Media Manager 3.92 - Error retrieving DMS drive ID - Hacked drive

[markbowen]

There was already a thread on this topic (http://forum.phathack.com/index.php/topic,837.0.html), but there was no conclusion.

I've stuck with Music Manager 2.30 for a long time, but it is beginning to show its age.  Media Manager 3.92 has some features I would like to try.  However, when using a hacked DMS (I have tried 80GB and 120GB) I get the error message "Error retrieving DMS drive ID" and it will not recognize the DMS.

The message suggests that this will happen if any files are being accessed by any other program, anti-virus, etc.  This is not the case.  The previous thread suggests that the program may be looking for the drive signature.  The drive sig should have been copied over to the new DMS by the hack process.  I have tried getting this to work by "re-seeding" the new DMS using both the hack CD and the Windows hack method, no luck.

Is anyone successfully using 3.92 on a hacked DMS?  Does anyone have any suggestions how to get this to work with mine???

[S80_UK]

Is anyone successfully using 3.92 on a hacked DMS?  Does anyone have any suggestions how to get this to work with mine???

Hi Mark,

Answer - Yes.  But I can't say that I did anything special.  My DMS was hacked a long time ago (Dec 2005).  I'm not sure if it will help, but at that time I copied the signature block using the "Genesis method" with the dangerous but versatile dd command.  It seemed the most reliable method back then.  I have used Media Manager in various versions since, but using 3.92 for quite a few months now with no issues.

Good luck!

Les.

[judb]

The hack scripts are NOT copying the drive signature from the old DMS.  it isn't needed for the phatbox to work anymore so we don't copy it.  There are commented out commands that allow it to be copied but I felt that people could screw things up if they didn't follow the directions correctly and it was easier to comment it out.

3.92 works on my DMS without the signature but it doesn't seem to work for everyone.

[markbowen]

All right, just for kicks I did the Genesis method on my 120GB drive, but 3.92 is still giving me an error message.  It does work on my original 10GB DMS, so there is nothing else accessing the drive that should cause it not to see the the 120GB.

Anyone else have any idea??

[S80_UK]

Just a thought...  (Probably way off the mark, but lacking any other ideas)

We know (I think we do anyway) that the original Phatnoise verification process involves reading the hard drive serial number (not the formatted volume serial number) using some special IDE command and then doing some number crunching with that number and the magic key read from the sectors before the first partition in order to validate that the drive is from Phatnoise.  Could is be that PMM 3.92 is trying to read that serial number but is unable simply because your drive tyoe happens not to support it in the same way as some others?  It could also be that the Phatbox tries and fails, but it doesn't matter on a hacked box since the test is disabled (or the test result is ignored).

If this is the reason, then either you won't be able to use PMM 3.92 with that drive, or some code patching is needed.  Could this be an attempt by Phatnoise to further limit the use of unauthorised drives?

As a matter of interest, what type of drive is it?  If my theory is correct, then others with similar drives may also have issues with PMM 3.92.

[markbowen]

I'm trying this with two drives, the 120GB is a Hitachi, and the 80GB is a WD.

Strange:  I had the 120GB in the cradle, and the 80GB connected in a USB enclosure.  With both drives connected, 3.92 loads the 80GB.  If I disconnect the 120GB and restart PMM, I get the error again.  I did not try to copy any music.  Anyway, that is an observation but not a solution.

Now I'm trying PMM 3.76.  At first, there is no error message, but when it loads up the DMS I do not get the little eject icon in the explorer screen.  It will copy music to the DMS but it will not copy anything to the playlists.  When I try to eject, I get the drive ID error again.

I'm stumped.  I'm really fed up with Music Manager, but at least it works.  I guess I'm going back to it with my tail between my legs.

[S80_UK]

Interesting - my drive is also a WD 80GB.

[sbingner]

Maybe it's something to do with the cradle... does the 80GB work if it's not in an enclosure but rather on the cradle?

[markbowen]

Either the 80GB or 120GB will get recognized in the enclosure, but only if they are both connected (one in the cradle and one in the enclosure), but the program crashes if I try to do a save/eject.  Neither gets recognized in the cradle, whether both are connected or only one.  However, the original 10GB drive works just fine in the cradle (as well as the enclosure), so I don't think it's a cradle issue.

