Chance to clone a virgin drive

For all discussions regarding the JVC HM-HDS1 (40GB hard disk and S-VHS recorder)

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tecnodweeb
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Chance to clone a virgin drive

Post by tecnodweeb »

Hi all

I've just bought what was described as a 'Brand new' HM-HDS1 (will be collecting it shortly). I'm optimistic that it is indeed 'new old stock'.

As a precaution, I'm going to clone the disk, before I even power the JVC up for the first time (I was advised that once the initial language config is set, then it's not possible to get back to 'factory-fresh').
Does anyone know if doing this will in any way affect the setup when I *do* put the disk back in the HDS1 and fire it up? It's been suggested that I might get stuck in the default language...

Also, at this stage I don't know if it'll have a Quantum or a Maxtor drive in it (I'm rather hoping for a Quantum, given the trouble Maxtors seem to cause - or do Quantums not get a mention simply because such machines are rarer?), but I'm happy to make the image available if it helps anyone.

I intend to boot into the Bart PE operating system (on CD) and run Ghost 8 with the -ir switch from there.

Any other advice or tips appreciated!
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Andy Cippico
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Post by Andy Cippico »

Hi tecnodweeb and thanks for dropping by. I'm probably not alone in being ever so slightly geekishly and nerdishly excited by the prospect of a virgin drive. I'm sure there are others out there who'd love to re-image back to factory state. So, count me in for a copy. If all goes well I'd love to have our resident HDS1 decompiler and expert (Geert Jan) host it on his FTP site for all to see.

I can't answer the question about whether removing it and taking an image will cause it to default to one particular language, but I can't see any reason why taking the drive out before you've even turned it on should cause a problem. As long as nothing is written to the drive whilst you're imaging it, you shouldn't have a problem. How would the VCR know about it? Not at all, would be my guess.

I'm hoping you've got a Maxtor 40GB, as that's what most people seem to be using, but if it is a Quantum then that's fine. People with faulty Maxtors can then have a choice of drive to buy and a choice of image - although yours will be the only image with a factory-fresh state.

Just one thing: where are you based? i.e. is it a PAL/NTSC/SECAM version? The current version on the FTP site is PAL, but no-one's too sure whether JVC localised the hard drive software, so it may well operate anywhere. It would be good to know.

Finally, although Bart-PE is a nice friendly environment to use, do you not think it may try and write to the drive? I'm not saying it will, but you know what Windows is like... Perhaps boot to DOS and run the DOS version of Ghost, just in case? If you need a copy, there's one on Geert Jan's FTP site.

Good luck, and keep us posted.
Andy.
tecnodweeb
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Post by tecnodweeb »

Hi Andy

Take your point about PE; it had occurred to me, but I suppose I was just being a bit lazy as I have that to hand already :-) I'll make up a DOS disk....

I'm in the UK, so it's a PAL unit. No word from the seller on collecting it, yet, though (was hoping to pick it up this weekend) so we'll all have to sit tight and see when I get it!

Will keep you posted.
tecnodweeb
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Joined: Wed Nov 08, 2006 1:06 pm

Update

Post by tecnodweeb »

Well, I collected the unit on Saturday, and had a chance to open it up for imaging yesterday.

First point of note: it has a Quantum drive! :D
The box mentions that JVC are/were official suppliers of video products to the 2002 World Cup, so perhaps that helps date when the machine was made; maybe later ones (before the HDS4) had Quantums? (although the HDS4 had a Maxtor, didn't it. Hmm.)

Imaging went without a hitch (booted from DOS 7.?/Me floppy, ran Ghost with -ir switch). For anyone interested, I used one of those newfangled USB-to-ATA gadgets (does 3.5"/2.5" ATA and SATA) - brilliant device, really useful.

Total image size (high compression) ended up somewhere under 2 gigabytes (I suppose this is because there were no recordings, deleted or otherwise), happy to make available somehow...
Have also photographed drive for reference to labels/numbers etc.

Second point of note: I didn't get a language setup menu, but I did get the auto-scan tuning menu as the first thing as startup.

Although the box had been opened (the guy I bought it from had checked all was there) but I don't think the machine has ever been used. The cardboard sign stuck on the top of the deck was a bit bent, so perhaps it had been on a display shelf at some point, too. Plastic film over the lcd was intact, and there's no dust or traces of dirt inside.

I wonder if the UK models did indeed have the language setup menu? It's not covered in the step-by-step setup in the manual.
FYI, full model type is HM-HDS1EK, anyone know if '~EK' denotes what market it was made for... or is it the colour?

