Tech Tutorials

How To: Install 2006-2008 radio into 2003-2005 Mazda 6

2012-10-28T19:48:00.002-07:00

UPDATE 8/1/17:
Due to Photobucket's brilliant recent change in policy for hosting pictures, here is a link to the pics:
Mazda 6 Radio Swap Pictures

My main goal was to replace my LCD info screen ($380 from dealer) that was slowly dying, but they have been hard to find at junkyards and online, so I decided to swap it out with the newer model in the 2006-2008 Mazda 6 cars which are easier to find. However, if you do this, you'll also need to swap out the stereo with the newer 2006-2008 as well.

PARTS:

1) 2006-2008 Radio (~$130 - eBay)
2) 2006-2008 LCD Info Display (#CA-DM4591AK) (~$60 - eBay)
3) (5) OEM Stock Radio Wire Harness (Junkyard or $7 ea. - eBay)
4) (3) Radio Wire Harness (Junkyard or $4 ea. - eBay)
5) (5) Computer Case front panel wire connectors
6) Electrical Tape
7) Zip ties

NOTE: When you search for parts you'll need to get the equivalent of what you have installed from the factory. For example, if you have a Bose stereo, you'll need to get the newer Bose stereo system. The "Non-Bose" stereo will not plug and play into your Mazda that came with a Bose stereo from the factory and vice versa. The CD unit does not matter however. So, if your car has a Bose stereo with single CD player, you can use a Bose stereo with the newer MP3 6-disc CD player just fine.

3 criteria need to match with your new parts:
1) Bose or Non-Bose stereo
2) Factory Navigation or No Navigation (map storage pocket in dash)
3) Manual Climate Control or Automatic Climate Control

I also had a few parts painted to make them flow better with my 2004 interior.

TOOLS:

1) 10mm socket with extension
2) Phillips screwdriver
3) Wire Strippers
4) Wire Cutters
5) Soldering Iron (optional)

As you can see below the lcd display is starting to lose segments and can no longer read the clock. I've followed a couple of guides to take it apart and fix it by bending the pins, but it did not fix it 100% and is only a temporary fix as it will eventually fail again over time.

Factory LCD Screen losing segments

After bending pins. Clock is supposed to read "11:26".

A) WIRE HARNESS (optional):

If you don't want to splice into the factory wires, you can create your own wire harness, which I recommend for a few reasons:

* Gives you more room to work. The factory harness is short and harder to work in the tight cramped car, then on a work bench.

* No damage to factory wire harness. Can easily be plugged or unplugged.

* Only costs about $45 or less.

Pin Outs:

OEM Stock Radio Wire Harness:

1) First thing is to set up the OEM Harness that plugs into the back of the radio. I couldn't find one at a junkyard, and the one from eBay is missing 10 of the thin wires, so you need (5) of these eBay connectors so that you can remove the 2 thin wires from the other (4) and insert them into the one main connector that you'll use for your harness.

If you have trouble opening the connector to remove the wires, take it to an automotive electrical store and they should be able to do it for you in 5 min.

Here's what the finished connector should look like with all the new wires inserted:

Radio Wire Harness:

2) Next step is to set up the Radio Harness that plugs into the existing radio harness in the car. I couldn't find one at a junkyard, and the one from eBay is missing 4 of the thin wires, so you need (3) of these eBay connectors so that you can remove the thin wires from the other (2) and insert them into the one main connector that you'll use for your harness.

Use a paper clip as shown below to release the wires and insert them into the new connector:

LCD Info Display Wire Harness:

3) Next is to set up the connector that plugs into the LCD info display. I couldn't find one at a junkyard nor on eBay, so I used (5) computer connectors usually found on case fans or the front panel of a computer case.

4) Using the chart and pin outs above, connect each appropriate wire and solder if you're able. Then tape up each connection to avoid any short circuits and use zip ties to clean up the wires.

B) INSTALLING INFO SCREEN & STEREO:

Now we're ready to put everything in the car.

