Dedicated Micros DS2P Problem

[JohnHappy 0]

Just picked up a Dedicated Micros DS2P 16DVD 1.5TB dvr.

 

Plugged it in, hooked it up to my monitor, turned it on and watched the lights begin flashing on the front of the console. I think I heard a beep that did not sound good. I got nothing on my monitor (yes, it was on) and after about 30 seconds all I was left with was a flashing red light under the Camera 9 button. Nothing ever appeared on my monitor. I think the red light is the power LED and from what little I can find about flashing red lights on Digital Sprites, it appears I have a serious problem.

 

I checked the 2 hard drive connections and the CD writer's connection to the motherboard and those were OK. The fans were working fine. Everything looked good inside the box.

 

If you had my situation, where would you start to try to get this dvr fixed?

[JohnHappy 0]

Update to my original posting regarding my DS2P ...

 

I tested the two 750GB, 16MB cache, Seagate hard drives a few minutes ago. Using a tool called "SeaTools for Windows", both drives passed all the tests without an issue. So, the cause of the flashing red light problem lies elsewhere. If the problem is not the drives, what is the second most probable cause of a no boot situation?

 

Also, I did not see any of the bootloader files on the hard drives. They must be stored in another memory location. Given its no boot status, do you think I can successfully connect via a serial connection? I'd like to find out what IP address was assigned to the dvr and look for password details.

 

One of the log files had this entry: "CW0: Host: 04.5 (040) M2IP / Slave: 01.3 (069) C2DM"

 

Numerous log entries included "Restart reason: Unrecognised error code."

 

Since a motherboard replacement is a possibility, I looked for what appeared to be the part number. I think it is M2IPC2.

[adamxp12 0]

Flashing red lights and no monitor output usually does mean a dead motherboard or software issue

Have you tried reloading the firmware on a spare hard drive to see if it will work.

 

replacement motherboards do show up from time to time on ebay

the DS2P has only one model and its the M2IP

a motherboard from a DS2A or DS2 will not work in a DS2P, just a heads up

 

Another thing that could be wrong is the codecs

the codecs are what process the images going in and out of the DVR, on the DS2P they are in riser cards on the motherboard in the bottom left corner, you should check if they are seated correctly in the slots

 

unfortunately I don't have a DS2P to tinker around with so that's all the info I can give

But feel free to ask me questions, as I do know a lot of information on Dedicated Micros equipment

 

Update to my original posting regarding my DS2P ...

 

I tested the two 750GB, 16MB cache, Seagate hard drives a few minutes ago. Using a tool called "SeaTools for Windows", both drives passed all the tests without an issue. So, the cause of the flashing red light problem lies elsewhere. If the problem is not the drives, what is the second most probable cause of a no boot situation?

 

Also, I did not see any of the bootloader files on the hard drives. They must be stored in another memory location. Given its no boot status, do you think I can successfully connect via a serial connection? I'd like to find out what IP address was assigned to the dvr and look for password details.

 

One of the log files had this entry: "CW0: Host: 04.5 (040) M2IP / Slave: 01.3 (069) C2DM"

 

Numerous log entries included "Restart reason: Unrecognised error code."

 

Since a motherboard replacement is a possibility, I looked for what appeared to be the part number. I think it is M2IPC2.

[JohnHappy 0]

Adamxp12, thanks for helping. You might have noticed my other recent postings to the Digital Video Recorders forum. I wish I could have responded quicker buy my granddaughter was admitted to the local hospital's icu ward very early this morning and for the next couple days ... at least ... I'll be spending much of my time near her.

 

I hope you won't mind a bit of background info ... I am the building and grounds guy at a local, small church. Our grounds keeping shed was broken into a few weeks ago so building security rose a few notches on my list of important things to consider. We have four interior dome cameras (non-ptz) and one older SPECO PTZ exterior dome camera. The exterior camera looks over our parking lot and one side of the building, including a view of our sheds. The SPECO camera has a built-in web server and works fine. The dvr/monitor combo we had bit the dust a couple years ago. It's time to replace it but we can't afford new gear. The Dedicated Micros dvr equipment appeared to be a quality product and some of the stuff available on eBay appeared to do what we wanted and it was affordable.

 

Our dvr wish list:

1) Record multiple streams of video.

2) Live video viewable via the Internet via a desktop PC. We still have a few XP boxes available. Does the Internet viewing software work on the 32 bit version of Windows 7?

3) Live video viewable, via NetVu Observer, on existing Android and IOS cell phones.

 

Over the past few weeks I have purchased three Net-Vu Observer capable dvrs, they are:

 

DS2P 16Dvd 1.5T (DM/DS2PD1T5/16)

BX2P DX16C - 64 (DM/BX2P/640)

DS2A DX09C - 160GB (DM/DS2A/160/09)

 

You already know that I have a DS2P and that it won't boot up. It's got the NetVu logo on the front so, when I get it working, I won't need to upgrade the firmware to make it NetVu capable, right?

 

The BX2P and DS2A can each be upgraded to NetVu capable. Documentation says they would be NetVu capable but on a limited basis.

 

I tried to do the firmware upgrade on the DS2A using the instructions found in the firmware upgrade files. I got the dvr halted in bootloader and the new bootloader software loaded but when I got to Step #9 where it says to tap +++ and expect to see an Unregistered> prompt I never saw that prompt. So that dvr is stuck in "halted in bootloader" mode and I don't know what to do next.

 

I hesitated to try the firmware upgrade on the BX2P fearing that I would run into the same problem.

 

In preparation to successfully get the new firmware loaded and working I contacted DM for unlock codes via email but they have not responded. Is there any hope of getting unlock codes for my DS2A and the BX2P? I might want to upgrade the firmware on the DS2P and would probably need an unlock code for that dvr.

 

To answer your question ... No, I have not tried reloading the firmware on a spare hard drive to see if it will work (on the DS2P). I'll have to look around for a spare drive that will work, do some homework and give that a try.

 

I'll check the codecs to see if they are firmly mounted. Do they look like RAM sticks?

 

Again, thanks for your help!

[adamxp12 0]

Adamxp12, thanks for helping. You might have noticed my other recent postings to the Digital Video Recorders forum. I wish I could have responded quicker buy my granddaughter was admitted to the local hospital's icu ward very early this morning and for the next couple days ... at least ... I'll be spending much of my time near her.

