VIP622 does not detect external drive when plugged in

[brianlas]

Hi,

After years of no problems, now when I plug in my external drive to either the front or rear USB port of my VIP622, there is no pop-up stating that an external drive has been attached, and it does not show up under Media, either. When I plug this same drive into another of my receivers, it IS recognized by those receivers. I have tried pulling the Smart Card, rebooting the receiver, letting it sit overnight unplugged, all to no avail. I really want to get my recordings sent to my hard drive so I can upgrade my receiver. Is there anything else I can try/do to fix this problem? Thanks for taking the time to respond.

 

[dfergie]

have you tried a new or different cable?

 

[brianlas]

Yes, I have tried a different USB cable, and both cables work fine on other receivers in my house.

 

[dfergie]

Hmmm sounds like a problem, maybe a rehit might help... flagged for the DIRT team to check.

 

[KAB]

Just throwing this out...are connected to the receiver BEFORE you power up the drive. I have a 722K that get persnickety sometimes. That's what I have to do.

 

[brianlas]

Thanks for the suggestion! I will try a re-hit.

 

[brianlas]

Good idea. I believe I have tried it both ways, but I will make sure I try your suggestion. Thanks!

 

[snissen]

I can't believe it: I was just about to post exactly the same problem!

Last night, my ViP 622, after years of few problems, would not boot up. After about 20 minutes of powering on and off, I finally got it back working again, but it no longer recognizes my external USB hard drive, not using the rear or front USB ports. (And yes, I tried another, known good, USB cable.)

If it was just me, I'd say some hardware problem. But with both of us, it sounds more like a software problem to me.

Experts, what do you think? What should we do? Sande

 

[navychop]

Frankly, the ViP622 series is a bit long in the tooth. Good excuse to move up. Just call in and report the problem. Installers have reported here they haven't seen ViP622s put out as replacements in a long time. You'll probably be given a ViP722 or ViP722K as a replacement at no extra charge. Or consider the Hopper system.

 

[snissen]

I'm not prepared to give up the ~ 60 hours I have recorded on the hard drive in my ViP 622, much less the hundreds of hours on my external USB HD. So I'd rather not change receivers if the problem can be fixed.

Also, only about half the installers I'd had here over the years have pointed the DISH correctly. Since the last guy knew what he was doing, I don't want to take the chance on losing my good installation on another clueless installer.

 

[TheKrell]

You might also check the disk on a PC to make sure it (the PC) at least sees something is there. (I hope this goes without saying, but DON'T let your PC format it!) Some folks have reported their EHD disappearing, and it turned out to be their wall-wart transformer that failed.

 

[lucky86]

Try connecting a phone USB charger to the 622 to see if the USB ports are still live and providing power.

 

[navychop]

The content on the EHDs will be visible to the new STBs, so long as they are on the same account #.

Watch the internal recordings before swapping out.

 

[snissen]

Good ideas for equipment checks. On the receiver, both the front and rear USB ports will still charge other USB devices.

On the hard drive, I know it has power because it's a Seagate drive with the golden stripe on the front that lights up when the drive is active, and it still lights up. When I plug the Seagate into a computer, the computer does not see it. But I've tried that trick before, and the computer has never seen this drive, since I first let the DISH software reformat it. (The drive was visible on the computer before I let the DISH have it.) So I have no indication that the drive is not working.

Besides, how likely it is that brianlas and I would develop exactly the same failure on the same day, on the same model of receiver?

I wanted to mention that my ViP 622 software is version L713. brianlas, what is yours?

And it's not a power source problem, because i have my components plugged into a UPS, which itself has good power.

More ideas, anyone? Sande

 

[navychop]

The EHD formatting is Linux.

 

[KAB]

EHD power supply can also be a problem. Been down that road, too. Had two exact EHDs, but when I had a problem with one of my two receivers, I took it to the other receiver using the other EHD's "brick"...and it worked. Only after my 722K was replaced, did I find the "first" brick was bad...yes it supplied power, but would not allow it to communicate with the the receiver.

 

[snissen]

Well, unlike brianlas, I don't have multiple receivers. But I do happen to have another Seagate external hard drive, one that works on my computer and whose power supply is plug-compatible. So I took the power supply from the working computer HD and plugged it into the DISH-attached HD.

After a few moments, the DISH recognized the HD again and I'm back in business. (And Seagate, with its 5-year warranty, gets to send me a new power supply.)

My deepest thanks to everyone who posted suggestions here. Were it not for your help, I'd be on hold with DISH support now, and on the wrong track. Sande

 

[harshness]

brianlas:

Your drive wouldn't happen to be USB powered, would it?

 

[stephenh@DISH]

It sounds like the USB ports may have gone out on the receiver. Please send me PM and I can request a replacement for you.

 

[KAB]

It sounds like the USB ports may have gone out on the receiver. Please send me PM and I can request a replacement for you.

He has already reported another drive does work.