Optional: Install 3.5mm Auxilary Input for $5

1) Remove the cupholders, shift plate, stereo & info display. There are plenty of guides out there on how to do this, so I'll skip these steps.

2) Plug the wire harness into the new LCD info display, back of new stereo and into the factory harness in the car. Turn the key and test to make sure everything works.

3) If everything works, install the LCD info display/map compartment and secure with 2 screws.

4) Push the stereo into place routing the wires in back so that they don't get in the way or get bent sharply. Install the 10mm bolt from the glove box to secure the stereo.

5) Re-install the shift plate & cup holders.

6) Enjoy !

Have a problem, question or comment ? Let me know below.

Installing a 12v Cigarette Lighter Socket

2012-10-28T12:11:00.004-07:00

UPDATE 8/1/17:
Due to Photobucket's brilliant recent change in policy for hosting pictures, here is a link to the pics:
Pictures

While I had my 2004 Mazda 6 apart, I wanted to added another 12v source so that a passenger could easily charge their phone or tablet as well as keep my console clean of wires and also charge my phone while in it's ProClip holder.

PARTS:

1) 12v Socket Kit ($8-eBay)

TOOLS:

1) 1" Drill bit (Spade or Hole saw type)
2) Wire Taps
3) Wire cutters
4) Zip Ties

INSTRUCTIONS:

1) Remove the cupholders, shift plate and unplug factory 12v socket. There are various guides on how to do this already, so I won't go into it here.

2) Mark where you want to place your new 12v socket and drill a 1" hole. Keep in mind to choose a location that will miss the shifter. Now insert new 12v socket into hole.

3) Using the provided wire taps to connect the Red wire of the new 12v socket to the Blue wire of the factory 12v socket connector.

And tap the Black wire of the new 12v socket to the Black w/ Orange Stripe wire of the factory 12v socket connector.

4) Test the socket to make sure everything is working. Remember that this socket will only work when the key is in the "ON" position just like the factory 12v socket.

5) Zip tie the wires out of the way of the shifter linkages and re-install the shift plate and cupholders.

Have a problem, question or comment ? Let me know below.

Installing a Homelink Rearview Mirror with Compass & AutoDim

2012-10-28T11:31:00.001-07:00

UPDATE 8/1/17:
Due to Photobucket's brilliant recent change in policy for hosting pictures, here is a link to the pics:
Pictures

Below are instructions for installing a Gentex Homelink Rearview Mirror with AutoDim and Compass into a 2004 Mazda 6. This model of rearview mirror (GENK45A) has 3 programmable buttons for a garage door, security gate, or any other remote control device which works nicely to replace my big bulky clicker that was hanging from my visor.

The AutoDim feature was something I honestly thought was more of a gimmick that wouldn't be needed before I bought it. However, after using it, it really is nice not being blinded at night when someone's headlights come up behind you. It smoothly transitions from different levels of dimming based on how bright the light is behind you.

PARTS:

1) Homelink Rearview Mirror (GENK45A) ($160-eBay)

New Mirror compared to factory mirror

TOOLS:

1) Thin Flat head screwdriver
2) T25 Torx bit
3) Wire cutters
4) 8mm Socket and Driver

INSTRUCTIONS:

1) Remove the existing factory mirror by inserting a thin flat head screwdriver as shown in the pic below:

Insert screwdriver as far as possible and wiggle the mirror off of the metal wedge mount. This can be a slow and awkward process, but eventually it will come off.

*Be careful not to put too much pressure on the windshield or it may crack.

2) Slide the new mirror on to the factory metal wedge mount as far as it will go.

*Be careful not to put too much pressure on the windshield or it may crack.

3) To run the wires we need to remove the driver's side "A" pillar. My Mazda does not have curtain airbags. To remove, first pull the rubber weatherstripping from the door frame.

4) Then pull on the plastic pillar in towards the steering wheel from top to bottom to release the clips. DO NOT pull to hard. The pillar will only pop out 1/4". Next, you will have to slide the pillar up towards the ceiling about 1/2" to release the upper clip. Then, the pillar will pull out and can be set aside.

