Help with Hughes sd-dvr80

Sounds like you hard drive is starting to go, I am amazed that you got 8 years out of a DVR's HD, since the average life span is 3-5 years on a DVR's HD.

you have a couple of options with replacing the HD,
1. you can buy a blank hard drive and download the image from http://dvrupgrade.com then install the unit into your tivo, reprogram all of your season passes and away you go.
2. you can buy a pre-imaged hard drive from http://www.weaknees.com There all you have to do is order it install it, add your season passes and you are done.

3. You can buy a blank hard drive (as in option #1), but you can try and copy the old drive to the new drive (this saves $$) you don't need to buy an image, + all of your season passes are saves as well as your programs, however this option requires the use of a pc and time (it takes about 1-4 hours to transfer all of the stuff from one drive to the other + you have to be computer savy to do this (I have done this once).

With all options I would recommend getting the biggest drive that you can afford, since more is better, that way you can store more stuff on the tivo, note the max size is (I believe about 1 tb that the tivo will recognized).

BTW: if you were to buy a used unit off of ebay, directv will still active these units (they have a RID #), my unit (a HDVR2) they won't since it is a non -RID unit.

Ok thanks. I have had zero problems again since the reboot on Sat. I had no idea the HD might go in 3-5 years. We have had zero problems before this and that things records ALOT!

I did delete some of the season passes. Got it down from 110+ to only 80 which maybe that will help.

What type of HD do I need to buy? And IDE? I have used HDClone before pretty sucessfully so if I buy a bigger IDE drive and HDClone the current one I should be ok right? Do I need any speical tools to pull the HD out of the unit?

So if I understand you correct, if it does go I can buy another used sd-dvr80 and just plug it in? Will I need to swap access cards and/or call directv?

We love our directivo and when we recently moved the directv guy showed up with a new DVR. We told him to "put it in the van and drive away if you were going to force us to upgrade, you'll pull this tivo from my cold dead hand. I'll move the dish myself." He was very nice and said he did not think he even had a dish that would work with it. After calling a supervisor he was told some crazy HD dish he had would work if he hooked it up a certain way. The installed did not believe it would, but sure enough it worked fine. I had to tell the directv phone rep like 6 times that I was refusing the new dvr unit and keeping my old one. We also do not have a phone line at the new house and when the rep told me I needed one I told them then cancel my service. Suddenly I not longer needed one.

Thanks for the help.

1. You'll need an IDE drive.
2. See links below for resources to get Tivo drive image tools. I don't think HDClone will work for you.
3. You could swap drives from another SD-DVR80. You'll need to perform a "Clear and Delete Everything" to properly initialize that new drive to your old Tivo.
4. You do not swap access cards. Your old Tivo will continue to use its current access card.

http://www.tivocommunity.com/tivo-vb/forumdisplay.php?s=&forumid=25

http://www.weaknees.com/index.html

http://tivo.upgrade-instructions.com/

http://www.mfslive.org/

http://www.newreleasesvideo.com/hinsdale-how-to/

http://www.dvrupgrade.com/dvr/stores/1/instantcake.cfm

http://www.9thtee.com/