[Grumpster]

Have a problem with a Thomson Tivo (PVR10UK).

Decided to dust it down from loft and rebuild it after a disk crash years ago (has crashed before).

Used my old disc tools and an old copy of the Hinsdale guide. Restored some tivo_255_turbonet.bak file not sure where i got it from. Used Mfsrestore -s 300 etc . Then copykern and option 1

Plugged Tivo into my new shiny pioneer plasma via TV scart output, just a flicker as it powers up, but no display nothing

Tried plugging disk back into PC and when i try to mount the image i get "please specify partition type" i thought i had specified hdb1 maybe i didn't .

How do i verify what i restored is ok? (Apart from Tivo i know!) Obviously there's the chance it died sitting up in loft. Otherwise are there newer tools and perhaps a reliable tivo image available with tivoweb turbonet modules etc?

Thanks in advance

 

[Grumpster]

Okay ive managed to mound my old Tivo image from previous disk, all looks intact..well ive mount /dev/hdb4 and there is a file system msinfo also reported ok. It's like its lots the ability to boot from the disk.
Where do i start? Anything i should be looking for like err an autoexec ini type file?!

 

[blindlemon]

Have you switched the jumper to make it a Master before putting it back in your TiVo? The TiVo won't boot from a drive jumpered as Slave.

 

[Grumpster]

Yes thanks double treble checked that.

 

[Grumpster]

Okay ive loaded up my old Tivo disk (which i believe is also shagged)

Run a mfsinfo /dev/hdb

MFS Volume set for /dev/hdb
The MFS volume set contains 2 partitions

/dev/hdb10
MFS Partition size: 512 MiB

/dev/hdb11
MFS Partition size: 27661MiB

Total MFS volume size: 28173 MiB

Estimated hours in a standalone TiVo: 30

This MFS volume may be expanded 5 more times.

but when i type mount..

/dev/hdb7 on /mnt/hdisk type ext2 (rw)

This is the only way i am able to mound /dev/hdb any other partition ie 1-6 8-14 fails with "you must specify the filesystem type"

on this mount i can see Tivo dirs /bin /etc /dev etc etc... why isn't it visinble under mfsinfo???

Anyway does any of this info help? This is my old disk which also doesn't boot.

Wish i had left the poxy thing in the loft now, what should of taken me about 30mins has taken 2 evenings..so far, i see sky+ boxes on ebay for 100 sheets! Id really appreciate someone making me feel like im not chasing my tail! :up:

 

[blindlemon]

No display on startup normally means the TiVo BIOS couldn't find a drive to boot from, not that the drive is unbootable. Do you see the "welcome... powering up..." message?

Do the drives spin up? Have you checked the TiVo IDE cable?

 

[Grumpster]

DRive spins up (can feel centrifugal and hear some clicking) Haven't swapped ide cable no...let me pop down and try now. BRB!

 

[blindlemon]

You might also want to try maketivobootable as it sounds like your old drive was using partition 7 whereas your new one has been restored to partition 4. If the boot record points to 7 but the OS is on 4 then it won't boot.

 

[Grumpster]

Right.. ive tested both drives.

Ive possibly confused myself in the process

Anyway my 'old' drive sort of boots I get the Welcome Screen

Then Tivo man and "almost there.." bit of chugging then reboots back to welcome..and cycles.

Other disk i attempted to rebuild doesn't even get to Welcome screen. Both definately have data on them but you're right i think one is mountable on hdb4 the other hdb7 (incidentally using MFStools 1.1 was more successful mounting over MFStools 2.0!)

PS i remember you i bought my Tivo off you with this upgraded drive many years ago (my old disk which now loops - samsung SP1203N), i remember mailing you and you were most helpful then, as you helped me rebuild my disk back then.

 

[mikerr]

about the reboot cycle...you might want to remove the turbonet card and try again.

 

[Grumpster]

Tried that nope still loops...

 

[blindlemon]

Maybe you need a new image...

 

[Grumpster]

Ok

I think my main problem is i can't seem to wipe either disks and start again as i can't mount either disks now since ive restored images onto them, ie i can't mound /hdb only hdb4 or 7 depending on drive. Which then means i can't use mfsrestore, seems to complain as im writing to a partition and not the whole disk?

 

[Grumpster]

Might be a good start if you could let me know by pm somewhere i could possibly find an image pref with all the latest modules i would be most grateful. And see above my main problem is now ive written images i can't seem to wipe what is on there. IE i can only seem to mount /hdb4 or 7 and not just /hdb so i can't seem to use mfsrestore to reaaply tivo image.

Can i use fdisk on the mfstools cd to wipe the disks clean and start again?

 

[TCM2007]

You don't need to mount the drive to do a mfsrestore, IIRC.

 

[Grumpster]

Alright then how do you restore with specifiying a path! :O

 

[blindlemon]

mfsrestore -s 300 -r4 -xzpi /mnt/dos/tivo.bak /dev/hdX

 

[mikerr]

/dev/hdb is the whole drive
/dev/hdb1 hdb4 etc is a single partition.

You should be restoring to a drive (hdb), not a single partition (hdb7)

Your restore line should be something like:

mfsrestore -s 300 -r 4 -zxpi /mnt/dos/tivo_25_turbonet.bak /dev/hdb

Also if that's a really old image made with mfstools 1.1 then you may need the -b switch in there too:

mfsrestore -s 300 -r 4 -zxbpi /mnt/dos/tivo_25_turbonet.bak /dev/hdb

 

[Grumpster]

Thanks to all of you for your contributions...of course..why am i trying to mount the whole drive too many late nights!

One more thing, is anyone willing to post me or post a link to a Tivo image for a Thomson series1 pref with latest n greatest mods Tivoweb drivers for turbonet etc?

THanks

 

[Nebulous]

...post me or post a link to a Tivo image...

There's a dedicated image scrounging thread here:
http://www.tivocommunity.com/tivo-vb/showthread.php?p=1148586&&#post1148586
Wonder_lander will normally oblige promptly