Hard to explain in words, so maybe these pictures below will help show what you're dealing with:

Slotted clip requires pillar to be slid up before pulling out.

5) Remove the Torx screw from the visor holder clip and the 2 screws in the sunglasses holder in the ceiling.

6) Plug the provided wire harness into the rearview mirror and route the wires up to the headliner over the driver's side and down the "A" pillar thru the dash near the windshield and into the footwell near the fuse panel.

7) Remove the 8mm nut on the lower left corner of the PCM and install ground wire ring. Re-tighten the nut.

8) Use the provided wire taps to connect the Red wire (gives power to compass & autodim feature) to the Green w/ Black Stripe wire in the fuse panel. This provides 12v only when the key is on, so it won't drain the battery.

Then tap the Yellow homelink wire (gives power to remote control buttons) to the Blue w/ Red Stripe wire in the fuse panel. This provides 12v constantly, even if the car is off. I did this so that I can use the buttons to open the garage door anytime, even if the car is off and I don't have the keys with me.

Optional: You can tap the Yellow homelink wire to the Green w/ Black Stripe wire in the fuse panel if you want added protection. For instance, if you park your car outside and someone breaks into it, they won't be able to push the button to open your garage door without the keys to turn the car on.

9) Check the mirror operation and make sure everything works.

10) Reinstall visor clip screw and sunglasses holder screws. Re-attached "A" pillar, remember to slide top clip down before pushing in.

11) Install included plastic wire cover to hide the wire that shows from the windshield mount to the headliner.

Have a problem, question or comment ? Let me know below.

How To: Install PCV Oil Catch Can for Mazda 6s (1st Gen)

2012-06-25T16:58:00.000-07:00

I recently had a problem with my 2004 Mazda 6s 3.0L V6 burning oil and blowing large amounts of blue/white smoke out my tailpipe every time I accelerated. After finding a pool of oil in my intake box, I then traced it back up to the throttle body and coming from the PCV inlet on the intake manifold.

I replaced the faulty PCV valve which solved the smoking, but didn't want my intake to get dirty again, so I decided to install an oil catch can to collect any oil that got pass the PCV valve before it made it into the intake manifold.

750ml Oil Catch Can from eBay

PARTS:

1) Catch Can (~$30) - I used one from the eBay store "ilovetacotaco".
-- I chose this can for the medium size (6"H x 3"Diameter), drain at the bottom, view level, and ability to remove the top and bottom. This allowed me access to install an optional baffle that helps seperate the oil from the air. You can also rotate the top to point the hose barbs in another direction.
2) About 7 ft of 5/8" heater hose (~$12)
3) Metal straps to use as brackets (Home Depot or AutoZone)
4) Thread lock - so the screws don't vibrate loose after driving around
5) 4 - 1" hose clamps
6) Washers
7) Plumber's tape - petroleum resistant, yellow (not the common white kind)
8) Small piece of sheet metal, Sandpaper & JB Weld (optional) - if you want to make a baffle for inside the can
9) Spray paint (optional)
10) Zip ties (optional)
11) Gasket maker or silicon (optional)

TOOLS:

1) 10mm wrench
2) Phillips screwdriver
3) Pliers for removing stock hose clamp
4) Utility knife
5) Hammer
6) Vise (optional)
7) Dremel or metal shears (optional)

A) INSTALLING AN INTERNAL BAFFLE (optional):

I decided to put a baffle divider on the inside of the catch can so that the air/oil mixture has a longer path of travel to get to the other side and exit the catch can.

1) Remove the hose barbs and remove the top by unscrewing the (6) 3/32" allen screws and sand the anodized paint from the inside top-most part. This is where our baffle will attach and we need a good clean surface for the JB Weld to hold on to.

Looking inside the catch can with the bottom removed

2) Download & print the template below to scale (don't use "fit to page" on your printer), cut it out with scissors and then trace it onto a thin piece of sheet metal. Then, cut the sheet metal with a dremel or metal shears.

Download Full Size & Print to Scale

3) Mix up some JB Weld, bend the baffle where indicated, and attach it to the inside of the catch can as shown. Wait 24 hrs for the JB Weld to set. Then reinstall the lid with the new baffle divider attached.

B) CATCH CAN PREP:

There was some work that needed to be done to my catch can before I installed it to make it more air-tight.

1) Unscrew both the bottom of the catch can & drain plug and apply a small amout of oil to both of the O-rings, then screw them both back on. (Tip: pull out the dip stick and run your finger along it to get some oil to use)

2) Remove the (2) 5/8" hose barbs on top and apply some yellow plumber's tape to the threads, then reinstall.

3) Remove the top by unscrewing the (6) 3/32" allen screws and apply a thin layer of either gasket maker or silicon to the rim and reinstall top. (Before you re-attach the top, make sure it is rotated the way you need it to face so that it lines up with how you're mounting it and running the hoses.)

C) FIND MOUNTING LOCATION:

The only good place I found was up near the stock intake box and driver's side headlight. This made easy access to view the level and had a few mounting bolts nearby to mount the catch can. However, I did need to make room by cutting off the piece of plastic that stuck out from the top lid of the stock airbox. (If you have an aftermarket intake, you should already have enough room here and can skip these next 3 steps):

1) Remove the top lid of the airbox by unclipping the (4) metal clips, unplug the connector to the MAF sensor, and loosen the main hose clamp to slide the hose off the airbox lid.

Where to cut the extra plastic attached to the lid of the stock airbox

2) With the lid of the airbox removed, take a sharp utility knife (or dremel) and cut the extra piece of plastic that is attached. I made a couple of passes on each side with the knife, then took a hammer and knocked it off, piece by piece (see pic above).

3) With the extra plastic removed, re-install the airbox lid, connector, and hose clamp.

D) MOUNT THE CATCH CAN:

1) Once you find a place, then find an existing bolt that you can use and start bending your metal strap to create a bracket. I placed the strap in a vise and used a hammer to make multiple 90 degree bends until I got what I needed. You can see how I mounted mine in the pictures below, using the top 10mm bolt from the radiator and the lower 10mm bolt from the fan sensor.

2) Once you've got a dry fit, close the hood and make sure you have enough clearance.

3) If everything is good, you can remove the brackets and paint them to look a little more finished. When you re-install the brackets, put some lock-thread on the threads of the (2) screws on the catch can. This will keep them from vibrating loose over time.

E) INSTALL THE HOSES:

1) First, we need to remove the old hoses that are being used.

2) I removed the straight piece of hose, but kept the 90 degree bent hose and 90 degree plastic elbow and reinstalled it. This made it easier to attach my new hose from the catch can without getting sharp bends.

3) Tighten up all hose clamps and start the car. If it idles high or surges and has trouble idling, check for vacuum leaks because it means something is loose or not sealed correctly.

4) If everything sounds good, go for a short test drive and then check to make sure the hoses are not rubbing excessively against anything. Also make sure catch can is still secure and not getting loose.

Have a problem, question or comment ? Let me know below.

iOS 5 - Blue Circular Loading Gears

2012-02-12T18:29:00.001-08:00

If you have a jailbroken iPhone you can change the loading logo to something different. Attached are the files updated for iOS 5.01 for blue circular loading gears as found here: http://macthemes.net/forum/viewtopic.php?id=16810253

Requirements:

• Circular Loading Gear Files (Download Link)
• Jailbroken iPhone 4 w/ iOS 5
• Winterboard App
• WinSCP or similar program to copy files from computer to iPhone

Steps:

1) Download and unzip the files.

2) Copy the "CircularLoading.theme" folder to your iPhone in "\Library\Themes\" using WinSCP or similar program.

3) Go to Winterboard App on iPhone and select the new "CircularLoading" theme and move it to the top of the list.

4) Respring

Enjoy !

Have a problem, question or comment ? Let me know below.

