Ok I brought a this DVR with a rs232 port and have been wanting to transfer the saved files from its hard drive,
I then got a rs232 to usb converter, so tried to connect the DVR to my pc (dual boot vista/ubuntu) with no luck on either OS

do I need to mount the hard drive or is there any software that can help retrieve the files?

I installed the driver for the converter on both OS and it was recognised, but I have no idea how to get it to see the DVR's hard drive.

please help me!

DVR: http://www.laskys.com/tv_and_dvd/fre..._tutv2500.html

I've much more Windows experience than linux, so on linux others will be(probably) very better than me. I know Windows will easily know your hardware and it's at most user-friendly(this is how it is to me, maybe because I've been so much with it).

I don't think if your DVR's hard drive is going to show up at all, Windows doesn't show it. I've had the same experience that such device confuses me and at last I understand that there is a setting on the device that tells the device to be acting as a USB device or not. Search on the device for settings named like "USB Storage Device" or "USB Streaming" to turn that on.

If it has a USB interface, it should have such setting. So search carefully, maybe it's named very different than these. After turning that on windows will (if god wants) easily recognize it.

I would not expect that the serial port would be used to transfer files. Look at the manual or post a link where we can download it to see how the serial port functions.

What type of windows software came with the DVR and have you successfully used it with a serial port connection?

There is no standard RS-232 communication protocol so without some clue from the manual it will be difficult to determine the command set.

thanks for the replies, there was no manual just quick installation guide nor software only this driver:

http://www.prolific.com.tw/eng/Products.asp?ID=59

i think i didnt get the software as it was only a cheap cable converter:

http://www.amazon.co.uk/Max-Value-Se...0921272&sr=8-3

within the driver there aren't any setting that I can see to fit your description concerning USB streaming.

any further help is appreciated

i know from tv's serial ports (including usb ports) are used for firmware upgrades...

i would take the hard drive out of the dvr and connect it to the pc (either ide or sata). then hopefully you can mount the device and transfer files...

I was referring to software for the DVR not the USB-serial converter. As suggested the serial port is probably for firmware upgrades or changing configuration of some sort.

The files might be stored on the hard drive in a proprietary format and even if you could mount the drive may not be recognizable.