Sentinel Database:

[Dan_M]

Sentinel Database Version: not updating past 02/14/2021

 

[Reconrider]

Uniden is located in Texas, where they barely have power. Last thing on Unidens mind is to roll out an already public database so you can download it to your scanner.

Use the sentinel to put anything new in that was updated beyond the scanner database, or manually enter it if you want something.

 

[JoeBearcat]

I've been wanting to specifically check that this week (not enough time yet). So thanks for the note.

 

[RandyKuff]

Seen hicups with the database update before...
I'm sure it will be good to go next Monday...
Don't think I ever seen it update during the week when it happens...

 

[kruser]

Seen hicups with the database update before...
I'm sure it will be good to go next Monday...
Don't think I ever seen it update during the week when it happens...

I've seen them run manual DB pulls mid week before. I'm not certain but I think the late Paul Opitz had something to do with making that happen.
There was also a time where a DB update was corrupted and was causing radios to crash. Paul had that version pulled from being able to update and they did a new manual pull that night.

The manual mid week DB pulls were pretty darn rare though.
I know I can wait to update if it's missed!

 

[RandyKuff]

I remember years ago Paul saying they have to verify the database has no isssues before it will get released...

 

[kruser]

I remember years ago Paul saying they have to verify the database has no isssues before it will get released...

Yes, I do remember him saying that. I wonder if that was the result of the bad database that did sneak out.

 

[RandyKuff]

Could very well be...

 

[JoeBearcat]

Don't think I ever seen it update during the week when it happens...

Last week it auto-completed on Wednesday. (no manual actions)
Remember there were power issues.

 

[RandyKuff]

Forgot about the after power outage update...
But it does happen once in awhile other times too...
And you usaully don't see the update till the following Monday...

 

[kruser]

Last week it auto-completed on Wednesday. (no manual actions)
Remember there were power issues.

I don't recall exactly when but it was many years ago when the corrupted database snuck out as an updated database one Monday morning.
I'm going to say it was not long after they started offering the database updates to the original Home Patrol 1 model.
I don't think the newer Sentinel version with the green shield icon existed yet when this problem happened.
It was probably also back in the day when you could still use Sentinel to "Clear User Data" menu option and it would basically wipe out your C drive if you selected it as the drive containing your HP-1 data!

For kicks, I just checked and my old orange icon Sentinel for the HP-1 still allows me to select my C drive when I check the "Display All Drives" box.
I'm not going to try it though but it could be showing me that drive because I have a copy of my HP-1 SD card on the drive. I swore Paul said it was impossible to use Sentinel to erase anything from a fixed disk after someone did wipe out their OS drive once!
Who knows, maybe some machines are reporting the drive type incorrectly to Sentinel. I tried the same thing with the newer green icon Sentinel and it would not list any drives other than those on an SD card so something changed about the between the old Orange and new Green Sentinel versions.

Anyone want to try using the old orange icon Sentinel for the Home Patrol 1 and see if they can clear their OS drive!!

 

[RandyKuff]

Come on Kruser.... I dare ya!!!

The sentinel for the BCD's and SDS's did that intially too...
That was fixed quite awhile ago...

 

[fxdscon]

Anyone want to try using the old orange icon Sentinel for the Home Patrol 1 and see if they can clear their OS drive!!

What version of the orange Sentinel did you try that on that will still allow it? That was fixed quite a while ago. I just checked mine (v2.03.02) and you can only access removeable drives.

 

[kruser]

What version of the orange Sentinel did you try that on that will still allow it? That was fixed quite a while ago. I just checked mine (v2.03.02) and you can only access removeable drives.

My old Orange icon Sentinel for the HP-1 is version 2.03 Revision 6.

Is that not the latest? I rarely ever use it but do still every blue moon as I still have an HP-1 that I use for our power companies non-simulcast Harris system.
Now that I checked it again, it's showing All of my fixed drives when I tell it to display all drives!! And two of those drives are not even local, they are mapped drives! One from an NAS box and one from another Win 7 machine.
At first, I thought it was only displaying those drives that have copies of the HP-1 SD card including it's directory structures with the original names but no, I know I don't have copies of my HP-1 cards on all my fixed and mapped drives!

Now my Green Icon Sentinel for the SDS and x36HP models does not show any drives at all when I check the box to display all drives unless I actually have an SD card from one of those radios in a card reader or the radio is on and in mass storage mode.

Boy, if it's because I don't have the latest orange icon Sentinel for the original Home Patrol's, I'd better get with the times!

 

[JoeBearcat]

Sentinel Orange C-drive protection added to the list.

Also looks like another TWIKI page I need to update....

 

[fxdscon]

My old Orange icon Sentinel for the HP-1 is version 2.03 Revision 6.

