Upgrade your Roamio with a new drive. No discs needed.
What you need:
T8 Screw driver
T10 Screw Driver
New Hard Drive
What you need:
T8 Screw driver
T10 Screw Driver
New Hard Drive
There is no pre-formatting on the Roamios. Just drop in the drive and Roamio will do the rest.My question is when I format the the HD from the XL4 is there any special formatting? should I just do the good old NTFS or leave it unallocated?
I previously purchased a roamio for myself and bought a 3TB drive and just dropped it in, so i don't know how the drives comes formatted in the box.
Thanks. I took the Drive out of the XL4 and just formatted it on a windows machine so its in NTFS format. I'm hoping that'll be ok and the tivo will just wipe it and start overThere is no pre-formatting on the Roamios. Just drop in the drive and Roamio will do the rest.
:up::up:I would recommend using the manufacturer diagnostic program and test the drive and then have it zero it out.
I'm reading that adding a new bigger internal drive will void the warranty. How exactly will Tivo know that it's been tampered with? Is there a VOID sticker or whatnot that you have to tamper with to open the unit? Assuming there's not, if I keep the original drive intact and I have a problem with the Roamio, couldn't I just stick the original drive back in before I ship off my defective unit to Tivo?I am about to go from FIOS with a CISCO DVR (Hate it) with ~2TB of disk to a my first TiVo, a new ROAMIO on FIOS. I want to max out the disk space so I get something that will last me the next few years. After reading this thread and looking at the weaKnees web site I think that the "Seagate Video 3.5 HDD 4TB ST4000VM000" is the largest option available. The 4tb drive can be found for less than $200 on Amazon and other places. WeaKnees seems to think this drive will work both internally and externally so I could order a second external drive when the first internal one fills up.
The process sounds simple enough.
1. Buy a Roamio Plus (plus a TiVo warranty, lifetime TiVo subscription, & FIOS cable card)
2. Throw out the small drive in the Plus and replace with the new 4TB large drive.
3. Cross fingers, power up the Roamio Plus, and activate via the welcome screens.
4. Pay the large visa bill
I am planning to buy it when the black Friday adds are out so I can shop for the best deal. Other than being a little iffy on the TIVO warranty with a non-standard drive in the Roamio, am I missing something? Has anyone put this drive in a Roamio with any success?
FYI: Here is where I got this info:
http://www.weaknees.com/details2/rd4t0ropl.php
http://www.seagate.com/internal-hard-drives/consumer-electronics/video-3-5-hdd/#features
http://www.amazon.com/Seagate-Video...F8&qid=1384361435&sr=8-3&keywords=ST4000VM000
Some of the Roamios come with WD drives. right? Which 3 TB WD drives does TiVo use in the Pro? That might give you a clue.Does anyone know if the Roamio is capable of achieving SATA 6GB/s speeds?
I want to upgrade the HD and need to know if I should get an HD with an SATA II or SATA III interface.
I would be willing to pay the extra money for the SATA 6GB/s speed drives (Ex. WD AV-GP EURX [6GB/s] over EURS [3GB/s]) but I can't seem to find any information that states if the Roamio is capable of attaining those speeds. ...
On what basis? It's not like you said WHY, just "don't", without a single reason for saying so.Don't do that....get the AV drive
Any TiVo has internal logs that include the model and serial number of the drive in use, and are uploaded to, and stored by, TiVo's servers. How long they are stored, or if they have a system to detect drive changes, I don't know.I'm reading that adding a new bigger internal drive will void the warranty. How exactly will Tivo know that it's been tampered with? Is there a VOID sticker or whatnot that you have to tamper with to open the unit? Assuming there's not, if I keep the original drive intact and I have a problem with the Roamio, couldn't I just stick the original drive back in before I ship off my defective unit to Tivo?
Has anyone had a warranty claim on a defective Tivo that contained a previously upgraded hard drive?
The DRIVES that TiVo uses are currently SATA2. If SATA3 becomes available to TiVo for the same price, or the price of the SATA2 drives goes higher, they'll likely move to SATA3. But, read on for the important parts:Does anyone know if the Roamio is capable of achieving SATA 6GB/s speeds?
I want to upgrade the HD and need to know if I should get an HD with an SATA II or SATA III interface.
<snip>
Actually, already SATA3 in more recent units.The DRIVES that TiVo uses are currently SATA2.
