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DVR doesn't recognize new eSATA drive

I just purchased a new eSATA drive (Western Digital 1 TB: WDBABT0010HBK-NESN) and connected it to my Motorola QIP7232-P2 set-top box, but after following the on-screen prompts to enable more storage the DVR does not recognize the additional storage and still reflects the pre-eSATA drive usage %.

I've already disconnected and reconnected the eSATA drive and tried to "enable more storage" through the DVR, which included rebooting the set-top box, a few times already.

Thoughts?

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armond_in_nj1

@kseickel wrote:
I just purchased a new eSATA drive ... the DVR does not recognize the additional storage ... Thoughts?

There are many reports on these pages that indicate that the eSata cable shipped OEM by Western Digital leaves something to be desired. In my case I replaced it at the start with another good quality cable and have no issues at all.

kseickel

Thanks, Armond! I haven't tried replacing the SATA cable yet, but that may be the next logical step.

I tried disconnecting, reconnecting and rebooting the DVR at least a dozen times. Finally, I was able to get the DVR to recognize the external storage (showing 100% capacity).

However, when the eSATA drive was connected and recognized the DVR wouldn't record any shows (neither scheduled nor live TV). As soon as I disconnected the drive, recording would resume. The error message I received in the "History" section of the DVR stated, "This show could not be recorded due to the channel being unavailable, not subscribed or other error." Verizon Technical Support even sent me a refurbished DVR and that encountered the same problem.

Do you still think it's the cable?

territamu

Did you get your DVR to recognize your eSATA drive? I'm experiencing the same thing you originally posted about. I go through the process as described and the DVR doesn't seem to actually recognize the external drive at all, but there are no error messages along the way to indicate that there's something wrong.

What am I doing wrong?

armond_in_nj1

@territamu wrote:
Did you get your DVR to recognize your eSATA drive? I'm experiencing the same thing you originally posted about. I go through the process as described and the DVR doesn't seem to actually recognize the external drive at all, but there are no error messages along the way to indicate that there's something wrong ...

I'd take a close look at the eSata cable. They're fairly inexpensive and most likely a cheap fix.

armond_in_nj1

@kseickel wrote:
... I haven't tried replacing the SATA cable yet, but that may be the next logical step ... when the eSATA drive was connected and recognized the DVR wouldn't record any shows ... Do you still think it's the cable?

I haven't changed my mind regarding this suggestion. Besides, it's quite inexpensive. Let us know what happens.

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