 

I hope you won't mind a bit of background info ... I am the building and grounds guy at a local, small church. Our grounds keeping shed was broken into a few weeks ago so building security rose a few notches on my list of important things to consider. We have four interior dome cameras (non-ptz) and one older SPECO PTZ exterior dome camera. The exterior camera looks over our parking lot and one side of the building, including a view of our sheds. The SPECO camera has a built-in web server and works fine. The dvr/monitor combo we had bit the dust a couple years ago. It's time to replace it but we can't afford new gear. The Dedicated Micros dvr equipment appeared to be a quality product and some of the stuff available on eBay appeared to do what we wanted and it was affordable.

 

Our dvr wish list:

1) Record multiple streams of video.

2) Live video viewable via the Internet via a desktop PC. We still have a few XP boxes available. Does the Internet viewing software work on the 32 bit version of Windows 7?

3) Live video viewable, via NetVu Observer, on existing Android and IOS cell phones.

 

Over the past few weeks I have purchased three Net-Vu Observer capable dvrs, they are:

 

DS2P 16Dvd 1.5T (DM/DS2PD1T5/16)

BX2P DX16C - 64 (DM/BX2P/640)

DS2A DX09C - 160GB (DM/DS2A/160/09)

 

You already know that I have a DS2P and that it won't boot up. It's got the NetVu logo on the front so, when I get it working, I won't need to upgrade the firmware to make it NetVu capable, right?

 

The BX2P and DS2A can each be upgraded to NetVu capable. Documentation says they would be NetVu capable but on a limited basis.

 

I tried to do the firmware upgrade on the DS2A using the instructions found in the firmware upgrade files. I got the dvr halted in bootloader and the new bootloader software loaded but when I got to Step #9 where it says to tap +++ and expect to see an Unregistered> prompt I never saw that prompt. So that dvr is stuck in "halted in bootloader" mode and I don't know what to do next.

 

I hesitated to try the firmware upgrade on the BX2P fearing that I would run into the same problem.

 

In preparation to successfully get the new firmware loaded and working I contacted DM for unlock codes via email but they have not responded. Is there any hope of getting unlock codes for my DS2A and the BX2P? I might want to upgrade the firmware on the DS2P and would probably need an unlock code for that dvr.

 

To answer your question ... No, I have not tried reloading the firmware on a spare hard drive to see if it will work (on the DS2P). I'll have to look around for a spare drive that will work, do some homework and give that a try.

 

I'll check the codecs to see if they are firmly mounted. Do they look like RAM sticks?

 

Again, thanks for your help!

 

 

The are actually two models of DS2A

The DVTU and DVTX

these can be identified by a label on the motherboard

The DVTU can not be upgraded to NetVu

despite what the dedicated micros documentation says

I have accidentally fried my DVTU DS2A trying the upgrade thinking the DVTU could be upgraded and dm support told me that the support document was wrong

 

So I would check the motherboard to see if its a DVTU or DVTX

if its a DVTU then its probably no good anymore

if its a DVTX then I cant see why it wouldn't work, Maybe plug a computer in via a null modem cable to the serial 1 jack

and connect with a baud rate of 19200 using a program like putty

when you turn the DVR on you should see it booting up and see where its getting stuck

 

The BX2P can not be upgraded to a NetVu model

only a BX2CA can

I have talked to dedicated micros about this before as I have a BX2P and wanted to update it for NetVu and they said basicly if its not a BX2CA or the latest BX2D it wont run the NetVu software.

 

Never had to contact DM for unlock codes, but then I never have done a NetVu conversion on a (compatible) DVR

You could try calling them and see what they say about your DS2A

How are you connecting to the DS2

Are you using serial or telnet

as I believe the baud rate changes on the serial port when you do the upgrade from 19200baud to 38400baud

 

Yeah they are they look like ram stick only slightly larger

because you have 16 channel the should be 4 or 5 of them

can't remember how many a 16 channel unit should have

 

I would try loading the firmware onto a new drive first

any SATA drive will work

just format it with the fat32 formater tool on the dedicated micros website (important step, if you format it with windows it will not work correctly)

 

just download the firmware for your DS2 (M2IP) from the dedicated micros website

unzip all the 3 zip files onto the hard drive

making sure they are not in their own folder (i.e unzipped to a folder named the same as zip file)

and it should work just fine

and that will tell you if its a motherboard problem or a issue with the software on the other drive

 

Basically

DS2P: Try new firmware and check the codecs are seated correctly

DS2A: Try the new baud rate if using serial, and call dedicated micros for an unlock code

BX2P: Cant be upgraded to NetVu unfortunately

 

Sorry if any of that is a bit too technical

[JohnHappy 0]

A bit of good news this morning regarding the DS2P. I checked the codecs and found them all seated nicely. With the top of the case off the dvr I tried to boot it up again. I was watching the monitor, which did nothing initially, and then watched the solid red and flashing red lights on the front of the console and on the motherboard. At some point I glanced down at the led under the camera 9 button and it was no longer flashing red; it was green. Soon after that my monitor displayed "initializing bootloader." I did not see anything about the bootloader version which was odd as words telling me about the bootloader software version appeared each time when I boot up my other DM dvrs. The monitor screen turned a green color briefly then the words 'initializing application from disk' appeared and then a multi camera view appeared on the monitor. It did not boot up into the first user menu. I was able to get to the three user menus by pressing the 'menu' button and then discovered that an installer password had been set. I tried a few easy to guess 9 digit passwords without any luck. I rebooted the dvr and it did pretty much the same thing. Both times I booted it up it took much longer than I expected to boot up. The flashing red light on the front of the console eventually turned green and it did boot up. It did flash red one or two more times but nothing bad happened after it booted. I wondered if that led light under the camera #9 button also represented the hard drive state ... flashing red when the hard drive was working.

 

Given that I've tested the two hard drives from a hardware perspective and did not find any issues, I'm leaning toward a software problem. Perhaps it's a "little bit" corrupted even though it does eventually complete the boot up process. I'm just guessing. I read somewhere that if the DM DVR has a CD-ROM it might be possible to use it to reload software. I'll do some more reading and eventually I'll get a handle on reloading software and upgrading firmware. Getting an unlock code from DM tech support still remains a mystery.

 

When booting up the DS2P (described above) the monitor told me that the application was being initialized from the disk. Are these files hidden? A couple days ago, when testing the hard drives, I found 8 folders and a couple of files in the root of the system (master) drive. See the uploaded image file. I opened each folder and did not find any files or sub-folders that appeared to contain system files. I was hoping that I might find a file that helped me understand what passwords were set and what the passwords were. Now I know the installer password was set and not easy to guess.

 

I will try reloading the firmware upgrade files on my DS2A. I recall changing the serial connection baud rate at the appropriate time so I don't think that was an issue. Perhaps the second time will be the charm, so to speak. Assuming you opened the firmware upgrade instructions text file I sent you, perhaps you can suggest changes to the instructions that will help me get it done. Is there a better way to do it? Perhaps I did it wrong because the directions are open to misinterpretation; not clear enough.

