Problems with humaxrw when writing back to PVR disk
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I’m having problems with humaxrw when I try to copy recordings back to the hard drive of my 9300T. Everything looks fine when I check the drive when connected to the PC, but once installed back in the PVR, no recordings are listed.
I’m guessing that the Record List created by humaxrw either looks corrupt or non-existent to the PVR and it creates a new (empty) one on power up. Can anybody help?
Background:
I was having problems with live pause and rewind and decided to do a copy/format/restore. I’ve followed all the instructions I can find, in particular the excellent posting by JohnH77 here http://forums.digitalspy.co.uk/showpost.php?p=48213996&postcount=30
The drive is a SATA drive and I’m using a SATA to eSATA drive case, and connecting to the eSATA port on my laptop. All the recordings successfully copied from the HDD to the laptop (together with the associated files), and can be opened and viewed on the laptop. After formatting back in the PVR, I tried restoring a single file to the HDD using humaxrw 1: -p <filename.ts>
I got a warning message: “WARNING this may corrupt your Humax hard disk – do you wish to continue?” Can I double check that this is expected?
Anyway, I accepted the warning and the command appeared to work correctly. A humaxrw 1: –l command listed the file correctly. I ejected the drive in Windows and put it back in the hummy, only to find the recorded programmes listing blank.
I’ve tried various things to try and diagnose the problem:
At the moment I’ve got all my recordings on my laptop and a nice empty hummy, but I’d rather it was the other way around.
HELP!
I’m guessing that the Record List created by humaxrw either looks corrupt or non-existent to the PVR and it creates a new (empty) one on power up. Can anybody help?
Background:
I was having problems with live pause and rewind and decided to do a copy/format/restore. I’ve followed all the instructions I can find, in particular the excellent posting by JohnH77 here http://forums.digitalspy.co.uk/showpost.php?p=48213996&postcount=30
The drive is a SATA drive and I’m using a SATA to eSATA drive case, and connecting to the eSATA port on my laptop. All the recordings successfully copied from the HDD to the laptop (together with the associated files), and can be opened and viewed on the laptop. After formatting back in the PVR, I tried restoring a single file to the HDD using humaxrw 1: -p <filename.ts>
I got a warning message: “WARNING this may corrupt your Humax hard disk – do you wish to continue?” Can I double check that this is expected?
Anyway, I accepted the warning and the command appeared to work correctly. A humaxrw 1: –l command listed the file correctly. I ejected the drive in Windows and put it back in the hummy, only to find the recorded programmes listing blank.
I’ve tried various things to try and diagnose the problem:
- After ejecting the drive on the laptop, instead of putting it in the hummy, I tried immediately connecting it back to the laptop and checking the Record Listing with humaxrw 1: -l. Everything looked OK, so I assume that the Record Listing file wasn’t corrupted on ejection of the drive.
- A listing AFTER it has been in the hummy shows an empty Record List, but a humaxrw 1: –r –I lists the actual recordings.
- The drive housing supports USB as well, but changing to the USB connection made no difference.
- I’ve also tried shutting Windows down (rather than using the Windows drive eject functionality) before powering down and unplugging the HDD, again without success.
At the moment I’ve got all my recordings on my laptop and a nice empty hummy, but I’d rather it was the other way around.
HELP!
0
Comments
I thought that after reformatting that you needed to make a short recording on the disk using the PVR to force it to complete setting up everything that is needed.
Would someone confirm?
I tried this as well. It's visible on the PC, and when I add a recording from the PC to the disk it correctly lists both recordings.
When the disk is put back in the PVR, neither recording is shown.
Have you put back just the .ts file or have you also transferred the .hre file (which can be recreated using ts2hrw that comes with humaxrw)?
No.
But windows does recognise that a device is attached to the eSATA (or USB when I try via USB) port. In order to flush the buffers, you should 'eject' the drive before pulling the cable.
Regardless, I've tried both with eject and without, without success.
I've used the command exactly as described in the original post:
humaxrw 1: -p <filename.ts>
with <filename.ts> being the required recording name, including the .ts extension.
I also tried specifying .* as the extension, but all this did was put the same recording on the disk four times, once for each extension. I assumed that if you had the .hre file in the same folder, humaxrw just used it.
Sorry it is a while since I have used humaxrw and you are correct. The documentation is a bit vague but the -p option should be enough. In your first post you mention trying copying a single recording back; have you tried copying multiple recordings?
As an aside (and too late now) you could have fixed problems with live pause and rewind without doing a format.
I have the same problem with multiple recordings (I used a wildcard after the date bit of the filename to pick up a couple of files, as there are over 160 recordings and it took an hour to copy them off).
I decided on a reformat rather than using the hidden command to recreate the buffer areas as it seemed a cleaner option and would have cured any other latent problems such as fragmentation of the free space. In retrospect, the wrong choice
I have just updated another of my posts about my 500GB disk - see http://forums.digitalspy.co.uk/showthread.php?t=1631210 - and how I transferred my recordings back to it after doing a reformat.
Also, as Luis says, and as I did, after reformatting the disk, make one or two recordings on the disk using the Humax and play them back. That way you know the disk is correctly set up before transferring the recordings from your PC.
Also, I forget the details now, but be sure to put all three? four? files back on the disk.
I have just ordered a brand new Seagate 500 GB so will be copying about 200 programmes back to it when it arrives.
If you have my problem with multiple recordings, your disk is dead and will continue to fail - see the above post for why and how to run the Seagate test to prove it.
