whats up guys, ive been lurking on the forums for a while since i got my z1 about 3 months ago, but i wasnt able to install it til this weekend because now is when ive actually had time to install it... so i booted it up the first time this afternoon, and after it said "starting up pioneer navigation" or something like that, the screen then said "CANNOT USE HDD". i cant do anything else after that. i consulted my manual and it said to contact my dealer, so i called pioneer and they said that i should just exchange it. i cant exchange it because i got it off of ebay and the store seller had a defective item policy of only 14 days, and i cant report it to paypal because its been over 30 days... anyone know of a fix for this error? help! thanks in advance.

cliffnotes: i started up z1 and it says "cannot use hdd". i need a fix because i cannot exchange it because it has passed all exchange deadlines.

It's a bad hard drive. You will need to get another one from Pioneer. I would contact Pioneer and tell them that your dealer's exchange policy was up and that they told you to go through Pioneer. It's so new that EVERY unit is still under warranty. They are just passing the buck cause they don't want to deal with it yet, but it's getting to the point that they will have to soon.

I have removed my hard drive and unlocked it and done all sorts of stuff to a new hard drive trying to see if I can get a "backup" drive to work in the Z1. And I have seen that error a couple times. So I know that's what it is. So far, the only one that has worked was the ORIGINAL Pioneer hard drive. If your original is not working, you will need another one.

I can only say if Pioneer won't help you, you will have to buy another one and swap out the units or at least swap out the hard drives and return the "new" one. Then sell the new one when that's replaced. But that would be a last resort, I would think that Pioneer will step up and let you ship it back to them if you told them your "dealer" won't accept the return any more.

The only problem I can see is if the "dealer" you purchased from on eBay is not an "authorized" dealer. Pioneer may make a stink of this issue. There are many consumers that get inticed by the cheap prices on eBay and issues like these are the risks people take with the cheaper prices...caveat emptor.

bongus said:

The only problem I can see is if the "dealer" you purchased from on eBay is not an "authorized" dealer. Pioneer may make a stink of this issue. There are many consumers that get inticed by the cheap prices on eBay and issues like these are the risks people take with the cheaper prices...caveat emptor.

It's more than that. Take a look at the warranty page in your manual under "What is not covered" The very first line clearly states that if you didn't purchase your unit from an authorized dealer, you have no warranty whatsoever. Period. If you could get a receipt from an authorized dealer showing you purchased it from them, you're good to go. But if Pioneer tracks serial numbers to dealers, etc, you can't even do that. You're probably on the hook for a new hdd out of pocket.

I would contact your seller on eBay and give him the specifics and see if he will work with you. Worth a shot. Shoot...he may even be an authorized dealer! You could probably find that out on Pioneer's website.