Hard Drive upgrade for Pioneer DVR-520H

[dogtag]

Hkan - Thank you very much for your help!

I will let you know how I get on!

Mike

[Seeker47]

By the way, has anybody succesfully upgraded the DVD-drive (faster, double layer) without any negative side effects? Hints would be appreciated.

I think this is governed by the firmware, unfortunately. As far as I know, the only model to have an 8x burner + DL burning capability was their last model, the 640H.

[BitBasher]

Since the disc cannot be read once it is burned, the only way I can think of to check is to check the md5sum of the NRG image before burning. If someone can post a md5sum from a known working NRG image, that would be a good sanity check.

I downloaded the pioneer image a long time ago. I've not used it yet, so I can't confirm that I have a "good" image, but here's the MD5 info for anyone else who wants to compare notes:

f43a519ba0d9c1a51141487c5bd06699 *pioneer_service.nrg (size 1,953,530,012 bytes)

Now, if you burn this NRG file to a DVD, and then extract the DVD's iso using a tool such as ISOBuster, you'll end up with a slightly smaller file size. This is because the NRG file has 156 bytes of "extra" Nero-specific information at the very end of the file. This extra information is NOT part of the data written to the DVD, and therefore, these extra 156 bytes will not be read back if you extract an ISO image from a burned DVD.

So, if you've already burned a DVD with from the NRG file, if you extract the entire DVD image into a single ISO file (with no extra fluff from Nero or any other extraction program), you should get this:

1af6f1e5b548e2b7387dfada073d55fe *pioneer_service.iso (size 1,953,529,856 bytes)

If anyone else has the same MD5 values (or different), post your results so we can compare them. If several people have the same MD5 values then we can asssume that we're all dealing with good images. Note that these values above are for GGV1179 as I don't have the newer disc image.

Bit.

Technical Note: The size of the ISO file (1,953,529,856) is evenly divisible by 2048, which is the sector size of a DVD. If you extract an ISO image from the service DVD and the size is NOT evenly divisible by 2048, then the extraction program used may be adding extra data (padding or fluff) to the file and then the MD5 value will not match.

[Seeker47]

I downloaded the pioneer image a long time ago. I've not used it yet, so I can't confirm that I have a "good" image, but here's the MD5 info for anyone else who wants to compare notes:

f43a519ba0d9c1a51141487c5bd06699 *pioneer_service.nrg (size 1,953,530,012 bytes)

So, if you've already burned a DVD with from the NRG file, if you extract the entire DVD image into a single ISO file (with no extra fluff from Nero or any other extraction program), you should get this:

1af6f1e5b548e2b7387dfada073d55fe *pioneer_service.iso (size 1,953,529,856 bytes)

If anyone else has the same MD5 values (or different), post your results so we can compare them. If several people have the same MD5 values then we can asssume that we're all dealing with good images. Note that these values above are for GGV1179 as I don't have the newer disc image.

Thanks for your post. I don't have the (Pioneer printed) service disk, just an apparent copy of one onto a dvd blank. It came to me as a disk, not an image download. But I made an .nrg copy of the disk so that I could get a file size + MD5 for it. I have no way of knowing what rev. of the service disk it was.

.nrg file from the supposed 1179 service disk that I have, and here are the results:

1,951,183,004 PioDupe.nrg
MD5SUM = 8b0fa37981a48d1af65e0ec5dc568e48

I threw a couple hex editors at the .nrg, to look for those strings they mentioned in this thread (or was it another thread ?), but they tried to load the whole 2G, so of course they choked and died. It needed something that would only load segments at a time. So, I dusted off Vern Buerg's LIST utility from the '80s. (Never underestimate the continued value of some of those ancient, low-level programs . . . .) Couldn't find the strings. Which might not prove anything, one way or another. There must be some decent sector scanning tools that would look at the raw disk and look for strings, intelligible file structure or no. Guess I will finally have to get around to installing Isobuster.

Good info about the Nero header. Actually, re your last statement, I think the only way we can assume a good image is not solely on the basis of a matching MD5 and file size, but by the fact that the values being matched come from an 1179 image known to have been used successfully to perform this upgrade.

