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8300HD and External SATA - It Works!! - Page 299

post #8941 of 8986
5/13/12 at 9:17am
It would immediately start recording to the new drive. It records to the drive with the least percentage of space used.

Try a reboot.

Could be a case issue. Does that case have a lot of success based on the data base?

Quote:
Originally Posted by RickK101 View Post

I tried a WD Caviar Black 1TB (Thermaltake Max 5 enclosure) with my 8300HD. It seemed good at first because (I think) it was still recording just to the internal 8300HD. But now, after a week of recording, it glitches and pixellates every couple minutes. Totally and completely frustrating.
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post #8942 of 8986
5/18/12 at 6:20am
s there any trick to getting an SA 8300 (or whatever we get in Houston) to remount the shows on an external hard drive that it doesn't seem to be able to load the shows on?

Background: had to move the DVR, so everthing was powered down, and resetup. It took a couple of tries to get it to see the shows on the external, but it did.

Now that its back in the HT rack, it just doesn't want to play the shows. I realize it keeps the listing of the shows on the internal drive, but it shows 16% used and just shows a blank screen on 2/3s of the shows.

So is there a particular power down / power up sequence? The drive has NOT been attached to anything but the current DVR.

TIA! As its gonna be a sad day if I've lost 2/3s of my shows as there is quite a few series I had abunch of episodes to watch.

Steve
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post #8943 of 8986
5/18/12 at 9:00am
You really didn't provide much into on your software. I have SARA and every once in a while I get the problem you have. What I do is with the external connected, reboot the 8300 by unplugging the power cord, waiting a few seconds, then plugging it back in while pushing in the power button on the 8300 and keeping it pushed in until "boot" on the front panel goes away and the unit reboots itself.

Quote:
Originally Posted by highgrovemanor View Post

s there any trick to getting an SA 8300 (or whatever we get in Houston) to remount the shows on an external hard drive that it doesn't seem to be able to load the shows on?

Background: had to move the DVR, so everthing was powered down, and resetup. It took a couple of tries to get it to see the shows on the external, but it did.

Now that its back in the HT rack, it just doesn't want to play the shows. I realize it keeps the listing of the shows on the internal drive, but it shows 16% used and just shows a blank screen on 2/3s of the shows.

So is there a particular power down / power up sequence? The drive has NOT been attached to anything but the current DVR.

TIA! As its gonna be a sad day if I've lost 2/3s of my shows as there is quite a few series I had abunch of episodes to watch.

Steve
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post #8944 of 8986
5/18/12 at 11:07am
Thanks for responding Big-A......FWIW, it says s/w ver s25p3.1109.r-27, whatever that means.

The power-button trick did have it showing the external-hard-drive-is-ready message once its done rebooting, but still not all recordings playback and showing 16% used. It did this when I temporarily moved it to the bedroom, but I jsut don't know what got it working that time.

If this doesn't come back, I'm gonna be REALLY disappointed, as my NINE year old tivo died today. It being so old and low-def analog made it not that great, but the wife had alot of unwatched Fringe episodes on there, so I'm in trouble!

thanks again

Steve
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post #8945 of 8986
5/19/12 at 6:10am
Hi
I have the 8300HD with Cablevision. Got the 1TB WD Black Caviar with the Vantec Nexstar 3 enclosure as per the recommendations on this site. Hooked it up and it was recognized and connected. It works fine but then the next day it is not recognized. I have tried leaving the cable box on but it still does not work unless I turn the Hard drive power off. When I power it back up it is recognized and works again until the cable box is turned off or it is on for about a day.

The HArd drive is plugged in to its own AC source. Could this be an issue with the esata cable? It seems like the hard drive just times out and stops being recognized...
Thanks
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post #8946 of 8986
5/23/12 at 3:14pm
DVR Expanders are now available again so I ordered one instead of building my own. It was a little less expensive and may or may not be easier. Thanks for all the advice!
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post #8947 of 8986
5/25/12 at 3:37am
I'm having a hard time believing my new Cisco 8742HDC has a 500GB hard drive. It fills up very fast, even when recording non-HD shows. Can someone tell me how to get into the diagnostic screens on this box to check on this?

