[dammad]

I see some instructions around on the net for updates to large internal drives (such as those on WeaKnees).

Do these work for TiVo HDs (Series 3 Lite) also? Has anyone tried?

Dammad

 

[jmpage2]

www.mfslive.org

Create an account for the forums. All the info you need is there. You can also search here as there are several threads about this.

 

[Dr_Diablo]

I see some instructions around on the net for updates to large internal drives (such as those on WeaKnees).

Do these work for TiVo HDs (Series 3 Lite) also? Has anyone tried?

Dammad

As is the case with any "new" tech toys, it takes time for the vendors to catch up to the masses...

My number one drawback is the voiding of the warranty, not to mention drives aren't available...

 

[chg]

Doesn't weakness show upgraded drives for the Tivo HD?

 

[orlickg]

I have a Weaknees upgraded Tivo HD. It works great and they offer an extended warranty. I also had a DirecTV upgraded unit form them as well and it worked great.

 

[jfh3]

My number one drawback is the voiding of the warranty, not to mention drives aren't available...

Voiding of the warranty I understand, but what do you mean "drives aren't available"?

Seagate DB35 drives (500GB or 750GB) and Hitachi (1TB) drives are readily available and have been used sucessfully by many, myself included.

 

[dammad]

Thanks, I'll check out mfslive.

Anyone know if it is possible to upgrade without loosing the configuration/programs? I've not seen this option anywhere yet.

 

[dammad]

mfslive has all the info and enables me to keep the existing programs/settings. Great. Many thanks.

 

[jlib]

...number one drawback is the voiding of the warranty...

Not in any practical sense.

 

[Dr_Diablo]

Voiding of the warranty I understand, but what do you mean "drives aren't available"?

Seagate DB35 drives (500GB or 750GB) and Hitachi (1TB) drives are readily available and have been used sucessfully by many, myself included.

Drives for the Tivo HD, just to upgrade the Series 3 units...

My hats off to anyone brave nuff to swap out an internal drive. I prefer to add an second drive via the SATA port

 

[jfh3]

Drives for the Tivo HD, just to upgrade the Series 3 units...

What??

My hats off to anyone brave nuff to swap out an internal drive. I prefer to add an second drive via the SATA port

It's an eSATA port I can understand why many would consider adding an external drive to be preferable, but also consider that it is still a second drive and another point of failure in daily operation. I'd rather have a single 750GB drive in a box than a 250GB internal and a 500GB external (or whatever).

As for the doing the upgrade, it's tough to imagine how it could be any easier, as long as you are comfortable opening up the Tivo and have a PC with an available power and SATA connector, though it does void the Tivo warranty.

 

[richsadams]

Drives for the Tivo HD, just to upgrade the Series 3 units...

My hats off to anyone brave nuff to swap out an internal drive. I prefer to add an second drive via the SATA port

Fortunately or unfortunately (depending on your perspective) eSATA is not an option for TiVo HD's at this time.

Swapping out a formatted TiVo HDD takes about 10 minutes. Formatting your own and installing it takes about 20 minutes (or less) depending on how much coffee one drinks.

 

[gschoen]

People have been upgrading drives since the dawn of Tivo (well, maybe not that long.) I fondly remember carefully following Hinsdale's instructions for my first Series 1 DirecTivo.

If you can put a hard drive into your computer, you have the skill to upgrade your Tivo drive. It's that easy and lots of step by step instructions are available.

 

[jmpage2]

Anyone who is having second thoughts and doubts about upgrading the drive in their Tivo probably shouldn't do it (not everyone has PC repair skills).

On the other hand, if said person has a friend or co-worker who knows the innards of PCs well enough to do the operation for them, a 12 pack of the beverage of their choice works wonders for getting such things done (beverage to be enjoyed AFTER successful upgrade naturally).

 

[jfh3]

Anyone who is having second thoughts and doubts about upgrading the drive in their Tivo probably shouldn't do it (not everyone has PC repair skills).

On the other hand, if said person has a friend or co-worker who knows the innards of PCs well enough to do the operation for them, a 12 pack of the beverage of their choice works wonders for getting such things done (beverage to be enjoyed AFTER successful upgrade naturally).

I'll do it for 6 ....

If you aren't comfortable opening up your computer and mucking with a few cables, upgrading yourself isn't for you. But there is always to option of getting a pre-upgraded drive from weaknees or dvrupgrade (the swap out part in the Tivo is a bit easier than the PC part). If you are totally uncomfortable with opening a case, then it's wait until later in the year when Tivo releases their plug and play external drive and enables eSATA support.

 

[quarque]

What??

It's an eSATA port I can understand why many would consider adding an external drive to be preferable, but also consider that it is still a second drive and another point of failure in daily operation. I'd rather have a single 750GB drive in a box than a 250GB internal and a 500GB external (or whatever).

As for the doing the upgrade, it's tough to imagine how it could be any easier, as long as you are comfortable opening up the Tivo and have a PC with an available power and SATA connector, though it does void the Tivo warranty.

In another thread the chip snoopers have decided that the external esata port is a *split* not a separate channel. This would degrade the performance if you add a second external drive. Internal upgrade is the way to go unless they are thinking of a RAID setup. A proper RAID config would not degrade performance.

 

[bkdtv]

In another thread the chip snoopers have decided that the external esata port is a *split* not a separate channel. This would degrade the performance if you add a second external drive.

Well that is true, it is completely unknown what impact this will have on Tivo responsiveness. It may have no perceivable impact whatsoever.

 

[jfh3]

In another thread the chip snoopers have decided that the external esata port is a *split* not a separate channel. This would degrade the performance if you add a second external drive. Internal upgrade is the way to go unless they are thinking of a RAID setup. A proper RAID config would not degrade performance.

True, though I'm pretty sure someone pointed out that would have an insignificant impact on performance.

 

[joneSi]

Drives for the Tivo HD, just to upgrade the Series 3 units...

My hats off to anyone brave nuff to swap out an internal drive. I prefer to add an second drive via the SATA port

This is SUPER easy to do. Really, really, really simple...I'd say the hardest part was getting at the tricky screw at the front part of the case (I should go and get a screwdriver torx 8 or whatever number it is, instead of an all in one).

For those that are afraid of a little Linux, WinMFS is now available for anybody running Windows 2000 and up (with some service packs installed, mind you). I did the good 'ol Linux way, but I'm going to 'de-drive' my tivo tomorrow to check out the 'Supersize option' to have a few more hours (can you really ever have enough?).

joneSi

 

[JANNINO]

OK - Where are these supposed instructions on upgrading the hard drives on the new HD Tivo units?

I have not yet purchased my HD Tivo units yet as I am still with Directv (I am still running my Microsoft Ultimate TV units which I upgraded years ago) but will be swtiching to Fios in the next month or two.. The UTV upgrade was easy but I had really good instructions (the old blind squirrel ones for those who may remember).

I need to upgrade my HD Tivos when I get them (the wife watches TONS of TV), but unsure if I should do it myself or buy new upgraded units from DVRUpgrade.com (they are cheaper than weeknees). I looked at their prices and when you take into account the price of the HD Tivo and the hard drive, essentially they get about $100 for the upgrade.

Questions for everyone:

1). Are there any instructions out there on how to upgrade the hard drive for the new HD Tivos?

2). If not, what is everyone's opinion on DVRUpgrade? Have you used them before? Are they reliable?

Thanks for you help in advance.