Forum archive - Upgrade Liteon lvw-5045 to 400G successfully

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Upgrade Liteon lvw-5045 to 400G successfully

totoro168 posted 2006 Jul 02 15:45

Hi all, I have upgraded my Liteon lvw-5045 to 400G successfully. Here is the instruction that I have posted on other forum: Part I: Explanation on how it works: http://www.techolio.com/forums/phpBB2/viewtopic.php?t=2284 Part II: Step-by-Step instruction: http://www.techolio.com/forums/phpBB2/viewtopic.php?t=2285 The ILODVDHR04 is identical to lvw-5045. Therefore, the intruction will apply to it as well. However, as long as the hd is FAT32 partition, I believe this method will work for other brand's hd based DVD recorder as well. If anybody is interesting to try it on other devices, I am very interest to know the result.. Have fun...*^_^*

totoro168 posted 2006 Jul 10 16:25

Hi All, Test Result: After recorded the last two World Cup Soccer match in HQ mode last weekend, my 400G is down to less than 2 hours in HQ(~8G left). Since I 'expand' the hd two weeks ago, more than 200Gbs of video which have been recorded to hd on top of original 160Gbs data. All newly recorded video are playback without any problem(pretty much I have playback from begin to end, u know, I was catching up all the soccer games.. ) as well as those recorded previously. Also, other functions such as cut/merge, copy DVD to hd and burn from hd to DVD are working fine. One last thing that I have realized the improvement is the recorder can start to record within a minute after power up right now instead of 3 minutes before... Anyway, Have anyone give it a try yet? Any feedback or questions are welcome.. Have Fun...*^_^*

totoro168 posted 2006 Jul 19 14:46

Hi All, It seems so far no feedback from other readers from this forum about this method..:( Anyway, I have fine tune my RCA Lyra 2780 video jukebox with 100G using this method to convert from 32k cluster to 64k cluster to reduce the size of the FAT. The result is my RD2780 is funtioning normally after the upgrade without any hangs up like it did in the past. It confirmed that this method is also can apply to other hd base devices such as Jukebox, MP3 player...etc as well. Here is the detail step-by-step instruction of how to do that: http://www.techolio.com/forums/phpBB2/viewtopic.php?t=2310 I don't have any more hd base devices that I can try this method anymore. Hope others can try it on other devices and let us know the result.. Have Fun...*^_^*

RabidDog posted 2006 Jul 23 02:52

Keep up the good work! been wondering about this myself .. I'm normally too frightened to upgrade products until near the end of their life

totoro168 posted 2006 Jul 26 02:28

Hi [RabidDog], Thank you for your reply. If my lvw-5045 was working fine, I would not touch it.. The main reason I need to spend to time on it because I have corrupted the last espisode of my wife's most favorite TV series, CSI Las Vegas, couple weeks ago. It was a major nightmare..Hope others won't experience the same problem like I have been through.. While I was fixing my lvw-5045, I realized this method may work for other hd base devices. That's the reason I try it on my Lyra RD2780 and it works also. Hope this method will benefit to others who have other brand of DVD recorder or any hd based video/mp3 player. Have fun.. *^_^*

totoro168 posted 2006 Aug 02 15:17

Hi All, Some members from other forum have pointed out the instruction seems long and sounds scary. For that reason, I have posted a reply in Part II to download an utility to format a hd using 64k cluster at http://www.techolio.com/forums/phpB...opic.php?t=2285 The utility names 'mkdosfs' and here is url you can download from: http://www.freebyte.com/filediskutils/#diskmanagement The command is: mkdosfs -F 32 -s 128 -S512 -v E: (where E: is the hd you are going to format) There is another program names FAT32Format.exe that you can download from that web site to do that also. Give it a try.. Have Fun.. *^_^*

DVWannaB posted 2006 Aug 05 11:59

thanks tortoro my toshiba rd-xs-52 has a HDD going south on me, so this may be the trick I have been looking for to change to a new HDD. I will defnitely check this out. Good work, fella.

RabidDog posted 2006 Aug 06 02:02

mmm..yes... corrupting the wife is a good thing...

JamesNG posted 2007 Jul 05 14:37

Totoro - Thanks for your help. :D I've been trying to upgrade my HD04 to a 400GB and have been having problems. You say the command for mkdosfs -F 32 -s 128 -S512 -v E: (where E: is the hd you are going to format). Why is it "-s 128" instead of "-s 64"? That may be where my problem lies (I used 64 instead of 128). Everything seemed to work fine with me, although I did pull the power to see if that would cause a reformat (it didn't). But I now cannot read (play) anything past 30 minutes in any of the recordings. I'm not sure if that's a problem from pulling the power - or whether it was a problem before that (since I didn't try to play anything past the 30 minute mark before pulling the power).

CrazyCanuck posted 2007 Jul 05 15:22

Hi JamesNG, for sure Totoro168 would be able to give you the technical side of the "128" issue but I wanted to share my experience in supersizing my hd04s (4 of them, 2 are stored). I've read the issue with FAT32 format at 32k cluster size and when the unit goes through a HDD scan as you (and I) did, the files will corrupt at the 1GB mark meaning if recorded at HQ, corrupts at around 15 min., at SP corrupts at around 30 mins etc... I remember having that problem initially prior to a few firmware releases so I think it was later fixed in a firmware release but the full erase command only does 80GB. In reading your post you mentioned that instead of telling the program at 128 (64 x 2) you requested to do it at 64 (32 x 2). By doing so you formated your hdd with clusters at 32k size, that's why your recordings corrupted. I personnaly used the FAT32FORMAT program which does the same as the mkdosfs program and the H2Format for that matter (program to format HDDs in FAT32 larger than 32GB). I tried to use the H2format with the 128 command and did not succeed, got a message (in german) that from what I could tell a copyright issue with trying to format bigger sized clusters, that's why I used FAT32Format program and tried without the 128 command first and in the result field it showed that I got 32k cluster size and tested it out. My test recordings corrupted, tried with the 128 command and it showed clusters sized at 64K, tested it and no problem whatsover, all my HD04s work and no more corrupt files after scanning. So try it again but go with the 128 command, it should do the trick. I would also thank Totoro168 for all of his research and solutions. CC

JamesNG posted 2007 Jul 06 06:57

Thanks CrazyCanuck for the information you shared. Two questions if I may: (1) I have the fat32format.exe program. Can you give me the exact command line switches you used? (2) Have you actually pulled the power while the HD04 was on, restarted (and had it run through its "check disk thingy" - and then verified everything was still ok (and that you still had the benefit of the large hard drive space)? Thanks. (By the way, I did pull the drive last night, reformat with mkdosfs (using the -s 128 switch) and everything is working for now - but I've not tried the ultimate test of pulling power to the unit.

