Upgrading 2x120GB to a single 400GB and preserving recordings?

[AWT]

I want to convert my 2 x 120GB TiVo to a single 400GB and preserve recordings.

Originally, the TiVo was a single 40GB. I then upgraded to a single 120GB and later added a 2nd 120GB. I preserved my recordings every time.

I remember from way back when that copying recordings involved going to that other forum, spending 2 weeks sifting through forum posts and all you'd end up with was a headache and a lot of confusion! :)

I've seen mention on here of "MFS Live" and I *think* that's what I should be using? Is this now possible? Any pointers, please?

Cheers
Andrew

[Pete77]

I've seen mention on here of "MFS Live" and I *think* that's what I should be using? Is this now possible? Any pointers, please?

The current official release of www.mfslive.org doesn't do what you want it to but the Beta version that is nearly released as the next version does. Problem though is the developer of mfslive has pulled the Beta download from his site pending the release of the next version that will allow you to expand two large hard drives to a single large hard drive.

You can send an email seeing if you can persuade the developer to let you have access to the Beta version and/or ask when he anticipates releasing the next full version

Send an email to Spike at info@mfslive.org

[AWT]

Thanks, Pete. I've now got hold of MFSLiVe.

Before I start, I need to check how many partitions my TiVo has. I'd like to do this before starting the upgrade but I can't find a TiVo compatible 'fdisk'. Is there one that runs on the TiVo OS or can anyone suggest another way of doing this?

[blindlemon]

Boot from the LBA48 or mfslive CD and run mfsinfo.

If says you can upgrade 4 more times then you have 2 MFS partitions; if it says 3 then you have 3. I would expect you to have 3.

[yungee]

Just to warn you, then even although I had 4 spare partitions, when I came to do a recent upgrade from 2*120Gb to 1*400Gb it warned that there wasn't enough space and wouldn't perform the upgrade.

http://www.tivocommunity.com/tivo-vb/showthread.php?t=338862

I couldn't divorce the B drive either, and ended up performing a bare restore.

The beta version of mfslive might help you out, as previously mentioned. Even the non beta release looks like the best boot disk to use these days IMO.

[Pete77]

The beta version of mfslive might help you out, as previously mentioned. Even the non beta release looks like the best boot disk to use these days IMO.

Especially as the developer of MFSLive also provides free support and responds to any questions received extremely rapidly.

[AWT]

Boot from the LBA48 or mfslive CD and run mfsinfo. Thanks, that will come in handy.
What I'm really looking for is a way to determine the number of partitions without dismantling the TiVo and pulling the drives.

I appreciate that this sounds backward but what I'm trying to do ahead of the upgrade is determine whether or not I'm going to be able to preserve my recordings. If I can't then I need to get busy watching/clearing stuff off.

[Pete77]

I appreciate that this sounds backward but what I'm trying to do ahead of the upgrade is determine whether or not I'm going to be able to preserve my recordings. If I can't then I need to get busy watching/clearing stuff off.

You could always archive all the programs you really want to watch later on to your PC using Ty something or other Tools and play them back directly using VLC something Media Player as I see you have a Turbonet card.

[blindlemon]

What I'm really looking for is a way to determine the number of partitions without dismantling the TiVo and pulling the drives.Check the kernel log after rebooting and look for the following (or similar):-Jan 1 00:02:38 (none) kernel: Partition check:
Jan 1 00:02:38 (none) kernel: hda:Started kswapd v 1.12
Jan 1 00:02:38 (none) kernel: hda1 hda2 hda3 hda4 hda5 hda6 hda7 hda8 hda9 hda10 hda11 hda12 hda13 hda14
Jan 1 00:02:38 (none) kernel: hdb: hdb1 hdb2 hdb3 hdb4 This is my twin-drive TiVo with two MFS partitions on the "A" drive and one on the "B" drive.

[yungee]

Thanks, that will come in handy.
What I'm really looking for is a way to determine the number of partitions without dismantling the TiVo and pulling the drives.

