Replacement SSDs

[MD]

Hi everyone,

Replacement SSDs have been ordered and paid for. Shipping by air is about 2 weeks once our funds are cleared by the manufacturer in three days. I'd doubt our customs would add much more time on.  I'm still hoping we can start delivering to those who wish to install themselves, or those who wish to return them to us for cloning and install, in three weeks.

We'll set up a system to let you choose which option.

[IanL-S]

Thanks for the update MD. I am sure those long-suffering IceBox owners who have had their IceBox experience substantially degraded by this problem will be thankful about this.

Ian

PS I have been lucky with my IceBox; did not have severe problems like some other users. I was also fortunate that I had other PVRs to fall back on.

[kazz]

Thanks MD, looking forward to being able to replace these troublesome HDDs and being able to stop annoying you guys.  :D

[NBOSTI]

I have been following this for some time, have been putting off purchasing an Icebox until most bugs ironed out and the SSD issue was a major concern for me. It seemed to create various problems randomly for some and not others.
So I am pleased to hear that it has been addressed. I will hold off on a purchase until current users report on the performance of the new SSD install, or any issues not remedied by that (or caused?).
I noticed that in the store, the Icebox has sold out, "next shipment due end of September".
Will the new shipment boxes have the new SSD installed? And be running all updates?

[MD]

Yes the next delivery will have the new SSDs and any updates not installed prior to delivery would be updated on the first setup (seriously, would we impose the nightmare of the last few months on new customers or our own support desk!?).

[Hati]

Well, I can't say that I am not looking forward to the new SSDs. Last night the box locked up, we didn't even realised as the family was watching streaming services. So got the call from the better half this morning that the box is toast and any attempt to restart resulted in the BIOS loop.

Just now reinstalled v.11 so we are back to normal, minus the recordings. Painful, but at least there is light at the end of the dark tunnel.

[TimC]

I am unsure of the right way to go about this, but in the thread, Soft and Hard Resets, there has been a discussion about the changeover to the New SSDs as it is more relevant here. I am thinking of the less knowledgeable IceBox owners looking to avoid losing access to their Icebox and do the changeover themselves.  There are unlikely to think to look in "Soft and Hard Resets" to find out what is needed.

A lot of the discussion was quite technical in nature (totally over my head) so I will only add the key messages in this thread.

This quote is the key starting point.

I've talked this through with Daniel as, in a previous post, we have offered a cloning option if the IceBox is sent back to us which means nothing will be lost in the clone from the old faulty drive to the new one.  However that does mean a probable one week turn around time with the frustrating loss of ongoing IceBox recording in that time.

We may have a cloning solution that users can do in their own home using the IceBox as the PC and all it will need is the purchase of a USB to SATA cable so the new drive can be connected to an IceBox USB port and a USB stick loaded with the Ubuntu OS used to reboot the IceBox.  Then Ubuntu's own cloning software can be used to clone from the IceBox internal SSD to the new one, connected via the cable.  Daniel just needs to do a little research and a test and, if OK, we'll post the procedure in detail. The cloning would take some hours so needs to be done outside "recording time".

[TimC]

This is worth being aware of.

There will no software changes required for the new SSD's, the problem was in the hardware, so we just need to get the new hardware in the machine (with as little disruption as possible).

[MD]

Point taken.

We will email every IceBox owner in the next week or so with an explanation, as many don't use this forum, and with detailed instructions.

[TimC]

We will email every IceBox owner in the next week or so with an explanation, as many don't use this forum, and with detailed instructions.

MD,

I can't imagine that IceTV will be stumping up for USB to SATA adapters to do the cloning with at home.
I suspect that most will either just swap over the SSDs or send their IceBoxes back to IceTV for cloning.

I think it is quite fair that if the owners want to do the cloning themselves, they should purchase their own USB A to SATA Adaptor.

I am trying to source a suitable USB A to SATA adapter to do the cloning with at home.

In response to me sourcing an incorrect Umart adaptor, this message provided some additional information.

Well spotted MD. I have two USB 3 (A) USB SATA adapters. One (a UGREEN) supports external power connector (useful for 3.5" SATA drives that can be problematic when relying on USB port for power) - works well with 2.5" SSDs and HDDs as they need less power.

OK with that in mind:

For a cheap unpowered adaptor I found this at UMART: Rotanium USB3.0 to SATA Converter Adapter

An Amazon alternative is: SZJUNXIAO SATA to USB 3.0 Adapter Cable Support SATA III UASP, USB to SATA 22 Pin Converter for 2.5" Hard Disk Drives HDD

Based on the above, a powered adaptor may be a wiser option.
I found this on Umart: Unitek USB3.0 to IDE+SATA Converter Adapter with Power Adaptor

Here is an Amazon equivalent: Alxum IDE SATA to USB Adapter, Hard Drive Connector for Universal 2.5 & 3.5 IDE SATA HDD SSD, 5.25 DVD Optical Drive, Support 3 Drives Connection with 12V Power Adapter, 4Pin Cable and USB A Cable.

There are several more and prices vary considerably ($9.00 to $40.99). I imagine you get what you pay for.
I am not recommending any of the above. I simply do not have the expertise to provide guidance on the adaptors.

I am confident that I can follow a bouncing ball to do the cloning at home, which is my intent. I am just looking to have what is needed on hand when the new SSD arrives.

Perhaps IceTV have a preferred adaptor type (will the email cover that?), so hopefully someone with more knowledge can clarify an ideal alternative.

[kazz]

Are there any updates on the replacement SSD's?

[MD]

Should have been shipped from China today after QC testing.

[IanL-S]

The sooner the better my IceBox is becoming extremely unreliable.

I am fortunate as I have a BYOB IceBox that does not have this problem, together with a few Beyonwiz and Toppys.

[TimC]

An Amazon alternative is: SZJUNXIAO SATA to USB 3.0 Adapter Cable Support SATA III UASP, USB to SATA 22 Pin Converter for 2.5" Hard Disk Drives HDD

Based on the above, a powered adaptor may be a wiser option.
I found this on Umart: Unitek USB3.0 to IDE+SATA Converter Adapter with Power Adaptor

Here is an Amazon equivalent: Alxum IDE SATA to USB Adapter, Hard Drive Connector for Universal 2.5 & 3.5 IDE SATA HDD SSD, 5.25 DVD Optical Drive, Support 3 Drives Connection with 12V Power Adapter, 4Pin Cable and USB A Cable.

OK I have received the replacement SSD email, so can I ask someone to advise of a suitable SATA to USB adaptor?

I found a few above that are probably OK, but I have no idea if they are suitable or not. I little guidance will be helpful to me and others that want to clone their existing setup.

[IanL-S]

I have a UGREEN model 20953 (unpowered) USB 3 to SATA which works well. I have another USB 3 to SATA (unbranded) which also works without problems. I also have several powered USB 3 docking stations (much more expensive) - will update this post when I get a chance to dig out the information on them.

Ian