Installing a HD in a VU+ duo

[showboat]

Hi guys, i am going to make the switch from a starview hd combo as it has no functioing epg :(
How easy is it to install a hard drive in the vu+ duo by myself?
I am competent at building my own PC, but no idea about this box and possibly voiding the warranty.
Suppliers seem to be looking ?100+ for installing a decent size hard drive, and you can buy a 2tb for ?50 these days.
Also any recommendations on good suppliers welcomed.

[neolxs]

Real simple, its almost plug and play. Just open the box and you will see the wires to connect to your hard drive. I just stuck in an old laptop drive, only 120 GB but it does exactly what I need.

Ive sent you a PM to a link on installing one.

[nicodochitanu]

Real simple, its almost plug and play. Just open the box and you will see the wires to connect to your hard drive

[showboat]

So will a 3.5" fit or does it need to be 2.5"?

[neolxs]

So will a 3.5" fit or does it need to be 2.5"?

Sent you a link with pics, I guess you could fit a 3.5 but mine came with brackets for a 2.5.

[showboat]

LOL at how easy that looks :)
Many thanks for the very fast replies.

[RuberDuck]

yes it is very very easy to install a HDD into any of the Vu+ range. took me less than 3 minutes to fit one into my Uno when i got it. once installed remember to initialize and mount the HDD with your chosen image.

[dell_xps]

Initialise it with the VU+ original software, then install the Vix image, if not you will have to start from scratch.
Check out my tut, it details this step.
HTH

[RuberDuck]

i did it the other way round with the Uno ie installed VIX then the hdd and initialized it. works fine for me, but yes some find that initializing with the standard image works for them.

[cactikid]

120gb does not seem large if you record hd content,using a 1 tb in a few boxes.

[dell_xps]

1Tb is more than enough IMHO !!

[RuberDuck]

i have 320 gb drive in the Uno and that is more than enough for my needs at present, although with the price of drives so ridiculously low, there's no better time than now to get a 1tb or even 2tb drive into your receiver.

[neolxs]

I really only use the 120gb drive for time shifting, It seems big enough at the moment for recording the odd few things and l can always transfer it to my other hard drive. I will get a bigger drive eventually but I had the 120Gb going spare and im not allowed to spend anymore money yet so the wife says after getting the Vu Duo! lol

[dell_xps]

I have loads of stuff on my hard drive, 1TB, still has 600GB spare.
Will take me months to fill that..:-)

[alec]

I bought my 3.5 sata 1TB from ebuyer. It is easy enough to install. With some Images there are problems formatting, so it is best to do this on an orignal standard Image to be sure. Also some HD give problems, I have used a Samsung, which works okay and quiet.

[lincsat]

I understand that 2TB is not supported in many images. You may be better sticking to 1TB for now

[RuberDuck]

you can partition the 2tb into 2 x 1tb drives and mount both in the receiver as a workaround easily enough.

[showboat]

Hi guys, so my vu+ duo arrives today and i'm only getting round to setting it up now.
First thing i do as per the guide is put in the hard disk to get it working with the original firmware.
Box won't even boot! Black screen.
Take out hard drive and it boots.
Try a spare hard drive and it won't boot with it either.....

These are fairly old hard drives probably formatted with ntfs and have windows files on them!
I just assumed i could welt it in and initialize / format and it would be great.

Anyone seen this issue before?

One of the hard drives is a Maxtor 160gb diamond max plus 9
If that is of any help!

[dell_xps]

Is there a jumper on the hard drive ?
If so try it on master/slave/then cable select, sure mine was left on master.
Not sure if this really matters with a VU duo, but all I can think of at this time.

[showboat]

Thanks for the reply, mster/slave and cable select was used for IDE drives.
I have found this:
Everything You Need to Know About Serial ATA | Hardware Secrets (http://www.hardwaresecrets.com/article/Everything-You-Need-to-Know-About-Serial-ATA/27/3)
I'll have a poke about with the jumpers when i get home.

[showboat]

From another forum:

After a bit of messing around I got a spare Maxtor maxline plus II 250GB (7y250m0) to work, dont know if anyone else has encountered this problem but what happened was >>

I formatted the drive on my pc using NTFS format as ya do, I fitted the drive in the VU+Duo as per the instructions at the start of this whole thread, plugged everything in and the box would not boot, just kept saying starting on the digital display and then saying VU+Duo and that was it, black screen on tv, I thought ohh no !!!

