Hard Disk Drive Question...

So I'm new here, I read so far that as long as the HDD is 2.5" it will fit? What about the memory size, does that matter? Is the 2500 only able to handle 120GB or can it handle more? Any info is much appreciated!

welcome to the forums...

any 2,5´ IDE harddrive should work - SATA drives don´t fit!
some users successfully use 160gb drives, but to be honest there is not much need for so much space.
see, even if you transfer several gb of sample libraries to the disk it is not so much fun to step through all this samples in the load screen when you decide which ones to load.
also even if you save the entire memory all the time that would be 128mb max, so a 160gb hdd would allow you to save over 1200 full loads of your memory.

anyways if you install a harddrive it is important to format it in the mpc using the format function in the utility screen since formating the drive from windows or a mac can cause problems.

peace, jo

Utility screen? Does that automatically pop up when the HDD is installed? BTW, thank you for the help selecta.

do you have your mpc already or are you just planing to buy one?

the info is in the manual in chapter 15 save/load operations. the manual just talks about formating a cf-card, but if there is a hdd installed there is an option to select it and from there it is the same way.

you will see the utility page if you just try and step through all the screens to learn and master your mpc.

peace, jo

I have my MPC. Ok, I'm gonna install my HDD, it's a WD Scorpio Blue PATA 2.5 250GB. The guy at Radio shack said it's the same as an IDE, so I'll post up what happens next. Big ups, again selecta!

Ok now, for some odd reason, my pads don't function, even after when pressing the [MODE](blinking) button. All 16 pads don't do anything. So now, I can't format my HDD...Help!!!

start your mpc while pressing and holding the erase key untill you see the main screen.
this will do a factory reset to your machine. you may have to set some of your personal preferences again afterwards.

if this does not help - check if you didn´t bent any pins while installing the hdd.

other than that it might be possible that 250gb are too much to handle for the mpc - there is one border at 132gb that some older controllers could not pass - and so the cats who use 160gb drives should check if the whole 160gb are displayed and usable. sometime the controllers do not give an error message, but if you try to save files beyond that border they get lost or are corrupted.

by the way check which os you are running (the latest official version is 1.24) and update if necessary.

peace, jo

I don't know which OS I'm running at the moment. I tried switching ON with simultaneously holding down Erase button, no such luck. It just starts up normally, wtf? I can't get to the Utility screen and update, because the pads don't work period, even if I hit the [MODE] button.

remove the harddisk and any ram upgrade you might have installed and try again.
that way you can see if the hdd or the extra ram is causing the problem.
if this does not change the problem something other is wrong with your mpc.
did you buy it new or used?

peace, jo

The MPC I bought is used, but is practically new. The previous owner had only used it a couple times before selling it to me. As soon as I got some time, I'll take out the HDD and the Akai RAM chip see what happens, I'll post up afterwards. Thanks Selecta...

I removed the 128mb RAM and the HDD, started again while holding down the Erase button and nothing happened. The only thing that was different is the screen at the beginning said "16mb" instead of "128mb installed" and then loaded the demo samples. Ugh, I'm at dead end. I emailed Akai yesterday and still waiting for a reply back. I'm gonna try take to a shop here and maybe one of them can help me out. I appreciate all the help and advice, Thanks again Selecta, lemme know if you have something else up your sleeve I can try.

did the pads work at all since you got the mpc?
if not that might be the reason why the previous owner sold it.

it is not very likely that all pad sensors died at the same time - the mpc 2500 sensors also do not break as easy as the original mpc 1000 pads did. so i assume that an internal connection got lose during transport or one of the internal pcbs is broken.

there is not much you can do as long as you don´t know what part has failed. best bet is to take the unit to a shop that knows mpcs and has the right parts.

peace, jo

Well I opened it up and everything seems fine nothing looks disconnected or burnt out. The mpc is not too hard to take apart, but gonna and call a local shop and see if they can service my mpc. If not then, I have to call Akai.

I recently got the same hard drive and installed it succesfully. I had it formatted to FAT32 before installing it. If it is not working after you get the pads fixed have it formatted.

Well, not like anyone cares, but I finally had enough with my defective MPC and returned it to the guy I bought it from, I guess it was a case of "too good to be true". I had bought it almost next to brand new (physical condition), but the pads didn't function at all. So I'm getting my money back after all said and done. Hopefully, in the near future I can get my hands on another 2500. Again thanks Selecta for all the help, I really appreciated it a lot.