Noob requires help please!

Linux Support
1

Hi folks,

I registered on this fine fine forum today to hopefully get some help running a Linux app, please?

I want to try and run this XTVFS Reader download | SourceForge.net , but keep running into problems.

I’m very new to Linux, so don’t really know what I’m doing. I have already got a ‘live’ version of Ubuntu v16.04 running on a laptop and know how to download and extract the files. I understand that it needs to be compiled first. This is where I’m having trouble. What I need is a step-by-step guide.

Would anyone be kind enough to help me out, please? I would be most grateful :slight_smile:

Thanks in advance.

2
  1. It’s over 4 years old.
  2. It has Alpha status. (It runs Alpha, Beta, Release Candidate.)
  3. The person wrote it for themself and asked for others to improve it.

Unless you have a specific and real need of this I would avoid it.

3

Thanks for the reply arochester.

I know it’s old etc., but unless you want to pay £20 for a windows program, it’s the only way to extract old recordings off a SkyHD+ box hard drive.

I have recently ended my Sky TV contract, but there are a few recordings still on the box which I wanted to keep. In case you didn’t know, Sky disable all the recording and playback functions of the box when your contract ends.

So, yes, I have a specific and real need. Any chance of some help, please? :slight_smile:

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I’m not seeing any directly compilable code there (certainly no build instructions or make file) … it looks more like a qtcreator project … maybe it can be built and run with qtcreator.

5

Does this help? TV and Tech » Blog Archive How do I copy recordings from a Sky+ box? | TV and Tech UK

6

Thanks very much for the reply Mark.

I think you are correct, it looks like a qtcreator project to me as well. It’s a shame the author didn’t provide a Readme or Install instructions.

I have no idea how use qtcreator. Is there an easy step-by-step guide anywhere?

It would be great if someone could try and run it for me, just to see if it actually does anything. Anyone bored? :wink:

7

Sadly not, arochester.

A couple of years ago Sky changed the firmware on the SkyHD+ boxes which meant that none of the freely available Windows software was able to read the hard drives correctly.
I have already removed the HDD from the box, but I need the Linux XTVFS reader to be able to copy off a few of the recordings.

Thanks anyway.

8

I wonder if DeVeDe NG would work? Loading...

9

From what I understand, it is not the video files themselves which is the problem, it is the format used on the HDD. Something called XTVFS that can’t be read directly off the disk.

The Linux XTVFS Reader software can do it, apparently.

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Well I installed qtcreator and attempted to load/build the project … but it’s asking me to configure a “kit” for this project, and there’s no information on which “kit”, where to get it, and/or how to configure it for this project … so basically I’m stuck.

Sorry, but qtcreator is completely alien to me.

.

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Thanks very much for trying it Mark, much appreciated.

Pretty much all of Linux is alien to me!

Anyone else have any ideas? :-\

12

I have managed to run & build the project.
When asked for the kit, I had a choice of:
Desktop-GCC (x86 64bit in /usr/bin)
&
Qt 4.8.5 in PATH (System)

so I chose the second option.

If you have nothing listed then you could install them as described here:

Although it runs, I have no way of testing it.

This is on Debian Stretch

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Nice one SeZo … I’ll check it works in *buntu and post any missing instructions (should it be necessary) … TVM :slight_smile:

14

Brilliant guys!

Really appreciate what you’ve done so far. :slight_smile:

Yeah, an idiots guide would be great!

This could help out many other people in the same position as me.

Thanks again.

15

Sorry Xizor, I’ve felt a bit crap for the last couple of days … I’ll try get onto this tonight when I’m on a 16.04 machine.

(only really making this post to boost the topic back to the top of the front page as a reminder)

16

No problem Mark, there is no rush.

I’m trying to have a go at it myself. I’ve managed to install Qt Creator and loaded up the .pro file. It’s now giving me the missing ‘kit’ error and, to be honest, I’m lost now! Don’t really know what I’m doing, I’m concerned that I might do more harm than good.

Cheers :slight_smile:

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Currently I can’t get this to build/run in Ubuntu 16.04 … using the Qt 4.8.7 (that 16.04 comes with), or Qt5, I keep getting these errors/warnings

https://i.imgur.com/Iity6a4.png

I’ll give it a go in Debian Stretch (or maybe MX) as soon as I have time.

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Thanks for trying Mark.

I wish I could help. :-[

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Good news!

I managed to make it work with Ubuntu 18.04 and Qt Creator 5. After many hours and much reading I think my problem was I didn’t have a C++ compiler installed.

I’ve run XTVFS reader and successfully extracted several recordings from my old Sky HD+ box HDD. Result!

Thanks very much for all the help guys. I couldn’t have done it without you, cheers. :smiley:

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Brilliant news Xizor for three reasons…

a) You got what you wanted

b) It may help others

c) but most of all it means I can go all lazy again :wink: