Using Hard Drive?

[derrick111]

Hello, this is my 1st post... I have taken the hard drive out of my old TiVo and want to use it in my computer. I am more fammiliar with electronics, but I have enough experiance with computers that I should be able to do this with a little help. My problem is that the hard drive only shows about 600MB free space left when I tried to put Win2000 on it. I assume it's because there is already a bounch of video and OS already on there... I couldn't figue out how to format it. Someone suggested that this is because TiVo used Linux and it's a "stronger" OS then Windows so I will have to figure out some way to reformat it so I can use it in my computer. Help! Please :confused:
Thanks so much!

[drew00001]

Hello, this is my 1st post... I have taken the hard drive out of my old TiVo and want to use it in my computer. I am more fammiliar with electronics, but I have enough experiance with computers that I should be able to do this with a little help. My problem is that the hard drive only shows about 600MB free space left when I tried to put Win2000 on it. I assume it's because there is already a bounch of video and OS already on there... I couldn't figue out how to format it. Someone suggested that this is because TiVo used Linux and it's a "stronger" OS then Windows so I will have to figure out some way to reformat it so I can use it in my computer. Help! Please :confused:
Thanks so much!

Tivo uses several partitions (Nine?), and I suspect you are installing Win2000 on one of them. As part of the install process for WinXP, you have to choose what drive (or partition) you are going to install the OS on. During this stage, you also have the opportunity to "delete" all of the small partitions and "create" one big partition. I have never done an install of Win2000, but expect the process is simalar to WinXP.

[gweempose]

Go to the drive manufacturer's website and download their disc utility program. You should be able to use this program to completely wipe the drive clean. Then, it's just a matter of formatting the drive in windows.

[derrick111]

Derw00001, no partitions show up... just the 1 small 600MB selection.

gweempose, that's sounds like a great rout if it will work... do you put this program on a thumbnail drive and boot up with it or how does it work? The manufacturer is Soney.
Thanks guys!

[Arcady]

I think some of the really old series1 drives had a firmware lock or something that made them appear small when connected to a computer. Is this an old 10 or 20gb drive?