Last Updated August 17th, 2008 7:00PM PST

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This is a new abbreviated how-to for relative newbies using Mfs Tools 2.0 as the predominant TiVo upgrade utility. This document is geared for users of common IDE Bus PC's running Windows 95b, 98, or Me (see note at end for Windows NT/2000/XP users).

I Want a Large TiVo with Lots of Recording Time:

Following this guide you should wind up with a large TiVo (85 - 18000 hrs) in about 1-3 hours. This instruction should function for all U.S. and U.K. makes/models/series of standalone TiVo's and DirecTV/TiVo combo units (referred to as DirecTiVo's for this document) and is an 11 step upgrade program from purchase to celebration. Remember, you are hacking your TiVo and there are no guarantees of the utilities or instruction provided. For those wanting an effortless upgrade, there are also Upgrade Service and Kits available for simple drop-in install (no PC required – required software is pre-loaded and tested – just drop-in the new drive) to increase your recording capacity within minutes.

1) For those that haven't yet, purchase a TiVo.

TiVo is offered in Standalone (can record over-the-air broadcasts, cable, digital cable, satellite, and any analog source) as well as DirecTiVo models (which will only record DirecTv satellite) – see this TiVo Store for purchase information. All TiVos can be upgraded and the differences between manufacturers are mostly cosmetic. Purchasing the least expensive model and upgrading your recording capacity is generally the most economical solution to obtaining large recording capacities. If you already have a TiVo, don't worry as all TiVos and DirecTiVos can be upgraded now. Feel free to use your TiVo as much as you like before upgrading, setting up season passes, thumbs, and making recordings - as all this information will be saved and preserved during the upgrade (including your recordings in some upgrade configurations).

2) Acquire large IDE hard drive(s). Planning your upgrade.

**Special Note [August 2008]: For those uncomfortable using the How-To or not wishing to do the upgrade themselves: TiVo Upgrade Service and Kits are available pre-configured for drop-in install (no PC required) to increase your recording capacity within minutes.

**Also available: Replacement TiVo Fans and replacement TiVo Remote Controls are now available for purchase.

Almost all model new large EIDE hard drives with Parallel interface (not Serial) will work fine. With dropping drive prices, the 160GB and 250 GB drives are often the most cost effective. All TiVo models, except Series 1 models, can now address large drive sizes with a maximum of two hard drives (a few models can only accommodate a single hard drive). However, TiVo units have limited RAM and older ones have small processors, and the menu slowdown (navigating Now Showing, changing Season Passes, scheduling a recording, etc) may be burdensome when filled to capacity if you opt for too large of a capacity.

You do not need to run a low level format or zero out any new or previously used hard drives as the upgrade utilities will overwrite and claim all the space for the expanded TiVo. You can run long diagnostics on your hard drive for peace of mind (better than 98% are error free) but skipping this step saves you lots of time and TiVo drives may fail even after successfully passing diagnostics. TiVo will uncover any defects (often before diagnostic software will find them) and restoring now only takes a few minutes with Mfs Tools. Remember that with Mfs Tools available to make very small backups, it is no longer necessary to purchase/shelve a hard drive for use as backup.

The original Series 1 models have ATA and TiVo kernel confinements that limit using at most 137GB (128GiB) of any drives installed. Larger drives will function but you are currently limited to a maximum of 2 drives x 137GB (128GiB) or 274GB (256GiB) of addressable space in Series 1 models.

Factory configurations: In order to plan your upgrade you will need to determine whether your unit has a single or dual drive configuration. All TiVos have room for two drives (with some exceptions noted below) and you can use the following table to assist in determining whether there are one or two drives presently in the unit:

Series 1 Models

Philips 14hr HDR112 Standalone Single 13.6GB A drive

Philips 20hr HDR212 Standalone Single 22GB A drive

Philips 30hr HDR312 Standalone

Model #HDR312 Dual 13.6GB A + 13.6GB B drive

Model #HDR31201 Single 30GB A drive

Model #HDR31202 Single 30GB A drive

#HDR312XX and higher Single 30GB A drive

Philips 60hr HDR612 Standalone Dual 30GB A + 30GB B drive | or | Dual 40GB A + 20GB B drive

Philips 35hr DSR6000 DirecTiVo

# 4702XXXX and lower Dual 30GB A + 15GB B drive

Serial #4703XXX Dual 30GB A + 15GB B drive

Serial #4704XXX Single 40GB A drive

# 4705XXXX and higher Single 40GB A drive

Sony 30hr SVR2000 Standalone Single 30GB or 40GB A drive

Sony 35hr Sat-T60 DirecTiVo

# 800XXXX and lower Dual 30GB A + 15GB B drive

Serial #801XXXX Single 40GB A drive

# 802XXXX and higher Single 40GB A drive

Hughes 35hr GXCEBOT DirecTiVo Single 40GB A drive

Series 2 Standalone Models

TiVo or ATT 40hr TCD130040 Stdalone Single 40GB A drive

TiVo or ATT 40hr TCD230040 Stdalone Single 40GB A drive (requires bracket for second drive - see note below)**

TiVo 40hr TCD240040 Standalone Single 40GB A drive (requires bracket for second drive - see note below)**

TiVo 40hr TCD24004A Standalone Single 40GB A drive (requires bracket for second drive - see note below)**

TiVo 40hr TCD540040 Standalone Single 40GB A drive (requires bracket for second drive - see note below)**

TiVo 60hr TCD140060 Standalone Single 60GB A drive

TiVo 80hr TCD240080 Standalone Single 80GB A drive (requires bracket for second drive - see note below)**