I would have thought it might be a HDD-specific issue, but Les is using the same 80GB HDD as I am, apparently without problem.  It would be logical to suspect some other system issue, but if that were the case I should also have problems with the original 10GB drive.  So, I remain stumped.

[VorTechS]

Stupid question [as I'm still learning about how the PhatBox works], but do both of these drives have the correct partition names?

PhtSys and PhtData.

I'm just wondering if PMM is doing the same as I am with PhatHack Media Manager and checking the volume names to determine a valid DMS cartridge.

[markbowen]

Stupid question [as I'm still learning about how the PhatBox works], but do both of these drives have the correct partition names?  PhtSys and PhtData.

Yes, of course.  They have been properly formatted and partitioned a few times now, using variously the hack CD or the Windows hack, also dd'd using the Genesis method.  The drives work fine with Music Manager and in my Keg. 

The only thing left I can think of is that maybe 3.92 is looking for the Windows device ID.  The device IDs of the newly created DMS drives always show up as the brand of hard drive and some other tech info, whereas the ID of the original DMS clearly shows "Phatnoise" along with the other info.  I'm wondering if it would be useful, or dangerous, to try to change the IDs of the new drives in the registry.

[VorTechS]

The only thing left I can think of is that maybe 3.92 is looking for the Windows device ID.  The device IDs of the newly created DMS drives always show up as the brand of hard drive and some other tech info, whereas the ID of the original DMS clearly shows "Phatnoise" along with the other info.  I'm wondering if it would be useful, or dangerous, to try to change the IDs of the new drives in the registry.

If the drives are correctly recognised by Windows, then changing the Device IDs in the registry won't achieve anything, but if you use regmon you might be able to find out what PMM is looking at in terms of registry entries.  It might give you a pointer to what's wrong if PMM searches for keys that are missing.

You can get regmon here: http://www.microsoft.com/technet/sysinternals/utilities/regmon.mspx

[sbingner]

If it is using registry keys, you can just put the value it wants in whatever key it reads and deny write to it to "Everyone" -- then when you put in the drive windows won't be able to change it to match what's really there.... but that may not work if system ignores those permissions.

[markbowen]

Thanks for all the suggestions.  I'm going out of town, so it will be a week before I can try anything else.

Sam, as I recall, when you first got the 160GB drives working with the Phatbox, you also had trouble with Media Manager.  (I think you wrote that it sucks.)  It would not work with the 160GB drive in your case, but some other people have gotten it to work.  So, there is an issue there somewhere, we just don't know what it is yet.

[jg123]

I started the original thread way back. The disk I have that doesn't work with 3.92 is a 40 gig Samsung from Newegg.
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.asp?Item=N82E16822152501
With 3.76 everything works fine, although Sade is pronounced, "sad". 

[sbingner]

It didn't work... then it worked... I don't know what changed and haven't spent the time to track down the problem.

Perhaps I'll be bored enough to figure it out sometime...

[Anton]

I can't get 3.76 to work for me, either.  after I click away about 10 instances of the error message 'invalid drive ID...' then it will copy songs, but they are not visible on the DMS,  and neither are playlists.

I've backed up all my media files, so maybe I will try to wipe the drive and use the dd command.

[markbowen]

I've backed up all my media files, so maybe I will try to wipe the drive and use the dd command.

You can try that if you want, but take note that I dd'd my drive and had pretty much the same experience as you did with 3.76.  It copied the songs to the DMS but I could not populate any playlist.  On eject I got the invalid drive ID message.  Still will not work at all with 3.92.

Anyone have a working link to download 3.51 or 3.42?  I know I was able to use one of those with a hacked drive without any drive ID messages.

[Anton]

I have a copy of the installer for PMM 3.51 saved, and I have the registration activation saved, but I don't think it will work according to some recent posts about Phatnoise being offline.

[Anton]

Mark,  Did 3.51 work for you?

I am having trouble with 3.76 and the hack DMS.  I was thinking of switching to 3.92 or 3.51.
Maybe I'll just use Media manager with the good DMS, and Music manager with the Hack one.