[BrianAZ]

I've just come back to Tivo after a 3-4 year absence and wanted to see what people felt about backing up your TivoHD drive for the sole purpose of applying the backup image to a fresh drive if the one it came with crapped out on me after the one year warranty (I'm holding off on increasing storage until eSATA is fully enabled). Is it worth it?

When I had my last experience with Tivo, I had one of the DirecTV Tivo units. The harddrive must've died 2-3 times on that thing. Luckily it was under warranty each time and it was replaced.

Do the units produced in the last couple years suffer from the same drive problems? I would hate to be left with a useless box after just a year if it's only the harddrive that's busted. Is the time/effort I spend backing up the drive worth it really or am I being overly concerned?

Thx

 

[drew00001]

I've just come back to Tivo after a 3-4 year absence and wanted to see what people felt about backing up your TivoHD drive for the sole purpose of applying the backup image to a fresh drive if the one it came with crapped out on me after the one year warranty (I'm holding off on increasing storage until eSATA is fully enabled). Is it worth it?

When I had my last experience with Tivo, I had one of the DirecTV Tivo units. The harddrive must've died 2-3 times on that thing. Luckily it was under warranty each time and it was replaced.

Do the units produced in the last couple years suffer from the same drive problems? I would hate to be left with a useless box after just a year if it's only the harddrive that's busted. Is the time/effort I spend backing up the drive worth it really or am I being overly concerned?

Thx

You can get the TiVo software if your drive crashes, but it is still not a bad idea to make a backup. Many people take a similar route and just upgrade to a bigger drive, keeping the original drive as a backup. Spike2k5's "WinMFS" tool works great for either option. The instructions are at mfslive.org.

 

[rcamille]

Since the 160gb drive included with the HD TiVo is too small anyway, I would recommend that you upgrade the drive using winmfs and keep the factory drive as a backup. It is very easy and is cheaper in the long run doing this than going the eSATA route. In addition, it is one less component to clog up your entertainment center. You can pick up a 500gb drive for around $100.

 

[dougfetter]

Since the 160gb drive included with the HD TiVo is too small anyway, I would recommend that you upgrade the drive using winmfs and keep the factory drive as a backup.

That is exactly the approach I have taken.

 

[aaronwt]

That is what I've always done when I replace the original drive with a larger one. I have a box with over a dozen TiVo original drives.

 

[BrianAZ]

Thanks everyone.