So far I still prefer my old 8300HD, with my 1TB external drive attached. But it missed recordings so often I had to replace it.
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post #8948 of 8986
5/25/12 at 3:27pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by Drpepr View Post

Hi
I have the 8300HD with Cablevision. Got the 1TB WD Black Caviar with the Vantec Nexstar 3 enclosure as per the recommendations on this site. Hooked it up and it was recognized and connected. It works fine but then the next day it is not recognized. I have tried leaving the cable box on but it still does not work unless I turn the Hard drive power off. When I power it back up it is recognized and works again until the cable box is turned off or it is on for about a day.

The HArd drive is plugged in to its own AC source. Could this be an issue with the esata cable? It seems like the hard drive just times out and stops being recognized...
Thanks

I had a similar issue with a DVR Expander on an 8300HD. I put a lamp timer on the DVR and had it turn off and then on about 5AM. Never did figure it out and have now had a Samsung with 320GB drive for a couple years. /Dan
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post #8949 of 8986
5/27/12 at 12:49pm
After spending about 3 hours reading old posts I decided to risk the wrath af the group and ask what might be an old question since I cannot find an answer....
I have a Seagate Pipeline 2 TB drive in an Rosewill RX258 enclosure, and an eSATA cable all from Newegg. I have a SA Explorer 8300HDC and OnelinkPR (San Juan PR) is my provider. OS is SARA, 1.90.5.120 firmware version dated 6/02/10.
Right out of the box, following the instructions from the 8300HDC manual I found on line, rebooted the DVR and it asked to format the drive, I did, and then I got the message in the title of the email. Awesome! My 42 shows on the DVR dropped from 60+% to 4% of memory. sSWEET!

And for the first few days it acted like it was recording normally.

But then I went to view a show, and I could not see any newly recorded shows in the program list. Maybe the shows are on the external drive but cannot be seen by the DVR list for some reason? Then it stopped recording any shows on the internal or external drive and I cannot see the external drive. I have rebooted several times per the 8300HDC manual and I get the banner that says it sees the can work with the drive. But it won't. I have deleted recording instructions and reprogrammed a few shows. No difference. Wife ready to kill me for spending $200+ and losing 2 weeks worth of programming so far. HELP!!
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post #8950 of 8986
5/27/12 at 8:21pm
Well, right from the get go, I don't think there has ever been any success with a 2 tb drive. I am rather surprised you got as far as you did. I am also surprised you went about your merry way for two weeks without checking to see if your recordings were viable. Once one gets a drive up and running one should record a a couple of shows and then put the system through a stress test of recording two HD programs while simultaneously watching a recorded HD program. Then checking the recordings to see if there are any glitches.

I know there has been issues with the HD"C" model. I don't have that model, just the plain 8300HD so I haven't paid a lot of attention to those issues. As I recall they are dependent on the software versions of your system. You'll have to search through the thread more or hopefully someone who is familiar with the HDC issues chimes in here.

Sorry for your problems, I hope you can return the drive.

Quote:
Originally Posted by gocorcoran View Post

After spending about 3 hours reading old posts I decided to risk the wrath af the group and ask what might be an old question since I cannot find an answer....
I have a Seagate Pipeline 2 TB drive in an Rosewill RX258 enclosure, and an eSATA cable all from Newegg. I have a SA Explorer 8300HDC and OnelinkPR (San Juan PR) is my provider. OS is SARA, 1.90.5.120 firmware version dated 6/02/10.
Right out of the box, following the instructions from the 8300HDC manual I found on line, rebooted the DVR and it asked to format the drive, I did, and then I got the message in the title of the email. Awesome! My 42 shows on the DVR dropped from 60+% to 4% of memory. sSWEET!

And for the first few days it acted like it was recording normally.

