external hdd media player not recognising files.

[acemuzz1]

i was wondering if anybody has tried to set up a hdd media player. i recently brought an external ide divx media player. i have put my samsung 400gb ide hdd into it. the unit is supposedly able to be pluged into the tv through av and i can then access my files (movies) and watch them on the tv.
i have been unable to access my files through the unit though. i have plugged it in as per instructions and the main menu comes up however there are none of my files anywhere to be seen.
the unit has no brand name and appears similar to hundreds on sale all over the web.eg.

http://cgi.ebay.com.au/3-5-HDD-Medi...30860QQssPageNameZWDVWQQrdZ1QQcmdZViewItemhas

anyone dealt with one of these gadgets or know where i might find some help.
i dont know if i am meant to have the files in a certain format or if the hdd is meant to be set to dynamic or basic or whats going on.
any help appreciated cheers.

 

[Nelviticus]

These devices normally run a version of Linux and have to format their own hard drives using FAT32 (an older Windows format) or EXT2 (a Linux format). You can't just put in a drive from a Windows system as it'll probably be formatted with NTFS. On top of that, the device almost certainly has to have the files laid out in a certain structure with the right folder names and so forth.

What you normally do is set them up with a new hard drive (or an old one you're happy to wipe), install some software on your PC (did the device come with a CD?), hook the device up to the PC then use the provided software to format the hard drive and transfer your media across.

Regards

Nelviticus

 

[acemuzz1]

the device only came with a cd to enable usb recognition on a win 98 system. the hdd is configured to ntfs at the moment but the specs for the device state that it should be able to accept either fat32 or ntfs.
when i plug the device in the the computer it simply works as an external hdd, there is no access to the media player section of the case. i was hoping to be able to right click on the hdd in my comp and open the media player part of the unit but all i can do is access my files which were on the hdd before hand, such as movies and songs.
would it be better if i deleted all the data off the hdd and then tried to configure it.
do you know where i could get the software to help me out.
sorry that i am asking so many questions but i figure it is better to spell out what i don't know.
cheers.

 

[Nelviticus]

Hmm, well I've never seen a device like that so I can't really comment. eBay is blocked here at work so I can't look at your link - I'll forward it to home and have a look at the weekend.

Nelviticus

 

[acemuzz1]

great thanks for the help.

 

[Nelviticus]

Sorry for the delay in replying, I forgot to look at the link. It hasn't really helped me though, there's no indication of who makes the device or of how it works.

If I were you I'd email the seller for advice if the manual doesn't help.

Regards

Nelviticus

 

[acemuzz1]

i got it working. all i had to do was format the hdd and put all the movies back on. it recognises them now. thanks for your help.