# can I drop in a tivo drive from another tivo box?



## google (May 19, 2010)

sorry if this issue was covered already.

wondering if I could pull a drive from another tivo box and put it into mine? do I have to worry about images or can I just drop the drive into my system?


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## HomeUser (Jan 12, 2003)

Conditionally Yes,
If the drive is from the same model TiVo (the first 3 digits of the "*T*iVo *S*ervice *N*umber" are the same) the drive will boot the DVR. To get it so you can record or watch recordings the drive has to be matched to the TiVo using "*C*lear *&* *D*elete *E*verything" All the recordings and settings on the drive will be lost.

Note:
- TSN usually can be found on the back of the TiVo.
- C&DE is found in the TiVo menus under settings.
- Subscriptions and Life-Time is tied to the DVR not the drive.


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## Resist (Dec 21, 2003)

But is has to be the same Tivo model box.


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## classicsat (Feb 18, 2004)

Same model only by the first 3 digits of the TSN. Drive capacities do not matter.


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## Alphabull (Nov 9, 2003)

Glad someone asked this question, I have been thinking of placing the hard drive from a newer model series 2 DT tivo into my older mode series 2 ST tivo. The older model has lifetime but the newer one doesn't. So, if i'm understanding you, once I replace the hard drive, i need to CDE and it will work? I will still have my lifetime and all and have a much larger capacity?


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## lessd (Jan 23, 2005)

Alphabull said:


> Glad someone asked this question, I have been thinking of placing the hard drive from a newer model series 2 DT tivo into my older mode series 2 ST tivo. The older model has lifetime but the newer one doesn't. So, if i'm understanding you, once I replace the hard drive, i need to CDE and it will work? I will still have my lifetime and all and have a much larger capacity?


Yes; but i don't know about the larger capacity unless you already replaced the hard drive with a bigger one in the older DT.


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## classicsat (Feb 18, 2004)

In that instance, you will have to copy an image onto the drive appropriate to the TiVo it will be going in, being that the Single tuner and dual tuner units are different models. 

Your Product Lifetime is tied to the TSN, which is stored on the crypto chip on the system board.


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## scandia101 (Oct 20, 2007)

Alphabull said:


> So, if i'm understanding you, once I replace the hard drive, i need to CDE and it will work?


*No*, it won't work!
The drive has to be from the same model series. For example, TCD*540*040 and TCD*540*080 are from the same model series. The only difference between these models is the capacity of the hard drive, so you can swap drives between them. You *do not* have two tivos from the same model series, so you can't just swap drives. You'd have to get an appropriate S2 image to put on the replacement drive.


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