Problems: F40 with MK1231GAL

[grimbergen_beer]

Ok, I have been reading this forum so long. Now I have a problem.

I bought one MK1231GAL from here -> http://www.rapidrepair.com/shop/3118-hard-drive-disk-mk1231gal.html
Because I didn't find a MK1214GAH. I bought de Adapter from DealExtreme too.

Doing the Gigabeat Recovery Procedure, I cannot see the drive in Windows nor Ubuntu, with two different computers.
Windows recognize the USB Hard Disk but I can't have access to the HD.

Is the HD bad? The problem is the Adapter? I don't know. And I need to know if the HD is correct.
Any idea?

Sorry for my bad English.

Thank you.

[Chronon]

Yes, it looks like that HD should work fine -- it's plenty thin enough, 1.8" and has a ZIF-40 connector.  It sounds like you got a ZIF to 50 pin connector for it.  So, by all appearances you have the necessary ingredients. 

Maybe this quote can help you:

The only way to get the gigabeat into the Emergency Disk mode manually is turn it on with the hard drive disconnected and then it will go into emergency disk mode then plug in the hd and then that will load the hard drive. I know this for a fact because this is how i upgraded the hd in my gigabeat F40.

You can try the Gigabeat recovery instructions here: http://www.rockbox.org/twiki/bin/view/Main/GigabeatFXPort#Gigabeat_Recovery_Procedures

[grimbergen_beer]

Chronon, thanks for reply. But I follow  the manual (recovery manual), and everything is ok; except I can't get into the HD. With the original HD 40GB, Windows recognizes it and I can access.

But when I try with the MK1231GAL, my computer recognize the USB Toshiba with the HD; but I have no letter and I can't access.

I have bought the same adapter to Dealextreme again, only if this is faulty....

I am so sad...  :'(

I want my F40 with 120GB...

[Chronon]

Sorry, I don't have any solid advice for you.  At this point it seems to be a matter of testing each component to find the weak link.

[burkjavier]

I actually just built out a F40 with a 120GB HDD upgrade, this morning - I'm also using the dealextreme adapter, with a MK1214GAH that I purchased on buy.com last week (still available now, btw).

A few things to consider, from my experience:

1- The adapter or cable might be bad.  The first one I purchased from dealextreme was a dud - I learned my lesson and bought three, the next time around (they are pretty cheap)
2- Don't close the case up until everything is working.   My biggest problem this morning was getting it to close up without shorting it out.  Lots of electrical tape in the right places was my solution to that.  You have a 5mm drive, so perhaps you won't have that problem.
3- (this might be key) You have to attach the drive AFTER the Gigabeat is in USB mode, before you format it, as mentioned by Chronon.   You only have to do this the first time:  Power up the Gigabeat without the drive attached, let if fail out, attach USB cable, then attach the drive (this is OK to do - just make sure you are grounded).   At that point, the drive should be seen in Windows and then you can format it to FAT32, using whatever tool you normally use (If you use Ubuntu, that's easier - first, dmesg is your friend to check for errors + gparted will format it to FAT32).  Make sure it's formatted as FAT32, however.  Then, add the Rockbox SYSTEM files and .rockbox folder, safely remove from Windows / Ubuntu, disconnect USB and reboot it.

When you connect the drive after the Gigabeat is in USB mode, do you hear it power on?  Does dmesg give you any messages or errors?   This is key:  If there are no messages and the drive doesn't power up at all, it's either the adapter, the cable, the connection, or the hard drive itself.  Also, are you sure the ZIF cable is locked in?  There's a small black bar on the drive - it needs to be pushed up to unlock (I use my fingernail), add the cable, then pushed back down to lock it in place.

[jamato8]

I have been trying to install a MK1231GAL in my iRiver H140. I can't get it to format. My MAC sees the drive but I get an error every time I try to erase and format. I have worked on this for two days now. I got the adapters from HK and got 3 and have tried all 3 and believe the adapters are fine.

So I contacted Rapid Repair and they said that the drive was compatible with ipods and zune players. I still can't see why it would be made to work with the iriver.

Any ideas?

[grimbergen_beer]

I actually just built out a F40 with a 120GB HDD upgrade, this morning - I'm also using the dealextreme adapter, with a MK1214GAH that I purchased on buy.com last week (still available now, btw).