CrazyCanuck posted 2007 Jul 06 11:39

The command for fat32format is : fat32format -c128 f: replace f: with your driver letter. Yes, everytime I formatted a HDD I would run through the test (2-250GB, 1-200GB, 1-160GB) no corruption and had all the space available no issue, actually had a power failure the other day, no issue. I've actually tried it without the -c128 and it formatted but at 32k clusters and it failed through the testing, did it just for peace of mind. Now that you have reformatted try a test; recording at least 20 minutes in HQ, go through the scan and if not properly formatted the file will crap out at 15 min. 23 sec. approx, if properly formatted it will play to the end. A little tidbit, I've got 2 250GB, one's a Seagate the other a Western Digital, the only difference is a louder click on the Western Digital when powering off.

bithead9 posted 2009 Mar 17 10:58

You can now get the modded firmware to expand the HDD to GT 440GB. see here: http://ccgi.mgillespie.plus.com/liteon/smf/index.php?topic=4795.60

LCSHG posted 2009 Mar 18 15:53

bithead9 -wrote [quote]You can now get the modded firmware to expand the HDD to GT 440GB. see here: http://ccgi.mgillespie.plus.com/liteon/smf/index.php?topic=4795.60 [/quote] That site will not let me view that post or thread Is this because I'm not a member OR the item no longer exists

CrazyCanuck posted 2009 Mar 18 16:22

Hi LCSHG, been a while. Yes, you must register in order to view that forum. I've was looking at this issue about a year ago and it seems that the designer of the program (mikeb) has been successful in flashing the firmware to various Liteon HDD recorders to accept bigger HDDs without loosing its full capacity when erasing the HDD. At the time I was checking it out, most of his successes were on UK and other region other than US models. I just verified and apparently he has produce a program for the 5045 US model increasing its capacity from 160GB to 446GB max. on the 204 firmware. Tried to dowload the file but for some reason, I can't access the server right now, will try on another PC. Not sure how that works (204) with Mr. Wizard's tool. He is also testing to increase the capacity of the 760 US model (028 firmware) from 250GB to 1,090GB which I'm interested in!!! Got it to download, if you register, go to page 2, reply #23 by mikeb and hit his "my DL page" on the post, that'll take you to his page where you can pick and choose from his array of ready firmwares.

bithead9 posted 2009 Mar 18 18:45

And I have a newer patch that will set the max even higher. Let me know if you want that for the USA 5045.

bithead9 posted 2009 Mar 18 18:50

The new patch set the sectors to: 1065GB 31744 sectors 1,065,151,889,408 bytes (about a Terabyte). Same as the hacked A760GX :D

LCSHG posted 2009 Mar 19 12:45

Hi CC Yes it’s been awhile I don’t have a problem with the 80 or 160 drives or with the use of larger one if wanted The earlier reference to a RHD04 was what interested me. You never know when some info might lead to the D04 being made to a 5045 All-Rite with or without a drive size increase. I do not mean to doubt, but I a am somewhat concerned about changing firmware ! have one 5045 that has such a problem and will try to correct it when I get the chance EDIT I do wish the ilo had all-rite as the 5045 and both had a 21/2 hr recording mode

bithead9 posted 2009 Mar 19 18:04

If you have the firmware for your unit we can probably patch yours for bigger HDD too! Just email me the file. bithead9 at yahoo dot com

bithead9 posted 2009 Mar 19 18:07

FYI - my 5045 now has 275hrs in SP mode after the patch and HDD of 640GB! 139Hrs in HQ mode! 816 hours in SLP! nice huh?

bithead9 posted 2009 Mar 19 18:51

BTW - I downloaded the RHD04 called WMJA1201.DA0 and was able to work a hack for HDD = 1005GB 29971 sectors 1,005,659,881,472 bytes! If you want to test let me know. This HDD project that MikeB started is fun. He did great work on finding this one!

CrazyCanuck posted 2009 Mar 20 08:50

Hi bithead9, I wouldn't mind testing the HD04 HDD hack. Let me know how to get my hands on the hacked firmware file. Thanks

CrazyCanuck posted 2009 Mar 20 09:34

LCSHG, here also would like the HD04 transformed to get just-fit recording capability on its HDD. It's a bit of PITA to timer-schedule recordings on the dvd+rws to get just-fit files with the HD04 but it's the workaround. With my 740/760s DL recorders, when I'm copying video from the inputs, I have to babysit the timer recording on the HDD and start the video I want to record in just-fit. The 740/760 does not let you do just-fit to the full capacity of a DL disc so sometimes I'll take the time to record on the HDD, the front end and back end of a movie at a just-fit setting and then find a common split point (scene switch with no audio) on the two recordings and split/merge the files so I can fit a file onto DLs, again, a bit of a PITA but it works. All-write would also be nice. For now, with the R04 and the R04-to-5005X crossflash file, does the trick for me. I really only need the audio CD-writing capability. I will eventually set up one of my R04s permanently in my audio system as a CD recorder to transfer my odd vinyl LPs to CD.

bithead9 posted 2009 Mar 20 18:04

You can get DVDRHD04 WMJA1201.DA0 here: groups.google.com/group/techassist/files Good luck and let me know if all goes well. I will notify MikeB and maybe he can host it on his outstanding Liteon HDD webpage. :) Regards, Joe

bithead9 posted 2009 Mar 20 18:06

I will try to compare other 5045 fiw values, I have no clue which ones govern the "just fit" option. Will let you know if I find anything worth a test ...

