Compatible hard drive list for Bolt...

tgellert I modded my sisters a couple of months back and used a Western Digital 3 TB WD30EURX and it worked very well, just plug it in and the Tivo does the rest. I posted the project back in April and it might help you with some ideas how you might like to proceed, in post #1 I listed every thing used and also just updated it today. Hope this helps with your endeavor.

Link: http://tivocommunity.com/tivo-vb/showthread.php?p=10863721#post10863721

 

tgellert, although they have discontinued Amazon does have some sellers Sold by ETECComputer for 132.80 + 8.55 shipping with them in stock. Link:https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00DXFEQGI/ref=oh_aui_detailpage_o02_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1

 

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You can also use WD Red drives, WD30EFRX (3TB), WD40EFRX (4TB), WD50EFRX, WD60EFRX.

On Amazon, the WD30EFRX is much cheaper then the WD30EURX by about $30-35.

They are 3.5" drives which barely fit inside a Bolt.

 

??? A 3.5 inch drive can't fit inside the bolt. The 4TB 2.5" drives I have just fit in my Bolts.

 

Seagate 2TB Laptop HDD SATA 6Gb/s 32MB Cache 2.5-Inch Internal Bare Drive (ST2000LM003)

I upgraded my Bolt with this drive. I had no issues with the Bolt formatting the drive and it has been working great for the last 3 months and counting...

 

I used this same drive as well-- $105 at Amazon -- https://www.amazon.com/Samsung-Spin...words=Samsung+Seagate+2TB+Laptop+HDD+SATA+III

Has been working great since December.

 

I bought the Samsung / Seagate 2TB Laptop HDD SATA 6Gb/s 32MB Cache 2.5-Inch Internal Bare Drive (ST2000LM003) in Nov 2015 from an Amazon vendor. It ran for almost 18 months. Recently, I have been getting screen blackouts for a few seconds and then resumption. Research has indicated that this is caused by disk read/write errors. (To test whether it was the drive, I reinstalled the original 500GB WD drive which works flawlessly).After several attempts at repair of the Seagate (using Seagate SeaTools) I asked for an RMA and was told that the drive's warranty expired in August 2015, roughly three months before i bought it. I have asked Amazon to make good, since the drive was described as "new" when I bought it. We'll see. I saw other comments about the vendor Oceanside complaining about the exact same thing so i doubt they'll make good.
One strong piece of advice: no matter what drive you decide to go with, check it's serial with the manufacturer as soon as you get it and return it if it's not covered by warranty. Laptop drives are not made for 24x7x365 use so probability of failure is considerable. Second suggestion, which I think I'm about to undertake: consider a 3.5" drive in an external enclosure, preferably with fan, and a SATA cable to the Bolt. (I know, I don't like modding the case either.)

 

Laptop drives are made for 24x7 use. They are used in server rooms all the time because they are smaller. They aren't made much differently than they're bigger brothers, and aren't any better or worse when stationary. The main problem with laptop drives is that they move a lot and get jolted. At least that doesn't happen in a Bolt.

 

I think it would be more accurate to say there are 2.5" drives made for 24x7 use. Laptop drives is just too general.

 

what specific hard drive does tivo put in a 3TB bolt?

 

I've read here that the WD20NPVZ works
I have not read anywhere here that the latest firmware broke hardware upgrades. I have read that an external drive using the eSata port on the Bolt will not work (lack of compatible drives)

 

The going favorite is the 3TB Toshiba MQ03ABB300 runs for just a few dollars more than the WD20NPVZ and an extra TB, yet still plug and play.

 

A 3TB WD blue drive.

 

I just put a plain old desktop seagate 2 gig in mine this week; some have had failures but ill report back if anything breaks. Worse case I warranty the drive and put in my server and grab the "recommended" one if they are still recommended.

My new Tivo showed up Monday and needed to set it up so first available it was. Most of our stuff is streamed, so losing a drive is pretty trivial outside of transferring the few onepasses we have. Also the price on these 2.5 inch NAS and Surveillance drives seem to be rising.

