8300HD and External SATA - It Works!! [Text View] - Page 26

Skylark

01-04-08, 03:19 PM

...snip... The blue light on the front of the unit is rather bright and the "in-use" blinking is rather distracting when watching TV. I put a piece of black electrical tape over the light and can still see the reflections of the light inside of the case through the front grill. (completely vented front grill made up of many small holes.). The reflections are not noticeable at all while watching TV from my normal viewing distance of about 7 feet, but I can see the reflections if I focus on the reflections through the grill. Perfect disk activity indicator with the tape on.
UPDATE:
The reflections inside of the case are not obvious during daylight hours but I found last night in dim room light with just a lamp on, that the reflections inside of the case are more noticeable. I had to put a tall cup in front of the case to avoid seeing the "in-use" blinking.

Recorded a movie and a one hour program symultaneously and watched both last night. Both played back flawlessly.

Remember though that I'm using a SA8300 not a SA8300HD. I know that this is a HD thread but I've gained all of my knowledge about adding an external drive to the SA8300 from this thread that I wanted to post my results here which might possibly help someone else.

Thanks to all you contributors for the info,
Skylark

holl_ands

01-04-08, 06:55 PM

I have the apricorn ezbus kit not the expander with a WD aaks 500GB drive. I've had one hard drive give that exact symptom and I returned the drive and when I got the new one and put it in the apricorn case the DVR would not even recognize it. Then I connected it to my laptop and it was recognize but again you could not partition or format the drive. I then took a power brick from an azio case (same brick) and put it on the apricorn case and it worked perfectly. I RMA'ed apricorn for a new power brick and for 2 weeks now the ext. drive is great.

People don't just assume the hard drive or case is bad. It very well could be the power supply brick.

This seems to be a common symptom on these apricorn's lately.
Could be.....FWIW, the replacement Xpander has a different power brick.

Hi Deaf

01-04-08, 07:21 PM

Ordered the Maxtor 750GB from Weaknees.com. There was/is no model # on it. Plugged it in. 51% to 8%. Hope it doesn't crash. :)

tjw00

01-07-08, 10:51 AM

Anyone know if it's possible to re-format an external esata using the 8300 HDC? (want to avoid having to switch it to the pc just to re format.)

BPlayer

01-07-08, 10:54 AM

There is a reformat process, but you cannot select external only. It does both at the same time, and you loose any recordings and all scheduled recordings.

tjw00

01-07-08, 10:59 AM

There is a reformat process, but you cannot select external only. It does both at the same time, and you loose any recordings and all scheduled recordings.

cool. Any idea how to access that reformat command? If it's already in this thread somewhere , I apologize. couldn't find it.

Thanks.

DVDO+WESTY=1080p

01-07-08, 11:21 AM

xnappo

01-07-08, 11:25 AM

so are you guys saying that this will not work or recognize all 5 drives on the 8300HD even if the enclosure has only one ESATA output to the 8300HD's one ESATA Input?

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16817332017&Tpk=DS-2350s

No one has tried... If it has any chance of working though it would have to look like a single drive to the SA8300.

xnappo

davehancock

01-07-08, 11:43 AM

Originally Posted by DVDO+WESTY=1080p View Post
so are you guys saying that this will not work or recognize all 5 drives on the 8300HD even if the enclosure has only one ESATA output to the 8300HD's one ESATA Input?

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...7&Tpk=DS-2350sNo one has tried... If it has any chance of working though it would have to look like a single drive to the SA8300.

xnappoIt's not that "we" are saying that - it is that SA has said:

Only one SATA drive can be connected to the 8300HD. The 8300HD will not support a separate port multiplier.
But, who knows. As Xnappo suggests - give it a try (and let us know)

DoubleDAZ

01-07-08, 12:12 PM

There is a reformat process, but you cannot select external only. It does both at the same time, and you loose any recordings and all scheduled recordings.I don't know if this is true of units using Navigator. If it is though, you might try the instructions in the First Post of the SARA Tips thread. A lot of Navigator seems to be similar to SARA.

I guess I should ask just why the OP wants to refomat though. The 8300 does not store data like a PC does and I'm not convinced reformatting does anything really useful. If the drive is not being recognized, it won't reformat it anyway. The only way to try is to format it on a PC so it looks like a new drive to the 8300.

tjw00

01-08-08, 08:11 AM

I guess I should ask just why the OP wants to refomat though. The 8300 does not store data like a PC does and I'm not convinced reformatting does anything really useful. If the drive is not being recognized, it won't reformat it anyway. The only way to try is to format it on a PC so it looks like a new drive to the 8300.

The reason I was aking about reformatting was that ever since late November I've been having problems with my setup. Namely, I'd turn the box on in the morning and no picture no sound. Sometimes I could get the guide to come up and sometimes I couldn't. When I disconnected the eSata drive, it seemed to work fine. But now I've been reading that many others here are having trouble with the version of Navigator released in late november.

Coffeedad

01-08-08, 08:34 AM

I have an 8300 HD (Passport) that I connected an external drive to (Beyond Micro BM500MD3CS16M 500GB 7200 RPM 16MB Cache USB 2.0 / eSATA External Hard Drive); the enclosure seems to contain an Hitachi HDT725050VLA360. The add went very smoothly and it immediately recognized the drive and formatted it without error. HOWEVER, Since then, if I pause live tv or watch a recorded show, I get random glitches, seems to be one glitch every 20 or 30 minutes, just enough to frustrate me. Live TV does not yield the same result, nor does the DVR in the other room, same model with no eSATA drive. I've disconnected the drive, and it seems ok again. One thing of interest, the diagnostic screen shows the drive is there, and my used recording space does go down dramatically when it's there; but when I first come up from a hard power down, there's some message on screen about the external drive that leavese the screen within .5seconds so I can't catch it.

I've read other threads about this, and have seen others getting this to work. I was on the verge of reformatting the DVR, or maybe resetting it to factory. Before I do this, I wanted to ask if anyone had any suggestions, or if this will even help.

Finally, my service is through Cablevision in NJ.

Any ideas would be really appreciated!

Thanks!

DoubleDAZ

01-08-08, 08:53 AM

The reason I was aking about reformatting was that ever since late November I've been having problems with my setup. Namely, I'd turn the box on in the morning and no picture no sound. Sometimes I could get the guide to come up and sometimes I couldn't. When I disconnected the eSata drive, it seemed to work fine. But now I've been reading that many others here are having trouble with the version of Navigator released in late november.Thanks for the clarification. SATA and Navigator has been a topic of discussion for a long time and it's still uncertain just what impact Navigator has. If you try anything and have success, please let us know.

Legal_Eagle

01-08-08, 10:48 PM

First, my dealings with TWC-Florence, SC--I received the official TWC "Getting Started" guide for the 8300HD. Printed by the SATA description is: "Check with your cable service provider for a list of approved hard drive models for use with the 8300HD." Sure, after reading this thread, I expected to hear what I heard when I called TWC Tech Support:

"I'm calling for the list of approved hard drive models for the 8300HD."
"What? There's no such thing."
"Ma'am, I'm reading from your brochure directing me to call you for the list."
"Well, I don't know where you got that from, but you can't add a hard drive to the 8300HD. I would love it if we all could, but you just can't."
"Ma'am, why did Time Warner give me this brochure if there isn't such a list."
"I don't know what you're talking about; you just can't do it and there are no plans for that to ever be possible."
"Ok, I still don't understand why I was directed to call you for the list, but good day." <Click>

Then, I ordered stuff suggested throughout this thread. Next post will be my positive experience . . . how I wish I could reach that tech person and tell her that yes, it can be done!

Legal_Eagle

01-08-08, 11:17 PM

After reading many of the posts on this extensive thread, I ordered a WD7500AAKS and an Antec MX-1. I wanted max capacity with a reliable drive; the MX-1's reputation for decent cooling was much desired since the drive will be always on.

I combined the drive and enclosure-simple process. Plugged in the supplied eSATA cable to cable box and drive was immediately recognized. Said yes to formatting, but only let it go for about 10 minutes. Rebooted per previous instructions from this thread and got the dreaded "check cable" failure. I wondered if I had not let it format long enough, or needed to format the drive on the PC. Decided to format the drive on the PC - NTFS. Took a long time, but was worth it.

Did the reboot on the cable box, and the drive was immediately recognized once again. I was asked about formatting again. This time I let it go for about 45 minutes. Rebooted. Perfect! Previously 69% became 11%. Ran the double event test successfully. Bragged about this "project" all day at work!

I know that the setup can become unstable over time, and I'll be watching closely. For now, this is very, very slick. Thanks to all for the great posts. I'll add my experience to the database.

billlh

01-09-08, 04:16 PM

Guys,

a few pages ago I quit... but then again I hate giving up and want more HD recording space. I am willing to give it one more shot.

I have a 500gig xpander with has a segate drive inside.

I am willing to dump the xpander enclosure and drop the drive into another box.

Can anyone recommend a super quiet enclosure that has significant proven working time for my last attempt?

Brian :eek:

Since no one has replied to you I will try tackling this. Your probably not going to like what I'm about to tell you.... but here goes anyway. The Seagate drive is probably never going to work for this task. It's perfectly fine for a PC backup. I had 2 Seagate 750GIG drives on the shelf. But I bought a WD7500AAKS. I've not been a fan of WD drives for a long time, but I bought one because from the data base results it appears to be the only drive that is nearly 100% reliable.

Next thing is the case to put it in. I went with the Antec MK-1 for two reasons I own 3 of them, I know they are very quiet, no one has had a single hickup with one in the database (assuming they use an appropriate drive), and their cooling is second to none! Heat is a hard drive's biggest enemy.

If you had carefully read the posts on here and looked at the data in the database of those who have come before us. You would see that this was and is the clear choice if you want a reliable setup for your DVR.

So your choice is to continue to use what you have and probably get the same results. Or pony up the money and buy the items that are known to work. It's your choice good luck.

Bill

cadillact

01-09-08, 09:53 PM

Okay, so now I am experiencing an odd problem.....I have a WD5000AAKS (500GB) hard disk in a Antec MX-1 enclosure (came with eSATA cable) hooked up to my SA8300HD PVR. It seems every time I power down the 8300 (using its' power button, not the power cord), and then turn it back on, it does not see the external drive which is left powered on 24/7.

I have to then go through powering down the external drive, unplugging the 8300, turning the external drive back on, plugging the 8300 in again, letting it boot, and then having to format the external drive, uplug the 8300, and then plug it in again. Then the 8300 sees the external drive's additional capacity.

Pain in the butt.....any suggestions? TIA.

Hi Ejt.

Well I have the same case and Hd as you do.

I can turn off my 8300 and on again without any problems.

I have lost connection to my Esata once sofar. I have only had it running for about a week. It happened when I turned off the 8300 and then turned it back on about a day later. I dont know why it did it. If it has something to do with sleep mode or power saver. I have turned the 8300 off for shorter times and not experienced any problems.

If I find a solution, I will post it here and send you a message EJT.

Edit:

When I did lose the connection I just rebooted my 8300 and everything was normal again(No format).

CottyGee

01-10-08, 09:28 AM

Interesting thread. I just got a SA 8240HDC from Cox here in Phoenix. My other box is an 8300HD. I'm not sure why they gave me an 8240HDC - my 8300HD is like 3 years old. I can't seem to find much info on the 8240HDC...

Do you think I'm safe in assuming eSATA with the 8240HDC will work like it does with the 8300HD? :confused: More specifically, does anyone know if the Antec MX-1 eSATA External Enclosure with the Western Digital Caviar SE16 WD7500AAKS 750GB 7200 RPM SATA 3.0Gb/s Hard Drive is the setup to go with for the 8240HDC? From what I am able to tell, the two STBs seem very close to identical.

xnappo

01-10-08, 09:43 AM

CottyGee

01-10-08, 09:59 AM

The 8240HDC is the same and the 8300HD minus the analog tuner. Your cable company must have 100% digital channels available.
Thanks for the reply! Yup - they went all digital like a year or so ago.

As for the HDD/Case selection, I was going off of what billlh said (http://www.avsforum.com/avs-vb/showthread.php?p=12754539#post12754539). I looked at the database, but didn't try to analyze and synthesize the findings. Are you aware of a better combination for the 8300/8240? NewEgg has both pieces for a not unreasonable price...

xnappo

01-10-08, 10:26 AM

CottyGee

01-10-08, 10:47 AM

I prefer the Apricorn case but the Antec is good too.
Can you expand on your reasons for preferring the Apricorn over the Antec? I'm curious...

xnappo

01-10-08, 11:12 AM

Can you expand on your reasons for preferring the Apricorn over the Antec? I'm curious...

Just looks - the silver matches the Explorer 8300 a little better :)

It does have more data in the database too - but one can't argue with the Antec data - excluding the Seagate 7200.10 drive it is 100% successful.

xnappo

DoubleDAZ

01-10-08, 06:32 PM

Thanks for the reply! Yup - they went all digital like a year or so ago.Not to nitpic, but they are "technically" not all digital. They do digitally simulcast all analog channels and that allows them to use the cheaper SA8240HD/HDC's for those subs that have STBs. However, if you do not use an STB, you can still receive all the analog channels with a simple cable connection.

billlh

01-11-08, 03:46 AM

Thanks for the reply! Yup - they went all digital like a year or so ago.

As for the HDD/Case selection, I was going off of what billlh said (http://www.avsforum.com/avs-vb/showthread.php?p=12754539#post12754539). I looked at the database, but didn't try to analyze and synthesize the findings. Are you aware of a better combination for the 8300/8240? NewEgg has both pieces for a not unreasonable price...

I can't say for your particular setup. But for the 8300 my setup works great. As to the looks, I guess that's personal preference. I really like how the Antec looks and the LED isn't overbearing like so many cases are. Seems to me that the Apricorn as of late has had some problems, based on a few of the recent posts.

I can tell you this I've had quite a few external cases. I've never owned an Apricorn though so I can't comment on them. I have about 10 computers running at home. And of all the external cases I've tried, nothing even comes close in comparison to the Antec. Newegg is good but you might want to check here for the case.

http://www.costcentral.com/proddetail/Antec_VERIS_MX_1_Actively_Cooled_Hard_Drive_Enclosure/MX1/L49507/

They have the best price I've been able to find.

Good luck with which ever you choose.

Bill

xnappo

01-11-08, 08:37 AM

Seems to me that the Apricorn as of late has had some problems, based on a few of the recent posts.
Bill

I think those recent posts were with the Apricorn Xpander, which includes a drive. One person mentioned their's had a Seagate drive... The problem with ordering a drive/case combo is you never know when the vendor will change drives on you.

xnappo

billlh

01-11-08, 05:07 PM

I think those recent posts were with the Apricorn Xpander, which includes a drive. One person mentioned their's had a Seagate drive... The problem with ordering a drive/case combo is you never know when the vendor will change drives on you.

xnappo

Yea your probably right. I forgot a lot of people buy these things pre-built. I always roll my own. They are so simple to put together. I hadn't considered that they were buying these with the drive installed. Thanks for pointing that out.

Bill

blunderdog

01-13-08, 10:10 PM

I've got to replace a WD drive that is glitching badly on my passport system with Cincinnati TWC. I've been putting it off but Lost is coming back on.....got to fix it.

I do not see any mention of the WD AV-GP line of drives. These claim to be specially designed for DVR applications and run cooler and quieter and with less power consumption. Does anyone have any idea whether the WD7500AVCS will run equal to or better than the often mentioned WD7500AAKS?

BobKat6

01-14-08, 06:20 PM

Yea your probably right. I forgot a lot of people buy these things pre-built. I always roll my own. They are so simple to put together. I hadn't considered that they were buying these with the drive installed. Thanks for pointing that out.

Bill

Anyone looking for "guarantee" check eBay. Maybe SARA only!:)

rjj

01-15-08, 12:05 PM

Skylark

01-15-08, 03:47 PM

Last week TWC in San Diego forced a firmware upgrade (Navigator, I think) that my 8300HDC (with external 750MB HD) did not react well to. It has required cold reboots evry few hours since then.
This is not a reply to your queston but did you lose everything on your hard drive when the firmware upgrade occurred?

rjj

01-15-08, 07:48 PM

This is not a reply to your queston but did you lose everything on your hard drive when the firmware upgrade occurred?

No.....not at the time of the upgrade. But I assume that even if the subsequent move to the 8300HD had gone smoothly, I would have lost everything on the external drive.