TiVo 80hr TCD24008A Standalone Single 80GB A drive (requires bracket for second drive - see note below)**

TiVo 80hr TCD540080 Standalone Single 80GB A drive (requires bracket for second drive - see note below)**

TiVo 80hr TCD649080 Standalone Single 80GB A drive (dual tuner model - only accommodates a single drive)

TiVo 140hr TCD240140 Standalone Single 120GB A drive (requires bracket for second drive - see note below)**

TiVo 140hr TCD540140 Standalone Single 120GB A drive (requires bracket for second drive - see note below)**

TiVo 180hr TCD649180 Standalone Single 160GB A drive (dual tuner model - only accommodates a single drive)

Sony 80hr SVR3000 Standalone Single 80GB A drive

Humax 80hr T800 Standalone Single 80GB A drive (requires bracket for second drive - see note below)**

Humax 250hr T2500 Standalone Single 250GB A drive (requires bracket for second drive - see note below)**

Humax DRT400 DVD/Standalone Single 40GB A drive (combination DVD recorder - only accommodates a single drive)

Humax DRT800 DVD/Standalone Single 80GB A drive (combination DVD recorder - only accommodates a single drive)

Toshiba SD-H400 Standalone Single 80GB A drive (combination DVD recorder - only accommodates a single drive)

Pioneer DVR-57h DVD/Stdalone Single 120GB A drive (combination DVD recorder - only accommodates a single drive)++

Pioneer DVR-810H DVD/Stdalone Single 80GB A drive (combination DVD recorder - only accommodates a single drive)

Toshiba RS-TX20 DVD/Stdalone Single 120GB A drive (combination DVD recorder - only accommodates a single drive)

Toshiba RS-TX60 DVD/Stdalone Single 160GB A drive (combination DVD recorder - only accommodates a single drive)

Series 3 Standalone Models

TiVo TCD648250B High Def Stdalone Single 250GB A drive (High Def dual tuner - only accommodates a single drive - upgrades require SATA bus in PC)

Series 2 DirecTiVo Models

Hughes 35hr HDVR2 DirecTiVo Single 40GB A drive (requires bracket for second drive - see note below)**

Hughes 35hr SD-DVR40 DirecTiVo Single 40GB A drive (requires bracket for second drive - see note below)**

Hughes 100hr SD-DVR120 DirecTiVo Single 120GB A drive (requires bracket for second drive - see note below)**

Philips 35hr DSR7000 DirecTiVo Single 40GB A drive (requires bracket for second drive - see note below)**

Philips 35hr DSR704 DirecTiVo Single 40GB A drive (requires bracket for second drive - see note below)**

Philips 70hr DSR708 DirecTiVo Single 80GB A drive (requires bracket for second drive - see note below)**

RCA 35hr DVR39 DirecTiVo Single 40GB A drive (requires bracket for second drive - see note below)**

RCA 35hr DVR40 DirecTiVo Single 40GB A drive (requires bracket for second drive - see note below)**

RCA 70hr DVR80 DirecTiVo Single 80GB A drive (requires bracket for second drive - see note below)**

DirecTV DVR R10 DirecTiVo Single 80GB A drive (requires bracket for second drive - see note below)**

Samsung 35hr S4040R DirecTiVo Single 40GB A drive (requires bracket for second drive - see note below)**

Samsung 100hr S4120R DirecTiVo Single 120GB A drive (requires bracket for second drive - see note below)**

DirecTV HR10-250 HD DirecTiVo Single 250GB A Drive (requires bracket for second drive - see note below)**

** Although all of the Series 1 TiVos and the initial release Series 2 TiVos were designed with an additional drive bay to accommodate two drives, the newer model TiVo units (those noted above with double asterisk) will require a special bracket to accommodate a second drive. The required B drive bracket for these newer model Series 2 units is already included with the pre-configured Tivo Upgrade Kits (no PC required – available for immediate shipment). Or if you are performing the upgrade yourself there are brackets available for purchase separately (WeaKnees offers a Series 2 TiVo upgrade bracket).

++ Pioneer DVD Recorder/TiVo combos: The Pioneer DVR-57h DVD and Humax recorder/TiVo combo can be upgraded by replacing the original 120GB A drive with a new larger upgrade A drive. Unfortunately, as of now, Mfs Tools is not functioning properly with the Pioneer DVR-810h image - but if you are able to locate a DVR 57h image (I am unaware of any download location for this image) – this image can be used to create a larger A Drive Replacement that so far seems to function normally in the DVR-810h models.

Upgrading any Single Drive TiVo: For most model TiVos - the easiest and most cost efficient combination would be to use your existing TiVo A drive and simply add a new large B drive. However, you can use a single larger A drive or combine any two drive sizes you wish as long as your A drive is at least as large as your original A drive image. Those with older TiVo models may wish to consider replacing the aging original A drive with a brand new large upgrade A drive in order to extend the life of the unit.

Upgrading any Dual Drive TiVo: Factory dual drive units or those with previously upgraded dual drive units can use Mfs Tools to revert your TiVo back to a single drive unit or expand recording capacity even further using larger drives. You are able to use a single large A drive, or replace either your A or B drives with a larger upgrade drive, or combine any two drive sizes you wish as long as your A drive is at least as large as your original A drive image.

**Special Note [August 2008]: For those uncomfortable using the How-To or not wishing to do the upgrade themselves: Upgrade Service and Kits are available pre-configured for drop-in install (no PC required) to increase your recording capacity within minutes.