[BitBasher]

Seeker47, your resulting NRG file is a tad on the small size. Now there's always the possibility that the pioneer service disc doesn't have to be an exact size.

Just out of curiosity, did you ever just stick the disc you have into your PC and look to see if you can read files on it? I'm wondering if you have a DVD disc that's a standard ISO image that contains the service disc image in .RAR format (compressed).

If you can see or read files on the disc you have from a PC, then you don't have the final image of the pioneer service disc. In this case, you may have a PC data disc that contains the ISO image file (probably compressed).

If you can't read the file system from a PC, then I'm just a tiny bit concerned that your disc image is smaller than mine. On the other hand, maybe my image is too big

Bit.

[Seeker47]

If you can see or read files on the disc you have from a PC, then you don't have the final image of the pioneer service disc. In this case, you may have a PC data disc that contains the ISO image file (probably compressed).

If you can't read the file system from a PC, then I'm just a tiny bit concerned that your disc image is smaller than mine. On the other hand, maybe my image is too big

No, there was nothing readable on the PC. But then, I haven't tried to access it with something like Isobuster, or various sector access tools that must be out there.

Not too long ago in this thread, someone mentioned a 4.1 rev. of the 1179 service disk, and raised the question of how many editions of this service disk might be in circulation. If we accept that premise, there could be a whole spreadsheet of MD5s and file sizes. Not to mention your ISO vs. .nrg variation.

Someone else asked me why don't I just try out what I have ? The easy answer to that is I'm not ready to attempt this upgrade yet (original 80G HDD is still working fine, and there's a few months left on my extended warranty), plus I'm in no great hurry to perform an experiment on my 520 using tools that are not certain to be the right ones. But I have an unopened 300G Seagate in storage, just waiting for the day this procedure becomes necessary. I don't need anything larger than 300G. That's nearly 4x what the 520 started with. (Members here have reported success with up to 400G replacements, I think.) I also want to be prepared to replace the burner, whenever the original one begins to fail.

And keep in mind that alternate upgrade procedure, involving HDD cloning on a Linux box. I'll have to go reread that thread material, as I don't recall whether that method needs the service disk or (impersonated) service remote.

[billj497]

Hi Everyone,

The md5 sum for the pioneer_service which I have is

f43a519ba0d9c1a51141487c5bd06699 *pioneer_service.nrg
file size = 1,953,530,012 bytes

But, I have not changed my HD yet and cannot say for certain that my disc is good. But, it is the same md5 as BitBasher posted.

The "deep" and "sheep" strings that Andreotti discovered are in the nrg image are at

#### SHEEP #### at offset 0x2000
#### DEEP #### at offset 0x2100

      0  1  2  3   4  5  6  7   8  9  a  b   c  d  e  f 
      -----------  -----------  -----------  -----------
1FF0                  57 6A B9  67 01 F6 BA  B6 5F 3B 10
2000  23 23 23 23  20 53 48 45  45 50 20 23  23 23 23 00
2010  01 02 03 04  05 06 07 00  80 EB             

      0123456789abcdef 
      ---+---+---+---+ 
1FF0       Wj.g...._;. 
2000  #### SHEEP ####. 
2010  .......... 


      0  1  2  3   4  5  6  7   8  9  a  b   c  d  e  f 
      -----------  -----------  -----------  -----------
20F0                  A9 F9 81  B2 34 21 EE  FD DC C7 61
2100  23 23 23 23  20 44 45 45  50 20 23 23  23 23 00 02
2110  00 00 00 01  00 00 03 E8  00                       

      0123456789abcdef 
      ---+---+---+---+ 
20F0       ....4!....a 
2100  #### DEEP ####.. 
2110  .........

WinHex is able to view the nrg without crapping out due to the big file size. I also have a copy of Vern's list.com and was able to see the strings. With list.com, use alt-h for hex display and then hit the "/" key (forward slash) to search. The serach is case sensitive and will not wrap. So look for "SHEEP" first or use the home key to get back to the top of the file. Note that list cannot load the full file due the old style DOS calls that are used to read the data.

