# Extend space on cloned Tivo HD drive



## IanJ (Oct 9, 2015)

In the absence of MFSLive (website down), I decided to take matters into my own hands. I used an Umbuntu live cd, and cloned my original 160 GB drive to a new 1000 GB drive using dd. Everything was cloned just fine, and the drive is up and running in the Tivo. However, I only have my original 160 GB of storage space available (~20 hrs HD), not the full 1 TB. How do I increase the partition to allow Tivo to use the entire drive? I saw the MFS Tools solution, but wasnt sure how to perform just this one step. Any thoughts? Other solutions? This is a Tivo Series 3 (HD).


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## ThAbtO (Apr 6, 2000)

You should use WinMFS if you are using Windows. It will backup, restore, expand to use the full space up to 2 TB. (as long as the Tivo software is up to date, at least 11.0h.) 

I can PM you the WinMFS file, and if you need an image, I need to know the exact model number, its located on the back label following "TCD" or the 1st 3 numbers of the Tivo service number. from the System Information screen.


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## unitron (Apr 28, 2006)

IanJ said:


> In the absence of MFSLive (website down), I decided to take matters into my own hands. I used an Umbuntu live cd, and cloned my original 160 GB drive to a new 1000 GB drive using dd. Everything was cloned just fine, and the drive is up and running in the Tivo. However, I only have my original 160 GB of storage space available (~20 hrs HD), not the full 1 TB. How do I increase the partition to allow Tivo to use the entire drive? I saw the MFS Tools solution, but wasn't sure how to perform just this one step. Any thoughts? Other solutions? This is a Tivo Series 3 (HD).


As ThAbtO indicated, WinMFS is likely the best way to go.

Unless you aren't running Windows, in which case the you can take the MFS Live cd .iso, burn it "as an image" to a cd-r, boot from it and then run

pdisk -l /dev/sdX

and

mfsinfo /dev/sdX

--where X is you new 1TB drive with the 160GB image on it--

just to make sure everything looks okay--you should have 13 partitions plus a 14th on the end labeled Apple Free that's in the neighborhood of 1TB minus 160GB.

If so, then run

mfsadd /dev/sdX

and it'll turn that 14th partition (which is really unpartitioned space) into a 3rd MFS partition pair (application and media).

Check your PMs.

If you do use WinMFS, be sure you're running with admin privileges or it won't see the drive.

After you select the drive, run

mfsinfo

(I think it's under File)

to check the drive (the WinMFS version incorporates

pdisk

)

and then expand with

mfsadd


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## IanJ (Oct 9, 2015)

Thank you for your help and directions. I used mfslive v1.4, and mfsadd did the trick. If anyone runs into this in the future, the exact command I used was:

mfsadd -r 4 -ex /dev/sda


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## unitron (Apr 28, 2006)

IanJ said:


> Thank you for your help and directions. I used mfslive v1.4, and mfsadd did the trick. If anyone runs into this in the future, the exact command I used was:
> 
> mfsadd -r 4 -ex /dev/sda


At that point, after a successful restore or copy, I would have just done

mfsadd /dev/sda

What do

-r 4 -ex

get you?


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## jstrom1 (Aug 28, 2011)

I have a TiVo Premiere with 320GB drive which I successfully upgraded to 2TB drive a few years ago by using jmfs method following the instruction on this forum.
Now I would like to upgrade to 4tb. I ussed jmfs method. It made a good working copy but says it successfully supersized it but ther Tivo does not recognize it.
Any thoughts as to how to get the 4tb drive to work to it's fullest.
Thanks


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## jmbach (Jan 1, 2009)

Use MFSTools 3.2 to do the copy and upgrade.


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## unitron (Apr 28, 2006)

jstrom1 said:


> I have a TiVo Premiere with 320GB drive which I successfully upgraded to 2TB drive a few years ago by using jmfs method following the instruction on this forum.
> Now I would like to upgrade to 4tb. I ussed jmfs method. It made a good working copy but says it successfully supersized it but ther Tivo does not recognize it.
> Any thoughts as to how to get the 4tb drive to work to it's fullest.
> Thanks


Supersizing is where a limit is put on how much space the TiVo sets aside for the stuff it records from the TeleWorld Paid Program thing in the middle of the night.

(ordinarily, apparently, the TiVo figures the size to keep reserved for that and unavailable for the TiVo owner on a percentage of drive size, and Supersizing supposedly changes that to a fixed amount or "freezes" it at the amount it would be as that percentage of the stock drive size, not the replacement drive size)

It is not the same as expanding, which is where, depending on which software you use on which TiVo under what circumstances, either a new MFS Media partition or MFS Application/Media partition pair is/are created or the 3rd MFS Media partition has its info re-written to tell the TiVo that its new size includes the extra space on the drive.

As far as I know, once you expand the first time around with jmfs, you can't do it again because it wasn't written to understand any layout except the original drive.


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## jstrom1 (Aug 28, 2011)

One problem I have with MFStools3.2 when I try mfsinfo it says not a TiVo drive. It says this for both of the drives and they were both created using jmfs iso disk.


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## jmbach (Jan 1, 2009)

Are you logged in as root when using MFSInfo?


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## unitron (Apr 28, 2006)

jstrom1 said:


> One problem I have with MFStools3.2 when I try mfsinfo it says not a TiVo drive. It says this for both of the drives and they were both created using jmfs iso disk.


What about

pdisk

?


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## jstrom1 (Aug 28, 2011)

I use "run as administrator" is that the same thing?


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## jmbach (Jan 1, 2009)

Try downloading MFSTools 3.2 ISO again. I uploaded a new image last weekend.

With the new image you will log in as root.


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## ramatsu (Apr 1, 2003)

jmbach said:


> Try downloading MFSTools 3.2 ISO again. I uploaded a new image last weekend.
> 
> With the new image you will log in as root.


I've had no luck finding the MFSTools 3.2 ISO... Sourceforge only has 2.0. I'm running a MacBook Pro, but have been given to understand that if I create a boot CD (or hopefully, USB thumb drive will work), I should still be able to use it.

Is there a secret handshake to acquire that ISO? Any help greatly appreciated.


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## ThAbtO (Apr 6, 2000)

It should be on the 1st few posts of that thread.


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