Skylark

01-16-08, 01:28 AM

No.....not at the time of the upgrade. But I assume that even if the subsequent move to the 8300HD had gone smoothly, I would have lost everything on the external drive.
Lose everything on the external drive when firmware upgraded! Wow!

1. Did you lose everything on the internal drive as well?

2. Was the upgrade automatic if power was removed from the 8300HD unit, like if there was a power failure?

3. Were you notifed in advance to have time to copy shows off the hard drive to a VCR or other DVD recorder unit before the upgrade was made available?

Folks lurking on this thread probably have external drives which means they probably have a "lot" of recordings on them plus their internal drives. It would be a loss for me if I didn't have time to off load my drives before losing everything on them.

xnappo

01-16-08, 09:34 AM

Lose everything on the external drive when firmware upgraded! Wow!

Hmm, we need a clarification on negative logic here:

"did you lose everything on your hard drive when the firmware upgrade occurred?"

"No.....not at the time of the upgrade. "

I take this to mean he did NOT lose everything at the time of the upgrade.

xnappo

davehancock

01-16-08, 09:44 AM

Hmm, we need a clarification on negative logic here:

"did you lose everything on your hard drive when the firmware upgrade occurred?"

"No.....not at the time of the upgrade. "

I take this to mean he did NOT lose everything at the time of the upgrade.

xnappoI think that you guys are missing something here: The did an upgrade, his box acted up, he complained, the tech came AND SWAPPED HIS 8300. Now his Ext DVR won't work with the swapped box. He needs help with re-formating his external drive so that it will work with the replacement box.

xnappo

01-16-08, 09:48 AM

holl_ands

01-16-08, 01:46 PM

Hi guys,

I wonder if someone out there can help me out. Last week TWC in San Diego forced a firmware upgrade (Navigator, I think) that my 8300HDC (with external 750MB HD) did not react well to. It has required cold reboots evry few hours since then. Well, yesterday the tech came out and swapped my 8300HDC for one of the older 8300HD models. After everything got hooked back up, I noticed that the 8300HD did not appear to recognize the existence of my external HD (diagnostics only showed about 150MB of space). No request to format the drive after reboots either. The diagnostics seemed to suggest that the SATA port was active. Any suggestions??

Thanks.
Since recordings are encrypted and keyed to a specific DVR, you've lost
whatever programs are on the eSATA.

You can REMOVE all partitions on the eSATA HDD by connecting to a PC.
If you want to run an HDD Diagnostic, initiate a WinXP Partition & Format process....
remembering to REMOVE partition when you're done....

In WinXP, double click on "Computer Management" under Control Panel/Administrative Tools.
Click on "Disk Management" under "Storage" to see partition status for all drives.
If I remember correctly (???), eSATA HDD should show up under "Removable Storage".
Right Click on the Removable (eSATA) drive to display menu with "Delete Partition".

Make sure you recognize (and AVOID) your WinXP system drive....

PS: When I had a problem with my eSATA HDD,
WinXP could see the removable drive, but it declared an error
when trying to partition/reformat....hence it was a bad drive.
Since my eSATA HDD also had a USB I/F, it was easy
to connect to my laptop....

FWIW: Still running PASSPORT ECHO 2.6.002 with replacement
Apricorn 500GB DVR Xpander.

jojo57

01-16-08, 02:03 PM

Plug and Play 320g - 86% full to 26%:D
and came with a cable too...

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16822101028

Worked great for 16 days ,then Died, RIP.:( Thank goodness Newegg is giving me a full refund and no restocking fee.:)

Will try the WD DVR Drive next.

rjj

01-16-08, 02:28 PM

Completely agree - I was just clarifying that the upgrade process itself did not wipe the drive.

xnappo

Yes.....your interpretation is entirely correct. My data was lost as a result of the DVR swap......something not entirely unanticipated. I would appreciate some clarification though on the instructions kindly provided by my fellow San Diegan, holl_ands. I am aware that when I have an external drive and my 8300HD/C gets swapped out that I will lose my recordings. What I am not aware of, is whether or not there is a procedure that I need to follow when attaching my external drive to a new 8300HD/C. I naively thought that when the new 8300HD powered up, it would ask whether or not it was OK to format. But it seems totally unaware of the external HD's existence. So.....I guess the question is, is it nececessary to delete the partition of a previously used external HD whenever there is a DVR swap? Is anything else necessary or recommended?

Thanks.

Skylark

01-16-08, 08:08 PM

I think that you guys are missing something here: The did an upgrade, his box acted up, he complained, the tech came AND SWAPPED HIS 8300. Now his Ext DVR won't work with the swapped box. He needs help with re-formating his external drive so that it will work with the replacement box.
Yup, I totally missed that the loss was due to his 8300 being "swapped out". I knew from prior readings that an external drive will only retain its recordings using the specific 8300 that made the recordings. Relieved that a firmware upgrade alone will not cause the recordings on the external drive to be lost.

Thanks,
Skylark

xnappo

01-16-08, 08:18 PM

So.....I guess the question is, is it nececessary to delete the partition of a previously used external HD whenever there is a DVR swap? Is anything else necessary or recommended?

Thanks.

I don't know for sure - but that is what I would try.

xnappo

DoubleDAZ

01-16-08, 08:36 PM

I don't know for sure - but that is what I would try. What about just disconnecting the SATA and then hot-plugging it back in to see if the new HDC recognizes it then? Isn't that what some have had to do?

EJT

01-17-08, 10:21 AM

Okay, so now I am experiencing an odd problem.....I have a WD5000AAKS (500GB) hard disk in a Antec MX-1 enclosure (came with eSATA cable) hooked up to my SA8300HD PVR. It seems every time I power down the 8300 (using its' power button, not the power cord), and then turn it back on, it does not see the external drive which is left powered on 24/7.

OK then, maybe I can help. It looks like you have gone (mostly) through the right steps. I suggest COMPLETELY going through the Set-Up Wizard again. Power the box back on, THEN doing a HARD Reboot (Unplug power to cable box leaving ext drive powered and connected, wait at least 30 seconds, WHILE HOLDING FRONT PANEL POWER button, plug power back in, Release POWER whe "boot" appears on the front panel, resume use of DVR when time appears on front panel). There is some memory rebuilding that goes on with the HARD reboot that often resolves problems that a regular reboot doesn't solve.

Okay, after many attempts to resolve the issue proved fruitless, I have taken the external eSATA drive off my 8300HD and installed in in my PC.....it is working fine. I have decided to open up the 8300HD and replace the original 160GB drive with a suitable 500GB WD drive that others in another AVS forum say works. I own my 8300HD so the cableco's risk does not exist. That should resolve the capacity challenge I was originally trying to overcome with the external eSATA solution.

Riverside_Guy

01-17-08, 12:53 PM

Okay, after many attempts to resolve the issue proved fruitless, I have taken the external eSATA drive off my 8300HD and installed in in my PC.....it is working fine. I have decided to open up the 8300HD and replace the original 160GB drive with a suitable 500GB WD drive that others in another AVS forum say works. I own my 8300HD so the cableco's risk does not exist. That should resolve the capacity challenge I was originally trying to overcome with the external eSATA solution.

And you live in Canada right?

ALL of the reports I've read of doing this successfully have some from folks who get service from Canadian cable outfits. I strongly think the issue is that the Canadian cable folks do not put special boot codes or firmware on their HDDs, while US cable outfits do. Essentially, software that does NOT download from a head end.

EJT

01-17-08, 01:57 PM

SARA, Passport, Navigator?

And you live in Canada right?

ALL of the reports I've read of doing this successfully have some from folks who get service from Canadian cable outfits. I strongly think the issue is that the Canadian cable folks do not put special boot codes or firmware on their HDDs, while US cable outfits do. Essentially, software that does NOT download from a head end.

That is correct....I live in Markham, Ontario, a suburb northeast of Toronto. Rogers Cable is my cable company.

indy29

01-17-08, 03:40 PM

I can also confirm that I had to disconnect my external drive once BHN upgraded my SA 8300HDC to Navigator release 2.4.8_2... With it connected the STB was highly unstable and required constant cold boots. After disconnecting it the box has been fine (well, OK, acceptable).

xnappo

01-17-08, 03:43 PM

rjj

01-17-08, 11:42 PM

billlh

01-18-08, 02:24 AM

That really really sucks. And the bad thing is it may never be fixed since it isn't 'supported'.

xnappo

So the question is how do we keep them from updating the box? I'm assuming this wasn't actively done by the user but automatically by the cable co? So far mine is working fine. I'd hate to lose all the recordings though.

Bill

indy29

01-18-08, 11:14 AM

That really really sucks. And the bad thing is it may never be fixed since it isn't 'supported'.

xnappo

Yes it does. I'm going to try to re-initialize the drive - perhaps with my linux box - and then try re-attaching it to my DVR this weekend. I've actually got some time to mess with it. I'll report back on how it goes.

xnappo

01-18-08, 11:19 AM

So the question is how do we keep them from updating the box? I'm assuming this wasn't actively done by the user but automatically by the cable co? So far mine is working fine. I'd hate to lose all the recordings though.

Bill

You can't stop the update. And with Navigator you really need the updates for other reasons... MAYBE the companies that sell solutions will be able to bug TWC enough to get them to fix the issue...

xnappo

Riverside_Guy

01-18-08, 01:56 PM

That really really sucks. And the bad thing is it may never be fixed since it isn't 'supported'.

xnappo

I thought we did have some reports of successful use of an external HDD w/XXXXgator software?

rjj

01-18-08, 02:17 PM

I thought we did have some reports of successful use of an external HDD w/XXXXgator software?

Well, I can verify that mine worked with Navigator software........until the firmware upgrade.

And I was able to get my replacement 8300HD to recognize my external drive after disconnecting and then reconnecting the eSATA cable from the 8300HD.

xnappo

01-18-08, 03:00 PM

I thought we did have some reports of successful use of an external HDD w/XXXXgator software?

Yep. Until they got their last 'upgrade'. Multiple reports of it no longer working with the latest version.

xnappo

davehancock

01-18-08, 07:28 PM

Perhaps we should refer to the latest "revision" (or even the latest "attempt"), cause many times these apparently aren't "upgrades".

ttfitz

01-19-08, 03:10 AM

I've tried reading through parts of this thread, doing searches, but I'm unclear as to whether anyone has had the same problems I'm encountering, and if so, what my course of action should be.

I have the 8300HD on Comcast, with Sara 1.88something. Back in May, I purchased a Beyond Micro 250GB external drive from Newegg, hooked it up, and everything was beautiful. Until November or so. I was getting a good bit of studdering/pixelation off certain channels. Comcast had been added more HD channels, so I thought there might be signal strength problems (I've got a number of splits in my line), and sure enough the diagnostic screen showed low-ish (no reds, just orange) signal strength on some channels. I picked up an amplifier at Radio Shack, figured I had fixed it as some of that went away.

But, alas, that doesn't seem to be the problem. First thing I had was recordings disappearing - entry on the recorded list just brought up the Playback channel screen. Then recorded programs would hit spots where part of the recording seemed blank - it appeared to be paused, but things were still running, I could fast forward through it, the spots were of varying lengths, but those parts were just gone. I still thought it was a signal problem, but then I noticed that it only occurred on programs on the external drive (the Beyond Micro box has a red light that flashes when it is being accessed). Did and inventory and ALL the problems programs are on the external drive.

The topper that made me sure it was the drive and not the signal happened a couple nights ago. There was a recording I watched that had a funny scene at the beginning of the show that I thought my son would enjoy. The next day when I went to show him, the beginning of the program had that same blanked out thing going - this was stuff that I had previously watched without a problem.

Oh, and there was one other really weird thing that happened a couple times - watching an hour long show, there would be a few seconds of a later scene that would pop into the middle of the current scene. Then, when that later scene appeared, the corresponding few seconds from the earlier scene played. Really odd.

So, after all this - anyone have any thoughts? What would be my best course of action? I currently have filled up the external drive with junk to keep it from being used, but I sadly watch too much television to just use the internal drive, especially after having become used to the added space.

I will thank you in advance if you managed to read through this long explanation.

Tim

DoubleDAZ

01-19-08, 08:30 AM

Perhaps we should refer to the latest "revision" (or even the latest "attempt"), cause many times these apparently aren't "upgrades".As usual, it would certainly help keep things straight if posters would include version numbers so we are all on the same page.

Riverside_Guy

01-19-08, 08:45 AM

Perhaps we should refer to the latest "revision" (or even the latest "attempt"), cause many times these apparently aren't "upgrades".

Oh I LOVE this bit of yours:

Dave Hancock TWC captive SARA 1.89.17.1

davehancock

01-19-08, 11:25 AM

Oh I LOVE this bit of yours:

Dave Hancock TWC captive SARA 1.89.17.1Got a PM from someone who thought I worked for TWC (???) from what my sig said. I knew that I had to change it to something to reflect my situation (maybe I was even thinking of YOUR situation), toyed around with saying "customer" and even "victim", but decided this probably reflects the typical TW customer.

To tell the truth, I have a clear shot at the birds and could switch to Dish or DirecTV - but find that in my particular circumstance that either would end up costing me quite a bit more than TW.

windrockwater

01-21-08, 02:11 PM

Please be kind to a new poster about upgrading my iO 8300HD box with an external drive. I am excited to increase my HD movie storing.

I just purchased a new Apricorn EZ Bus DTS Kit (Esata). I also purchased a new 750gb WD7500AAKS. (These were listed in the database as working components for others so i figure it could work for me).

I think i have the procedure down: turn off the STB (using the power button or unplug?), plug in the external HD, power the drive on and then turn on the STB box. Format the new HD and then reboot the STB again (power button or unplug?).

Does this sound right? Also, will the included Esata cable work that came with the Apricorn? I have read somewhere that i might need a special Esata cable?

Will i lose my movies that are already stored on the STB when i add the new HD?

Any other tips? Thanks...my fingers are crossed....

jfaaborg

01-21-08, 03:00 PM

holl_ands

01-21-08, 03:32 PM

windrockwater

01-21-08, 03:40 PM

BIGA$$TV

01-21-08, 04:54 PM

I hope i dont lose my recordings. Specifically i have the entire Star Wars 6 movies saved in HD (which is part of the reason i need an additional Hard Drive). But i guess they are being replayed lately on cable so i can resave if necessary.

I've been reading this thread for some time now and one thing I have taken away is to NOT use an external drive as an archive for your favorite movies. Because, sooner or later you are going to lose what's on that drive. I saved HD movies as anamorphic SD on DVDs. No, not as good as HD, but I know I won't suddenly lose them. If you have to have HD, buy the HD DVDs.

holl_ands

01-21-08, 07:58 PM

Which is why I have all 6 Star Warz on D-VHS tape in full HD and DD5.1.
(JVC D-VHS is fed by Firewire I/F on SA3250HD).

windrockwater

01-22-08, 10:12 AM

I didnt know you could get the HD movies backed up onto another device. Thats a good idea. What is I/F?

By the way, everything seemed to install for me without a hitch so far. My % went from 65% full to 10% full :) I have not done testing yet, but so far so good. Now i am browsing the schedule to fill it up with HD movies for my HT!

davehancock

01-22-08, 12:38 PM

I didnt know you could get the HD movies backed up onto another device. Thats a good idea. What is I/F?"I/F" means interface. In this case he was referring to the "Firewire" (IEEE 1394) interface on his SA3250HD cable box and recording on a JVC D-VHS digital HD VCR.

Success with this interface is somewhat limited. The interface is NOT enabled on all boxes that have it, so typically only one box (the 3250 for example) in a system will have it enabled. Though the 8300 also has a firewire connection, it is not enabled in many systems. Further, the 5C copy protection system is likely to keep one from TRANSFERRING a movie from the DVR hard drive to the external recorder (5C flags from, for example, HBO have a "copy once" permission. The recording on the DVR IS THAT one copy. So you can't transfer.)

But, what is enabled varies greatly from one system to another.

BobKat6

01-22-08, 04:00 PM

"I/F" means interface. In this case he was referring to the "Firewire" (IEEE 1394) interface on his SA3250HD cable box and recording on a JVC D-VHS digital HD VCR.

Success with this interface is somewhat limited. The interface is NOT enabled on all boxes that have it, so typically only one box (the 3250 for example) in a system will have it enabled. Though the 8300 also has a firewire connection, it is not enabled in many systems. Further, the 5C copy protection system is likely to keep one from TRANSFERRING a movie from the DVR hard drive to the external recorder (5C flags from, for example, HBO have a "copy once" permission. The recording on the DVR IS THAT one copy. So you can't transfer.)

