Tivo diagnostics... check for a bad HDD?

[EVizzle]

I have a single tuner, S2 Tivo with lifetime. I think the hard drive is failing on me. Is there a way to do some sort of check on it without opening up the box? I am not the most computer repair saavy guy.

Thanks in advance!

Also, if it is bad, is it even worth replacing? I get $6 a month in savings because of it, maybe I should just use it to dial in?

[chip_r]

So what's it doing to make you think it's going bad? Noisy drive, random reboots, stuttering ... you could try one of the kickstarts here (http://www.tivocommunity.com/tivo-vb/showthread.php?p=5643823#post5643823). Just note the comment in the thread "Kickstart procedures generally leave Season Passes, Wish Lists, etc. intact, however data and recordings that used any bad sectors may be lost."

So as always, proceed at your own risk.

If you're really not using your S2, then just have it dial in once per 6 months to keep it's account active. If still want to use it then InstantCake is an easy option ($20) to build another drive from scratch. Also add in the cost of a disk drive (<$100). Is the cost/hassle worth $72/year? It's your money and time, not mine :)

You mentioned you're not the most computer savvy but here are the basic steps. Hopefully I don't offend or overwhelm you. It should give a basic idea of the process. dvrupgrade.com also has the details.

1) Purchase/download InstantCake for your particular S2 model
2) Burn the .iso file to a CD
3) Purchase a new parallel ATA drive. Suggested models are all over the forum.
4) You'll need a PC with a parallel ATA interface for it's disk drive. Note that many new PCs have serial SATA drives so this could be a show stopper. ATA = 2.5" wide ribbon cable, SATA = small cable.
5) To be safe, you unplug your hard drive in your PC to prevent an accidental format of your PC drive.
6) Get into your PC BIOS at boot-up [F2] or [delete] for most computers and modify the boot sequence to boot off of the CD-ROM first, then the C Drive.
7) Power-down.
8) Plug in the new drive into the cable where your PC hard drive was. Don't forget to plug in the power cable.
9) CD ROM goes into your ROM drive.
10) Boot up and answer the questions InstantCake asks.
11) When done, shut down, put your PC drive back in your PC and set your BIOS back to boot from the C drive first.
12) Unplug your Tivo.
13) Get a torx screwdriver to open the Tivo lid (look around the forum for the right size torx. Unlike a Phillips or slotted, they come in sizes that must match).
14) Carefully unplug the cables to the Tivo internal drive.
15) Unscrew the old drive mount and replace with your new drive.
16) Carefully plug the cables back into the drive. Make sure they're fully inserted.
17) Put the lid back on.
18) Power back up and run guided setup.

[EVizzle]

Thanks for the excellent response. For $72 a year as you stated, it probably is worth it for ten minutes of work, but putting in a new drive is more than I would want to take on. Playback studders/freezes pretty frequently now, which led me to this assumption. I feel sad that my original Tivo is dying, but I think it might be time to relegate it to dialing in...

[steve614]

Thanks for the excellent response.

I agree.

I think that is the most concise post about using InstantCake I have read.
Some of the other threads I have read about it make it seem more difficult than it really is.