LCSHG posted 2009 Mar 20 18:21

bithead9 I do not require a larger HDD and can do without just fit—but. A 21/2 hr mode would be of great value for the ilo RH D04 and Liteon 5045 A firmware for the ilo RHD04 to have the features of the 5045 has been sought for a long time Supplying firmware files is not a problem It just occurred to me that if you modified the files and were accepted for a larger HDD. You might also be able do the above. PS Most users of the liteon Have not gone beyond Firmware 098 for the 5005 (series) 197 for the 5045

bithead9 posted 2009 Mar 20 18:32

Please elaborate, what is 21/2 hour mode???? Send me pics or tell me where the pics are of your unit. If the mainboard is same layout as the 5045 and the tuner is the same, etc. there is a very good chance to hack the 5045 features into your Ilo. Its not any easy task as the checksum algorithms are strange. This HDD hack was lucky since the values hacked are close together and do not cause any major changes to adjacent fields. I have been running with the HDD hack on my 5045 for a few weeks now and others have tested the UK version very well. So its known to work... Of course not a singe soul has tested the ILO! But the firmware area looks VERY much like the 5045 including many of the DVD mech fw and symbols etc.

bithead9 posted 2009 Mar 20 18:37

BTW - regarding the HDD and other related hacks. You can use a Rosewill IDE-SATA adapter on any HUGE SATA drive (I used a Seagate 640GB) and the Liteon will have no problems! So you can extend the life of the unit by being able to put modern SATA technology (and perpindicular drives) into the old IDE interface! Sweet! I have no however figured out how to get a SATA DVD drive to work :( Who knows maybe I will get that working too some day! Gotta find a compat. adapter of maybe a non-Liteon SATA DVD drive. Who knows. I love playig with this stuff and seeing how far we can strech the limits of the original units. Fun stuff.

bithead9 posted 2009 Mar 20 23:48

OK - I think I understand you mean 2 and (one half) 1/2 hour recording mode! right ?

CrazyCanuck posted 2009 Mar 21 09:26

Hi again bithead9, can't seem to be able to bring up the file with the link (which is not operational), went to Google groups and tried a few searches and got nothing (techassist). Would you mind trying to post the link again, thanks. And BTW thanks for the sata adapter tip. Yes, the 2 1/2 hour mode is 2 hours 30 minutes, When I do "just-fit" projects at the 2.5 setting, the system recognizes the recording mode as "SPx". Cheers

bithead9 posted 2009 Mar 21 10:21

The link is def. active: http://groups.google.com/group/techassist/files?pli=1 Try again. should bring up a list of files and you pick one called: WMJA1201.DA0

CrazyCanuck posted 2009 Mar 21 11:33

Thanks , that link worked, I've downloaded the file. I just wanted to know and trying to save myself a step, I allready have a 250GB installed in the ILO at 64K cluster size with Liteonfat, I guess I can go right ahead and flash this version, does this assumption appear to be reasonable? seems to be. Also about the sata/ide adapter, for a larger sata HDD, can I use a USB Sata-to-Ide adapter and just cut off the USB cable and use with a power adapter and sata data cable to power and connect, or is it a Sata/IDE converter board that needs to be fitted? Let the fun begin :D !!!

bithead9 posted 2009 Mar 21 12:56

I never used a USB adapter. I recommend you get one like this: http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16812206001 It is designed to convert an SATA drive to IDE controller ribbon cable. It is powered via the existing 4 pin style power connector. As for the 250GB drive if you formatted exactly as a Liteon it will be OK. If you decide to do a FORMAT (aka an ERASE in the Liteon) then after you apply the firmware update the liteon will format ANY drive size up to the 1TB limit (1005GB). So you should notice NO difference in the firmware behavior unless you are replacing the HDD with another. Make sense? Now if you hack up a USB adapter for the HDD I'd love to see how that works!

bithead9 posted 2009 Mar 21 13:15

Here is my 5045 with sata adapter in place. liteon5045sata.gif I used an old power supply and cut off the floppy power adapter and hooked to a standard IDE power female recepticle. I soldered it but you could get away with twisting them together and taping with electrical tape. I just enjoy soldering! LOL

CrazyCanuck posted 2009 Mar 21 13:21

WOW, that was painless, works like a charm. My ILO's 250 GB HDD was already formatted at 64K cluster size and had the full capacity (55 hrs at HQ) and smart hacker already applied to the system but could never erase it as it brought it right back down to 80GB. I also had a few recordings over 1 GB in size residing on the HDD. I downloaded the file from your link, tried to pass it through the ilo smart hacker and the program didn't like the file, it only gave me the detail that it didn't find the macrovision string and no other detail, I've seen that program do that before when I inadvertanly tried to pass a zip folder through or a uncompatible file, so wasn't too worried as I presumed it was an image and not a file, anyways I burnt the download, finalized the disc and updated the ILO HD04 as usual. Powered back up, looked at my recordings, they were still there after the flash, tested them to see if they were playing pass the 1GB mark (15 minutes if the recording is at HQ, 30 minutes if on SP and so on) recordings were fine, this tells me that the file formats the HDD clusters at the 64K size and not the 32K. I forced a HDD scan (pulled the plug while playing a recording) to simulate a power outage and the HDD scanned and all the recordings were again fine after the 1GB mark. Checked my S/N on setup and nothing had changed, it still showed that it was region free and MV disabled (010), checked my record modes and LP was still there. Fed a dvd player and was able to record CP protected content, no problem. After I verified my recordings were intact and that I hadn't loss the Ilo hack, I erased the whole HDD, not a glitch, worked fine, got 110 hrs on SP (expected for a 250GB), and looked again at my setup and tested the tools again and no issue whatsover. From what I can tell, I can only assume that the file was already hacked or that it only addresses the formatting leaving everything else as it was. All I can say at this point is that I can confirm it works on my ILO. A million thanks bithead9 !!!.

