Broken planner database?

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Broken planner database?

Postby gaima » Mon Sep 13, 2010 8:44 pm

Hey guys,

I've got what seems to be a unique planner problem with my Samsung HD box.
Admittedly I have yet to try Copy+, so this isn't technically a Copy+ support query, sorry.
I am about to nip back to the office to borrow a USB enclousure to actually try copy+ though!
Stuart appears to be somewhat of a rockstar of Sky planner problem resolution.

Yesterday while it was recording something I went to view something recorded but instead of series being compressed into single entries I had both the compressed item (with shows inside) and the shows shown in the main list.
No sorting option made any difference.
As it was recording at the time I tried to put the box into standby. The screen output ended but the box did not go into standby, the green light stayed on. The box reacted to the remote but did not do anything.
After half an hour of this the program being recorded had long since finished but the record red light and green standby/power light was also still on, I decided to power cycle the box.
Eventually it came back, but the planner was still "weird" and any attempt to play *anything* just freezes the box. The audio of the program that was being viewed live stayed on, but the recorded program just did not play. Also now the box again reacts to the remote but does not do *anything*.

This evening I have tried a software update, and tried a rebuild twice however both times it's failed to get past the "housekeeping" stage, and as with recording playback the light on the box blinks when using the remote and the audio of the channel being viewed but otherwise it's completely locked.

Can somebody help me out please?

Mike
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Re: Broken planner database?

Postby pcbbc » Mon Sep 13, 2010 11:19 pm

Mike,
Sorry you are having problems.
First step is to try a backup and restore with Copy+. If that doesn't not fix things it's down to examining individual databases and trying to work out what is wrong.
Unfortunately I do not have the time at the moment to spend on this that I once did, but I will try to help if I can.
Regards, Stuart.
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Re: Broken planner database?

Postby TAM » Tue Sep 14, 2010 12:23 am

Hi Mike,

I have experienced a very similar problem with my Samsung HD(700gb disc upgrade) box, I suddenly noticed this evening that the recordings that were grouped in folders were showing in the folders AND in the main database. When I tried to playback a recording the box froze and only a power off on restored it. I can no longer playback any recordings and if I attempt to make a new recording it starts but cannot be stopped or deleted and when I try to playback it displays the Sky help channel rather than the recording. I have done a forced software download but no change.
I tried the planner rebuild but the the box just hangs. I am going to try a Copy+ copy and restore tomorrow.
I'll let you know how I get on but the similarity with your problem suggests that maybe Sky have done something?
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Re: Broken planner database?

Postby stuartb99 » Tue Sep 14, 2010 11:17 am

Hi Mike,

Had same issue on my amstrad Sunday night. Grouped recordings appearing on planner and in the folders. Playback blue screens. I tried using copy+ and after copying 120GB across it reported there were errors with the source disk. It appeared to have copied everything across though. I did a system reset and all appeared to work ok. It is worth noting that trying to do anything in the planner stopped everything else working including live tv! I copied the recordings back to the original disk, copy+ again warned there were errors, and booted. The planner looked exactly the same, duplicate recordings and wouldn't playback. So I reset again and tried copying just 2 recordings across. The planner contained all the recording but the ones I hadn't copied across showed as failed. I gave up reset the sky box and resigned myself to losing all the recordings. It has been working ok since.

My guess is the system update has broken the box, I could have waited and seen if it got fixed but I couldn't record or watch anything so bit the bullet.

Hope you have a happier resolution.
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Re: Broken planner database?

Postby gaima » Tue Sep 14, 2010 6:27 pm

Well, guess I'm not alone then!

I copy+d the drive, but omitted all recordings, and restored to a fresh 500GB drive. No dice.
The planner is still all messed up, and after just looking at the planner nothing works right. Weirdly a planner rebuild "works" if you've not yet looked at the planner, but doesn't actually do anything.
If Stuart (pcbbc) is able to find some time I have a fat2img file, and a full backup (7 hours it took!).
In the meantime I too will be resigning myself to a complete loss and starting from fresh.

