dead 722k...HHD questions.

[unikr0n]

was wondering if it'd be possible to pull out the HHD and grab the recorded content? maybe rig something up via USB, IDE or sata? not sure how its wired to the motherboard. i know theres GOTTA be a way though. dish says no but they just want to keep us from copying their content (which i understand) but if the damn federeal government was asking for the data off the box, dish would no doubt comply. i'm not trying to copy anything.

i'm just sick of losing all my dvr recordings everytime a box dies. this has been my 4th box since i've been with dish since 2008. 2 622s, 1 722 and now this 722k. i know i can get the content off the dvr box and then turn around and put it on the new box but thats too late now as the old box won't boot. anyway, i'm tech savy and am ready to try something if anyone has any ideas. i just don't want to waste my time if someone has already tried all they can do to get their content from a dead HHD. thanks in advance.

 

[garys]

You can copy the recordings but they are encrypted meaning you would need the receiver it was recorded on in order to play it. If you are worried about losing the recordings, you can get an EHD and transfer the recordings to it. Then you could play them back on any Vip dvr receiver on your account and not the one it was initially recorded on.

 

[unikr0n]

what about copying from hhd and then putting those files right back on the new dvr hhd? would the new dvr hhd be able to read the files from the old hhd? or are those files i copied encrypted to the old hhd?

 

[unikr0n]

oh and if i copied my dvr recordings from my box to an EHD, does it remove the recordings off the dvr? thats what a dish tech once told me. i never did try it for myself though. and does any external drive work or does it have to be from dish?

 

[lucky86]

oh and if i copied my dvr recordings from my box to an EHD, does it remove the recordings off the dvr? thats what a dish tech once told me. i never did try it for myself though. and does any external drive work or does it have to be from dish?

It moves the recording, it does not copy.

For external hard drives check out this link. It has the hard drive requirements.

http://www.mydish.com/upgrades/products/expand-dvr-storage/

 

[TheKrell]

Though shalt visit the Yahoo group PVRExplorer, and download the 722 version of PVRExplorer Pro. I have NO IDEA if you can reverse the process on your new receiver. Seems unlikely, though. You will also have a serious issue getting the disk to spin up. Recommend issuing a special command when running Linux to flip a bit in the disk's firmware.

 

[unikr0n]

Though shalt visit the Yahoo group PVRExplorer, and download the 722 version of PVRExplorer Pro. I have NO IDEA if you can reverse the process on your new receiver. Seems unlikely, though. You will also have a serious issue getting the disk to spin up. Recommend issuing a special command when running Linux to flip a bit in the disk's firmware.

hrmm this sounds like fun to try. here's my issue i'm facing if i attempt this though. i have to send the dead box back to dish once i get my new one. won't they know that i got in the hhd and took its contents? i mean yeah, i guess it's a possibility that they might think "hrmm they must've deleted everything from the hhd before it died since theres nothing on this drive". seriously unlikely lol.

i want to try this method. however, i don't want to end up getting charged the full amount of the new 722k. whats your take on this? will dish know that i've opened it up and pulled out the hhd? is there a seal that i can prevent from breaking? i've never opened one up before so i have no idea whats inside.

 

[TheKrell]

I believe you can get to the disk connectors without disturbing the seal on the cage that holds it. Also, PVRExplorer is a READONLY program. No files will be touched on the original disk. N.B. this will not work on HBO/Cinemax, because they are encrypted even on the internal disk.

 

[unikr0n]

ok. i'll dig a bit deeper into proexplorer. i got it downloaded and ready to roll. i just need to have the drive out now lol. i'm wondering if it is possibly the hhd dead though. i definitely leaning on the fan being dead still but here's what i started thinking. it'll turn on and i'll get the dish splash boot that says "starting up". but then after several minutes, i'll hear the fan turn on for a split second and then immediately shut off. if i leave the dvr plugged in, it'll repeat this cycle over and over till i unplug it.

my initial thought to this was "yeah the fan is dead or is dying". then i started to wonder if when the fan starts to run and see's there's no hhd to boot from, it shuts the fan back off. is that possible? or would the fan still run even though the drive is dead?

 

[Jim5506]

If the receiver itself is operating properly with a bad HDD, it will eventually reboot and come up as a non-DVR receiver.

It sounds like your recevier has more than HDD problems, possible power supply or other.

