Replacing failed internal HD on a Series 2

[Legacy777]

I've got a friend with a series 2 lifetime subscription tivo that the HDD has failed. I'm interested in buying it from him, and swapping in a new HDD. I've searched and found a few threads regarding the subject, specifically this one:

http://www.tivocommunity.com/tivo-vb/showthread.php?t=369010

and # 30 in eSATA expansion thread
http://www.tivocommunity.com/tivo-vb/showthread.php?t=370784

It sounds like I should be able to get another drive, format it using MFS, and swap it into the Tivo, and get things running. Is there anything else I'm missing?

Also, since I don't have a land line, I'm assuming I'll need the TiVo Wireless G USB Network Adapter. Is there any other adapter that would work, or do I need the Tivo one?

Thanks in advance!
Josh

[RonDawg]

If the HDD has already failed, using WinMFS won't work at all, or worse, give you a corrupted drive image that will cause all sorts of problems. You will need to get a fresh image, and unless you have access to an identical TiVo with an uncorrupted drive image, that will usually mean purchasing InstantCake.

eSATA drives are only compatible with the Series 3/648, TiVoHD/652, and the new TiVoHD XL. None of the Series 1 and Series 2 TiVo's will work with eSATA, so the only way to increase storage is to upgrade the internal drive.

As far as network adapters, with the Series 2 no you don't need the official TiVo Wireless Adapter. However, if you want to use WPA encryption, the official one is the only one that will work, even if the third party adapter supports WPA otherwise. Whether you want to use a wireless or wired USB to Ethernet adapter, only certain models will work.

List of compatible wired adapters (http://www.tivo.com/setupandsupport/technicalsupport/networkingandphoneconnections/All_Wired_Network_Adapters.html)

List of compatible wireless adapters (http://www.tivo.com/setupandsupport/technicalsupport/networkingandphoneconnections/All_Wireless_Network_Adapters.html)

[Legacy777]

Thanks for the info! I did check out the Tivo unit, and it does look like it's the hard drive. I'll pick up another hard drive and instantcake.

Thanks
Josh

[RoyK]

Instantcake works very well and is simple. Just be sure to get the correct image.

[dianebrat]

Instantcake works very well and is simple. Just be sure to get the correct image.
:up:
While I could easily have copied images with MFStools, I found instantcake to be simple, quick, and well worth my money. (in fact I bought the newer version later on)

I like easy.. and it was.

Diane

[gosforth]

You got a newbie here w/r/t to delving inside their tivo's so be gentle with me on this.

I have, I believe, the same problem as above.

Got a failing Series 2 stand-alone with lifetime subscription that freezes up and powers off. It's 6 years old and just picked up a replacement power supply from weaknees. Replaced it but the original problem has not gone away, so I'm assuming the hard drive needs replacing.

I know the hard drive has to be formatted with the Tivo software, so is the suggestion to buy an IDE hard drive locally and then use this instantcake program?

I've never used instantcake - I only know it by name. As a general PC user, is this something I can manage?

[RoyK]

If you are reasonably comfortable hooking up a hard drive in a PC you can do it. Its really quite simple.
Instructions here:
http://www.dvrupgrade.com/forums/showthread.php?t=5

Just be sure to buy the instantcake version appropriate for your tivo model.

[Legacy777]

I played around with the old hard drive and it definitely was toast. I downloaded the instantcake software to try it out, and yes it is pretty easy to use. Hopefully I'll have my new drive before the weekend.

Josh

[gosforth]

So are the standard off-the-shelf IDE hard drives at your local computer store acceptable as a replacement?

Weaknees is telling me that those aren't the best drives for Tivo, and that the ones that they sell have firmware specifically for A/V use. The Seagate DB 35 is the model number they mentioned to me.

Is this accurate or are they just trying to sell me their services?

[Legacy777]

I've only had a Tivo for a short time, so I can't speak on whether certain drives are better specifically for Tivo, however I can say that not all drives are created equally.

Besides drive space capacity and noise, disk rpm & buffer size tend to play a decent role in drive performance. I've never been overly happy with 5400 rpm drives. Plus, the larger the buffer size the better. The failed drive in my Tive was a Maxtor DiamondMax 16 80 gig ATA 133 drive. When I was looking whatever I replaced it with needed to be the same or better. I ended up getting a Maxtor DiamondMax Plus 250 gig 7200 rpm ATA 133 drive (http://www.jaztechnologies.com/index.php?main_page=product_info&products_id=378). (Note I'm not endorsing the place I linked to, that's just where I found a good deal on that particular drive) It also has an 8mb buffer. Like I said, I can't comment on drives being A/V or Tivo specific, but there are better drives then some. Personally I'm not quite sure how you would make the firmware of the drive different for A/V purposes vs. standard computer use.

Josh

[greg_burns]

Seagate DB 35 is definately a nice drive. If you are going to use InstantCake you can purchase it from wherever you can find it cheapest.

I would stay away from other Seagate drives just because you cannot adjust the acoustics on them. WD, Hitachi, (old Maxtor) drives are simple enough to adjust using some free tools out there.

Noise, then size is more important to me than cache size or 5400 vs 7200. I am not sure you would see a difference between the two in a Tivo. But 7200 is so common anymore might as well get one.

[classicsat]

It has been discussed elsewhere, but I think the firmware is engineered for continuous read/write in various places, rather than bursts of reading and writing a PC drive has to.

That said, most PC drives should work in a TiVo.

I use WD drives just fine.

[Mchero]

I installed a larger drive in my S2 but I ocasionally hear the drive make some wierd noises. I'm waiting for the heads to come flying out the side of the Tivo. It's still going strong though! Yes, that instacake is awesome!

[Legacy777]

Forgot to update this thread. I got the drive and loaded instant cake on there. Booted up the Tivo and went through all the setup. Everything appears to be working fine. The hard drive makes some interesting noises every now and then, but it does appear to be working fine.

One thing I guess I found out is that the series 2 tivo's only have one tuner so they can't record something and watch something else without running a separate cable feed just to the TV. But I can't complain, since I got it for free.

[RonDawg]

One thing I guess I found out is that the series 2 tivo's only have one tuner so they can't record something and watch something else without running a separate cable feed just to the TV. But I can't complain, since I got it for free.

The Series 2 Dual Tuner model, which is the only Series 2 still available new from TiVo, will let you tune two programs at once...but only if both channels are analog cable, or one analog and one digital. This model is not compatible with OTA, and can only control one set top box at a time.

But you are correct...when something is free (or close to free), you really can't complain about its shortcomings ;)