I appreciate that this sounds backward but what I'm trying to do ahead of the upgrade is determine whether or not I'm going to be able to preserve my recordings. If I can't then I need to get busy watching/clearing stuff off.

If you can find a cross compiled PPC version of "mfsinfo" then you could run it in situ on the Tivo, but I've had a cursory search and can't find one.

[AWT]

Thanks for all the help everybody. I rebooted and got the partition data from the kernel log:Jan 1 00:00:17 (none) kernel: hda1 hda2 hda3 hda4 hda5 hda6 hda7 hda8 hda9 hda10 hda11 hda12 hda13 hda14 hda15

Jan 1 00:00:17 (none) kernel: hdb: hdb1 hdb2 hdb3 hdb4The very helpful people at mfslive.org have advised me that I have too many partitions to get all this onto a single drive, bugger!

I've been contemplating other options, for instance, upgrading one of the 120GB drives to 400GB and keeping the other 120GB 'as is' (the budget won't stretch to 2x400GB ATM). One reason I'm adverse to doing this is that one drive has a surface defect and they both are a few years old and I want to retire them.

Because I've hit this partition limit I'm far less adverse to doing a 'clean' install (but I still don't want to lose all those episodes of Star Trek and 24!). So, to this end I have a few more questions:

While using, shall we say, "other methods" to preserve recordings, do I have to keep the drives installed in the Tivo or are there worthwhile things I can do with them hooked up to a PC running mfstools etc?

At that other place there are lots of techniques and other methods to read about. Can someone hint at what particular one is the best to use? I think 'best' really means fairly straightforward and with minimal intervention.

Cheers
Andrew

[Pete77]

Jan 1 00:00:17 (none) kernel: hdb: hdb1 hdb2 hdb3 hdb4[/code]The very helpful people at mfslive.org have advised me that I have too many partitions to get all this onto a single drive, bugger!

The next edition of MFSLive that was available as a Beta but is now withdrawn pending final formal release as the next version in a few weeks or possibly a few months time overcame the having too many partitions issue by being able to expand the size of the existing partitions on a new larger drive using the -f switch.

You want to email the guy at mfslive making it clear you know about this Beta version and would really appreciate it if he could give you a link to the version that expands the partitions with the -f switch on a special one off favour basis (he did this the other day for another forum member). Alternatively if he refuses you might like to ask him how soon he anticipates releasing the next version with the partition expanding functionality.

[AWT]

You want to email the guy at mfslive making it clear you know about this Beta version
I followed your advice further up this thread and emailed him. He kindly made it available to me and at the same time he asked how many partitions I had. His (near immediate) response to my reply was that I have too many partitions to fit on one drive.

[Pete77]

I followed your advice further up this thread and emailed him. He kindly made it available to me and at the same time he asked how many partitions I had. His (near immediate) response to my reply was that I have too many partitions to fit on one drive.

That sounds disappointing.

I thought it was only upgrading from two large drives to two more even larger drives that not even the Beta version of MFSLive could yet handle. I thought that it could handle all instances of upgrading from two hard drives to one hard drive but it now seems that is not after all the case. :(

Are you sure he understood your question correctly?

[blindlemon]

Thanks for all the help everybody. I rebooted and got the partition data from the kernel log:Jan 1 00:00:17 (none) kernel: hda1 hda2 hda3 hda4 hda5 hda6 hda7 hda8 hda9 hda10 hda11 hda12 hda13 hda14 hda15

Jan 1 00:00:17 (none) kernel: hdb: hdb1 hdb2 hdb3 hdb4The very helpful people at mfslive.org have advised me that I have too many partitions to get all this onto a single drive, bugger!You have 3 MFS partitions on your A drive and one on your B drive so I'm not surprised that even mfslive's -f option can't help.

I suspect the -f option will expand the last partition on a drive that has 3 already, not cram 4 into 3.

[Pete77]

You have 3 MFS partitions on your A drive and one on your B drive so I'm not surprised that even mfslive's -f option can't help.

