Help Combining Tivo Drives from 2 back to 1

mayweb · 12-20-2005, 05:04 PM

I have and HDVR2 that I first upgraded from a 40GB to a 120GB drive and then added a second 120GB drive via Hinsdale. PTVnet was also added to this combo. I now want to go back to just one drive and have purchased a 250GB drive. The line commands in both Hinsdale and the Weaknees interactive instructions differ a tad, but with either I keep getting "Restore Failed: Backup target not larget enough for entire backup by itself" I have booted from mfstools diskette, cd and used the LBA48 cd bootable, removed the -s 127 and the -x and the -r on the mfsrestore and no luck. Any ideas on what its complaining about?

HomeUser · 12-20-2005, 08:37 PM

Too many partitions. it is not easy to go from a two drive system back to a single drive and keep the recordings.

You can go from the two drive system to a single drive by using the -s flag in the backup with the options that do not backup the recordings.

mayweb · 12-21-2005, 07:22 AM

I kind of figured since I scanned all the forums and there were only a couple inquiries like mine with no definitive answer. I have almost 200 hours of movies on the dual 120GB drive setup that I can't loose. I really want to go down to one larger drive. Had plans to burn them all to DVD at realtime speed and decided against it. Look at using Tytools for extraction (just a mention, not a discussion of extraction which is not allowed in this forum), but all of the methods are hard to understand and implement. The message being, I have decided to just leave the movies on the tivos. Considering the circumstances, what would you recommend? Keep in mind that I do have PTVnet installed with telnet and ftp running and would be willing to revisit building a simple LINUX distribution on a PC to move the drive(s) there for partition manipulation if eveything after that is simplified. If in the end I am stuck with the 2 drive setup, will I be able to just upgrade the A or B drive with the larger drive? Gosh, I really want to go down to one drive to simplify upgrades or breakage going forward.

HomeUser · 12-21-2005, 09:45 AM

I don't know of any easy way to go back to a single drive configuration and keep the recordings. If you can use one of the programs to off-load the recordings the re-load them like can be done with TiVo Desktop (SA Series 2 only) I suppose that is what I would do.

If you know Linux and 'C' the source for MFSTools is available.

MickeS · 12-21-2005, 11:31 AM

I had the same issue as you, but on a Series 2. I didn't find anything anywhere that would easily let me do this, so I opted to back up all my recordings using TivoToGo instead, and then transfer them back after upgrading without recordings. I don't know if PTVnet lets you transfer shows to a PC, but if it does, I would recommend going that route.

mayweb · 12-21-2005, 11:41 AM

Man..... does not look good then. I would be happy if I had Tivo2Go, but this is a Directivo Series 2 and not a standalone so no subscription possible and I have not see a hack the lets you do it. Sounds like I have a roach motel on my hands -- you can get in, but you can't get out !!

Dan Collins · 12-21-2005, 02:02 PM

The only thing I can think to do what you want that MIGHT work:

1) Buy a used DirecTiVo (like one of Weaknees' DSR-7000s if they have any left)
2) Make a "no recordings" copy of your current TiVo drive A onto the 250GB drive.
3) Expand the copy to fill the 250GB drive.
4) Install the 250GB drive into the used machine (ignore the Error 51 messages).
5) Run the superpatch and set_mrv_name on both units.
6) Transfer the recordings from the original TiVo to the used one via MRV.
7) Replace the drives in your original TiVo with the 250GB drive.

I have never TRIED this, mind you...but it SHOULD work. You'll need an access card in the used TiVo but it won't have to be activated.

mayweb · 12-21-2005, 02:47 PM

Hi Dan and thank you I knew you would come up with something!! I follow you in theory, but have a couple questions. I have 3 directivos, so I am assuming I could use any one of the other 2 as a temporary "host" for the new 250GB drive? Superpatch and set_mrv_name already run on original A and B drives so not necessarry or only on the new drive in the host Tivo? and finally, since I am still new to the what files are the recordings, which files do I move and how to do it via MRV? Or do you just mean "watch" each show/movie remotely via the now play list of the temporary host unit with new larger drive, it then starts the show/movie transfer at 100MB, stop watching when transfer is complete (long before movie ends), move to next show/movie until all are transferred?

