HDD swap! Faulty 'Funai HDR-B2735' vcr/hdd/dvdr ... use HDD in a JVC ???

[StuR]

Hi I bought a cheap "Funai HDR-B2735" vcr/hdd/dvdr. I toke a chance as I new it had a 160GB HDD, they said it worked. It doesn't the VCR plays a bit then ejects and some times makes a clacking noise, and the dvdr wont't format even a trusty verbatim -RW. Buit the HDD is fine rec/plays, down to 2hr is OK after is not ... as usual.

So question is it's to bulky for HDD recorder/dvd player so I'm thinking of just using the HDD, it's a Western Digital 'Matrox WD1600'. Could I get an image of the 160GB HDD in my JVC MH-300 and copy it onto the other one if ever the origonal JVC one went wrong? I say this as it would mean I wouldn't then have to get hold of any JVC software etc. If so how could I copy the HDD as an exact image.

If not I prosume I could just take out the funai HDD and but it in a ext. caddy then formate it for the PC as the rest of the unit is not worth bothering with now.

Any advice, gladly received.

[zoobie]

any kind of clicking/clacking noise in a HDD usually means the drive is shot
imgburn can make a complete image of your HDD

[Bagheera]

I sure hope you didn't pay much for this unit Stur...

And I'm sorry you got burned on it.. I feel for you. Been burned a few times myself on stuff. Never any damn fun..

[samijubal]

What speed is the Verbatim disc? Some recorders only work with 2x RWs.

[Bjs]

Under normal circumstances > no

Under hacked firmware situation > yes

Even if drive replacement was possible, it would have to match power consumption of the original drive or risk killing the units power supply.

For a quick sticky, you might get an idea of what to do from this link, but it dose not cover your particular unit.

http://users.bigpond.net.au/PCPro/transferguide.htm#Third_Transfer_Method_overview_( Transferring_Digitally_To_Your_PC)_

And the tool used: http://www.faithful-eliza.de/upload/DigeniusDiskX04a.zip

Note:

zoobie > Imgburn can NOT make hd images ... it can only burn what it is given, and if the files can be seen in the first place ...

[orsetto]

For all intents and purposes, JVC recorders with hard drives are considered "unrepairable" even by JVCs own service centers. There is some crazy voodoo involved in mating the hard drive to the motherboard that apparently can never be achieved again after the units leave the factory. A few (very few) people have managed to somehow clone the drive in certain JVCs and restore them somewhat, but each individual unit is different, even of the same model series, making it a complicated quest. Since the drive you are harvesting isn't even from a JVC, I think your best bet is your idea to repurpose it as an external PC backup drive. Always back up important recordings from your JVC HDD to DVD asap: when a JVC HDD fails, it fails catastrophically. There's a reason JVC HDD models were not marketed heavily: unreliability and difficulty of repair- even JVC decided to cut its losses. Great machines when they work, but you gotta stay one step ahead of them at all times. The HDD implementation is extremely fragile.

[StuR]

Cheers for all replies,
RE noise it's something to do with a 'black LED' probably a light sensor which detects a VHS tape passing it -being loaded- which starts the auto drive to turn the cogs and load it fully. It wrongly tries to load at times and causes the cogs to turn which seem to jam and hence you get a clack, clack, .. for a for a few seconds. I thought it was the HDD so got the top off to check. HDD rec/plays fine.

I'd thought as much about JVC HDD swaps as even JVC repair techs seem to stuggle to get required soft/firmware.

It was under a £10 (carboot sale ) so ext. HDD it'll be.