How To: Wirelessly Stream Music from iPhone to your PC

2012-01-01T20:05:00.000-08:00

There is a free program out there that allows you to wirelessly play your Music, Pandora or any other music app that supports Apple's Airplay feature from your iPhone, iPad or iPod Touch thru your computer's speakers or your living room's surround sound system via an HTPC.

Download Free "Shairport 4 Windows" Program
Version 1.0.7.3 (673kb - 12/08/2013)

I'm using Windows 7 (64bit):

STEPS:

1) If you don't have iTunes installed, Download Apple's Bonjour Services for Windows and install it.

2) Download the Shairport 4 Windows zip file and Save it to a location on your hard drive that you can find later (i.e. C:\Programs\Shairport\).

3) Unzip the "Shairport4w.exe" file and double-click it to Open the program.

4) Click the "Change" button.

5) Under "Airport Name" type anything you want (i.e. Living Room, John's PC, etc.).
Note: This name will appear on your iDevice so you know where the music is going to stream to if you have multiple computers set up in your house each running Shairport4w or other Airplay devices.

6) (Optional) Enter a password if you don't want anyone else to send music to this computer's speakers.
Note: On your iDevice you only have to enter the password once and it stores it for future connections.

7) Click "OK"

8) I recommend putting a check box in "Tray Icon", Start Minimized" and "Autostart". This way anytime you turn on your computer it is automatically ready to start streaming your music from your iPhone, iPad or iPod Touch.

9) Now when playing your Music, Pandora or any other app that supports Apple's Airplay feature, an Airplay icon like below will show up.

Tap the Airplay icon and select the location you want to stream it's audio to.

Enjoy !

Troubleshooting:

1) If the Airplay icon is not showing up on your iDevice, reboot your computer to make sure that Bonjour services is running.

2) Make sure your firewall is set to allow both Apple's Bonjour services and the Shairport program to pass thru.

3) If you are using an HDMI cable to send both your audio & video from your PC to your TV or monitor or sound system, and you have your Windows power settings set to turn off your display after a certain amount of minutes, then you will lose audio as soon as this time limit is reached and it turns the monitor off. This is because Windows powers down the video card which is also sending the audio thru the HDMI cable.

Solution: Either run a seperate audio cable from your PC sound card to your speakers or change your "Turn off the display" power setting to "Never" (found at: Control Panel >> Power Options >> Change Plan Settings).

Have a problem, question or comment ? Let me know below.

How To: Create an HTPC - (Part 1 - Intro)

2012-01-01T20:01:00.000-08:00

   What is an HTPC ? HTPC stands for Home Theater Personal Computer.  It's just a fancy name for a computer or laptop that is used to view your movies, pictures, music, live TV, etc. on your TV. Below I describe my setup and what problems I ran into.

I wanted an HTPC that would fit my needs:

• Powerful enough to watch the latest movies at 1080p
• Energy efficient - (since it'll be on almost 24/7)
• Sleek Modern Interface
•  Quiet
•  Fast boot and resume
•  Wirelessly play media from my iPhone
• And play a few games

XBMC 11.0 "Eden" w/ MQ3 Skin

CURRENTLY UPDATING . . . CHECK BACK SOON

PART 1 - Intro
PART 2 - Hardware
PART 3 - Software
PART 4 - Organize Media Files
PART 5 - Optional Addons

Software I Used:
• Windows 7 Professional (64-bit) OS
• XBMC 11 "Eden" with Aeon MQ3 skin - (Free) (other options are: Plex, Boxee)
• Shairport 4 Windows (optional) - (Free) (allows you to wirelessly play your music from your iPhone, iPad or iPod Touch)
• UltraVNC - (Free) (allows you to control your HTPC remotely)

iPhone Apps (optional):
• Constellation (Free) - Used to Turn on HTPC, Control XBMC, Shutdown PC
• Hippo Remote Lite (Free) - Used as a wireless mouse & keyboard

Android Apps (optional):
• XBMC Official App (Free)

I didn't have a spare PC or laptop that was powerful enough, so I built a new one.

