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View Full Version : Downgrade to a Smaller Drive

thczv
08-08-2007, 09:54 AM
Hello all,

I need your help fixing my Tivo. I have a TDC24004A that has done a full freak out, and is now essentially inoperable, with green screens and constant rebooting. I figure the easiest way to resurrect it is to replace the hard drive. The problem is that I don't think it is a good idea to spend any money on this old machine. Every dollar spent on this is a dollar that should be spent on a Tivo HD that is not nearly obsolete.

I don't have a 40 GB drive to replace the original with. But I do have two 20 GB drives. If I have a backed up image from a compatible Tivo (with no shows), can MFSLive restore it to a smaller 20 GB drive? And then can I add the second 20 GB drive to get as much space as the original?

Any help would be appreciated. And, by the way, if any of you are still hosting disk images compatible with my broken Tivo, would you mind sharing?

Thanks,
thczv
classicsat
08-08-2007, 11:44 AM
Nope, you can't do that. The smallest A drive you can use has to be no smaller than the original image. Drives are cheap. Buy a new, larger one.
thczv
08-08-2007, 11:55 AM
Nope, you can't do that. The smallest A drive you can use has to be no smaller than the original image. Drives are cheap. Buy a new, larger one.

I don't think it is worth doing. As I said, every dollar spent on fixing this Tivo is a dollar that could be spent on a new Tivo HD. Not only that, but I could get a refurbed two tuner 80 hour unit from Tivo for $50. There are just too many reasons why paying money to fix this isn't a good idea. If I really can't use a smaller drive, perhaps I can scrounge one somewhere. Or perhaps the problem with the existing drive isn't a physical one, and if I reimage it, it will work.

thczv
puffdaddy
08-08-2007, 12:55 PM
You might want to look for (or create your own) an image that has been specially crafted to fit on any hard drive 2GB or greater. It's the only way, I know of, to do what you wish.

You're best off scrounging peer to peer for those images (unless you're technically inclined and can learn enough to roll your own).
thczv
08-08-2007, 01:00 PM
You might want to look for (or create your own) an image that has been specially crafted to fit on any hard drive 2GB or greater. It's the only way, I know of, to do what you wish.

You're best off scrounging peer to peer for those images (unless you're technically inclined and can learn enough to roll your own).

This is exactly the kind of help I am looking for. I didn't know images like this existed. I will look around for one.

In case I can't find one, are they difficult to make? I have an 80 hour Tivo that I could use as a source. Is this something that can be done simply with MFSLive?

Thanks,
thczv
llurkin
08-17-2007, 04:22 PM
Look for 62small.

It fits on everything.
ciper
08-17-2007, 06:09 PM
Heres an idea, you can buy a new sata drive, use a sata to pata converter and install it into the current tivo. Once you get an HD tivo take the drive out of this older unit and use it for the HD upgrade. Solves both problems.