[newsposter]

my friend recently had a dvr that died and so she called in to get a new one and of course she was upset she lost all her stuff and asked about getting it back..the CSR said (in a smartass tone), u lost it all unless you backed it up to an external drive.

i know with directv a backup wasnt possible so this is fantastic news that dish can backup to an external drive, i had no idea you could do that! is this ez to set up and do you need a specific brand of drive?

 

[[email protected] Network]

Below is a link that has the requirements for an EHD. Big requirements are the size (up to 2TB for DVRs, 1TB for non-DVRs), it needs its own power supply, and must connect via USB 2.0.

http://www.mydish.com/support/ehd-overview

 

[garys]

Also, EHD only works with Vip and Xip models, only exception is the non-dvr 222.

 

[Stewart Vernon]

Also, it isn't a backup... it is an archive. You have to move a recording from the DVR to the EHD... you can't copy the recording, only move.

 

[Marlin Guy]

I wonder if anyone has tried imaging one yet with something like Acronis.

 

[newsposter]

Also, it isn't a backup... it is an archive. You have to move a recording from the DVR to the EHD... you can't copy the recording, only move.

well i didnt wanna assume it was just like directv but apparently it pretty much is then. there's no way to 'backup' and that CSR was full of it as i thought..but i didnt wanna assume since i know zip about dish.

tis a shame these providers dont allow for legal backup. when i had a service i know it would have paid 2 or 3 bucks a month fee for a true external backup but i guess then you get into marrying receivers/cards/drives and things like that.

so with this 'archive' can you take it from the dead machine to the new machine they send you and have all your old shows be viewable again?

 

[tcatdbs]

You can "back up" with disk imaging or just copying "dish-arc" directory. I have backed up to PC, moved to another drive and both drives show the same thing. It's a pain, but can be done. Search in the receiver section for disharc. It's not playable on anything but a receiver with the same account, not on the PC.

 

[boba]

well i didnt wanna assume it was just like directv but apparently it pretty much is then. there's no way to 'backup' and that CSR was full of it as i thought..but i didnt wanna assume since i know zip about dish.

tis a shame these providers dont allow for legal backup. when i had a service i know it would have paid 2 or 3 bucks a month fee for a true external backup but i guess then you get into marrying receivers/cards/drives and things like that.

so with this 'archive' can you take it from the dead machine to the new machine they send you and have all your old shows be viewable again?

Yes you can "move" it from the HD of the dying receiver to the external hard drive and from that EHD to the new receiver after it has been activated on your account. If the receiver is DEAD the recordings are HISTORY and can't be moved anyplace.

 

[Stewart Vernon]

As long as the old receiver still boots... you can move recordings from it to an EHD, then from that EHD to a new drive.

There are ways to backup the EHD... if nothing else, you could use pretty much anything that clones an entire hard drive to backup OR to burn to DVDs/Blu-rays or something.

The only way to have a recording on your DVR and on the archive drive, though... is to record it... move it to the EHD... then record it again... but not only is that a lot of work BUT you pretty much have to do it then as opposed to a true backup which could be done at any time.

 

[newsposter]

well the 722 receiver was totally dead so she was out of luck ...but i still have a few questions

1 when you manually move stuff from dish to the external, do the shows from the external appear on your list of shows you are able to watch? (ie integrated/transparent with the internal drive list) - with directv it was one or the other

2. can you move stuff from the external back to the internal?

3. from reading above it seems the only 'fool proof' way of backing up is get 2 externals and just stop using the internal drive altogether. then backup the 1st external with the 2nd drive occasionally. however, is it possible to direct the initial recording to record on the external or must all recording be done onto the internal.?

 

[tampa8]

Hope this helps.

You can have as many drives as you want, as long as they meet the requirements of size and being powered.

You can transfer a recording to any one drive. When on that external drive, when that drive is plugged in the content will play from that external drive.