But, what is enabled varies greatly from one system to another.

Which is why I have all 6 Star Warz on D-VHS tape in full HD and DD5.1.
(JVC D-VHS is fed by Firewire I/F on SA3250HD).

See below!:)

Am I a pioneer! (smile) Been working on this since May! (any help appreciated)

Bob

SA8300HD & SA4250HDC Comcast SARA 1.88.25.1/? PhilipsBRBurner(CyberLink Software)

Riverside_Guy

01-22-08, 04:12 PM

Got a PM from someone who thought I worked for TWC (???) from what my sig said. I knew that I had to change it to something to reflect my situation (maybe I was even thinking of YOUR situation), toyed around with saying "customer" and even "victim", but decided this probably reflects the typical TW customer.

To tell the truth, I have a clear shot at the birds and could switch to Dish or DirecTV - but find that in my particular circumstance that either would end up costing me quite a bit more than TW.

I hear you.

How DID you figure out the Direct cost? As an exercise, I tried to figure it out from their website, but after half an hour I gave up.

Riverside_Guy

01-22-08, 04:24 PM

But, what is enabled varies greatly from one system to another.

In more ways than one!

We had quite a few D-VHS fans in my neck of the woods... they were quite upset when a Passport version update last summer seemed to knock out their ability to record HD to their D-VHS systems.

For me, I go by the "what comes around will come around again." Not ON my schedule, but at some unexpected time (long as I subscribe to some form of TV service that I pretty much have to as OTA is not an option). VOD has been around for quite a while now, but there is NO HD VOD and typically, the catalog is totally pathetic (like 45 movies).

NetFlix IS having issues with HD rentals, but I would expect they'll get those sorted out in the not too distant future.

holl_ands

01-22-08, 09:03 PM

See below!:)

Am I a pioneer! (smile) Been working on this since May! (any help appreciated)

Bob

SA8300HD & SA4250HDC Comcast SARA 1.88.25.1/? PhilipsBRBurner(CyberLink Software)
Are your Blu-Ray recordings limited to COPY FREELY only channels (e.g. local HD),
or can you also burn COPY ONCE (e.g. nearly any digital cable program)???

dannyv@cybernex.

01-23-08, 01:19 PM

See below!:)

Am I a pioneer! (smile) Been working on this since May! (any help appreciated)

Bob

SA8300HD & SA4250HDC Comcast SARA 1.88.25.1/? PhilipsBRBurner(CyberLink Software)

I use the firewire port to capture HD from my 8300HD to my macintosh computer. I've had very good success with this method and I then compress the .ts stream into DIVX HD with a resolution of 1280x720 and the results are amazing.

Here are a few links that will give you some information on this technique. You can do it both with a PC and a macintosh but the greater success has been with a MAC.

http://www.avsforum.com/avs-vb/showthread.php?t=386740

http://www.avsforum.com/avs-vb/showthread.php?t=593271

http://www.avsforum.com/avs-vb/showthread.php?t=403695

@XNAPPO

I know you started fooling around with this with a PC a while back. How did you make out?

xnappo

01-23-08, 03:15 PM

@XNAPPO

I know you started fooling around with this with a PC a while back. How did you make out?

Poorly. Though admittedly I am not using the fastest computer in the world, it should be fast enough. Microsoft's FireWire support just isn't up to snuff I think.

I have been meaning to give it another try now that I have a slightly newer version of SARA and perhaps the PC software has had some updates but have not gotten around to it.

People on this thread seem to think a large portion of content is protected - from the FireWire thread though I do not believe this to be the case.

xnappo

DoubleDAZ

01-23-08, 03:35 PM

People on this thread seem to think a large portion of content is protected - from the FireWire thread though I do not believe this to be the case.I think you will find that varies greatly depending on cableco, and even market. It may also depend on with HD tuner you are using, a 3250 or the 8300. I think the 3250 is still the preferred (and supported) tuner, at least in SA markets.

xnappo

01-23-08, 03:43 PM

I think you will find that varies greatly depending on cableco, and even market. It may also depend on with HD tuner you are using, a 3250 or the 8300. I think the 3250 is still the preferred (and supported) tuner, at least in SA markets.

Yes, but the 'vibe' I get from this thread whenever anyone asks is that you probably can't do it because of 5C. I think having 5C protection enabled is more the exception than the rule.

That said it is hard to tell since most people try with a PC and that doesn't work well at all. Also in some areas the diag screens have info about FireWire/protection being enabled while in others (like Austin) the diag screens just have N/A for all of that stuff - though it does work and very little content is protected (pay channels only).

xnappo

DoubleDAZ

01-23-08, 04:14 PM

Yes, but the 'vibe' I get from this thread whenever anyone asks is that you probably can't do it because of 5C. I think having 5C protection enabled is more the exception than the rule.Yeah, I know what you mean. I do know that one guy here was recording a lot of stuff until the last 3250/8300 SARA updates. Those pretty much killed everything but the locals for him. I do think he was using a pretty elaborate PC setup though. I also forgot to mention that some of this might also depend on the DVHS hardware being used. Like VHS in the early days, older hardware seemed to bypass a lot of the newer copy-protection schemes, etc.

dannyv@cybernex.

01-23-08, 04:46 PM

Poorly. Though admittedly I am not using the fastest computer in the world, it should be fast enough. Microsoft's FireWire support just isn't up to snuff I think.

I have been meaning to give it another try now that I have a slightly newer version of SARA and perhaps the PC software has had some updates but have not gotten around to it.

People on this thread seem to think a large portion of content is protected - from the FireWire thread though I do not believe this to be the case.

xnappo

I have not given the PC a try recently because my MAC captures excellently and its only a 450MHZ. Way back when I tried it on a laptop with an amd 3800 proc and had very poor results. I do believe that its not really the processer but more a limitation of the way MS implemented firewire. The apple firewire SDK is far superior to MS's. I may just give it another go now that I have a desktop with an amd dual core 5600.

As far as protected content it depends on the cableco. My cableco has no protection what so ever so I can capture all channels even the premimum channels.

jetkins

01-23-08, 06:51 PM

scott_bernstein

01-23-08, 07:14 PM

Hi, folks.

I have an external eSATA drive on my 8300HD, which is working just great. However, during some equipment shuffling over the weekend, I managed to disconnect the external drive for a while. During that period, before I realized what the problem was, I "erased" a couple of programs that would not play from the Recorded Shows list.

I've subsequently reconnected the drive, and can once again play programs from it, but I presume I now have a couple of orphaned shows on the external drive, taking up space but no longer appearing in the list. Is there any way to recover and/or delete those orphans?
Though I have no independent confirmation of this, I think the way it works is that when you reboot, the 8300HD reclaims the "lost" space on its drive(s), so the next time you reboot, you'll get the space back.

Please correct me if I'm wrong on this....

Scott

scott_bernstein

01-23-08, 07:17 PM

Question. My system keep glitching every minute or so. I have a SA8240HDC with a Seagate 320Meg - ST303204N1A1AS in a Ultra enclosure. I bypassed the Ultra electronics by using a Sata to Esata cable, and the glitches persist. I currently have the drive set to 1.5Gbps. Should I have the drive set to 3.0 ? COX-San Diego

TIA

Jon

1.5Gbps is the correct setting. If you check the database (link in the first post of this thread), you'll find that the Seagate drives do not work well with the 8300HD DVR at all. I have one myself, and have since bought a 2nd (Western Digital) drive of the same size (320G), and it works nearly flawlessly.

If you can, exchange the Seagate for something else, or sell it and get a different model.

I know that it's counterintuitive that the drive brand would matter (as all hard drives should do the same thing), but in this case it unfortunately seems to. On my system, with the same 8300HD, same enclosure, same everything, I just power the box down, slip the Seagate out and the WD in, and voila! It's like night and day -- the glitches/skips go from once every 10 minutes or so to maybe once an hour.....

Sorry.....

Scott

BobKat6

01-24-08, 12:13 AM

:)Are your Blu-Ray recordings limited to COPY FREELY only channels (e.g. local HD),
or can you also burn COPY ONCE (e.g. nearly any digital cable program)???

Once=First=When I Need!

SA8300HD OK for most:cool:

Didn't notice sig.:o

Bob:o

SA8300HD & SA4250HDC Comcast SARA 1.88.25.1/? PhilipsBRBurner(CyberLink Software):eek:

Scarlett

01-24-08, 12:24 AM

... If you check the database (link in the first post of this thread), you'll find that the Seagate drives do not work well with the 8300HD DVR at all. I have one myself, and have since bought a 2nd (Western Digital) drive of the same size (320G), and it works nearly flawlessly.

Well, not all of the Seagate drives have problems with the 8300HD. I have three Seagate drives that have worked flawlessly from Day 1--all in Apricorn enclosures. It seems to depend on the product line. I have two 300GB drives (ST3300831AS) from the 7200.8 line, and one 500GB drive from the DB35 line (ST3500830SCE) and have had no problems of any kind. On the other hand, I originally had two 400GB Seagate 7200.10 drives that gave me nothing but trouble! Several of us had the same experience with those drives, and we never were able to determine precisely why those drives were so problematic.

The original poster said that he is using an 8240HDC. Could that possibly be the source of his problems--or is that so similar to the 8300HD that it is unlikely? I am not familiar with the 8240HDC or the Seagate hard drive he is using with it.

There is no question that many are using the WD drives with great success, but it also is true that some of the Seagate drives are just as successful--and they come with 5-year warranties. :)

Scarlett

BobKat6

01-24-08, 12:25 AM

[QUOTE=dannyv@cybernex.;12907382]I use the firewire port to capture HD from my 8300HD to my macintosh computer. I've had very good success with this method and I then compress the .ts stream into DIVX HD with a resolution of 1280x720 and the results are amazing.

Here are a few links that will give you some information on this technique. You can do it both with a PC and a macintosh but the greater success has been with a MAC.

http://www.avsforum.com/avs-vb/showthread.php?t=386740

http://www.avsforum.com/avs-vb/showthread.php?t=593271

http://www.avsforum.com/avs-vb/showthread.php?t=403695

I'm PC but no time to work on it recently(since4250HDC+):)
Are links worth reading? anyone?:confused:
This old brain is very tired!:p:

Bob:o

SA8300HD & SA4250HDC Comcast SARA 1.88.25.1/? PhilipsBRBurner(CyberLink Software):):)

BobKat6

01-24-08, 12:30 AM

Scarlett
Welcome back!!!:cool:

Lost in Texas!;)

PM Me.:eek:

Bob:)

SA8300HD & SA4250HDC Comcast SARA 1.88.25.1/? PhilipsBRBurner(CyberLink Software)

NICE SIG TOO!!!

Riverside_Guy

01-24-08, 11:28 AM

I use the firewire port to capture HD from my 8300HD to my macintosh computer. I've had very good success with this method and I then compress the .ts stream into DIVX HD with a resolution of 1280x720 and the results are amazing.

Wow, I assume the stream you initially record is DV, right?

It's certainly possible that Comcast/SARA/NJ are all aligning correctly for this to happen; undoubtedly, in most other areas, this may not work as it does for you.

xnappo

01-24-08, 11:36 AM

Scarlett
Welcome back!!!:cool:

NICE SIG TOO!!!

+1 (god I promised myself I would never post a +1, oh well).

xnappo

dannyv@cybernex.

01-24-08, 03:38 PM

Wow, I assume the stream you initially record is DV, right?

It's certainly possible that Comcast/SARA/NJ are all aligning correctly for this to happen; undoubtedly, in most other areas, this may not work as it does for you.

Initial stream I assume is high bit rate mp2. The resolution on HBO, fox and cbs is 1920x1080. On nbc,abc its 1280x720. I say I assume its mpg2 because I can open and edit it in videoredo which only supports mpg2. A 2 hour movie off HBO can be as large as 16GB.

Aspenh1

01-24-08, 10:25 PM

BobKat6

01-25-08, 06:39 AM

Pass!

Aspenh1

01-25-08, 09:02 AM

Pass!

After seeing that a senior member was unwilling to "push" me in the right direction, I did multiple searches untill I ran across a thread talking about the issues with the new "Card" boxes.

It actually talks about the issue is with the 8300HDC. The problem being the "C" box. So it seems that it is not the external eSata drive causing the problem.

Thanks Bobkat6 for sharing your "Senior Member" wisdom.:)

dannyv@cybernex.

01-25-08, 10:19 AM

I am a newbie to this site but have read through all 200+ pages over the last week. Here is my problem - I recently added a WD 500gb and the Antec MX-1 to my 8300hdc. It recognized it and started recording shows. When I started watching them tonight, shows that were taped on either drive the audio is cutting in and out. It seems to be cutting out more on the shows taped on the new drive(based on the drive with less is taping the current shows).
It has never done this and this is a brand new box(1-2-08). I am running Sara #1.90.5.101. Comcast(ATL)Can anyone give me advice?:confused::eek:

Try disconnecting the External drive and record and see if the problem still exists. Most likely it will record fine. This does not mean the external is the problem. your external combination seems to have good results as far as the database goes. I went through a similure situation with my 8300HD box. I was getting audio dropout and glitching. I tryed several HD's and enclosures and nothing helped. What finally did the trick was exchanging the 8300. My guess would be that some 8300's are better at buffering or cacheing the hard drive then others.

I think the cheapest solution for you as well as a good place to start would be to exchange the box.

Aspenh1

01-25-08, 11:22 AM

Thanks for the information. This is what the site is all about.

xnappo

01-25-08, 11:27 AM

Thanks for the information. This is what the site is all about.

I agree with Danny - there are people running successfully on the HDC box. I suspect BobKat just didn't have anything to offer because you have a combination of hardware that 'should' work.

Check the cables one more time, maybe try another cable - then the only thing I can think to do is exchange the box.

I will note that people with the latest version of the Navigator software(vs. SARA) AND HDC boxes are reporting problems similar to what you are experiencing... It COULD be related but we don't have enough data...

xnappo

Aspenh1

01-25-08, 12:51 PM

I probably was just crabby this morning from staying up late trying to figure this out and took BobKat out of context. I am becoming a little more familiar with the site and navigating around. I have found another thread on this issue and it seems there are a few different thing you can try to correct the problem. So I appreciate all of the information everyone is giving.

BobKat6

01-25-08, 02:51 PM

Hitachi

http://www.tigerdirect.com/applications/searchtools/item-Details.asp?EdpNo=3405853&sku=TSD-750H2&CMP=EMC-TIGEREMAIL&SRCCODE=WEM1551H

Bob:)
SA8300HD & SA4250HDC Comcast SARA 1.88.25.1/? PhilipsBRBurner(CyberLink Software???)

Cynagen

01-25-08, 10:11 PM

Riverside_Guy

01-26-08, 09:33 AM

I just got a thermaltake external enclosure for an IDE/SATA drive to eSATA/USB2.0 on the back, the cable box isn't detecting it at all. Am I doing something wrong? Should I not have used an external enclosure?

At least you have a location listed... but without knowing what cable system, what STB/DVR and what software and version running on it, a response can't even be made. All those extra bits of information really are necessary to get the hint of a reasoned answer.

xnappo

01-26-08, 10:44 AM

At least you have a location listed... but without knowing what cable system, what STB/DVR and what software and version running on it, a response can't even be made. All those extra bits of information really are necessary to get the hint of a reasoned answer.

More info about the drive you are using too please! Vendor, model... Also is it IDE or SATA.

xnappo

Cynagen

01-26-08, 04:10 PM

At least you have a location listed... but without knowing what cable system, what STB/DVR and what software and version running on it, a response can't even be made. All those extra bits of information really are necessary to get the hint of a reasoned answer.

COX Cable - Mesa, AZ (Phoenix Metro service) - Sci Atlanta 8300HD (whatever version was just pushed out with the major overhaul recently that DoubleDAZ was talking about (man that was a horrible month of just random outages).

More info about the drive you are using too please! Vendor, model... Also is it IDE or SATA.

xnappo

The drive in the enclosure is a Western Digital 120gb ATA/133 "IDE" drive. The enclosure is a Thermaltake "Silver River DUO Enclosure" and can translate the SATA commands to IDE, but I don't forsee that being a problem if it conforms to standards (which it should). I just wanna increase storage, i can only store so many HD movies on the box, and with HBO and Starz! now added to my lineup...