3) Acquire Torx screwdriver or bit - size 10 (and maybe size 15). Hard drive bracket.

Tools: You can find Torx bits/driver at your local Walmart, HomeDepot, or any hardware store. Size T-10 will be required, however, you may not need the size T-15 depending upon your setup (random so get both if purchasing before cracking open your TiVo).

Hard drive brackets:

Series 1 Standalones

If adding a B drive to a single drive Series 1 Standalone TiVo (dual drive units already have two brackets), you will likely wish to secure your new B drive to prevent it from shifting once installed. There is a custom manufactured bracket made just for this purpose that can be purchased at WeaKnees (Series 1). Or another very commonly used method is simply placing a few self-adhesive felt furniture pads (for the bottom of chair legs - available at any hardware store) in each of the four corners of the empty drive bay for cushion. Then use two single felt pads attached to the side of the A drive as a spacer between the drives. Then use plastic cable ties (any hardware store) to secure. You will create a long cable tie (connect two 12-14" ties together) and wrap from front to back, through the undercarriage, around your new B drive and tighten. Then use another long connected tie from side to side, wrapped around both A+B drives, through the undercarriage, and tighten. This method dampens vibration noise, provides good airflow, and is secure - preventing shifting.

DirecTiVo’s and original Series 2 units:

All Series 1 DirecTiVo's (Sat-T60, DSR6000, GXCEBOT) and the original Series 2 standalone models (including TiVo/AT&T TCD130040, TiVo Series 2 140060 60hr, Sony SVR3000) will not require a mounting bracket because the drives are screwed directly to an existing metal drive tray.

Series 2 units:

Although all of the Series 1 TiVo models and the initial release Series 2 TiVo models were designed with an additional drive bay to accommodate two drives, the newer model Series 2 units (see Step 2 for list of units with double asterisk) were only built to accommodate a single drive and adding a second drive will require a special bracket (some units may require removal of insulating foam in order to fit second drive). The required B drive bracket for these newer model Series 2 units is included with the pre-configured Tivo Upgrade Kits (no PC required – available for immediate shipment) or if you are performing the upgrade yourself there are brackets available for purchase separately (WeaKnees offers a Series 2 TiVo bracket).

Cables: If adding a B drive, the Hughes GXCEBOT DirecTiVo unit, and all Series 2 standalone and DirecTiVo units will require the purchase of a "Y" adapter for the power connector (available at Radio Shack and most computer stores) and an 80 wire ATA 66/100 IDE cable (Series 1 DirecTiVos can use ATA 33 40 wire) with master and slave connectors (may be supplied with retail hard drive or can be purchased at any computer store) - some units and cables require that the A Drive be connected to the end Master connector with the B drive connected to the middle Slave connector of the IDE cable. If necessary, some IDE cables can be reversed (blue motherboard connector used for Master drive) for better fit, although not all cables will function properly connected in this manner.

4) Download latest upgrade utilities.

Mfs Tools Boot CD (requires CD-R Burner)

For most model TiVos and most common upgrades you should download Tiger’s Mfs Tools Boot CD 11.5MB containing all necessary utilities (If you have older Series 1 models you should use Mfs Tools Boot Cd (10.3MB)). Unzip the file and then use your CD burning software (Nero, Adaptec, CDRWin, etc) to burn as an iso image (not a file) using the default burn image option in the file pulldown menu (uses Data Mode 1, Block size 2048 see readme for more detailed burning instructions). You may need to adjust your PC's Bios boot options to 'boot from CD' if not configured (most computers are already configured for cd-rom boot). For the following instructions you will be designated as a Boot Cd user.

There are advertisements and notes placed in the boot-up sequence of Mfs Tools boot-CD that can all be ignored – just hit your <enter> key (loads default boot image) until you get to the linux # prompt and then follow the regular instructions as outlined below.

Additional possibly required utilities:

Locked drives occur only with hard drives previously installed in older Series 1 standalone TiVos. If you run into a locked drive (total size reports as 9-10MB) during this upgrade process then use the qunlock utility to unlock. If required, first download the qunlock (7k) program. This file should then be copied to a dos boot floppy. To create a dos boot disk, place a blank disk in your floppy then exit windows to an msdos prompt and type "sys a:" at the c:\ prompt. Windows ME users should go to Control Panel-->add/remove programs-->Startup Disk to create the dos boot disk (Windows 2000/NT/XP users should see note at end of document). Return to Windows and then copy the qunlock program to your new dos boot floppy (label qunlock boot disk).

If you are going to be restoring a backup image running TiVo software version 2.0 or below (does not apply to 2.0.1 or above) to a non-Quantum A drive you will also need to download TiVoMad v3.2 (1.4MB - requires a single floppy disk). Unzip this file to it's own folder and place a blank formatted disk in your floppy drive. Double click to execute the makedisk.bat file and the batch file will automatically create a TiVoMad boot floppy for you (label TiVoMad).

RAM - The Boot disks will require a minimum of 32MB of RAM installed on your PC to function.

PS/2 Keyboard - Because there is not currently general support for USB keyboards on any of the Boot disks, or for manufacturer "enhanced" keyboards, a standard PS/2 keyboard may be required.

Disable GoBack (if applicable) - The GoBack program, used by some, may cause corruption of any Mfs Tools backup file created and should not be used when booting with a Linux disk.

5) Remove drive(s) from TiVo.

