Setting up your external USB HDD with your Solo the easy way!

[Sicilian]

I've started to see posts with members having problems using their external USB hard drives, so thought I'd put to the test a post a quick guide.

For the purpose of this I'm using a portable 2.5" USB HDD with its own power supply. The HDD is a Hitachi 250GB SATA. It's very important that the external HDD has its own electric power supply.

Guide below: -

1. Connect to a windows PC. Go to control panel > Administrive Tools > Copumter Management > Storage > Disk Managment > Select you USB HDD, right click on it and select 'Delete Volume'. Make sure that its your USB HDD that your deleting!

2. Connect to Solo, power up the HDD then reboot your Solo.

3. Once rebooted press Menu on your remote > Setup > System > Harddisk > Initialization > Click ok on the selected HDD

4. On the next screem press Red Button to initialize and wait for it to complete.

5. Go to your PC, open a command promt and telnet to your Solo. As follows: -

Telnet 192.168.1.11 <<<<Use your Solo IP

Username = Root

Password = leave blank, just press enter

6. Now create a folder in /media/usb for recording. We'll call it movie.

mkdir /media/usb/movie

7. Close the command prompt and go back to your Solo.

8. Press Menu > Setup > System > Recording paths > Highlight Defualt movie location, see below: -

9. Press ok, then you come to a select location screen. You will see the default at the bottom is /hdd/movie. We need to change this. Press menu on your remote and select 'switch to filelist'. Now navigate to /media/usb/movie, do not click ok on movie, just highlight it and press Green button to save the location. You now have something like this: -

10. Do the same for Timeshift location, but just choose /media/usb

Thats it done

Enjoy your recording with your shiney new baby VU+ Solo

 

[alrufayyig]

what external hdd brand do u suggest to buy?

 

[Sicilian]

I've got this enclsure that I fitted a Hitachi SATA 250GB HDD into

http://www.usbnow.co.uk/Hard_Drive_Enclosures-2.5%22_Hard_Drive_Cases/c10_24/p784/Smart_Drive_2.5%22_SATA_Hard_Drive_Enclosure/product_info.html

I've got seperate 5V PSU for powering the enclosure.

Any USB HDD should be ok providing its got its own electric PSU.

 

[nedisared]

You are a Star m8

 

[alrufayyig]

i followed your steps my external hdd works fine for recording but i have problem in timeshift , could you please clarify the steps for timeshift because the recording path pictures not clear.

 

[Sicilian]

i followed your steps my external hdd works fine for recording but i have problem in timeshift , could you please clarify the steps for timeshift because the recording path pictures not clear.

Set the timeshift location to /media/usb/

 

[alrufayyig]

timeshift still not possible i think i have another issue, what do you suggeest and i can't find permanent timeshift plugin ?

 

[grtmoby]

which image are u using...

 

[Sicilian]

timeshift still not possible i think i have another issue, what do you suggeest and i can't find permanent timeshift plugin ?

What have you setup for your timeshift location?

 

[alrufayyig]

i use vti v0.1 image , regarding timeshift location now /media/usb ,and tried media/usb/movie also i tried media/hdd and still faild, do you think because i use only samsung 100gb external hdd is not enough to start timeshift?

 

[Sicilian]

i use vti v0.1 image , regarding timeshift location now /media/usb ,and tried media/usb/movie also i tried media/hdd and still faild, do you think because i use only samsung 100gb external hdd is not enough to start timeshift?

Recording defo works ok?

 

[spec119]

worked a treat hdd needs the 5volt boost well done Sicillian

 

[alrufayyig]

recording works fine but timeshift is not possible

 

[grtmoby]

what do u get when u start timeshift

 

[Sicilian]

Check all the paths, I've just tested timeshift again here and can confirm working 100%.

 

[alrufayyig]

i will try another hdd may be it will work

 

[unisat]

Hi Sicilian,

Very handy tutorial.

Can we have a similar/modified tutorial for external samsung 500 gb sata ii harddrive hd502hj with esata hdd docking station.

your help would be highly appreciated.

regards

 

[Sicilian]

Hi Sicilian,

Very handy tutorial.

Can we have a similar/modified tutorial for external samsung 500 gb sata ii harddrive hd502hj with esata hdd docking station.

your help would be highly appreciated.

regards

I would it I had a external samsung 500 gb sata ii harddrive hd502hj with esata hdd docking station, you could always donate yours to me

Have you tried the guide, in principal i'm pretty sure it will work.

 

[unisat]

I would it I had a external samsung 500 gb sata ii harddrive hd502hj with esata hdd docking station, you could always donate yours to me

Have you tried the guide, in principal i'm pretty sure it will work.

Am waiting for it to arrive. Will try the solo tutorial and let you.

Thanks a lot

 

[stash36]

Ok I have today added a samsung f2 1.5tb drive with an esata case, using the instructions in Sicilians thread.
The results are poor. I initially recorded BBC1, this worked ok. Then tryed a HD channel and which broke up badly on replay. I'm now getting green screen restart constantly, trying to record, using the timer, anything. No time to play now, but I'm wondering if I've got a drive that is too big. I bought this samsung unit for the HD capacity, and because it appears to run well with the Duo.
I'm using VTi v2.