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View Full Version : Dane-Elec CF upgrade for lifedrive


kshowtime
03-26-2008, 09:54 AM
I hate to start a thread for a specific branded card, but I'm reading mixed results, and I'm having trouble, so I'm hoping that someone can help me.

I bought the Dane-Elec from Adorama using the link from the working cards link in the Wiki page like others have. I'm using DD in Linux and can write almost the entire image and then run out of room for the last 20 meg. My CHS is something like 1024,128,63 like:

Hi,

I'm on my second CF card without success. I have the Sandisk Extreme III SDCFX3-4096-901 (Circuit City) and the Dane-Elec 4GB (Adorama link from wiki) and have not been able to revive my LifeDrive.

I was not able to image from my MD as it failed on me last year (the clicking death) and I finally decided to try this to see if I could bring the LD back. I'm building the image from the V2.0 update and I believe that I have followed the instructions properly. I built the image on my Windows partition and then used my Linux partition for the transfer to the CF. I'm using a USB CF reader rather than IDE.

Each card boots to the PALMOne screen and then stops. I've tried hard resets, pulling the battery and other suggestions that I've found without any success.

One odd thing I see is that the CHS for each card is showing values like 1024,128,63. Is this due to the USB reader or are both of my cards wrong?? I specifically choose cards that I had read people had success with.

Is there any way to use an IDE reader with a laptop as that is the only PC I have?

Thanks
Jeff

Jeff was using an image that he was creating, and I'm using an image from my MD.



Now this user was able to transfer the image from his MD, but it didn't work

Compact flash drives don't work in my Lifedrive. I created an image from the original Microdrive onto a new Patriot CF. This was done on a mac and worked fine. However, the Lifedrive can't boot from the CF. It boots fine from the MD. I even bought another CF [Dane-elec]. The image transfer again worked fine but LD simply can't boot from either CF no matter how long I leave the battery unplugged.

Next I bought a new MicroDrive. I re-created an image from the Dane-Elec compact flash card, NOT the original MD, then transfered it to the new MD. It boots up fine.

There's obviously an issue with my CFs, both of which are on the "approved" list. If anyone has any clues, let me know. Thanks.

So, I'm thinking his CF must have been a different size than mine and Jeff's since he says the image transfer worked fine.



This user used the Dane-Elec and had success. I wonder what the specs of his card are? I guess they must be different than mine. Could Adorama be shipping some fake cards, and how would one know?

Success!! Hey folks. I've been lurking here for a long time, but this is my first post. After an incompatible CF reader, failed hackndev method, countless hours of agonizing, etc.... I've managed to upgrade my LifeDrive to a LifeFlash, by imaging the microdrive using DD for windows, a dissasembled USB microdrive (called a Gigabank) to use it as a CF reader, and the Dane-Elec CF card purchased directly through the link on the Wiki. (it was the cheapest one out there as far as I could tell) I threw in the battery from ipods99.com as well, to combat intermittent battery issues. As I actually have two LifeDrives (only one had a working microdrive) I was able to put the working microdrive into the other lifedrive, so I now have a working LifeFlash and a working LifeDrive, apparently clones. Any issues anticipated with having the "wrong" microdrive in the Lifedrive?

dmitrygr
03-26-2008, 10:13 AM
just wait for this app: http://www.1src.com/forums/showthread.php?p=1038942#post1038942

kshowtime
03-26-2008, 10:21 AM
just wait for this app: http://www.1src.com/forums/showthread.php?p=1038942#post1038942

Dmitrygr, thanks. As you can imagine, I've been eagerly reading about your work. Amazing! It's just that I'm trying to understand what's going on with these cards. I hate to think that I (and others) bought a counterfeit card and they are getting away with it. I was hoping to get this working and then buy your app when I upgrade to 32 gig.

dmitrygr
03-26-2008, 11:00 AM
dane-elec work fine. i had one in my LD for a while. if yours does not, and you did te procedure well - it's not the dane-elec we all used. could be a newer model even.

kshowtime
04-01-2008, 08:10 AM
Dmitry's app, PowerDrive works perfectly on this card!