Reformatting and scared

Post Reply
CXK

Posts: 20
Joined: Sun May 03, 2015 11:40 pm
Location:

HTPC Specs: Show details

Reformatting and scared

#1

Post by CXK » Thu Sep 29, 2016 1:50 am

I've been running my current form of Windows 7 only as a Media Center server for 4-5 years now. Its starting to run slow, I'm having a lot of recording pixelating and network issues like crazy to the point where I find myself going to Hulu to avoid the frustration. I figured I'd start with reformatting, giving everything a fresh install. My fear is this: I don't remember exactly how I got the guide data I'm using now. I think its Guide Tool, is there something better now days? The guide takes AGES to load. I should mention I only stream to wired Xbox 360's but the guide seriously takes 10+ seconds to load and even then its practically frozen for another 5-10 seconds. If anyone has a better suggestion please let me know. I'd like to avoid installing a bunch of random stuff on a fresh install. I'd like to keep it clean.

My set up is aging quite a bit but from what I can tell my 16 port switch is still running strong. My HDHomeRun seems fine also but I have a suspicion the PC isn't using it very often and the PC surprisingly has never had a dead hard drive out of the 4 in it and still running all of its original hardware from 7 years ago. It's been running nearly 24/7 for 7 years. I've also checked the antenna connections, splitters and so on to make sure they're all tight. I cannot think of any other issues that may be causing these problems.

cwinfield

Posts: 575
Joined: Tue Feb 12, 2013 1:14 am
Location: Monroe, NC

HTPC Specs: Show details

#2

Post by cwinfield » Thu Sep 29, 2016 1:57 am

"I'm having a lot of recording pixelating and network issues " What you described is symptomatic of a dying HDD

CXK

Posts: 20
Joined: Sun May 03, 2015 11:40 pm
Location:

HTPC Specs: Show details

#3

Post by CXK » Thu Sep 29, 2016 1:59 am

cwinfield wrote:"I'm having a lot of recording pixelating and network issues " What you described is symptomatic of a dying HDD
LOL right after I got done bragging about the set up running like a champ for so long. I suppose I could try another drive first. I'd prefer not to reformat to avoid screwing it up. The drive it records to is only for recording so I could easily swap it and have no real affect on the whole system. I might try that first.

tardyturtle

Posts: 34
Joined: Wed Jan 28, 2015 3:23 am
Location:

HTPC Specs: Show details

#4

Post by tardyturtle » Thu Sep 29, 2016 11:19 am

You could try migrating to a SSD. I used a program called Paragon Drive Copy to migrate my OS partition over to an SSD. It did a nice job moving over the boot sector, etc... It was like $30-40 but was worth it when I figured the time I would spend reinstalling and reconfiguring everything from scratch.

User avatar
Scallica

Posts: 2797
Joined: Mon Jun 06, 2011 7:09 pm
Location: USA!

HTPC Specs: Show details

#5

Post by Scallica » Thu Sep 29, 2016 11:27 am

tardyturtle wrote:You could try migrating to a SSD. I used a program called Paragon Drive Copy to migrate my OS partition over to an SSD. It did a nice job moving over the boot sector, etc... It was like $30-40 but was worth it when I figured the time I would spend reinstalling and reconfiguring everything from scratch.
If you buy a Crucial SSD such as the MX200, it comes with a free download of Acronis True Image. While the full functionality of True Image is limited (they want you to buy the full version), the clone drive function is operational and works great.
HTPC Enthusiast / Forum Moderator - TGB.tv Code of Conduct

User avatar
mcewinter

Posts: 999
Joined: Thu Jun 30, 2011 8:33 pm
Location: Chicago

HTPC Specs: Show details

#6

Post by mcewinter » Thu Sep 29, 2016 2:44 pm

cwinfield wrote:"I'm having a lot of recording pixelating and network issues " What you described is symptomatic of a dying HDD
A full hard drive can also yield the same issues.

adam1991

Posts: 2893
Joined: Sat Jun 11, 2011 2:31 pm
Location:

HTPC Specs: Show details

#7

Post by adam1991 » Thu Sep 29, 2016 11:15 pm

CXK wrote:I've been running my current form of Windows 7 only as a Media Center server for 4-5 years now. Its starting to run slow, I'm having a lot of recording pixelating and network issues like crazy to the point where I find myself going to Hulu to avoid the frustration. I figured I'd start with reformatting, giving everything a fresh install. My fear is this: I don't remember exactly how I got the guide data I'm using now. I think its Guide Tool, is there something better now days? The guide takes AGES to load. I should mention I only stream to wired Xbox 360's but the guide seriously takes 10+ seconds to load and even then its practically frozen for another 5-10 seconds. If anyone has a better suggestion please let me know. I'd like to avoid installing a bunch of random stuff on a fresh install. I'd like to keep it clean.

My set up is aging quite a bit but from what I can tell my 16 port switch is still running strong. My HDHomeRun seems fine also but I have a suspicion the PC isn't using it very often and the PC surprisingly has never had a dead hard drive out of the 4 in it and still running all of its original hardware from 7 years ago. It's been running nearly 24/7 for 7 years. I've also checked the antenna connections, splitters and so on to make sure they're all tight. I cannot think of any other issues that may be causing these problems.
You are in the same position I was a couple of months ago.

I, too, built mine in early 2011. Here it is mid-2016, and my 2TB recording drive is dying--or so says Windows. Well, I was waiting for that. That corresponded with the pixelation on playback, etc.

