Hard Drive Error After Home 2 Update

[spider362]

Hi all,

I'm receiving the following error (see images below) when I launch Home 2 after allowing an update this morning. The drive H shown in the images do not exist on my computer.

I'm sorry to report I don't know what the update was since I just went ahead and allowed it without question.

The error starts when I start the computer and will not stop until I unload the TomTom monitor that is loaded in the background at computer startup.

To get around the problem I've had to tell Home 2 to NOT start TomTom Home automatically when I connect my device to my computer. However, once I start Home 2 the error reappears until I close Home again.

Any ideas as to what's going on?

 

[dhn]

Just for the heck of it ...........

1. Download the freeware version of Revo Uninstaller from here:
http://download.cnet.com/Revo-Uninstaller/3000-2096_4-10687648.html

2. Completely uninstall Home 2.

3. Get a fresh copy at tomtom.com/home and install

See if there is an improvement.

----------------------------------------------------------

Also, (not sure about this), if you go to Device Manager-->computer management, is there a 'refresh' button to redo the drive letters for various removable drives?

 

[spider362]

Downloaded the removal software. Will install and remove Home, but it will have to be done later.

Will also look for the 'refresh' button in computer management.

I'll post back with the results.

Thanks.

 

[auscam]

I have the exact same problem and have done as suggested with revo. I have another uninstaller tool but went with the suggested. Well I still have the same problem.

When I run Home the "pqservice" window opens and then I have the same symptoms as mentioned above again. From what I have managed to find regarding the "pqservice" it is something to do with recovery and it seems to be attributed to the "ACER" brand of PC. Mine is an ACER.

 

[spider362]

Interesting...

My computer is not an ACER but a house brand, however, it could have been built by ACER.

My monitor, though, is an ACER, but I didn't install any software when I recently put it on the computer.

 

[auscam]

It would appear that you and I are very unique, in that we are the only ones suffering with this issue att. Was your unit attached when you upgraded to 2.9? Mine was

 

[spider362]

Yes it was attached.

TomTom Home had just loaded and then a message came up telling me there was an update required. I installed it and then the trouble started.

 

[canderson]

@spider362

Please advise ... before you started this update, were you always able to see the "RECOVERY (H" partition along with your other driver letters? Or did that become visible only after the update attempt?

Your recovery partition has become 'unhidden', and it would be good to know how this happened. If you can see it, so can Home.

 

[spider362]

I have never before seen a "RECOVERY" partition on my computer before the update.

If drive "H" is the standard partition for the RECOVERY then other devices shouldn't be able to use that drive letter, but I have USB devices such as my camcorder, MP3 player, and others that do use "H".

Right now I have FreeCommander launched and have it set to show hidden files, folders, and drives and with no external devices attached to the computer drive "H" is not showing. Actually no drive defined as RECOVERY is showing.

 

[auscam]

I too had never seen the recovery or "pqservice" until the 2.9 update. Mine has called itself "G" which is what every other usb device is called if attached.

 

[canderson]

Hang tight guys... we have escalated this to someone that sometimes helps us with this sort of thing. Let's see if we can get a response there.

 

[auscam]

Thanks very much mate

 

[spider362]

Thanks canderson, you're the greatest...

 

[canderson]

Wait to see if we get any results before you start handing out cigars! I do have hopes that someone can sort this, but without an Acer in hand to replicate the problem, it could be tough. The idea that any application could magically 'un-hide' a recovery partition is bizarre all in itself. Even for an end user to do this intentionally to blow away the partition to free up space on the HD, it's not a trivial exercise, and requires several steps.

Also, as you've noted, this isn't something we're hearing about across a wide spectrum of users. Just 2 so far here, and I haven't seen other users elsewhere commenting on it .. yet. Then again, this is likely something we'll hear more about as people start connecting up for map updates, etc.

 

[- et -]

Wait to see if we get any results before you start handing out cigars! I do have hopes that someone can sort this, but without an Acer in hand to replicate the problem, it could be tough.

I happen to have an Acer Aspire netbook. As soon as I can find the time, I'll see if I can duplicate the problem.

