Panasonic HS2 HDD No Longer Available... HELP!

[MickeyMouse]

This morning I recorded about 15min for the first time on a DVD-RAM (the one that came with the unit). After recording on the RAM, the HDD is no longer accessable. When I select the HDD button and then enter the Function menu, any function that involves viewing content on the HDD is grayed out. When I try and use the Dir-Nav function, it will not work. I have about 7 hours of content on the HDD... am I going to lose it all? What happened? Will formating the HDD fix the problem? I had one show that was 5 hours long, did this cause the problem?

Help!!!!!!

[MickeyMouse]

Well, I can now answer my own post. Everything is gone from the drive. I recorded a small 5min piece and then I could use the DirNav function again and saw that everything on the drive is gone.

I'm returning it to the dealer today... I'm within my 30 days for return. Gonna get another one and try again.

[PhilipL]

Withdrawn

[vferrari]

Symptoms you describe could also result from inadvertently formatting your HDD when you thought you were formatting a DVD-RAM. I've almost done this a couple of times but caught myself at the last minute. It's not obvious that you are doing it unless you happen to catch the time remaining on the HDD after format message.

Vic

[MickeyMouse]

PhilipL: I think you are right, so I returned it and got another.

vferrari: Hummm... maaaaaaybe (but HEaVY on the maybe). I never like to say "there is no way", but I am real careful about this. i'm "pretty" sure I had checked the HDD and found everything gone before I formated the DVD-RAM. Matter of fact, my thoughts at the time was that I would format the DVD-RAM just to see if the RAM was faulty and causing some sort of strange problem.

Well, thanks for the info guys... I got a new one and so far it's working great. I think I will start trying to format my HDD at least once every other week just to keep things nice and clean. I tend to record long shows at XP speed and leave them on there for some time before getting them off.

BTW - I love my HS2... this is the coolest thing since Goofy Golf.

[Akgirl]

Hey Mickie Mouse, Have you converted VHS to DVD-R ? and if so what kind of disk are you using? I have Maxell DVD-R 2x 4.7 they won't play in a DVD player in my Motor home..... Thanks

[MickeyMouse]

akGirl: We have rid ourselves with all but one VHS machine and when it fails, it will hit the dumpster and that's it for us. We now have two DVD Recorders... the Panasonic HS2 and I converted one of our teenagers PC's that I took from them (for miss-use of the Internet) into a Tivo/DVD-R.

We have been using Fuji and Memorex DVD-R's and the Fuji's are the best but pricey. We just recently went to www.shop4tech.com and purchased 100 DVD-R's by Ritek for 85 cents each (not a Shop4tech plug, just a fact of what we did). We have had a couple of these fail prior to the disk begins burning while dubbing from the HDD, inwhich we didn't loose the disc. What is odd is that it turns the machine off. If I eject the medium and re-insert it, this usually works ok, but we will watch this.

If I could afford it, I would purchase the Fuji's all the time... we went through 40 of these and didn't have one problem.

As far as not playing in your DVD player, it all depends on if the DVD player will play a DVD-R. We have purchased DVD-Players that work with DVD-R medium. We have a Sampo and Apex. The Apex has some problems, depending on which medium we use. The Fuji's usualy work as long as we record in SP or slower speed (can't handle the higher bit rates of XP or a less than 2 hour FR dub). If you decide to replace the DVD unit, make sure and burn a DVD-R from your HS2 at the XP speed and take it with you while you shop and make sure the unit you purchase will play it. Case in point, we just purchased a Panasonic DVD at CompUSA (model DVD-CV52) that says right on it that it will play DVD-R's. When we got it home, it would only play DVD-R's recorded on the Fuji medium, not the Riteks or some Memorex's we have... so we will have to return it and it will cost us 15% restocking fee because we were so stupid to purchase it without taking a burned DVD-R with us and trying it out first.

[ncgoldwinger]

Akgirl,

Did you "finalize" the discs that won't play in your motor home?
Page 38 of the manual...

Rick