CrazyCanuck posted 2009 Mar 21 13:34

Thanks for the pics, I too like to solder, here's what I did to my 80GB SD PVR (we can rent or own our PVRs here). Upgrade to a 160GB, and installed a sata port to connect HDDs from the exterior, and yes all twisted soldered and individually tapped, even the yellow sata cable you see!!! Another username, crazycanuck is not very original, it was already spoken for on that forum!!! http://picasaweb.google.com/Soldat723/MotorolaDCT3080PVRHDDProject

bithead9 posted 2009 Mar 21 13:44

That was a QUICK post certification of that patch! Nice. Yes I guess when I dowloaded the Ilo fw I must have picked the one that was alreay hack by Guitarman. Most people what the mv and region features anyway. Now when you run out of room or get greedy for more disk space you can drop a SATA and format with now problems. Now of course I never test with a drive greater than 640GB so who knows exacly how high it will work. I think that anything under a Terabyte is prob OK. MikeB cautioned that once you get over a certain size then counters and buckets for hours might be stored in too small a value and can get cosmetic display errors. But it should not break anything. If anyone tests with a 1TB or bigger, I'd like to hear those results. BTW - Are there other clones that need to be patched ? If so just drop me a line on where to get the fw and I will be happy to apply the same bandages to those.

bithead9 posted 2009 Mar 21 13:47

You are one Crazy Canuck! Those pics are great! Did you have to hack the firmware in the the DCT ? If so is it JTAG or BDM ? Interesting stuff. Looks like you can offload your recordings via the rear port to your PC ? that is very cool. And the end result looks nice. Not a total hack job on the case (like some I have seen). :)

bithead9 posted 2009 Mar 21 14:05

FYI - I updated the link to the Rosewill I originally linked to the opposite type. It is now correct.

CrazyCanuck posted 2009 Mar 21 14:28

I had the ILO packed away so was able to do it quick without having to copy recordings off of it On the PVR, the sata port is not for offloading but to connect another HDD if the internal gets too full. It's a little testy, I've crapped recordings because of cheap/bad sata data connectors. I stopped switching HDDs and found that 120 hrs of SD capacity is plenty for now for my watch-and-erase needs. I saw the pic with the converter board in the 5045, very nice. For me I think I'll stick to 500GB IDE as a max. and I'll be happy. I wouldn't mind patches for the 740gx US (LNPAU028) and the 760gx US (LNPBU028) if they're available. I'm aware that the 760GX is being tested, but I haven't seen anything for the 740gx. The firmwares (028) for both can be found here http://www.liteonit.com/global/index.php?option=com_wrapper&Itemid=75. The Ilo hacker doesn't do anything to these files other than dropping the region code be one, I can do that with the remote. Thanks again, and now gone to flash my other two HD04s !!!

CrazyCanuck posted 2009 Mar 21 14:33

Thanks for the updated link for the converter, now I can see the deed. Had some problems trying to figure out the reversed one. I might try to do it to one of my ILO's just for kicks.

CrazyCanuck posted 2009 Mar 21 15:29

Just uploaded the patch on my second ILO HD04 and took the time to do some more observations. It was already formatted at full capacity (250GB 110 hrs. at SP) so before applying the patch I erased the HDD and it reverted back to 80GB values (33 hrs at SP). I applied the patch, powered up and it still said 33 hrs. at SP. Erased the HDD, now with the patch applied, and the capacity was back up to its full capacity (110 at SP). That tells me that one can flash the HD04, take out the 80GB, take a brand new large HDD (jumper setting on MASTER) install it in the HD04 and do a full HDD erase of the large HDD and you're in business, at full capacity of the HDD, circumventing the whole PC process, as simple as that. For the PC-challenged users, this is a great tool.

bithead9 posted 2009 Mar 21 15:36

Yeah. That was the whole purpose of MikeB patching the fw originally. To make this a "no brainer" for the general user. Plus a power down scan will no longer corrupt a PC formatted HDD. When I saw all those Euro fw patched, I just HAD to reverse engineer it and patch my own. I've learned a good bit in the process too.

bithead9 posted 2009 Mar 21 16:09

OK the A740GX has been patched too. Same link file name is: LNPAU028.DA3 should handle drives up to 1Terabyte just like the others. :D Additionally the A760GX is done. File: LNPBU028.DA3 Have fun folks!

LCSHG posted 2009 Mar 21 16:38

bithead9 The 21/2 hr mode is for a Recording mode. The just fit option for DVD disks Not the HDD is somewhat of a problem but I feel resolution would be fine at 21/2. The ilo RDHD04 Main Board and Power Supply are exactly the same as the US liteon LVW 5045 The front has a different appearance. The Firmware restricts the ilo as to the full 5045 features. The remotes are the same only a different color and logo It is the this unit that was attempted to covert to a 5045 The ilo R04 Main Board and Power Supply are the Same as the liteon LVW5005 but they have a different front apperance. The remotes are different and so are the remote codes, Again it’s a firmware issue. The liteon 5005x is all-rite and is mainly a liteon LVW.5005. It has other featores not available to the ilo and cannot be hacked The 5005x] is a re-bagged ilo R04. And has the same remotes but again the firmware Restricts it It is this unit that could be transformed from an R04 to a liteon 5000x{and back} As a R04 it has all the virtues of the R04 and as a 5005x it has all the virtues of the 5005x PS The hack is for Analog MV but will give a 3 hr recording mode to units that do not already have it. and region set.

bithead9 posted 2009 Mar 21 16:46

Q1: OK so the 5045 has the JUST FIT option and the RDHD04 does not. Is that correct ? Q2: Is the 2 1/2 hour record DVD mode on the 5045 ? I never used many of the DVD features. (sorry for my lack of use knowledge) but I mostly use for HD record and buring video to DVD from HDD.

LCSHG posted 2009 Mar 21 17:00

Q1 --- No Both the 5045 and RHDO4 have just fit For th DVD ONLY Q2 --- No Neither Have it for DVD or HDD I also do not use the RHD04 or the 5045, often for DVD [disk] recording I really feel a 21/2 hour recording mode for the 5045 and RHDO4 would solve any resolution issue EDIT Your patch will make it far more easy for many that require a larger HDD Thanks for the Good Work

bithead9 posted 2009 Mar 21 23:21

OK the Phillips firmware has been updated as well. File PHJB2196.DA3 at the same link expands the HDD to a max of 1092GB (almost 1.1 Terabytes). Not sure if anyone here has the Philips but it was available so I patched it. Hopefully someone can test. :)

bithead9 posted 2009 Mar 22 17:01

Regarding the 2 1/2 hour mode vs 3hr mode. I am thinking that the incremental values are built into the Dimension chipset. Since the original hack for 3hr on the non-5045 units was simply a bitsetting. There do not appear to be any values that are adjustable (as the HDD sector size). However I am not giving up yet. I will continue to compare the fw files and see if I can detect anything useful. This is a spare time project so its not going to get too much attention. :wink:

lordsmurf posted 2009 Mar 22 23:15

The DiMeNsion chipset can pretty much do anything, just look at the 5-minute increments in older-model JVC FR modes.

bithead9 posted 2009 Mar 23 15:51

You have a fw for the JVC or is that online somewhere ? thx comparing that may be helpful 8)

bithead9 posted 2009 Mar 23 16:21

OK - PLEASE tell me what unit does the 2 1/2 ?? There have been so many posts now I am confused. Do you have a Liteon that does this ? If so what model and firmware ? BTW - that link is up. If you send me your email address I will invite you as a member and then you always have access. I think with public files there can be problems. But if you a member (like I am) never have an issue accessing.

bithead9 posted 2009 Mar 23 18:09

Is there a comprehensive list of DVD recorders that use the Dimension chipset ? If so can somone point me in that direction ? I'd like to get User manuals (in PDF format) and firmware for each unit. The more info we amass on the units that have same chipset as the Liteon and Ilo the better chance we have of a successful hack.

LCSHG posted 2009 Mar 23 21:41

bithead9 I downloaded WMJA1201.DAO from the site given. The save option said File WMJA1201 – [No Extension DAO was indicated] The file was burned to a blank CD disk and was the only file on it This file was WMJA1201 and had no extension DAO. The file size was 5,144 -which is correct. I do not feel the RHD04 would accept this as a proper firmware file without the DAO extension I did not attempt an install I did the burn 3 times with [Nero ] I have not had any such issue with any firmware as they have all had a proper. file ext EDIT As said Niether the liteom or the ilo have a 21/2 recirding mode

bithead9 posted 2009 Mar 24 11:16

You have to RIGHT click on the click on WMJA1201.DA0 and do a SAVE AS then you will see the DA0 suffix there. It is stored and you should save in the same way. If you just click on the file it opens a IE window and it looses the suffix. Maybe I need to change the links ? Sorry for the confusion. But I just followed the above instruction and it saved OK.

bithead9 posted 2009 Mar 24 11:22

OK - I reuploaded it as a RAR file that way the filename will be 100% preserved. DL WMJA1201.RAR and you will see. That should decompress fine. *** Update: OK I got rid of the one WMJA1201.DA0 and there are only WMJA1201.zip and WMJA1201.rar - give either of these a try.

bithead9 posted 2009 Mar 24 11:38

Regarding the recording mode. If neither Litoen/Ilo have this feature its not likely to get it. We need a firmware to compare to (at the very least). if you know another clone that has the feature and I can comare the fw there is a small chance it will work. Otherwise the opportunity is very small, especially without any interface documentation and the vxworks development kit.

LCSHG posted 2009 Mar 24 14:12

Right Click Left Click --- [OH My] The file is now in a zip format and Urn- Zipped is a WMJAA1201.DAO amd 5,144 in size. It looks OK, BUT I personally have no problem in installing larger drive, if I needed it.and a full erace of the HDD is not often needed As said I would really like the ilo RHD04 to have the features 0f a liteon 5045. It would be Nice if either Had a 21/2 hr recording mode but this can be handled The files at Guitarnan's site [you mentioned it in a post] are trusted both un-hacked or hacked. It does become a question of Concerns. Some files will not allow a return to a feature wanted. I do not feel this might be a problem with these units [But] A s another person in a post.,at another site Said [Never change Firmware unless its absolutely Necessary.

bithead9 posted 2009 Mar 24 15:53

Sounds like good advice to me. This patch makes it possible for a newbie to put a new HDD in their unit and not have to hook it to a PC. You get the full formatted capacity of the drive. If you don't need the update then don't do it. I only posted here to provide help for others. If you don't need the help, GREAT. If you are willing to test fw that make the ILO more like the 5045 then let me know. If not I will not work on any other changes.

bithead9 posted 2009 Mar 24 19:35

Looks like MikeB posted the USA firmware here: http://www.twowheels.force9.co.uk/liteon.htm Thanks Mike!

LCSHG posted 2009 Apr 03 17:57

bithead9 quote If you don't need the update then don't do it. I only posted here to provide help for others. If you don't need the help, GREAT. If you are willing to test fw that make the ILO more like the 5045 then let me know. If not I will not work on any other changes. My Comment “Right Click Left Click --- [OH My] “ was meant as humor but was bad. I do understand that many would welcome the Larger HDD patch. I have kept my HDD’s open . If I want a program to view again I transfer to disk and delete it from the HDD I do not want the HDD files to get ahead of me.[again] I’m sorry if I was misunderstood and for this late reply You Say “If you are willing to test fw that make the ILO more like the 5045 then let me know. If not I will not work on any other changes." When you say ‘more like the 5045. YES !! I would try it To Qualify I would like the RHD04 to be like a 5045 with all-rite [DVD CD etcc.]. The HDD up-grade is now done. A 21/2 hr recording mode I feel would be a big + for both. Thanks Again

bithead9 posted 2009 Apr 04 21:37

OK - I did find a flaw :shock: in the operation of the patched firmware. Still investigating. When I went over 512GB and unpluged the unit from the AC mains it did a scan disk. That seems to have set my HDD back to empty and only 512GB in size. So, it may be that 512GB is the MAX we can put in these units! :( Stay tuned - more to some. I am in contact with MikeB and discussions continue.

