Q re DISH Network hard drive format / drive swapping

[ActionClaw]

Hard drives formatted for use with DISH receivers are formatted with (I believe, a proprietary DISH) format but are there variations of that format?
or is each drive coded to operate only with the receiver that was used format it?
ie, is a 722 formatted drive different than a 522/625, etc.?
..an internal hard drive formatted differently than an external?

I'm wondering about possible drive swapping options (only on owned equipment, of course). For example, if possible, it might be useful to pull a 120 gig drive previously connected as an external to one's 722 and pop it into an unused 625.

I think I once read somewhere that there are size limitations; for example, though a 2 TB can be used externally with a 722K, I don't believe the full capacity of one can would be fully utilized if installed internally. I may be wrong about this. I can look into this later if it's even an option. Thoughts?

Thanks

 

[ChadT41]

I'm not a 100% sure about this, and I am trying to think back to when I was in training for the advanced tech support, but I remember somethin along the lines of the drive put in the device will only allow you the space that is standard with that machine. For instance, 722 has a 550GB, so anything larger for internal, will only allow 550GB. The external devices can be used up to 2 TB, and 999 recordings. You cannot use an EHD on a 625, as software requires VIP and above.

 

[KAB]

As as per Chad, no sense thinking about and EHD with a 625

 

[ActionClaw]

As I said, I'm not concerned with capacity at this point. If it's an option, I'd just gear it to the lowest common denominator: the largest drive compatible with all devices in question: most likely 120gb.

I realize "You cannot use an EHD on a 625". My example, asked whether what served as a 722's external could be installed as a 625's internal. ..which I would think should be possible IF all drives receive the same formatting ... and that's the question.

 

[ChadT41]

You can give it a shot. I couldn't answer that. Been too long away from having the tools handy.

 

[TheKrell]

My example, asked whether what served as a 722's external could be installed as a 625's internal.

That is extremely unlikely since the model number of the drive has to be in the 625 firmware.

 

[n0qcu]

. My example, asked whether what served as a 722's external could be installed as a 625's internal. ...

The simple answer is NO.
DISH DVR's can only use certain models of drives and the models must be exact matches to what is written into the software of the receiver.

 

[harshness]

The complex answer is probably also no.

The filesystems are probably the same but the way each receiver model uses its internal hard drive is different.

 

[Hall]

Hard drives formatted for use with DISH receivers are formatted with (I believe, a proprietary DISH) format but are there variations of that format?

I really doubt that Dish would bother to create or even modify an existing, working filesystem. What would the point be ? People have pulled HDDs from many different Dish receivers and they're "readable" when connected to PCs that have the ability to read that filesystem (it's either ext3 or maybe today, ext4). The recordings were encrypted though but that's a different issue and nothing to do with the filesystem format.

 

[TheKrell]

People have pulled HDDs from many different Dish receivers and they're "readable" when connected to PCs that have the ability to read that filesystem (it's either ext3 or maybe today, ext4).

Really? When did that happen, and on which receivers? I thought most were proprietary as ActionClaw said.

 

[Hall]

People here have mentioned it though maybe they were making it up. There's a Yahoo! group or two for this as well. Don't remember the name though....

 

[harshness]

Really? When did that happen, and on which receivers? I thought they were all proprietary as ActionClaw said.

The filesystem is absolutely not proprietary at least back to the 501.

The organization of the files and directory structures is probably different with each model.

 

[TheKrell]

The filesystem is absolutely not proprietary at least back to the 501.

I had a 501. Proprietary. People promoting tools such as PVRExplorer were told to cease and desist based on the ridiculous claim that a proprietary file system was "encryption", and therefore the perpetrators were guilty of violating the DMCA.

Now IIRC the 622/722 are now using a standard file system, though I don't think it was ext3 or 4.

 

[Hall]

At the time they (622, 722, etc) were developed, ext3 or ext4 were pretty much the default or standard filesystem used by Linux. There were a number of other, supported filesystems but for reliability, ext3 or ext4 were the way to go.

 

[harshness]

Apparently the installation of a larger (and properly prepared) hard drive would cause a different firmware to be downloaded that would effectively convert the PVR to a higher numbered model.

I can say with certainty that the 508 used a non-proprietary file system.

 

[ChadT41]

The 508 just used TiVo software....

 

[harshness]

The 508 just used TiVo software....

Ha ha.

 

[TheKrell]

Apparently the installation of a larger (and properly prepared) hard drive would cause a different firmware to be downloaded that would effectively convert the PVR to a higher numbered model.

I can say with certainty that the 508 used a non-proprietary file system.

Boy oh boy, that is not according to my memory. I found a post by Smith P way way back that does conform to my memory: http://www.satelliteguys.us/xen/posts/1107947/ The proprietary system was called Dave's File System by some. I thought that was the only file system on the 50x series. What makes you so certain that the 508 was non-proprietary? Also according to my memory, the 50x series all had the same firmware, but acted differently depending upon the disk size.

 

[Hall]

I think that somewhere around the timeframe of the 5xx series DVRs (not including the 522), Dish was using some other operating system than Linux, which they use today.

 

[harshness]

I had no trouble mounting and reading a 508 hard drive on a stock Mint box using a $10 USB to IDE adapter (twice the opportunity for failure). I expect that the 501 and 510 are in the same situation.

In spite of the failing recollections, old wive's tales and hearsay, the 5xx file system is NOT proprietary.

Most of the background information is in the file section of the dishmod Yahoo group; a group dedicated to upgrading/replacing DISH PVR internal hard drives.

Of course the real problem with re-using the DISH DVR hard drives is that they have to be tweaked to make them spin up. As they come from DISH, they won't spin up when you put power to them.