Frequently Asked Questions

What are the system requirements?

To run Squirrel Stash you will need the following:

  • Vista Media Center — which is included in Vista Home Premium or Vista Ultimate.
  • 32-bit version of Windows Vista (see below).
  • approximately 4MB of disk space for the application installation
  • plenty of disk space for your stash. Allow 500-1000MB per DVD sized video file.
  • for best performance your Vista PC should have a Windows Experience Rating of 3.5 or more. A rating less than this may not be able to display high-definition video without stutter or artifacts.

Why does the installation fail on 64-bit Vista

The drivers Squirrel Stash uses for its encypted hard drive are not yet signed. Once they are signed we will release an update that installs on 64-bit Vista.

How do I play DivX and XViD video files?

Vista Media Center does not provide codecs for playing DivX and a number of other video encoding formats. To play this type of video file you will need to install a third party codec pack. We have had great success with the ffdshow solution. Others have had success with the K-Lite codec pack. Make sure you download a version which is Vista compatible.

Can I use a Media Center Extender with Squirrel Stash?

Yes! Squirrel Stash fully supports Media Center Extenders, such as the XBox 360. Please ensure you have the latest XBox 360 updates.

Can I use my own video thumbnail images, such as DVD cover images?

Yes. Squirrel Stash extracts thumbnail images from video files automatically when the file is added to a stash. The thumbnail images are stored in a sub-folder called ss_images. Each image is named with the video file name and a numbered postfix. You can replace any of the images with your own. However, keep a backup of your images (perhaps in a stash) just in case you remove a video which causes thumbnail images to be removed also.

Can I use Dekart Private Disk with Squirrel Stash?

Yes you can. However, you must ensure that Dekart Private Disk is not running prior to running Squirrel Stash or Squirrel Stash Manager. Note that Dekart Private Disk includes a Task Bar program that also needs to be closed.

Why can't I see my stash files?

Stash files are marked as hidden system files. You can change the display options of Windows Explorer to see the files and can safely change the file properties if needed. Hiding the stash files will be optional in a future release.

Why do I receive the message "Access Denied" when running on a Media Center Extender?

A stash file can only be mounted onto a drive letter once. When running on an extender make sure that Squirrel Stash and Squirrel Stash Manager are not already running on the Media Center PC or another Extender.

mouseover