Running guided setup (for new units) prior to starting your upgrade will reduce potential backup problems, significantly reduce backup file size, and will verify you have a working unit prior to upgrade. If it's a new TiVo, and you have subscribed to TiVo service, you may also wish to wait a day (or manually force 1-2 call-ins) until the unit has upgraded to the most current software. Furthermore, it may be beneficial to play with your TiVo awhile prior to backing up/upgrading so as to have a more complete current backup image (season passes etc). Maintaining a virgin TiVo for smaller backup image is no longer necessary or even desirable if using Mfs Tools. Also remember that upgrading your TiVo will void your warranty so you may want to use it unmodified for 90 days.

When ready to upgrade, check the system administration menu and make note of the software version (8.X, 6.X, 5.X, 4.X, 3.X, 2.5, 2.0.1, 2.0, 1.5.2, 1.3, etc) and then unplug the unit. Remove the 3-4 or 5 Torx screws (Torx 10 required) on the back of the TiVo. The top lid should slide backwards approximately one inch then can be lifted off but can be on very tight. Some people have used a flat head screwdriver to pry under the top of the case where the screws in the back were removed but make sure to take your time with the cover removal.

Most important remember not to touch the power supply - even unplugged it can give a dangerous shock or damage hardware. Once the cover is off, disconnect the IDE and power connectors from your TiVo hard drive(s). Those with standalone units (except Series 2) will unscrew (you may need Torx size 10 or 15) the two screws holding the individual drive bracket(s) to the TiVo frame (behind the hard drive and close to the front of the TiVo) - and slide the drive(s) out with bracket connected.

Those with Series 1 standalones and newer Series 2 units will remove the two torx T-10 screws attaching the drive bracket to the frame and remove the drive(s) (with attached bracket). Those with DirecTiVo and original Series 2 standalone units will need to remove the entire metal drive tray holding the TiVo drive(s). First temporarily unplug the fan connector and unscrew the two screws (torx 10 or 15), often with blue grommets, to the right (if facing the unit from the rear) of the drives. You will be able to slide the drive bracket out at this point. However, some SAT-T60 units may need to remove a third screw, often with blue grommet, on the reverse side of a metal divider behind the power supply (be VERY careful not to touch the power supply as may damage your hardware or cause dangerous shock) - this screw can be difficult and may require a swiveling or right angle torx bit or perhaps vise grips or pliers - others have had success covering the capacitors with folded paper and using the regular torx driver angled to reach the screw. If you are unsure as to how to remove the drive bracket then see the Avs TiVo Underground Forum for assistance. Once you have the bracket removed, you may be able to leave the bracket attached for the upgrade or may need to unscrew the drive(s) from the bracket (depending upon the length of your PC's IDE cables and power connectors).

If you are removing two drives make sure to label which is the A drive and which is the B drive. Configurations vary, however, the A drive is often connected at the end of the IDE cable with the B drive connected in the middle. If they are already labeled with colored stickers, you should rely on the labels. You may also be able to determine which is the A drive by examining the jumper settings; A drive is jumpered as Master/or Cable Select with the B drive as Slave/or having no jumpers.

6) Placing drives into your PC:

You will need to locate/understand where your primary and secondary IDE cables are in your computer in order to connect your drives properly. Configurations vary but in most circumstances, the middle connector on each IDE cable is used as the Slave port and the end connector on each cable is used as Master. Your primary Windows boot "C:" drive is usually connected to your Primary Master IDE connector if that is helpful for reference in determining which is your Primary and which is your Secondary IDE cable.

For general ease of instruction and to minimize jumper changes and drive swaps - I have selected particular IDE hard drive connections to use for the following upgrade steps leaving the secondary slave port available for a cd-rom/cd-rw disk drive (if applicable). However, your TiVo drives and cd-rom/cd-rw can be connected to any IDE port you wish - just make sure to adjust the drive jumpers and all the utility script's command options to follow in accordance. If you are using Mfs Tools to create a small backup file then your DOS/Windows fat32 C: drive or partition can be left jumpered as master and connected to the Primary Master IDE port. Here is a table of the linux IDE drive designations so that you can make changes to the utility commands if you are using a different drive configuration than I have outlined:

hda - Primary Master (dos/windows fat32 C: drive or partition)

hdb - Primary Slave

hdc - Secondary Master

hdd - Secondary Slave

7) Backup up your TiVo drive(s) with Mfs Tools

Regardless of the upgrade configuration, you should first create and test a backup image before attempting any upgrade. We will use Tiger's Mfs Tools to generate a very small (usually 110-500MB), very fast (few minutes) backup file onto your windows C: drive. This small backup will contain your current software version, channel lineup, guide data, season passes, thumbs, preferences, etc for easy restore in case of future problems or upgrades (see readme for more detailed information on all of Mfs Tools’ uses). Mfs Tools opens your source TiVo drive(s) in read only so your original data/recordings should be unaffected.

OPTION #1: BACKING UP A SINGLE DRIVE TiVo

Note: Those with a two-drive configuration cannot backup only the A drive of an A+B pair and must use Option #2: Backing Up a Two-Drive TiVo below in order to create a functioning backup image.

Assuming your regular windows C: drive is connected as Primary Master with at least 1.5 gigabytes of free space to be safe (it may work with as little as 120MB free). Place your newly burned Boot Cd into your cd-rom drive and power down your PC. Jumper your existing TiVo A drive to master (see drive diagram or manufacturer website) and connect to the Secondary Master IDE connector on your PC making sure the red/black edge stripe on the IDE cable is closest to the power connector and that the power connector is inserted fully. Then take your/(one of your) newly acquired large hard drive and configure the jumpers to Slave (see diagram on drive or drive documentation) and connect this drive to the Primary Slave IDE connector in your PC.