[adamxp12 0]

A bit of good news this morning regarding the DS2P. I checked the codecs and found them all seated nicely. With the top of the case off the dvr I tried to boot it up again. I was watching the monitor, which did nothing initially, and then watched the solid red and flashing red lights on the front of the console and on the motherboard. At some point I glanced down at the led under the camera 9 button and it was no longer flashing red; it was green. Soon after that my monitor displayed "initializing bootloader." I did not see anything about the bootloader version which was odd as words telling me about the bootloader software version appeared each time when I boot up my other DM dvrs. The monitor screen turned a green color briefly then the words 'initializing application from disk' appeared and then a multi camera view appeared on the monitor. It did not boot up into the first user menu. I was able to get to the three user menus by pressing the 'menu' button and then discovered that an installer password had been set. I tried a few easy to guess 9 digit passwords without any luck. I rebooted the dvr and it did pretty much the same thing. Both times I booted it up it took much longer than I expected to boot up. The flashing red light on the front of the console eventually turned green and it did boot up. It did flash red one or two more times but nothing bad happened after it booted. I wondered if that led light under the camera #9 button also represented the hard drive state ... flashing red when the hard drive was working.

 

Given that I've tested the two hard drives from a hardware perspective and did not find any issues, I'm leaning toward a software problem. Perhaps it's a "little bit" corrupted even though it does eventually complete the boot up process. I'm just guessing. I read somewhere that if the DM DVR has a CD-ROM it might be possible to use it to reload software. I'll do some more reading and eventually I'll get a handle on reloading software and upgrading firmware. Getting an unlock code from DM tech support still remains a mystery.

 

When booting up the DS2P (described above) the monitor told me that the application was being initialized from the disk. Are these files hidden? A couple days ago, when testing the hard drives, I found 8 folders and a couple of files in the root of the system (master) drive. See the uploaded image file. I opened each folder and did not find any files or sub-folders that appeared to contain system files. I was hoping that I might find a file that helped me understand what passwords were set and what the passwords were. Now I know the installer password was set and not easy to guess.

 

I will try reloading the firmware upgrade files on my DS2A. I recall changing the serial connection baud rate at the appropriate time so I don't think that was an issue. Perhaps the second time will be the charm, so to speak. Assuming you opened the firmware upgrade instructions text file I sent you, perhaps you can suggest changes to the instructions that will help me get it done. Is there a better way to do it? Perhaps I did it wrong because the directions are open to misinterpretation; not clear enough.

 

That screenshot is what should be on the hard drive

If you look in them folders for a file called USER.db and delete it, that will reset all passwords on the unit

 

The instructions you sent me seem to be correct but I have never done this procedure as I don't have a DVR capable of being converted to NetVu

What step did you reach before it went wrong

[JohnHappy 0]

Regarding upgrading the firmware on the DS2A, I got to the point in the instructions where I would be "tapping" three plus signs and expecting to see what was described as an Unregistered> prompt. See Step #9. I was definitely in the halted in bootloader mode. I had just changed the serial connection baud rate in Step #8. Perhaps I did not successfully change the baud rate. I'll retry it sometime today.

 

Rather than a c drive prompt, C>, I expected to see Unregistered>.

 

I Googled "unregistered prompt" but found nothing useful. Perhaps I should not be looking for ... Unregistered> ... rather just ... > or ... ?>. I've not heard the term "unregistered prompt" before so I'm taking the instructions at face value and expecting to see ... Unregistered> and then being able to type fdisk in order to format both drives.

 

I'll disconnect the DS2P and install the DS2P system drive in another pc in order to search for the file you mentioned.

 

I am heading to the hospital now to check on my granddaughter. I might not be able to reply for hours.

[adamxp12 0]

Regarding upgrading the firmware on the DS2A, I got to the point in the instructions where I would be "tapping" three plus signs and expecting to see what was described as an Unregistered> prompt. See Step #9. I was definitely in the halted in bootloader mode. I had just changed the serial connection baud rate in Step #8. Perhaps I did not successfully change the baud rate. I'll retry it sometime today.

 

Rather than a c drive prompt, C>, I expected to see Unregistered>.

 

I Googled "unregistered prompt" but found nothing useful. Perhaps I should not be looking for ... Unregistered> ... rather just ... > or ... ?>. I've not heard the term "unregistered prompt" before so I'm taking the instructions at face value and expecting to see ... Unregistered> and then being able to type fdisk in order to format both drives.

 

I'll disconnect the DS2P and install the DS2P system drive in another pc in order to search for the file you mentioned.

 

I am heading to the hospital now to check on my granddaughter. I might not be able to reply for hours.

 

These dvr's are not documented much on the internet so google will rarely yield anything

 

I have reset passwords on many SD and a Eco16 (Basically a DS2P without PTZ controls) using telnet

you login with telnet

you can do this in windows by opening the run dialog then typing "telnet (DVR IP)"

then you run these commands

 

cd /hdd0/etc

del user.db

reset

 

that will delete the user fail and reset the dvr

when the dvr boots up it will have all passwords defaulted

but sometimes the telnet interface will also have a non default password

the default password and username is

Username: dm

Password: telnet

 

So you can try telnet before you go and rip the dvr apart and such

 

your screenshot did not show a etc folder on the hard drive, so maybe your DS2P is running older firmware as all the NetVu dvrs I have come across have a etc folder on the main drive.

[JohnHappy 0]

Regarding the DS2P ...

 

I hooked up both of the DS2P drives to an XP box and looked around the file structures of each, again. I searched each drive for a file name that had 'user' in it. All I found was a software documentation pdf file on the system drive. The folder named 'dbase' on the system drive had one file in it. The extension was .dbf and it contained alarm event data. So, even though, on bootup, the monitor displayed that it was loading the application 'from disk' I didn't see any files that would be helpful to me. There is not a disk in the CD-ROM drive. The system hard drive has one partition and I made sure that XP was not hiding any system files nor any file extensions it was not familiar with.

 

At this point, I'm betting that the files or data I'm looking for are stored in a non-volatile fashion on some kind of flash memory chip. Could they be hidden from me on the drives when trying to find them via Windows Explorer?

