NS01 File Deletion Assistance

Posted by: Brummie Andy on 23 January 2018

Hi,

Firstly, being a long term reader but new registered member so a big hello from me.

Secondly just to say I've attempted a search to find a solution to this issue but cant appear to find one... if I've missed one then my apologies and will gladly be directed there if highlighted.

Thirdly my apologies for the lengthy post but I thought it best to give as much info and background as possible.

Very recently I've purchased a pre-loved NS01 (2 x 400GB model) server for a very good price. It's use is to basically replace an aging classic ipod/docking station combo fed into my amp to play my ripped cd collection and for this purpose it suits my needs very well.

It all functions correctly and came with the previous owners music still installed but as this was not to my taste I deleted (correctly via the Naim app for iOS). This effectively cleared the internal hard drive(s) of all music... or so I thought.

Upon inspection of the internal drive structure (via a Windows Laptop) I discovered the following folders in the NS01's music directory :

EX, HQ, LQ, MQ and playlists

My cd collection rip correctly to the MQ directory.

MP3 copies of said rips are correctly placed to the LQ directory. Not a feature I will use but this tested correctly.

HQ directory is empty. I understand this isn't used by the end user but possibly by Naim engineers if ever needed... feel free to correct me if I am wrong or misunderstand.

However in the EX directory there are many sub directories of CD rips. These are in the file path EX/Artist/Album and then files are in the format of songname.wav.DEL and have a file type of DEL file. Along with these files in each album directory there is the usual XML, Text and folder documents for that album so these appear to be CD rips as opposed to downloads but I could be mistaken.

I understand, from a search on these forums, these are files marked for deletion but have not yet been deleted in the recycle bin in the DTC.

The problem is I cant delete these files. In fact they cant even be SEEN to be deleted in the Naim iOS app or the DTC on my Windows 10 laptop. I wouldn't even know these files existed via the iOS app and DTC. The recycle bin in the DTC is empty so if my theory in the paragraph above is correct something is amiss here. I know I shouldn't delete/alter the NS01 directory by deleting files directly from my laptop but it wont let me anyway as I am told I need permission from the NS01/Naim to delete these files.

I've tested deleting my own files and this works fine so the delete function is not an issue here.

These files are taking up approx. 60GB of space and clearly this is a significant proportion of my storage that could be used for my own collection.

I may be missing something obvious here but I cant seem the find a solution. How do I delete these files? Is this possible from a user perspective? 

Thanks in advance for reading this and any advice and/or solutions greatly appreciated.

Regards

Andy

 

 

Posted on: 23 January 2018 by Paul Quigley ie

I have a HDX, much the same as the NS01 but with a screen. So based on this here you go;

Plug in a screen an Keyboard.  I think you will have a UI then.

System, Manage Music, Recycle Bin, Empty! 

Posted on: 23 January 2018 by Brummie Andy

Hi,

Thanks for response.

I will attempt that (need to borrow a keyboard) and post results. I have however attempted via the UI obtained from typing in the NS01’s IP address on my laptop (which pretty much replicates the front screen of the HDX but on my laptop) but to no success. It’s the same result as above.... ie there is nothing in the recycle bin to permanently delete yet the DEL files are clearly still there in the EX folder.

Its as if the NS01 or any of its interface methods can’t “see” the files to delete, but Windows on my laptop can.

Im beginning to think it’s some sort of hard drive corruption issue... even though every other function works perfectly.

Regards

Andy

Posted on: 23 January 2018 by ChrisSU

An NS01 with 400GB drives is a few years old now, so I would think twice about trusting the internal drives. You could have them replaced, which would give you some peace of mind, as well as larger capacity. However, this is quite expensive, and as an alternative, I would consider using an external drive instread. The NS01 would still be able to see this over your network, and it would bypass your current problem by creating a new music store. 

Posted on: 24 January 2018 by Brummie Andy

Thanks and indeed yes I’m now more convinced it’s a hard drive issue as the keyboard solution suggested yields the same results.

Just now need to decide if to buy an external drive, a new NAS purely for music, expand the current one thats currently full and solely used for my blu ray rips ( the NS01 was basically going to be a higher end audio equivalent I suppose) or to consider the cost of the upgrade of the NS01.

Thanks for your input guys.

Posted on: 24 January 2018 by ChrisSU

Now might also be a good time to consider your backup strategy. To back up the music store of the NS01, you need another NAS. Also consider which format you want to use, FLAC or WAV. I would suggest FLAC, for reduced file size and greater versatility if you ever use want to play on non-Naim hardware. I think I'm right in saying that the NS01 is the same as the HDX and Unitiserve in that you can store in FLAC, and transcode to WAV on playback, as Naim streamers seem to prefer WAV.

Posted on: 25 January 2018 by Brummie Andy

Indeed I am already ripping to flac for exact reasons you state and recommend.

Ive decided to invest in another NAS as already have a 12tb Synology 411+ii purely for home cinema so will go a similar method for cd rips and backup... with a further external USB drive for additional backup.

Once again many thanks.

Posted on: 24 February 2018 by sktn77a

Contact NAIM directly.  Phil Harris can probably fix this over the phone/internet.

Posted on: 25 February 2018 by Clive B

It may not be entirely relevant to your issue, but I use a 2TB NS01, which serves me well. However, file deletion on the iOS app seems to cause problems such that no further file edits become possible after a deletion. Looking then via the DTC it says that the server is busy and remains so until the recycle bin has been cleared.

I also have a second back-up drive, but it's a nightmare to use because of the completely irrational way it presents files. Thankfully the NS01 just works fine.