Power up your PC with the Boot Cd in your cd-rom. Boot Cd users should hit <enter> to initiate the default boot option. You will then see displayed on your screen a series of readouts before you are presented with a linux # prompt. Make sure to review the output and confirm that your hard drives are being recognized at their full size (you can hold down the shift + page-up to review the output if necessary - Boot Cd users page-up approximately 6 times to view drive reports).

If you have connected your drives as described above then:

hda Primary Master - should report the size of your Windows C: drive.

hdb Primary Slave -should report the full size of your new large upgrade drive.

hdc Secondary Master -should report the full size of your TiVo A drive (example 13.6GB for a 14hr)

hdd Secondary Slave - reports your cd-rom/cd-rw drive (if applicable)

If the drive sizes are not reported correctly, you may either have a locked drive (will report size as 9-10MB - see following instructions to unlock) or you may need to turn off your computers Bios IDE detection - search Avs TiVo Underground forum if you need assistance accessing your computer's CMOS.

Locked Drive: If your Quantum/Maxtor drive (some drives labeled as Maxtor may actually have Quantum firmware) is locked (reporting as 9-10MB on boot up) then you should unlock it now using your qunlock dos boot floppy (see step 4). Press Ctrl-Alt-Del and wait for the 'No more processes ... ' to exit and power down your PC. Place the qunlock dos boot disk in your floppy drive and then power up your PC.

Note: Do not run the qunlock utility below unless you are certain it is needed - it could damage the hard drive if used inappropriately. Only use if your BIOS or linux boot-up report is reporting 9-10MB (not GB, or any other size) – it is generally only needed with older Series 1 model units.

At the A:\ prompt type the following command:

(This command assumes you have your TiVo drive connected as Secondary Master)

qunlock 2

If your drive is connected differently, or you have more than one locked drive then re-run the command using the following as reference:

0 for IDE Primary Master
1 for IDE Primary Slave
2 for IDE Secondary Master
3 for IDE Secondary Slave

At # prompt Boot CD users type the following commands to mount your C: drive:

mkdir /mnt/dos

mount /dev/hda1 /mnt/dos

Then type ONE of the following commands to actually perform the single drive backup:

(This is assuming you have connected your drives as described above: If you have used different IDE drive connections then make sure to adjust the following commands accordingly)

mfsbackup -6so /mnt/dos/tivo.bak /dev/hdc (Boot Cd command for Series 1 Standalones and DirecTiVos)

mfsbackup -f 9999 -6so /mnt/dos/tivo.bak /dev/hdc (Boot Cd command for Series 2/3 Standalones and DirecTiVos)

mfsbackup -l 32 -6so /mnt/dos/tivo.bak /dev/hdc (UK TiVo with v2.5.5 command)

This will generally take from 5-25 minutes and you will get a progress report and results (if screen goes blank before finishing simply hit the shift key to restore screen). Be aware that Mfs Tools will report the uncompressed file size, however, the actual compressed backup file written to your C: drive will be significantly smaller. When finished you will have a small backup file (tivo.bak in your C: drive root directory) containing a usable single drive image (effectively unexpanding if previously expanded) that can now be restored to any size drive - although the drive must be at least as large as the original A drive image. (example: An expanded 80GB A drive, that used a 14hr image to create the original upgrade, would result in a 14hr image outcome that can be restored/expanded to any drive size of 13.6GB or larger). You are now ready to restore this image for testing and should advance to step 8 of the instruction.

Note: If you are not planning on immediately restoring this image, or are powering down your PC to change drives, then make sure to unmount your drives prior to powering down (see step 8 for unmount command).

OPTION #2: BACKING UP A Two-Drive TiVo

Note: This option will create a small divorced single drive image (containing your season passes, setup, etc. – not recordings) from your dual drives that can be used as backup and to quickly upgrade after testing. There are backup commands/procedures described later in Step 10 that will allow you to also preserve your recordings while upgrading (more time consuming), but you should still create the small single drive image outlined in the following option to have on hand in case of upgrade problems.

Assuming your regular Windows C: drive is connected as Primary Master with at least 1.5 gigabytes of free space to be safe (it may work with as little as 120MB free). Place your newly burned Boot Cd into your cd-rom drive and power down your PC. Connect your original TiVo A drive to the Secondary Master IDE connector on your PC making sure that the red/black edge stripe on the IDE cable is closest to the power connector and that the power connector is inserted fully. Connect your original TiVo B drive to the Primary Slave IDE connector on your PC. You will hook up your/(one of your) newly acquired large drives later when you get to the Restore instructions further down.

Power up your PC with the Boot Cd in your cd-rom. Boot Cd users should hit <enter> to initiate the default boot option. You will then see displayed on your screen a series of readouts before presenting you with a linux # prompt. Make sure to review the output and confirm that your hard drives are being recognized at their full size (you can hold down the shift + page-up to review the output if necessary - Boot Cd users page-up approximately 6 times to view drive reports).

If you have connected your drives as described above then:

hda Primary Master - should report the size of your dos/windows C: drive.

hdb Primary Slave -should report the full size of original TiVo B drive

hdc Secondary Master -should report the full size of your TiVo A drive (example 13.6GB for a 14hr)

hdd Secondary Slave - reports your cd-rom/cd-rw drive (if applicable)

If the drive sizes are not reported correctly, you may either have a locked drive (will report size as 9-10MB - see the following instructions to unlock) or you may need to turn off your computers Bios IDE detection - search Avs TiVo Underground forum if you need assistance accessing your computer's CMOS.

