# DVR 625 horizontal or verticle USB port, make a difference?



## SirMattT (Nov 26, 2013)

I'm wanting to upgrade to The Hopper, but like others have many, many, many hours of content recorded on my old SD DVR 625. I have searched this forum and others before and had determined that a hard drive download with the USB port on the 625 was impossible because Dish didn't ever really activate the USB's on the 625. Well, we've now moved into a new house and during the move the local Dish tech that did the move setup indicated that yes, the 625 would download to external hard drive and whether the USB was activated was determined by how the port was oriented. I can't remember which was which but horizontal meant "no you couldn't" and vertical meant "yes you could" or vice versa. I haven't tried it yet because I don't have a spare hard drive but I tend to think if it was true I'd be able to find some support for his statement somewhere online. Would appreciate any responses, comments or suggestions before I eventually drop a C note on another external drive and give it a shot. Thanks in advance.


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## RBA (Apr 14, 2013)

You need a new technician the one you have is all wet. 625 has never been able to transfer programs. You can in real time play the programs back and record them on DVD.


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## SirMattT (Nov 26, 2013)

That's what I thought. I'll give him the benefit of the doubt and say he probably had his model numbers confused, but he even said he'd done "dozens of them" himself and that whether you could or not depended on how the USB slot was oriented. Like there was a sub-model or second version of a 625 with an active USB.


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## shadough (Dec 31, 2006)

Well thats not exactly true. The 625 would transfer recordings to the "Pocketdish" media player thru the USB. You could probably pick up 1 of those on ebay. They are usefull lil suckers. I transfered files from my dvr on to it and then from there, used a PC to transfer from the pocket dish to a thumbdrive for long-term storage. Can always get it transferred back as long as you have a recvr that works w/ the pocketdish, namely the 625 and the 522. Plus you can watch it ON the Pocketdish, or connect the pocketdish to a TV and watch it there. A DVR u can take w/ u so-to-speak. Pocketdish merely copied the recording, leaving the original still on the dvr, where-as the current model of transfering to an external drive is moving the file from 1 place to the other. 

But as far as I know, thats the only way to transfer recordings on the 625. A normal EXT HD doesnt work, although Ive never really tried. The DVR is sopose to format the EXT drive and not sure the 625 can do that, but perhaps if it was already formated?!?! *shrug* Prolly not  The Pocketdish was plug an play and it would recognize that, almost exactly the same way the modern recvrs today recognize an EXT drive.


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## P Smith (Jul 25, 2002)

and a purpose of an orientation of USB ports is urban legend


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