Hardware I Used:
• Motherboard: MSI H67MS-E43 (micro ATX size) ($50)
• Processor: 2.6GHz Intel Pentium G620 w/ built in GPU, LGA1155, 65Watts ($70)
• RAM: DDR3 8GB 1333MHz ($45)
• Video Card (optional): nVidia GT520, 30Watts ($14) (the G620 cpu I chose has a built-in gpu already, but for $14 I couldn't pass it up. Use a better card if you plan on playing the latest video games.)
• Hard Drive: 500MB Seagate SATA II (had a spare laying around)
• Blu-ray drive (optional): Asus BW-12B1ST ($80) (my sound system already has a blu-ray drive so just had to put a spare DVD drive in to install the OS and other software)
• Power Supply: 275 Watts (included w/ case)
• Case: Apex DM-387 (micro ATX size - 13"H x 4"W x 16"D) ($50)
• TV Tuner Card (optional): Hauppauge 2250 Dual Tuner ($95) (for watching & recording live TV on your HTPC)

Total Price: ~ $325

A) HARDWARE:

   1) Build your HTPC or use a spare PC or laptop.

B) OS Set up (Windows 7 (64-bit):

   1) Power Settings - I wanted my HTPC to go to Sleep after being idle for 15 min, then Hibernate after 30 min. This way after 15 min. I can quickly resume it, but if I leave for 30 minutes or more, I'm not using any electricity and saving money. You can adjust your times to your preference.

Sleep Mode = Data remains in memory, everything else powers down, uses small amount of electricity, fast resume time (~5 sec.) If power is lost you will lose any unsaved data.

Hibernate Mode = Data written from memory to hard drive, everything powers down, no electricity used, moderate resume time (~45 sec.) If power is lost, you won't lose any data.

Hybrid Mode = Same as Sleep Mode, but the data in memory is also written to the hard drive, so that if you lose power you will not lose any data.

        a) Click Start button and type "power"

        b) Click "Power Options"

         c) To the right of "Balanced (recommended)", click "Change plan settings".




        d) (optional) Change "Turn off the display" to "Never"

        e) Click "Change advanced power settings"

        f) Change "Require a password on wakeup" to "No"

        g) Change "Sleep after" to 15 minutes

        h) Change "Allow hybrid sleep" to "On"

        i) Change "Hibernate after" to 30 minutes

        j) (optional) Change "Allow wake timers" to "Disable"

        k) Click "OK" and then "Save Changes"

2) Auto-Start XBMC - This will automatically load XBMC everytime Windows boots up.

PART 1 - Intro
PART 2 - Hardware
PART 3 - Software
PART 4 - Organize Media Files
PART 5 - Optional Addons

Have a problem, question or comment ? Let me know below.

How To: Set up XBMC

2012-01-01T20:00:00.001-08:00

This tutorial will help simplify the process of installing and setting up XBMC (Xbox Media Center), a free program that displays a slick user interface for your Movies, Pictures, Music, TV Shows, Games and other media. You can also install different skins and customize them to get just the right look you want.

Official Site: xbmc.org
Latest version: 11.0 "Eden" Beta 3 (2/11/2012)
Favorite Skin: Aeon MQ3

I chose XBMC because of these nice features:

• Plays just about any file out there (.mkv, .mp4, .wmv, .avi, .vob, .iso, CD, DVD, Blu-ray, etc.)
• Fast, responsive, polished look
• Automatically downloads all artwork, fanart, info for all your movies, games, etc.
• Active community w/ regular updates
• Includes AirPlay built-in (for playing videos, pictures, youtube, etc., from my iPhone)

CURRENTLY UPDATING . . . CHECK BACK SOON

SCREENSHOTS w/ Aeon MQ3 Skin

Movies:

Music:

Games:

Have a problem, question or comment ? Let me know below.

