Will pay, im stupid! DREAMBOX ruined my life!

[loose_cannon26]

Please please please somebody help me.
My father in Law (who is Maltese and a bit of a dreamer) decided to buy a Dreambox 7000, but has no IT skills what so ever. I on the other hand have never owned a Satelite dish and have never taken much interest in it, but have pretty strong IT skills (Unix, Linux etc). He seems to think I am able to download all the files he needs (he has a Magic CAM on his Echostar box) and play every TV channel in the world. After a month of him going on after I had pointed out that I don't have a clue about satelites, I got connected up to the box with his new PC (banging my head against the wall at this point) set up Smart FTP and telneted onto the dreambox. Problem is I don't have a clue what sort of files (he has hundreds on a CD now, he got them from a bloke at work) go where, what configuration changes need to be made etc etc (I can't beleive he pinned all his hopes on me). I live in Kent, him in Essex and really need some help (I don't know what a soft key is or anything). Am prepared to pay someone for help as the whole situation is doing my head in!
Begging anyone with a kind heart.
Matt
loose_cannon26@hotmail.com

 

[Jaffer]

I thought I was the only one incapable of handling a Dreambox. It seem there are many like me here. I bought one and spent whole weekend breaking my head and could not even get it started. First thing in Monday morning, I returned it losing 20% of purchasing price. I fail to understand why the company sell a product which is not user friendly. I believe from my understanding, every one will buy a Dreambox if it is simple to handle.

 

[Rob]

Hi Matt,
If you are willing to pay why not get a satellite installer to put it in for you.
No headache's that way, but of course your pocket will be a little bit lighter.
Just check for an installer in your local paper, and check that he know's about DB.

 

[loose_cannon26]

I see you live in South Essex, anywhere near Rainham? : )
I really want to pay to learn, not for someone to do it. How do you see yourself as a teacher?

Hi Matt,
If you are willing to pay why not get a satellite installer to put it in for you.
No headache's that way, but of course your pocket will be a little bit lighter.
Just check for an installer in your local paper, and check that he know's about DB.

 

[BonceChops]

I bet not many satellite dealers know much about Dreamboxes.
Or if they do they probably don't want to install them. There is no money to be made afterwards - no cards to sell and program and no new cam's needed every few months.

The Dreambox is a superb receiver and works perfectly from new without much setting up - only the same as most 'normal' receivers.

No satellite receiver sold today works perfectly - if they did why would the manufacturer release software updates for them?

The fun starts when you want to install other software images to do the 'interesting' stuff.

Images like I use by The_Hydra are not standard. They have improvements and additions and yes faults in them. Just like the many cams and cards people spend a lot of money on to achieve similar viewing.

My wife says to me "are you messing with that box again? Why don't you send it back if it dosn't work properly?" and I have to explain that it works perfectly with the original software in but I want it for the extra stuff, so I have to put up with the little 'teething' problems.

@Jaffer - its a shame you sent back the Dreambox - you wont find a better receiver for flexibility for getting almost all the channels open at the moment ( not until the Dreambox 7020 is out that is )

Neil.

 

[BonceChops]

Oops I am ranting on again.

 

[gameboy]

Rant on BonceChops - very interesting.

Does anyone have a preference as to which image to use?

 

[loose_cannon26]

Installing other images is the bit I want to learn, and what sort of files (have been on GOZOJOEs) do I put in what directories. If someone could say you are looking for a ********.XXX file to put in the /TMP directory and then vi ******.xxx file or CHMOD 777 it. I hope someone understands what im getting at. I think i am going to cry

I bet not many satellite dealers know much about Dreamboxes.
Or if they do they probably don't want to install them. There is no money to be made afterwards - no cards to sell and program and no new cam's needed every few months.

The Dreambox is a superb receiver and works perfectly from new without much setting up - only the same as most 'normal' receivers.

No satellite receiver sold today works perfectly - if they did why would the manufacturer release software updates for them?

The fun starts when you want to install other software images to do the 'interesting' stuff.

Images like I use by The_Hydra are not standard. They have improvements and additions and yes faults in them. Just like the many cams and cards people spend a lot of money on to achieve similar viewing.

My wife says to me "are you messing with that box again? Why don't you send it back if it dosn't work properly?" and I have to explain that it works perfectly with the original software in but I want it for the extra stuff, so I have to put up with the little 'teething' problems.

