Naim HDX troubles

I picked up a used HDX [nice one] and the previous owner has left some junk on the hard drive in the form of files and folders with the .DEL extension; how do I purge these from the system? It seems that I can only access the hard drive in read-only mode, although I sniffed out an admin password [admin:admin] off the web but that didn’t seem to work.

Also, it has is no ’download’ folder as it should. Apart from the MUSIC folder I’ve got these folders: ADMIN$, C$, D$, Download$, E$ and RipShare$. I reckon I shouldn’t mess with any of these in either way.
Thankful for help in removing these DEL files and folders, or directions on how to proceed. [The unit had recently been serviced but to what extent beside a new display I don’t know]

Best,
Lester

Hi, that looks like an odd file structure me. Was this service done by Naim?
First, the login is a little misleading in that users only need the so-called guest access. The login is what Naim service techs might use.

The files you should see are Music and Downloads. In Music there are 3 sub-folders, called HQ, MQ and LQ. When viewing folders via a computer, you should never change anything in the Music folder as this can break the database and cause problems.

Very early models had a 1TB hard drive and no Downloads folder, so possibly you have one of these? You need the later 2TB model. If a service was carried out by Naim they would normally fit one of these, so you may want to question the seller about what work was done, and by who.
Also check that it has the latest firmware, which is version 1.7c.

Have you tried looking at the HDX through one of the Naim interfaces? That would be either N-Serve for Mac or iOS, the Desktop Client for Windows, or the Browser interface on a web browser on Mac or PC.

In the desktop app, you should delete any music files that remain then there is an option somewhere to clear the database.

Thank you both for taking the time to respond.

From what I can tell I must have one of the earlier models with a smaller hard drive than 1GB. That’s another thing I find a bit confusing; this is what I find under system settings:

(Local Audio) (Online)
Total Size 377,496 MB
Space Free 125,662 MB

(Local Backup) (Online)
Total Size 381,543 MB
Space Free 180.850 MB

The first is self explanatory, the second ”backup” is less so. A backup is made according to the log on a daily basis, but I can find any option to restore a backup or the contents of it.

So, the conclusion of the missing download folder mystery is ’there is none’. Issue solved.

The second issue with the ”ghost” deleted (.DEL) files, these do not turn up anywhere. I found them by accident when connecting to the HDX with an external file manager. I have only edited the contents of the HDX with the N-serve app and the desktop client.

According to the system I have firmware 1.7c RC1 installed.

I don’t think there’s something fishy with the ADMIN$, C$, D$, Download$, E$ and RipShare$ folders, I believe they are system folders that I’m not really supposed to see; they aren’t visible with a simple connect to the unit. My MUSIC folder has the structure you (Chris) mentioned HQ, MQ, LQ.

Since I’ve, obviously, have limited disk space I’m rather keen on getting rid of anything redundant on the drive. So the trouble with these ”ghost” files are that I can see them (with an external file manager) but I can’t do anything about them, they aren’t in the recycle bin nor in the database. I did a database rebuild (via the desktop client) and the only effect I can tell is that my playlists are gone.

I’m not going to ship it to Naim for service for these minor issues, I’m perfectly happy with the unit; it performs well and as expected.

With that said, I suppose the question is: is there a way to do a system reset or hard drive format, or do I just have to live with it and hook up a network drive for additional storage?

There is no way to reset the system and you can’t format the drive because it has the operating system for the HDX on it. You could ask Naim support how to delete those files (but I suspect they may not be familiar with the HDX these days).

Best

David

When I sold my HDX I deleted all the music files from it, I noticed on my backup NAS that the files were still there, just the extension changed to .DEL. I assumed that if I’d left it for a while a garbage collector process would have cleaned them up.

Aaaah, so you have an even earlier model, which has twin 500GB drives. One of these is an internal backup.

There is a setting in the DTC to empty the Recycle Bin, did you try that?

If you need more space, you can set up a NAS and get the HDX to access a folder in it as a network share. If you don’t already have a suitable NAS, I wonder if it would be better to get Naim to fit a 2TB drive rather than buying another box.

Hi @mister_tweed

Email me on steve.harris(at)naimaudio.com and we should be able to get your HDX defluffed with last owner stuff.

Best

Steve Harris
Software Director
Naim Audio Ltd.

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Yes, I’ve come to that conclusion when going through every option in the desktop client. I’ll be darned how to restore a backup if I needed, though, adding it to the Q&A with @Stevesky.

Thank you for your time, guys. :handshake:

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