I'm also going to be trying the FireSTB software with a Firewire to i.Link cable to my laptop since it's a Mobile C2D with 2gb of ram, should be able to handle dumping to drive. Anyone see a problem with that?

Oh and for my desktop, I was looking into an ATSC tuner card, does anyone know if cox enables HBO/Starz! on QAM if you order it?

billlh

01-27-08, 04:21 AM

For anyone interested Newegg has this drive onsale $149.00 with promo code EMCABCEAG. With free shipping.

Billl

xnappo

01-27-08, 09:56 AM

Hi Cynagen,

Wow, you are ambitious. Lets take these one at a time:

The drive in the enclosure is a Western Digital 120gb ATA/133 "IDE" drive. The enclosure is a Thermaltake "Silver River DUO Enclosure" and can translate the SATA commands to IDE, but I don't forsee that being a problem if it conforms to standards (which it should). I just wanna increase storage, i can only store so many HD movies on the box, and with HBO and Starz! now added to my lineup...

One might think that the box converting IDE to SATA would work - however the SATA controller on the SA8300 seems to be much more sensitive than a normal PC. Remember these boxes are quite old - it is likely they are not completely compliant. Take a look at the database and choose a successful drive from there. You will see that all the drives there are normal SATA drives and there are a lot of failures...

I'm also going to be trying the FireSTB software with a Firewire to i.Link cable to my laptop since it's a Mobile C2D with 2gb of ram, should be able to handle dumping to drive. Anyone see a problem with that?

People have had pretty good success with Macs - but PCs break up a lot. You can get more information in this thread:
http://www.avsforum.com/avs-vb/showthread.php?t=593271
You should try some free software before paying for anything to determine if your PC is going to work and whether your cable company sets no-copy flags on everything.

Oh and for my desktop, I was looking into an ATSC tuner card, does anyone know if cox enables HBO/Starz! on QAM if you order it?

No, you need to get a QAM tuner card - and even then you will only get the local channels. If you want cable and pay channels you need to get something that uses cable cards.

xnappo

BobKat6

01-27-08, 10:25 AM

http://www.cooldrives.com/dudralenfors.html

Solve all of your heat concerns. Also ideal for two HDD switching. Though it's hard to keep track of what's on which drive.

Bob:cool:
SA8300HD-Comcast-SARA 1.88.25.1-Maxtor 7H500FO-coolgear DUAL Drive eSATA Case

wx27

01-27-08, 10:45 AM

xnappo

01-27-08, 10:51 AM

Any ideas what my issue is? BTW, I have never been able to get into diagnostic mode, but I've only seen the button sequence for the 8300HD and not the 8300HDC.

Where are you? Edit your profile so we know. What software? (Passport/Sara/Navigator)

xnappo

wx27

01-27-08, 11:18 AM

Where are you? Edit your profile so we know. What software? (Passport/Sara/Navigator)

xnappo

I'm in NYC and I am guessing the 8300HDC is using Navigator. I have not been able to figure out how to get into diag mode. Holding down select on the box for a few seconds and I get a flashing mail icon. Pressing info after that just pops up the normal info box on the screen.

DoubleDAZ

01-27-08, 11:27 AM

I'm in NYC and I am guessing the 8300HDC is using Navigator. I have not been able to figure out how to get into diag mode. Holding down select on the box for a few seconds and I get a flashing mail icon. Pressing info after that just pops up the normal info box on the screen.Try pressing the Page Up or Down buttons on the remote.

phousley

01-27-08, 11:29 AM

Got an 8300HDC last week and hooked up a WD5000AKS + MX-1 to it yesterday. Drive recognized and formatted fine. Twice now after I have powered off the cable box and later on (hours) turned it back on, I get no output and the display of the cable box indicated power is on, but the display does not show the current channel, which it is configured to do. I have to unplug the cable box and reboot the whole thing to get back up and running. The external drive is powered all the time and not power-switched with the cable box.
Any ideas what my issue is? BTW, I have never been able to get into diagnostic mode, but I've only seen the button sequence for the 8300HD and not the 8300HDC.I'm betting you have TW Navigator system with 2.4.8_2 release. What you describe is exactly what happened to everyone when that release arrived (myself included). Apparently, when Navigator sees no user input for a period of time (not sure how long, but seems about 2.5 hours) it enters a sleep mode. If the DVR is on, it will quit buffering the program you're watching. I've seen a message saying it's going into sleep mode but it only flashes up for less than a second. It seems that it also enters this mode when turned off for the same period of time.

Whether on or off, when in it is sleep mode and receives user input, the system goes through what appears to be a spin-up of the external drive (whether it spins down or not). It is characterized by a 4 or 5 second delay in responding to your request. Before 2.4.8_2, the system would respond after the delay. However, ever since the release, is does not recover and reboot is your only recourse. Some have reported that they can avoid the sleep mode by setting it up to record 24/7 from the TV Guide channel.

I've gotten input from someone from TW that they were unaware that the new release caused a problem with the external drive. My impression is that although TW does not officially support external drives on the dvr, they (the developers) do "tolerate" it and will eventually fix the problem. Until then, I intend to keep it disconnected and settle for SD recording.

Is there anyone out there who has 2.4.8_2 and NOT having this problem?

wx27

01-27-08, 11:41 AM

I'm betting you have TW Navigator system with 2.4.8_2 release. What you describe is exactly what happened to everyone when that release arrived (myself included). Apparently, when Navigator sees no user input for a period of time (not sure how long, but seems about 2.5 hours) it enters a sleep mode. If the DVR is on, it will quit buffering the program you're watching. I've seen a message saying it's going into sleep mode but it only flashes up for less than a second. It seems that it also enters this mode when turned off for the same period of time.

Whether on or off, when in it is sleep mode and receives user input, the system goes through what appears to be a spin-up of the external drive (whether it spins down or not). It is characterized by a 4 or 5 second delay in responding to your request. Before 2.4.8_2, the system would respond after the delay. However, ever since the release, is does not recover and reboot is your only recourse. Some have reported that they can avoid the sleep mode by setting it up to record 24/7 from the TV Guide channel.

I've gotten input from someone from TW that they were unaware that the new release caused a problem with the external drive. My impression is that although TW does not officially support external drives on the dvr, they (the developers) do "tolerate" it and will eventually fix the problem. Until then, I intend to keep it disconnected and settle for SD recording.

Is there anyone out there who has 2.4.8_2 and NOT having this problem?

That seems to exactly match my experience so far. Thanks for confirming the behavior and that I don't just have a "bad" box, just bad software...

I guess I'll just have to wait out a fix.

wx27

01-27-08, 11:43 AM

Try pressing the Page Up or Down buttons on the remote.

Nothing different.

phousley

01-27-08, 11:58 AM

Nothing different.With Navigator you press the down arrow button after getting the mail indicator.

DoubleDAZ

01-27-08, 11:59 AM

Nothing different.Hummm. There is a Navigator thread here, so you might check there to see how to get into the diags, if you haven't already done so. Sorry I couldn't help.

Cynagen

01-27-08, 08:30 PM

I got the i.Link cable for my laptop, CapDVHS still doesn't work for me (tried before on my desktop, dies on HD after about 5-30 seconds), external drive still doesn't work on the cable box, but that don't matter, it's getting repurposed to the laptop via USB so I can dump using VLC straight through my laptop onto the drive, and work with the dumps on my desktop. I'll be leaving this thread and moving back to the 1394 recording thread, thanks for being here at least.

BobKat6

01-27-08, 11:55 PM

Note: The most successful drives are SATA. Some convertors (i.e. to IDE) work, but not well for the SA8300HD(C). If you have no equipment yet, check the following databases for other members experience:

Navigator Software = http://baseportal.com/cgi-bin/baseportal.pl?htx=/xnappo/navigator
Passport Software = http://baseportal.com/cgi-bin/baseportal.pl?htx=/xnappo/passport
SARA Software = http://baseportal.com/cgi-bin/baseportal.pl?htx=/xnappo/main

Links to the databases can also be found in the sig of xnappo.

See Post #1 as below to find your software name and version!

PLEASE,
Read the first post on Tips & Tricks Thread-Most answers are there! At least the simple ones.
http://www.avsforum.com/avs-vb/showthread.php?t=471859

Read the last two or three pages-The most recently discussed problems are there. They are also the most recently developing problems. Do not read every page, that will only drive you crazy. An efficient search will help.

Tell us where you are-City and State.

Tell us what equipment you are using-All makes and models, and include your video provider (i.e. Comcast, DirecTV)

Try to be brief-Think of the next new person reading this thread.

Be patient-It may take a few days before the best qualified member to answer your question “picks up.”

For tips on searching or any general questions, please PM me or the ID of the most frequent poster in the last few pages, , or a high post count, or any member.

We are volunteers. We are here to help. And we need your cooperation to be at our best. THANK YOU

Bob
SA8300HD-Comcast-SARA 1.88.25.1-Maxtor 7H500FO-coolgear DUAL Drive eSATA Case

chasm2

01-28-08, 06:49 AM

Has anyone tried replacing the internal hard drive and with a larger capacity drive?

DoubleDAZ

01-28-08, 08:54 AM

Has anyone tried replacing the internal hard drive and with a larger capacity drive?Yes, people have, but it's not recommended unless you happen to own your unit, like they do in Canada.

xnappo

01-28-08, 09:27 AM

Has anyone tried replacing the internal hard drive and with a larger capacity drive?

Just to further Dave's comments, it works on SARA, it does not work with Passport, I don't know if it works with Navigator.

xnappo

Riverside_Guy

01-29-08, 03:12 PM

[I] Note: The most successful drives are eSATA or SATA.

SATA refers to the drive itself, eSATA refers not to a drive but to a connector. And a connector that is never "part of" the drive; it's a "part of" the case the drive goes into.

I mention this because someone reading your post may go looking for a eSATA drive... such a beast does not exist.

KDavid125

01-31-08, 10:51 AM

SA8240HDC TW in Austin, TX, Sara 1.90.5.110 attempting a WD MyBook 500GB eSATA (&Firewire&USB).
Diagnostic screen shows that STB sees drive (Device #2 - WD My Book - 465MB Avail) but will not format or show up anywhere else. Any ideas on how to preformat drive to AVSS?:confused:
SA8240HDC uses WD1600AA as device #1.

xnappo

01-31-08, 10:59 AM

cbh2424

01-31-08, 12:41 PM

Please help a brotha out. Cox Cable, Fairfax, VA- SA 8240HDC DVR, SARA V1.90.5.A107, WD5000AAJS, KINGWIN JT-35E. Several weeks ago shows wouldn't play back, but I was able to recover them through a combination of unplugs and reboots. Everything returned to normal until it happened again a couple weeks ago. I have tried every combination of unplugging and rebooting I can find on here and everything that worked for me in the past. So again, the shows on the DVR playback fine, but the ones on the external only show the playback channel. I decided to give up and reformat. When I reboot and get the format option, I hit "A" as instructed, but then the Video on Demand channel starts to run, (it defaults to channel 1 on reboot) and the external does not format. So problem here is how do I format this thing...again? All worked great when it worked, but this is the third time it has crapped out on me in two months and now I just want to reformat. Any ideas, silver bullets or answers? Please, the DVR is filled up and the wife is yammering. (stopped working when she was dusting around it btw.)

DoubleDAZ

01-31-08, 09:44 PM

dannyv@cybernex.

02-01-08, 09:33 AM

cbh2424,

I don't know for sure, but since no one else has commented, I'll offer that I think others have formatted the drive on a PC and then reattached it to the 8300 to get it to reformat. It sounds like the format routine is sensing that it's already been formatted, so it skips it.

I should also mention that I think the SATA connections can be quite sensitive to movement and with some cables it's quite easy to lose the connection enough to mess things up.

If any of this is wrong, I'm sure someone will correct me. :)

That is very good advice that doubledaz gave. I would also like to add.

1. How old is the drive.
2. Does the drive make strange noises E.G. spin up then wind down constantly.
3. Make a clicking sound.
4. If the drive when formated in the PC is recognized by the OS but does not partition or format.

Then it may be time to replace the drive or enclosure.

But first before you do.

1. Check the connections inside and outside the enclosure

2. Try to partition and format the drive on the PC.

3. If the OS will not partition or format it. If you have another enclosure (USB or firewire) put the drive in that and see if the dirve will partition or format on the PC.

4. If the PC will still not partition or format in the other enclosure then its time to replace the drive.

I had the problems I discribed above and it wound up being my enclosure.

cbh2424

02-01-08, 11:23 AM

Thanks for the responses. The drive is about two months old. It is making no unusual sounds. I attached it to my PC, not through my enclosure as it is only ESATA, but I was able to run WD diagnostics on it and it was fine. I did a "quick" NTFS format on it and that was fine as well. I partitioned it to the maximum size. Plugged everything back in/together, rebooted the DVR and it didn't even give me the option to reformat. I tried rebooting a few more times and my DVR grew visibly angry. It started popping up with warnings that it is checking the dvr/drive, then on the front panel of the box is displayed "HDDf." The letter "f" can never be good when associated with a hard drive, right? It has to be either failure or format, but never fancy or friend. Sure enough, some of the latest recordings, Lost for example, will not playback. So I pushed on and rolled the dice on a few more reboots and I got the same checking the dvr/disk message when I hit the dvr button on the remote. Then, probably not related, the cable in the entire house went down, internet and all. As of this morning the cable/internet is working, but the dvr is not working at all. the menu won't come up and it says it is unavailable. So either my box has just had it with all the reboots, or my enclosure is horrible and it is taking the world down with it. I should also add that the enclosure is also only a couple months old and has a fan. I have no idea where this leaves me...with an angry wife now that I lost her precious "Lost" I suppose. This rig is great when it works.

dannyv@cybernex.

02-01-08, 02:58 PM

the cable in the entire house went down, internet and all. As of this morning the cable/internet is working, but the dvr is not working at all. the menu won't come up and it says it is unavailable. So either my box has just had it with all the reboots, or my enclosure is horrible and it is taking the world down with it. I should also add that the enclosure is also only a couple months old and has a fan. I have no idea where this leaves me...with an angry wife now that I lost her precious "Lost" I suppose. This rig is great when it works.

WOW, It sounds like you have your hands full with that DVR.

Does the DVR work and record without the external drive attached. If no exchange the DVR.

If the DVR does work without the external drive I would suspect the enclosure is bad.

As a side note. Shows previously recorded prior to the failure on the external drive will show up in the recorded list but will not play. It will just go back to the list menu when you try to play it. So you may as well just delete those shows and try recording a new show without the external attached.

You mentioned you removed the hard drive from the case and formated the HD on your PC. I would assume connected directly to your sata connector on your motherboard. So that would rule out a bad drive which is good news:)

You may want to exchange the DVR for a new one because at this point its the cheapest route.

If it does the same thing with the new DVR then I would suggest you purchase a esata to sata cable.

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16812120130

Then test the drive on the PC when its back in the enclosure. This would determine if the enclosure is operating correctly.

As you may have guessed by now we are trying to resolve this by process of elimination starting with the least expensive solution.

Good luck and keep us informed.

holl_ands

02-01-08, 04:15 PM

Try DELETING all partitions....so it looks like a fresh drive, rather than a drive with no room left.

cbh2424

02-01-08, 09:17 PM

Wow, thanks for all the responses. I did go and exchange the box today. I need to call the Cox because not all channels are showing up and the recording light isn't coming on. I'm sure it just needs a refresh on their side. The first try it did not see the external, but I'll try again when the new DVR is actually functioning correctly. This is going to sound really elementary, but how do I know if I have deleted all partitions? I would say I'm a noob, but that really isn't true, I'm just not sure if I know the distinction between deleting all partitions and going through the process of formating the drive and creating a partion to the max size. I hope that made sense.

And yes, you are correct I did attach the drive directly to the MB with an SATA connector. Will report back when the DVR itself is actually working right and then back to the external dilemma. Gracias!

DoubleDAZ

02-01-08, 11:27 PM

I believe if you look through the first post in the Tips thread, you'll see a reference to HDDf being "format".

When doing the format procedure, there are times where it won't always "take" and will have to be redone again. The procedure is to get the mail light blinking from the remote control by holding down the pause button. Once blinking do not press anything else except the page down (page -) button on the remote three times while watching the display. The display should say something like HDD-1 and then HDD-2 or HDD-F. Once on the setting you want (typically the third press) leave it alone and put the remote down. In a few minutes, the DVR will reboot and reformat on it's own. Once complete in about 10 to 15 minutes (depending on RDC and FDC signal level quality) the unit will be available to be turned on, but it's best to leave it off and come back at a later time after it has completely downloaded all of the guide data and info.