I'm not sure about using ISObuster to extract the image from a burned disc. When I tried it, ISObuster gave me a "no file systems and/or files found" dialog. So, I went with the Nero approach instead.

I was successful extracting an image from a burned disc with Nero as noted in my previous post.

f43a519ba0d9c1a51141487c5bd06699 *pioneer_service.nrg << original >>
f43a519ba0d9c1a51141487c5bd06699 *Test_Image.nrg << copy from the burned disc >>

So, is 400G the upper limit on HD? If I have to pull the recorder apart, I was thinking of just going for a 500G drive. I'm also thinking about the A/V drive that Bill Gates talked about on page 9 of this thread. It looks like the A/V drive advantage is the error handling. I'd rather have a few bad frames fly by than to have the video studder if the disk hits a bad sector. The drawback is the cost.

Edit: Clean up hex dump display.

[trhouse]

So, is 400G the upper limit on HD?

Not sure which Pioneer you own, but I have a 531H with a 500 GB Seagate hdd in it.

[billj497]

So, is 400G the upper limit on HD?

Not sure which Pioneer you own, but I have a 531H with a 500 GB Seagate hdd in it.

Good catch...I forgot to mention that. I have a 520H US model. Thanks for the info.

[alanza]

Not sure which Pioneer you own, but I have a 531H with a 500 GB Seagate hdd in it.

Hi. Can you please specify the HDD model you're using ? Is it quiet enough for the use in a dvd recorder ??
Thanks !

[trhouse]

Can you please specify the HDD model you're using ? Is it quiet enough for the use in a dvd recorder ??

The box says it is a Seagate ST3500841A-RK, 500 GB, Ultra ATA/100, 7200 rpm, 8 MB cache drive. It replaced the original Western Digital WD800BB drive that came with the recorder.

Regarding noise, I seem to recall that when the 531H first came out, there were some complaints about the noise from the hdd and speculation that it was Maxtor drive. This may have been true since I opened a predecessor to the 531, the 420, and there was a Maxtor drive in it.

This 531H came with a Western Digital Caviar, WD800BB, 80 GB drive. I do not notice much difference in noise during normal record and playback with the Seagate, but in scan3 or scan4 it can sound more noisy. It is the sort of noise made when I have tested drives with a random search routine so this may have to do with fragmentation over a much larger storage area rather than any inherent noise mechanism due to the drive itself.

[cocopugg]

Does anyone know whether any of the later versions of the service disc allow for the 520H to be able to receive digital channels, or would this be a hardware issue? In other words, it is possible to receive digital channels at all with the 520H? Thanks for all this great info!

[Squonk]

Does anyone know whether any of the later versions of the service disc allow for the 520H to be able to receive digital channels, or would this be a hardware issue? In other words, it is possible to receive digital channels at all with the 520H? Thanks for all this great info!

Digital channels? You mean an ATSC tuner? I don't think any past recorders have the capability until the new ones with ATSC tuners that are coming out this year.

[cocopugg]

Thanks Squonk, I didn't think so, but it would be interesting to know just what the latest service disc does have to offer as far as upgrading the 520H.

[InXess]

To receive digital channels you need cable company approved box registered with your CC and assigned an ID (digital channels are assigned (enabled) on a per-customer basis). You cannot hookup a generic digital tuner and expect the signal. Digital works similar to cable Internet - having "the box" is just not enough. This is the reason no recorder has digital built-in.

[alanza]

Can you please specify the HDD model you're using ? Is it quiet enough for the use in a dvd recorder ??

The box says it is a Seagate ST3500841A-RK, 500 GB, Ultra ATA/100, 7200 rpm, 8 MB cache drive. It replaced the original Western Digital WD800BB drive that came with the recorder.

Regarding noise, I seem to recall that when the 531H first came out, there were some complaints about the noise from the hdd and speculation that it was Maxtor drive. This may have been true since I opened a predecessor to the 531, the 420, and there was a Maxtor drive in it.

This 531H came with a Western Digital Caviar, WD800BB, 80 GB drive. I do not notice much difference in noise during normal record and playback with the Seagate, but in scan3 or scan4 it can sound more noisy. It is the sort of noise made when I have tested drives with a random search routine so this may have to do with fragmentation over a much larger storage area rather than any inherent noise mechanism due to the drive itself.