CrazyCanuck posted 2009 Apr 10 10:47

bithead9, thanks again for all your work and testing but I found a major flaw in the new ILO HD04 version (<512). Just tested Mikeb's revised <512GB ILO HD 04 hack file and it doesn't enable the LP recording mode. I did erase the HDD, no problem, full capacity. By reading the S/N, it appears to be MV and Region free, when I looked in the setup at the recording modes, the LP mode was gone, odd. I tried to process mikeb's file through the ilohacker just to see and it wouldn't create a file so I flashed it back with your >512GB hack, and now at least got the LP mode back and full capacity, something to look into I guess. The new version for the ILO HD04 user is probably not an option right now as you loose the LP recording mode feature. If a revised hack is created, I don't mind testing it out again. Take care.

bithead9 posted 2009 Apr 10 17:16

Download again from his site. He repatched the Ilo with LP mode. I was just in contact with him and is now available. Hope you testing goes well.

CrazyCanuck posted 2009 Apr 11 11:01

Thanks for the quick response, just flashed the ILO HD04 with the new revised patch (-512GB) and yes the LP mode is back, erased the HDD (200GB in this one), full capacity, forced a scan, no issue with recordings over 1GB, HDD is at full capacity again, recorded the LP mode and was recognized as LP. I was able to merge the LP file that I reloaded after the flash with this new LP recording, tested the MV, everything working as it should and checked the region setting and it's set at free, so the new patch works just fine. Thanks again bithead9, very cool tool.

bithead9 posted 2009 Apr 11 18:32

That is good news. The only problem we found so far is HDD greater than 512GB and getting full. Subsequent delete of a few recordings. Then a pull the plug while recording again. This resulted in a scandisk at startup. then the HDD was hosed. not accessable for any of the recordings. So the scandisk routine might be OK for HDD up to a certain size. but it looks like my 640gb drive was too big. I hope to test again soon just to be sure. And I hope someone else out there might be able to test a 512GB drive or something bigger than the largest 320gb liton used in their high end A970 units. Oh well, keep on testing!

bithead9 posted 2009 May 15 20:24

I reposted the Phillips firmware for testing. I do not have a Phillips DVDR-520H but someone out there does. Please report back your success - these are ZIP files. You must unzip and burn to a CD-R and finalize the disk. I put TWO files one for 512GB and one for 1TB at the link below: http://groups.google.com/group/techassist/files?pli=1 Good luck! :)

bithead9 posted 2009 May 15 21:26

FYI - if anyone has one of these supposed CLONES of the Liteon HDD DVR units: [s:9c6396ba12]-- DVD/HDD Recorders Grundig GDR 5550 JVC DR-MH30 JVC DR-MH300 JVC DR-MH35 JVC DV-MH5 JVC DV-MH50 JVC DV-MH55 LG Electronics RH-4820 LG Electronics RH-7000 LG Electronics RH-7800 LG Electronics RH-7900M [/s:9c6396ba12] Lite-On LVW 5020 Lite-On LVW 5045 Philips DVDR3350H [s:9c6396ba12]Polaroid DRM-2001G Samsung HR700 [/s:9c6396ba12] (thanks to another videohelp thread on this topic) If you want HDD patch send me the firmware or send me a link to the firmware. If it uses the same firmwares are ILO and LITEON then it should be an easy patch :!:

lordsmurf posted 2009 May 18 15:25

The JVC's are not clones of the LiteOns -- I don't know where you got that information. The Polaroid definitely is not a clone either. I doubt the LGs are either.

bithead9 posted 2009 May 18 15:46

Hmmm. I guess I mixed up recorders using the Dimension chip with the Liteon clones? The Phillips is a clone (firmware wise) except they do use other Phillips chips too. I will update my post. Thanks for that observation. :oops:

LCSHG posted 2009 May 18 23:03

lordsmurf is correct On the list given there is NO clone of a liteon The ilo 04 series are [NOT THE 05 which is a cyberhome] Some Accurian, Gateway, Daytek and possibly some others were

futch1nc posted 2009 Jun 27 00:17

Hi all, forgive me if these are stupid questions but after reading the thread I thought better to ask. I found an old Ilo DVDRHD04 while cleaning out a closet today and wanted to get some use out of it. I'd like to be able to backup my daughters favorite retail DVDs so she doesn't have to dig the original out and put it in everytime she wants to watch it is this possible with a firmware update? I also thought about upgrading the HDD to somthing bigger, but it seems some people had mixed results. What's the biggest I can go? How would I go about doing the swap, any special procedures? Links to any tuts would be great, tried to follow the one on page 1 but couldn't get anything to come up. I'm pretty capable with most things(mod my game systems without any trouble) but I won't be mad if you spell everything out :lol: Thanks

bithead9 posted 2009 Jun 27 14:24

get the firmware here: http://www.twowheels.force9.co.uk/liteonus.htm update your unit. You can got to 500GB with this firmware. Yes you should be able to backup DVD to the HDD and then burn copies back to the DVD writer. I never use the Ilo but my 5045 Litoen does. It is basicaly the same firmware...Good luck!

bithead9 posted 2009 Jul 03 11:07

OK I ran another test of the 1TB firmware and used a 640GB drive (same as before) and I filled the drive with HQ recordings. After that I displayed all the videos and all were FINE. I the pulled the plug to simulate a mains outage and I got the LIteon5045 to do the dreaded disk scan at startup. Well it looked good but then it never got past 83% of the scan. So this confirms (at least for the LVW-5045) that the maximum disk size is 512GB. I will do one last test using Mike's 512GB max firmware for the 5045 and report back. But based on my calculations the scan disk should work. Since 83% of 640GB is about 512GB! So thats the latest update on this firmware patch. The only way to improve the firmware now is of the scandisk routine can be patched to the larger capacity. That of course is not likely to happend unless someone comes out with the source or data areas of the liton units... Well see you all back here in about a week.

