Swann DVR4 4000 File System

All,

I needed to back up all the video files from my Swan DVR4 4000 but can't play with it right now and i don't want them overwritten by the system - The DVR needs to go back to the office to do its job so....

I took the HDD out and cloned it to another 500gig drive. I then took the clone and put it in the DVR and formatted it.

Looking at the original drive with all the data - its not NTFS, FAT or FAT32 as the PC does not recognise it. Anyone know how I can access the files without a PC? Linux? Is it encrypted? We don't use the password option on the DVR.

Any help would be appreciated.

cheers,

sogno4me

You normally can't just pull a hard drive out of a DVR and throw it into a computer to back up the video. You already see the problem with that. Manufacturers usually have specific back up tools required if you choose to go this route.

Once the back up tool has been installed on your PC, you should be able to do exactly what you want. The problem is that they are almost never a user friendly thing to use so expect to need to be coached through it from the same people you get it from.

I've also had very mixed luck with manufacturers. Some don't posses a tool that can manage this task, and some give you tools that just don't work. I would think that backing up your video to an external HDD right from your DVR would make life much easier for you.

Thanks Don.

I contacted Swann, sadly the technical support lady kept on putting me on hold and probably googling the answer. Told me it is either FAT32/NTFS (which it isn't). My guess Linux. I used a Drive Clone Dock to make sure I had a copy of the drive then tested both inside the DVR unit. Both worked fine so I now have the files forever while the unit has been returned to the shop to continue recording (and overwriting). If I can't get it to work without the unit I may just buy a second unit and sit there and run through the footage via the machine (which is a pain). I'd prefer to somehow get it onto the a PC and then sit and run through the footage with my own software.

I'll wait a bit, maybe someone knows if there is a way. I have the data safe at least which is the first priority.

I read somewhere Ubuntu with XFS package is the go (EXT3/4) - I'll try that first with an old laptop and see if there is any success. I know the data is there, but for sure not FAT32/FAT/NTFS. What the support person was probably searching on was what drive format you want to hook up to the external USB port of the unit.. Not the internal Hard drive... which gives me an idea for the future. Can an external hard drive be used instead of the internal hard drive and if so will it store the files in a format that can easily be accessed by a PC.

Fun times ahead.. but I am determined.