C-200 Disk Options & Data Loading

[TitanFan]

I just ordered a C-200, now it’s time to plan the install. First choice is storage. I like the idea of using a big internal 3.5 inch disk and just putting everything on it with the default C-200 install. So, that means using EXT3. Ideally, a 3 TB disk would be the choice, but I see an issue in the compatibility list (Western Digital Caviar Green WD30EZRS 3 TB):

“Can be used and will install the NMT Apps, however only 2.19Tb available. If using as a NTFS data drive then provided formatted using W7/Vista all 3Tb are available. Koeletom”

So, this sounds like a 3TB disk should only be used with NTFS. So, would a better option be to use a USB flash drive for NMT Applications and use NTFS on a 3 TB disk? Maybe I should stick with a 2 TB disk since it works without issue. What would you recommend I do as the best storage implementation on a new C-200?

The next step is to load data to the C-200. I have about 500 GB of movies to load from my external USB disk drive (NTFS). Since these movies are already on and external USB disk drive, would the best option be to just plug that disk drive into the C-200 USB port and copy all the files? How long will that take? I expect I could add new data to the C-200 over the network, but again not sure if that’s the best option as it might take a long time to copy several GB of data.

What recommendations do you have for the best method to initially load the C-200 and to add new movie data after the initial load?

[kingsolo]

I can't speak to the 3TB issue, but I can speak to some of the other stuff. I started with a 2TB full of TV & Movies. I plugged the USB into a desktop & used an external enclosure to connect the new drive to the desktop & copied that way. Average copy times applied. Adding data over the network is slower, so I went USB through a desktop. A word of caution, if you are using passport style ddrives (Solely USB powered drives) the PCH manual says it's nto rated to do that, so use that method sparingly. Anytime I connect an external drive to my PCH it's through a powered USB hub similar to this:

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.as...6817803033

If you have an old laptop hard drive or a USB pen drive you can do without, I recommend using that for the NMT apps. Look up USB NMT Apps for size recommendations. I used an old 250GB laptop hard drive for mine. I stated that I started with the 2TB internal hard drive for my data. I changed this after about 10 months to a home server with more storage that serves media to all computers & my PCH in my home. This means my PCH doesn't have to stay on 24/7. With my internal, it was fromatted NTFS, and the laptop drive was ext3. This worked without any issues.

[pSyChO dAd]

Hi,

My recommendation is to stick with a 2TB disk. This way the PCH is installed the way it is ment to be, so less chance on problems.

With regards to copying the data, i would just plug the external usb disk into the PCH and let it run overnight. It's a one time thing so why go throught all the trouble with a different solution. The only way to do it faster is to open up the PCH and attach both disk and copy the data that way. But since you're going to use a 3,5inch harddisk for storage, which can fit neatly in the removable bay, you don't need to open up your PCH... (Unless you're going for the USB stick option for the apps)

With regards to new data, copying over the network is probably easiest. Just keep in mind that although the PCH has a 1Gb port, the processor is not powerfull enough to actually get 1Gb transfers.

I hope this helps a bit.

[chris57]

Personally I would go with the 3TB HDD formatted on a Windows 7 or Vista PC to NTFS and a 4 or 8Gb micro USB stick for the NMT Apps.

You can then either add a BD ROM or a further 3.5" HDD:-
http://www.networkedmediatank.com/wiki/i...PSU_Repair

[pSyChO dAd]

(07-19-2011 10:50 AM)chris57 Wrote:  Personally I would go with the 3TB HDD formatted on a Windows 7 or Vista PC to NTFS and a 4 or 8Gb micro USB stick for the NMT Apps.

You can then either add a BD ROM or a further 3.5" HDD:-
http://www.networkedmediatank.com/wiki/i...PSU_Repair

The mod you're suggesting is nice if you don't mind opening up the PCH. But as his post said he wants to use the bay for the 3TB disk. Which means he can't use the bay for a BD Rom or another disk...
I myself wasn't really fond of taking the PCH appart (Although it is alowed by Syabas) to change stuff inside when i just took it out of the box.

[BanditRider]

New C-200s ship with the HBR-200 which allows mounting a slim DVD/BluRay player and still has a bay for the 3.5" drive.

[TitanFan]

Excellent info - thanks! To summarize:

1. Use 2TB 3.5” disk for easy install. Popcorn Hour does everything for you. Or, use 3TB disk formatted to NTFS and 8GB micro USB stick for NMT Apps. The old laptop disk was a good idea for NMT Apps, but I don’t have one of those. Questions:
a. Can the USB stick just plug into a USB port on the back of the Popcorn Hour, or does it need to be installed inside the case?
b. Do torrents download to the NMT Apps partition or can they be set to download to the large data partition? Wondering if 8GB is enough for NMT Apps if torrents try to download there. I assume I can set the size of the Apps partition during setup if I’m using part of my large data disk for NMT Apps.

2. Sounds like connecting a USB disk drive to the Popcorn Hour and copying data to the internal disk should work fine (using FILE MODE), but it might take a day or so for 500 GB to copy. Since it’s a one-time copy that should be fine. Then, adding new data can be done through the network, or if that’s too slow, go back to using the external USB disk copy method.

I’ll think about it a bit more, but I’m leaning toward using a 2TB disk and use the default Popcorn Hour install. Newegg has a Western Digital 2TB Green drive on sale right now for $70, so that’s pretty good.