How to rebuild the HDD for an DR-MH20 or DR- MH30 JVC recorder

[dvd4met]

Hi all,

These are the instruction to try to rebuild the HDD for a DR-MH20 or DR- MH30 JVC recorder.
Do not get it wrong, is about installing a GOOD ( NEW) HDD, with no bad sectors at all!
The adviser software checks first the SMART status, and of course if the machine was failing in the first place the software will not accept that. You definitely need a SMART OK hdd.

The post idea is inspired from a russian site, where there was not link to the software, just the how to do-it. Amazingly, there were posts stating that is working in that forum. I am inclined to believe it was true.
It was very hard for me to find and also get the permission to post that software, so please try-it.

Download the root image: ( is the operating system itself)
http://fr.jvc-service.net/user/download.cfm/document/disk0001.zip
http://nl.jvc-service.net/user/download.cfm/document/disk0001.zip
Extract from zip and rename extension to .img

Also you can use any other software to restore raw data to HDD, like other hex edit programs. I only know Winhex, http://www.x-ways.net/winhex.zip, so I cannot explain other software. You can try to find a registered one posted on the net somewhere.

Connect your empty drive to usb. Using Winhex select file, restore image, choose disc0001.img to the external usb hdd , at sector 00 , pay attention to confirmation messages, there is no partition table.
The disk will be written with some 380 megs of data. Reconnect with the recorder.

Download the advisor tool (Only PAL!! version) :

http://hu.jvc-service.net/user/download.cfm/supsoft/DR_MH20_30SE_ADVISER_PRO_V157.EXE
http://at.jvc-service.net/user/download.cfm/supsoft/DR_MH20_30SE_ADVISER_PRO_V157.EXE

This is the help file text: "To extract the file (Double click on the compressed .EXE and then click ok when prompted), and a folder "DR_MH20_30SE_ADVISER_PRO_V157" is created.

Open the folder “DR_MH20_30SE_ADVISER_PRO_V157 “ Write only the files containing within this folder into root directory of the CD-R In ISO9660+Joliet format and mode 2/XA, disk at once and finalize CD."

To insert the cd in the drive will be necessary to hold eject after power the unit.

Close the cd and remove power.

While keep pressing on the STOP button, plug power and keep press on STOP for 20 seconds (precise).
Release and wait to boot from cd.

What is supposed to happen I do not know for sure, but here are the flowchart and
error messages.
http://fr.jvc-service.net/user/download.cfm/document/instruction_e.pdf
Mine ejects the cd after I think the first smart step, but there is no error code I can see.
I wish I know what is going on, but because my machine SR-DVM70 is NTSC and the advisor tool is PAL, I could not see almost anything, only a flashing grainy image. And I believe the tool cannot go further in my case, it's ejecting the CD after running some progress bar on the screen, the smart test,( I used a LCD monitor with video input to see some very grainy, distorted an flashing image, for sure a PAL image)

The advisor CD contains a file jvc_pal_720.m2v, the logo animation that is the same as the one that is written on the HDD and I erased by mistake( of course the NTSC version), like the stupid imbecile I am, from the end part of the HDD where is also the file system.

Because I think there is no hope I could get a NTSC advisor disk, I wish at least I could help You guys out there to try rebuild your machines. Please try and give some feedback!

I wish to bring thanks to a special friend who found the time to share the pretty precious download links!

Feedback for the post is more than welcomed.

If someone out there knows the NTSC version of the advisor thing, I will be much interested.

Thanks!

[lordsmurf]

Your instructions don't make any sense:

Find Winhex program on the net, install and select restore image disc0001.img to chosen hdd (the usb one), at sector 00 , pay attention to confirmation messages, there is no partition table.

Does not work.
If you go to FILE > RESTORE IMAGE, you cannot use an IMG file.
It requires a ".WHX" file for this process.

I'm asking around for the NTSC disc, to see what I can come up with.

[Marco1972]

Does work if you have the registered version ! then you can also choose .img.
I try'ed it but couldn`t repair the disk, error 21 it was i think..
Look on the net for the software you can find it..
Although i don`t think you get any result with it, but you can always try !

regards,

Marco

[dvd4met]

Your instructions don't make any sense:

Find Winhex program on the net, install and select restore image disc0001.img to chosen hdd (the usb one), at sector 00 , pay attention to confirmation messages, there is no partition table.

Does not work.
If you go to FILE > RESTORE IMAGE, you cannot use an IMG file.
It requires a ".WHX" file for this process.

I'm asking around for the NTSC disc, to see what I can come up with.

Hi,
I'm happy your were able to try the advisor cd. I was using a registered winhex version, there must be some other hex edit progs. free out there.

The HDD has to be SMART OK - no bad sectors!

[dvd4met]

Does work if you have the registered version ! then you can also choose .img.
I try'ed it but couldn`t repair the disk, error 21 it was i think..
Look on the net for the software you can find it..
Although i don`t think you get any result with it, but you can always try !

regards,

Marco

Hi Marco,

I'm happy you tried!

The adviser should restore the file system to a new HDD with no bad sectors, loaded with the operating system at the root. ( That's what I got using google language tools from the russian site)

Did you used a new hdd? ( HD Sentinel can be used to make sure that there are no bad sectors and SMART status is OK)

Regards

[digipost]

Thank You dvd4met for these links.
I managed to repaire with these DR-MH20(PAL) from LOADING problem. Removed HDD from JVC and scanned it with HD Tune and found 256 bad sectors at the beginning and 155 at the end of HDD. Tried many things, that did not work. First remapping bad sectors with Vivard (on UBCD disk), then cloning to another Seagate IDE drive (original model was 012ACE but used 215A), after low level formatting wrote this .bin file to HDD (using free program DMDE.com), changed HDD and IDE power supply to cables from PC and never get further than "Repairing HDD" and then JVC error 21. Then about 4 days later and repeated writing and reading with DMDE came to an idea, to rewrote bad sectors with those in .bin image file.
So using DMDE, opened the original JVC HDD image and compaired to areas from .bin file. It was clear, that bad sectors have been in areas, where directory structure was stored. By chance I had another Seagate, with model 011A and used this to 1) clone bad HDD from beginning to end and 2) rewrote bad sector areas with information from this .bin file.
After that picture changed and it was no more green flickering, simply chaos of pixels. This time device repaired system, checked files and folder (it was empty) and very long time updated firmware. Total time was 17 minutis and now I have working machine.

This .bin file will not create new system, but it is good to replace areas in damaged HDD. All testing was done on cloned HDD(Seagate IDE models *215A and *011A and WDC), exept remapping of bad sectors

Next I intend to create .bin file from working HDD beginning ( about 1 GB) and test, if it is good to create working machine with this Adviser Pro CD. If it is successful, then make it available in internet to others.

[dvd4met]

Hello stranger!

I'm happy that someone figure it out, after so many years! Fantastic! It made me plunge into the sweet history of my trials and errors.

My machine is long time gone to trash, since I was not able to find the NTSC version. You have learned well the lesson, not to use the original HDD to do any experiments.

Imagine my joy when I figured out the links for the software, since my initial friend did not allowed me to publish (I had his service login to the JVC site and I promised not to release anything related to his account) the links.

I then changed the country prefix and bang, it worked so I was off the hook to publish! They still maintain some same servers!

Since then, others probably re-host the software, maybe for free or not.

Like they say, sharing is caring!

Best Regards