Stuck on * Deleting... (Using Custom FW 3.13)

[JKM]

Hi,

My Humax HDR-FoxT2 has developed another issue.

I just tried to delete something and now it won't stop saying * Deleting... on the on-screen display. It's got the Custom Firmware installed so I don't think it's that software bug causing the box to randomly delete things. I think it's just somehow got stuck. Also the disk remaining size is not going down to suggest it is actually deleting anything.

I've tried switching it off and on again using the rear main switch, but still goes back to the same * Deleting... message.

I've also run the system flush HDR_FOX_T2_system_flush and it's wiped the tuning information and settings, so I think that ran successfully, but it's not fixed this deleting message.

If I try to copy to an external drive it looks like it doing something, but nothing actually happens. It's the same in record mode, red light comes on and it looks as if it's recording, but no new programme appears in the list and when I stop it, it then says recordings of less than 30 seconds are not stored.

I think it's got itself stuck somehow and won't go any further until it completes it's deleting task. Neither will it go into standby as I think it's waiting for the disk operation to complete.

It will quite happily playback an existing recording, but that's about all it will do. The Rewind/Pause Live TV function is not working, it's acting as if there was no drive there but the drive is working well enough to playback previous recordings, so disk access is working.

I've just spotted in the settings menu I can't get into either "Edit Channels" or "Installation" - they normally only grey out when it's recording.

Any idea what might be wrong? Has anyone come across this issue before? It is worth re-installing the custom firmware or would the system flush be sufficient to sort out a software lock up.

Thanks,

JK.

EDIT: I tried installing the official Humax software and re-run the System Flush but still no luck. But it did at least at the start allow me to manually retune. But once out of that mode it's locked out of "Edit channels" and "Installation" again.

 

[JKM]

Quick update: I've installed the earlier HDR_FOX_T2_1.01.09 software as mentioned on one of the other threads.
Now the message has gone, and it will let me copy to the external drive.
Luckily nothing's been deleted, it still has the same free disk space as before.
Recording now works.

However...
1. The folder containing the file I was trying to delete has gone very strange. One entry remains intact but there are also remnants of some of the recordings using the full file name ending .ts almost as if it's just deleted the HMT, NTS and THM leaving just the raw video TS file behind.
2. It won't delete anything now. It goes through the motions but the file or folder remains and the disk space remains constant.

 

[Black Hole]

I just tried to delete something and now it won't stop saying * Deleting... on the on-screen display.

I've installed the earlier HDR_FOX_T2_1.01.09 software as mentioned on one of the other threads.

There are other causes of it being stuck, apparently deleting, than just the destructive delete loop bug. You have a file system fault. What you should have been doing is this (do it now): Quick Guide to Disk Recovery (click)

The custom firmware (see below) includes utilities to recover from disk problems non-destructively (or as little destruction as possible anyway). One such which requires urgent attention is the "continuous delete" problem - which proceeds to work its way through your recorded content, deleting it with no way to stop it (turning off and on again doesn't help). Other symptoms include picture break-ups during HiDef playback, or even during normal live viewing, and the inability to record anything at all.

 

[JKM]

There are other causes of it being stuck, apparently deleting, than just the destructive delete loop bug. You have a file system fault. What you should have been doing is this (do it now): Quick Guide to Disk Recovery (click)

Thanks, at the moment I'm going to carry on copying what I can to an external drive while it's still working. Once I've got the most important files copied then I'll start looking at repairing the disk.

The only thing with this older firmware is that it won't copy in the background. Just get a message saying "Files are being copied. Select 'Stop' to quit the process".

It looks like the drive is now read-only, as it won't record, rename or delete files.

 

[JKM]

I've got a BT branded Humax DTR1000 which in appearance looks identical to the FOX-T2 apart from the BT logo.
Would the hard drive in that be suitable as a temporary fix?
It's had little or no use so the hard drive should be ok, if it's compatible.
Thanks.

 

[MartinLiddle]

I've got a BT branded Humax DTR1000 which in appearance looks identical to the FOX-T2 apart from the BT logo.
Would the hard drive in that be suitable as a temporary fix?

Yes I think so. If when you open the DTR-1000, you can tell us the make and model of hard drive then we can confirm its suitability.

 

[JKM]

Yes I think so. If when you open the DTR-1000, you can tell us the make and model of hard drive then we can confirm its suitability.

It's a Seagate Pipeline HD.2 500GB. I think that's the same as the FOX-T2, it's certainly the one mentioned elsewhere on here.

So I tried it and first thing it wanted to do was format the HDD. Strange as it came out of another Humax, but maybe the DTR-1000 format is different to the FOX-T2.

Had to update the firmware as the old 1.01.09 wasn't recording any sound. Maybe a bug in that very old firmware, so it's back on Custom Firmware 3.13.

At the moment the drive and caddy from the DTR1000 is just sitting on top of the existing one with the cables plugged to the motherboard. I'll do some more recording tests today and if it's working fine I'll swap them over. Looks like the caddy and fan is directly swappable.

 

[Black Hole]

It's a Seagate Pipeline HD.2 500GB. I think that's the same as the FOX-T2

Yes

So I tried it and first thing it wanted to do was format the HDD. Strange as it came out of another Humax, but maybe the DTR-1000 format is different to the FOX-T2.

Correct

Had to update the firmware as the old 1.01.09 wasn't recording any sound. Maybe a bug in that very old firmware, so it's back on Custom Firmware 3.13.

You definitely don't want to be using firmware that out-of-date on a permanent basis, it's just a way to break the delete loop bug... but you weren't suffering from that actual bug, yours was a file system error.

There have been tweaks to the broadcast formats, which might explain your lack of sound with old firmware.

At the moment the drive and caddy from the DTR1000 is just sitting on top of the existing one with the cables plugged to the motherboard. I'll do some more recording tests today and if it's working fine I'll swap them over. Looks like the caddy and fan is directly swappable.

That's as maybe, but there might well be no need to swap them at all. The file system fix available through the custom firmware is well proven and will sort out your problem (if it's possible to sort out at all), with no data loss beyond what has been lost already.