I suspect the -f option will expand the last partition on a drive that has 3 already, not cram 4 into 3.

I think the MFSLive guy is not keen to let any more people have the Beta version at present, which is probably why it suits his agenda to suggest that his "official" product does not provide this functionality. Of course perhaps there have been issues with the -f partition expanding function during the Beta that he is now working to address. And in those circumstances he may feel it is irresponsible to continue to allow people to download the bug ridden Beta version.

[blindlemon]

That never stopped Microsoft :D

Some of their Beta and "preview" versions are the most bug-ridden software I've had the misfortune to struggle with. However, that's what you agree to when you downlad a beta version, so if people are complaining about bugs rather than just pointing them out I can understand why the mfslive guy has pulled the beta for the time being....

[Pete77]

That never stopped Microsoft :D

It never seems to have stopped Sky either does it. :eek:

Having wasted a lot of time on problems caused by the Beta versions of Internet Explorer 7 and Windows Defender I totally concur. Next time I will wait for the official final release and let someone else waste their time as un unpaid Microsoft bug tester.

Ditto I have no intention of moving to Windows Vista any time before the start of 2008, unless that is unexpected computer theft or total computer failure forces the decision on me.

[limbob]

Hi

Amazing how so many people are looking to do the similar upgrades at the same time, or maybe I just notice it when I am in the market. In my case upgrade from a 40+200 to a new single larger driver preserving recordings.
Anyhow looked at my kernel log after a reboot and

Jan 1 00:03:13 (none) kernel: hda:Started kswapd v 1.12
Jan 1 00:03:13 (none) kernel: hda1 hda2 hda3 hda4 hda5 hda6 hda7 hda8 hda9 hda10 hda11 hda12 hda13 hda14 hda15 hda16
Jan 1 00:03:13 (none) kernel: hdb: hdb1 hdb2 hdb3 hdb4

Therefore I reckon it is impossible as I have a 3 and a 1 MFS partition pairs.
Just to clarify, I thought that on the hda drive, partitions hda10 and greater were MFS pairs and on the hdb, partitions hda3 and greater.

I would have thought 15 hda partitions in total would be the max?

So in summary there is no way of preserving the recordings on an upgrade to a single drive (bar extr and insrt tools), but I could insert a larger B drive?

Cheers

Al

[Pete77]

So in summary there is no way of preserving the recordings on an upgrade to a single drive (bar extr and insrt tools), but I could insert a larger B drive?Al

There will be when the new version of www.mfslive.org is out shortly. It was available as a Beta but the developer has now pulled that pending a few final tweaks.

You can always email him to ask when he thinks the full release will be out:-

info@mfslive.org

[blindlemon]

That depends on whether the -f option can coalesce 4 partitions into 3 or not.

[AWT]

I think the MFSLive guy is not keen to let any more people have the Beta version at present, which is probably why it suits his agenda to suggest that his "official" product does not provide this functionality.I'm unsure whether you said this in the context of my post where I said that I was unable to upgrade?

Just to be clear, in the same email that I received a download link to the beta of MfsLive, it was also suggested that I might be unable to upgrade. 2 emails later and and it was confirmed that, based upon my current partition count, I wouldn't be able to upgrade in the way I wanted.

As Manuel would say, "I know naaaathing" about MfsLive and I'm not trying to comment on its purported functionality etc. :)

[limbob]

Interestingly I saw that this guy dmprantz had managed to manually merge the MFS pairs thus reducing the 16 hda partitions that he had to 13 and enabling him to add another MFS pair
http://www.tivocommunity.com/tivo-vb/showthread.php?t=284334



I thought I might give this a try as I would only be messing around with the new drive. However, whilst searching for other dmprantz posts to see if he gives more explanation I found this
http://www.tivocommunity.com/tivo-vb/showthread.php?t=286194

So perhaps I'll wait for a more tried and tested route or simply save off the recordings I really want.

[Pete77]

I think you are in uncharted territory here for us UK users. However blindemon might be interested in the technique if he wasn't already aware of it.