 

http://www.google.com/url?sa=t&rct=j&q=&esrc=s&source=web&cd=4&cad=rja&uact=8&ved=0CC8QFjADahUKEwi19fq6rMvHAhVGB5IKHXxKDrM&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.dedicatedmicros.com%2Feurope%2Ffile.php%3Fpath%3D%252Fvar%252Fwww%252Fvhosts%252Fad-group.co.uk%252Fdedicatedmicros.com%252Feurope%252Ffiles%252Fsupport_docs%252Fuk%252Ff2588%26filename%3DDS2PD%2520Programming%2520Training%2520Notes.pdf&ei=LBrgVbWvE8aOyAT8lLmYCw&usg=AFQjCNH8aSulJp2GebT-HZrOFd0ov4vaYA&sig2=hEE9LSy239s08dt-KbxZPw

 

The link, above, takes you to a Dedicated Micros pdf document that states the following:

 

Operating System and Configuration Data in Flashdisk

A large proportion of the DS2 operating system is now held in flash memory rather than the

same hard disk that is used for video recording.

 

The DM document referred to above gives a name to their flash memory 'chip'. It has the word 'disk' in it. This is probably the 'disk' mentioned during the bootup procedure.

 

I would try using telnet to get into the DS2P but, without the installer p/w, I cannot easily determine the IP. I'm betting there is some kind of command, when connected to the dvr using a serial connection, that would display the ip. I'll look into that.

 

Thanks for your patience and for putting up with my DM newbie efforts.

[adamxp12 0]

Regarding the DS2P ...

 

I hooked up both of the DS2P drives to an XP box and looked around the file structures of each, again. I searched each drive for a file name that had 'user' in it. All I found was a software documentation pdf file on the system drive. The folder named 'dbase' on the system drive had one file in it. The extension was .dbf and it contained alarm event data. So, even though, on bootup, the monitor displayed that it was loading the application 'from disk' I didn't see any files that would be helpful to me. There is not a disk in the CD-ROM drive. The system hard drive has one partition and I made sure that XP was not hiding any system files nor any file extensions it was not familiar with.

 

At this point, I'm betting that the files or data I'm looking for are stored in a non-volatile fashion on some kind of flash memory chip. Could they be hidden from me on the drives when trying to find them via Windows Explorer?

 

http://www.google.com/url?sa=t&rct=j&q=&esrc=s&source=web&cd=4&cad=rja&uact=8&ved=0CC8QFjADahUKEwi19fq6rMvHAhVGB5IKHXxKDrM&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.dedicatedmicros.com%2Feurope%2Ffile.php%3Fpath%3D%252Fvar%252Fwww%252Fvhosts%252Fad-group.co.uk%252Fdedicatedmicros.com%252Feurope%252Ffiles%252Fsupport_docs%252Fuk%252Ff2588%26filename%3DDS2PD%2520Programming%2520Training%2520Notes.pdf&ei=LBrgVbWvE8aOyAT8lLmYCw&usg=AFQjCNH8aSulJp2GebT-HZrOFd0ov4vaYA&sig2=hEE9LSy239s08dt-KbxZPw

 

The link, above, takes you to a Dedicated Micros pdf document that states the following:

 

Operating System and Configuration Data in Flashdisk

A large proportion of the DS2 operating system is now held in flash memory rather than the

same hard disk that is used for video recording.

 

The DM document referred to above gives a name to their flash memory 'chip'. It has the word 'disk' in it. This is probably the 'disk' mentioned during the bootup procedure.

 

I would try using telnet to get into the DS2P but, without the installer p/w, I cannot easily determine the IP. I'm betting there is some kind of command, when connected to the dvr using a serial connection, that would display the ip. I'll look into that.

 

Thanks for your patience and for putting up with my DM newbie efforts.

 

You could try putting the dvr into bootloader mode (select shutdown from the menu but hold down camera number 2 instead of number 1)

then connect with serial

wait for it to boot

then do the +++ to get the console

and type Userdef

 

never had to use this on a dvr but the SD and older dvr's seem to store passwords on the hard drive

[JohnHappy 0]

Regarding the DS2P ...

 

I was able to connect to the DS2P via Putty. The 'help' command was useful in getting me to the existing network details. I was able to delete the user.db file but that did not get me any closer to getting me through the installer password.

 

I ended up following the CDROM upgrade directions that can be found by clicking on the following link:

 

https://www.google.com/url?sa=t&rct=j&q=&esrc=s&source=web&cd=1&cad=rja&uact=8&ved=0CB4QFjAAahUKEwi5wLPi_s3HAhVFE5IKHV5wDEI&url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.dedicatedmicros.com%2Fsoftware_release%2Fdownload.php%3Ffile%3D2806&ei=6nzhVbmjDcWmyATe4LGQBA&usg=AFQjCNH1l6ARyGEKmODB3r3kZKiXBHKAdg

 

I choose the 'format all drives' option and after the upgrade finished, I got into all the menus via the front console buttons (where I changed the network configuration) and then took a look at the web page configuration tool available by opening a browser and typing in the static ip of the dvr. It was interesting to note that the DS2P menus did not have the word 'user' or 'installer' on them but I still had to hold down the menu button for a bit to get into the installer menus.

 

The web page based configuration pages were great. Much quicker than using the buttons on the front of the dvr. I discovered the 'save' button in the lower right-hand corner of the web page and noted that the 120 second countdown clock on the 'reset' web page was about 30 to 40 seconds to short in light of the time it takes for my DS2P to reboot.

 

The desktop NetVu Observer software on my Windows 7 Pro (64 bit) pc worked fine. I don't have any cameras hooked up to the dvr yet so using NetVu is not much fun at this point.

 

I am still working on getting the NetVu Observer app on my iPhone to work with my DS2P. I can't seem to get it to authenticate when connecting to the dvr, aka image server. I tried using dm/web as the username/password and the login for a user I created, but neither of those two logins worked within NetVu Observer on my iPhone. I found no useful info in the NetVu Observer iphone app setup manual.

 

Now, onto my DS2A and BX2P and getting them upgraded with the latest software. Will the BX2P's cd-rom drive help me to upgrade it or is it useful only to write video clips for evidence use?

[adamxp12 0]

Regarding the DS2P ...

 

I was able to connect to the DS2P via Putty. The 'help' command was useful in getting me to the existing network details. I was able to delete the user.db file but that did not get me any closer to getting me through the installer password.

 

I ended up following the CDROM upgrade directions that can be found by clicking on the following link:

 

https://www.google.com/url?sa=t&rct=j&q=&esrc=s&source=web&cd=1&cad=rja&uact=8&ved=0CB4QFjAAahUKEwi5wLPi_s3HAhVFE5IKHV5wDEI&url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.dedicatedmicros.com%2Fsoftware_release%2Fdownload.php%3Ffile%3D2806&ei=6nzhVbmjDcWmyATe4LGQBA&usg=AFQjCNH1l6ARyGEKmODB3r3kZKiXBHKAdg

 

I choose the 'format all drives' option and after the upgrade finished, I got into all the menus via the front console buttons (where I changed the network configuration) and then took a look at the web page configuration tool available by opening a browser and typing in the static ip of the dvr. It was interesting to note that the DS2P menus did not have the word 'user' or 'installer' on them but I still had to hold down the menu button for a bit to get into the installer menus.