No guarantee that I will be successful - and if I am not, the results may not prove anything. The netbook came with Windows 7 Home installed, but right after I got it my son blew that away and installed Windows 7 Ultimate - to facilitate using it with our home network and give it some capabilities that were missing. Accordingly, my Acer netbook may not be representative of Acer products in general.

With best wishes,
- Tom -

 

[spider362]

Wait to see if we get any results before you start handing out cigars! I do have hopes that someone can sort this, but without an Acer in hand to replicate the problem, it could be tough. The idea that any application could magically 'un-hide' a recovery partition is bizarre all in itself. Even for an end user to do this intentionally to blow away the partition to free up space on the HD, it's not a trivial exercise, and requires several steps.

Also, as you've noted, this isn't something we're hearing about across a wide spectrum of users. Just 2 so far here, and I haven't seen other users elsewhere commenting on it .. yet. Then again, this is likely something we'll hear more about as people start connecting up for map updates, etc.

At least you're looking into it. That's what counts.

 

[canderson]

If your unit has a recovery partition built-in and your son hasn't laid waste to it to increase your drive space, we should be able to get some good info from it. The netbooks usually had no internal drive support, and were nearly 100% assured to have come with the recovery partition.

Before you fire up the new Home install, see if you can determine if there's already a recovery partition. 99% yes, but...

Bring up a DOS box.
type "diskpart"
type "list disk" [You should only see one (0)]
type "select disk 0" [Just to be sure]
type "list partition"

Tell us what you see.

 

[- et -]

If your unit has a recovery partition built-in and your son hasn't laid waste to it to increase your drive space, we should be able to get some good info from it. The netbooks usually had no internal drive support, and were nearly 100% assured to have come with the recovery partition.

Before you fire up the new Home install, see if you can determine if there's already a recovery partition. 99% yes, but...

Bring up a DOS box.
type "diskpart"
type "list disk" [You should only see one (0)]
type "select disk 0" [Just to be sure]
type "list partition"

Tell us what you see.

The result of the "list partition" command is (in summary):

Partition 1 Primary 100 MB 1024 KB Offset
Partition 2 Primary 232 GB 101 MB Offset

So it appears that there still is a recovery partition . . .

I have to be in the office really, really early tomorrow, so I think that I'll go to bed now and hold off installing the current version of HOME2 on the Acer. That will also have the advantage of letting you think about whether there is anything else you want me to do before I expose the netbook to the current version of HOME2.

FWIW, there is an earlier version of HOME2 on the Acer, but it has not been updated for several months. I didn't open it to check the version, just in case it might auto-update to the questionable version before we are ready.

I won't be able to do anything with the Acer until I get home tomorrow evening, but I'll try to make time then to do so - unless SWMBO has other plans for the evening that I don't know about at this time.

With best wishes,
- Tom -

 

[spider362]

Thanks for your help - et -.

It looks like there might be a problem TT can fix.

 

[- et -]

I updated HOME2 on my Acer Aspire netbook tonight, and was not able to duplicate the problem.

The version of HOME2 that was already on my netbook was 2.8.3.2499, and the version to which it updated was 2.9.1.2780It.

After the update I checked with Explorer and could not "see" the recovery partition. I then shut down the netbook, rebooted it, and opened HOME2. I still was able to see only the normal Drive C: with Explorer, and I received no unusual messages.

Differences between my test and the experiences of other users that are described above which may or may not have affected the results are:

(1) The netbook uses an Intel Atom CPU, which is different from the CPU of desktop computers.

(2) The BIOS of my netbook will differ from the BIOS in a desktop machine.

(3) I did not have a GPS connected to the netbook when I did the update, but at least one of the users with problems did have his GPS connected.

(4) I am running Windows 7 Ultimate. I have no idea what versions of Windows are installed on the other two machines - XP, Vista, a different version of Win 7, different Service Pack level, etc.

(5) Adobe Reader chose to do an auto-update right in the middle of my update of HOME2.

As always, proving a negative is a real challenge . . .

With best wishes,
- Tom -