HDR-Fox T2 in deleting loop, cannot load custom firmware

[royalpalmbay]

My Humax Fox T2 2TB HDRmachine has gone into the deleting loop.

Unfortunately I did not have the custom firmware loaded (I thought I had but it does not show in the front display panel now when I switch the machine on). Now I cannot load the custom firmware because of course the machine does not power down properly.

I have tried switching the machine off at the rear switch, putting in my USB stick containing the firmware file and switching on and the firmware goes through the loading process on the TV screen and says it has successfully loaded, but when I power down, remove the USB stick and power back up the front display does not show that the custom firmware is installed, and indeed when I try to use Telnet to access the machine it is clear that the firmware is not loaded.

Do you have any advice on how I can get over this issue - it seems to me that, now the machine has the deleting loop problem, I am too late to install the custom firmware successfully. Please note that I have another Fox T2 machine and that recently went into the deleting loop but the custom firmware was still on that machine so I was successful, via Telnet, in solving the issue (using the very helpful guidance in Wiki) so I am not new to dealing with this sort of issue but this particular problem has got me stumped.

 

[Black Hole]

Detailed instructions regarding recovery from the "delete loop" fault, where the HDR-FOX proceeds to systematically delete all recordings (which takes a long time, so can be interrupted if noticed), are here: Quick Guide to Disk Recovery (click)

It's possible nothing is being deleted if the file system has gone "read only", but that also requires correction (by the same process).

What follows are comments specific to the query.

I cannot load the custom firmware because of course the machine does not power down properly.

The firmware update process does not rely on a "proper" shutdown; all that is required is for there to be a valid update file detected on USB at boot, which can be initiated by a power cycle.

the firmware goes through the loading process on the TV screen and says it has successfully loaded

You're fortunate the update was detected at all: modern UPDs tend to start up too slowly so the data is not available early enough in the boot cycle to be detected.

Firmware update is a two-stage process. The screen will go through 0-100% "loading" and then 0-100% "programming". Do not interrupt until the programming phase has been completed (including worrying lengthy pauses), although you can remove the UPD after the loading phase.

when I power down, remove the USB stick and power back up the front display does not show that the custom firmware is installed

IIRC you should not have to power-toggle after update, just remove the UPD and then touch the centre button. The on-screen instructions will say that, at the end of the programming phase.

I have never known firmware not to take, if all is correct as shown on the TV screen. The announcement of CF on the VFD (front panel display) is only brief during the boot-up, after which nothing is different from standard firmware. Your VFD could be very dim with age, so the CF announcement might not be noticed.

The most likely reason CF hasn't in fact been installed is that the firmware update .hdf file is for standard firmware not CF. The normal CF download source is not currently available, so see https://wiki.hummy.tv/wiki/Firmware_Downloads2

it seems to me that, now the machine has the deleting loop problem, I am too late to install the custom firmware successfully.

Not true. But the longer you faff around, the more could be deleted.

The alternative is to remove the HDD and connect it to a Linux machine (or a Windows machine live-booted to Linux), and delete the offending file (which triggers the delete loop), and/or correct the read-only fault.

 

[royalpalmbay]

Thank you for your prompt response.

I did write my final paragraph to explain that I have already loaded the custom firmware successfully on to another T2 HDR machine and I am using the same downloaded file to load onto the machine now in the delete loop.

I have let the installation process complete and the message on the TV screen tells me it has been successful.

I have had my eye right up to the display, which in any case is not too dim, and the custom firmware message does not display when starting up, unlike my other machine hich does clearly show the message.

The custom firmware file I am using is the custom firmware file - I have already loaded this onto my other machine some time ago and it works.

I am not faffing around - trust me. I was on this all yesterday (news years eve) and up late into the night trying to find a solution, including searching through the various forum threads, as I have done many times over the years when encountering problems.

Please do not bother with the Linux instructions as I am not tech savvy or do not have the equipment - I am a simple user who has a laptop, a wifi dongle for internet access for the laptop, no smart TV, no access to the internet for the Fox T2, just use the Fox T2 to watch TV and record programmes.

I will try the customised firmware file from your link and let you know if I am successful or not.
Thanks very much.

 

[xyz321]

It could be that the CF version message has been disabled but I don't think there is any method to do it from the web interface.
Someone asked here about changing its format.

 

[royalpalmbay]

I have gone to "wiki.hummy.tv/wik/Firmware_Download2" but the clicking on the HDR_FOX_T2_1.03.12_mod_3.13.zip - (28/04/2017)
link does nothing?

 

[Black Hole]

The custom firmware file I am using is the custom firmware file - I have already loaded this onto my other machine some time ago and it works.

Sorry, but that is still the most likely candidate. It would not surprise me if somehow you had mixed up the files in the mean time.

Run the SHA1 hash on your .hdf and post the result – that will tell us which update file you are actually using.

link does nothing?

Works for me, so try using a different browser.

 

[royalpalmbay]

Problem solved - my mistake! Blackhole, you were right in your diagnosis - the firmware I was loading was the official and not the custom firmware! In my panic I had gone to the wrong folder on my laptop and was loading 1.03.13 rather than 1.03.12_mod_3.13. I now get the message on the front display when powerng up the machine. I am very sorry to have troubled you with this but your no-nonsense approach woke me up to my mistake. Thanks very much.

 

[Black Hole]

I'm sure we've all been there; there's nothing so edifying as being certain one hasn't made a mistake and then, when all other possibilities have been exhausted, finding out one has. The most error-prone part in any system is the squidgy biological component, always check that bit first (I no longer trust my memory at all!).

It would be really great if Humax had allowed for different filenames for their .hdf, or at least provided for a display of the version being loaded during the update process, but of course they never meant for it to be used like this.