How To: Set up Wake On Lan (WOL)

2012-01-01T18:10:00.000-08:00

If you're away and need to access files on your home PC that is turned off, you can remotely power it on and access those files. Or, if you get tired of getting up to hit the power button to turn on your computer or HTPC, you can set up your router, PC and phone app so that you can power on your PC from the comfort of your couch.

I'm using Windows 7 (64-bit):

A) Windows Setup

      1) Click the "Start" button and right-click "Computer", then left-click "Properties" and select "Device Manager"

      2)  Go to "Network adapters" then expand it and right-click your specific network adapter and select "Properties"

      3) Go to "Advanced" tab, and Enable anything to do with "Wake on Magic Packet", "Wake on Pattern Match" or "Wake on LAN from Power Off"

      4) Go to "Power Management" tab, and put a check in all 3 boxes and click "OK"

B) BIOS Setup

      1) When your computer first boots up, enter your BIOS settings by repeatedly pressing either the "DELETE" key or "F2" key (depending on your brand of motherboard).

       2) Every BIOS is different, so read your motherboard's manual or go thru the different settings (usually under "Power Managment") and look for "Wake on LAN", "WOL", "Boot on LAN", "PME Event WakeUp", "Power On by PCI Card", "Resume by MAC LAN" or something similar and Enable it.

       3) If you have a newer motherboard you may also have a setting in Power Management called EuP 2013, if so, disable it.

(This setting powers down all devices to save electricity and in order for WOL to work we need the network card to be powered on all the time to listen for the wake-up signal and turn on the computer.)

       4) Save the BIOS settings and reboot.

C) Router Setup
(Note: some Netgear routers do not support WOL, see "Troubleshooting" below)

     1) Go to your router's configuration settings by opening Internet Explorer and typing the IP address of your router (usually 192.168.0.1 or 192.168.1.1) into the address bar and hit "Enter".

Note: You can also find your router's IP address by going to: Start >> Control Panel >> Network and Sharing Center >> Local Area Connection >> Details >> Look for "IPv4 Default Gateway: xxx.xxx.xxx.xxx" This is the IP address of your router to be used in Step 1.

       2) Log in (default is usually found on a label on the bottom of your router or try "admin" and "password")

       3) Every router brand is different, so read thru the different settings and look for keywords like "Wake On LAN", "WOL", "Broadcast Packet", or "Magic Packet" and enable it for the computer you want to wake up. (If you need to know the MAC address of the computer see "Troubleshooting" below)

        4) (Optional) If you want to also use WOL over the internet, then you need to find Port Forwarding in your router's settings and open UDP Port 7 (or port 9).

D) Using Wake on LAN

        1a) iPhone Apps: Hippo Remote Lite, Constellation, VNC, RemoteBoot
        1b) Android Apps: XBMC Official App,
        1c) Websites: http://wakeonlan.me/

RemoteBoot App

VNC App

        2) Open the app/website and put in the MAC address of the computer you want to wake up. (See "Troubleshooting" #2 below)

        3a) If using locally: If the app/website needs the IP address of the specific computer (i.e. 192.168.xxx.xxx) put it in. (See "Troubleshooting" #2 below, in step "c" your local IP address is to the right of "IPv4 Address")

        3b) If using over Internet: You will need the your internet's IP address (i.e. 65.48.17.142). (Visit http://www.whatismyipaddress.com/ and it will show your internet IP address at the top)

Troubleshooting:

1) Some routers (like Netgear ones) do not support WOL. You can either use a different router or attempt to install the free dd-wrt firmware on to your router if it supported.  DD-WRT is free custom firmware that gives many new features to your router, one being WOL.

2) Need to know the MAC address of the computer you want to wake up ?

   a) Click Start button, Type "cmd" and hit Enter.

   b) At the command prompt type "ipconfig /all" and hit Enter.

   c) You may see multiple adapters. You want to scroll up to find the adapter that has your "IPv4 Address". Then above it you will see "Physical Address xx-xx-xx-xx-xx-xx" << this is your MAC Address. Write it down for future use.