Thank you very much for your detailed answer. My only concern is related to the noise you can hear during Time Shift operations (recording and playing simultaneously). The other noises (fast forward and rewind) are not a big problem...
Thank you !

[cocopugg]

To receive digital channels you need cable company approved box registered with your CC and assigned an ID (digital channels are assigned (enabled) on a per-customer basis). You cannot hookup a generic digital tuner and expect the signal. Digital works similar to cable Internet - having "the box" is just not enough. This is the reason no recorder has digital built-in.

This isn't true. I have a Sony HDTV with an ATSC tuner built in and it's able to receive many of the basic digital channels offered by our cable system, without needing a cable box, nor any special IDs assigned. You might be referring to an ATSC tuner with CABLECARD technology, in which the cable's premium channels have to be certified by the cable system before you can receive them. However, with an ATSC tuner you CAN receive whatever basic digital channels your cable system may be offering without an extra charge or any special authorizations.

[coolest2004]

Hi, does anyone have the firmware to make the DVR-220 Region Free, i can't find it anywhere, thanks.

[gshelley61]

To receive digital channels you need cable company approved box registered with your CC and assigned an ID (digital channels are assigned (enabled) on a per-customer basis). You cannot hookup a generic digital tuner and expect the signal. Digital works similar to cable Internet - having "the box" is just not enough. This is the reason no recorder has digital built-in.

This isn't true. I have a Sony HDTV with an ATSC tuner built in and it's able to receive many of the basic digital channels offered by our cable system, without needing a cable box, nor any special IDs assigned. You might be referring to an ATSC tuner with CABLECARD technology, in which the cable's premium channels have to be certified by the cable system before you can receive them. However, with an ATSC tuner you CAN receive whatever basic digital channels your cable system may be offering without an extra charge or any special authorizations.

It depends on the cable system. Only the local TV station digital signals are required to be passed through the cable system in the clear (so a QAM tuner can decode them without a CableCard). Where I live, only a handful of the Comcast digital channels (other than the locals) are in the clear. All the rest are scrambled and require a CableCard or the cable company's digital set top box to receive.

[quickbits]

Hi all,

I'm a newly registered user. I've been studying this thread as a guest for a couple of days now and, thanks to the efforts and posts of all those before me, I have renewed hope for my situation. Here's my story: I have a US region 1 DVR-633H-S manufactured in July 2005. It has been a jewel up until a week ago. In a textbook example of what not to do, I had let well over 100 hrs of video accumulate on the OEM 160GB HDD. When I attempted to delete some old programs to make space for new material, the unit froze up for something like 30 seconds. When it finally responded, the Disk Navigator on-screen menu options were grayed out and the front panel display read "HDD ERR". I power cycled the unit and it responded with HDD ERR in the display, and "HDD information is not correct. Execute HDD initialize from the Disc Setup menu." on screen. Since there is a huge amount of material on the HDD that I don't want to lose, I powered it off, pulled the power cable, and hit the web in search of wisdom.

After some research (mostly info from this thread) and a recent triumph recovering data from a crashed laptop, I've mustered the courage to “go in” with the following plan:

I have already purchased a new Seagate ST3160022ACE (same make and model as the OEM HDD) and the DVR-633H-S service manual. I intend to "clone" the contents of the OEM HDD to the new HDD using a Linux distribution and the dd command. (I'm a Solaris user, but I downloaded both Knoppix and Ubuntu. Any recommendations for the best Linux dist to use?) Once the clone is complete, I will execute the HDD replacement procedure documented in this thread and on Hkan's excellent web site to install the new HDD. The service manual indicates that if there is no "error on the recorded contents", then that's all that is required and I'll have my DVR-633H-S and all my recordings back. Unfortunately, it also cautions that the Disc Setup menu's "HDD Initialize" procedure is necessary if there is any error in the recorded contents. (If there is an error, it was caused or discovered by the file delete operation.) The SM also instructs the technician to obtain the user's consent prior to proceeding with "HDD Initialize" as data restoration is "totally impossible". (Seems pretty clear, huh?)