The only other question I have is when you have everything connected, what happens if you unplug the SATA drive? Does the 8300 then say something to the effect that the HDD has been disconnected? Sometimes, these things have to be hot-plugged to be recognized. This will probably not mean anything now that you are replacing the 8300 though.

billlh

02-02-08, 02:20 AM

Try DELETING all partitions....so it looks like a fresh drive, rather than a drive with no room left.

I'd say your right. He mentioned reformating and partitioning but not deleting the partitions and drive letters. All the space on the drive is already allocated. It's never going to work until he does that.

Bill

cbh2424

02-02-08, 11:05 AM

Again, thanks for the help. After getting my new DVR box refreshed from the Cox side, all the channels were back, the the DVR function itself returned not long thereafter. I then did another reboot with external on and connected and the format option appeared. As of right now everything is working correctly, external and all. So either I had a bad box, or my external killed my last box and now is working to kill this one. Unfortunately, all my stockpiled shows are gone that were to see me through the strike and baseball off-season. The old cable box wasn't even old, three months old, so we'll see how it goes with this one. Thanks again everyone.

cbh2424

02-03-08, 01:01 PM

jojo57

02-03-08, 01:28 PM

We should start a new thread.

8300HD and External SATA - It Worked for a While!!

rentwist

02-03-08, 01:35 PM

So I spoke too soon. Honestly, it was working when I tested it. Now it seems to only be recording to the internal. Rebooting, then I figure the next step it reformatting on the pc. Then I am throwing it in the fireplace.

I like the fireplace idear! I bought a high quality e-sata cable to use. My xternal is very glicthy.I'll try the new cable. Then, I also bought a 500gig hd for the internal box drive. I need mega capacity! :cool:

cbh2424

02-03-08, 03:33 PM

How is the "high quality" esata cable working? Where did you get that? I'm using the one that game with demon enclosure. I deleted the partition (right clicked on it in disk management and hit delete, is there more to it?) and tried to reformat on the dvr, but as before it did nothing after I hit "a" to format. I'm near divorce at this point. I guess the next step is an esata to sata cable to test the enclosure, then a shrink, then divorce, but honestly the idea of just cracking open the dvr and sticking my 500gb in there is sounding better and better. I thought I read somewhere that it works, but turns out "works" is a fleeting thing. Do we do this just to make ourselves crazy? This is going to occupy me until it works, the super bowl is ruined. Honestly, by all accounts I have "a life", but I'm as obsessed with this as I am with hand-washing and antibacterial lotion. Gambling addictions are so much easier. There are only a couple outcomes and you don't have to have any patience.

phousley

02-03-08, 04:14 PM

I deleted the partition (right clicked on it in disk management and hit delete, is there more to it?) and tried to reformat on the dvr, but as before it did nothing after I hit "a" to format."Nothing" is about it usually does when you connect a new drive. I've used two different drives and the initial format was almost instantaneous. Are you sure it's not working?

DoubleDAZ

02-03-08, 04:51 PM

I could be wrong, but AFAIK the reason to even try reformatting on a PC is simply to wipe any remaining 8300 stuff so that it looks like a new drive to the 8300. The 8300 does not format the drive like a PC would. All is really does is create something like an index file and it's ready to go. Recordings then go to the drive with the most available space (as a percentage of total space on each drive). Therefore a 500G drive could have 80% remaining, but an empty internal would get the recording. If, however, soemthing is showing the external as full/near full, then the internal might get all recordings.

cbh2424

02-03-08, 08:25 PM

DoubleDAZ

02-03-08, 08:38 PM

cbh2424

02-04-08, 12:13 AM

skanter1

02-04-08, 02:17 AM

holl_ands

02-04-08, 03:25 AM

DoubleDAZ

02-04-08, 08:19 AM

Your Public Profile doesn't say which operating system you use.

On PASSPORT, the drive size is increased, but I still only see the internal drive listed.He posted his info a couple of posts back:
Vitals: Cox Cable, Fairfax, VA- SA 8240HDC DVR, SARA V1.90.5.A107, WD5000AAJS, KINGWIN JT-35E

DoubleDAZ

02-04-08, 08:30 AM

Dave,
You bring me to another question. In the dozens of times I've been through the diagnostics, even when things seemed to be working, I've never see an indication that I have an external connected. I never see anything that says "device 2" or anything like it on the DVR page. I have seen post where people do see something like that and it always kind of made me wonder if I'm missing something, but alas I my observation remains. Is it possible that my version just doesn't show it? When you ask about taking the case apart did you mean the dvr or the external? The answer for the dvr would be no, the external the answer is yes, twice in the last two days. I've completely removed the HDD and plugged it into my pc via standard SATA connection. All looks well inside the external and the connections seem to stay firm.

Thanks,Yes, I was talking about the external. I did note that you took it out to reformat, but that doesn't necessarily mean something wasn't loose after it was all put back together. From what I understand, some cases can be kind of difficult, but yours doesn't seem to be one. It was just a thought anyway.

Diags have always been a bit of a mystery, but I was hoping yours would show the drive. It's quite weird for the 8300 to recognize it, etc. It sure sounds like once you hit "A", nothing really is happening. Most folks have something on the internal drive and they see their % go from like 20% full to 2% full to show that the drive is really there. With both drives empty and the diags not showing anything, your left with the data you mentioned. That does seem to indicate the drive format is failing and the drive really isn't there.

I don't know what else to try. I'd disconnect and record a few hours, check the %, then reconnect and check the % again. I'm beginning to think it's the drive/case combo that is not working quite right. Sorry I can't be of more help.

dannyv@cybernex.

02-04-08, 09:36 AM

I deleted the partition (right clicked on it in disk management and hit delete, is there more to it?) and tried to reformat on the dvr, but as before it did nothing after I hit "a" to format.

I guess the next step is an esata to sata cable to test the enclosure,

but honestly the idea of just cracking open the dvr and sticking my 500gb in there is sounding better and better.

Now that you replaced the box and are still have the same problem I would suspect the enclosure. You confirmed the drive is working.

As I said in a previous post.

If it does the same thing with the new DVR then I would suggest you purchase a esata to sata cable.

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16812120130

Then test the drive on the PC when its back in the enclosure. This would determine if the enclosure is operating correctly.

As far as putting the drive directly into the DVR I would be very careful of that expecially if you don't own the box. Cable companies frown on that and you could wind up with some heavy penalties.

skanter1

02-04-08, 01:47 PM

wx27

02-04-08, 02:39 PM

rentwist

02-04-08, 02:58 PM

BobKat6

02-05-08, 12:13 AM

cbh2424

Your cable may need shaving. Check this link:

http://www.tivocommunity.com/tivo-vb...d.php?t=351824

Bob
Comcast-SA8300HD-SARA 1.88.25.1-Maxtor 7H500FO-coolgear DUAL Drive eSATA Case

ndabunka

02-07-08, 01:41 AM

FYI, the Antec MX-1 enclosure shows up a lot in the database, so I thought I'd pass on the current deal on it. Sadly, I bought mine a week before the rebate was in effect, from a vendor that at the time was cheaper than buy.com

Buy.com has the Antec MX-1 SATA to eSATA/USB 2.0 External Hard Drive Enclosure, featuring an aluminium inner chassis and active cooling (uses a quiet fan), for a low $17.24 after rebate. Free Shipping. Tax in CA, MA, MD, TN.

$30 rebate Exp 2/10/08

Just found the details. The $30 "rebate" is actually signing up for a Amazon.com VISA card. Many probably simply don't need another card so the term "rebate" is a bit mis-leading. It's actually more of a "buying incentive" for signing up for their credit card.

holl_ands

02-07-08, 02:59 AM

cbh2424

Your cable may need shaving. Check this link:

http://www.tivocommunity.com/tivo-vb...d.php?t=351824

Bob
Comcast-SA8300HD-SARA 1.88.25.1-Maxtor 7H500FO-coolgear DUAL Drive eSATA Case
That link is incomplete....

DoubleDAZ

02-07-08, 08:46 AM

Just found the details. The $30 "rebate" is actually signing up for a Amazon.com VISA card. Many probably simply don't need another card so the term "rebate" is a bit mis-leading. It's actually more of a "buying incentive" for signing up for their credit card.They are sold out, but he said from buy.com (not amazon) and it's a mail-in rebate:
http://ak.buy.com/buy_assets/retail/pdfs/08Q1/0204-0210sm-ms_30antec.pdf

AFAIK, Amazon always has a $30 credit for signing up for their card as an advertising ploy.

cburbs

02-07-08, 07:37 PM

So i have the TWC with Sara 1.89.17.1.
Looking for a 750g hd and the queitest case possible.

Is this the best case -
Antec MX-1 USB 2.0 SATA Actively Cooled Hard Drive Enclosure

Best hard drive?
Western Digital Caviar SE16 WD7500AAKS

CxP

02-07-08, 08:30 PM

What will happen if I take my external drive attached to an 8300SD and plug it into an 8300HD ? Will I lose the saved movies on the drive that were recorded when attached to the 8300SD??

Thanks,
CxP

davehancock

02-07-08, 08:41 PM

What will happen if I take my external drive attached to an 8300SD and plug it into an 8300HD ? Will I lose the saved movies on the drive that were recorded when attached to the 8300SD??

Thanks,
CxPUnfortunately, you will lose the saved recordings. But not because you are going from SD to HD, but because the recordings are encrypted with a key that is unique to the particular DVR that recorded them. As a result, you could not move an external drive from one 8300HD to another 8300HD and be able to play the recordings.

BobKat6

02-07-08, 09:51 PM

That link is incomplete....

Sorry. Try this:

http://www.tivocommunity.com/tivo-vb/showthread.php?t=351824

billlh

02-07-08, 11:49 PM

The easiest way for me to verify that all is not well is by checking the % of space used. If I record and hour of HD and it takes five percent of my space, I know that it only calculating the internal drive, as opposed to using 1% of the space with the 500gb external. Would this still be a correct way to look at it if both drives start empty?

Vitals: Cox Cable, Fairfax, VA- SA 8240HDC DVR, SARA V1.90.5.A107, WD5000AAJS, KINGWIN JT-35E

I still think you would be better off cutting your losses and starting over with a known good case. Since the case is the cheapest component besides the cable to replace. Personally I doubt it's a bad cable. Cables usually work or they don't. Though a connector with a crappy connection is possible.

One of the things people don't really understand in the "PC World" is standards aren't always standards! I know that sounds confusing, hear me out. Their are many ways to design a product. Some of those ways keep you right on the exact standards used and some get you close enough so the product works. But they are cheaper so they cut corners. You may very well be using one of the just about works ones. Kingwin isn't exactly known for their "high" quality parts. These cable boxes seem to hold the hardware to a higher standard then you PC does. Look at the Seagate drives not quite working, as a perfect example. No one complains about them not working in their PC.

I've not seen one report in the data base that complains about the Antec MX-1 giving problems. I realize they aren't the cheapest solution. But you have to be thinking at this point with all you have been through that the case is looking a lot cheaper. Antec holds their products to very ridgid standards. I've built a couple of PC's with their cases and have always been very impressed with their high quality. I have three of the MX-1's I'm using now and everything about them says quality. Once you have one apart you will be amazed at the thought they put into designing these cases. So it doesn't suprise me in the least that they work well in this application.

I'll leave you here with a few links for prices and reviews.

Good Luck,

http://www.dreamhardware.com/store/product/index.php

http://www.costcentral.com/proddetail/Antec_VERIS_MX_1_Actively_Cooled_Hard_Drive_Enclosure/MX1/L49507/

http://www.pcuniverse.com/product.asp?pid=4091613&m_id=32

http://www.xsreviews.co.uk/reviews/drives/antec-veris-mx-1-enclosure/

http://www.futurelooks.com/antec-veris-mx-1-actively-cooled-hard-drive-enclosure-review/

http://www.techpowerup.com/reviews/Antec/MX-1

http://www.silentpcreview.com/article728-page1.html

rlanza1054

02-08-08, 12:52 PM

FYI: My Western Digital 500 GB Drive that I thought was a bargin, turns out that it only came with a 1 year warranty for replacement.

Most drives do come with 3 to 5 years, as industry standard.

This may answer why this drive was so cheap.

It is now being sold at $99.

Western Digital in their kind hearts is saying I can upgrade to a new drive for the low price of $99.

Strange how they price an upgrade at the same price of it being sold at today.

OK, as of writing this, they are trying to do something called 'extend my warranty' so that I might qualify for the replacement drive.

Instead of making me sweat, why not just make the warranty what the usual industry standard of 3 - 5 years.

Let's see what happens.

Of course, because of price I just ran out and purchase a new drive (the same one, so I'm stupid and haven't learn from my mistakes) for $99.

Question to everyone: How has this model held up, has anyone else had a bad experience with this Western Digital Caviar WD500KS

Rob

synapse88

02-08-08, 07:48 PM

Dell has the Western Digital WDH1CS5000N My Book Home 500GB for $125 shipped. Anyone tried this drive yet...or any WD mybooks in general?

accessories.us.dell.com/sna/products/System_Drives/productdetail.aspx?c=us&l=en&cs=19&sku=A1295209&dgc=CJ&cid=24471&lid=628179

xnappo

02-08-08, 09:45 PM

synapse88

02-09-08, 08:55 AM

I checked the database, and its not listed there...hence the question.

someone in the buy.com review said they successfully hooked it up to their 8300HD.

xnappo

02-09-08, 10:27 AM

I checked the database, and its not listed there...hence the question.

someone in the buy.com review said they successfully hooked it up to their 8300HD.

?? There are six fails in the SARA database and one fail in the Passport database. There are no passes.

I recommend you find something else.

xnappo

DoubleDAZ

02-09-08, 11:30 AM

I checked the database, and its not listed there...hence the question.

someone in the buy.com review said they successfully hooked it up to their 8300HD.Which database did you check? What is your location? What cableco? What softare/version? We ask that folks add this info to their signature so we can help them better.

blachanc

02-10-08, 09:05 PM

Hope I am posting in the right thread.
Following the excellent compatibility database,
(SA8300HD eSATA Compatibility Database (SARA))

I bought a Vantec nexstar360SU and a 500 Gig Western digital
WD5000AAKS.

Everything is working great, except for the power management.

The external disk in the Vantec enclosure is always spinning,
even if the 8300HD unit is off since few hours.

Is that the expected behavior/ Can I do something about this/should I worry?

( I Did search the forum for this answer and could not find any related topic)

Thank you for your Help,

Benoit

PS: In case the box is configured differently based on the provider:
my provider is Videotron (Montreal/Canada)

billlh

02-10-08, 09:32 PM

blachanc

02-11-08, 05:32 PM

It's working exactly as it should. Their is no power management. You want the drive spiinning constantly. Actually it's a lot better for the drive that way. Drives last a lot longer if they run all the time.

Billl

Hi Bill,
Thank you for your post.

Since the 8300HD shut downs the internal hard drive,
I was expecting the same behavior from the external
drive. This is why I was a bit worried.

Anyway, the nexstar case gets warm like the back of a flat panel
which is acceptable.

I am happy that I did not buy a case with a fan,
since it would probably be too noisy when I am reading
instead of watching TV.

Benoit

billlh

02-12-08, 01:55 AM

Hi Bill,
Thank you for your post.

Since the 8300HD shut downs the internal hard drive,
I was expecting the same behavior from the external
drive. This is why I was a bit worried.

Anyway, the nexstar case gets warm like the back of a flat panel
which is acceptable.

I am happy that I did not buy a case with a fan,
since it would probably be too noisy when I am reading
instead of watching TV.

Benoit

I use an Antec MX-1 case with a large slow rotating fan inside. It is very quiet and it keeps the drive running very cool. I would becareful to keep that drive away from anything generating heat if it has no fan. The hotter a drive runs the shorter it's life will be generally.

Billl

Riverside_Guy

02-12-08, 02:54 PM

Hi Bill,
Thank you for your post.

Since the 8300HD shut downs the internal hard drive,
I was expecting the same behavior from the external
drive. This is why I was a bit worried.

Anyway, the nexstar case gets warm like the back of a flat panel
which is acceptable.

I am happy that I did not buy a case with a fan,
since it would probably be too noisy when I am reading
instead of watching TV.