At the A:\ prompt type the following command:

(This command assumes you have your TiVo drive connected as Secondary Master)

qunlock 2

If your drive is connected differently, or you have more than one locked drive then re-run the command using the following as reference:

0 for IDE Primary Master
1 for IDE Primary Slave
2 for IDE Secondary Master
3 for IDE Secondary Slave

At # prompt both Boot Cd users type the following commands to mount your C: drive:

mkdir /mnt/dos

mount /dev/hda1 /mnt/dos

Then issue ONE of the following commands to actually perform the two-drive backup:

(This is assuming you have connected your drives as described above: If you have used different IDE drive connections then make sure to adjust the following commands accordingly)

mfsbackup -6so /mnt/dos/tivo.bak /dev/hdc /dev/hdb (Boot Cd users command for Series 1 Standalones and DirecTiVos)

mfsbackup -f 9999 -6so /mnt/dos/tivo.bak /dev/hdc /dev/hdb (Boot Cd users command for Series 2/3 Standalones and DirecTiVos)

mfsbackup -l 32 -6so /mnt/dos/tivo.bak /dev/hdc /dev/hdb (UK TiVo with v2.5.5 command)

This will generally take from 5-25 minutes and you will get a progress report and results (if screen goes blank before finishing simply hit the shift key to restore screen). Be aware that Mfs Tools will report the uncompressed file size, however, the actual compressed backup file written to your C: drive will be significantly smaller. When finished you will have a small backup file (tivo.bak in your C: drive root directory) containing a usable single drive image (effectively divorcing the drives) that can now be restored to any size drive - although it must be at least as large as the original A drive image. (example: an upgraded 80+80GB two-drive unit that used a 14hr image to create the original upgrade would revert to a 14hr image that can be restored to any drive size of 13.6GB or larger). You are now ready to restore this image for testing and should advance to step 8 of the instruction. Those with factory dual drive units should first see the notes following:

Note for those backing up a factory dual drive standalone unit: There are a few dual drive standalones that were configured across both drives in an unusual manner. If you have a true combined dual drive unit (rare), the -s option in the previous mfstool backup command will have no effect and your drives will not be divorced and will need to be combined into a single drive image. I recommend first using the -s option in your command line anyway because some factory two-drive units, that you may think are true combined dual drive units, are in reality simply a single drive unit with a factory added/blessed B. Mfs Tools will first report the original source image size and the resulting image size created (in recording hours) so that you can compare to determine whether you have a true factory combined dual drive or simply a factory married TiVo A with added/blessed B drive:

If Mfs Tools reports the original Source Image and Backup Image sizes are equal (reported as hours), and does not provide an "Upgraded to" size, then you have a true combined dual drive unit (rare) and will need to re-run your backup command eliminating the -s in the command line (-6o instead of -6so) to combine the drives otherwise the image will not function. True factory dual drive backups will need to be restored to a drive at least as large as the combination of the original A+B drives (example: A true dual drive standalone 312 with 13.6+13.6GB drives will need to be restored to at least an approximately 30GB hard drive).

If Mfs Tools reports the Result Image as smaller than the "Upgraded to" image (reported as hours), then you have a married two-drive unit that will actually have been divorced by the backup options specified in the command line (-6so). The resulting image can be restored to any size A drive at least as large as the original A drive (example: A married dual drive standalone 312 with 13.6+13.6GB drives will result in a 14hr divorced image that can be restore to any drive of 13.6GB or larger).

NOTE: If you are not planning on immediately restoring this image, or are powering down your PC to change drives, then make sure to unmount your drives prior to powering down (see step 8 for unmount command).

OPTION #3 (limited use): COPYING TiVo DRIVE TO NEW UPGRADE DRIVE

This time consuming option does not create a small backup file but simply copies your complete TiVo original drive image to a new upgrade drive (destination drive must be at least as large as the source drive). This option is especially useful for single drive Standalone or DirecTiVo upgraders who are replacing their original A drive with a new upgrade A drive (or new A and new B) and are determined to preserve their recordings. Although this can be accomplished using Mfs Tools (preferable - see Step 10), I am including the linux dd copy option for this task because Mfs Tools will not be substantially faster and dd copying will provide a more complete image for those that want it (includes all partitions – exact duplicate).

Swap File: When increasing your total recording capacity (A+B drives) to over ~140GB (actual threshold number is likely just over 150GB for Series 1 Standalones and over 180GB for DirecTiVos and Series 2 units) the preferable method for upgrade should include a means to increase the swap file so that the built-in TiVo repair utility (GSOD) can complete if ever triggered (rare). Those upgrading, or planning on upgrading in the future, to these larger capacities should consider using the Mfs Tools backup/restore options (-s 127 command line parameter increases the swap) outlined in Step 10 in preference to using this dd copy method.

For safety and for those wishing to subsequently utilize their original TiVo A drive in a PC or another TiVo, instead of shelving for backup purposes, you will want to first use Mfs Tools to make a small usable backup image on their Windows C: drive and test this image prior to dd copying their drive (see OPTION #1: BACKING UP A SINGLE DRIVE TiVo above).

Connect your original TiVo A drive to the Secondary Master IDE connector on your PC making sure that the red/black edge stripe on the IDE cable is closest to the power connector and that the power connector is inserted fully. Connect your new upgrade drive to the Primary Slave IDE connector on your PC. You may also wish to remove any other hard drives on your system (including your primary dos C: drive) for extra security.