But then I went to view a show, and I could not see any newly recorded shows in the program list. Maybe the shows are on the external drive but cannot be seen by the DVR list for some reason? Then it stopped recording any shows on the internal or external drive and I cannot see the external drive. I have rebooted several times per the 8300HDC manual and I get the banner that says it sees the can work with the drive. But it won't. I have deleted recording instructions and reprogrammed a few shows. No difference. Wife ready to kill me for spending $200+ and losing 2 weeks worth of programming so far. HELP!!
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post #8951 of 8986
5/28/12 at 5:53pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by scnrfrq View Post

I'm having a hard time believing my new Cisco 8742HDC has a 500GB hard drive. It fills up very fast, even when recording non-HD shows. Can someone tell me how to get into the diagnostic screens on this box to check on this?

So far I still prefer my old 8300HD, with my 1TB external drive attached. But it missed recordings so often I had to replace it.

That is a bug, that can be fixed easily. Unplug the box for 30 seconds and plug it back in. That fixes it.
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post #8952 of 8986
5/29/12 at 4:06pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by gocorcoran View Post


Maybe the shows are on the external drive but cannot be seen by the DVR list for some reason?

The recorded shows go to the drive w/ the most room which in this case would be the ext. HD. So apparently it never recorded anything but just put it on the list.
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post #8953 of 8986
6/4/12 at 1:28pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by Bryan_CoxPHX View Post

AFAIK, you will still need to ask Cox AZ for the "Beta" software update that allows eSATA External HDDs on the 8240HDC. They have been responding fairly well on Facebook and AZ.CoxArizonaHelp@cox.com send Attention Gabe or Matt and send the Box Serial Number in the email starting with "SA"

Another email address coxarizona.help@cox.com also might work.

Just sent an email to both addresses listed after waiting over 2 days for a callback to deal with this issue and less than 2 days later (over the weekend) the update was pushed to me and I was able to successfully format a 1 TB drive.
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post #8954 of 8986
6/16/12 at 12:45pm
........ test
Edited by BWX - 6/16/12 at 12:52pm
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post #8955 of 8986
6/16/12 at 1:05pm
Warning: Spoiler! (Click to show)

My system was fine for years, but suddenly a few months ago HD stopped showing up unless I reboot. Then shows up for a while, but never stays.

Any ideas?
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post #8956 of 8986
6/16/12 at 1:40pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by skanter1 View Post

Warning: Spoiler! (Click to show)
My system was fine for years, but suddenly a few months ago HD stopped showing up unless I reboot. Then shows up for a while, but never stays.
Any ideas?

You have really been lucky.

The 8300HDs are old and constantly recycled. I seriously doubt a hard drive is every replaced unless it crashes. So the hard drives probably have years of wear and corruption and then they hand it to you when you yours dies (which is inevitable).

I have probably had at least six 8300hd's. The one I have now has been working maybe a year with the external which is close to the best longevity out of all of them. I think one time it took three 8300hd's before I got one that would work at all with the external drive.

Bottom line, this solution, for most people, is about the only option but it is unsupported, unreliable and a constant pain in the butt. For years I've been hoping for a better solution. I think I may start searching the cloud for a subscription to most of my tv content and quit trying to record entire seasons of my favorites. Even if it costs more this is just not worth the time and trouble any longer.
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post #8957 of 8986
6/16/12 at 2:35pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by skanter1 View Post

Warning: Spoiler! (Click to show)
My system was fine for years, but suddenly a few months ago HD stopped showing up unless I reboot. Then shows up for a while, but never stays.
Any ideas?
Same problem here, I think. A few weeks ago when I tried to play newly-recorded shows, sometimes they played but other times I would get an error message saying that the external hard drive was disconnected, or something to that effect. I knew the drive was working because I had a lot more programs saved than would fit on the internal drive, most of them played and the box only indicated it was about 30% full.

I called Cox SD and they admitted that they had just pushed a software update at about the time the problem started. I did a full reset of the box (remove power cord, press & hold the power button, re-insert power cord and release power button after "boot" appears on the display). I recorded a number of shows since with no problem until this past week, when I started getting the same error messages. I've forced a full reboot again and it appears to be normal.

