# 5TB HDD in a Roamio?



## JTHOJNICKI (Nov 30, 2015)

Anybody successfully put a 5TB HDD in a Roamio?

The 3TB HDD I put in my Bolt isn't big enough for my OTA recordings and I seriously considering the new 1TB Roamio OTA with All-In for $299 (instead of buying All-In for the Bolt for $599) and swapping in a 5TB HDD (which I can strip from an external drive for $130).


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## aaronwt (Jan 31, 2002)

From the MFS Reformatter (mfsr) thread



ggieseke said:


> Version 1.0.0.4 for drives up to 8TB is now available. See post #2 in this thread for the dropbox link (it's slightly too big to upload here).


I have a 5TB drive in my Roamio Pro I put in last year using mfsr.


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## Photo_guy (Mar 12, 2015)

JTHOJNICKI said:


> Anybody successfully put a 5TB HDD in a Roamio?
> 
> The 3TB HDD I put in my Bolt isn't big enough for my OTA recordings and I seriously considering the new 1TB Roamio OTA with All-In for $299 (instead of buying All-In for the Bolt for $599) and swapping in a 5TB HDD (which I can strip from an external drive for $130).


The new 1TB Roamio is priced at $399 w/All-in.


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## Fist of Death (Jan 4, 2002)

6TB in a Roamio OTA here. Works perfectly...


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## gespears (Aug 10, 2007)

I've has a 6 TB Red in mine for a year or more with no issues except too much TV to watch! And that's with it only half full.


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## NYHeel (Oct 7, 2003)

Just curious, is there a way to transfer recordings from the old drive (3 tb in my case) to the new larger drive?


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## ggieseke (May 30, 2008)

NYHeel said:


> Just curious, is there a way to transfer recordings from the old drive (3 tb in my case) to the new larger drive?


I think you can copy/expand up to 4TB with MFSTools 3.2. I'm working on a new program now, but it will probably be a month or two before I'm ready to test it.


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## delgadobb (Mar 6, 2004)

I finally got around to using mfsr and upgraded my Roamio OTA from the stock 500GB drive to a 5TB WD Red, worked like a charm - 800 HD hours, if memory serves. I've been using it as an archival backup in addition to recording OTA so I've got it over 90% full! So far so good ... now my biggest problem is finding time to watch all that content! 

For those who haven't picked up a 4/5/6 TB drive yet, keep your eyes open for WD MyBook drives (or similar externals). They are often priced aggressively if you find the right sale, ironically cheaper than buying a standalone internal drive. If you're up to opening the external HD case, you'll often wind up with a WD Red or Green drive. My WD Red 5 TB cost me $88 plus tax from Frys during a sale, all I had to do was crack it open & remove some hardware.


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## mattack (Apr 9, 2001)

ggieseke said:


> I think you can copy/expand up to 4TB with MFSTools 3.2. I'm working on a new program now, but it will probably be a month or two before I'm ready to test it.


Is your new program going to be only Windows, or hopefully also linux (which will likely be compilable on a Mac)?


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## ggieseke (May 30, 2008)

mattack said:


> Is your new program going to be only Windows, or hopefully also linux (which will likely be compilable on a Mac)?


Sorry, Windows only.


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## JTHOJNICKI (Nov 30, 2015)

ggieske.

What is this new Window tool you speak of?


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## ggieseke (May 30, 2008)

JTHOJNICKI said:


> ggieske.
> 
> What is this new Window tool you speak of?


See post #7.


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## JTHOJNICKI (Nov 30, 2015)

Can someone explain the differences between MSFR an MFSTools? Which is preferred for prepping large HDDs?


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## ggieseke (May 30, 2008)

JTHOJNICKI said:


> Can someone explain the differences between MSFR an MFSTools? Which is preferred for prepping large HDDs?


MFS Tools 3.2 is a linux utility that can copy and expand an existing drive up to 4TB. MFSR is a Windows utility for building a new "empty" drive in the 3TB - 8TB range. Both threads are in the Upgrade forum.


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## mattack (Apr 9, 2001)

sigh.. why not make your tool Linux based?


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## JTHOJNICKI (Nov 30, 2015)

Windows is fine for many of us.


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## HerronScott (Jan 1, 2002)

mattack said:


> sigh.. why not make your tool Linux based?


I'm guessing because he's a Windows programmer and not a Linux programmer....

Scott


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## gespears (Aug 10, 2007)

Whatever the reason, I'm just extremely grateful he provided an easy way to put a 6 TB drive in my Roamio. Thank you very much ggieseke!!!


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## ggieseke (May 30, 2008)

mattack said:


> sigh.. why not make your tool Linux based?


I appreciate the support while understanding the original question, so let's put this to bed and move on.

The short answer is that I'm a Windows geek. It's the environment that I have lived in (and made a living from) for over 30 years. I can barely stumble through a few "ls" or "chmod" Linux commands with lots of Google help.

The longer answer is that I honestly think that a program that only involves a few mouse clicks in Windows beats burning a Linux boot disk and guessing at the correct command-line syntax, but that's just my opinion. YMMV.


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## JTHOJNICKI (Nov 30, 2015)

You go ggieseke! There are a few other of us Windows geeks out here who greatly appreciate your work. I'm just waiting for my CFO (wife) to approve the purchase of the 6TB WD Red HDD to use MSFR to upgrade my new Roamio OTA.

Thank you!


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