Power up your PC with the Boot Cd in your cd-rom. Boot Cd users should hit <enter> to initiate the default boot option. You will then see displayed on your screen a series of readouts before presenting you with a linux # prompt. Make sure to review the output and confirm that your hard drives are being recognized at their full size (you can hold down the shift + page-up to review the output if necessary - Boot Cd users page-up approximately 6 times to view drive reports).

At the A:\ prompt type the following command:

(This command assumes you have your TiVo drive connected as Secondary Master)

qunlock 2

If your drive is connected differently, or you have more than one locked drive then re-run the command using the following as reference:

0 for IDE Primary Master
1 for IDE Primary Slave
2 for IDE Secondary Master
3 for IDE Secondary Slave

This will only take a few seconds. When completed you can turn off your PC. Now power up your PC with the Boot Cd in your cd-rom (or Boot Floppy in your floppy drive). Boot Cd users should hit <enter> to initiate the default boot option. You will then see displayed on your screen a series of readouts before presenting you with a linux # prompt. Make sure to review the output and confirm that your hard drive(s) are being recognized at their full size and that they are showing up on the correct port designation. Linux dd copying is very destructive and it is very easy to make a mistake. Double check that your TiVo A drive is reported at it's full size and connected at port designation hdc, and that your new upgrade drive is reported at it's full size and connected at port designation hdb (or applicable designation if using different IDE ports).

Boot CD users: Issue the following command to actually perform the dd drive copy:

(These commands assume original TiVo drive on Secondary Master and destination upgrade drive on Primary Slave. If you have used different IDE drive connections then make sure to adjust the following commands accordingly)

dd if=/dev/hdc of=/dev/hdb bs=1024k

(If that command eventually returns an error, try using the following command instead:)

dd conv=noerror,sync if=/dev/hdc of=/dev/hdb bs=1024k

This will generally take from 1-4 hours depending upon the boot option selected, drive size, CPU speed etc. In some circumstances this can take as long as 8 hours or more. You will not receive a progress report but your hard drive activity light should show activity through out the whole process (if screen goes blank before finishing simply hit the shift key to restore screen). Make sure when the command is finished that no errors were reported. The program should report X number of blocks in and X numbers of blocks out. These numbers should be equal .

Note for those who are copying to non-Quantum A drives: If you have copied an image running TiVo software version 2.0 or below (does not apply to 2.0.1 or above) to a non-Quantum A drive you will need to now run TiVoMad’s edit_bootparms program at the end of Step 8 before continuing.

When finished, power down your PC and jumper your new upgrade drive (to be used as your new TiVo A drive) to master and place in your TiVo to test. If your new upgrade A drive is functioning properly, and you have already made and tested your small Mfs Tools backup image (if applicable), then you can remove the drive from the TiVo and skip to Step 10: Upgrade Configuration #2 to quickly expand/complete your upgrade.

8) Restoring Mfs Tools backup image

You should now verify your new small Mfs Tools backup image by restoring to a new upgrade drive and placing in your TiVo to test. The restore command for either the two-drive or single drive backup above will be the same.

If you have just completed your Mfs Tools backup commands, and your new large upgrade drive is not yet currently connected to your PC, then first unmount your drives using the following command at the linux # prompt:

umount -f -a -r (umount not unmount)

Then power down your PC (press Ctrl-Alt-Del and wait for the 'No more processes ... ' message or the system starts to reboot, then power down.) and remove the original TiVo A (and B if applicable) drive(s) and connect your/(one of your) new large upgrade drive to the Primary Slave IDE connector. Then power up the PC and get back to the linux # prompt and re-mount your dos C: drive using the same commands as previously outlined in backup section 7 above.

Those who backed up single drives will already have their new large upgrade drive attached to the Primary Slave IDE connector if following the instructions above.

Restore Mfs Tools backup image to your new large upgrade drive using ONE of the following commands:

(This is assuming you have connected your new large upgrade drive as Primary Slave)

Note: Remove the "-s 127" from the following command line if restoring image to the original TiVo A drive (otherwise the image will not fit)

mfsrestore -r 4 -s 127 -zpi /mnt/dos/tivo.bak /dev/hdb (Boot Cd users command for Series 1 units)

mfsrestore -r 4 -s 127 -bzpi /mnt/dos/tivo.bak /dev/hdb (Boot CD users command for Series 2 & 3 units)

This will take even less time than the backup and will report drive progress and results.

Note for those with already tested image: If you are restoring a previously tested backup image and are not concerned about preserving recordings, you can use Mfs Tools to restore the image and expand your drives at the same time – saving the mfsadd at Step 10 (this will overwrite any image/recordings existing on the destination drives).

With your new upgrade TiVo A drive as Secondary Master and new upgrade TiVo B drive (if any) as Primary Slave, you can use the following command to restore your Mfs Tools backup image to your new large upgrade drive(s) and expand them at the same time:

Restore and expand in a single step using ONE of the following commands:

Note: Series 2 units restoring a backup image created using old Mfs Tools 1.X should also include the -b option in either command line used below (-xzbpi instead of -xzpi).

mfsrestore -s 127 -xzpi /mnt/dos/tivo.bak /dev/hdc (restore/expand to single new larger A drive)

mfsrestore -s 127 -xzpi /mnt/dos/tivo.bak /dev/hdc /dev/hdb (restore/expand to new A and new B)

Mfs Tools will report drive progress and results. Once completed you can unmount and power down (see below) and then skip to Step 11 and install your new TiVo upgrade drives.

Finally you can unmount your drives using the following command:

umount -f -a -r (umount not unmount)

When finished, press Ctrl-Alt-Del and wait for the 'No more processes ... ' or it reboots then power down.