@Jaffer - its a shame you sent back the Dreambox - you wont find a better receiver for flexibility for getting almost all the channels open at the moment ( not until the Dreambox 7020 is out that is )

Neil.

 

[loose_cannon26]

The Dreambox works a treat, can watch TV but want to be able to watch all the other channels I can't at the moment.

Installing other images is the bit I want to learn, and what sort of files (have been on GOZOJOEs) do I put in what directories. If someone could say you are looking for a ********.XXX file to put in the /TMP directory and then vi ******.xxx file or CHMOD 777 it. I hope someone understands what im getting at. I think i am going to cry

 

[Rob]

I see you live in South Essex, anywhere near Rainham? : )
I really want to pay to learn, not for someone to do it. How do you see yourself as a teacher?

Not to far away from Rainham as it happens but I'm afraid I'm no teacher, wish I was.
As for the Dreambox I do not have one (maybe in the future) so I would not be of much help I'm afraid.
I see from your last post that you have got it going, now you have to look at the posts about Dreambox to get it working properly.
Had to do the same sort of thing to get my Force receiver working to it's full capacity, and it does take some time.
Best of Luck.

P.S Is there a website for this receiver ?

 

[BGonaSTICK]

The Dreambox works a treat, can watch TV but want to be able to watch all the other channels I can't at the moment.

Ahhh, I see! All becomes clear!

You started this thread with a suicidal rant, now it turns out you just want to play like the rest of us!

Read the idiots guide at the top of this section. Then find a good image on the net (plenty of folks around here will recommend one for you).

Follow the hints in the guide to flash the new image onto the box, and 95% of the work is done.

Images come in different flavours, but all have some (ahem...) 'addittional files'.

They range from a few simple bolt-ons to a completely over-the-top custom jobbie.

I think the best way to start is to go for an all-singing-all-dancing image like the Hydra Atlantis 1.08 Final to learn where the files go etc, then get a basic one and build it up yourself.

You'll get all the help you need here. We're very patient. Unless we decide you're stupid! LOL

 

[loose_cannon26]

Sorry about my tone the other day, was not having a good time at work. So Thanks to everyone for the help. I have now flashed the Hydra Atlantis Image onto the box, and it all went to plan.
I doen loaded some files from GozoJoes (image and a few other files).
I am unable to get S*y I*alia though.
Still having a few problems with which files go where. To the extent that I have filed up the space and couldn't do anything anymore.
I know most the files go in /var/keys and /var/scce (I hope). When I have copied the files into the directories I am 'chmod 777 *' them but I cant see what it is doing.
With the files I have downloaded there comes all sorts of other files. So could anyone please tell me what files extensions get put in what directory and am I doing correctly buy 'chmod 777 *' them?
Thanks in advance and I hope you don't think I am a idiot. As I said before this is not my Dreambox but I am feeling rather compelled towards buying one and telling Telewest to stick it up the arse.

Ahhh, I see! All becomes clear!

You started this thread with a suicidal rant, now it turns out you just want to play like the rest of us!

Read the idiots guide at the top of this section. Then find a good image on the net (plenty of folks around here will recommend one for you).

Follow the hints in the guide to flash the new image onto the box, and 95% of the work is done.

Images come in different flavours, but all have some (ahem...) 'addittional files'.

They range from a few simple bolt-ons to a completely over-the-top custom jobbie.

I think the best way to start is to go for an all-singing-all-dancing image like the Hydra Atlantis 1.08 Final to learn where the files go etc, then get a basic one and build it up yourself.

You'll get all the help you need here. We're very patient. Unless we decide you're stupid! LOL

 

[djlemur]

...am I doing correctly buy 'chmod 777 *' them?

chmod is a little linux/unix utility that sets the access permissions for a file.
In *nix there are three basic permissions read(4), write(2) and execute(1), that can be applied to each file system object for user, group and other accesses.
The permissions are added together thus 7= read + write + execute.
So when you type 'chmod 777 filename' this means that any user, group or other user can read, write or execute the content of the file.
For the DreamBox data files are marked with read+write (666) and executables with read+write+execute (777).

When a file is copied on a *nix system, it typically loses the execute permission as a security safeguard. This is why you have to add it back when you have updated a CAM, etc.

Hope this doesn't confuse the issue any further!