 

The web page based configuration pages were great. Much quicker than using the buttons on the front of the dvr. I discovered the 'save' button in the lower right-hand corner of the web page and noted that the 120 second countdown clock on the 'reset' web page was about 30 to 40 seconds to short in light of the time it takes for my DS2P to reboot.

 

The desktop NetVu Observer software on my Windows 7 Pro (64 bit) pc worked fine. I don't have any cameras hooked up to the dvr yet so using NetVu is not much fun at this point.

 

I am still working on getting the NetVu Observer app on my iPhone to work with my DS2P. I can't seem to get it to authenticate when connecting to the dvr, aka image server. I tried using dm/web as the username/password and the login for a user I created, but neither of those two logins worked within NetVu Observer on my iPhone. I found no useful info in the NetVu Observer iphone app setup manual.

 

Now, onto my DS2A and BX2P and getting them upgraded with the latest software. Will the BX2P's cd-rom drive help me to upgrade it or is it useful only to write video clips for evidence use?

 

Yeah the CD drive on BX2P is solely for archiving footage

but loading the latest software onto an older BX2 is relatively easy

Just format the C drive using the formatter tool from the dm website

download the latest firmware for your DVR (BX2 DVTX on dm website)

and copy all the contents of that zip file onto the c drive

 

when you boot up the dvr it will automaticily install everything and that would be running the latest software which is partial NetVu

i.e it allows you to view/control in NetVu observer

but it lacks the easy web interface like the DS2P has

 

The iPhone app has been a pain to use

but I find it easy to setup

just put in the ip of your dvr

and the port (usually 80)

 

if you want to access it outside of local network you just forward port 80 to your dvr

and use your external IP in the app

 

that way has always worked for me, but I have only ever used it with SD series DVR's

[JohnHappy 0]

Regarding the BX2P ...

 

Your upgrade instructions for the BX2P seemed simple but ... I'm having some trouble.

 

The upgrade software on the DM site that I think is appropriate is the one shown in the screenshot below. In the DM website product selection drop down window it is listed as the "NetVu Connected BX2 DVTX".

 

 

 

There is a BX2 (DVTX) version available (no mention of NetVu) which is the version that was installed on my dvr ... until I reformatted the C Drive. I don't think that version includes the limited NetVu Observer files.

 

On my first attempt to upgrade I reformatted the C: drive using Fat32, unzipped the three downloaded Zip folders and copied all those folders and files to the dvr's C drive. I put the drive back into the BX2P and turned it on. I saw "Initializing Bootloader" and eventually I saw something about opening a unzip utility and the upgrade process stopped when it could not extract a file called boot.bin.

 

BTW, I did not use the DM Fat32 formatting tool and their suggested HP formatter. I did not have the dvr's C drive attached to my pc via a USB connection. It was installed as a slave drive internally in a Windows XP box. I did use my Windows XP command prompt tool and used the format command. Reformatting the 160GB drive with the FAT 32 file system went off without a hitch.

 

Back to the drawing board ...

 

On my second attempt to upgrade I deleted all the files I had copied to the dvr's C drive on my first upgrade attempt and copied the 3 unzipped zip folders to the dvr's C drive, the three zipped up folders that I downloaded from the DM website. I put the drive back into the BX2P and turned it on. Eventually I saw:

 

Initializing bootloader

The disk check results (apparently my "F" drive has a read/write problem)

Loading application from disk

Halted in bootloader

 

That's where my second upgrade attempt stopped. The bootup / upgrade install process halted in bootloader and that's where it stayed. I gave up after about 10 minutes without any further notifications on the monitor and without seeing any C drive activity.

 

Your instructions told me to "...download the latest firmware for your DVR (BX2 DVTX on dm website)

and copy all the contents of that zip file onto the c drive ..."

 

Your words implied that there was just one zip file to unzip and then copy the unzipped folder and files to the dvr's C drive. Perhaps your previous BX2P upgrade involved installing the previous NetVu version of the software 4.0 (73) which has a zip file referred to as the "... BX2 Full CD Upgrade."

 

Whatever the case, I'm wondering if it remains possible to install the 4.0 (86) version of the software without using a serial connection?

[adamxp12 0]

Regarding the BX2P ...

 

Your upgrade instructions for the BX2P seemed simple but ... I'm having some trouble.

 

The upgrade software on the DM site that I think is appropriate is the one shown in the screenshot below. In the DM website product selection drop down window it is listed as the "NetVu Connected BX2 DVTX".

 

[attachment=0]DM Software Download Screenshot.jpg[/attachment]

 

There is a BX2 (DVTX) version available (no mention of NetVu) which is the version that was installed on my dvr ... until I reformatted the C Drive. I don't think that version includes the limited NetVu Observer files.

 

On my first attempt to upgrade I reformatted the C: drive using Fat32, unzipped the three downloaded Zip folders and copied all those folders and files to the dvr's C drive. I put the drive back into the BX2P and turned it on. I saw "Initializing Bootloader" and eventually I saw something about opening a unzip utility and the upgrade process stopped when it could not extract a file called boot.bin.

 

BTW, I did not use the DM Fat32 formatting tool and their suggested HP formatter. I did not have the dvr's C drive attached to my pc via a USB connection. It was installed as a slave drive internally in a Windows XP box. I did use my Windows XP command prompt tool and used the format command. Reformatting the 160GB drive with the FAT 32 file system went off without a hitch.

 

Back to the drawing board ...

 

On my second attempt to upgrade I deleted all the files I had copied to the dvr's C drive on my first upgrade attempt and copied the 3 unzipped zip folders to the dvr's C drive, the three zipped up folders that I downloaded from the DM website. I put the drive back into the BX2P and turned it on. Eventually I saw:

 

Initializing bootloader

The disk check results (apparently my "F" drive has a read/write problem)

Loading application from disk

Halted in bootloader

 

That's where my second upgrade attempt stopped. The bootup / upgrade install process halted in bootloader and that's where it stayed. I gave up after about 10 minutes without any further notifications on the monitor and without seeing any C drive activity.

 

Your instructions told me to "...download the latest firmware for your DVR (BX2 DVTX on dm website)

and copy all the contents of that zip file onto the c drive ..."

