atcomsystems.ca/forum Forums Other TDM Phone Systems VoiceMail Systems and Programming Amanda Help

Customer has a Amanda Soho VM4 that is not working after they had a power outage.It is connected to a DK40I. I tried to access the voice mail from phone upon arrival but would just ring forever and vm did not pick up..If i recall corectly the hard drive light was blinking red.I removed the VM took to office and plugged it in with out hooking up to anything but power and all lights flash.I tried connecting through hyper terminal and got nothng when powering on. Hard drive does not seem to be powering on.
If i replace the harddrive will the Amanda retain the intial software or will that need to be reloaded.I relalize I would have to reprogram the extensions.Any and all help appreciated.Thanks
Shaun

The hard drive contains the operating system, software and database. Unfortunately you can't just replace it with a blank hard drive as it won't even boot up.

It's the same as if you replaced the hard drive in your computer/laptop. Blank is Blank.

Well that’s unfortunate that there isn’t a chip or something that retains the software. We use to have someone who we would send them out for repair but that option is no longer available. So looks like a Stratagy Flash VM is one option or a expansion cab on the dk40i and add a IVP8 or time for them to upgrade.
Thanks
Shaun

There are plenty of Hard Drive Recovery Services available but:

(1) you have to figure in the cost of recovery plus
(2) the cost of a new hard drive

and weight that against the cost of installing a new voice mail with a warranty.

I wouldn't recommend the Flash since it's already way past its EOL. I still got a few customers with the Flash and they're all falling apart because the plastic has become so brittle.

This just became available to me. It’s a soho flash drive that is 1 gig and replaces the hard drive. Has 3.14 soho software loaded. Tried to upload picture but no go. Supplier says if it doesn’t work then no charge. This replaces the hard drive. So if this works as the Amanda software is supposedly on it do I have to do the programming from one of the Toshiba phones? Or since the Amanda is basically the first stratagy voicemail can I connect to the rs232 serial port with my laptop and use the strategy vm software to program or is there a Amanda software to do the programming. Thanks for the help.
Shaun

I must say that the Amanda SOHO was a dog of a system to program. Although there is a DOS program to perform administration, it is not the same program as the Stratagy admin software. I could never get it to work and I remember being told by Amanda tech support that you can only use that software with a modem and not with a direct connect via a serial cable. The manual seems to confirm it. Anyway, I PM'd you the manual for programming the SOHO with a telephone set. Btw, remember to replace the AA batteries in the unit.

Thanks for the manual. Good thing is they only have 5 phones. Of course bad is programming through the phone. But it is what it is. Thanks again.
Shaun