I simply went and got two new drives--one for OS, one for recordings--and mirrored the old OS drive (a spinner which wasn't yet failing) over to the new same-size drive (SSD this time). I put in a new 2TB spinner for recorded TV, formatted it and made a "Recorded TV" folder just like the old one, took the old one out and put it into a USB dock, and started copying the old recorded TV over by hand. I took the opportunity to be selective about what I really cared to copy over.

In the meantime, my fresh OS drive--an identical mirror image--picked right up with WMC and started recording everything, just like I expected. And all of that stuff started recording onto the new 2TB drive, of course, because D:\Recorded TV was right there.

In other words, the system never changed as far as it knew. Once turned on, it just kept on going, not skipping a beat. Oh--I did have to re-activate Windows after all this, but it was just a quick click and done.

I bought a Samsung 500GB SSD for OS; it comes with an OEM version of some mirroring software that worked superbly. I installed that on the spinner OS drive first, unplugged my recording drive and plugged in the SSD, prepared the SSD in Windows and, um, I believe also prepared it with the DISKPART command--you'll have to look that up. Cluster size, I think was the key. Anyway, the OS cloning went seamlessly and, like I said, put me right back up and running.

Copying old shows over to the new drive took a week. The dying drive took forever to copy most stuff over. I did it a handful of shows at a time, and let it go for the day, then grabbed another handful of shows. Took a long time.

User avatar
DavidinCT

Posts: 1556
Joined: Mon Feb 13, 2012 3:45 pm
Location:

HTPC Specs: Show details

#8

Post by DavidinCT » Fri Sep 30, 2016 6:26 pm

You know, you can use a program (there is a lot of 3rd party programs) and see the SMART errors on hard drives...

https://www.hwinfo.com/download.php

This is a good tool to find out problems with hardware, This will show drive detail(SMART info) to see if the hard drive itself detects if it's failing and what part is failing.
Scallica wrote: If you buy a Crucial SSD such as the MX200, it comes with a free download of Acronis True Image. While the full functionality of True Image is limited (they want you to buy the full version), the clone drive function is operational and works great.
+1 for Acronis one of the best backup programs that I have used, easy and portable. I use it all the time and true image is no acception on cloning... it just works and works well..
-Dave
Twitter @TheCoolDave

Windows Media Center certified and WMC MVP 2010 - 2012

CXK

Posts: 20
Joined: Sun May 03, 2015 11:40 pm
Location:

HTPC Specs: Show details

#9

Post by CXK » Mon Oct 03, 2016 11:18 pm

It looks like i've solved the problem.

While trying to swap the drive I think I found that my power supply was dying. Once I put the drive back in and flipped the switch on the back, my PC tried to boot but only the lights would flicker on and off repeatedly about once a second. I left it off and unplugged for 10 minutes and came back, it started up then. I also noticed I could hear the fans slow down and pick back up all at once here and there. When watching my battery back up's power usage it showed significant (20-30) watt power drops when the fans changed in sound. I assumed it had to be going bad and that possibly could be causing my issues. I used Amazon Prime Now to get a Corsair 600 watt PSU, put it in and all recordings since then have been perfect. I suppose the PSU was slowly dying and shorting the system on power.

I never ended up swapping the drive so the original one seems to be fine so far. I put a new drive in its place but the PC wouldnt boot with it. I kept getting a BOOTMGR missing message. I went into the BIOS and made sure my OS drive was selected as the first boot device but that never fixed it and I was uninterested in fighting with it lol. So for now Ill just keep going on and hope it continues to run great until its finally time for a reformat.

Thanks for the help.

cwinfield

Posts: 575
Joined: Tue Feb 12, 2013 1:14 am
Location: Monroe, NC

HTPC Specs: Show details

#10

Post by cwinfield » Mon Oct 03, 2016 11:43 pm

That does happen after around >4 years use depending on how dusty the environment and quality of the power supply. It usually shows up as BSODs, rebooting for overheating, then no power on specific rails 12v, power supply cooling fan dead, bad caps, etc. This has happened a couple different times and isn't too difficult to do depending on what kind of case, etc. It can be a real PITA on mini-itx chassis cases, YMMV.

Rainey

Posts: 99
Joined: Thu Sep 25, 2014 3:34 am
Location:

HTPC Specs: Show details

#11

Post by Rainey » Fri Oct 07, 2016 4:51 am

"getting a BOOTMGR missing message"

that just means that some boot files or info is missing on the new cloned drive.

You can run a window repair and it would fix the bootup issue. Run boot with the Windows CD and run the repair. You should be able to look it up on the internet
https://support.microsoft.com/en-us/kb/2622803

artm

Posts: 183
Joined: Tue Aug 04, 2015 9:00 pm
Location:

HTPC Specs: Show details

#12

Post by artm » Thu Jan 26, 2017 4:06 am

...or it could mean you have a USB drive setup to boot before your main drive in the BIOS and it's not a bootable drive. I had a situation like that with a failed power supply and upon rebooting was ready to do the repair. But, I then unplugged a USB card reader which had some cards in it and bam! rebooted just fine.
-Art --
Win7 Ultimate x64 (NO UPDATES!), EPG123 v1.1.19, Schedules Direct, HDHomerun Prime,
Dell 980 SFF, i5, Nvidia GT710
Dell 780 SFF, i5, HD4000

SquaredDeez

Posts: 2
Joined: Mon Jan 30, 2017 8:47 pm
Location:

HTPC Specs: Show details

#13

Post by SquaredDeez » Mon Jan 30, 2017 9:34 pm

I just posted a little how-to on how I dealt with this and its working perfectly. If your old drive is still in working shape enough to copy it.

Post Reply