Benoit

Actually, as you are one of our northern brothers, I would explore replacing the internal drive with a much larger one. As far as I can tell, the Canadian cable outfits DO download their entire firmware/software suite to a newly installed internal drive. I have not heard of one American customer do this but have read many posts from guys in Quebec doing it successfully.

racer421

02-18-08, 09:15 PM

I have a question for anyone, especially BobKat6 since I have been reading a multitude of posts and his are quite informative. Seagate has some new drives that have a 32mb buffer available from several vendors(Newegg is where I saw them first). Is it possible or likely that the larger buffer/cache will address the stuttering concerns? There doesn't seem to be many success stories in here with regard to Seagate, however I do not see any of these newer drives on the databases. As you know, the 5yr warranty is a big draw for consumers.

xnappo

02-18-08, 09:38 PM

racer421

02-19-08, 11:30 PM

I have purchased a WD but the ST3750330AS or ST3500320NS did make me think that they may be worth testing to see if the update has an effect.
Thanks for the response.

CottyGee

02-20-08, 02:39 PM

Holy moly! I've got new hardware, I'm confused, and hopeful y'all have some answers for me! Yesterday was my b-day, and the Mrs. picked me up a WD7500AAKS drive and a Antec MX-1 USB2.0 & eSATA External Enclosure, which seemed to be the "winningest" combination on the list...

I'm on Cox HD in Phoenix (on Chandler hub I think) running SARA on a SA8240 (I think).

Now for questions... I need to know if anyone knows what jumper settings work best for this SATA drive.

Does anybody know how the jumpers for this drive should be configured? One is a setting for "Spread Spectrum Clocking". Found an article on the Western Digital website that describes this (http://wdc.custhelp.com/cgi-bin/wdc.cfg/php/enduser/popup_adp.php?p_sid=r1C7YOYi&p_lva=&p_li=&p_faqid=1291&p_created=1099950374&p_sp=cF9zcmNoPTEmcF9zb3J0X2J5PSZwX2dyaWRzb3J0PSZwX3Jvd19jbnQ 9MSwxJnBfcHJvZHM9JnBfY2F0cz0mcF9wdj0mcF9jdj0mcF9zZWFyY2hfdHl wZT1zZWFyY2hfZm5sJnBfcGFnZT0xJnBfc2VhcmNoX3RleHQ9V0Q3NTAwQUF LUw**). Does anybody know which setting is the best for our application?

Does anyone have any insight on the jumper settings for "PM2"? This is apparently related to power management. I think this answer here (http://wdc.custhelp.com/cgi-bin/wdc.cfg/php/enduser/std_adp.php?p_faqid=958&p_created=1050530240&p_sid=_js81PYi&p_accessibility=0&p_redirect=&p_lva=1543&p_sp=cF9zcmNoPTEmcF9zb3J0X2J5PSZwX2dyaWRzb3J0PSZwX3Jvd19jbnQ 9MjEyLDIxMiZwX3Byb2RzPTAmcF9jYXRzPTAmcF9wdj0mcF9jdj0mcF9zZWF yY2hfdHlwZT1hbnN3ZXJzLnNlYXJjaF9mbmwmcF9wYWdlPTEmcF9zZWFyY2h fdGV4dD1QTTIganVtcGVy&p_li=&p_topview=1) pertains to the power management setup.

Hopefully the eSATA cable they included with the case is the right eSATA cable and won't have issues with the length of the connector (as described in the link to the TiVo Community discussion).

Thanks in advance to you guys. You've already been very helpful! Can't wait to get this hooked up. Last weekend, I checked my drive usage, and I was at 99%!!! ;)

wx27

02-21-08, 02:19 AM

Now for questions... I need to know if anyone knows what jumper settings work best for this SATA drive.

Does anybody know how the jumpers for this drive should be configured? One is a setting for "Spread Spectrum Clocking". Found an article on the Western Digital website that describes this (http://wdc.custhelp.com/cgi-bin/wdc.cfg/php/enduser/popup_adp.php?p_sid=r1C7YOYi&p_lva=&p_li=&p_faqid=1291&p_created=1099950374&p_sp=cF9zcmNoPTEmcF9zb3J0X2J5PSZwX2dyaWRzb3J0PSZwX3Jvd19jbnQ 9MSwxJnBfcHJvZHM9JnBfY2F0cz0mcF9wdj0mcF9jdj0mcF9zZWFyY2hfdHl wZT1zZWFyY2hfZm5sJnBfcGFnZT0xJnBfc2VhcmNoX3RleHQ9V0Q3NTAwQUF LUw**). Does anybody know which setting is the best for our application?

Does anyone have any insight on the jumper settings for "PM2"? This is apparently related to power management. I think this answer here (http://wdc.custhelp.com/cgi-bin/wdc.cfg/php/enduser/std_adp.php?p_faqid=958&p_created=1050530240&p_sid=_js81PYi&p_accessibility=0&p_redirect=&p_lva=1543&p_sp=cF9zcmNoPTEmcF9zb3J0X2J5PSZwX2dyaWRzb3J0PSZwX3Jvd19jbnQ 9MjEyLDIxMiZwX3Byb2RzPTAmcF9jYXRzPTAmcF9wdj0mcF9jdj0mcF9zZWF yY2hfdHlwZT1hbnN3ZXJzLnNlYXJjaF9mbmwmcF9wYWdlPTEmcF9zZWFyY2h fdGV4dD1QTTIganVtcGVy&p_li=&p_topview=1) pertains to the power management setup.

I have the WD5000AAKS and MX-1 enclosure. No jumpers. SA8300HDC box running Navigator. Putting a jumper in to connect pins 3+4 to enable power management caused the DVR not to see it anymore, so I would recommend against doing so.

Riverside_Guy

02-21-08, 11:23 AM

Thanks in advance to you guys. You've already been very helpful! Can't wait to get this hooked up. Last weekend, I checked my drive usage, and I was at 99%!!! ;)

One suggestion would be to make sure to NOT button everything up until you se it working as it should. i.e. typically there can be up to 8 screws, 4 to secure the drive and 4 to secure the case into one piece.

Pantalaimon

02-21-08, 02:02 PM

I used a WD drive in my external enclosure because many people reported success with them. Then the drive died. Western digital WILL NOT honor the warranty.

If I look up the drive model on their site it is listed as a three year warranty. When I enter the serial number into their online warranty checker it says it is out of warranty even though I've only had the drive for about a year or so. Aside from a standard BS autoreply, they completely ignore my emails requesting help with this.

Even though they are cheaper, I will never buy from Western Digital again. I guess you get less than what you pay for with them.

CottyGee

02-21-08, 02:15 PM

No doubt WD sucks. But when they're the most successful - well, it's hard to pick Seagate or Maxtor.

Could your circumstance perhaps be due to the vendor selling you a drive that sat on the shelf for a while? I wonder why WD is denying warranty, other than it was either an un-warrantied OEM drive, or it was old stock and they're denying the warranty based on the date of manufacturing.

I'm sure hoping someone can offer some definitive advice on jumper settings! I'm probably going to install tomorrow or Saturday.

CANNON-FODDER

02-21-08, 11:36 PM

... drive model on their site it is listed as a three year warranty. When I enter the serial number into their online warranty checker it says it is out of warranty even though I've only had the drive for about a year or so...Normally a proof of purchase is required, sometimes with the serial number of the drive. It seems to be standard practice to base all warranty claims off the manufacture date until the consumer provides proof of purchase date or sends in a warranty/registration card.

I have had that experience on a couple Seagate drive warranties and the warranty on the laptop I am using from Lenovo. Sometimes you just need to get past the first CSR to the one who can tell you where to submit a copy of the proof of purchase.

However, for a long time OEM and retail warranties were different periods and terms, with OEM historically a shorter period. As the common warranty period on HHD morphed from one year to three years to five years (or whatever they are now), at least once I believe the OEM warranty was longer than retail for some reason, and some models had different warranty periods based upon when they were sold.

v/r,
C-F

dannyv@cybernex.

02-22-08, 09:21 AM

I'm sure hoping someone can offer some definitive advice on jumper settings! I'm probably going to install tomorrow or Saturday.

Leave all jumpers at the default settings (Out of the box settings).

Pantalaimon

02-22-08, 12:13 PM

Could your circumstance perhaps be due to the vendor selling you a drive that sat on the shelf for a while? I wonder why WD is denying warranty, other than it was either an un-warrantied OEM drive, or it was old stock and they're denying the warranty based on the date of manufacturing.

The date of manufacture is printed on the drive.

CottyGee

02-22-08, 12:22 PM

And does the date of manufacture printed on the drive fall within the warranty period?

Has WD given you a reason for denying your warranty claim? Do you have any idea of why?

Pantalaimon

02-22-08, 12:27 PM

It seems to be standard practice to base all warranty claims off the manufacture date until the consumer provides proof of purchase date or sends in a warranty/registration card.

I have had that experience on a couple Seagate drive warranties and the warranty on the laptop I am using from Lenovo. Sometimes you just need to get past the first CSR to the one who can tell you where to submit a copy of the proof of purchase.

v/r,
C-F

I am basing this on the date of manufacture plus the warranty listed on the web site for that model drive.

Pantalaimon

02-22-08, 12:33 PM

And does the date of manufacture printed on the drive fall within the warranty period?

Has WD given you a reason for denying your warranty claim? Do you have any idea of why?

The date of manufacture is August 2005. The listed warranty is three years. The warranty is good until August 2008.

As I said in my original post, they are ignoring me. They are apparently not even reading my emails (submitted through a form on their site) because I only get an autoreply. I get no human response. That is a bad way to do business. I will only buy Maxtor and Seagate for now on.

Skylark

02-22-08, 02:49 PM

I will only buy Maxtor and Seagate for now on.
Seagate bought out Maxtor so they are the same company now. After owning 5 hard drives per PC (2 PCs = 10 HDs) for the last 10 years I've experienced many failures with IBM (the absolute worst, now Hitachi), Western Digital and Maxtor.

I discovered that Seagate offers 5 year warranties on their HDs so I started buying Seagate exclusively and have not had any more HD failures. Two friends also bought Segate HDs via my recommendation and they have not had any failures either. Seagate is the only HD that I will buy anymore.

The Seagate in my ThermalTake Max 4 enclosure is working perfectly on my SA8300.

Skylark

CANNON-FODDER

02-23-08, 08:55 AM

The date of manufacture is August 2005. The listed warranty is three years. The warranty is good until August 2008.

As I said in my original post, they are ignoring me. They are apparently not even reading my emails (submitted through a form on their site) because I only get an autoreply. I get no human response. That is a bad way to do business. I will only buy Maxtor and Seagate for now on.Well, your warranty should be based upon your purchase date, absent proof of that then it is the manufacture date.

Again, I do not remember when the drive warranty period started transitioning, but there is a chance you might have bought a retail WD HHD when the warranty period was only one year. Buying the next model a month later (or maybe the same model) would have carried a three year warranty.

Since both of these seem to be within the purchase and manufacture date warranty periods, as I mentioned you will probably have to call and talk to a CSR and probably a supervisor or warranty specialist.

E-mail is nice for simple problems, but I do not consider it a primary means of communication for anything.

Good luck.

C-F

CottyGee

02-23-08, 09:02 AM

Not to change the subject, but I installed my WD drive yesterday, leaving everything as it came out of the box jumper-setting wise. Booted the STB and there it was! From 96% space used to 17%. :)

KML

02-25-08, 08:07 AM

Many of us using TW Cable in NYC have been getting freezes when playing back programs from 8300HD. Rebooting seems the only way to get back in operation.

Many have external eSATA, some might not, however. This has only been happening to in the past few weeks, making us think it might have something to do with TWC software.

Has anyone here been experiencing similar issues?

I installed a WD DVR Expander on my SA 8300HD about two weeks ago. It was working fine until 5 or six days ago. Now playback of recorded TV and rewinding of live TV freezes up. It sometimes hangs the whole box up requiring a reboot. I've tried everything to get it to work including a complete reformat to no avail. I currently have it disconnected and my DVR is functioning properly.

dannyv@cybernex.

02-26-08, 01:05 PM

I installed a WD DVR Expander on my SA 8300HD about two weeks ago. It was working fine until 5 or six days ago. Now playback of recorded TV and rewinding of live TV freezes up. It sometimes hangs the whole box up requiring a reboot. I've tried everything to get it to work including a complete reformat to no avail. I currently have it disconnected and my DVR is functioning properly.

First check all connectors.

Format the drive on your PC and see if it formats and is read correctly by the PC. If its OK on the PC. exchange the cablebox. If it still gives you a problem RMA the expander back to WD for a new one.

From reading other post I suspect the expander may be running hot and killing the hard drive.

KML

02-27-08, 01:55 AM

Pantalaimon

02-27-08, 10:54 AM

Seagate bought out Maxtor so they are the same company now. After owning 5 hard drives per PC (2 PCs = 10 HDs) for the last 10 years I've experienced many failures with IBM (the absolute worst, now Hitachi), Western Digital and Maxtor.

I discovered that Seagate offers 5 year warranties on their HDs so I started buying Seagate exclusively and have not had any more HD failures. Two friends also bought Segate HDs via my recommendation and they have not had any failures either. Seagate is the only HD that I will buy anymore.

The Seagate in my ThermalTake Max 4 enclosure is working perfectly on my SA8300.

Skylark

Seagate is also my choice for now on. Do you by any chance know the model # of the Seagate drive that is working with your DVR?

integrilin

02-27-08, 07:48 PM

First check all connectors.

Format the drive on your PC and see if it formats and is read correctly by the PC. If its OK on the PC. exchange the cablebox. If it still gives you a problem RMA the expander back to WD for a new one.

From reading other post I suspect the expander may be running hot and killing the hard drive.

Hi,
I'm new to the board, and just want to thank you all for the great info on the database. I stumbled upon it yesterday when trying to figure out why the MyBook I bought wasn't recognized by the DVR.....doesn't look like anyone is having any luck with them.

I was considering MyDVR Expander, but was concerned about the lack of a fan. I wonder also if the early failures are due to excessive heat, especially if it's located in a warm area near other components.

KML, if it's not too late, it might be worth returning it and going with a case like the Antec MX1 and hard drive of your choice. The fan is very quiet and gives me the piece of mind that the hard drive is being cooled. I bought the case at Circuit City for $55 (comes with an esata cable) and the WD5000KSRTL at BestBuy for $103 -- in total $40 cheaper than MYDVR Expander and actively cooled, with the ability to swap in a larger drive easily at some later point if desired.

At CC, the price of the case was $70, but I brought it to the attention of the cashier that their website has it advertised for $54.99 and they honored it.

cephraim

02-27-08, 09:59 PM

Looks like my WD5000KSRTL died after a little over a year. Not working with my DVR, and can't access it from my PC via USB. Looks like people have had pretty good luck with it, though, according to the database, right?

Should I risk picking up another to put in my existing Apricorn enclosure? (They're relatively cheap these days...) Or, is there another 500GB-750GB drive that comes more highly recommended for SARA systems these days? Is the WD5000AAKS working better than the WD5000KSRTL? Anybody try the WD7500KSRTL? I don't see it in the database...

Thanks!

Pantalaimon

02-28-08, 12:11 AM

Looks like my WD5000KSRTL died after a little over a year. Not working with my DVR, and can't access it from my PC via USB. Looks like people have had pretty good luck with it, though, according to the database, right?

Western Digital drives last about a year in my experience. And they don't seem to honor the warranty. Not worth it.

xnappo

02-28-08, 08:37 AM

Western Digital drives last about a year in my experience. And they don't seem to honor the warranty. Not worth it.

I have had drives from all three vendors go bad, and all three vendors honored the warranty. Just call back and get another person on the line.

xnappo

cephraim

02-28-08, 09:24 AM

Thanks, I'll try to see if I can get an exchange through warranty. In the meantime, any thoughts on my additional questions from my original post (relisted below)?

Thanks!

Should I risk picking up another to put in my existing Apricorn enclosure? (They're relatively cheap these days...) Or, is there another 500GB-750GB drive that comes more highly recommended for SARA systems these days? Is the WD5000AAKS working better than the WD5000KSRTL? Anybody try the WD7500KSRTL? I don't see it in the database...

Thanks!

