sidoffice

quite simply if you see no video on screen on any of the channels and you have NO HDD in generally top right corner.. there is no recording happening at all.

or just simply use a wireless video transmitter and receiver.. and with your dvr remote control simply browse through your cameras... inexpensive..

if you open the system there generally is a reset on the dvr pcb board. if not there will be 3 prongs or two short them out when system is on this will reset the dvr to factory. Alternatively there may be a cmos battery if so take it out restart dvr then switch off, insert cmos battery and hopefully then will erase the current password and then try your main password again.

it really amazes me sometimes that some that some people make the mistake of purchasing cheap nasty systems without the facility of backup, entry level DVR's generally have two options of backup, either via usb or network backup. if you dvr has an ethernet then you can backup over your internet either via network switch or crossover cable to your pc. It is a mere matter of making an informed decision before you purchase and it is always important to look at functions and features before you decide to part with your money. If your DVR has neither usb or network your other alternative would be to purcharse a VHS and record the playback on tape or purchase a pc capture card as the input from your dvr and record footage this way. best of luck NOTE: my comments are not meant to upset but rather to educate

i am not a big fan of AVTECH DVR's quality of picture both for live view and remote access is poor, also remote login interface and use is very poor, it is the cheaper end of the market, they do say you pay for what you get. Dahua DVR's are much better, quality of video inc. remote is better along with apps for mobile viewing is good, apps for mobiles include iphone, ipad, blackberry, android, symbian and windows mobile. DVR range from CIF, Full D1 to hybrid

did you alter the security setting in IE >tools >internet options >security tab > custom level > 'prompt' download signed ActiveX controls > 'prompt' download unsigned ActiveX controls

psu, power supply unit

problem with PC based DVR is system instability, rather than using the standard xp/vista or windows 7 it would be best using linux, all standalone DVR are embedded linux thus allowing for system stability and performance. there are two types of pc based cctv dvr, software based which utilizes too much system performance, or hardware based dvr card of which all processing is done on the card rather than the computer system, thus allowing you to multi function using the pc as a normal pc and still have the cctv running in the background. My suggestion is if you want a dedicated CCTV system for your home or business stick to a standalone, or rather should you want a system that you can do work upon ie internet use, application use therefore system is mutlifunctional then PC is the way to go

BNC monitors are exensive ... it is more cost effective to use a TV Screen and utilizing the AVI input which is the Yellow RCA input normally on the side of the TV.. all you need is a BNC cable - BNC to BNC with female BNC to RCA adapter plug it into the TV yellow AV port, switch the TV channel to AV and hey presto there show your CCTV screen.. DVR's also have the VGAor HDMI out so hence you can connect using these outputs to the input of you TV screen

Alternatively it may well be the HDD that you are using.. some dvr's do not like certain manufacturer of HDD, try seagate barracuda or western digital

try and keep away from AVTECH DVR ..poor performance.. user interface not so great.. remote access poor as they use JAVA thus making the quality of picture poor.. dvr with H264 compression utlizing activex for remote is much better and a big difference in quality of picture

Seagate Barracuda 500HDD Sata ST3500413AS WORKS FINE - tested along with Samsung HDD's all work fine.

QVis are just resellers, the DVR is acutally a DAHUA which are the manufacturer, however you cannot purchase direct from Dahua

if it has a cmos battery try removing it.. and start, then turn off and restart.. input your default password or just plain 000's alternatively there should be 2 pins on the board internally to reset

its a combination of decent dvr and good tvl camera.. we have an instore demonstration which also demonstrates our DVR outputting via vga to a tft screen, same dvr outputting via hdmi to dvi to another screen and again same dvr outputing via composite to a television. Now although all three monitors are displaying the same image the tv screen is by far the clearest with less pixelation.. so what i am saying it is also the type of screen you use which provides a good clarity image. Yes TVL on cameras does matter greatly as it is dots per inch providing clarity of image. Stay away from swan range dvr's as the recording quality is very poor, also in monitoring mode is not a clear.. blurry images. it is indeed an inferior system and very low end of the market.. if you dont care about quality along with functions and features on dvr system and just want a camera and recording device with a minimal budget in mind then stick with the swan