Endpad without serial or network?

[sprust]

I'm about to embark on my second disk upgrade.

I'd like to take this opportunity to add the endpad program.

I don't want to add an airnet card or setup a serial connection (far too complicated).

I understand that some hacks require a running TIVO environment but that doesn't seem to be the case with endpad.

Am I right in thinking that I should be able to get endpad installed during the upgrade just using the mfstools environment?

I'm assuming that I can create the directory, copy the file and chmod it but I'm not clear on editing rc.sysinit.author - is there an editor available? can I just copy joe onto the disk? are there any instructions for the editor?

[daveh]

I think this describes what you want to do. If it works, please post back here as I am considering doing the same.

http://www.pinedragon.com/tivo/endpad_instructions.html

[healeydave]

installing endpad is quite simple, its only a case of physically copying the program over and starting it up automatically by adding it to your rc.sysinit.author file.
You can do this when you have restored the image to the new drive by simply mounting the tivo partition and then following the same instructions as if you were connected by serial or network. If you used a boot CD to do the image restore, it should have an editor on there, probably "vi".

[blindlemon]

Both the SiliconDust NIC CD (http://www.silicondust.com/nic_cd_20050218.iso) and the PTVUPgrade LBA48 MFSTools CD (http://www.tivoheaven.com/download/ptv-mfstools2-large-disk.iso) have the joe editor :)

The NIC CD boots in byteswapped mode automatically (required to modify the partitions) but if you use the MFSTools CD you will need to specify vmlnodma hdX=bswap at the Boot: prompt to enable byteswapping for your drive.

[TivoTown]

I think this describes what you want to do. If it works, please post back here as I am considering doing the same.

http://www.pinedragon.com/tivo/endpad_instructions.html

worked for me. just look out for the full stop . in the commands e.g.

cp /mnt/7/etc/rc.d/rc.sysinit.author .

( I didn't see it)

[sprust]

The instructions are for an unmodified single disk.

I've have upgraded my machine to two 120gig drives.

Am I right in assuming that this makes no difference in that the partitions to be modified are still the same numbers and all contained on the 'A' disk?

[blindlemon]

Yes - everything you need is on the "A" drive only. The "B" drive just contains recordings.

[sprust]

Well I must be really dumb!

I thought I'd researched this thoroughly but life's never simple is it?

My backup wouldn't shrink (it happens sometimes apparently) and my new 120gig drives were a nat's whisker smaller than the old ones - so I couldn't restore my backup!

Following a restore of my original 40gig drive backup, which I made three years ago, it seems that there is a partition missing, so I think you would have to reduce all the partition numbers by one - this presumably isn't the case if you've been using the disk(s) in the Tivo.

Anyway, it didn't matter what I tried I always got 'you must specify the filesystem type' whenever I tried to mount the partitions. I tried any number of different boot CDs that claimed to enable byte swapping (whatever that is) and I tried entering 'vmlnodma db=bswap' which I found in one post and still no joy.

Any suggestions for when I try again in another three years?

[dribble]

Anyway, it didn't matter what I tried I always got 'you must specify the filesystem type' whenever I tried to mount the partitions.

I tried it a little while ago, and got the same message as you. Did a little bit of research, but eventually had to give up!

It would be interesting to see if someone knew how to work around it. I know that my parents would love to have endpad on their non networked TiVo.

David.

[blindlemon]

I tried any number of different boot CDs that claimed to enable byte swappingHave you tried the NIC install CD (http://www.silicondust.com/nic_cd_20050218.iso) from SiliconDust?

It boots in byteswapped mode (but not /dev/hda) so you will need to attach your drive to hdb, hdc or hdd to get byteswapping on it.

Try mounting partitions 4 (root), 7 (alternative root) and 9 (var). If you get the same message for all of them then there's definitely something odd going on.

[sprust]

I did try that CD but I think it was one of the ones that wouldn't boot - it seemed to be saying that there wasn't enough memory.

Amongst others that did boot was Kazymyr's CD which is recommended in the instructions for installing endpad - this claims to boot in byte-swap mode and yet I still got the error on all the partitions.