If you cannot get the HDD to spin up with the old receiver, you can use longer SATA/power cables to power it from the replacement receiver and gain access to it there.

The PVRExplorerPro -722 version is the one that works for me to copy the .TS files to my PC where I can manipulate them with video editors, etc.

 

[3HaloODST]

You could always just hook up the HDD from the dead receiver to a new one, transfer the shows to an EHD, then hook back up the new one's existing drive. Could also make a byte-for-byte clone from the old HDD to the new one with Linux (use dd.)

Sent from my iPad 2 using SatelliteGuys

 

[primestar31]

You could always just hook up the HDD from the dead receiver to a new one, transfer the shows to an EHD, then hook back up the new one's existing drive. Could also make a byte-for-byte clone from the old HDD to the new one with Linux (use dd.)

Sent from my iPad 2 using SatelliteGuys

Since it's the internal drive, it will most likely force a reformat right off the bat if he tries this, so watch out!

 

[3HaloODST]

Since it's the internal drive, it will most likely force a reformat right off the bat if he tries this, so watch out!

I highly doubt that it will reformat since the drive is already formatted for Dish use.

Sent from my iPad 2 using SatelliteGuys

 

[primestar31]

I highly doubt that it will reformat since the drive is already formatted for Dish use.

Sent from my iPad 2 using SatelliteGuys

The drive "marries" itself to the particular DVR, so yes, I'm pretty sure it'll force a format when switched into the guts of another dvr even on a 722k.

Hey he's welcome to try it, because he has nothing to lose now with his old receiver being completely dead. Maybe he'll get lucky, and it'll work, no guarantees with Dish stuff.

 

[TheKrell]

I'm with Halo, but I must admit I never tried it either. Receivers that married the disk were the 50x series.

 

[3HaloODST]

The drive "marries" itself to the particular DVR, so yes, I'm pretty sure it'll force a format when switched into the guts of another dvr even on a 722k.

Hey he's welcome to try it, because he has nothing to lose now with his old receiver being completely dead. Maybe he'll get lucky, and it'll work, no guarantees with Dish stuff.

I've never personally done it, but based on what I've read around here that is not the case with the newer receivers.

EDIT: http://www.satelliteguys.us/threads...n-two-vip722k-receivers?p=2609940#post2609940

Sent from my iPhone 4S using SatelliteGuys

 

[randog311]

Recovering Recordings from Dead VIP722K Receiver / Hard Drive

I have found that when VIP722K Fails to Start-Up / Boot, it is usually the "Receiver" (Capacitor? C194 = Bulging) that is the "Cause", not the Hard Drive. I have now twice (3-4 years apart) swapped the old Hard Drive (full of Recordings) from the Dead Receiver to the New / Exchange receiver, Booted it up, then Transferred the Recordings to an External Hard Drive, then swapped the old (now Empty of Recordings) back to the Dead Receiver & sent it back to Dish... Re-Installed the New Hard Drive back into the New Receiver. Back in business for the next 3-4 years...
Note: keep the Hard Drive, The Transformer Assembly attached to the Metal Bracket and Transfer as a Unit (3 electrical connector disconnect points).

 

[whatchel1]

yep

Since it's the internal drive, it will most likely force a reformat right off the bat if he tries this, so watch out!

I accidentally done that playing around w/ HDD's. Found out that an unapproved DTV HDD will work in a E box, though.

 

[whatchel1]

I have found that when VIP722K Fails to Start-Up / Boot, it is usually the "Receiver" (Capacitor? C194 = Bulging) that is the "Cause", not the Hard Drive. I have now twice (3-4 years apart) swapped the old Hard Drive (full of Recordings) from the Dead Receiver to the New / Exchange receiver, Booted it up, then Transferred the Recordings to an External Hard Drive, then swapped the old (now Empty of Recordings) back to the Dead Receiver & sent it back to Dish... Re-Installed the New Hard Drive back into the New Receiver. Back in business for the next 3-4 years...
Note: keep the Hard Drive, The Transformer Assembly attached to the Metal Bracket and Transfer as a Unit (3 electrical connector disconnect points).

I've had to replace caps in p/s also. Also there is one on the mobo that has a problem too. But don't remember which one off hand but it wasn't far away from the fan that cools the unit. On the last one I did I used slightly longer leads w/ heat shrink on them so I was able to lie it down near the mobo away from the heat of the HDD.