If all is well after HDD replacement but before the dreaded HDD Initialize procedure (imagine the odds!), I'll be one VERY happy hacker. If I still have the HDD ERR issue, I'll initialize the new HDD from Disk Setup and expect no recordings to survive but hope for a major miracle of some sort. If, at that point, I have a DVR again but no recordings, well then this turns into a real science project as I'll have to find a way to transfer video files from the shelved original HDD to the new healthy HDD.

Well, that's my working plan. My next step is to load OmniRemote with GGF1381 data into an old never used hand-me-down Palm IIIc that was given to me about a year ago. (What luck! I new I'd find a use for that thing one day!) As you may have already guessed by now, what I am in desperate need of is GGV1179. Can anyone help? Hkan? trhouse? Corona? Kanipek? Can one of you great Pioneers (pun intended) help me out with the download? I, of course, will document my progress and results here in this forum.

Much thanks in advance for any additional data, guidance, or suggestions.

[evil_lives]

quickbits you should PM Hkan... Hopefully he can help you get the GGV1179

Peace.

[quickbits]

Yes, the ever helpful Hkan has come through once again. I now have all the materials I need to build the tools and begin the project. It's going to be a long weekend... Thank you very much, Hkan! I'll be in touch soon.

[dogtag]

Hkan Thanks for your help earlier. After being ripped off on Ebay by a seller who sent me a useless disc and then vanished, I have now upgraded my DVR720H (UK) from 160GB to 400GB! Used a Samsung Spinpoint and it is quieter than the original - near silent!!! Fantastic!

Hkan - we bow to your expertise!

[urundai]

Can anyone share their 80 GB OEM drive of the 533H-S with me? My drive is not working and I tried the replacement procedure but could never get past the HDD ERR no matter what I tried.
If I can get the OEM drive and the original CPRM ID #, I can try copying it to my new hard drive and then use that CPRM # to see if I can make it work.

I can pay for the shipping and I can either purchase the drive from you or return it back after I am done. I greatly appreciate your help. Please PM me if you can help.

[Corona]

Can anyone share their 80 GB OEM drive of the 533H-S with me? My drive is not working and I tried the replacement procedure but could never get past the HDD ERR no matter what I tried.
If I can get the OEM drive and the original CPRM ID #, I can try copying it to my new hard drive and then use that CPRM # to see if I can make it work.

I can pay for the shipping and I can either purchase the drive from you or return it back after I am done. I greatly appreciate your help. Please PM me if you can help.

When you go to install the hard drive, you must do an ID write and that number must match your machine (the nine number ID on the back of your recorder) Having someone else's ID would be useless because it will not match. In my opinion, if you cannot get Pioneer4.iso to work using your recorder's ID, you have other problems.

Corona

[Mohh]

Hi!
I have bought Pioneer DVR-645H 4 days ago and have decided to make it multiregional by means of IR and programs WinLirc (http://www.pioneerfaq.info/english/dv696.php?player=DV-696AV&question=Multiregion Region free via IR).
DVR-645H became multiregional but have given out here such mistakes - Incorrect CPRM information, HDD ERR.
In DISC MENU line Initialize HDD was gone, has remained only Optimize HDD and almost all options are inactive.

How to return by life Pioneer DVR-645H?
Or it is necessary to bear in service Pioneer?

Help me PLEASE

[mrdbdigital]

Hi!

My DVD Drive has failed in my DVR-510H-s. I have a replacement drive (DV-107) but cannot locate the firmware CD. Can anyone here tell me where to find this, or an image so that I can make one. I just want to get my unit repaired so I can keep making DVD's.

Thanks for any assistance!

David
mrdbdigital

[trhouse]

Write to:

support@pioneerfaq.info

[mrdbdigital]

Thanks for the email address. I've already written an email. <g>

On a related matter, will the service remote file mentioned here work with any harmony remote control?

mrdbdigital

[quickbits]

Hey Everyone.