CottyGee

02-28-08, 10:13 AM

Should I risk picking up another to put in my existing Apricorn enclosure? (They're relatively cheap these days...) Or, is there another 500GB-750GB drive that comes more highly recommended for SARA systems these days? Is the WD5000AAKS working better than the WD5000KSRTL? Anybody try the WD7500KSRTL? I don't see it in the database...
Well, I can't really answer all of your question, but I can tell you that I installed a WD7500AAKS drive and a Antec MX-1 USB2.0 & eSATA External Enclosure and they have worked flawlessly on my SARA box. 'Course it's only been a week! ;)

WQ1

02-28-08, 01:00 PM

KML

02-28-08, 02:16 PM

Hi,
I'm new to the board, and just want to thank you all for the great info on the database. I stumbled upon it yesterday when trying to figure out why the MyBook I bought wasn't recognized by the DVR.....doesn't look like anyone is having any luck with them.

I was considering MyDVR Expander, but was concerned about the lack of a fan. I wonder also if the early failures are due to excessive heat, especially if it's located in a warm area near other components.

KML, if it's not too late, it might be worth returning it and going with a case like the Antec MX1 and hard drive of your choice. The fan is very quiet and gives me the piece of mind that the hard drive is being cooled. I bought the case at Circuit City for $55 (comes with an esata cable) and the WD5000KSRTL at BestBuy for $103 -- in total $40 cheaper than MYDVR Expander and actively cooled, with the ability to swap in a larger drive easily at some later point if desired.

At CC, the price of the case was $70, but I brought it to the attention of the cashier that their website has it advertised for $54.99 and they honored it.

Too late to return it. Got it on ebay and already tossed the box.

As far as the heat, I have the expander out in the open with unrestricted airflow. I went with the WD Expander because my concern was fan noise. Maybe I made a mistake.

My thinkng is that the problem is caused by some software upgrade that Cablevision sent out. The drive worked fine for a little over a week. Then everything I recorded after Feb. 20 froze on playback. I saw some people were having similar problems with a DVR on TWC in Manhattan and then the problem cleared up after a week or two. That's what leads me to believe it's a software problem. I still haven't made it down to my local cable store to exchange the DVR. Hopefully I'll have time tomorrow and it will either be my fix or I will have eliminated a defective DVR as my problem.

davehancock

02-28-08, 02:28 PM

Need help - read much but can't get through 200+ pages.

I have a 8300HD (on Rogers) and need more disk space for HD recording. External, or maybe internal expansion.

Most posts refer to products and sellers in US which I do not have access to.

Has anyone done an easy & successful set-up in Ontario and care to share details?

Thks!Can't help you with products available in Canada, but Rogers uses SARA, so Xnappo's SARA list should help guide you some.

integrilin

02-28-08, 06:01 PM

Western Digital drives last about a year in my experience. And they don't seem to honor the warranty. Not worth it.

I haven't had this experience, been using WD drives for years, and have only had one 200gb drive fail after 2 yrs of use (in a desktop), another after 6 yrs (in my xbox), both likely due to excessive heat. I think most computers are inadequately cooled for the big drives they are running - these big drives run hot (the one in my desktop was hot to touch, probably why it failed). I'm not a big fan of these large-capacity passively cooled external drives which will be running 24/7, I wouldn't expect them to last too long.

BPlayer

02-29-08, 09:42 AM

Need help - read much but can't get through 200+ pages.

I have a 8300HD (on Rogers) and need more disk space for HD recording. External, or maybe internal expansion.

Most posts refer to products and sellers in US which I do not have access to.

Has anyone done an easy & successful set-up in Ontario and care to share details?

Thks!There is a local forum for Rogers at the following location that will provide the information or support for you:

http://www.digitalhome.ca/forum/forumdisplay.php?f=61

Galager

02-29-08, 12:12 PM

Can anyone tell me if this drive will work properly? I have it already. I'm on TWC in Manhattan. Thanks!

(I'm sure the answer is buried somewhere in this thread, but my serach did not yield a good answer).

Galager

02-29-08, 12:13 PM

cephraim

02-29-08, 06:01 PM

I wanted to follow-up and let everyone know that it wasn't my WD5000KSRTL drive that was the problem. Turned out my Apricorn SATA/USB enclosure was failing. After trying a new drive in the Apricorn enclosure, I was still having issues. So, I bought the Antec MX-1 enclosure at Circuit City and the old drive worked again! BTW - the Antec enclosure seems to be MUCH quieter. Assuming it runs glitch-free, I think I will be very happy with it.

Question: While I was doing all this testing, I deleted some shows from the "Recorded Show" list while the NEW drive was in. I assume this just removed the index entry for it, but obviously didn't delete the show, as the show was on the OLD drive. Anybody know if the space that the show used on the OLD can be reused now that it's index entry is removed?

Thanks!
Eph

bluzrip

03-01-08, 11:17 AM

The Antec MX-1 seems to be the default favorite enclosure around here. Anyone try the Thermaltake MAX 4 case? A friend has one for general PC use and swears by it.

Any reason it might not work for this application (use with an 8300HD)?

heydudebaked420

03-01-08, 09:30 PM

i bought a maxtor 320 gig...and no matter what i do, what order, all the reboots....i cant get the dam thing to recognise it for a format. When i unplug it it says its been disconnected, but when i plug it in it never formats or resognises in the diag. screen for more space....

help?? im on TWC pasport soft ver echo 2.6.002....sata is authorized

i am stumped

thanks

holl_ands

03-02-08, 05:46 PM

First of all, can you verify the drive works by partitioning and formating via windows?
Then be SURE to DELETE partition(s), otherwise DVR won't find any "free" space.

heydudebaked420

03-02-08, 08:42 PM

First of all, can you verify the drive works by partitioning and formating via windows?
Then be SURE to DELETE partition(s), otherwise DVR won't find any "free" space.

first, thank you for the reply.

..and yes, i hooked it up, formatted, then just deleted it all the partition, left it "unallocated" with NO partition....then hooked it back up, and still same result.

But according to tech support, they say it is NOT an active port, but the diagnostic screen says its acive. I dont know. I also heard tey have a newer box.. a OPAC box? what is that? I wonder if that sata port is good to go?

thanks for the help

skoub

03-03-08, 12:55 PM

KML

03-03-08, 01:32 PM

Too late to return it. Got it on ebay and already tossed the box.

As far as the heat, I have the expander out in the open with unrestricted airflow. I went with the WD Expander because my concern was fan noise. Maybe I made a mistake.

My thinkng is that the problem is caused by some software upgrade that Cablevision sent out. The drive worked fine for a little over a week. Then everything I recorded after Feb. 20 froze on playback. I saw some people were having similar problems with a DVR on TWC in Manhattan and then the problem cleared up after a week or two. That's what leads me to believe it's a software problem. I still haven't made it down to my local cable store to exchange the DVR. Hopefully I'll have time tomorrow and it will either be my fix or I will have eliminated a defective DVR as my problem.

Well I swapped out by DVR for a new one and still had the freezing issue on playback. I got an eSATA pci card for my PC for next to nothing and tried to set up the dirve on my PC. I was unable to format the drive. I contacted WD for an RMA number and now I'm awaiting my replacement.

xnappo

03-03-08, 02:30 PM

So if we can, is there any probleme with that solution, glitch, etc..?

thanks for all your help!

People (mostly Canadians since they own the box) have done this successfully with SARA. It does *not* work with Passport. As far as I know, no one has tried it with Navigator.

xnappo

davehancock

03-03-08, 02:35 PM

hi everyone,

i have searched this forum to answer my question but its seems that nobody have talken about this. Is is possible to replace the IDE drive inside the box with a SATA drive combined with an IDE to SATA adapter? Please, dont offer me the solution to put an external drive. I really want to swap the internal drive!

So if we can, is there any probleme with that solution, glitch, etc..?

thanks for all your help!Replace the IDE drive inside the box with a SATA drive? Why would you want to do that?

There was an article in Popular Science a couple of years ago (no longer on the on-line site) about replacing the 8300 internal IDE drive with a larger one. But it was an IDE replacing an IDE. The article also mentioned the external drive.

When xnappo said that it's been done, I believe he was referring to an IDE replacing an IDE only. Not a SATA replacing an IDE.

xnappo

03-03-08, 03:00 PM

When xnappo said that it's been done, I believe he was referring to an IDE replacing an IDE only. Not a SATA replacing an IDE.

Doh :) maybe next time I should read the post !

Dave is right - I was referring to replace IDE with IDE.

xnappo

ryebread

03-03-08, 04:09 PM

I've been using an external drive with my SARA 8300HD now for about a year. The drive has worked flawlessly, however, the enclosure does not have a fan. I see that most users prefer tha Antec MX-1 enclosure for this application so I was thinking of moving my current drive into an Antec MX-1 enclosure in order to extend the life of the drive. Do I run the risk of having the 8300HD not recognize the drive/data that I've already recorded? Is this just not worth the risk with a drive/enclosure that is currently working correctly?

dannyv@cybernex.

03-03-08, 04:32 PM

skoub

03-04-08, 09:59 AM

Replace the IDE drive inside the box with a SATA drive? Why would you want to do that?

well.. because here in Montreal, the WD5000AAKS (SATA) is less expensive than the WD5000AAKB (IDE), and firstly, i wanted to put a 750gig, the WD7500AAKS but it doesnt exist in IDE. So thats why i wanted to know if we can put a SATA with an adapter to replace the IDE drive.

anyway, i bought the 500gig IDE version and everything is fine... well except that it does more noise than the original WD that was there.

xnappo

03-04-08, 10:48 AM

anyway, i bought the 500gig IDE version and everything is fine... well except that it does more noise than the original WD that was there.

You should be able to hook it up to your PC and turn AAM on:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Automatic_Acoustic_Management

AAM does not impact performance enough to cause a problem with these boxes.

xnappo

skoub

03-04-08, 12:01 PM

You should be able to hook it up to your PC and turn AAM on:

AAM does not impact performance enough to cause a problem with these boxes.

xnappo

i've done that but its not the read/write sound that cause the noise. Its the "vroum" sound... like a little fan. I guest its the spinning of the disk that i hear!

Riverside_Guy

03-04-08, 03:20 PM

People (mostly Canadians since they own the box) have done this successfully with SARA. It does *not* work with Passport. As far as I know, no one has tried it with Navigator.

xnappo

Do you really think it has anything to do with SARA or Passport? My "theory" is that there is something inherently different up in Canada where folks own their boxes. As in a "download" includes something like a boot code whereas in the US, the drives have to already have such a code (boot code, driver, its the concept not the execution).

I remember the days when you simply could NOT replace a hard drive on a Compaq machine... you HAD to get one from them. They had a special boot code that the M$ OS could NOT add during a format... but that was factory applied.

holl_ands

03-04-08, 03:31 PM

Since you are speculating, here's a few more off the wall "theories":
USA software versions may have additional security features, like maybe
turning it into a brick if it detects the cover has been removed...and/or when
going through the authorization process, as an anti-hacking feature, the HDD S/N
is checked in addition to the box S/N...

PS: The cable systems have various systems in place to detect and PROSECUTE
cable theft....and they consider tampering the same as theft....
If you kill the box, there are hefty criminal penalities as well as the "cost"
to refurbish/replace the box....retail plus all associated tech/lawyer LABOR....

USER OWNED "tru2way" cable boxes, DVRs, iDCR HDTV and iHTPCs should start
to become available this summer thru fall.....

xnappo

03-04-08, 03:40 PM

Do you really think it has anything to do with SARA or Passport?

Eh, not sure. I seem to remember someone doing it with SARA in the US but I could be wrong. Kinda like government conspiracy theories I tend to go with explanations that do not require any intelligence on the part of the cables cos.

xnappo

davehancock

03-04-08, 04:01 PM

Eh, not sure. I seem to remember someone doing it with SARA in the US but I could be wrong. Kinda like government conspiracy theories I tend to go with explanations that do not require any intelligence on the part of the cables cos.

xnappoAs I pointed out earlier, Popular Science had a "how to" article doing just this. I checked, and thought the article was no longer there, but I just checked some of my bookmarks again - and there it was:

http://www.popsci.com/diy/article/2006-04/hack-your-cable-box

Note step 2: 2 Before removing the drive from the bracket, carefully peel off the tamper sticker. If you bend it too far, the word void will appear and the cable company could see that you tampered with it.

This was not an article focused on Canada. As I recall, folks reported it working with both SARA and Passport (Navigator wasn't around at the time) - even though the article said it would only work with SARA. At that time, the EXTERNAL drive wouldn't work with Passport and the discussion was at the time that the Pop Sci editors did a hack job themselves on the article.

RaveD

03-04-08, 05:22 PM

DoubleDAZ

03-04-08, 07:23 PM

Eh, not sure. I seem to remember someone doing it with SARA in the US but I could be wrong.I remember someone with SARA in the US doing it too, but he never responded to questions. I believe he even mentioned the sticker, etc. I would be surprised too if they checked the HDD S/N when doing automatic authorization reviews, but that is just ab opinion, no specific knowledge.

dack70

03-04-08, 07:26 PM

I got the exact same results as you with the same setup you have. Every couple of minutes the video would pixelate and recover. I tried everything I could think of, including contacting Apricorn tech support (worthless) and eventually gave up. I use the Xpander with my PC for bulk storage, so it wasn't a complete waste.

Well, I finally gave up too. I disconnected my DVR Extender, and sure enough, everything works perfectly now. What a disappointment this is. Has anyone else had similar problems with their external drives? Any other suggestions?

To recap my problem, here is my original post:

I have the 8300HDC DVR with the 500GB My DVR Extender from WD. When I hooked up the external drive, it asked me to format and even said this drive IS compatible with my DVR. After that everything seems to be working, well,... OK. The only problem I am seeing is, when I'm watching a recorded show, or even a paused show, I get pixelation hic-ups every couple minutes or so. This never happens when I'm watching live tv though, so it seems the problem only happens when watching tv from the DVR. My DVR is not even close to being full yet, so I'm assuming nothing is recorded to the external drive yet. This problem isn't huge, but it does get quite annoying. Has anyone else seen this?

xnappo

03-04-08, 10:57 PM

Riverside_Guy

03-05-08, 11:34 AM

As I pointed out earlier, Popular Science had a "how to" article doing just this. I checked, and thought the article was no longer there, but I just checked some of my bookmarks again - and there it was:

http://www.popsci.com/diy/article/2006-04/hack-your-cable-box

Note step 2:

This was not an article focused on Canada. As I recall, folks reported it working with both SARA and Passport (Navigator wasn't around at the time) - even though the article said it would only work with SARA. At that time, the EXTERNAL drive wouldn't work with Passport and the discussion was at the time that the Pop Sci editors did a hack job themselves on the article.

Indeed it COULD work w/SARA, although I tend to be doubtful (they certainly CAN make it that you can NOT simply upgrade the internal drive). Hey Dave, you are SARA, so you could be the ideal person to give this a try.

Mechanical things like a tamper proof sticker are child's play, if I did have SARA, I probably would have given it a shot.

As well as Cripplegator... can one replace the internal drive with a much larger one and have it actually work?

Riverside_Guy

03-05-08, 11:37 AM

I have the Rosewill enclosure and it has worked flawlessly with a 300MB Maxtor hard drive.

However, the fan is extremely noisy, emiting an annoying high pitched whine.

Is there any reason I shouldn't just turn off the fan, provided the unit is oriented vertically with plenty of air cirulation around it?

Some would disagree, but absolutely! Hard drives are designed to run fine up to their limit... and that "limit" normally is FAR hotter than they might typically run at.

Even so, without a fan a drive DOES make noise...

Riverside_Guy

03-05-08, 11:41 AM

I remember someone with SARA in the US doing it too, but he never responded to questions. I believe he even mentioned the sticker, etc. I would be surprised too if they checked the HDD S/N when doing automatic authorization reviews, but that is just ab opinion, no specific knowledge.

Much simpler to do as Compaq used to do... unique boot code.

But you are correct, we have no real knowledge it can be done in the US... hey, you are SARA, you'd be the perfect guy to try it (unless we have one of those things that end up being different based on location even with the same cableco, software, hardware, etc.).

Riverside_Guy

03-05-08, 11:45 AM

Well, my 300GB Maxtor which has been in service for 15 months or so has just died on me :(

Ordering a 750GB WD SE16 from Newegg... We will see how that goes. Luckily due to the writer's strike I don't have much backlog.

xnappo

Hmmm, on the computer side, I'm heavily invested in Maxtors (I have 3 2 drive arrays (one array internal, a second for a clone and the third for archiving), all Maxtors).

Funny, since the strike I ended up having to REALLY manage my recordings as I have gone for more oddbeat stuff like what you find on IFC/Sundance, etc.

davehancock

03-05-08, 11:51 AM

Indeed it COULD work w/SARA, although I tend to be doubtful (they certainly CAN make it that you can NOT simply upgrade the internal drive). Hey Dave, you are SARA, so you could be the ideal person to give this a try.

