Sony T-60 Reboots every 5 Min

[dpam]

I've got a problem with my T-60. It boots but after playing a little while just restarts. Again and Again.

I've got tons of video on there I'd rather not loose. I'm happy to swap/upgrade the drives - did it once before years ago - but that time I wasn't trying to save the video as I was able to burn to DVD beforehand.

My question is, which of the self-help backup/restore/replace methods are best for me in this two-drive to two-drive situation, and does that sound like the right step? Hinsdale looks comprehensive and seems to support this option. Not sure I see the full copy steps in Weeknees.

About to order two Seagate DB35 160 GB drives for the job. Does that sound smart? Thanks for sharing your expertise. - DPAM

[rbtravis]

Look at www.mfslive.org for a newer copy. :)

[JimSpence]

This could be a power supply problem. Try replacing it first.

[dpam]

any easy place to get a power supply?

[rbtravis]

Search for "Tivo Power" supplies on Ebay can be found for under $10.00 plus shipping. Make sure the supply is for your model and stay away from unclevill who does not respond to emails and his photo's are shown missing parts.

[dpam]

Thanks. Placing order now. You guys are life-savers.

[John T Smith]

You may also use http://mfslive.org/winmfs/ to clone your drive... without losing any data, and expanding into a larger drive if needed

I personally would not use two drives... extra heat and drain on the power supply

I did clone/expand several 80Gig drives to 320Gig (each in a different unit)

[dpam]

OK, got new power supply, installed it. Seemed to work fine - 1 day later, rebooting frequently again. What are the odds? Bad replacement power supply or actual hard drive problem?

And how hard is it to change a two drive setup to a one drive setup? Not sure I've seen those instructions.

Thanks Guys.

[rbtravis]

The instructions are at www.MFSlive.org under Full Guide. What manufacturer's drives are you replacing. Be aware some ESATA drives will not work correctly with the older model TiVo's. The only major manufacturer of PATA 3.5 inch drives with those drives still in production is Western Digital. :)

[dpam]

OK, I'll move to one drive next week.

But for now, do you guys think I got a bad new power supply, or something else is causing the rebooting? (History is T-60 was rebooting every 5 min, suggestion here was to replace power supply, I did, but now it still reboots constantly.)

Should I bother replacing the new power supply with another new one, or just move on to changing the drives? Or is something else likely wrong?

[rbtravis]

Replace the drive next. 85% of the problems I have encountered are drive related. The reason I asked what kind of drive you have is that Western Digital has a customer loyalty program which will allow you to purchase new upgrade drives at a discount price as long as you are replacing/upgrading a Western Digital drive. It does not mater if the drive is in or out of warranty. You simply give them the serial number and they determine if your drive is eligible for the program. No need to return the old drive, just give them the serial number. Tivo used both Western Digital and Maxtor so you have a 40/60 chance because Tivo used more Maxtors. Remember to unplug the machine 15 minutes before opening the case because Tivo uses an unshielded power supply and a unplugged Tivo removes the danger of Electrocution. :D

[dpam]

I upgraded the drives before, I think they're Maxtors. In any case, I was going to upgrade to the Seagate DB35 that Weeknees seems to recommend. Found them cheap enough. I'll go with the 160G. It's $52 at CDW.com.

[rbtravis]

The Western Digital 320 GB drive is only $59.95 at Frys.
http://shop2.frys.com/product/4446976?site=sr:SEARCH:MAIN_RSLT_PG
Unlike Maxtor (now defunct, name purchased by Seagate) or Seagate, stopped production of all PATA drives last year. The Western Digital is the only remaining US based drive manufacturer the drives that are quiet yet AAM is only set half way. For $20.00 you can purchase instantcake from DVRupgrade. You end up with the remaining Tivo drive supplier doing business with US companies and not harming our balance of payments by keeping the profits US based. Western Digital is currently moving its warehouse to northern California to be closer to Tivo. Stay loyal, buy American.:D

[dpam]

OK Thanks. Isn't there a 160GB limit or something like that for Series1 Tivo's like the T-60? Can I both move my existing recordings onto this drive and somehow expand the setup to allow the full 320G to be used?

[dpam]

Another question on the drives. I have a Maxtor DiamondMax Plus 9 160GB drive here that I'm not using. Any problems with using this?

[rbtravis]

You need LBA48 support which can be downloaded for free from DVRupgrade's website or comes installed in InstantCake. But InstantCake dos not save your programs. For a chance at that you need to use www.MFSlive.org which will give you a chance at saving your programs provided your drives are not already failing and a lot of reading on your part. :)

[rbtravis]

re Diamondmax Plus 9
Maxtor went out of business 3 years ago. If you don't want to risk your programs I would purchase HDSentinal to make sure a drive that old is healthy. Currently Western Digital is the only major manufacturer still making PATA drives which are TiVo series 1 compatible. At the current price levels I would invest in a new drive and get five years plus of extra life. :)

[dpam]

Got it. One last question, will I be able to use the 320GB in my Series 1 T-60? (getting past the 160GB limit?)

[rbtravis]

Yes the easiest way is with InstantCake but it can be done with an LBA48 boot and winMFS from www.MFSlive.org, but this is do it yourself with very little help.
:D