the numbers continue to appear despite running fix-disk and especially if they escalate increasing in magnitude that you should do something about it.

I have read BH's excellent pictorial 'dismantling a HDR' (I have performed similar with a fundamentally DVD recorder to swap the HDD for an SD card slot to make a digital media recorder for analogue sources). I guess dismantling the T1000 is similar if not identical?

Yes
Although the caddy for holding the HDR-FOX T2 disk is marked "HDR-FOX T2" the caddies are identical to my eyes.

 

[Black Hole]

Obviously the T2 already contains the modified firmware, but the HDD needs to be correctly partitioned (in the T2) and webif files installed - would that be easiest by copying from the old drive, from downloads, or after fitting in the T2?

HDR-FOX HDD Replacement

Once fitted, powering up the HDR-FOX should result in it recognising there is a blank drive and offering to format it. If not, go to MENU >> Settings >> System >> Data Storage >> Storage = Internal HDD, then Format Storage.

However, with CF installed, the standard software can't get exclusive access to the HDD to be able to format it, and because it was never programmed to expect such an eventuality it puts up the misleading error message "Cannot format the hard disk. The capacity is too large." (or words to that effect). The solution is to is to enter Safe Mode first: WebIF >> Diagnostics >> Safe Mode (or use the Telnet menu).

To restore the CF installation from the old HDD (without downloading it and reconfiguring it from scratch), copy the mod folder from the recording partition on the old HDD into the same place in the new HDD. Under the circumstances, with the old HDD connected by USB, this is most easily accomplished using Linux command-line commands via Telnet (not tested – the main problem is whether there are any "hidden" files to copy and whether "-R" will include them):

cd <folder containing mod on old HDD>
cp -R mod /mnt/hd2

Do not attempt to do this using Windows or via a FAT32 or exFAT drive. The copy process must preserve file permissions, and a direct Ext3 to Ext3 transfer using Linux is the easiest way to ensure they are preserved.

 

[nvingo]

It certainly is right now failing to keep the temperature under 55 degrees.
What have you got the fan package set to?

Would you believe fan wasn't installed! Now installed but settings not changed.

Regarding the extremely small number against 187 and 198, when was the last time you ran fix disk?

I've never instigated disk maintenance!

Yes
Although the caddy for holding the HDR-FOX T2 disk is marked "HDR-FOX T2" the caddies are identical to my eyes.

Thank-you.

After power-cycling I managed to remove the offending recording from the processing queue and thus far response seems normal.

 

[Black Hole]

Would you believe fan wasn't installed! Now installed but settings not changed.

40%

 

[Black Hole]

Post 4 has been updated.

 

[nvingo]

40%

With this setting, the fan runs at 40% even if the temperature falls below 49º?

Would it be pertinent to also swap the fans over (assuming compatible)?

Edit: It's currently dual (HD) recording and the temp value after setting min=40% has just dropped 1º
Further improvement - still dual recording:

 

[nvingo]

fix-disk wasn't installed. Requires CF3.10; currently on CF3.03.
Further intervention required, ie. sorting a suitable thumb-drive etc.
Temp settled at 51º

 

[Black Hole]

With this setting, the fan runs at 40% even if the temperature falls below 49º?

The whole point of the fan package is to run the fan continuously rather than let it turn off and cause the system temperature to flip-flop. At a setting of, say, 40%, the fan runs at 40% as a minimum, which should be barely audible, and still ramps up if system temperatures demand.

Make the setting 30% if you prefer (but the system will settle at a higher temperature). Make it too low and the system won't settle at all, or won't settle in warmer weather. It is bad for longevity when system temperatures are not stable.

currently on CF3.03

That's ludicrous.

Further intervention required, ie. sorting a suitable thumb-drive etc.

I keep one reserved especially for firmware updates, because they are so fussy. I'm not sure whether it would work on 3.03, but you could try the beta cfupdater package (see discussion in the beta packages section), which avoids having to use a UPD at all.

 

[prpr]

I'm not sure whether it would work on 3.03, but you could try the beta cfupdater package

It won't. It needs 3.10. He should therefore go direct to 3.13.

 

[nvingo]

Update.
Since stopping the processing of the particular file that was causing the disc re-reads (that slowed response and increased temperature), normal service has resumed.
Yesterday I updated the firmware of both HDRs to 3.13 and have installed fix-disk.
I intend to run fix-disk but am unsure the likely duration it will tie the HDR up for. I'm sure as long as it flags unusable the sectors corrupted by the brief power outage (post#1) I will get much life from the disk; still with the swap option as backup.

I keep one reserved especially for firmware updates, because they are so fussy.

The ones I had reserved (I got 5x'Audi' branded 1GB for cheap) didn't work front or back USB (got to various % download then hung). Put the firmware on a 1GB MicroSD in a USB card adapter which worked just fine.

 

[Black Hole]

I intend to run fix-disk but am unsure the likely duration it will tie the HDR up for.

If the disk is happy, fixdisk won't take long (but you can run it overnight). If there are problems which tie up fixdisk for hours or days, then you will have dodged a bullet.

Put the firmware on a 1GB MicroSD in a USB card adapter which worked just fine.

That's interesting, but small SD cards like that are equally rare these days.

 

[nvingo]

If the disk is happy, fixdisk won't take long

I'm having trouble running it.
The Wiki explains how to use fix-disk as included in CF 2.xx
As I have CF 3.13, fix-disk is now added as a package.
I've done the 'restart in maintenance mode' which elicits the telnet mode menu.
But typing any of the options - fixdisk, short, long, gives no verbose response - I don't know if it's started anything. I think I must be using the menu incorrectly but as the Wiki is for the older version it isn't clear what I should be doing or expecting.
Just to add, by telnet I'm meaning, when clicking on the mini webif Telnet button, a new browser window opens with the menu - is that a suitable alternative to a client (Putty)?

 

[prpr]

As I have CF 3.13, fix-disk is now added as a package.

It's not. Fix-disk is built in to the CF, but you can optionally install the package which may or may not get you a later version. At the current time it does not.

I've done the 'restart in maintenance mode' which elicits the telnet mode menu.
But typing any of the options - fixdisk, short, long, gives no verbose response - I don't know if it's started anything.

Can you show an image? Does the cli option work and get you a command prompt i.e. humax# ? exit to get back to the menu.

Just to add, by telnet I'm meaning, when clicking on the mini webif Telnet button, a new browser window opens with the menu - is that a suitable alternative to a client (Putty)?

It should be.

 

[nvingo]

OK.
(From a laptop not in the same room as the HDR)
Webif>Diag>Maintenance Mode>Enable.
Reboot System>Restart the Humax now.
Access Telnet Menu.
(New tab opens)
System PIN entered.
fixdisk<enter>

Well looks like it was a first-run fluke - I didn't get that (or any) response before.

Choosing Short, then check:


I've exit and restart in operational mode as there's scheduled events <1hr.

 

[Black Hole]

OK...

Your best bet is to install the webshell package, then you won't have to mess about with Telnet at all. Set Maintenance Mode (and reboot) from WebIF >> Diagnostics, then when you try to access WebIF once the HDR is actually booted in Maintenance Mode you'll get all the Maintenance Mode options (including fixdisk) via your browser.

It's all explained here: Quick Guide to Disk Recovery