Mechanical things like a tamper proof sticker are child's play, if I did have SARA, I probably would have given it a shot.

As well as Cripplegator... can one replace the internal drive with a much larger one and have it actually work?But Riverside_Guy: I have had an external drive for close to 3 years that works fine - why would I want to tamper with the cable companies box to put inside, what I already have on the outside? :rolleyes:

Seriously, this stuff was hashed out some time ago (I think mostly on Yahoo groups) and, indeed, it worked on SARA and Passport as well!

So, I'll turn this around and suggest that Navigator is the next area to be tested - how about it? :D There is no reason to believe that a larger drive won't work there as well.

DoubleDAZ

03-05-08, 11:54 AM

hey, you are SARA, you'd be the perfect guy to try it (unless we have one of those things that end up being different based on location even with the same cableco, software, hardware, etc.).Not going to happen. I'm deliberately avoiding SATA expansion because I watch too much TV the way it is and I'm currently investing in dSLR camera gear for next year's trip to Europe. I'm also waiting for tru2way devices to start showing up on retail shelves. I'm hoping one of those will allow expansion ala Dish with their USB option, if they don't provide built-in storage options based on model to start with.

skoub

03-05-08, 12:15 PM

Mechanical things like a tamper proof sticker are child's play, if I did have SARA, I probably would have given it a shot.

As well as Cripplegator... can one replace the internal drive with a much larger one and have it actually work?

you could easly try it yourself without removing the 'void sticker'. Well, you dont have to remove anything since its just a test. Just open the box and unplug the IDE cable and the power cable and plug it to your new hard drive. If everything work, you can swap the hard drive or if it doesnt work, just plug the original hard drive and close the box.

its just an easy way to test without the trouble of removing everything!

danki6x

03-05-08, 07:03 PM

My DVR is not even close to being full yet, so I'm assuming nothing is recorded to the external drive yet. This problem isn't huge, but it does get quite annoying. Has anyone else seen this?
I think all software puts the recordings on the drive with the MOST space AVAILABLE. So, even with nothing on the internal drive, the external drive would get stuff first. Until your external drive has less space available than the 160MB internal drive size it will only record external. This could be quite some time. It will not split programs among drives. You would need to get about 40 hours of HD or 120 hours of SD (get that right?) before the internal will get anything new.
/Dan

b1llyb0b

03-06-08, 02:22 PM

I have the hard drive from my old sat tivo is there a cable i can buy to use this hard drive ? Do I need an inclosure ? and if anyone has this info can I get a link .I dont want to spend a ton of cash to experiment .....:)

Riverside_Guy

03-06-08, 05:20 PM

But Riverside_Guy: I have had an external drive for close to 3 years that works fine - why would I want to tamper with the cable companies box to put inside, what I already have on the outside? :rolleyes:

Seriously, this stuff was hashed out some time ago (I think mostly on Yahoo groups) and, indeed, it worked on SARA and Passport as well!

So, I'll turn this around and suggest that Navigator is the next area to be tested - how about it? :D There is no reason to believe that a larger drive won't work there as well.

Really, folks with TWC/Passport HAVE successfully swapped the internal drive in a 8300HD for a larger one and it worked? And in almost 2 years of reading AVS, nobody has said they did it?

Seems pretty clear that many folks have major issues with external drives, no matter what the software (there seems to be a LOT of "not working" reports with the latest software), so at this point it would seem more prudent to upgrade the internal drive.

Riverside_Guy

03-06-08, 05:23 PM

Not going to happen. I'm deliberately avoiding SATA expansion because I watch too much TV the way it is and I'm currently investing in dSLR camera gear for next year's trip to Europe. I'm also waiting for tru2way devices to start showing up on retail shelves. I'm hoping one of those will allow expansion ala Dish with their USB option, if they don't provide built-in storage options based on model to start with.

Hey Dave, is the "promise" of "tru2way" include SDV?

Ah, part of my life is as a photographer... got a D300 (love it) and the 17-200 VR. PM if you want...

Riverside_Guy

03-06-08, 05:27 PM

you could easly try it yourself without removing the 'void sticker'. Well, you dont have to remove anything since its just a test. Just open the box and unplug the IDE cable and the power cable and plug it to your new hard drive. If everything work, you can swap the hard drive or if it doesnt work, just plug the original hard drive and close the box.

its just an easy way to test without the trouble of removing everything!

Good ideas, but I seriously doubt it would work... I'd bet you the cable to the drive is exactly as long as it needs to be to fit in the spot it occupies. BUT with some xtenders... if I only had a spare drive hanging around (I really don't want to pop for another drive on speculation, I'm awash in drives on my computer (I have frakking 11 now as it is).

DoubleDAZ

03-06-08, 06:04 PM

Hey Dave, is the "promise" of "tru2way" include SDV?I'm not sure how to answer that. :)

"tru2way" is simply a set of specifications that allows a unit to be used on any tru2way-compatible system. "tru2way" is not the IPG interface, it is the underlying system on which IPG software will run. I do not know to what extent the IPG software will be portable. I assume there will be competitors to Tivo in both their complete solution (hardware, software, and database) and to their Comcast/Cox-type Tivo software.

Two-way communications needed to support SDV is hardware-based and has
nothing inherently to do with tru2way, it applies today and will apply
tomorrow. Current SA units include the needed hardware, Tivo's do not. There is disagreement on whether or not cableco's purposely decided to use SDV after Tivo was too far along in development of the S3/HD to add the hardware. AFAIK, the hardware could have been included at a higher cost and slight delay in release.

At any rate, if a tru2way unit does not include this hardware, it will still work on any tru2way cableco, but will not tune SDV channels. They could opt to use the USB device being developed just like Tivo's will, but I suspect they will simply include the hardware. From what I've heard, there are several companies developing tru2way devices. I never got around to reading about this year CES, but I suppose some were shown there, though I don't expect any big splash until tru2way starts showing up on cable systems.

OT. As for camera gear, I bought into the Olympus E-Volt 4/3rd system, mostly because my old film SLR was an OM-10. I have an E-510 with 14-42mm, 40-150mm, and 70-300mm lenses (28-600mm in 35mm equivalent). I am only a hobbyist and take photos of family, vacations, wildlife, birds (mostly my wife's backyard hummingbirds), and anything else I see that interests me. :)

davehancock

03-06-08, 10:00 PM

Really, folks with TWC/Passport HAVE successfully swapped the internal drive in a 8300HD for a larger one and it worked? And in almost 2 years of reading AVS, nobody has said they did it?As I said, the discussion was over in Yahoo groups (I don't think that AVS types read Pop Science).

Seems pretty clear that many folks have major issues with external drives, no matter what the software (there seems to be a LOT of "not working" reports with the latest software), so at this point it would seem more prudent to upgrade the internal drive.IF one selects the right drive and enclosure, the external drives work fine. At least for SARA, and perhaps Passport. The only place where recent software have messed things up is with Navigator. But this isn't a Navigator only thread, is it.

So, why is it that you aren't giving it (putting in a larger hard drive) a try? It would seen that you are the perfect candidate.

coolnite99

03-10-08, 03:02 AM

(I FIGURED IT OUT!)

Hi!

Man i have alot of tivos..thats why I just ordered two Hitachi 1TB cinemastar drives..for use with both my series 3 and my SCI Atl, 8300HD DVR!

the one in the antec case with series 3 tivo works great! thanks!

However, the exact same drive, (tested and working, via usb 2.0 and drive genius on my MACPRO running MACos10.5.2)

In the apricorn EZ bus DTS eSATA usb2.0 case shows up, asks and is formatted, then it doesnt work..I get an error message saying im getting an error...I have no further info..there was a problem with a power connector on the apricorn case and im replacing that monday. (the case)

I already replaced the power connector, thinking the case was bad I bought another... however it seems to be working except for the error message saying it isnt working properly..is one TB too big?

what about that special "SATA I to eSATA External Cable" mentioned in post #1, the link is now dead...

im on long island so im on cablevision...IO optimum...gonna try to check my software, but i have already been told by cable that this should work!

sorry if this was already answered, but this thread is 217 pages now!

I have restarted the DVR several times...same result..advice..thanks..

tried an old SATA I to eSATA External Cable from tripp lite, didnt fit, using the cable came with apricorn..."check cables" same message

details on drive, u guys know that case...
Name : Hitachi HCS721010KLA330 Media
Type : Disk

Partition Map Scheme : Unformatted
Disk Identifier : disk4
Media Name : Hitachi HCS721010KLA330 Media
Media Type : Generic
Connection Bus : USB
USB Serial Number : D000A33D8888
Device Tree : /PCI0@0/SRP1@1C/PXS3@0/pci1033,e0@1,2/@3:0
Writable : Yes
Ejectable : Yes
Mac OS 9 Drivers Installed : No
Location : External
Total Capacity : 931.5 GB (1,000,204,886,016 Bytes)
S.M.A.R.T. Status : Not Supported
Disk Number : 4
Partition Number : 0

ManufacturerHitachi, Ltd
Manufacturer Part Number0A35274
Manufacturer Website Addresswww.hitachi.us
Product NameCinemaStar 7K1000 HCS721010KLA330 Hard Drive
Marketing Information Optimized for streaming consumer electronics applications like high definition digital video recorders. Super quiet acoustics and low power deliver customer satisfaction and superb field reliability. Designed for consumer electronics and video devices.

*******SOLUTION*********

I decided to upgrade my DVR when it reached 98%..since then it tried to record a show, after 55 minutes it was full..and ended early.

When i hooked up the External 1TB drive in apricorn case, it was 100% and despite following all directions nothing worked until I deleted the latest partial recording,t hen rebooted the DVR..now im at 12%.

Thanks!

avid reader for a long time..

GO with apricorn...A FULLY ALUMINUM CASE WITH A FAN!!!!! eSATA + USB 2.0 and the needed cable.

hope this helps someone..

PJWest

03-11-08, 08:23 AM

From all of the great posts on this forum, I decided to take the plunge!
Bought the WD 500GB SATA HD from Best Buy and the Antec MX-1 from Circuit City and proceeded to put the two together. Then went to post one of this thread and read page 22 of the outline on booting up the external drive on Passport. It did take two reboots for the drive to be properly recognized and ask if formatting was desired. Accepted format option and the drive seems to be functioning much as described in this thread. That is, the fast forward, pause, etc. (trick play) do not function on "live" events, but do function on recorded events. The drive and enclosure run very cool and quietly, so life is good!

Paul

coolnite99

03-11-08, 09:15 AM

http://www.apricorn.com/faqs.php?id=37&family=t GOOD DVR FAQ

I have noticed by the activity light my DVR has decided to record live video on my external drive..the buffer..my case was extremely hot.

The fan had failed.
Because my case was a 100% Aluminum Apricorn case despite fan failure the drive had proper cooling.

IF the same exact fan btw, in the plastic Antec Mx1 with fan that I use with my tivo series 3 with 1TB drive, had failed..that drive wouldve died!!

I got a new case, and the same drive in exact same case is working great....1tb drives get hot!

also all my recording features are working..

DoubleDAZ

03-11-08, 09:39 AM

I hope you folks are adding your experiences to the applicable databases to share with others. ;)

sooner

03-11-08, 10:43 AM

Just a heads up....The Antec MX-1 is currently $22.14 at Amazon after $30 rebate (plus shipping if you don't have Prime).
http://www.amazon.com/dp/B000NZVR3Q******nosim/?tag=fatwalletcom&linkCode=as1
Rebate expires 3/23

skoub

03-11-08, 11:28 AM

Good ideas, but I seriously doubt it would work... I'd bet you the cable to the drive is exactly as long as it needs to be to fit in the spot it occupies. BUT with some xtenders... if I only had a spare drive hanging around (I really don't want to pop for another drive on speculation, I'm awash in drives on my computer (I have frakking 11 now as it is).

the IDE cable is long enough. I have put the new hdd on top of the original one and plugged everything to the new one. When i saw that everything worked fine, i swapped everything.

Dont worry, you can try everything you want without removing anything... except the cover!

xnappo

03-11-08, 07:19 PM

Well, my 300GB Maxtor which has been in service for 15 months or so has just died on me :(

Ordering a 750GB WD SE16 from Newegg... We will see how that goes. Luckily due to the writer's strike I don't have much backlog.

xnappo

Big word of warning for those with an Apricorn case! It turns out it was my case, not the drive that died! I have had a lot of drives die on me over the years, and the symptoms (clicking sound, data interruption) really had me believing it was the drive.

However when I received my new drive and put it in the Apricorn case - I got nothing. Tried plugging it in to a PC - nothing. Tried putting it in my AZIO case and hooking it up to my computer - worked fine. I think the power supply on my Apricorn case wasn't providing full power or something?

Anyway, I can't test to old drive in any way... Cuz it is on its way to Maxtor for RMA(hope I don't get in trouble for sending back a good drive). I bought a new Antec case, and it is working fine (the AZIO case doesn't work with the 8300).

Moral of the story - if you think you have a drive failure, make sure to isolate the case as it appears a case failure can look and sound like a drive failure.

xnappo

billlh

03-11-08, 09:15 PM

The fan had failed.
Because my case was a 100% Aluminum Apricorn case despite fan failure the drive had proper cooling.

IF the same exact fan btw, in the plastic Antec Mx1 with fan that I use with my tivo series 3 with 1TB drive, had failed..that drive wouldve died!!

I wonder how you came to that conclusion? Just because it is not an aluminum case? I don't think you realize how the Antec MX-1 works. The Antec even without the fan running is still going to provide cooling. The case features a flow through design so the heat alone is going to create a chimney effect which would induce it's own flow assuming the surrounding air is cooler then the air inside the unit. My guess is even with the fan disabled the air movement would be enough to keep the drive cooler then any aluminum case will. The design is truly brilliant.

Billl

dannyv@cybernex.

03-12-08, 11:10 AM

However when I received my new drive and put it in the Apricorn case - I got nothing. Tried plugging it in to a PC - nothing. Tried putting it in my AZIO case and hooking it up to my computer - worked fine. I think the power supply on my Apricorn case wasn't providing full power or something?
xnappo

I had the exact problem with my apricorn case and I posted about it several months ago.

It turned out to be the power supply on the apricorn. I found this out by pluging in the power supply from my AZIO case into the apricorn case (there the same supply) and the apricorn case worked perfectly. I RMA'ed for a new power supply from apricorn and the new one they sent me bought the apricorn back to life. I have read many post here with the same symptoms and I've always responded to look to the power supply as the problem.

It seems that lately apricorn has had a big run on bad supplys. So anyone having the problem as XNAPPO has discribed remember this post.

Also heres a little hint: Apricorn cases have a lifetime warrenty. You should not be charged for a new power supply.

xnappo

03-12-08, 03:03 PM

Also heres a little hint: Apricorn cases have a lifetime warrenty. You should not be charged for a new power supply.

Thanks, I didn't realize that. When I get my RMAed drive I will try my AZIO supply and see if that works and report back. I vaguely remembered your original post which is what led me to expect the power supply. Yours was doing exactly the same thing? Still kinda powering the HD but not enough for it to work?

xnappo

MiltonHotard

03-12-08, 03:45 PM

I purchased an Apricorn ADVRX-1TB DVR Xpander on Feb 21. The unit was not recognized at all by the SA8300HD so I sent it back to Apricorn for replacement. They sent back an EZ-BUS-DTS enclosure 2 days ago and I received the WD10EACS 1 TB drive separately yesterday.

The DVR asks to format the drive and I press "A" , then it asks for confirmation and I confirm. There is no other response indicating that the formatting is complete. I go to channel 999 and see that the drive has a "format error".

I hooked my laptop to the USB port on the drive and am able to partition and format the drive with the Western Digital Data-Lifeguard tools. It says that the drive can be used by my laptop but the laptop does not see the drive information. The Western Digital software does not see the partition I just created either.

Has anyone seen similar problems?

as a side note: I'm about 15 hours (over 3 weeks) into this thing so far between shipping, calling/waiting for Apricorn tech support and trying different things myself. I thought I could save time by spending a little more for Apricorn's DVR Xpander turnkey solution. I'm about ready to send it back in again but this time for a refund.

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TWC SA8300HD DVR Passport Echo 2.6.002, Apricorn EZ-BUS-DTS, Western Digital WD10eacs 1TB drive