Good to know for future reference. I noticed they are mixing it up using both Seagate and WD. Is it limited to one or the other? I like to be sure I provide facts, and not just what is reported by others, and appreciate that you didn't flog me for not knowing they have started using them. Really, I do.Actually, already SATA3 in more recent units.
Any TiVo has internal logs that include the model and serial number of the drive in use, and are uploaded to, and stored by, TiVo's servers. How long they are stored, or if they have a system to detect drive changes, I don't know.
Here's what has been reported (some more than others, not in a particular order):
1. Somebody bragged to TiVo that they upgraded, and were denied warranty.
2. Somebody called in for support, the CSR pulled up the logs, and noticed the drive discrepancy, denying the warranty service the customer needed.
3. I, myself, upgraded, using the same model they did in their more expensive units, and was denied SUPPORT, when they noticed the drive had been changed, due to "unauthorized modifications".
4. Others have not had an issue with SUPPORT service, which is likely due to whether or not the CSR that took the call was being vigilant about looking for drive upgrades (or what kind of day they were having).
Many have claimed the best thing to do is hang onto your original drive (don't re-purpose it), and if you need warranty service, put it back in, and you'll be fine. I can't recall anybody actually *recently* claiming this was a success story, only implying it. I could be wrong, or have forgotten such a post.
Many have also claimed that TiVo has been turning a blind-eye to the above method, but said (quite accurately) there is no guarantee that TiVo will continue to do so.
It's a gamble. Some would rather pay extra, and have peace of mind. Others don't care, or are willing to take their chances.
No, there is no sticker, nor any tamper evidence sensors. But, if TiVo has any evidence you have even opened the case, they can deny warranty service. Some have said this is against certain governmental law(s). But, I've yet to read about anybody making a case to prove it.
So I should keep the original drive in until 90 days (in case something goes horribly wrong) and then I can swap it out for the expanded one? I see the Tivo extended warranty is $40 for 3 years which sounds fair. I plan on doing the lifetime subscription, and so I guess this is my best bet as opposed to using a third party like SquareTrade?Tivo's warranty is only worth using for the first 90 days; after that any extended warranty is cheaper than what Tivo will charge you for a replacement unit.
So if one plans to upgrade DIY, they should buy an "extended warranty" (even the one Tivo sells is serviced by a third party) and if anything goes wrong reinstall the original drive and contact the 3rd party "extended warranty" provider for replacement.
Tivo's not involved in any part of that process, since you're not asking to use their warranty.
This isn't an argument that I am presenting, just some details I feel shouldn't be left out:Tivo's warranty is only worth using for the first 90 days; after that any extended warranty is cheaper than what Tivo will charge you for a replacement unit.
So if one plans to upgrade DIY, they should buy an "extended warranty" (even the one Tivo sells is serviced by a third party) and if anything goes wrong reinstall the original drive and contact the 3rd party "extended warranty" provider for replacement.
Tivo's not involved in any part of that process, since you're not asking to use their warranty.
Yes. One of the two Roamio Plus units I bought and upgraded to 3TB failed within a week due to non drive issues. I dropped the original drive back in and returned for replacement. No issue.I'm reading that adding a new bigger internal drive will void the warranty. How exactly will Tivo know that it's been tampered with? Is there a VOID sticker or whatnot that you have to tamper with to open the unit? Assuming there's not, if I keep the original drive intact and I have a problem with the Roamio, couldn't I just stick the original drive back in before I ship off my defective unit to Tivo?
Has anyone had a warranty claim on a defective Tivo that contained a previously upgraded hard drive?
When making such statements, I feel there should be an obligation to warn the inquiring party, more so the countless others that will read it, that TiVo can change this at any time, if they wish.Yes. One of the two Roamio Plus units I bought and upgraded to 3TB failed within a week due to non drive issues. I dropped the original drive back in and returned for replacement. No issue.
Didn't you read the last line of my last post?Dude, I don't know what your sudden problem with me is but I'd like to get past it.
I feel people are smart enough to know when they upgrade the HD they are voiding the warranty.When making such statements, I feel there should be an obligation to warn the inquiring party, more so the countless others that will read it, that TiVo can change this at any time, if they wish.
That is merely an assumption, on your part. There's an ages-old saying about assuming things.I feel people are smart enough to know when they upgrade the HD they are voiding the warranty.