Another odd thing - I've actually caught the box screwing up. The OSD indicates a show is recording but the red "RECORD" indicator on the front display doesn't light up.

I'm going to keep a close eye on the system and if the problem returns, I'll fully test the HD. If it tests OK (most likely) I'll have to rattle Cox's cage again. mad.gif
Edited by cctvtech - 6/16/12 at 2:53pm
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post #8958 of 8986
6/16/12 at 7:15pm
I've had my set up for around 21/2 years and it has worked fine all that time. I figured that it's getting long in tooth and would probably fail in the not too distant future. So, I am in the process of migrating to a Tivo that I just bought. Built in 2 tb drive that can be replaced rather easily.

Burning off the content in the old 8300 with 1 tb external is going to take a while.
Quote:
Originally Posted by NCguy2 View Post

You have really been lucky.
The 8300HDs are old and constantly recycled. I seriously doubt a hard drive is every replaced unless it crashes. So the hard drives probably have years of wear and corruption and then they hand it to you when you yours dies (which is inevitable).
I have probably had at least six 8300hd's. The one I have now has been working maybe a year with the external which is close to the best longevity out of all of them. I think one time it took three 8300hd's before I got one that would work at all with the external drive.
Bottom line, this solution, for most people, is about the only option but it is unsupported, unreliable and a constant pain in the butt. For years I've been hoping for a better solution. I think I may start searching the cloud for a subscription to most of my tv content and quit trying to record entire seasons of my favorites. Even if it costs more this is just not worth the time and trouble any longer.
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post #8959 of 8986
9/2/12 at 11:04am
Best Buy told me (now I'm skeptical) that people were my using Western Digital My Book passport external hard drives to upgrade their hard drives from Cablevision (8300 HD). I got the hard drive but the wire coming out is usb 2.0 need to be converted to go into the esata port. I can not for the life of me find a converter or an adapter that converts usb 2.0 to esata, does one exist??
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post #8960 of 8986
9/2/12 at 12:52pm
Best Buy was (and their salesmen often are) wrong. You can not hook a USB device to an eSATA port. WD does make a suitable eSATA model - My Book AV (formerly My DVR Expander) and Best Buy lists it on their website (http://www.bestbuy.com/site/WD+-+My+Book+AV+1TB+USB+2.0+and+eSATA+DVR+Expander/9958432.p;jsessionid=F751681695004155F79E76F038AFAD75.bbolsp-app06-50?id=1218201436540&skuId=9958432&st=my%20book%20av&cp=1&lp=1
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post #8961 of 8986
9/25/12 at 9:35am
My 8300HD is finally starting to die. Haven't paid attention to this thread in a long time, because it's been working great for so long!

Are there any other TWC DVR boxes that are recommended at this point that work well with external drives?
Or, do they come with large enough internal drives these days? I probably need less than a gig.

Thanks!
Eph
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post #8962 of 8986
9/25/12 at 11:33am
Quote:
Originally Posted by cephraim View Post

My 8300HD is finally starting to die. Haven't paid attention to this thread in a long time, because it's been working great for so long!
Are there any other TWC DVR boxes that are recommended at this point that work well with external drives?
Or, do they come with large enough internal drives these days? I probably need less than a gig.
Thanks!
Eph

My 8300HD started acting up earlier this year. I took it back to my cableco and they gave me a Cisco Explorer 8652HDC. My external hard drive connected and works fine, just as it did with the 8300HD.
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post #8963 of 8986
9/25/12 at 1:13pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by deanbrew View Post

My 8300HD started acting up earlier this year. I took it back to my cableco and they gave me a Cisco Explorer 8652HDC. My external hard drive connected and works fine, just as it did with the 8300HD.

That doesn't look to be a Time Warner Cable box, is it? Looks like TWC's is the 8642HDC...
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post #8964 of 8986
9/25/12 at 1:30pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by cephraim View Post

That doesn't look to be a Time Warner Cable box, is it? Looks like TWC's is the 8642HDC...

