Series 2 died

[L8CS]

I'm new to the forums, mainly due to my TiVo dying, but I'm very impressed with the content. Anyway enough of the PR stuff ;)

My AT&T TCD130040 is locked on the power up screen, so I'm assuming the drive died. I've have it several years and it's had a good life. I'm planning on replacing the drive, which is no problem for me but I'm assuming I have to have the original software image for it and I don't know how or where to get it. Plus is there a way of testing the drive in a PC to isolate the trouble?

It's obviously out of warranty and I don't want to put a lot of money into it because I could buy a new one cheaper, so I don't have anything to lose by trying to fit it. Can you guys point me in the right direction?


Thanks in advance.

[Gene Plantz]

I'm planning on replacing the drive, which is no problem for me but I'm assuming I have to have the original software image for it and I don't know how or where to get it.

I just replaced my hard disk in a DRT800. I purchased a new drive from

http://www.weaknees.com/

and it comes loaded with the Tivo software. It comes with hardware installation instructions for your Tivo model. It took me 30 minutes to have the new drive UP AND TOALLY LOADED (minus indexing). The drive will cost a premium vs. buying from a hardware discounter but just having the LATEST Tivo image on it is a major plus in the hassle-factor.

[L8CS]

Thanks for the response. I checked out their site and it looks great.

Do you know if the image can be downloaded from TiVo's site like drivers for a PC? I would like to use a spare drive that I already have.

[Stanley Rohner]

TiVo doesn't have images to download from their website.

They want everyone to think the only option is to send the TiVo back to them so they can send you a refurb that may or may not work when you take it out of the box.

[xnevergiveinx]

your simplest option if you want to DIY is to buy instantcake. if you don't want to wait for a cd to arrive, you can even download it and burn the iso to a cd-r. http://www.ptvupgrade.com/products/instantcake/

it's very straight forward to use. i bought it for both of my tivos before i figured out how to make a backup. in your case, since you don't have the original drive or an image, instant cake is a best bet....unless you can beg someone to host the image for you

[dtreese]

I've followed the guides to make a backup, and I've used InstantCake. I highly recommend InstantCake, because it's less error-prone. Just make sure you buy the proper version, and things should be good. I recommend it just because it's easier for those of use who don't know Linux/don't have time to learn it.

[xnevergiveinx]

if you use instant cake, make sure you do a clear and delete after you boot up

[dminches]

if you use instant cake, make sure you do a clear and delete after you boot up

Can you explain in a little more detail what you mean (since I've never used instantcake)?

[dtreese]

He means that after you burn a disk image with InstantCake, before you record anything, you need to enter the main menu & select Messages & Settings>Restart or Reset System>Clear and delete everything. This is stated explicitly in the instructions for InstantCake, but people seem to forget it a lot. If you don't do this, it can cause problems for you. xnevergiveinx is just pointing out that it is essential to follow ALL the directions for InstantCake, including the ones on what to do when the unit is up and running again.

[travler765]

I'm in the same boat as L8CS, my TCD130040 tivo died the other day. I found the InstantCake software and have been researching it. If you go in this direction make sure you pay attention to the drive you buy, InstantCake will only support drives up to 160 GB for the TCD130040 because it doen't suport LBA.

I'm heading out to pick up a drive tonight and do my install with InstantCake, I'll let you know how it turns out.

[dtreese]

traveler765, I think you'll be pleasantly surprised. Just remember to be very careful with the ribbon to the IR sensor when you open & close the box. Then again, I'm sure you know how to read directions.

[brewman]

I just used InstantCake to replace the dead 40GB drive in a TCD540040 with a 300 GB seagate drive. Incredibly simple. Worth every penny of the $19.99

[travler765]

wow, that really was simple! The worst part of the whole thing was taking apart my Shuttle XPC so I could get to the EIDE ports. I really forgot how tight things were in the the box due to the small form factor. Once I got the drive attached my "cake" was baked in about 5 minutes.

When I opened the lid on my Tivo i really couldn't believe how much space was in there, i'm suprised they couldn't have shrunk the form factor a bit more. The white ribbon cable for the infrared wasn't much of an issue since it was tucked close to the front and you really don't need to touch it to remove the drive rack.

The only down side was that it sent me back to software rev 3.0 and as a result I had to connect a phone line... oh well... now i'm just waiting for my upgrade again. I hope it gets here before my Tivo Wireless adapters do!

Thanks for everyone's help!

[L8CS]

I finally got the TiVo up and running with a new 80g drive and a fresh image, but now I have to figure out how to get it to see the 80 gb instead of the default 40gb.