The copy from the PVR disk creates a set of four files in the PC file system for each recording:
.ts
.hre
.elu
.epg
Can anyone confirm for certain that the -p command only needs to be run on the .ts files? i.e. humaxrw will correctly use the other associated files (if available) to reconstruct the full recording and EPG information on the PVR disk.
This fits with the instructions I've read elsewhere, and my experience that if run against all four files you get four copies of a single recording on the PVR disk, but there seems to be a lack of certainty out there.
Did you use ts2hrw to create the hre files on the PC before transferring back to the formatted disk?
I used humaxrw n: -p *.ts to copy the files back to the formatted disk.
I didn't need to use ts2hrw as humaxrw created them with the copy from the PVR disk (I assume because the recordings and Recording List file wasn't corrupted).
Did you make one or two recordings of programmes on the newly formatted disk using the Humax, and play them back, before transferring the recordings from your PC? This proves the disk is working and set up properly and I have read, as has Luis, that if you don't do it. you cannot see the programmes you transfer back to the disk..
Yes.
I've both tried to an empty formatted disk, and to a formatted disk with two short recording on it, made on the PVR after the format.
In the case of the latter, both the PVR created recordings and the new copied recording were correctly listed by humaxrw after the copy back, but all three vanished when the disk was put back into the hummy. Re-examining the disk on the PC after this last step showed that the Recording List was empty, but all three actual recordings were still on the disk (proved with the recovery command humaxrw 1: –r –I )
This is what keeps pointing me towards the PVR not liking the Recording List file created by hummaxrw, and just creating a new one on start-up.
What version of humaxrw are you using?
Martin
Version 1.14, downloaded from http://humaxdisk.wikispaces.com/HumaxRW
Because it's a 9300T, I don't think there is another version I could use.
Correct, I just wondered if you were using an earlier version. I am out of ideas. I can only suggest heading to the hummy.tv forum and sending the humaxrw author xyz321 a PM. He is involved in development for the HDR these days but he might have some ideas.
I am almost out of ideas, especially as my experience is with the 9200T (which needs a SATA to IDE adapter) and not your 9300.
I think you are saying
1 This disk was working in the Humax. You copied all the recordings off it, and reformatted it. You could then record onto the disk when it was in the Humax. So this suggests the disk is working fine in the Humax.
2 You can see the recorded programmes files, and also see the transfered files, when the disk is in the PC. So this suggests that files are on the disk, but some cannot be seen by the Humax. So why does the Humax see the newly recorded programmes, but not the transferred files? It suggests that there is a problem with the transferred files.
I would check
1 Is the "Force 150" jumper which limits the speed to 1500Mb/sec still on the SATA disk? You need to limit the speed so as not to overload the IDE apapter/interface.
2 Try recording two programmes simultaneously in the Humax - this will push up the I-O rate to the disk and if the jumper is not limiting the I/O speed the recordings might be corrupted, suggesting the jumper is the problem.
3 Try copying off some of the newly recorded programmes to the PC and putting them back. Can you see the ones you put back? You are assuming that you got your original recorded programmes off the disk OK - the problem might be that they never came off properly, so won't go back properly. Have you got all four files for each recording.
4 Is the disk being powered properly when in the Humax? On my adapter, one of the power pins was not locked into place in the white plastic Molex plug and it pushed out and the disk was not being powered properly.
5 Have you got the jumper on the SATA to IDE adapter set to master or cable select?
Correct
Once back in the Humax after transferring one or more files from the PC to the disk, none of the recordings are visible on the Humax. They were all visible on the PC before putting the disk back in the Humax, but none are visible on the PC after the disk has been in the Humax. A listing on the PC with the recovery option shows that the recording files themselves are on the disk, but the Recording List file is empty.
This suggest to me that the problem is with the Recording List file - the "index" that holds the list of recorded programmes - when it has been created or updated with humaxrw. My persistent theory is that the Humax doesn't like it and creates a new one on boot-up.
If the PC has been used to add any recordings to the disk, the Humax doesn't list any of the files (but I know from using the recovery option that the recording files are there.)
in particular the Recording List file.
There has never been a jumper, and I don't think there is a connector for a jumper (remember that it's a SATA drive).
I've never had any problems before or since with recording two programmes or recording and playing back at the same time.
All recordings copied off the disk each created four files and the main media files are playable on the PC.
As I don't have any problems using the recorder normally, I don't think this is an issue.
Because it's a SATA drive, there is no SATA to IDE adapter.
I'm coming to the conclusion that humaxrw is not compatible with the 9300 when writing back to the disk.
SATA has two speeds and a newer drive capable of SATA300 will have a jumper to make it compatible with a SATA150 interface,
Thanks for your detailed update. I agree with you - it does look like humaxrw is not compatible with the 9300T. My work was exclusively with the 9200T. Your comment "Once back in the Humax after transferring one or more files from the PC to the disk, none of the recordings are visible on the Humax" does suggest the problem was caused by humaxrw.
If the 9300T is fitted with a SATA drive my comments about the Force 150 jumper will probably be irrelevant. I have been working on the assumption that the newer SATA is capable of a faster speed than the older IDE, and the Force 150 jumper was an option on SATA which allowed the SATA speed to be cut back from the max of 3Mb/sec to 1.5Mb/sec. This speed cutback was necessary when the SATA disk was used with the adapter to emulate the IDE disk used in the 9200T.