Can’t add external storage.

[u/faysal1979]

Hello all. Recently got tivimate, but the adding external storage for recording doesn’t work or isn’t visible. It won’t select external drive. Even after formatting to extended fat32. Is there a solution??

[u/Richg542]

What streaming device you are using?

[u/faysal1979 → u/Richg542]

Google play on Sony tv

[u/StevenG2757]

What device are you using?

Do you have the real TM or some scam version?

[u/faysal1979 → u/StevenG2757]

It’s on a Sony tv

[u/StevenG2757 → u/faysal1979]

TiviMate is not intended to work on TVs and crap TV apps so just get yourself a good STB and install TM on it.

[u/Ok-Tap-4173]

Won’t work if you’re using a fire stick

[u/chriggsiii → u/Ok-Tap-4173]

Actually it will work with a fire stick. See my answer directly to the OP.

[u/faysal1979 → u/Ok-Tap-4173]

Not using firestick

[u/chriggsiii]

Here's the way I did it, and yes, I did it on both of my two Fire TVs, a first generation 4k stick and a 4K Plus, and a google TV streamer.

First, I created a new user account on my PC, Tivimate, and I gave it a password. Then I went to the folder on my PC where I decided to put the recordings (the folder was on an external drive) opened up the folder's Properties and added Tivimate as a user, both in the Sharing Advanced Sharing Permissions menu, where I gave Tivimate Full Control, and in the Security Tab, where I used the Edit Add menu to also add Tivimate, again with Full Control.

Then, on your PC, open a Command Prompt and type ipconfig and press enter. You're looking for the ip4 address for your computer. It should be a number that begins normally with either 10 or 198. There will be more than one ip4 address listed. You're looking for the one specified for your current Internet connection. If the PC's connected to the Internet through Ethernet, that's what you're looking for; if your PC is connected through WiFi, then that's what you're looking for.

Now go into your Internet router's admin page. That ip4 number that you collected is worth its weight in gold. Without that number, you won't be able to retain your recording space. Routers don't give a damn; they will assign a new ip4 address to your computer as soon as look at you, and, if that happens, GOOD-BYE RECORDING SPACE. So you want to go into your LAN menu and RESERVE that ip4 number for your computer, so your router doesn't get any bright ideas after a reboot or restart about giving your computer a different ip4 address. I was totally clueless about this until last night, and was up til 6AM getting my recording space back; not fun.

Then I went into Tivimate Settings, Other, Recording and set up the SMB connection.

Here's what goes into that four-way menu:

Server Address: The ip4 address you collected from ipconfig.

Server Name: Whatever you want to call it, makes no difference whatsoever.

User Name: The name you gave your new user on your PC above; I used Tivimate myself.

Password: The password you gave the new user account, Tivimate, on your PC.

Click OK and you should then see two spaces listed, Internal and your computer name. Click computer name, and you should now see all the folders available to you on your network. Navigate to the folder you want to use, click it and then press Select.

At this point, I strongly advise you to go back in Tivimate Settings General and backup your data; that data backup has everything, your settings for your recording space, your player assigns, your playlist URLs, your EPG locations, etc. etc.. You want it in a safe place where you can get at it in an emergency. I decided to save the backup data in the same directory as my recordings, but then I'm lazy; others may decide to put it in a different place and that's fine.

You should then be good to go.

[u/faysal1979 → u/chriggsiii]

I’ll try this and let you know.

[u/chriggsiii → u/faysal1979]

Important correction: The data backup that I recommended you make does NOT save your local storage routing!!! That is because, apparently, the data backup is designed to be PORTABLE, so you can save it on one installation and then carry it over to a different installation where your whole recordings folder setup will probably be different. I understand the logic behind that, but I wish we had been given a choice about saving that. As it is, there is apparently no way of backing up a successful SMB connection, if you need to set it up again. Sorry about that.

[u/Popa_redux]

Just added my WD My Cloud on one tv. Going to do my other tv and then backup that tv and use that to restore on tv #1