Note for those who are restoring to non-Quantum A drives: If you are restoring an Mfs Tools backup image running TiVo software version 2.0 or below (does not apply to 2.0.1 or above) to a non-Quantum A drive you will need to add runideturbo=false to your rc.sysinit file in order for the drive to boot in your TiVo. After unmounting and powering down (see instructions above), you will need to reboot with the TiVoMad floppy in your floppy drive (see Step 4 for instructions on creating the TiVoMad floppy) – remember not to boot into Windows XP/2000/NT with your TiVo drives attached. Once the TiVoMad floppy disk boots up and asks the first question (do NOT answer these questions) simply hold down the Ctrl + C keys on your keyboard. This will exit the script and bring up the linux # prompt (you can hit <enter> to left justify your prompt). At the TiVoMad floppy linux # prompt, you can simply type the following command to automatically make the runideturbo adjustment (this assumes your upgrade drive with test A image is connected as Primary Slave):

mad/edit_bootparms hdb -i

(This program is silent when successful and returns to the shell prompt without any output.)

9) Pull your new large upgrade drive and place in TiVo to test Backup.

Warning for Series 2 models: - When placing or removing your hard drives within your TiVo, be careful not to disturb the flat white ribbon cable running from the front panel to the TiVo motherboard. It has been reported that powering up your TiVo with this white ribbon cable unseated or not fully connected may cause permanent harm to some newer Series 2 models.

After restoring your Mfs Tools backup image and powering down your PC, remove your new large upgrade hard drive (now containing your restored Mfs Tools backup image) connected to your primary slave and change the jumper settings on the drive to Master (see diagram on drive or drive documentation). Place this drive in your TiVo (make sure not to touch the power supply) and reconnect the IDE connector (red/black stripe closest to power connector) and power cable that you had previously disconnected from your TiVo drive. Then plug in your TiVo and wait for it to boot up. If it sticks on the Powering Up screen, first verify that the IDE and power cables are connected fully and your drive is jumpered properly (this is by far the most common error and can be tricky sometimes as the drive diagram often needs to be read upside down, check the manufacturer website for more detailed diagrams). Another reason you will stick at Powering Up is if you are using a non-Quantum drive running v.2.0 or below and have not made the necessary runideturbo=false adjustment (see end of Step 8). If your TiVo screen goes black or shuts down after getting to the gray "Almost there.." screen, try hitting the power button or TiVo button to exit standby mode.

You should now briefly utilize your TiVo to verify that it's working properly. If you check your system information screen, do not expect the TiVo to recognize the full capacity of the drive. You will find that your recording capacity is identical to the recording capacity of your original TiVo A drive. This is normal. Also note that although listed in now showing, your recordings are not actually present on the drive and will not play. If your TiVo is functioning properly then you have now verified that your small Mfs Tools backup image on your C: drive is functional. The backup file will serve as insurance if you ever run into drive problems or want to upgrade again in the future. Now power down your TiVo and remove the drive.

10) Return drive(s) to your PC and perform the recording capacity upgrade:

Now that you have created and tested your backup image you are ready to expand your recording capacity. Regardless of which upgrade configuration you choose below, you can at any time (using Mfs Tools) revert your TiVo back to a single drive unit or expand recording capacity in the future using larger A or B drives. IDE and TiVo kernel confinements limit using at most 137GB (128GiB) of any drives installed in a older Series 1 TiVo. Larger drives may function but you are currently limited to a maximum of 2 drives x 137GB (128GiB) or 274GB (256GiB) of usable space in the Series 1 units. The term TiVo applies to all makes/models/series TiVo or DirecTiVos, factory configured or previously upgraded, for the following upgrade configurations:

UPGRADE CONFIGURATION #1:

From: Any Single Drive TiVo

To: Adding a New B Drive

(Fast option – preserves setup, season passes, etc. and recordings)

If you are simply adding a new large B drive to your existing (unmodified or expanded) TiVo A drive from your single drive unit, then your season passes, setup, and recordings will be preserved. After creating and testing your Mfs Tools backup image, all that is remaining to do for this upgrade configuration is to run Mfsadd to make your existing A drive aware of the added space provided by your new large upgrade B drive

Swap File: When increasing your total recording capacity (A+B drives) to over ~140GB (actual threshold number is likely just over 150GB for Series 1 Standalones and over 180GB for DirecTiVos and Series 2 units) the preferable method for upgrade should include a means to increase the swap file so that the built-in TiVo repair utility (GSOD) can complete if ever triggered (rare). Those upgrading to these larger capacities should consider using the Mfs Tools restore option (-s 127 command line parameter increases the swap) outlined in Upgrade Configuration #2 (test image has increased swap already - does not preserve recordings) or Upgrade Configuration #3 (preserves recordings - time consuming) in preference to simply using mfsadd described below to increase recording capacity.

First make sure your existing TiVo A drive is still jumpered to Master and connected to the Secondary Master IDE connector on your PC. Then you should reset the drive jumpers on your new large Upgrade drive back to Slave (see diagram on drive or drive documentation) and place back into your PC connected to the Primary Slave IDE connector (the restored test image on your upgrade drive will be overwritten).

Power up your PC with the Boot Cd in your cd-rom. Boot Cd users should then hit <enter> to initiate default boot option. You will then see displayed on your screen a series of readouts before presenting you with a linux # prompt. Make sure to review the text output and confirm that your hard drive is being recognized at its full size (you can hold down the shift + page-up to review the output - Boot Cd users page-up approximately 6 times to view drive reports).