Go team Sky!

Mike
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Re: Broken planner database?

Postby Bobvar » Thu Sep 16, 2010 9:29 am

I've had a similar problem;

Yesterday while it was recording something I went to view something recorded but instead of series being compressed into single entries I had both the compressed item (with shows inside) and the shows shown in the main list.


I have recently purchased an Amstrad 890 (my other machines have are the Samsung HD's both been working well with 1gb Pipelines but EPG too slow) when I first copied I got a lot of "FAILED" recordings where I had deleted them (a few days ago on the old machine).

However, after working fine for a day or so the problem described above appeared and at the end of the planner had about 8 pages of entries all the same saying something like [Searching... COPY searching for listings]

What I have noticed is that in Copy+ when copying the "extracted" file back to the disk the end of the heading says - UK SKY+HD EPG8.xx however the box details screen says it's on EPG 9 (9.10.13a) and that was as before I Copy+ed the drive.

My question is; is Copy+ aware of EPG9 or should it not make any difference?

Rob
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Re: Broken planner database?

Postby pcbbc » Thu Sep 16, 2010 9:51 am

Identification of EPG version is irreverent to how the copy is performed. The copy is at a file system level, which is entirely independent of the EPG.

The only reason Copy+ makes an attempt to identify the EPG is to confirm that you have your XTV Platform set correctly (i.e. UK if you are reading a UK planner). The is fairly important as there are some subtle but important file system differences between the various XTV platforms, but not between EPG versions.

It also means Copy+ can display your planner correctly, for example with respect to a pre- and post-Anytime EPG - So pre-Anythime it won't have a "User/Anytime" flag on each recording, so Copy+ needs to recognise that. However again that has absolutely no input on how the file system is copied, it's just a display thing. But as there's nothing different that I wish to display differently at present with EPG-9.xx, there's currently no need to identify or handle it any differently from EPG-8.xx.
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Re: Broken planner database?

Postby Bobvar » Thu Sep 16, 2010 10:34 pm

Thanks I did think that perhaps the EPG was irrelevant but didn't realize where the EPG8 etc was generated.

..........and tried a rebuild twice however both times it's failed to get past the "housekeeping" stage, and as with recording playback the light on the box blinks when using the remote and the audio of the channel being viewed but otherwise it's completely locked.


I have that problem as well although it will do the "format" and delete all recordings.

However, I redid the disk again and copy+d from a file. The funny thing is that as mentioned (by myself and others above) I deleted a load of recordings before Copy+ing the drive but now I have Copy+d the drive back a whole bunch have reappeared in the planner but are listed as FAILED I checked and they are not present in the Copy+ image file looks like the HD box is scanning the drive somehow and restoring deleted files (surely thats not possible is it?). Plus there are several pages of listings all the same as mentioned in my last posting although what it actually says in the 3 columns is; - Searching... - COPY - unavailable -

I have just "formated" the drive on the SKY+HD box and it now works fine so I am going to try to copy the image file again and see if it works this time. Looks like sky might have broken things so I'll just keep the image file for a while......

I will report back.

PS I sure glad I didn't replace the internal drive and have the new one external!
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Re: Broken planner database?

Postby pcbbc » Thu Sep 16, 2010 11:09 pm

Copy+ just copies the file system. However it does allow you to leave out some recordings from the copy but just not copying their files.
However it leaves all of the databases as is and doesn't touch them, therefore the Sky planer still contains the details. The Sky box shows them as FAILED because there are no associated recording directories, so it looks like the recording... well, er, um, FAILED!

Another user on a separate thread has already rectified his "Searching - COPY" error which looks like some kind of Sky glitch.
He did this by simply omitting some of the latest recordings made by the box which were obviously causing some kind of issue. Hopefully this will work for you.
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