No, I'm with Atlantic Broadband. I would think the 8642HDC would be almost identical to the 8652HDC, based on model numbers.
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post #8965 of 8986
9/25/12 at 2:46pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by deanbrew View Post

No, I'm with Atlantic Broadband. I would think the 8642HDC would be almost identical to the 8652HDC, based on model numbers.

Software is the issue, not the hardware. That's what needs checked out.
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post #8966 of 8986
10/7/12 at 6:51am
I just went in to exchange my 8300HD box as it was getting flaky. I was surprised to see them hand me another new (at least it appeared new) 8300HD. Didn't know they made these anymore but it seems to be working fine. One issue. I did have to remount and reformat my hard drive on my PC using disk management as the new box nor the computer (at first) would recognize it. I had to assign a drive letter and then reformat to NTFS on the PC and then the box recognized it and reformatted it again. Thought that may help if anyone else tries to do this and wonders why it won't work.
Thanks,
Pat
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post #8967 of 8986
10/8/12 at 10:15am
Hi,

I have a SA 8300HDC with Time Warner - Orange County CA and have tried a Western Digital My Book AV. I've had limited success with it. The box always detects the drive and adjusts the free space accordingly, but here is the problem that often happens: it will not actually record. Programs will be marked as recording on-screen, but the red light on the front of the box won't come on, and the program won't actually record. This problem will continue to happen until I reconnect the DVR expander (and possibly reboot, though I'm not sure if that's necessary). I've had it work for a month, but other times it will work for under an hour. Has anyone else had this problem and have they found a solution?

Thanks!
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post #8968 of 8986
11/17/12 at 3:12am
Anyone else heard about this? That would be another terrible decision on their part. I need hard drives to provide at least a reasonable amount of storage on their pitiful boxes. And besides, the hard drives only work on the box they are attached to. Once you try to move them to another DVR, you have to reformat them and then you lose all saved programs. Just another reason to move to DirectTV or Dish.....

"Originally Posted by Xmeter

I just had a TWC level three service tech at my house as I have been having nothing but problems with my dvr and turbo roadrunner. Fourth tech in 4 weeks.
He stated that they are deactivating all usb and esata ports on the 8300HD boxes.... and all boxes for that matter. He had told me that if mine is still working, it won't be for long.
They just had a meeting about this as TWC says it is a copyright violation because you can take the hard drive elsewhere and play the movies."
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post #8969 of 8986
11/17/12 at 9:37am
Quote:
Originally Posted by scnrfrq View Post

Anyone else heard about this? That would be another terrible decision on their part. I need hard drives to provide at least a reasonable amount of storage on their pitiful boxes. And besides, the hard drives only work on the box they are attached to. Once you try to move them to another DVR, you have to reformat them and then you lose all saved programs. Just another reason to move to DirectTV or Dish.....
"Originally Posted by Xmeter
I just had a TWC level three service tech at my house as I have been having nothing but problems with my dvr and turbo roadrunner. Fourth tech in 4 weeks.
He stated that they are deactivating all usb and esata ports on the 8300HD boxes.... and all boxes for that matter. He had told me that if mine is still working, it won't be for long.
They just had a meeting about this as TWC says it is a copyright violation because you can take the hard drive elsewhere and play the movies."

That's freaking ridiculous. You cannot take the HD elsewhere and play the movies. You cannot even play the content if you connect the HD to another 8300HD in your own house on your account! If they turn off that eSATA port I'm going to be pissed off and possibly leave TWC for good- at least for the TV part.
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post #8970 of 8986
11/18/12 at 7:13am
Yes, that's total BS. I am on my 3rd 8300HD (unfortunately they won't give me anything else!). I use a 1 TB eSATA drive. Each time I replace the unit, I have to remount the HD to my hard drive, reformat it, then reformat it on the DVR so I can tell you for a fact that not even another 8300HD can play the movies or shows that are on that hard drive much less any computer or other device. The formats don't jive. That tech was an idiot or is lying to you.

Pat
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