Starting without an image...

[kobalt5120]

Facts, quick and to the point...

1. RCA DVR 80 DirecTv unit.
2. Program Guide wouldn't update and occasional stutter so I did a "clear program guide".
3. It hasn't rebooted since, it's stuck in "clearing guide...it will take about an hour"
4. Other than the above problems, it was working fine.
5. I have the protection plan so DTV is sending me a new one, but its probably not a TIVO, but the new R15 (do I have that right?) ...but they said I can keep this one. Yippee.

What I want to do.
1. Get myself a new hard drive and reimage it using the mfstools. Then I'll have two DVRs instead of a DVR and a regular unit.

What I need to know.
1. Where do I get an image to put on the new hard drive if I can't read it from the old one?
2. Is there any chance that the other one is "recoverable" and I'll only lose the data where the bad sectors are in the old one?
3. If not, can I recover the old programs and get them on the new image. (Not important but would be nice to know)

Thanks

[mgmrick]

I have the protection plan also. One of my zippered tiov's is rebooting about 5 times a day. Probally a bad hardrive.

Now I could run out and replace the drive ...easy enough. However if Directv does not want the old tivo back... If they send me out a replacement unit. What is stopping me from taking that hardrive out and putting it in my " Hackable " tivo?

I knew I was paying for nothing when I kept paying for the protection plan if they would not send out the same unit. All the dvr's now are not hackable. Once you have mrv and all the other goodies running you would not want to go backwards.

So if D* does not want back the bad unit...I activate the new one and then take the hardrive out and put it in the old "hackable unit". This happens to be a non rid unit also.

Is this getting what I pay for (protection plan) or being to dishonest?

Thanks
Rick

[BillyBob_jcv]

You could use an instantcake image from PTVUpgrade:
http://downloads.ptvupgrade.com/Merchant2/merchant.mvc?Screen=PROD&Product_Code=ICAKE-S2DT-62&Category_Code=

[Barryrod]

kobalt...

see my thread here http://www.tivocommunity.com/tivo-vb/showthread.php?t=291920

and check your pms

[kobalt5120]

Looking at the Instant Cake website, I can find my model, but there seems to be a couple versions that I can get for my model. What should I be looking for to determine which one to get?

[Dkerr24]

As long as you download the Directv Series 2 RCA DVR80 iso image, you should be fine.

[kobalt5120]

Gotcha...but I see two choices...

ICAKE-S2DT-311e InstantCake for Series2 DirecTiVo Units (3.1.1e)
ICAKE-S2DT-62 InstantCake for Series2 DirecTiVo Units (6.2)

Not sure what the difference is between the two.

[Dkerr24]

Go ahead and download the 6.2 version. That will give you the faster menu speeds and folders for your programs in the Now Playing List.

The 3.1.1e would work, but then you'd have to use the slow Tivo modem to connect and download the 6.2 via phone line.