Replacing Tivo unit - questions??

[muttster]

As I stated before one of my two direct tivo units is suffering a slow death and as a result, I will go on ebay or craigslist to get a replacement.. When i call dirrecttv, they were going to give me a r15 but insisted on a 2 year contract which was unacceptable for me.

Here are my questions

1. If I buy a direct tivo unit, can I put my old access card in or do I have to activate the card that comes with the reciever?

2. Any particular units to look for or are they mostly the same with a different cover?

2. Assume I call direct tv to verify the reciver number and access card to make sure that the account is in good standing?

3. I have VOIP and currently do not have my recievers hooked up to the phone. When I buy the new reciever and activate that, will it have to be hooked up to the phone or can I just put the card in and power up?

Going to hire an electrician to hook my VOIP service to my phone jacks but was hoping in the mean time, that I could just do a reboot.

Thanks for all your help; this is a great place to get info.

Thanks for any and all help

[litzdog911]

1. You might be able to activate it using your old Access Card, but DirecTV's official policy is to provide a new Access Card for ~$20. You almost certainly won't be able to activate it the DirecTivo's original Access Card, unless it's never been activated before.

2. All of the Series 2 DirecTivos are pretty much the same. If you plan to perform your own software "hacks", then don't get a DirecTV R10 DVR.

2b. Yes, call before finalizing your order on eBay or Craigslist.

3. You will need a phone line for the DirecTivo's initial Guided Setup. It might work with your VOIP line, but they can be tricky. You can also take it to a friend/neighbor's house for the initial Guided Setup phone calls, even if it's not connected to a satellite. Once you've completed the Guided Setup, you no longer need a phone connection.

[JimSpence]

Any reason why you couldn't just replace the hard drive as litzdog911 suggested in the other thread?
http://www.tivocommunity.com/tivo-vb/showthread.php?t=357645

[muttster]

Any reason why you couldn't just replace the hard drive as litzdog911 suggested in the other thread?

Most hard drive kits are $100 plus unless you program them yourself. I have a mac and also don't have the technological knowledge nor desire to do this. I think that i can get a used directtv tivo unit for $50 - 60 on craigslist which would be the cheapert way to go.

[JimSpence]

Okay, that makes sense. :)

We'll now return to the other related thread.
http://www.tivocommunity.com/tivo-vb/showthread.php?t=357645