CazaderoJoe posted 2009 Jul 10 22:07

bithead9 : The new patch set the sectors to: 1065GB 31744 sectors 1,065,151,889,408 bytes (about a Terabyte). Same as the hacked A760GX :D Are there instructions all in one place for upgrading the LiteOn LVW-5045 HDD to 1 Terabyte (as mentioned in this quote... where do I download the 1 TB firmware from?) AND instructions on how to convert or adapt a 1 TB SATA HDD to allow it to be used in the 5045 with the upgraded software? I presume that if I apply a 1 TB firmware to the 5045, it will still accept a "mere" 400 GB drive until such time as I find a larger drive? I have plenty of software for imaging the existing drive on my PC to back it up in case of disaster. What a super-interesting project... I'd love to try it, especially since SATAs are much easier to find these days than the IDE drives. Thanks a million (bytes?)!!

CazaderoJoe posted 2009 Jul 10 22:10

P.S. - Forgot to mention. Above CazaderoJoe inquiry is related to US, not UK, versions unless, of course, if it doesn't really matter?

bithead9 posted 2009 Jul 23 19:36

Well my test of the 512GB firmware passed with flying colors. Did the the same thing. Recorded until full. Pulled the plug while watching TV. Plugged back to the AC mains and it did the scandisk. Not problems. YAY! Now i hate to say t his BUT it migh actually work for greater than 512GB - When I hung at 83% before I may have been hasty and figired it was locked up. The 512GB formatted drive did the SAME thing bu it eventullay did complete! So I may actually do another test. Unless CazaderoJoe wants to do that test. Joe if you want the 1TB firmware for US I can email you the link - I removed the one I posted originally since we found troubles in my testing. What Liteon are you using and firmware level. I would love to have someone else test this out. I am using the USA firmware too. And I an running a 5045 as well as the A760 unit.

bithead9 posted 2009 Jul 23 20:30

OK anyone wanting to play with 1TB firmware here you go: http://groups.google.com/group/techassist/files?pli=1 The USA 5045 is the file called: 1TB_LNJCU204.DA1.zip

lmullarkey posted 2009 Jul 29 15:07

Hi Guys, Had to re-format my hard drive for my Liteon lvw - 5045...only problem now is ive lost all the software for it, got the firmware but the actual burning and playing software that was on it when i bought it has gone. Does anyone know if i can download it from anywhere? or has anyone made an image of it? Thanks, Lauren

CrazyCanuck posted 2009 Jul 30 09:12

Hi Imullarkey! Reformatting a HDD will not affect the "software" as the software is applied on the chip on the motherboard and not the HDD. The only files on the HDD are the storage files for video, music and pictures and also the operating files for timeshifting recording. If you've reformatted your hardrive, I would suggest just to set the jumper to MASTER, install the HDD in the 5045 and do an HDD ERASE under TOOLS and that will put the storage folders and timeshift files back onto the HDD and you should be fine. If the system files were actually wiped from the chip, your screen will be black with a line dividing the screen from top to bottom down the middle of your screen. To recover from this, as I have when I rebuilt an ILO HD04 which I bought completley disassembled (half-size clone of the 5045 in North America) you need to work blindly, meaning no dialog box on the screen, you just need to insert your firmware disc, wait until the front display shows "UPDATE", cursor once to the left which will be like choosing "yes" in the dialog box asking you if you want to update and press ENTER and let it run. Good luck and post back your results.

superpaws posted 2009 Aug 10 16:44

Hello, I just registered to this forum. Although I have been reading forum discussions and working with LiteOn and iLO recorders for a couple of years, yesterday I finally encountered a problem that I cannot solve. I have one LiteOn 5045 and two iLO HD04 recorders that had the latest hacked firmwares. Over the weekend I downloaded and installed the new firmwares from MikeB's site that recognizes large HDDs. Everything worked perfectly for the 5045 and one of the HD04's. However, the second HD04 (which was working fine with the regular hacked 201 firmware) failed on the large hard drive 201 firmware. :shock: Nothing unusual happened during the firmware install process, but when the recorder rebooted it would not get past "HELLO". I have since tried everything that I can think of to recover: switch DVD burners, switch hard drives, make the two jumpers master, make the two jumpers cable select. None of this works. Does anyone have a recommendation? Is there a sequence of steps like the 5005 (i.e. hold the stop button while powering up) to force a CD tray open to re-install the firmware? Any ideas would be much appreciated! By the way all of you (CrazyCanuck, LCSHG, bithead9, Harpmaker, Guitarman) have done great work on these recorders and their firmware. :D :D

MR_SYS posted 2009 Sep 23 12:31

bithead9 : I just purchased a HTS5800H/37 Home Theater which includes a Phillips DVDR-3350H, and I would like to expand the hard drive to at least 160 GB. I am computer savvy, and I was wondering what I need to do this firmware wise. Thanks !

bithead9 posted 2009 Sep 25 21:16

Get PHJB2196_512GB.zip from the link I posed above... It set the formatting to 512GB. That is a practical limit. You unzip and burn the file to CD and filanlize the disk (no further writing possible). Then play it in your DVD recorder. It will flash the firmware. Then put a new HDD like a 512GB one and doa FORMAT in the phillips. that should be it. there is a test 1TB firmware there too. If you want to play. I also have the offsets and the values if you feel like patching yourself. But you misy use a good hex editor and be sure the checksum is correct. Good luck and let me know if you need anything else... :)

bithead9 posted 2009 Sep 25 21:20

the firware link you sent me is different from the files I have. I will take a look. But the one I have posted is for that unit ans was tested to 512GB OK by one user.

bithead9 posted 2009 Sep 25 22:22

I check the firmware for this unit from the Phillis website and it is way different than the original. It does not contain the eyecatchers that the Ilohacker or the HDD hack looks for :( ...It does contain strings that show Wind River systems and LSI logic. So it may be hackable... :) We might need Mike to take a look at the newest firmware. I definately have one user that PMed me saying they update their phillips DVDR520H using the fw I have posted. So it does work for that unit. Maybe they changed the dev kit. I think Windriver got baought by Intel ?? I forget.. but they would def. changed things and the newer phillips would use the new api calls, etc.