I think I shall be replacing the fan quite soon - it needs changing for something quieter (it's a real screamer - I know others have posted about the Maxtor being noisy, but I'm pretty sure that the noise on my macine is largely coming from the fan)!

One last thought - it's a big beast, isn't it?! :shock: Barely fits in my cabinet....
tecnodweeb
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Post by tecnodweeb »

BTW, the image will of course have the cheesy JVC promo clips which shipped on the HDD :D
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Andy Cippico
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Post by Andy Cippico »

Hi tecnodweeb,

Firstly, thanks for the useful and highly informative post.
Regarding the drive: I bought mine in November 2001 and yours doesn't sound too far behind. I wonder if JVC were shipping both types of drive concurrently? I suppose what we need to do is get a poll of users to find out what their serial number is, when they bought it and what drive it has.
Also, I wonder if a Maxtor unit could take a Quantum drive and v.v?

That USB-to-ATA gadget sounds cool. I want one! Tell us where you get them from.
Do you mind sharing that image with us? I can send you a blank DVD or you could upload it to Geert Jan's FTP site (where the Maxtor image currently is).
You've got me wondering about the country setting now. I was reasonably certain that it asked you what country you were in at first power-up. Perhaps my memory is failing me. It was 5 years ago, you know.

I have the same model as you (HM-HDS1EK), and I don't know whether that means it's a UK or European version. Sorry.
Other people have reported noisy fans, although mine is pretty quiet. I guess I'm lucky. And yes, it is a bit bulky. It was one of the first HD recorders on the market so I suppose they wanted to make a big impression. It certainly worked on me.

Dontcha just love those cheesy JVC promo clips? Everyone's got a fixed smile on their faces. Plain spooky...

I keep threatening to sell my unit, but I can't see I'd get more than a pittance for it, so it sits on a shelf above my TV just being used as a VHS VCR. How the mighty have fallen. I use a Sony PVR now, but that's got to go as it doesn't have Freeview. I hate techological progress sometimes.

All the best,
Andy.
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andywilks
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Post by andywilks »

The EK version is the UK version EG Germany etc U universal. I would suppose the U might have extra software to choose language, but I've not seen that on one.

As for serials and batches etc, I would assume all HMHDS1s were made within a few months of each other back in 2001ish.

FYI the 3 I have info on at present are from batches 122B 166B and 176B each with low serial numbers (less than 100) suggesting smallish batches. Its quite likely batches of perhaps 250 were made.

ie 122B0047 the 122B is just a unique identifier for the batch run, giving max 10,000 possible units in that batch.

If you post your machines details it may help to build a picture...
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andywilks
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Post by andywilks »

Oh and re the promo clips....

My HMHDS4 has the standard clips and a weird few minute clip of what is a desk fan in a far east workshop with RGB coloured stickers on its vanes spinning round!!!

Obviously its a workshop test recording that somehow got left on the master disk image before they loaded it up onto the production line units.



As a dealer I also have a museum of old JVC stuff (400+units) and I have lots of the old POS stuff, including some VHS demo tapes- seriously cheesy.!!!

I actually met 2 of the guys that did them years ago. (Miles & Carleton) They have never lived them down.
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Andy Cippico
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Post by Andy Cippico »

I'll post my serial number shortly. It would be interesting to see a pattern emerge. Btw, what drives do yours use? Can you post that as well?

Is your museum open to the public, or is it just a room full of dusty top-loaders and other artifacts that you've hoarded? Just wondering if you get geeks like me walking round reminiscing nostalgically over the equipment.

RE. the HDS1 initial set-up: My memory must be failing if you don't think there was a country setting. Could have sworn...

Miles and Carleton? Were they the Pearl and Dean of the HiFi world? :D
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andywilks
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Post by andywilks »

Anybody turning up at the shop can have the dime tour of the museum.

We have a 17' square room and half an attic taken up with the stuff. You can just about squeeze round the room.
Starting with early JVC tvs- one of almost every model of video from 1976 most models of hifi seperates from 1971 and loads of oddities like the 4" b&w tv radio cassettes, and pro division Umatic vcrs and cameras.

I have been chucking some of the mid 80s duplicate stuff away- silver seperate cassette decks/tuners etc it just takes too much room up. It's really only the special stuff... first CD, vcr , camcorder that have any appeal.

What is sad is that I recently went to Bradfords museum of photography etc. In the TV heaven museum they have lots of early stuff including early computers etc. ... and I had all the same stuff!! makes one feel a real anorak.

HMHDS1 : maybe there was a choose language option..... 2001 seems so long ago now.

As for drives, not sure. I did make an image from Jans/yours and test that on my dads- so whatever drive that image is from is what my dads is.
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