# Premiere4 with James expanded 2tb drive-add ext drive?



## philhu (Apr 11, 2001)

I've looked all around and can't find definitive answer for Premieres

If I've upgraded using Jmfs 1.04 my premiere4 int drive to 2tb, can I plug a 1tb external drive in to expand to 3tb total automatically?

Thanks


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## philhu (Apr 11, 2001)

Typo editor

James in title means JMFS


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## retiredqwest (Sep 7, 2010)

philhu said:


> I've looked all around and can't find definitive answer for Premieres
> 
> If I've upgraded using Jmfs 1.04 my premiere4 int drive to 2tb, can I plug a 1tb external drive in to expand to 3tb total automatically?
> 
> Thanks


I seriously doubt it because you can't do it when the 2 tuner TP is upgraded to 2TB using JMFS.

You can add the external to the XL4, I tried it on mine and that works.


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## philhu (Apr 11, 2001)

retiredqwest said:


> I seriously doubt it because you can't do it when the 2 tuner TP is upgraded to 2TB using JMFS.
> 
> You can add the external to the XL4, I tried it on mine and that works.


Ok. Does weaknees use a different method?
They allow a 4tb premiere 2+2


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## retiredqwest (Sep 7, 2010)

philhu said:


> Ok. Does weaknees use a different method?
> They allow a 4tb premiere 2+2


I don't believe any one here knows how they do it.


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## jmbach (Jan 1, 2009)

philhu said:


> I've looked all around and can't find definitive answer for Premieres
> 
> If I've upgraded using Jmfs 1.04 my premiere4 int drive to 2tb, can I plug a 1tb external drive in to expand to 3tb total automatically?
> 
> Thanks





retiredqwest said:


> I don't believe any one here knows how they do it.


At this point I do not think so either. I could give you a more definite answer if I could see the MFS superheader on a tivo with an expanded drive. I am in the process of trying to get an expander from eBay to run some tests to examine the superheader information and the partition information on the expander after it has been expanded. If anybody wants to do this for me and post the data that would speed things up.


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## philhu (Apr 11, 2001)

Hi

I was looking through upgraders on ebay, and a few say that you CAN upgrade a 2tb unit with an external tivo-compatible expander.

See this as an example:
http://www.ebay.com/itm/TiVo-Premiere-4-TCD750500-Hard-Drive-Upgrade-Plug-Play-2TB-WD-AV-GP-/251183902608?pt=US_DVRs_Hard_Drive_Recorders&hash=item3a7bba2f90


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## jrtroo (Feb 4, 2008)

That link is just a 2TB upgrade, not anything more.

For weaknees, you need to send them your box, it is not a plug and play add-on drive.


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## retiredqwest (Sep 7, 2010)

philhu said:


> Hi
> 
> I was looking through upgraders on ebay, and a few say that you CAN upgrade a 2tb unit with an external tivo-compatible expander.
> 
> ...


that is an internal upgrade.


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## philhu (Apr 11, 2001)

retiredqwest said:


> that is an internal upgrade.


Yes, but look at the description, it talks about allowing EXTERNAL TIVO RECOGNIZED EXPANDERS AFTER their upgrade

So I assume they mean a 1tb expander can be plugged in.


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## retiredqwest (Sep 7, 2010)

philhu said:


> Yes, but look at the description, it talks about allowing EXTERNAL TIVO RECOGNIZED EXPANDERS AFTER their upgrade
> 
> So I assume they mean a 1tb expander can be plugged in.


It appears so...... I just though it was his normal listing on Ebay.....


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## jrtroo (Feb 4, 2008)

Right- third party solutions have a method to go beyond 2TB. DIYer tools do not.


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## philhu (Apr 11, 2001)

jrtroo said:


> Right- third party solutions have a method to go beyond 2TB. DIYer tools do not.


So you are saying they use a tool that is not JMFS? They use their own?


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## retiredqwest (Sep 7, 2010)

Here's a screen shot of the XL4 with the extender added. 479 hours HD.


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## philhu (Apr 11, 2001)

ok

I cannot see any reason a 1-time upgraded 2tb internal drive, now with 15 partitions, cannot have a media expander connected. 