LCSHG posted 2009 Sep 25 23:17

superpaws Your post on Aug 10 Am I correct The one 5045 had the latest hack firmware [197] and the RHDO4 [201] All worked ox except 1 ilo RHD04 [Stuck on Hello]. The liteon/ilo will work without a HDD But will take about a min & a half to leave Hello They will not work without a DVD or one that is recognized by the systemT and hang on Hello forever, Sounds as this way be the broblem {If all worked ok But I have my doubts}

MR_SYS posted 2009 Sep 27 15:05

Thanks for the help. For now I will ghost a bit by bit image, and then use one of the linux Live CD's to take a look at the partitions. Then I'll try putting in a 160 GB with whatever tools are available ( Weaknees CD etc ) , and see what i can find out for other people in a similar situation.

videobruce posted 2009 Oct 09 20:36

The links in the OP are dead. Are there any updated links covering the same subjects? I stumbled across this (auction item #320432132435); http://cgi.ebay.com/WHITE-MAGIC-Liteon-LVW-5045-HDD-DVD-Recorder- ... 4a9b3e5153 Any idea what the deal is? :scratch:

CrazyCanuck posted 2009 Oct 10 12:07

This seller has been offering this deal for a number of years now. He also provides a servicing offer where you would send in your unit and he would upgrade it for a fee for new parts and labour. Here he's offering a customized 5045 (500GB HDD with a new PC drive installed (only certain Liteon and some Liteon clones sold under the Sony label). If you own a 5045, you can trade it in and the seller will send you a customized unit for $120 less than the posted price ($499-$120=$379). The seller does not provide which technique he used to upgrade the HDD. The OP of this thread provided a method to upgrade the HDD up to 500GB (there weren't any bigger HDD at the time of the OP posting). This method I've used in the past for my ILO HD04s and worked fine. The only drawback is that users couldn't erase the HDD as this would format the HDD back to its original size (80GB in the ILO, 160GB in the 5045) If that occured, you needed to bring the HDD back to the PC and go through the full process of formatting to full capacity and copying the files back on the HDD and reinstall in the unit. The OP posted his method under the Techolio board which is now shut down due to lack of activity. Since then, users MikeB and bithead9 worked out a new firmware hack that allows users to simply apply a firmware file and upgrade their units which allows you to erase the HDD without loosing its full capacity. Those files can be found here, http://www.twowheels.force9.co.uk/liteon.htm pick your region and appropriate file, burn the CD and apply to the recorder, install a larger HDD, an error code dialogue box may come up, ignore it, do a full HDD erase function under "tools" and it it will format the HDD to its full capacity. You will be able to erase any size (up to 500BG) HDD in the future without loosing its full capacity. The "white magic" statement refers to the ability of the 5045 (and a few other Liteon and clones) to ignore CP signals allowing users to backup any recordings they might have, that would be Mr' Wizard's hack. You may come accross statements such as players that are "black magic" such as the Apex 1500, (I believe is the right model), which means that it will play dvds and send out a signal where the CP is stripped, any Liteon (and clones) that are updated with the hacked firmware (Mr. Wizard's) is also "black magic". Hope this helps.

videobruce posted 2009 Oct 11 11:47

Interesting. When you say you can't erase the HDD, are you referring to wiping the whole HDD at once, or are you referring to just deleting various separate recordings?

bithead9 posted 2009 Oct 12 08:51

He means erasing at once using the TOOLS in the Liteon. :wink:

CrazyCanuck posted 2009 Oct 12 09:17

The former HDD upgrade method, you could not erase the whole HDD, you could only erase titles individually. If you did erase the HDD, it would format it back to the size originally intended to be used in the recorder. The new files however, once applied, allows you to erase the whole HDD and retain the full capacity of any size HDD up to 500GB.

videobruce posted 2009 Oct 12 11:19

Why would you want to wipe the whole drive instead of just the individual titles (recordings)??

bithead9 posted 2009 Oct 12 11:51

The SCANDISK that runs at startup (after a power failure) checks the integrity of the disk. If the firmware is not patched the system will revert to the original value for the 5045 it was 160Gigs. That a big loss of data on a 512GB drive. Also the advantage of using the Liteon FORMAT (aka erase tool) is that it is using the exact method that Liteon uses to format the HDD and not one made up from a PC utility. There is some comfort in that. The 512GB patch that MikeB is hosting makes this a no brainer for adding a bigger HDD. No worry about the PC formatting and loss of data on power off. :)

videobruce posted 2009 Oct 12 11:55

Oh boy, I love automatic features that you can't turn off. M$ must of designed this.

bithead9 posted 2009 Oct 25 22:39

:D !!Update on the DVD burner : Here is what I tested: Liton 5045 recorder with a Liteon iHAS122 SATA DVD burner. It PLAYS and FAST FORWARDs ! YAY! First one so far that I have seen work on FF! Next I used a Koutech IO-ASA120 IDE to SATA II Device Adapter. I set the pins to MASTER and tested ERASE of a 4GB RW less than one minute. Did a disk prepare (after erase) took 1 minute. Play a standard DVD, no problems. Copied a couple video to DVD from the HDD and no problems. I think we have another supply of non-IDE drives we can now use in our old faithful 5045 units! And here is a place that sells the adapter: http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16812240012 I would be interested if anyone else has other adapters that work... Have fun folks!

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