External Hard Drive Archive Bug Thread

[SickPup404]

It is my understanding you did this by implementing the Free Agent Desktop Recovery Utility on your PC? And you did not have to format the Seagate drive when you connected it to change the sleep setting?
I take it your PC has Windows and would not normally be able to read that drive.

If this is true, there are other settings for spin down beside ON (15 sec) and Never.... you can also set it to not spin down for a set number of hours after it is first spun up each time?

Correct. Installed the FreeAgent software, set the spindown to "never", plugged it back in to the 622, and all the programs were still there. XP could not "see" the drive. There were several other spindown options, and even an option to turn the light off. Others have posted here that the light seems to get turned back on when you plug it back in to the 622. The only minor glitch in the whole process is that the Seagate software dropped a drive icon onto my D: drive and an autoplay so the drive icon got changed. 2 seconds to realize it and delete the file and change the label.

Also, as noted by Psirus above, the playback from the Seagate now is seamless. When I hit stop, it returns to the programs menu (resume, playback, etc.) and can cancel out of there and return to the archived program list.

I will point out one thing: There *is* a small amount of heat build up on the base of the drive - not the actual enclosure, but the foot - but that's only when you pick it up and feel the bottom.

 

[Paradox-SJ]

Can the EXT HD be selected to record to directly?

 

[gdarwin]

Can the EXT HD be selected to record to directly?

Not yet.

 

[hdaddikt]

The only remaining "bug" I can identify -- which I suspect involves DN's software rather than being unique to the FreeAgent Seagates -- is that when playing HD programs from the external drive, especially after fast-forwards -- they don't RESUME where they left off, but someplace much earlier in the file. This doesn't seem to happen for SD recordings.

I always thought the preferred method was to restore a program to be watched. Maybe the playback from the ext. drive is intended only to review an event. There may well be some functional limitations for full playback from the archival disk. We are learning more all the time, so I guess time will tell.

 

[David_Levin]

Can the EXT HD be selected to record to directly?

Very difficult since the 622 can simultaneously record 3 streams and the external hdd seems to only support 1.

This way, at least we can watch whatever we want (internal or external) while records are in progress.

A cool dream feature would be if the 622 would look 24 hours into the future and determine how much recording time is needed. Then, have an overnight OPTION to automatically move oldest content to the external hdd.

But remember, it took two years to get us this far. We still have a few bugs and no account-based authorization. It'll probably be awhile before we see any big new features.

 

[hdaddikt]

Everything is running good now. Will just wait and see how long it takes Dish to respond.

 

[bkushner]

You want to see a big file, 2 hours of fish tank channel, 16800 MB

That's because Charlie doesn't compress the channel. He wants it to look great. Wonder if people realize what happens once they sign up.

 

[shortspark]

From everything I have read it seems to me that there would be no need for this thread if: everyone used a Western Digital and turned the external drive on and off with each use. Is that oversimplification or am I pretty much on target here?

 

[120inna55]

From everything I have read it seems to me that there would be no need for this thread if: everyone used a Western Digital and turned the external drive on and off with each use. Is that oversimplification or am I pretty much on target here?

WD is not free from problems. I'm using the WD MyBook Essential Edition (750 GB). So far, only once have I had to unplug and re-insert the USB due to the receiver thinking the HDD was registered for a different receiver.

Occasionally I get the message telling me I have to call DISH to have the HDD activated. Choosing "OK" or "Cancel", then retrying gets around this.

Both of the aforementioned have been listed in this thread using other HDD brands. It would seem that some of the Seagate models just consider the problem permanent (until the user tweaks the spin-down settings).

The "problems" I've had are mere nuisances, if that. They would be more problematic if I planned to use the drive for any other purpose than to archive. My intention is to only access the drive to watch something "old" that I've saved. I do not intend to use it daily as if it is an extension of the 622's onboard drive.

 

[8bitbytes]

From everything I have read it seems to me that there would be no need for this thread if: everyone used a Western Digital and turned the external drive on and off with each use. Is that oversimplification or am I pretty much on target here?

Actually, unless you are using a 5400rpm drive or a poor chipset in your enclosure, if you turn your drive off when not needed and only turn it one when you use it, all the brands should work fine. This is why they said any off the shelf external drive kit should be fine.

The problems arise from leaving the cheap backup drives on 24/7.

 

[dfergie]

From everything I have read it seems to me that there would be no need for this thread if: everyone used a Western Digital and turned the external drive on and off with each use. Is that oversimplification or am I pretty much on target here?

We are only one week into this... 1 software upgrade could change things for the worse or better

 

[hdaddikt]

From everything I have read it seems to me that there would be no need for this thread if: everyone used a Western Digital and turned the external drive on and off with each use. Is that oversimplification or am I pretty much on target here?

That's a thought, but it is an inconvenience to return or exchange merchandise. That's why the utility fix for the FreeAgent is a good one.

I suppose you could use a switched outlet on the back of your a/v receiver, etc. and have the drive powered off when you close down for the night.

There's a good half dozen other name brand drives out there, I don't think WD is necessarily a guaranteed solution.
I am assuming whatever drive(s) Dish used to test out their receivers happen to be compatible with their design requirements.
Maybe things like turning off the drive with the 622, or having the drive spin down at the wrong time was not a consideration or a very low priority.
But two weeks is not a long time for them to address concerns of customers. At a minimum they have to duplicate the same problems some of us are experiencing.

 

[odbrv]

You did not need to reformat the drive from the 622 format to PC format just to turn off the Sleep Interval.

I do agree that the power save function on the Seagate FreeAgent drive does more than spindown the platters. FreeAgents are not going to work completely right until that function is disabled, as many are discovering.

