MX-7x0HD Hard drive configuration troubleshooting
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Contents |
Physical HDD installation, SATA & IDE(PATA)
The physical installation of an internal Hard Disk Drive (HDD) is detailed in this MvixUSA Knowledgebase article.
A detailed formatting and partitioning guide is provided here, also from the MvixUSA Knowledgebase.
Also note the official MvixUSA recommendation in respect of compatible HDD specification.
Pay attention to the jumper settings for each particular brand of IDE HDD as recommended in this MvixUSA knowledgebase article. (Note that these settings are only specific to IDE / PATA and are not applicable to SATA HDDs.
Format options for your internal HDD file system
The file system you choose for your internal HDD will play a big role in the future of your Mvix player, depending on your intended requirements. There are several options available to you and it is best to make an informed decision early, before it is too late and you have already moved all your media onto it. You risk data corruption should you choose to change this later with your data in place.
Pros & cons of each file system (in respect of the Mvix player)
These are the limitations to be borne in mind with respect to each file system:
- NTFS - In most instances the NTFS file system should be adequate - that being said it excludes Linux and MacOS users. Also, should you decide to use the FTP-modded firmware then internal HDDs formatted with this system will be read-only due to the native Linux-based OS of the Mvix player. There are however no file size limitations and volume size will not be an issue for a long time to come.
- FAT(16) - The biggest drawbacks here would be the volume size limit of 2GB (4GB using 64k clusters), and the file size limitation of 4GB; Apart from this, the FAT file system cannot be overlooked in terms of the versatility of being interoperable across all operating systems. If you intend using FTP, then this must be considered, although large ISO files and similarly HD content will present an issue.
- FAT32 - While there is still a file size limitation of 4GB, volume size is no longer an issue at 8TB.
- EXT2/3 - great for Linux users, or if you intend using FTP. On the downside however, special drivers are needed in order to access the HDD via XP using USB or NDAS.
General tips
- It is recommended by Mvix official support to keep the partition sizes to 500GB maximum, that being said, some members have are using 1TB or 750GB HDDs, although certain issues have been reported on specific Western Digital 1TB HDDs (due to erratic power requirements) - MvixUSA recommend the Maxtor and Samsung brands where Mvix.net recommend Seagate and Maxtor;
- If you are going to store larger movie (ISO & AVI) files then a large partition size would be suitable, but if your requirement is along the lines of many smaller MP3 files then a smaller partition size would be recommended to improve seek time and display performance;
- Try to keep folder names to within the DOS naming standards - no spaces, 8.3 alpha-numeric characters;
- File names should not exceed 255 alpha-numeric characters in length - remember (MacOS users) to include file extensions (.avi, .mp3, .iso, etc.)
How to format the HDD
To format and partition the Mvix HDD using Windows XP click here.
To format the internal hard drive to work with both Macintosh and Windows PC's click here.
Format tools
In respect of Microsoft's Windows, the native formatting tool should be enough, however in respect of FAT32, Microsoft built in partition size limitations, apparently in order to push their NTFS file system. In this event and in the event that you require more control over the format functionality, then try Partition Magic or similar 3rd-party software.
Driver issues
While connecting an external HDD enclosure to a PC generally is a simple matter of plugging it in with the appropriate USB cable, there are instances where the Mvix Drive is not picked up by the PC. Here are two trouble-shooting walk-throughs from the MvixUSA Knowledgebase.
Access to EXT2/3 formatted HDDs on Windows
To access and write to the EXT2/EXT3 Linux file system using Windows click here.
Cypress AT2LP RC58 driver error
Should you receive an error message stating that the PC needs a 'Cypress At2LP RC58' driver, click here for an article on how to resolve this issue.
Troubleshooting
Additional tips to those who decided they were too clever to read the suggested MvixUSA article on how to format & partition the (Mvix) Hard Drive using Windows XP:
- Do NOT check the 'Enable file and folder compression' check box which is available for the NTFS file system;
- There is a limit of 4 Primary partitions. If more than 4 partitions are required, then rather create them as Extended partitions - this is a MBR limitation, and is not Mvix-specific;
- Specific to 64-bit operating systems - HDDs formatted as a 'GUID Partition Table' (GPT) will not be accessible to the Mvix media player - rather format as 'MBR'.
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