Windows 7 to Windows 10

I am currently running my Channels DVR on a Windows 7 machine. I am planning an "in place" OS upgrade from Windows 7 to 10. Can I just do the upgrade, or do you recommend backing up the DVR files and database, uninstalling the DVR, and then doing a clean install/restore once Windows 10 is running?

I think a straight upgrade would work just fine.

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I, too, am finally upgrading from Win7 to Win10. I would like to do a clean install. All of my actual recordings are on a non-system disk and will be preserved. What files should I save/restore to quickly restore Channels with all the passes, scheduled programs, buffer times, etc. Or, can that not be done?

All the data is backed up on your E drive already. You can click the "Save Database Backup" button before you do your upgrade

Is that true for a simple uninstall/reinstall of Channels, too?

I have done an in-place upgrade of Win7 to Win10. All is well. I still want to do a clean install of Win10 as I have some minor corruption I'd like to clean up.

Before I do that, I want to do a trial uninstall/install of Channels on the current Win10 just to make sure I have all the steps in place for Channels when I do the big clean install of Win10. I do that with most apps to catch problems while I still have a system that I'm familiar with. I know, waste of time, but it makes me feel good! Plus, this is good to know in case I ever need to re-install Channels for some reason.

So, in steps here's what I want to do...

  1. Save Database Backup
  2. Uninstall Channels on my current Win10.
    Will any related data be deleted?
  3. Install Channels on my current Win10.
    Once I choose the same drive will Channels find my data and resume as was?

Also, is there any reason not to delete most of the recording logs that are in the same folder as my recordings? They are taking up a bit of space.

When installing again, choose the Restore option at the bottom of the welcome screen. This will have you point it at your data directory and it will offer the ability to restore from a backup.

You can delete the channels-dvr.log file.

Thanks for the quick reply.

As far as logs, I was wondering about the numerous logs in
Data Directory->Channels DVR->Logs->Recording
Do these self-delete after a period of time?
I assume I can delete them but just want to be sure.

I'm aware of the channels-dvr.log and reference it sometimes.

The per-recording logs are useful for debugging, but you can delete them if you're low on space. They are normally kept until the recording itself is deleted.

As I recall, this went way smoother than I thought it would. The guys did a really great job planning for this operation in advance. The only hitch as I recall, was that my own custom comskip.ini file had to be taken care of independently as it was in a different directory.

Well, I guess I have a knack for screwing up. I just tried to uninstall Channels. It did not go well.

  1. Downloaded the latest install program.
  2. Clicked Stop DVR Engine because uninstall was grey.
  3. Clicked Uninstall. It gave every indication it was actually installing.
  4. When done a chrome page popped up welcoming me to Channels.
  5. I was curious so pressed on. Got a warning from Chrome that the connection was not secure. Clicked proceed anyway. Win10 blew up.
  6. Win10 restarted and here I am with a new channels running, logged in at http://localhost:8089/admin/settings asking me to set up from scratch. I do not see an option to restore.

How do I uninstall? I assume once that happens the reinstall will give me the option to restore?

Use http://127.0.0.1:8089/restore

You can also delete c:/programdata/channelsdvr to start over from scratch

Thanks, that worked to restore.

I still don't get the process. What do I do if I want to...

  1. Uninstall Channels from my current Win10 and save backup data
  2. Install Channels onto the same Win10 and restore from backup data.

I get the save backup data and the restore part. But I seemed to be unsuccessful at uninstalling.

Maybe there's a bug? You're saying you clicked Uninstall but it reinstalled instead?

yup. Looks like it installed over top of what was there. I can try again in a couple of hours if you like. I have a meeting now.

Sent an email with screen shots of the unstall process that looked more like an install.

Another question. After restore the CBS nightly news at 6:30pm shows the record icon in the guide but the DVR listing shows the time as 9:59pm. And only one other pass is showing up. The guide is still downloading. Will it all magically straighten out when the guide is finished?