[Debbie25]

Sorry if this has already been asked but I checked post and couldn't find anything.

I will be getting a Tivo HD soon which is only about 160hrs

Will I be able to upgrade to a larger "A" drive?
I would think that would be easier since I don't think you can add a "B" drive to it.
Please correct me if I'm wrong.


Right now I have a Series II 80hr and I dropped another 80gb HD into it years ago and I have had no problems but I read at that time you could not change the size of "A" drive and the added drive had to be the same size.

 

[windracer]

You can upgrade the THD just like any other box (except it uses SATA drives like the S3 so you'll need a PC with a SATA connection or some sort of IDE->SATA converter). Check out this thread:

http://www.tivocommunity.com/tivo-vb/showthread.php?t=360676

 

[Debbie25]

Thanks for the link.

I will need that and that process looks much easier then the way I did it last time.


One more question

Is there a way you can just use 'Ghost' to copy the image over to a larger hard drive?

 

[spike2k5]

Thanks for the link.

I will need that and that process looks much easier then the way I did it last time.

One more question

Is there a way you can just use 'Ghost' to copy the image over to a larger hard drive?

You can "Ghost" and you can make an exact copy of the drive but you can't expand Tivo recording capacity.

You will have to use Mfslive Linux Boot CD mfstools->mfsadd or Winmfs->mfsadd
Using mfstools or Winmfs is much faster as well.

 

[Debbie25]

That's what I kinda thought but wanted to make sure, thx

 

[Debbie25]

Also just to make sure

A standard SATA hard drive will work, correct?

Because I see that there are:
SATA 3.0Gb/s
SATA I
SATA II
Serial ATA150

I know that SATA and Serial... are the same but didn't know what the numbers meant

I would also think a 7200 RPM would be better then a 10,000 RPM because it wouldn't run as hot.... Is this correct?

 

[captain_video]

Any of those drives should work. Serial ATA150 and SATA I are the same thing as are SATA 3.0Gb/s and SATA II. The Western Digital SATA drives that come with the S3 Tivo have a jumper that limits the transfer rate to 1.5Gb/s or SATA I mode. Removing the jumper or getting a SATA II drive won't have any effect on the operation of the Tivo.

 

[Debbie25]

I have another question

After I have purchased my Tivo HD and start recording shows and then decide I want to upgrade the HD.
What happens to all the shows in the 'Now Playing'.

Do I loose them or can they be transferred to the new HD in anyway?

If they don't transfer another option would be... If this makes since to you
I might still have my old Tivo Series II at that time I want to upgrade. Could I set that one back up to record my show until I finish watching what is on the Tivo HD, upgrade the HD and put that one back online?

I figure I would have to contact Tivo to do that when the time comes.

 

[Guy Kuo]

If you use the mfsCopy function in winMFS to copy the old drive to a new, larger drive, your recorded programs will be preserved. At the end of the mfsCopy operation, you'll be asked if you want to expand the new drive to use its larger capacity. It's all done quite easily if one uses Spike's winMFS.

I'd get a drive which is already factory set for quiet head seeks or one which supports user setting of acoustic management. That means be careful about Seagates since you don't get to set acoustic managment on their drives. If you want a Seagate, get one which is already factory set for quiet operation.

I personally used a Western Digital 750 gb which came out of their MyBook enclosure.

 

[Debbie25]

YES, I was hoping to get a response like that about saving the 'Now Playing'.

As for the second part of your reply.
Not sure I understand it.

My Tivo is in a enclosed cabinet so I probably wouldn't hear it anyway.

When I upgraded my last Tivo I bought a 5400 RPM instead of a 7200 RPM so it would run as hot. Should I still be concerned with this?

 

[Guy Kuo]

Inside a closed cabinet it won't be as much an issue, but the clickety-click noise of head seeks can be really annoying if a drive doesn't have acoustic managment turned on. Many drives now have the ability to turn on "acoustic management" which changes the head seeks to be much quieter (at a small performance loss which isn't a problem for the TiVo). On a drive like the 750 GB Western Digital it is the difference between hearing the head seeks from across the room vs not being to hear them with your head right above the TiVo.

There are utilities available to set acoustic management to 128 (quietest). However, due to patent problems, Seagate doesn't have that option available to the end user. So, if you want a Seagate you should get one which they have set up at the factory for quiet rather than highest performance. With a Hitachi or Western Digital drive you can set acoustic management levels.

 

[Debbie25]

And just how do you set the levels?

Is it with software?

I would be getting either a WD or Maxtor Hd for the upgrade

 

[Guy Kuo]

It is done via software with the drive connected directly to your PC's SATA. Won't work via a USB to SATA adapter.

http://www.mfslive.org/softwareguidep6.htm#aam

are the instructions if you do it using the mfslive linux boot CD.

If you are using a Western Digital change the command to leave out the "-K 1"
(obviously change sda to whatever your drive shows up as on your PC)

hdparm -M 128 /dev/sda

 

[Debbie25]

Very cool
Thx for the tips

 

[gmcc]

So, if you want a Seagate you should get one which they have set up at the factory for quiet rather than highest performance.

I just wanted to add that I have a 200G Seagate in my PC, model ST3200820AS. It was advertised as being some sort of "whisper" quiet, and it Is unless you do anything that causes the head to seek. Then it more resembles marbles in a garbage can.

Not a big deal for my PC but it would be pretty irritating in the living room I think.

George

 

[Debbie25]

Thx for that update.

I'm totally staying away from Seagate and sticking with mainly WD

 

[gmcc]

Thx for that update.

I'm totally staying away from Seagate and sticking with mainly WD

But to confuse the issue a bit, at work where I maintain (among other things) 150 or so various servers and desktops, I see a lot more WD failures than Seagate. For utility use like that I still buy Seagate almost exclusively. It's just for this particular application that I think the noise could be a problem.

[edited to say: Seagate is apparently not noisy if one buys the right model (DB35 series) for this application. See info on down in the thread.

 

[rbtravis]

Unless you are buying a Seagate DB 35 drive which is tuned for DVR's. Western Digitals with the part number ending in JB such as the WD3200JB are tuned for DVR's while those ending in BB are tuned for speed and may no last as long. I just bought a Diamond MAX 21 which is made by Seagate, the drive is quiet and only $99.99 for 500 GB.

 

[gmcc]

Unless you are buying a Seagate DB 25 drive which is tuned for DVR's. .

I'd take your word for it, but that is why I did provide the model # of a drive I bought for my home computer, where the head stepping noise is much more noticeable than in a work environment where the background racket is higher to start with.

I'll likely research this a bit before I buy something to upgrade my series 2 to a larger drive because in general I do like Seagate drives for their longevity.

 

[gmcc]

Seagate DB 25 drive

I just took a look through Seagate's current products and don't see anything with any reference to DB 25. Is this in a current series of Seagate stuff?