Maintenance Mode Disk Check

It is likely that your Humax HDR-Fox T2 will develop some problems with its internal hard disk at some point during its life. These can manifest themselves in a number of ways including:

• Clicks or beeps coming from the unit during operation;
• Regular picture break-up or freezing when watching a recording;
• Inability to pause or rewind live TV;
• All recordings suddenly disappear;
• Recordings start slowly disappearing over time;
• The word *Deleting appears at the top right of the screen and will not go away.

The customised firmware provides a maintenance mode utility to run a full disk check and automatically correct a wide range of disk faults.

Custom Firmware Version

In order to ensure that you have the latest version of the disk repair utility, you should ensure that your Humax is running Custom Firmware v3.10 or above prior to proceeding. If not, then download and upgrade it following the standard firmware installation process.

Entering Maintenance Mode

In order to switch to Maintenance Mode, you must establish a command line connection to the Humax from another device on the same network using a tool called a telnet client. The Telnet page provides instructions on how to do this for a number of common operating systems.

Note: If your Humax is usually connected to the network via Wi-fi then there is a small possibility that this will not work in maintenance mode. If this happens you should investigate temporarily connecting the Humax to the network using an Ethernet cable.

When you successfully connect to the Humax via telnet you will be prompted for the system PIN. Unless you have changed this in the standard Humax setup menus on your TV, this will be 0000 (four zeros):

Menu version 1.xx
Enter system PIN: ****

Once you have entered the correct PIN, The following menu will be displayed.

Menu version 1.20
Enter system PIN: ****

      /-------------------------\
      |  T E L N E T   M E N U  |
      \-------------------------/

  [ Humax HDR-Fox T2 (humax) 1.03.12/3.10 ]

   maint - Restart into maintenance mode.
    safe - Enable safe mode on next boot.
     rma - Enable return-to-manufacturer (RMA) mode.
   reset - Reset custom firmware environment.
 upgrade - Upgrade all installed packages.
  passwd - Remove web interface password.
  fixweb - Re-install web interface.
    stat - Show current activity.
       x - Exit and close connection.
  reboot - Reboot the Humax.
    diag - Run a diagnostic.
     cli - System command line (advanced users).

Please select option:

Note: If, instead of a menu, you just see the name that you have given your Humax followed by a # character, then your box is configured to use expert telnet mode. To view the menu type the word menu and press return.

Choose the first option from the menu (maint) and you will be asked to confirm entry into maintenance mode. Once confirmed, the telnet connection will be closed and the Humax will restart into maintenance mode. After a short while, the word MAINTENANCE should be displayed on the front panel, confirming that maintenance mode has been successfully entered.

Note: When in maintenance mode, any picture on the TV screen will appear frozen but sound will continue. The system fan will also be running at a fixed, fairly high, speed.

Running the hard disk check and repair utility

Now that the Humax is in maintenance mode, connect via telnet again and enter the system PIN as before. A different menu will be displayed. As before, if no menu is displayed then type the word menu followed by pressing return on your keyboard.

Menu version 1.20
Enter system PIN: ****

      /---------------------------------------------\
      |  M A I N T E N A N C E   M O D E   M E N U  |
      \---------------------------------------------/

  [ Humax HDR-Fox T2 (humax) 1.03.12/3.10 ]

 fixdisk - Check and repair hard disk.
   short - Run short hard-disk self test.
    long - Run long hard-disk self test.
   check - Check self-test progress.
    gptf - Re-format disk using GPT scheme.
     epg - Clear persistent EPG data.
    dlna - Reset DLNA server database.
       x - Leave maintenance mode (Humax will restart).
    diag - Run a diagnostic.
     cli - System command line (advanced users).

Please select option:

Choose the first option from the menu to initiate the disk check and repair process. You will be prompted for any additional options but should just press return unless you have been directed to include anything here.

Please select option: fixdisk
Any additional options (or press return for none):
Checking partition /dev/sda3...
Checking partition /dev/sda1...
Creating swap file...
Checking partition /dev/sda2...
Are you having problems with a delete loop [Y/N]?

Note that this process can take a long time - up to several hours - depending on how many problems are found. The progress bar that is displayed over telnet may also appear to freeze for long periods. Don't worry, this is normal.

For the Are you having problems with a delete loop? question, answer Yes if the Humax is constantly displaying the word 'Deleting', otherwise answer No.

Once the disk check and repair has completed, you will be returned to the Maintenance Mode Menu. Choose option x to restart and return to normal mode.

Note: If you encounter any problems or the automatic check and repair process does not work, further interventions are available via the command line or as options added to the menu option. However, these should be applied with caution and are only considered suitable for users with technical knowledge of the file system. If these are needed, post a query on the forum and specific advice will be given to suit the circumstances.