"Updating your Story HD... Please wait" loop

[mzecher]

This is the answer I got today from iRiver:

Considering all of the information you have provided for us regarding this issue, we have decided that this is a hardware issue and your unit needs to be sent in for a repair service.

I'm pretty sure that this is a software problem, as at least frostschutz was able to reproduce. May please someone else try to reproduce it, to convince this people to fix the problem?

@frostschutz: I'm currently very busy at work, but will check your file ASAP.

[frostschutz]

Well, in your first post you said that this happened for you even with the SD card empty. That I couldn't reproduce. Only the too long filename thing on the SD card. And that's a software issue.

[mzecher]

I sent iRiver's customer support a file which causes troubles in my device, but answered me that they couldn't reproduce the problem. I find it really weird, maybe it is in fact a hardware problem (though I don't think so). Here I attach the same file and ask someone to try to reproduce the problem too. This are the steps:

1. Copy the attached file into SD card keeping the whole path and filename ([SD card]/Examen/30. Manguito/referencias/2003 JBJS - A Prospective Multipractice Investigation of Patients with Full-Thickness Rotator Cuff Tears THE IMPORTANCE OF COMORBIDITIES , PRACTICE, AND OTHER COVARIABLES ON SELF-ASSESSED SHOULDER FUNCTION AND HEALTH STATUS.pdf)

2. Put the card into the Story HD. It shall update the database and work well.

3. Remove and put the card again into the Story HD. This should trigger the "Updating your Story HD... Please wait" loop.

4. If the loop happens, you have to remove the card, delete the file from it and delete the System folder into the Story HD to recover normal function.

Thanks in advance folks.

[frostschutz]

Don't see an attachment, but taking any PDF file and giving it that name (including the folders), causes the loop for me.

It's not a hardware issue. You can send the device back but it won't help you, best case you'll be without your reader for a couple weeks, worst case they claim the display is broken or whatever ... better not risk it, esp. considering the workaround is so easy (just pick a shorter name)

EDIT:
This time around the loop came back even after deleting the offending path on the SD card. Had to delete system/bookDB* on the internal memory to get rid of it

[mzecher]

Originally Posted by frostschutz

Don't see an attachment, but taking any PDF file and giving it that name (including the folders), causes the loop for me.

Sorry, forgot to attach it. I just did.

Originally Posted by frostschutz

It's not a hardware issue. You can send the device back but it won't help you, best case you'll be without your reader for a couple weeks, worst case they claim the display is broken or whatever ... better not risk it, esp. considering the workaround is so easy (just pick a shorter name)

I totally agree with you. I don't have the intention to send it, but to get a fix. It's so strange that they cannot reproduce it, I don't understand the reason.

You're right about the simplicity of the workaround, but I haven't found a way to automatically identify and shorten the longnamed files. Considering that only in the folder of my studies I have more that 25.000 files, it would be a pain in the a** to manually find them. Maybe I should focus my energy in finding a way to automatize that job instead of getting a fix from iRiver. By the way, I'm a Linux user.

[frostschutz]

They're probably not putting the folders on the reader. Who knows.

Listing too long names in Linux, for example assuming that 200 is too long:

cd /mnt/SDCARD # or where ever you mounted it
find | grep -E .{200}

If you have long folder names also, best to abbreviate those first as that makes paths for all files inside shorter in one go.

[mzecher]

Originally Posted by frostschutz

EDIT:
This time around the loop came back even after deleting the offending path on the SD card. Had to delete system/bookDB* on the internal memory to get rid of it

So, it's the exact same problem. It *must* be caused by software.

They're probably not putting the folders on the reader. Who knows.

Listing too long names in Linux, for example assuming that 200 is too long:

cd /mnt/SDCARD # or where ever you mounted it
find | grep -E .{200}

If you have long folder names also, best to abbreviate those first as that makes paths for all files inside shorter in one go.

You're the man!

PS: took a while (I had about 45 files over 200 characters), but now my Story HD works wonderfully and tolerates as many files as my 32GB card can handle. So the problem is not really solved, but a good and simple workaround was found.

[bluey41]

My trouble was that when I changed the SD card to another one the new SD card would not load, neither would the original one when I put it back in.
I have discovered that after I remove an SD card with the unit turned off it is then necessary to turn the unit on and off before putting a different SD card in. The different SD card then loads fine. - No big drama but is that normal?

[frostschutz]

Depends on what you mean by turn off.

The SD card slot has a kind of button inside. It's what makes the card click in and click out. Whenever that button's pressed it tells the system the card was changed. So the system remounts it.

It might not notice this button action when in standby. (screensaver)

It shouldn't matter when the device is actually turned off entirely. (blank screen followed up by bootup sequence when you turn it back on)

[bluey41]

Spot on Frostschutz - it was only in the sleep mode. I use it so often that I had forgotten it has a complete off as well. Actually though, I have now found that it is much quicker to change SD cards in the sleep mode with a quick turn on and off in between than to power right off and then have to wait while it re-boots.

[bluey41]

Originally Posted by frostschutz

Depends on what you mean by turn off.

The SD card slot has a kind of button inside. It's what makes the card click in and click out. Whenever that button's pressed it tells the system the card was changed. So the system remounts it.

It might not notice this button action when in standby. (screensaver)

It shouldn't matter when the device is actually turned off entirely. (blank screen followed up by bootup sequence when you turn it back on)

Is it safe to hot change the SD card with the unit turned on ? Maybe it is designed for that.

[frostschutz]

Originally Posted by bluey41

Is it safe to hot change the SD card with the unit turned on ?

Reasonably safe, yes.

Although the card is mounted in read-write mode, the device only ever reads. For the filesystem to go corrupt, you'd have to write. But even then, FAT usually doesn't break all the way but just has the newly written files defective or missing.

Just tested if the Story HD as a card reader (i.e. hooked up to USB) detects medium changes: close but no cigar. The capacity change shows up but the PC can still get confused regarding the currently mounted filesystem. In Linux, changing the card while mounted resulted in this:

[248525.795267] VFS: busy inodes on changed media or resized disk sdg
[248525.797262] sd 14:0:0:1: [sdg] 3897213 512-byte logical blocks: (1.99 GB/1.85 GiB)
$ ls
ls: cannot access VJ0`N*O3.vor: Input/output error
ls: cannot access !d/jdd)r.qpn: No such file or directory
ls: cannot access o_h[5j%q.IH0: Input/output error
ls: cannot access 1alojjcm.N?h: Input/output error
ls: cannot access 8Am\L+a-.EKH: Input/output error
ls: cannot access gk*lki!0.;N": Input/output error
ls: cannot access _C%&>?1*.o*a: Input/output error
ls: cannot access 5</4p=-;.lea: No such file or directory
ls: cannot access jF(shC;6.ob/: No such file or directory
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!]eN!V2Q.>^:  /gÉik..[b  ?(/@m8pw.34r  ]y805adn..<f  oXQ*i8pg.Nda
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"+c,cb48.9]r  1>iiqfff.4Sr  FNl$j"$Y.T_]  _C%&>?1*.o*a  onvg@avk.fk6
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Eeeh, yup. And that's where it gets dangerous. It thinks it's got the old card mounted but reads data from the new card, write anything to it now and the data on the new card will be seriously damaged.

So don't switch SD cards with the Story HD hooked to USB while the filesystem is mounted. Umount (Windows calls it eject I think) the device properly first.

Without USB connection you can switch SD cards any time you like. If you do it while reading a book it'll kick you out of the book though.

[bluey41]

Thanks Frostschutz for your very comprehensive answer.