Does anyone have a Ghost image of a JVC HM-HDS4 hard drive?

For all discussions regarding the JVC HM-HDS4 (80GB hard disk and S-VHS recorder)

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RogerEvans
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Joined: Wed Mar 02, 2005 11:24 am
Location: Kent

Does anyone have a Ghost image of a JVC HM-HDS4 hard drive?

Post by RogerEvans »

After 7 months use, the recorder ran out of disk space and the operating system froze. It could not successfully boot and even the VCR part was, therefore, unsusable. In attempting to boot, the hard disk would repeatedly seek in the same pattern (from its sounds) so I concluded that the hard disk was mechanically OK but that a software bug had probably corrupted the index. There had been a clue a few days before, I suppose, when a thumbnail did not match the programme pointed to.

The unit was away being 'repaired' for 13 weeks. When it came back it had been given a new hard disk, and so 50 hours of programming was lost. I felt that if the software did have a bug it would return to bite again - and it has. Now out of warranty, JVC did not want to 'repair' the unit. Luckily, my supplier (HiSpek of St. Albans) was very, very helpful and eventually persuaded JVC to do something. They agreed to replace the unit with another, used sample - I am waiting for it to arrive.

I have learned from your board that the operating system of this unit resides on hard disk. It seems that the only way to 'repair' the effects of this software bug is to replace the hard disk in order to obtain a 'clean' index. This is a very expensive procedure and totally uneconomical for the user to have to endure, even once. However, your board shows that one way out is to clone a copy of the hard disk before use.

1. Is it reasonably easy to get into the casing and remove the hard drive?

2. To save me from doing this, does anyone have a Ghost image of a virgin HM-HDS4 hard drive they would be willing to let me have?

This fault shows some problems with this kind of recorder:
i) Neither the user nor a repair shop can format/initialise the hard disk in an emergency.
ii) When the only copy of the software does not reside in firmware but on the hard disk, and is not upgradeable to fix bugs, you are on a hiding to nothing. It could even be said that such equipment is 'not suitable for the purpose'.


Hoping for some help,

Roger Evans
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andywilks
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Location: Pendle Witch Country, Lancs

Post by andywilks »

Hi sorry for not replying earlier...

I am a JVC dealer in Lancashire. Your suppositions are basically correct. These machines are 'early hybrid' models with some flaws. Basically the HMHDS4 has proved to be much more reliable than the earlier model, but when a fault occurs that the HDD cannot recover from, the only option is a new HDD.

As for an image, I have a new drive here that an image can be taken from (Ghost ...) but ideally I would need your drive posted to me to do it. Although an empty drive has perhaps 6gig of data on it- the rest is formatted with random data that although unneccesary, I have no way of knowing which is which. It doesn't compress very well also, so one would have to make an image on something like 20 DVDr's (ouch!) Having said that it may be possible to ghost just the first say 8gig, and it may work... I have not needed to try that.

Perhaps your local dealer could 'borrow' another users machine to clone the drive from...?


As to fitness for purpose etc.. I wouldn't like to get into that... even JVC UK don't however have the ability to mod the software etc...in case of bugs.... that needs to come from the software developers in Japan/ wherever.


hope that helps,

regards
Andrew
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Andy Cippico
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Location: England

Post by Andy Cippico »

Hi guys,

Just an observation here: It does seem incredible that by the time JVC made the HM-HDS4 they would surely have had many, many examples of people wanting to 'initialize' or clear their hard drives - especially on the HDS1 and essentially the reason these forums were created in the first place.
I recently bought a Sony RDR-HX900 DVD/HDD recorder and that has a user-accessible menu option to re-format the drive and a special power-up sequence to return it to factory default. Why JVC couldn't do the same for these two units I have no idea. Just think of all the returned units they could have prevented.

Andy
RogerEvans
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Joined: Wed Mar 02, 2005 11:24 am
Location: Kent

Post by RogerEvans »

Thanks Andy (both).

I have now received a service replacement from JVC (via HiSpek) but this unit has an unsatisfactory, attenuated S-VHS picture with wobbly vertical lines. I even managed to break the HDD part by dividing a program several times - trying to play this causes a reboot. So, HiSpek are currently talking to JVC about replacing the replacement.

Thanks for the offer of an HDD copy. I will return once the current situation is sorted out.

All this is such a shame, because the HDS4 is otherwise such a nice unit to use.


Roger
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