 

Your words implied that there was just one zip file to unzip and then copy the unzipped folder and files to the dvr's C drive. Perhaps your previous BX2P upgrade involved installing the previous NetVu version of the software 4.0 (73) which has a zip file referred to as the "... BX2 Full CD Upgrade."

 

Whatever the case, I'm wondering if it remains possible to install the 4.0 (86) version of the software without using a serial connection?

 

The BX2P can only go up to firmware 3.1 (164)

and the only BX2 that can be converted to NetVu is the BX2CA

and the is the BX2D and BX2DCA which are fully NetVu like the DS2P

 

Confusing naming schemes

 

the BX2P does have the partial NetVu viewing as I can view cameras on my BX2P when using the latest firmware ( 3.1 (164) )

 

http://cctvrepairs.tk/pdf/dedicatedmicros/NetVuCompatibilityReference.pdf

This PDF file shows which DVR's support NetVu and which DVR's have partial NetVu Support and which version they should be running to benefit from the NetVu software

 

I have contacted DM support about my DVR before as the drive did have remains of NetVu software, and they pretty much told me the BX2P cant be upgraded to NetVu and should not be attempted?

But I did not even notice that option on the firmware website, I usually use the BX2 options near the top

I will have to investigate into that, will contact DM support about it, maybe they can enlighten us, as they did tell me it cant be done before

but that would explain why my BX2P drive had NetVu software (non functioning software) when I got it.

 

Last thing we would want is to fry a DVR

I fried a DS2 DVTU trying to upgrade to NetVu, as all the documents from DM said that a DVTU can be upgraded, that is not the case, and it basically killed the motherboard.

that was a fun afternoon

 

was the BX2 working with the NetVu software before you wiped the drive?

[JohnHappy 0]

Regarding the BX2P ...

 

I don't remember if the BX2P was working with NetVu before I started the upgrade process. It might have been.

 

In any case I simply wanted to get the latest firmware version working on it and from what I've read my BX2P (DVTX) qualifies to be upgraded to version 4.0 (86), a NetVu Observer compatible version of the operating system.

 

My BX2P stats:

Model: BX2P DX16C – 640

Pin: DM/BX2P/640

System Software 3.1 (164)-Net (DVTX) (the software version running on the dvr when I bought it)

 

I tried, as described in a previous post, reformatting the dvr's c drive in Fat32 ... no problems with that ... and I tried in a couple ways copying the upgrade folders and files onto the c drive, putting the c drive back into the dvr and turning it on .. hoping it would figure out what I wanted it to do and complete the upgrade. No joy there.

 

I just finished trying to follow the written DM upgrade steps for version 4.0 (86). Drive c was Fat32 formatted, the files I had copied onto it were deleted and I referred to the upgrade instructions found on the DM website. The comments section of the firmware version description on the website told me the following:

 

NetVu Connected upgrade for the BX2 DVTX. Please follow instructions in the NetVu Converter File first followed by the Application and PC Applications. Please note that this release is not suitable for use with the BX2 CA

 

I printed out the file located within the Converter zip folder. The heading on that page stated: Converting a DS2 to a NetVu Connected DS2

 

You can read the instructions I followed via the following link:

 

https://www.google.com/url?sa=t&rct=j&q=&esrc=s&source=web&cd=3&ved=0CC8QFjACahUKEwji7p757NHHAhVCQZIKHb7FDX0&url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.dedicatedmicros.com%2Fsoftware_release%2Fdownload.php%3Ffile%3D484&ei=GYPjVaL-DcKCyQS-i7foBw&usg=AFQjCNEYqeoc4iQHguXKENG4tATu6-zdTw

 

I successfully completed Steps 1 thru 10. I tried Step #11 buy typing 'm\username\XXXX' (I typed BX2 rather than DS2) and I pressed enter. Nothing happened. None of the steps asking me to type something starting with m\ got me any upgrade-related response from the dvr.

 

I skipped to Steps 15 and 16. When the unit rebooted it halted in bootloader. I read that I needed to ftp the other upgrade files onto the dvr.

 

I found upgrade instructions in the other Zipped up folders and followed those directions. I ftp'd files onto the dvr's C drive. I used my serial connection to check the contents of C drive on the dvr. The following screen shot of the output of my Putty serial connection software tells the story:

 

 

 

I thought to myself ... so far so good; except for the calling DM for an unlock code stuff, and I reset the dvr hoping to complete the upgrade. Again, no joy. Even though the upgrade files exist on the dvr'c C drive, upon rebooting (reset command) all it did is halt in bootloader again. I am stuck at halted in bootloader.

 

Before I move onto my next attempt at getting a working BX2P, I thought I'd post this to see if someone can help me get the upgrade to 4.0 (86) done. If not, I will try to get it going again by installing the software that was running when I got the dvr. The software the BX2P's came with from the factory.

[adamxp12 0]

Regarding the BX2P ...

 

I don't remember if the BX2P was working with NetVu before I started the upgrade process. It might have been.

 

In any case I simply wanted to get the latest firmware version working on it and from what I've read my BX2P (DVTX) qualifies to be upgraded to version 4.0 (86), a NetVu Observer compatible version of the operating system.

 

My BX2P stats:

Model: BX2P DX16C – 640

Pin: DM/BX2P/640

System Software 3.1 (164)-Net (DVTX) (the software version running on the dvr when I bought it)

 

I tried, as described in a previous post, reformatting the dvr's c drive in Fat32 ... no problems with that ... and I tried in a couple ways copying the upgrade folders and files onto the c drive, putting the c drive back into the dvr and turning it on .. hoping it would figure out what I wanted it to do and complete the upgrade. No joy there.

 

I just finished trying to follow the written DM upgrade steps for version 4.0 (86). Drive c was Fat32 formatted, the files I had copied onto it were deleted and I referred to the upgrade instructions found on the DM website. The comments section of the firmware version description on the website told me the following:

 

NetVu Connected upgrade for the BX2 DVTX. Please follow instructions in the NetVu Converter File first followed by the Application and PC Applications. Please note that this release is not suitable for use with the BX2 CA

 

I printed out the file located within the Converter zip folder. The heading on that page stated: Converting a DS2 to a NetVu Connected DS2

 

You can read the instructions I followed via the following link:

 

https://www.google.com/url?sa=t&rct=j&q=&esrc=s&source=web&cd=3&ved=0CC8QFjACahUKEwji7p757NHHAhVCQZIKHb7FDX0&url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.dedicatedmicros.com%2Fsoftware_release%2Fdownload.php%3Ffile%3D484&ei=GYPjVaL-DcKCyQS-i7foBw&usg=AFQjCNEYqeoc4iQHguXKENG4tATu6-zdTw

 

I successfully completed Steps 1 thru 10. I tried Step #11 buy typing 'm\username\XXXX' (I typed BX2 rather than DS2) and I pressed enter. Nothing happened. None of the steps asking me to type something starting with m\ got me any upgrade-related response from the dvr.