Anyway, what I done I know is not recommended, I left everything plugged in including the power, took the lid back off unplugged the sata cable from the hard drive, restarted the box and hey presto the box started right up to a tv channel (if you even think about doing this with the lid off and power connected be very very carefull you do not touch any of the electrical parts in the box or you will get electrocuted at worst or blow your box at best).

After that, I plugged the sata cable back in while the box was still booted up, and like magic I was able to then follow the instructions and the hard drive was then recognised and working, but there was just no way at all it would have worked unless I done what I done.

So I hope thats a little tip for someone who has maybe encountered the same problem.

Cheers.

p.s
I have vix 1.3
has a similar issue with a Samsung HD753LJ which had been formatted ntfs, VU+ duo would hang at starting, removed HDD fit to external box plug into laptop & format xfat, back ontoo Vu+ now boot no problems


I'll not be pulling out cables with it booted, i'll try formatting it from windows to get rid of the ntfs.

[dell_xps]

Please post your working brand of internal SATA HDD and size (http://www.world-of-satellite.com/showthread.php?860-Please-post-your-working-brand-of-internal-SATA-HDD-and-size)

I was thinking I had an IDE hard drive installed in mine for some reason, sorry about the duff info :-(,
anyway check out the site above, it list's all known hard drives that work 100%, glad you got it working though m8.

[showboat]

Hi Guys, think i'm almost done.
I have it up and running and the hard disk is recording.

Two more queries:
1.) How do i get picons working?
I just thought i had to extract them to the /etc/enigma2/picons folder. It didnt work so i put them into /etc/enigma2 and it didn't work either.
I also tried looking for here, but it doesnt exist:

Then goto "setup", "vix", "skin", "settings", choose picon location


2.) Can the epg give you any information about the programme on like the sky epg could?
Copa america was on late last night and i wanted to see who was playing but couldn't figure it out!

[dell_xps]

Create a folder on your hard drive called picon, then drag them in there m8.
Check post earlier about epg, all info there you need.See below for link.


http://www.digital-kaos.co.uk/forums/f193/vti-epg-218249/

[johnboythompson]

hi my friend could you send me pictures to install hdd in vu duo many thanks john

[dell_xps]

Check the threads m8, there is one I posted when I first got my Vu+ Duo.
HTH

[sorsat]

I'm trying to install a 3tb he'd in my mates duo+ , it can see the drive but when I tRy to initialize it it says unable to create partition? Any help pleeeeeeze?

[dell_xps]

Partition them into 3 X 1TB, via yer comp.

[lombard]

From another forum:

After a bit of messing around I got a spare Maxtor maxline plus II 250GB (7y250m0) to work, dont know if anyone else has encountered this problem but what happened was >>

I formatted the drive on my pc using NTFS format as ya do, I fitted the drive in the VU+Duo as per the instructions at the start of this whole thread, plugged everything in and the box would not boot, just kept saying starting on the digital display and then saying VU+Duo and that was it, black screen on tv, I thought ohh no !!!

Anyway, what I done I know is not recommended, I left everything plugged in including the power, took the lid back off unplugged the sata cable from the hard drive, restarted the box and hey presto the box started right up to a tv channel (if you even think about doing this with the lid off and power connected be very very carefull you do not touch any of the electrical parts in the box or you will get electrocuted at worst or blow your box at best).

After that, I plugged the sata cable back in while the box was still booted up, and like magic I was able to then follow the instructions and the hard drive was then recognised and working, but there was just no way at all it would have worked unless I done what I done.

So I hope thats a little tip for someone who has maybe encountered the same problem.

Cheers.

p.s
I have vix 1.3
has a similar issue with a Samsung HD753LJ which had been formatted ntfs, VU+ duo would hang at starting, removed HDD fit to external box plug into laptop & format xfat, back ontoo Vu+ now boot no problems


I'll not be pulling out cables with it booted, i'll try formatting it from windows to get rid of the ntfs.

i had same problem when first got vu duo, i just connected hard drive to pc and in windows went to computer managment deleted volume and , worked fine after that

[hardy27]

Hi guys

I just bought a 3.5inch internal hdd. I have fitted it to vu duo but don't know how to complete setup.

I need to mount it but gives me options

HARD DISC: WDC WD500AAVS-0 Size: 465GB/Dev/sda1


Choose where to mount your device to:

/media/sda1
/media/hdd
/media/hdd2
/media/hdd3
/media/usb

I also need time shift to work

[digicon]

mount as /media/hdd and dont forget to initialise the drive

[hardy27]

mount as /media/hdd and dont forget to initialise the drive

Thanks digicon appreciate your help. Managed to fix this issue.