Is that not the latest? I rarely ever use it but do still every blue moon as I still have an HP-1 that I use for our power companies non-simulcast Harris system.
Now that I checked it again, it's showing All of my fixed drives when I tell it to display all drives!! And two of those drives are not even local, they are mapped drives! One from an NAS box and one from another Win 7 machine.
At first, I thought it was only displaying those drives that have copies of the HP-1 SD card including it's directory structures with the original names but no, I know I don't have copies of my HP-1 cards on all my fixed and mapped drives!

Now my Green Icon Sentinel for the SDS and x36HP models does not show any drives at all when I check the box to display all drives unless I actually have an SD card from one of those radios in a card reader or the radio is on and in mass storage mode.

Boy, if it's because I don't have the latest orange icon Sentinel for the original Home Patrol's, I'd better get with the times!

v2.03.02 was the latest public release of the HP Sentinel software:

ExtremeUpdate < HomePatrol < TWiki

info.uniden.com

however.........

Just checked my old stockpile of Uniden downloads and I also have a copy of v2.03.06 that does show ALL drives in the PC including the OS drive in the clear user dialog! My notes with that version indicate that UPMan posted it as a special release of HP Sentinel way back for some folks that couldn't access their SD cards with the public releases of HP Sentinel. Apparently, there were a very few computers of that era that were incorrectly identifying the SD card as an internal drive rather than a removeable drive... so the regular version of Sentinel wouldn't see it. As I recall UPMan also posted a stern warning note to anyone that attempted to use that version to be VERY careful with it.

----> EDIT...... Read posts 1 through 4 here from 2014:

Sentinel 2.03.06?

If you go to the site for the Home patrol, you see there is a version of 2.03.02 for download. HomePatrolSentinel < HomePatrol < TWiki But if you look where there is an attachment button lower on the screen and click it, it seems an unknown user has attached version 2.03.06 on December 14th...

forums.radioreference.com

 

[fxdscon]

Sentinel Orange C-drive protection added to the list.

Also looks like another TWIKI page I need to update....

The current public release of the Orange HP Sentinel (v2.03.02) will not access any internal fixed drives, only removeable drives. See my post #16 above.

 

[kruser]

The current public release of the Orange HP Sentinel (v2.03.02) will not access any internal fixed drives, only removeable drives. See my post #16 above.

Thanks everyone!

I did just uninstall my Revision 6 so I could install Revision 2 and sure enough, access to fixed disks is now gone like it should be!

I sure don't recall the problem UPMan spoke about in the link you posted but I sure downloaded and installed that revision for some reason! I know I never had any problems accessing or seeing any removable drives with the older Revision 2 so who knows why I installed revision 6 but I sure did!!

I actually did have a Win 7 machine a few weeks ago that would not see any removable drives with Sentinel no matter what.
I think I'd upgraded that one to Win 10 also which was when I noticed the problem.
That would have only been with the x36HP/SDS green icon version of Sentinel though. I bet if I'd have installed the orange HP-1 Sentinel revision 6 on that machine that it would have displayed my HP-1 SD card just fine! I'm sure Paul never released a similar dangerous version for the x36HP/SDS models which would explain why I never fixed the problem.
Well, I did fix the problem, I junked the computer! I replaced it with a newer and fast HP tower I had sitting here doing nothing. The old one was an IBM or Lenovo tower that would not see removable drives with Sentinel for some reason. I figured it probably needed an update bios firmware to fix that issue but Lenovo/IBM never released any further firmware never than what was on the thing so I gutted it!
The HP tower that replaced it worked like a charm. It's a fairly important machine for me as it also runs my Davis weather station software.
I was able to transfer everything over from the old Lenovo/IBM to the newer HP and all worked like a charm and still does. Now should dig that old machine out and install revision 6 of the HP-1 Sentinel on it just to see if it will see the HP-1 SD card. I bet it will!! I'm not going to do it though. I am fairly certain I did pull and wipe its hard drive so the machine is probably sitting here waiting to be fully gutted and tossed.

Boy, I'm glad I brought this up as that's kind of dangerous being able to have wiped any drive I wished with the revision 6 version of HP-1 Sentinel. I'd have probably never done it but we all know how accident happen.

Revision 2 is working just fine and my drives are NOT visible to Sentinel except the real removable drives or the SD card when the old HP-1 is in mass storage mode.

Thanks for the link about this. I was going crazy trying to even find a new download newer than Revision 2 but was having no luck in my Google searches. They all returned info to download the latest which is Revision 2.

I did find the installer for Revision 6 on one of my drives. I kept it but renamed it and put a giant Caution label in its filename!!

 

[drdeputy]

I understand the desire to be up-to-date, but I've never felt the need to go full terrier if my updates to the DB were two weeks apart. I realize things may be more volatile in some areas than in others, but it will all catch up.

 

[JoeBearcat]

The current public release of the Orange HP Sentinel (v2.03.02) will not access any internal fixed drives, only removeable drives. See my post #16 above.

Thanks. I did read both posts. I will remove that issue from my list.