 

Hi! Brand new to the forum.
I have a Bolt 500 and want to upgrade the HDD to a Seagate 4TB Backup Plus I happen to have. Below is text of a chat I had with Tivo customer service. I've already got the Tivo opened, so I think I'll give it a try. Can anyone give me some more recent info on not transferring my current recordings to the new HDD?
Thanks! Here's the text. See the very end.

Loyd (8:24:16 PM):Thank you for contacting TiVo Support Chat, my name is Loyd and I am happy to assist you.
Me (8:25:16 PM):I would like to not have to keep the old hdd wired as an expander.
Loyd (8:26:44 PM):I see. I just want to ask, what expander are you trying to add on your DVR?
Me (8:27:17 PM):I have a seagate 4tb hdd
Me (8:28:30 PM):... and I want to install it internally to replace the 500gb hdd that came with the tivo.
Loyd (8:29:06 PM):Just to set proper expectation, the Seagate 4TB HDD is not compatible with TiVo. The only expander that is compatible with TiVo is the Western Digital expander.
Me (8:31:21 PM):So what you keep calling an expander is a 2.5 inch HDD, right? To be clear, such a HDD from Seagate will not work, and only a 2.5 in HDD from Western Dig will work. Do I have that right?
Loyd (8:32:15 PM):Yes, you're right. These are the only expander compatible with TiVo (exact model number):
Loyd (8:32:15 PM):1 WDC WD5000AVJS-63TRA0 500GB My DVR Expander

2 WDC WD5000AVVS-63ZWB0 500GB My DVR Expander

3 WDC WD5000AVVS-63H0B1 500GB My DVR Expander

4 WDC WD10EVVS-63E1B1 1TB My DVR Expander

5 WDC WD10EVVS-63M5B0 1TB My DVR Expander

6 WDC WD10EVVS-73M5B0 1TB My Book AV Expander

7 WDC WD10EVDS-73U8B1 1TB My Book AV Expander

8 WDC WD10EURX-73FH1Y0 1TB My Book AV Expander

9 WDC WD10EURX-73C57Y0 1TB My Book AV Expander

10 WDC WD10EURX-73UY4Y0 1TB My Book AV Expander
Me (8:33:00 PM):So the Bolt can only handle 1TB, right? Nothing larger?
Loyd (8:33:29 PM):Yes, you are correct.
Me (8:34:16 PM):Hmmmm.... that seems a little strange, Can you advise why it can handle nothing larger?
Me (8:37:21 PM):... and ONLY WD?
Loyd (8:38:05 PM):We don't have enough information since these expander no longer manufactured by TiVo. It is just that WD and TiVo have partnership before.
Me (8:38:35 PM):Sorry for the caps above
Me (8:38:45 PM):Thanks. That's what I thought.
Me (8:39:07 PM):But can it handle more than 1TB?
Loyd (8:40:17 PM):I understand, it is okay. Unfortunately, that is how the TiVo box (system) works. It can only support up to 1TB and it is only compatible with WD.
Me (8:40:38 PM):OK. Thanks!

 

Of course TiVo CSR won't help you. You've voided your warranty by opening up the box. Replacing the internal drive or bypassing it is not officially supported nor sanctioned.

Long ago, there were official WD DVR Expander drives that had 3.5" drives inside: Western Digital Confirms 500GB My DVR Expander Drive Works With TiVo. I still have one but it's not longer in use. I had it hooked up via eSATA to a TivoHD (which was of the Series 3 line). Bolt are Series 6.

I can't speak to whatever you picked, but finding reliable 2.5" drives other that the no longer made 3 TB WD that went in Bolt+ can be a challenge. And, if the drive uses SMR (Shingled magnetic recording - Wikipedia), it will likely die very quickly.

It seems even the Toshiba MQ03ABB300 may not last that long: Vaunted Toshiba 3TB "Toy" Drive Shot After 3 Years.