[daveh]

What have you got connected to hda, hdb, hdc and hdd when you are trying to restore? And is your C: drive NTFS, FAT32 or FAT?

[sprust]

The restore to the two new disks worked fine.

When then trying to setup endpad I had the PC disk as hda and the Tivo A disk as hdb (as per the instructions). The PC is an old Windows 98 machine which I think was upgraded from Windows 95. The PC disk mounted fine just not the Tivo partitions.

[daveh]

What do you get in response to pdisk -l /dev/hdb command ?

[sprust]

Thanks for your help but as I stated I was looking for suggestions for the next time my drives need replacing again. I won't be pulling my precious Tivo apart anytime soon to try things - sorry.

[Nebulous]

I think this describes what you want to do. If it works, please post back here as I am considering doing the same.

http://www.pinedragon.com/tivo/endpad_instructions.html

I have also been trying to do this for my parents tivos.

I have started to follow the guide but cannot mount partition 4. I just get the same error as the others here:


/# mount /dev/hdb4 /mnt/4
/dev/hdb4: Success
mount: you must specify the filesystem type
/#

Partitions 7 and 9 mount without error

Did anyone figure out this problem?

I am using an old 60GB disk for testing, with a restored image from an un-hacked 15+30 twin drive tivo.

I specified vmlnodma hdb=bswap during boot.

The output from the command suggested by daveh above is:


Partition map (with 512 byte blocks) on '/dev/hdb'
#: type name length base ( size )
1: Apple_partition_map Apple 63 @ 1
2: Image Bootstrap 1 4096 @ 56650816 ( 2.0M)
3: Image Kernel 1 4096 @ 56654912 ( 2.0M)
4: Ext2 Root 1 262144 @ 56659008 (128.0M)
5: Image Bootstrap 2 4096 @ 56921152 ( 2.0M)
6: Image Kernel 2 4096 @ 56925248 ( 2.0M)
7: Ext2 Root 2 262144 @ 56929344 (128.0M)
8: Swap Linux swap 260096 @ 57191488 (127.0M)
9: Ext2 /var 262144 @ 57451584 (128.0M)
10: MFS MFS application region 1048576 @ 57713728 (512.0M)
11: MFS MFS media region 56650752 @ 64 ( 27.0G)
12: MFS New MFS Application 1024 @ 58762304
13: MFS New MFS Media 58466304 @ 58763328 ( 27.9G)
14: Apple_Free Extra 1776 @ 117229632

I don't know linux well enough to figure this one out.

My parents have told me to stop raving about how wonderful endpad is unless I can get it installed for them :confused: :mad:

[Rob Nespor Bellis]

That is as expected. Part of the backup/restore process is that only the active partition is backed up, the inactive partition is recreated empty.

You only need to make the changes on partition 7, it will all work OK.

Rgds,

R.

[Nebulous]

I have started to follow the guide but cannot mount partition 4
That is as expected. Part of the backup/restore process is that only the active partition is backed up, the inactive partition is recreated empty.
Thanks Rob.
I suppose thats the trouble with blindly following guides without really knowing what one is doing.

Who was it who said "A little knowledge is dangerous"?

Anyway, I'll carry on and see if I can get it working.

Thanks

[jonmalco]

Anyone have a link for these instructions as this link has died.

I can't get my airnet working and NEED endpad.

Please help somone

[Pete77]

Anyone have a link for these instructions as this link has died.

I can't get my airnet working and NEED endpad.

Please help somone

There is another thread on this during the last week or so if you hunt through the first couple of pages of threads.

[jonmalco]

Can't see it. I did do a search that is how I found this thread.

[Pete77]

Can't see it. I did do a search that is how I found this thread.

See:-

www.tivocommunity.com/tivo-vb/showthread.php?t=286631&page=4&highlight=endpad

Particularly the last post on that page and the few preceding posts where he is talking about how to get Endpad on to his parents Tivo.

Basically if you pull the drives and mount them with Lunux in a desktop PC it can be done. Doing it via the serial port on the back of the Tivo is theoretically possible but in practice extremely difficult to make work.

[jonmalco]

Thanks for all your help Pete