3) If you are still having problems getting your computer to wake up, you can download and run this free Wake On Lan Monitor tool to tell you if your computer is in fact receiving the magic packet signal to help eliminate certain problems.

Have a problem, question or comment ? Let me know below.

WD ShareSpace NAS: Installing a New Hard Drive

2012-01-01T18:09:00.000-08:00

The WD ShareSpace NAS (Network Attached Storage) will only work with Western Digital SATA hard drives. I recently installed a couple of 1TB Western Digital hard drives that were previously used on a Windows 7 machine and was a bit bummed that the NAS unit would not configure them properly.

The lights on the unit were: Power = solid green, Hard Drives = solid orange, Network = randomly blinking green. The power button would not work either, I had to unplug the power cable to turn the unit off.

The reason for this is Windows has it's own file system (FAT/FAT32/NTFS) and WD uses a different one (EXT3). You also can't access the admin interface of the NAS unit because it has to copy it's operating system from it's firmware onto one of the installed drives. Resetting the unit with the reset button on the back of the unit doesn't work either. Western Digital's support team's solution, is to ship it back to WD for a replacement drive (you've got to be kidding me).

Here's what I did to get it working:

1) Install the WD drive you plan to use in the NAS unit into a Windows computer as a secondary drive and make a back up of any data on the WD drive you want to save or you will lose it in step 6.

2) Download and install WD Data Lifeguard Diagnostic for Windows.

3) Run WD Data Lifeguard Diagnostic program and accept the agreement.

4) Right-click the correct WD drive (to be used in the NAS unit) and select "Run Diagnostics".

5) Select "Write Zeros" and hit "Start".

6) Click "OK", then "Yes", and "Yes" again, on the warning boxes.

WARNING: You are completely erasing data and will not be able to recover it, so make sure you selected the correct drive in step 4.

7) Choose "Quick Erase" to write only the first and last sectors of the drive and hit "OK".

8) Once that finishes click "Close" and remove the WD drive from your PC and install it in Slot 1 of your WD ShareSpace NAS unit by itself (there should not be any other drives installed, if there are, remove them).

9) Power on the NAS unit and let it do it's thing (~3-5 min.) The lights on the unit should blink randomly and eventually turn solid green. (The unit should be copying the file system from it's firmware onto the new drive and installing the admin interface)

10) After all the lights turn solid green, you can try accessing it from a PC by running WD Link to find it or typing in the IP address of the NAS unit into a browser to bring up the admin interface. (Note: the default username AND password are both "admin")

11) If you have other drives you need to prep for your NAS unit, repeat steps 3 thru 10.

Have a problem, question or comment ? Let me know below.

Restore Hard Drive's Full Capacity

2012-01-01T14:55:00.000-08:00

When installing an 80GB hard drive from my NAS unit into a Windows 7 PC, it only showed it as a 32GB capacity hard drive. If this happens to your hard drive, there is a program that will restore a hard drive's full capacity just like from the factory.

Download Free HDD Capacity Restore Tool (32-bit)
Version 1.2 (480kb - 1/1/2012)

1) Install the defective hard drive into a 32-bit Windows PC as a secondary drive. (Note: I had trouble getting it to work on 64-bit Windows 7. Also, if it's an IDE drive, it has to be the only device on the ribbon cable)

2) Download and install the HDD Capacity Restore Tool, then run it.

3) Select your defective hard drive from the list and click "Restore Capacity".

4) When it finishes, reboot and then check to see if your drive's capacity is correct.

5) If not, right-click "My Computer" and select "Manage".

6) Select "Disk Management".

7) Find your faulty drive from the list on the bottom right section. It should show up as split into 2 volumes.

8) Right-click the volume that is partitioned and select "Delete Partition . . ." Your faulty drive should now show only 1 volume with the full capacity.

9) Right-click the new single volume of your faulty drive and select "Create New Partition"

10) Accept all of the default values unless you require custom settings.

11) You should now have a formatted hard drive with a drive letter assigned and with it's full capacity available.

Have a problem, question or comment ? Let me know below.