Newbie - well sorta kinda

[BV2TReg]

Hello all. I am new to this forum (since it came alive again). I was trying to join it some time ago when all the server problems were happening, etc. but here is my issue: I have owned a Phatbox for my VW Passat now for about 3 years. It worked great until (for some still unknown reason) the original DMS crashed.  I know the cradle is fine as that was never replaced and I use it fine with a newer 20gig DMS. I am trying to breathe life back into the original DMS. When I insert the crashed DMS into the cradle I get nothing - Media Manager cannot initialize the DMS. Can't even see that it is there. When I run DMS doctor on it I get "FAIL: Did not detect DMS". The cradle light comes on and I hear some clicking for a moment, otherwise nothing. Any sugegstions?

[sbingner]

1. Open your DMS up, take out your laptop HDD and deposit it into the trash.
2. Get a friend with a valid DMS to hack your box for you
3. Get a new laptop drive and put it in your DMS case
4. Play music

[S80_UK]

I have to agee - it soes sound like it has gone to the great bit-bucket in the sky...

Standard laptop drives are relatively cheap these days.  You need to get your box hacked using the tools on this forum (if not already done) and for that you do need temporary access to a good DMS.  But after that you will be able to put in a new drive and have the option of much greater capacity.

[BV2TReg]

That all sounds great - what model/type HDD do you suggest I replace it with? I currently have a good and working DMS but it is only 20 gig . . . Does that even make a difference?

[markbowen]

I think other posters misunderstood you -- as I understand it, you have a legitimate 20GB DMS, which will work if you decide to do the hack.  Whether or not you decide to build a bigger capacity DMS right now, you should patch your phatbox.  If you do that, then if your current DMS fails you will just have to replace the hard drive inside it.

If you want to build a bigger DMS right away, get as big a hard drive as you can afford.  The hot price point at the moment is for 80-100GB.  You'll want a basic 2.5 drive, 5400rpm with 8mb buffer.  The original drives in the DMS are Toshiba, so they fit just right, but you can get any brand to fit.

[sbingner]

I know the cradle is fine as that was never replaced and I use it fine with a newer 20gig DMS

Yes, I missed that part -- you should be able to use your working DMS to apply the patch then put a new drive into your old DMS case

[c0ckac0la]

As far as replacement HD's go, I found a 100 GB 2.5 ATA-6 on newegg for ~$85.  It is a 5400 rpm disk with 16mb of cache...seems better to have more cache if possible.

[LloydDobler]

As far as replacement HD's go, I found a 100 GB 2.5 ATA-6 on newegg for ~$85.  It is a 5400 rpm disk with 16mb of cache...seems better to have more cache if possible.

That's usually true, but you have to remember the only time you'll use that cache in any significant manner is when you're loading music onto it in large quantities.  So basically once.

After that, you're transferring (relatively) tiny amounts of data and then playing it back at incredibly slow speeds.

If 16 is more money than 8, it's not worth it.  Also remember that higher performance can have a negative effect depending on the application.  Like in this case, a faster drive will run hotter and could actually shorten the life of the phatbox.

So just remember, think twice before assuming bigger is better.