I've read about partition maps, etc. I think when I add it, the tivo will add a 16th partition, named 'Apple-free' and make the expander the 17th partition as it marries them together, since the expander needs to be partition 17.

I just bought a 'tivo-compatible' expander (1tb) and will try it tomorrow. Worst that happens is that it says it is incompatible and tells me to divorce it, true?


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## retiredqwest (Sep 7, 2010)

philhu said:


> ok
> 
> I cannot see any reason a 1-time upgraded 2tb internal drive, now with 15 partitions, cannot have a media expander connected.
> 
> ...


It's been a while since I tried the 1TB expander on the TP 2TB, but I don't believe it will install. It just keeps trying.....

I did marry the expander to my XL4 this morning and tried to use mfslayout to read the partition map. But, that was a no go. Because I had a usb drive plugged in, the guide offered the copy function. It came back with the drive is married to an external drive and did I want to continue, didn't see any reason to go further.

The wife is watching the TV with the TP right now..... so maybe I'll try later.

DVR-DUDE and Weaknees were offering the 2TB upgrade for the Premire and THD models before JMFS came out I do believe.


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## ggieseke (May 30, 2008)

You may need to use WinMFS with both drives hooked up to make much sense out of it. I'm not sure if jmfs works with multiple drives.


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## retiredqwest (Sep 7, 2010)

ggieseke said:


> You may need to use WinMFS with both drives hooked up to make much sense out of it. I'm not sure if jmfs works with multiple drives.


I think it has been said, that if you use WinMFS on any S4 it will hose it.

I tried to marry my backup copy of the XL4 today and it would not let me do it. I had "to enable the external drive" or some such nonsense. AND the guide data would not display with some more nonsense about OTA disabled..... I was going to see if I could the partitions with pdisk, just wasn't comfortable using the stock drive. And yes, I did use winmfs on that backup drive. It mounted it but would not read it.

Guess I'll do another backup this weekend on the XL4, just a measly 18 hrs.

On to the TP and the external now. My TP has a 2TB upgrade using JMFS. Powered on the TP w/extender attached and it brought up the install screen. After it rebooted..... it brought up the install screen again. Checked Sys Info and it still showed 318 hrs HD. At least doing this did not screw up the TP.

If you really want extra hours..... why not try one of these.

http://www.seagate.com/external-har...t/digital-media-players/seagate-dvr-expander/

It's not certified for Tivo, but Tivo probably has a contract for only WD drives.


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## unitron (Apr 28, 2006)

ggieseke said:


> You may need to use WinMFS with both drives hooked up to make much sense out of it. I'm not sure if jmfs works with multiple drives.


WinMFS and MFS Live do not understand the changes made to the TiVo hard drive and file system with the S4s, and will turn them into paperweights.


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## ggieseke (May 30, 2008)

unitron said:


> WinMFS and MFS Live do not understand the changes made to the TiVo hard drive and file system with the S4s, and will turn them into paperweights.


Even if you just use them to read the partition table & zone layout? I don't have a physical Premiere drive, but I have a virtual image of one and have used both programs on it to look at the drive.


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## unitron (Apr 28, 2006)

ggieseke said:


> Even if you just use them to read the partition table & zone layout? I don't have a physical Premiere drive, but I have a virtual image of one and have used both programs on it to look at the drive.


I may have misinterpreted or misunderstood what you meant.

You can probably use pdisk on the MFS Live cd to look at a Premiere partition map, although that mfslayout thing on the jmfs cd will probably offer more info.

But there have been reports of people hosing their Premiere drives just by having them hooked up when they booted into Windows, so that they had to find another Premiere drive and dd it over.

And of course neither will be of any use trying to copy and expand an S4 drive.


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## lessd (Jan 23, 2005)

unitron said:


> I may have misinterpreted or misunderstood what you meant.
> 
> You can probably use pdisk on the MFS Live cd to look at a Premiere partition map, although that mfslayout thing on the jmfs cd will probably offer more info.
> 
> ...


Normally windows XP SP3 and above will not touch any drive unless you run the* Computer Management software*, some motherboards may hose a TiVo drive before any software boots.


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