A few things to consider, from my experience:

1- The adapter or cable might be bad.  The first one I purchased from dealextreme was a dud - I learned my lesson and bought three, the next time around (they are pretty cheap)
2- Don't close the case up until everything is working.   My biggest problem this morning was getting it to close up without shorting it out.  Lots of electrical tape in the right places was my solution to that.  You have a 5mm drive, so perhaps you won't have that problem.
3- (this might be key) You have to attach the drive AFTER the Gigabeat is in USB mode, before you format it, as mentioned by Chronon.   You only have to do this the first time:  Power up the Gigabeat without the drive attached, let if fail out, attach USB cable, then attach the drive (this is OK to do - just make sure you are grounded).   At that point, the drive should be seen in Windows and then you can format it to FAT32, using whatever tool you normally use (If you use Ubuntu, that's easier - first, dmesg is your friend to check for errors + gparted will format it to FAT32).  Make sure it's formatted as FAT32, however.  Then, add the Rockbox SYSTEM files and .rockbox folder, safely remove from Windows / Ubuntu, disconnect USB and reboot it.

When you connect the drive after the Gigabeat is in USB mode, do you hear it power on?  Does dmesg give you any messages or errors?   This is key:  If there are no messages and the drive doesn't power up at all, it's either the adapter, the cable, the connection, or the hard drive itself.  Also, are you sure the ZIF cable is locked in?  There's a small black bar on the drive - it needs to be pushed up to unlock (I use my fingernail), add the cable, then pushed back down to lock it in place.

I have done everything. Thank you for the tricky about the adapter.
My HD power up when I connect it. The cable ZIF is locked. But again, I can't access.

I think two problems:
- The adapter is bad. I have bought another from Dealextreme. So I will wait until it arrives.
- The model MK1231GAL is different from MK1214GAH, and the ZIF is different too. Not compatible with the adapter from Dealextreme. In this case, I will have to sell it in ebay or something; focusing in MK1214GAH 

This is my HD with the adapter:

By grimbergen_beer, shot with N82

URL -> http://img210.imageshack.us/img210/8855/21112008233lm9.jpg

I have been trying to install a MK1231GAL in my iRiver H140. I can't get it to format. My MAC sees the drive but I get an error every time I try to erase and format. I have worked on this for two days now. I got the adapters from HK and got 3 and have tried all 3 and believe the adapters are fine.

I'm thinking that is problem with compatibility. Maybe the connection is changed in this HD 

I used in Windows the program CompuApps SwissKnife V3, and I received several read/write errors when I tried to format the HD.

[grimbergen_beer]

Well, I finally have my MK1214GAH. And it works with my F40 and the adapter; so the MK1231GAL is NOT compatible with the Gigabeat F series.

Please update the wiki.

Thanks to all.

[AlexP]

It is a wiki, you can update it yourself.

[grimbergen_beer]

Yes, I know. But I have never wrote in a wiki; so I believed someone could do it faster than me.

Thank you.

[AlexP]

You could have done it many times over in the time we have spent arguing about it  

[grimbergen_beer]

I have registered in the wiki, but I can't access to it. When I tried I received the page in blank and the following URL -> http://www.rockbox.org/twiki/bin/oops/Main/HardDriveReplacement?template=oopsaccessdenied;def=topic_access;param1=change;param2=access%20not%20allowed%20on%20web

So... ¿Am I allowed? 

I'm sure it is easy and I don't know how to run it.

[Chronon]

You need someone to give you write permission.  This is mentioned in the registration instructions.  You can either drop by the IRC channel and request write access for the wikiname that you registered or post it here and I (or someone else) can add it later.

[grimbergen_beer]

So...please... only if you want... can you add the information about the incompatibility of the MK1231GAL with the adapter of DealExtreme, and at the moment not recommend it. In that case the only choice is the MK1214GAH.

This information costs me buy both disk. And I would like that everybody can know it, so they can avoid the same situation.

Again, thanks everybody for this forum and Rockbox 

[AlexP]

This information costs me buy both disk. And I would like that everybody can know it, so they can avoid the same situation.

Then either ask for write permission in IRC as both Chronon and the instructions say, or tell us your wiki name as Chronon says, then you can have write permission and add the information.