Sorry it has taken so long for me to get back with the results of my repair and recovery effort. Work currently affords me very little time for anything else, but I’m finally back, as promised, to report the results of my DVR and data recovery odyssey. Recall that my Pioneer DVR-633H-S had locked up and reported “HDD ERR” as I was deleting some viewed recordings from a full 160GB HDD. The DVR’s on-screen instructions then directed me to re-initialize the HDD. Well, having over 170 EP hrs of un-burned (and in many cases un-viewed) video and another 50+ hours of un-burned audio (NPR broadcasts) on the HDD, I instead devised a plan (described in my Jan 29 post) to try to recover the data. It took me 2 ½ weeks to research the issue, acquire and prepare all the tools, and execute the procedure. Most of the time was spent researching tools and methods, and developing the optimal recovery plan. It then took four hours for the HDD cloning activity to complete and only about 10 minutes to install and set the CPRM ID on the new HDD. The first couple of attempts at cloning failed because there really were bad sectors on the original HDD. Lots of them! 477 to be exact. Here’s what they looked like on the console:

Feb  6 23:42:48 ubuntu kernel: [17189265.772000] hda: dma_intr: status=0x51 { DriveReady SeekComplete Error }
Feb  6 23:42:48 ubuntu kernel: [17189265.772000] hda: dma_intr: error=0x40 { UncorrectableError }, LBAsect=208643360, high=12, low=7316768, sector=208643360
Feb  6 23:42:48 ubuntu kernel: [17189265.772000] ide: failed opcode was: unknown
Feb  6 23:42:48 ubuntu kernel: [17189265.772000] end_request: I/O error, dev hda, sector 208643360

I had to force the dd copy operation to completion with the conv=noerror,sync flags. (This copies and aligns all the good HDD sectors, but skips and zero fills the bad ones.)

Well, once the clone HDD was completed and reinstalled in the DVR, it then took me yet another ten minutes to work up the nerve to press the “Disc Navigator” button. I prepared myself for disappointment, pressed the button, and………………..
Woooooo Hoooooo!

There it all was! All 200+ hrs of recordings listed on screen just as they were before the catastrophic failure! My channel line up and recording schedule were all back completely intact as well. Much to my continued amazement the first few recordings I attempted to view played back without a hitch. And even the TV Guide EPG function started working better than it ever had -- even since the DVR was new!

Now, knowing that there were so many bad sectors on the old HDD I figured there had to be some issues ahead of me with accessing/viewing some of the recovered programs. A couple of days later I found my first glitch. While transferring a list of recorded programs to DVD using the “copy list” function, the DVR reported something like “Copy failed. The disc data could not be written.” When I used the “one touch copy” function from navigator, the copy operation just hung and never completed. It had to be manually cancelled. My assumption is that the recorder hit one of my zero filled sectors and could not determine where the remainder of the recorded file was, so it just got hung up indefinitely. This particular recording happened to be 3 back-to-back hour-long programs recorded in a single event. (Most of my recordings were made using manual timer recording because EPG had been so unreliable prior to the HDD replacement.) I determined that the failure occurred late in the third show by fast viewing the recording. I then used the “split” feature to divide the recording into two files at the start of the third show. The first two hours then transferred to DVD just fine. The third hour remains toast. As an aside, I expect that deleting the third hour will not recover all of the disk space allocated to that show until I am able to reinitialize the new HDD after transferring all salvageable programs to DVD.

Out of the 100 or so hours of material that I really cared about, I managed to recover and burn all but one single hour. Amazing! (And that was a show off the Discovery Science Channel so you know I’ll get another shot at it.) I still have a lot of material that I have not reviewed yet, and there’s probably some other issues to discover, but that’s my progress up to now. I am much more than pleased with the outcome given the severity of the situation with the original HDD. I figure there must not have been any bad sectors in the TOC area or I’d have been thoroughly screwed. Given this experience and several similar ones in the data center I manage, I’m primed to rant about -- and I’m certainly well beyond the point of avoiding -- Seagate HDDs, but that’s probably a topic for some other thread/forum.

I’d like to extend a HUGE THANK YOU to all who have posted their experiences and shared tools in this forum. It quite simply could not have been done without your efforts and posts. Hkan, I have sent you a special "thank you" for making the elusive data disk available.

Best wishes and happy recording everyone.