Panasonic Set-Top dvd recorder error

"Darrel Christenson" <> wrote in message
news:CvadnYs6fcK5svzeRVn-...
>
>> I've tried that, didn't work all night even. What model do you
>> have?
>
> It's an E50. There's a hardware reset too, first
> you unplug for a few minutes and then you have to
> be holding in a couple of the front panel buttons
> when you plug it back in. Let's see now, hmmm...
> I'll have to try and track that down.
>
>
> drc
>

I really appreciate it... I need to try everything possible before giving up
and just reformatting.

eroy

"Robert Nichols" <> wrote in
message news:djqosq$nsf$...
> In article <GBS7f.18956$>,
> eroy <> wrote:
> :My Panasonic DMR-E100H set-top recorder is going through the endless
> error
> :loop whenever I power on [SELF-CHECK > Error has occured > press enter >
> :change the disc > ejects > BYE...]. Doing a google search i found this
> was a
> :common problem with some of these Panasonic units, and is likely caused
> by
> :excessive editing and maxing out the space. I'm wondering if there's any
> way
> :to retrieve/salvage what's on the 180 maxtor HD, is there a way to boot
> into
> :a service mode where i can reset or maybe format?
>
> There's no way that I know of to recover what's currently on the drive,
> but there is a way to coax the E100 into reformatting the drive. You'll
> need another disk drive, but only temporarily. Install the replacement
> drive and power up the E100. It will tell you that the drive needs to
> be formatted. DON'T DO IT. Just turn the unit off and re-install the
> original drive. When you power up the E100 again it will see that the
> drive has been changed and tell you it needs to be formatted.
>
> --
> Bob Nichols AT comcast.net I am "RNichols42"

Thanks for the instructions. I'm trying to save some important family video
that I transferred onto the Panasonic (about 20 minutes worth), but didn't
immediately record on DVD, and preceeded to record more filling up the drive
(although it did say i had about 27 minutes in SP mode left ??) That would
be ok if I kept the tape, BUT I stupidly threw away the tape thinking all
was fine, and that i'd get a chance in a day or two to burn it all. I
obviously had no idea the unit had a damn 'bug' like this. I'm embarrassed
to share this, but i'm a bit desperate now

-Idiot

Thanks

eroy

Robert,

Is it that easy to change hard drives? I'd like to put a larger HD in my
EH-50.



>
> There's no way that I know of to recover what's currently on the drive,
> but there is a way to coax the E100 into reformatting the drive. You'll
> need another disk drive, but only temporarily. Install the replacement
> drive and power up the E100. It will tell you that the drive needs to
> be formatted. DON'T DO IT. Just turn the unit off and re-install the
> original drive. When you power up the E100 again it will see that the
> drive has been changed and tell you it needs to be formatted.
>
> --
> Bob Nichols AT comcast.net I am "RNichols42"

Brian K

I'm baffled as to what part of this I explained so badly that people seem to
have difficulty in understanding it ...

>>>
No, it uses a HD version of the same UDF-based format used for DVD-RAM, a
non-PC format, and, unfortunately, unless things have changed with more
recent models, the HD size is hard-encoded into the machine, so any
replacement HD will be formatted to exactly the same capacity as the
original.
<<<

"Brian K" <iibntgyea4 > wrote in message
news:rne8f.2523$...
>
> Is it that easy to change hard drives? I'd like to put a larger HD in my
> EH-50.

Java Jive

Hi Java,

It's very clear. However I posted 3 days ago. Your posts are dated 27 and 28
Oct and even though I check this Newsgroup twice a day, both of your posts
only appeared in the last hour. Strange.





"Java Jive" <> wrote in message
news:...
> I'm baffled as to what part of this I explained so badly that people seem
> to
> have difficulty in understanding it ...
>

>

Brian K

Yes, strange indeed ... Apologies then ...

"Brian K" <iibntgyea4 > wrote in message
news:Lwi9f.5134$...
> It's very clear. However I posted 3 days ago. Your posts are dated 27 and
28
> Oct and even though I check this Newsgroup twice a day, both of your posts
> only appeared in the last hour. Strange.

Java Jive

None needed.


"Java Jive" <> wrote in message
news:...
> Yes, strange indeed ... Apologies then ...
>

Brian K

"Java Jive" <> wrote in message
news:...
> I'm baffled as to what part of this I explained so badly that people seem
> to
> have difficulty in understanding it ...
>
>>>>
> No, it uses a HD version of the same UDF-based format used for DVD-RAM, a
> non-PC format, and, unfortunately, unless things have changed with more
> recent models, the HD size is hard-encoded into the machine, so any
> replacement HD will be formatted to exactly the same capacity as the
> original.
> <<<
Hi , I'm dense, so i'll go ahead and ask: this applies to smaller capacity
drives? It HAS to be the exact same size...i wanna make sure. I have an
extra drive i wanted to install in another set-top that has no drive--the
old one is damaged.
thanks

zenia

Is it a Panasonic? If yes, I don't know of anyone trying a smaller drive in
one, so I can't give a definitive answer, but my guess is that you're
shafted. If it's another make, then there may be hope, depending on the
make.

There's a remote possibility that a Panasonic's firmware would allow for
smaller drives from earlier models but not ones larger than the current
maximum in use at the time of manufacture, so it *might* cope with a smaller
drive. Do you care about the drive or its current contents? If not, you
could try it. Of, course, there's a risk that it may actually break the
drive, though I rather think it would be more likely to just give errors,
which may only appear as the smaller capacity gets filled up with recordings
and the firmware tries to write to areas of the disk beyond those which
physically exist.

A larger drive would be no problem in a Panasonic, but, unless things have
changed since mine was manufactured, you would only be able to use the
original's capacity of it, the rest would be wasted.

"zenia" <> wrote in message
newsQy9f.239655$ ...
>
> "Java Jive" <> wrote in message
> news:...
>
> >>>>
> > No, it uses a HD version of the same UDF-based format used for DVD-RAM,
a
> > non-PC format, and, unfortunately, unless things have changed with more
> > recent models, the HD size is hard-encoded into the machine, so any
> > replacement HD will be formatted to exactly the same capacity as the
> > original.
> > <<<
> Hi , I'm dense, so i'll go ahead and ask: this applies to smaller capacity
> drives? It HAS to be the exact same size...i wanna make sure. I have an
> extra drive i wanted to install in another set-top that has no drive--the
> old one is damaged.
> thanks

Java Jive

"zenia" <> wrote in message
newsQy9f.239655$ ...
>
> "Java Jive" <> wrote in message
> news:...
> > I'm baffled as to what part of this I explained so badly that people
seem
> > to
> > have difficulty in understanding it ...
> >
> >>>>
> > No, it uses a HD version of the same UDF-based format used for DVD-RAM,
a
> > non-PC format, and, unfortunately, unless things have changed with more
> > recent models, the HD size is hard-encoded into the machine, so any
> > replacement HD will be formatted to exactly the same capacity as the
> > original.
> > <<<
> Hi , I'm dense, so i'll go ahead and ask: this applies to smaller capacity
> drives? It HAS to be the exact same size...i wanna make sure. I have an
> extra drive i wanted to install in another set-top that has no drive--the
> old one is damaged.
> thanks

I'm going to make an educated guess and say any replacement drive needs to
be the same size or bigger than the original size. Although upon
formatting, it will only end up the same size as the original drive. I will
also make an educated guess and say you CANNOT use a drive even slightly
smaller, as you get an error.

Biz