Thanks to Steven Reece for this! On the later NetVu connected DS2′s the firmware and bootloader are vastly different. However, they are also much simpler to reset. Put the DVR into bootloader by pressing Cam2 when you select shutdown from the menu. Connect to Serial 1 at 38400 Baud, 8,1,N,N, using a Null Modem Cable [...]

When shutting down the DVR, normally you press 1 to confirm. If you press 2, it will reboot into the bootloader mode. If you press 3, it will reboot and rebuild the image partition. On classic (non netvu) DVR’s, you can also telnet to 2123 and view the debug output.

This week I’ve had another pair of DVR’s on the bench without Hard Disks (Well, one with dead Hard disks, but that’s neither here nor there). I obviously had a pair of IDE drives knocking round from the DVTX from last month, so a quick reformat with the formatting utility and a download of the [...]

Some DS2′s can be updated to the NetVu software the later units come with. All that is involved is a bootloader reflash via the serial port and a code generating and emailing to DM support. They generate an unlock code, then you load the new application and web firmware. It’s a simple process, and unlocks [...]

As mentioned in my last post, I’d intended to install 1TB SATA drives in my DM DVR, however this turned out not to be as simple as I had hoped. I picked up a pair of cheap adapters from eBay, and when they eventually turned up, the damn thing wouldn’t work. Actually installing the software [...]

So, I picked one of these up very cheap on eBlag, just under £120 for a 16 channel DVR! Couldn’t believe it, as these sell for 1-2k new. This model is the 16 channel, 320GB twin hard drive, DVTX version, so one of the higher specification versions. It’s also known as a DS2 DX16C. The [...]