Dan Collins · 12-21-2005, 11:21 PM

Assuming all of the TiVos involved are Series 2 DirecTivos, then once they are networked, and the superpatch and set_mrv_name is run, then they will show up in each other's NP list. If you drop the 250GB drive into one of them (and run the patch and set_mrv_name), you could then transfer the movies by selecting the "remote" TiVo and picking "Watch on this TV". MRV will transfer without you watching the program live, and it will queue up multiple transfers. Basically, you scroll down the list and queue them all up and then go to bed.

The superpatch disables encryption, so once you move the 250GB drive back to the original TiVo, the movies SHOULD be available for playback.

mayweb · 12-22-2005, 06:58 AM

Very cool. The piece I was not aware of was the ability to queue up the transfers. I will try this over the holidays and report back

TubaMan-Z · 12-22-2005, 11:07 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Dan Collins

Assuming all of the TiVos involved are Series 2 DirecTivos, then once they are networked, and the superpatch and set_mrv_name is run, then they will show up in each other's NP list. If you drop the 250GB drive into one of them (and run the patch and set_mrv_name), you could then transfer the movies by selecting the "remote" TiVo and picking "Watch on this TV". MRV will transfer without you watching the program live, and it will queue up multiple transfers. Basically, you scroll down the list and queue them all up and then go to bed.

The superpatch disables encryption, so once you move the 250GB drive back to the original TiVo, the movies SHOULD be available for playback.

I'm just getting started with MRV on my DirecTiVos. One DirecTiVo is setup and I am waiting on the USB/ethernet adapter for the other. The implication of your quoted post (as I understand it) is that when MRVing from TiVo A to TiVo B, the show(s) being MRVed to TiVo B all end up physically on TiVo B in their entirety - i.e. I now have 2 copies of the shows, the original on TiVo A and the MRVed copy on TiVo B. Is that correct? It is surely not what I want. I could understand some amount of buffered content on TiVo B, but I would expect that the entirety of the shows would remain on TiVo A. Otherwise I have a bunch of wasted disk space being used for 2 copies of the same program.

Thanks.

Dan Collins · 12-23-2005, 09:26 AM

That IS how MRV works - it copies the program from TiVo A to TiVo B and you watch it from the TiVo B copy. This is done because in many cases the transfers do not occur in realtime. If you use wireless adapters directly, for example, you can only use 802.11b devices (no g devices are supported). Also, if you don't install USB 2.0 drivers, the TiVo USB ports are 1.1 devices. In each of these cases, the transfer speed is less than realtime.

Of course, if you have wired ethernet, and install USB 2.0 drivers, then the transfer is about 4x realtime for a DirecTiVo or a SA at Basic quality, just a bit better than realtime for a SA at best quality.

If you don't want duplicates hanging around, simply delete the copy when you're done watching it.

TubaMan-Z · 12-23-2005, 10:19 AM

Dan,

Thanks for the education. Now at least I know what to expect.

mayweb · 01-01-2006, 09:20 AM

Now for an update on the project that I just go to in the last couple of days. I have decided to divide my 3 directivos into Movie, Show and Lab. I upgraded the hard disk in my SDDVR80 from 80GB to 250GB. I am now transferring my 200+ hours of movies via MRV from my 2 -120GB drive HDVR2 to the SDDVR80 250GB drive unit via wired ethernet one page of shows at a time. Once completed, I am going to take my HDVR2 Lab machine down to a single 120GB unit. Then I have to apply the static addressing fix to all of them (ptvnet) so that I can more easily find the darn things on the network. After that I wil make a non show backup image of all of them. I love this stuff !!!

I do have on additional question. Can I take my Lab unit offline for both directv and DVR service and still us it as a server via MRV on PTVNET??

Dan Collins · 01-01-2006, 11:00 PM

Yes...a deactivated DirecTiVo can still supply and receive programs via MRV (and play them back as well). I have such a unit attached to my Slingbox.