 

I skipped to Steps 15 and 16. When the unit rebooted it halted in bootloader. I read that I needed to ftp the other upgrade files onto the dvr.

 

I found upgrade instructions in the other Zipped up folders and followed those directions. I ftp'd files onto the dvr's C drive. I used my serial connection to check the contents of C drive on the dvr. The following screen shot of the output of my Putty serial connection software tells the story:

 

[attachment=0]Content C Drive After FTP Upgrade Upload.jpg[/attachment]

 

I thought to myself ... so far so good; except for the calling DM for an unlock code stuff, and I reset the dvr hoping to complete the upgrade. Again, no joy. Even though the upgrade files exist on the dvr'c C drive, upon rebooting (reset command) all it did is halt in bootloader again. I am stuck at halted in bootloader.

 

Before I move onto my next attempt at getting a working BX2P, I thought I'd post this to see if someone can help me get the upgrade to 4.0 (86) done. If not, I will try to get it going again by installing the software that was running when I got the dvr. The software the BX2P's came with from the factory.

 

Okay it looks like it does support NetVu despite what one dm rep told me a year ago

the steps that start with m\

must have an esc key before the m

so you would press the esc key then type m\username\BX2

when you press the escape key you will prob get some weird character, that is normal

when you press enter it should just reply back with OK

like this http://prntscr.com/8asme7

 

The NetVu software does not automatically unzip the files like the older pre NetVu software, your best bet is to unzip them at the serial or telnet console, this is easy as typing unzip c:/(zip file) c:/

that's just a guess on the command as I only have one dvr running NetVu software and its an SD and they don't use drive letters but if you have some experience with command lines you should be able to figure out the correct command for a BX2

 

The dm website defiantly has the downloads for adding full NetVu to that DVR (despite being named wrong, should be called "BX2 (DVTX) NetVu Connected" but they must of named it wrong as its not in the BX2 part of menu

I may have to do the upgrade to my BX2P

[JohnHappy 0]

Regarding the BX2P ...

 

I made some progress, I hope, on the upgrade to version 4.0 (86)

 

I used the serial connection to get the existing network details ... the IP of the dvr ... and then connected to the dvr using telnet. I had to get the ip because during the previous incomplete upgrade attempts, I noticed that the DM upgrade routine/program changed the dvr ip and gateway ip. I saw this during my look at the upgrade progress via a serial connection.

 

I mentioned in my previous post that I had ftp'd three zipped up folders onto the c drive as I followed the BX2P upgrade instructions. I unzipped them using the unzip command to c drive. Once that was done ... I checked the c drive directory to see the new file structure and I reset the dvr.

 

I saw 'initializing bootloader' and then some good stuff appeared:

 

Erasing ............ Erased

Programming ... Completed

Verifying.......... Verified

Flash successful

 

Loading application from disk

 

That's reason enough to say I was on the right road, right?

 

Well, I gave the process one and one half hours, thinking that since there were 4 drives (3 working drives, drive f failed) perhaps there was some large-drive, not quick formatting going on and other stuff taking a long, long time. I decided to reset the dvr using my serial connection and I saw nothing change on the monitor although the dvr was obviously resetting according to the data flying by on my serial connection. The text on the monitor continued to let me believe that the app was loading from disk. I turned the dvr off, waited a bit, and then back on and no text appeared on the monitor although I saw lots of data flowing on the pc connected to the dvr via a serial cable. Not so good. Obviously, the software was having trouble getting a signal to my monitor that presented something like words. Perhaps the trouble with the video output is a sign of a 'fried' motherboard but I'm not going to give up yet.

 

I did noticed a few bits of data via the serial connection that were of interest. I saw something about drive 0 not having the proper FAT32 format. I also saw the trouble with drive F. The program tried and tried to get the 'user interface' working but did not succeed as far as I could tell. Lots of serial connection lines of data about attempting to do something with the user interface. Perhaps the video signal to the monitor trouble and the user interface issue are related

 

It was getting late so I decided to address the potential wrong Fat32 format issue on drive 0 by using the serial connection format command on the three working drives. That, of course, removed the unzipped files and folders that I had ftp'd to and unzipped on c drive. I am going to try it all over again after I get a replacement hard drive for drive f. I don't expect to have any drive format issues since I let the DM program do that itself. I ordered the replacement drive over the Internet. It's going to be awhile before I post something else about the BX2P.

 

I also have a DS2A (DVTX) which is stuck in 'halted in bootloader' mode based on an incomplete or incorrect upgrade attempt. Perhaps once I get the BX2P dvr upgrade figured out I will be able to easily get the halted DS2A (DVTX) working.

[adamxp12 0]

Regarding the BX2P ...

 

I made some progress, I hope, on the upgrade to version 4.0 (86)

 

I used the serial connection to get the existing network details ... the IP of the dvr ... and then connected to the dvr using telnet. I had to get the ip because during the previous incomplete upgrade attempts, I noticed that the DM upgrade routine/program changed the dvr ip and gateway ip. I saw this during my look at the upgrade progress via a serial connection.

 

I mentioned in my previous post that I had ftp'd three zipped up folders onto the c drive as I followed the BX2P upgrade instructions. I unzipped them using the unzip command to c drive. Once that was done ... I checked the c drive directory to see the new file structure and I reset the dvr.

 

I saw 'initializing bootloader' and then some good stuff appeared:

 

Erasing ............ Erased

Programming ... Completed

Verifying.......... Verified

Flash successful

 

Loading application from disk

 

That's reason enough to say I was on the right road, right?

 

Well, I gave the process one and one half hours, thinking that since there were 4 drives (3 working drives, drive f failed) perhaps there was some large-drive, not quick formatting going on and other stuff taking a long, long time. I decided to reset the dvr using my serial connection and I saw nothing change on the monitor although the dvr was obviously resetting according to the data flying by on my serial connection. The text on the monitor continued to let me believe that the app was loading from disk. I turned the dvr off, waited a bit, and then back on and no text appeared on the monitor although I saw lots of data flowing on the pc connected to the dvr via a serial cable. Not so good. Obviously, the software was having trouble getting a signal to my monitor that presented something like words. Perhaps the trouble with the video output is a sign of a 'fried' motherboard but I'm not going to give up yet.