You can move, never copy from the Dish receiver to a drive, or back from the drive to the receiver, which would then allow it to be transferred again to a different drive or back to the same drive if desired.

To see the shows on the drive that is plugged in there is a selection on the Dish receiver that shows everything on the external drive. You can also put pictures on there to be viewed. I notice you keep using the term "Backing up" which is not correct. You are moving a file, and there will not be more than one instance of that file/program.
The EHS is really for keeping shows that would otherwise fill up the hard disk on the receiver. A by product of that is the EHD is safer and hold better hope of the show being available to be watched at a later date.

One drive at a time can be actively plugged in.

Most people who have posted would recommend you to put important shows onto an external drive, as that has a much better chance of surviving than a receiver drive, and as you know, if the receiver crashes.

Anything more, like mirroring files to an additional drive is beyond the normal use but technically can be done. You would not be able to play those mirrored files however as a second set of saved shows.

 

[riah]

I wonder if anyone has tried imaging one yet with something like Acronis.

Acronis imaged mine just fine

 

[harsh]

Also, it isn't a backup... it is an archive. You have to move a recording from the DVR to the EHD... you can't copy the recording, only move.

Given that most everything is replayed ad nauseum, it is trivial to create multiple archives on multiple drives.

Of course the important part is that the saved program isn't on the DVR and doesn't vanish when the DVR fails (unless your DVR takes the archive drive with it).

 

[newsposter]

Anything more, like mirroring files to an additional drive is beyond the normal use but technically can be done. You would not be able to play those mirrored files however as a second set of saved shows.

i understand it all but this 'second set' comment. so if i copied external A to external B then external drive A crashes, can i just plug in external B and all the shows are there to be watched? (thus making the backup plan a success)

also is there any kind of delay while watching a program from an external drive?

 

[newsposter]

Given that most everything is replayed ad nauseum, it is trivial to create multiple archives on multiple drives.

Of course the important part is that the saved program isn't on the DVR and doesn't vanish when the DVR fails (unless your DVR takes the archive drive with it).

how would the dvr take the external drive with it?

 

[harsh]

how would the dvr take the external drive with it?

Electrostatic discharge (i.e. lightning strike) via an insufficiently isolated USB connection.

There's also a possibility (however remote) that some manner of memory corruption in the DVR could cause it to soil its knickers.

 

[harsh]

also is there any kind of delay while watching a program from an external drive?

With a large number of programs on the drive, it can take a while to produce a listing of the available programs but viewing of an individual program happens right away.

You needn't worry about filling the drive to the tippy top as it doesn't impact DVR performance (outside of the aforementioned time it takes to assemble the listing).

 

[newsposter]

With a large number of programs on the drive, it can take a while to produce a listing of the available programs but viewing of an individual program happens right away.

You needn't worry about filling the drive to the tippy top as it doesn't impact DVR performance (outside of the aforementioned time it takes to assemble the listing).

interesting...and how long does it take to move a 1 hour HD program from internal to external?

i assume it's the same speed going back to internal?

 

[newsposter]

Electrostatic discharge (i.e. lightning strike) via an insufficiently isolated USB connection.

There's also a possibility (however remote) that some manner of memory corruption in the DVR could cause it to soil its knickers.

does a totally dead machine usually mean it's the power supply? i know there were replacements for my old HR10 250 machine so you could buy it and keep it running.

and i know she cant fix her own dish receiver, was just curious. i know even when i had a bad drive on the DTV receiver, you would at least get an endless loop or a GSOD which leads me to think the power supply was bad in the 722

 

[P Smith]

i understand it all but this 'second set' comment. so if i copied external A to external B then external drive A crashes, can i just plug in external B and all the shows are there to be watched? (thus making the backup plan a success)

also is there any kind of delay while watching a program from an external drive?

First thing is of making backup is formatting EHD by the DVR; it will create sort of bond to your account. Then you could use different ways. Sector-to-sector copy to same model/size drive would eliminate the formatting.