DIY DVR Expander Woes

[SpinalTap]

Hi all,

Am getting frustrated at my lack of success building my own DVR expander, especially given the success stories I've read here.  Baseball playoffs are on, and I want to save some games for the coming winter!

DVR info from the Systems Information screen:

Release:  1.9.1

Build Number: 14.47

Platform ID:  QIP-7232-P2

EPG Region: 3405   VHO ID: 3304

I've tried two enclosures, three WD hard drives (80GB, 250GB and 2TB), and two eSATA cables.  ALL enclosure/drive combinations work fine when attached to a PC via USB cable (each box has USB and eSATA connectors).

I've tried attaching the drive unpartitioned, and also partitioned and formatted exFAT.

In EVERY INSTANCE, I go to DVR -> Enable More Storage, and press OK twice.  After about a minute, I get the message "We are unable to process your request at this time.  Please try again later."  I get this same message if NO drive is attached o the DVR.

It's almost like the eSATA port on the DVR is turned off.  Any ideas on what to try next?

Thanks in advance for any suggestions.  My sanity hangs in the balance!

[SpinalTap]

Bump.   Anyone have a clue as to what my next step should be?

[Anthony_VZ · Accepted solution]

Sorry to hear about the troubles with the expander. Have you done any autofixes on the box yet? Please press menu, then go to CUSTOMER SUPPORT, then IN HOME AGENT, then SET TOP BOX AUTO CORRECTION. Please let us know if further assistance is required.

[billnet21]

I was able to "enable" the e-sata port and rebooted the STB/DVR. 

How do I know if the STB/DVR recognizes the External Drive?

I don't see it recognized or identified anywhere.

[SpinalTap]

Hi Anthony_VZ -

Thanks so much.  Your suggestion worked.  eSATA port is apparently now enabled, and my Do-It-Yourself drive is now recognized.  Problem solved.

[Raven6009]

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@billnet2 wrote:

I was able to "enable" the e-sata port and rebooted the STB/DVR. 

How do I know if the STB/DVR recognizes the External Drive?

I don't see it recognized or identified anywhere.

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When you press DVR and scroll down to Recorder Status it will show Local Drive and External Drive above DVR Usage and Capacity.