 

I did noticed a few bits of data via the serial connection that were of interest. I saw something about drive 0 not having the proper FAT32 format. I also saw the trouble with drive F. The program tried and tried to get the 'user interface' working but did not succeed as far as I could tell. Lots of serial connection lines of data about attempting to do something with the user interface. Perhaps the video signal to the monitor trouble and the user interface issue are related

 

It was getting late so I decided to address the potential wrong Fat32 format issue on drive 0 by using the serial connection format command on the three working drives. That, of course, removed the unzipped files and folders that I had ftp'd to and unzipped on c drive. I am going to try it all over again after I get a replacement hard drive for drive f. I don't expect to have any drive format issues since I let the DM program do that itself. I ordered the replacement drive over the Internet. It's going to be awhile before I post something else about the BX2P.

 

I also have a DS2A (DVTX) which is stuck in 'halted in bootloader' mode based on an incomplete or incorrect upgrade attempt. Perhaps once I get the BX2P dvr upgrade figured out I will be able to easily get the halted DS2A (DVTX) working.

 

You can try removing the other drives and just have the C drive, it will work just fine with only a C drive installed, I have seen computers totally lock up due to a hard drive failing so it may be giving you issues,

 

maybe save the log from serial and pastebin it so I can see whats happening

[JohnHappy 0]

After a some private messages with Adamxp12, calling and emailing Dedicated Micros USA tech support and some more Googling for answers, I got each of the following dvrs upgraded to the latest available firmware / software. In each case it was the NetVu Observer capable version of the software.

 

DS2P 16Dvd 1.5T (DM/DS2PD1T5/16)

BX2P DX16C - 64 (DM/BX2P/640)

DS2A DX09C - 160GB (DM/DS2A/160/09)

 

Regarding the password trouble that can present a large problem to those who purchase their used dvr off of ebay, I did not have too much trouble. In one case the dvr came with the user and installer passwords disabled. Another came to me with the installer password set. I guessed what it was ... "999999999". Lucky guess. As I recall the third got to me with the installer password set as well. It was the dvr that I could upgrade using the dvr's cd drive. I think I had to use a serial connection (via Putty) and use the 'ipcfg' command to find out what the network ip configuration was and I used the dvr's cd-rom drive to do the upgrade. The upgrade caused the dvr to reset its passwords to the default settings and then I had no trouble with passwords.

 

If you need an unlock code to make the software work correctly with the DVR, like I did, it's best to call and speak with a tech support person first and email the syscode and username to that person. An email response with the unlock code might take a few business days but it will get to you. At least that was my experience. Before I had installed the unlock code I had successfully installed the upgrade software for the DS2A and could configure it via the web pages served by the dvr but I could not see a camera image on my monitor nor could I see/use the user and installer menus. I 'installed' the unlock code via a telnet session and reset the dvr. After the reset I could see my live camera image on my monitor and rather than seeing an 'unregistered>" prompt during a serial or telnet session I got a "DS2 DVR>" prompt ... I no longer had an unregistered version of the NetVu capable software. The user and installer menus selectable via the front panel buttons were now visible and working.

 

The 'username' that DM needs to generate an unlock code may not be what you would expect. I thought it might be one of the default usernames preconfigured on the dvr to access a configuration menu. It's not. To put it in simple terms, it the name, usually the default name, given to the dvr. It is usually "DS2" or "BX2". The username can be queried and/or set via a telnet or serial session (connection to the dvr).

 

A few more tips; assuming you know the dvr's ip (like 192.168.0.2), sometimes with the help of a router you know how to configure, you can connect to the dvr and configure it using telnet (username = dm and password = telnet). You don't need the ip to connect via a serial connection. You have the same configuration choices using either method. Using the ip you can also use an ftp client to connect to the dvr to transfer the upgrade files to the dvr. You can also take the drive out of the dvr, make sure that drive is set up as a slave drive, and install it in a desktop computer and upload the upgrade files to the drive that way. Once the zipped up folders are installed on the drive you can use the unzip command (telnet, serial) to unzip the uploaded folders. Within those folders are a few more folders that must be unzipped. In my case they were the MainDvtx.zip, web.zip, and PCApps.zip folders. Unzip these zip folders to get your dvr working correctly. In each dvr upgrade situation I unzipped the zip files

into the root on c drive.

 

If you're wondering which older DM dvr model to buy, look for one that has DVTX on the motherboard, or something newer, and look for one that has a built-in CD ROM drive in it. Note: some dvrs are set up to use their CD drive only to record video clips onto disk and not to use during an upgrade process. Get a dvr that can use its CD drive for upgrading the dvr. One of the three dvrs I upgraded had a cd drive that could be used during an upgrade and, from experience, I can tell that doing an upgrade using the CD drive was much easier. If you don't want to go to the trouble to upgrade your older DM dvr to NetVu Observer capable software (not all older dvrs can be upgraded to work with NetVu Observer) you will need to rely on the web-based software that the dvr serves in order to see camera images via the Internet. These older dvr's like to play with Windows XP. They do not like 64 bit software. They might play nicely with Windows Vista but I'm not sure about that. I also don't know if they work well with the 32 bit version of Windows 7.

 

Also, do not despair if the steps you take do not initially produce the result you want or produce the results you were supposed to get according to directions you hoped you were following correctly. I got into a few unexpected situations during each of the three upgrades. In one situation I was pretty sure I had damaged the motherboard to the point it had become unusable. Fortunately, I found some help and with some perseverance it all worked out. It appears that DM makes a pretty sturdy product.

 

I'm still having trouble getting the NetVu Observer app for my iPhone 6 to play nicely with each of the dvrs. I don't have any trouble opening NetVu Observer on my Windows 7 (64 bit) computer and connecting to any of the three dvrs BUT the only dvr I've successfully connected to using my IPhone and its NetVu Observer app is the DS2A. Hopefully, this mystery will be solved soon. I need some help getting this done.

[adamxp12 0]

In response the app

I would try it locally before you try getting it working outside the network

 

if you just put the ip and web port (80) of the dvr in and leave everything at default it should auto detect settings

leave username and password blank if you do not have a remote user setup

if you need a password to use NetVu observer on pc then obviously use it

otherwise leave blank

I HIGHLY recommend you create a remote user as this will prevent any one connecting without a password

 

 

then to get it working outside the network you just port forward the correct ports (can be found in one of the settings page on the webpage)

at least the web port and telemetry port (if you want ptz outside network)

 

i got the app working with my SD but that's a newer generation of DVR so has a different menu system and such.

 

I have had the app working on a DVR running NetVu compatible software (not converted) so it should work fine with a converted unit