I have given up. I tried to follow all your directions and thank you for the advice. I guess I am a lost cause. The first problem I had was my computer hung trying to install the FreeAgent tools. Once I got over that I plugged the Drive into one of my USB slots. I guess my computer doesn't have a USB 2.0 capability. It is 1.1. So I could not get the computer nor the sw tools to see the hard drive. I am returning 2 EHDs to Best BUY today. They have a SimpleTech® 500GB 3.5" External USB 2.0 Hard Drive
on sale for $119. Anyone get one of these to work?

 

[8bitbytes]

I have given up. I tried to follow all your directions and thank you for the advice. I guess I am a lost cause. The first problem I had was my computer hung trying to install the FreeAgent tools. Once I got over that I plugged the Drive into one of my USB slots. I guess my computer doesn't have a USB 2.0 capability. It is 1.1. So I could not get the computer nor the sw tools to see the hard drive. I am returning 2 EHDs to Best BUY today. They have a SimpleTech® 500GB 3.5" External USB 2.0 Hard Drive
on sale for $119. Anyone get one of these to work?

If you use the drives the way Dish intended you shouldn't have any problems. You are NOT supposed to leave them plugged in and turned on 24/7.

The FreeAgents Tools just allowed you to change the Seagate drives to allow 24/7 operation.

 

[KAB]

I am returning 2 EHDs to Best BUY today. They have a SimpleTech® 500GB 3.5" External USB 2.0 Hard Drive
on sale for $119. Anyone get one of these to work?

If it were me, I'd go to Circuit City and get the WD 500 for $10.00 more. We know they work.

 

[odbrv]

If it were me, I'd go to Circuit City and get the WD 500 for $10.00 more. We know they work.

Thanks might do that. I also read two posts on the other forum that the SimpleTech® 500GB 3.5" External USB 2.0 Hard Drive
works just fine. If BestBuy gives me a refund , I will go your route. If they just give me store credit, I will get the SimpleTech.

 

[hdaddikt]

If you use the drives the way Dish intended you shouldn't have any problems. You are NOT supposed to leave them plugged in and turned on 24/7.

Says who?
There are servers and other pcs that run that way, no problem.
You have to be specific about the particular drive and the application whether that's a problem or not. There is nothing in the Free Agent warranty, Tools description or directions that say 24/7 is not recommended.

The FreeAgents Tools just allowed you to change the Seagate drives to allow 24/7 operation.

Not true....That's only ONE choice:
Tools offers you about a dozen different time intervals between 15 seconds and NEVER. So it is possible to set it for 15 seconds, 30 minutes, or several hours!

 

[KAB]

If you use the drives the way Dish intended you shouldn't have any problems. You are NOT supposed to leave them plugged in and turned on 24/7.

Says who?
There are servers and other pcs that run that way, no problem.
You have to be specific about the particular drive and the application whether that's a problem or not. There is nothing in the Free Agent warranty, Tools description or directions that say 24/7 is not recommended.

The FreeAgents Tools just allowed you to change the Seagate drives to allow 24/7 operation.

Not true....That's only ONE choice:
Tools offers you about a dozen different time intervals between 15 seconds and NEVER. So it is possible to set it for 15 seconds, 30 minutes, or several hours!

Says just about anybody with a lick of sense. PCs and servers are different animals than external hard drive. Like with fans! And they can go to sleep or idle just fine. But not the Seagate and a 622. And it does not matter what intervals you set, when the Seagate finally goes to sleep, that's when the problems starts.

 

[hdaddikt]

Says just about anybody with a lick of sense. PCs and servers are different animals than external hard drive. Like with fans! And they can go to sleep or idle just fine. But not the Seagate and a 622. And it does not matter what intervals you set, when the Seagate finally goes to sleep, that's when the problems starts.

Making generalizations and providing misinformation is hardly an example of 'common sense'. PCs and servers use hard drives, the last time I checked, many in constant use.

The Seagate website is very specific about Tools and how set intervals. It gives NEVER as an example of only one of the settings. There is nothing wrong having it run 24/7.

Before I set the interval to NEVER my only problem was erasing archived events and playback problems from the ext. drive.
Now it works just fine.

The fact that it did transfer programs back and forth shows it was not spun down during THAT time. So who can say setting it for a few hours or even 5 minutes would not accomplish the same thing as NEVER? Someone with actual knowledge may step in as this problem is addressed in the future.
Unless you know enough about how the routine is programmed in the receiver you are only guessing.

True, it would not be a bad idea to remove power at the end of the day if you run continuously to add some life to the drive. But with a 5 year warranty I am not too concerned about it at this time.

 

[Paradox-SJ]

Making generalizations and providing misinformation is hardly an example of 'common sense'. PCs and servers use hard drives, the last time I checked, many in constant use.

The Seagate website is very specific about Tools and how set intervals. It gives NEVER as an example of only one of the settings. There is nothing wrong having it run 24/7.

Before I set the interval to NEVER my only problem was erasing archived events and playback problems from the ext. drive.
Now it works just fine.

The fact that it did transfer programs back and forth shows it was not spun down during THAT time. So who can say setting it for a few hours or even 5 minutes would not accomplish the same thing as NEVER? Someone with actual knowledge may step in as this problem is addressed in the future.
Unless you know enough about how the routine is programmed in the receiver you are only guessing.

True, it would not be a bad idea to remove power at the end of the day if you run continuously to add some life to the drive. But with a 5 year warranty I am not too concerned about it at this time.

The 5 year warranty is NICE ...I am more concerned about the info that gets lost on the drive if and when it fails. The warranty doesnt pay for data recovery.