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The correct upgrade replacement HD?

Discussion in 'TiVo Help Center' started by CatinDehat, Sep 15, 2007.

  1. Sep 15, 2007 #1 of 10
    CatinDehat

    CatinDehat New Member

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    Feb 4, 2007

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    I had asked this question before, but my wording was not clear, so there were no answers. I'll try again:

    I'd like to install a larger hard drive in my TiVo ModelTCD540040 Series 2 DVR. I prefer NOT overbuying a super duper (overkill) hard drive that might not even be compatible with the existing DVR system, e.g., is the factory HD ATA33, ATA166, (dare I say SATA)?. What drive would be right? Of course, I'd get the software that allows preparing the new drive for installation in the DVR.
     
  2. Sep 15, 2007 #2 of 10
    funtoupgrade

    funtoupgrade New Member

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    There is no best one and no size restrictions - just make sure to get a PATA (not SATA) drive.
     
  3. Sep 15, 2007 #3 of 10
    bracoh

    bracoh New Member

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    The HD uses an eSATA drive not PATA!
     
  4. Sep 15, 2007 #4 of 10
    stevel

    stevel Dumb Blond TCF Club

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    The TCD540 uses PATA (aka EIDE). The S3 and TiVoHD do use a SATA drive. (eSATA is for an external drive on the S3 only and is not officially supported.)

    For the 540, as funtoupgrade says, any PATA drive of sufficient capacity will be fine. I would recommend comparing reviews to see which of the drives you're considering is quieter and cooler than others - that's the thing that will make the most difference. Don't worry about performance differences.
     
  5. Sep 15, 2007 #5 of 10
    mick66

    mick66 Dirty Burger

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    The 'verse
  6. Sep 21, 2007 #6 of 10
    CatinDehat

    CatinDehat New Member

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    Feb 4, 2007
    Thanks for all the answers, but, even if I was reluctant to open my TiVo before, the help(s) did not really answer my question; so I removed the cover and found that the Hard Drive is a 40 GB Maxtor DiamondMax Plus 8, ATA/133. From the looks of the label, this drive must've been specially built for TiVo, since none of the numbers on the drive relate to anything on Seagate's Maxtor Web pages.
     
  7. Sep 21, 2007 #7 of 10
    stevel

    stevel Dumb Blond TCF Club

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    No it was not specially built for TiVo but it's not a model that was sold directly to consumers.
     
  8. Sep 21, 2007 #8 of 10
    Alarmcluck

    Alarmcluck New Member

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    Check out www.weaknees.com. They sell preformatted replacement and add-on hard drives for TiVo. Even if you don't want to buy from them you'll find a wealth of information on their site. Their add-on drives come in kit form with everything you need except a screwdriver and very easy to follow instructions. It took me about an hour (I work slow!) to add a second drive. It worked perfectly from the time I reconnected my TiVo.
     
  9. Nov 9, 2007 #9 of 10
    pkdesign

    pkdesign New Member

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    Oct 1, 2007
    I just upgraded my Series 2 TiVo with a Maxtor DiamondMax 21 320GB and it works great. Very quiet even though the drive (as do all Seagate drives) does not support acoustic management.
     
  10. Nov 9, 2007 #10 of 10
    RonDawg

    RonDawg Well-Known Member

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    Neither...
    Another recommendation to use Weaknees or another company that provides pre-formatted TiVo drives. More expensive than buying your own and formatting it yourself, but certainly a lot easier and if the OP has never prepared his/her own hard drives before, certainly recommended over the DIY solution.

    In addition to Weaknees, there is also Digital Recorder, DVR Upgrade, and others, just type "TiVo upgrade" into your favorite search engine. Occasionally I even see ads for hard drive upgrades on this site as well.

    Oh and buy the biggest hard drive your budget will allow. GB's are getting increasingly cheaper by the day, and you'll find that larger hard drives are often not much more expensive (and occasionally a bit cheaper) than smaller ones.
     

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