# hard drive extraction



## rosenw (Sep 13, 2004)

My Direct TV box crashed and I now have a new box. Unfortunatly, I have recorded videos that I want to save from the original unit. My old box is an RCA DVR40. I pulled the hard drive out of the unit and am able to connect the drive via USB to my windows XP computer. It recognizes the drive but I can't access it. Can someone tell me the programs I need to view and extract the files from the drive so I can save my videos? I'm not a programmer nor do i know linux but I know my way around a computer and can follow clear instructions well. Thanks.


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## rminsk (Jun 4, 2002)

Unless you had hacked your old DirecTiVo you will not be able to extract the videos from the hard drive. The video data on the drive is encrypted to the machine it was on. You will have to get the old unit back up to extract the videos. Since you booted Windows with a TiVo drive attached the header of the disk drive is now corrupted also.


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## rosenw (Sep 13, 2004)

I did not boot the machine with the drive attached, I merely plugged the drive into my USB port with an external hard drive case. Isn't there software that can access the drive without "priming" the drive in the unit first?


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## mr.unnatural (Feb 2, 2006)

There is a process for extracting shows directly from a Tivo hard drive but it is a complex process and not recommended for a neophyte to attempt. As rminsk indicated, you would have had to have hacked the unit to disable encryption before you could extract any shows anyway.

You never described the nature of your "crash". If it was due to a hard drive failure then the chances are slim that you could recover the recordings anyway. You could try using SpinRite to see if the data can be recovered. You may be able to repair the drive to the point where you could boot the Tivo and watch the remaining shows on the drive.


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## Dkerr24 (Oct 29, 2004)

If it were valuable and irreplaceable family photos, Spinrite would be worth a shot.

But hey, it's only TV programs, so I wonder if it's worth the time and expense?


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## danny7481 (Dec 6, 2005)

Dkerr24 said:


> But hey, it's only TV programs, so I wonder if it's worth the time and expense?


its not, if you ask me. more trouble than its worth.


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## rosenw (Sep 13, 2004)

It is worth the trouble as these are recorded spots of my family members on TV. The hard drive works fine, the TIVO box was the problem. I can decide how difficult it is if someone can direct me to good instructions. I am not a computer neophyte, I have been involved in creating computer programs. I just don't know Linux but am very capable of figuring it out. Thanks.


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## David Platt (Dec 13, 2001)

rosenw said:


> It is worth the trouble as these are recorded spots of my family members on TV. The hard drive works fine, the TIVO box was the problem. I can decide how difficult it is if someone can direct me to good instructions. I am not a computer neophyte, I have been involved in creating computer programs. I just don't know Linux but am very capable of figuring it out. Thanks.


I'll repeat something that's already been said twice in this thread:

"As rminsk indicated, you would have had to have hacked the unit to disable encryption before you could extract any shows anyway."

There's no way to extract the shows you want unless your TiVo was ALREADY hacked before it died.


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## rosenw (Sep 13, 2004)

.....and I read that twice however I have a new box that I can swap the old hard drive into. If there are directions on how to get it the videos off, I would appreciate a link to show me how to do so. Thanks.


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## classicsat (Feb 18, 2004)

We can't show you the link, as such topics are forbidden here.


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## wmcbrine (Aug 2, 2003)

deal dat abase .com/forum


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## mr.unnatural (Feb 2, 2006)

> .....and I read that twice however I have a new box that I can swap the old hard drive into. If there are directions on how to get it the videos off, I would appreciate a link to show me how to do so. Thanks.


Let me make this perfectly clear so you understand it. Unless the programs were decrypted you cannot extract them. You also cannot play them back in a different Tivo. Each Tivo has its own crypto chip and uses an encryption algorithm tied to the hardware which makes each Tivo unique. Placing the drive in another Tivo with encrypted shows will not only prevent you from extracting the shows but you will also be unable to play them back. You will get a hardware error #51 message that can only be cleared on an unhacked unit by performing a Clear & delete everything. A C&DE will return a Tivo to default condition and will erase any settings, preferences, or recorded programs from the drive. In other words, you're totally screwed with regards to recovering your recordings.


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## David Platt (Dec 13, 2001)

rosenw said:


> .....and I read that twice however I have a new box that I can swap the old hard drive into. If there are directions on how to get it the videos off, I would appreciate a link to show me how to do so. Thanks.


I'm not sure why you're not understanding what we're saying, or how many different ways we can say it.

IT CANNOT BE DONE unless the machine that died has already been hacked. Period. You can't switch the drive out to a new unit, because any video recorded on the old machine is tied to that machine unless you have previously taken steps to decrypt them.


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## Draven X. Byrne (Jun 2, 2003)

David Platt said:


> I'm not sure why you're not understanding what we're saying, or how many different ways we can say it.
> 
> IT CANNOT BE DONE unless the machine that died has already been hacked. Period. You can't switch the drive out to a new unit, because any video recorded on the old machine is tied to that machine unless you have previously taken steps to decrypt them.


You can't extract the programs, but if you use SpinRite you should be able to fix the drive. Once that is done you COULD capture the programs to your PC using a plethora of different means . . .

Do a search on Analog to DVI capturing, capturing etc. You'll find the info you're looking for . . .

DXB


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## tbb1226 (Sep 16, 2004)

Draven X. Byrne said:


> You can't extract the programs, but if you use SpinRite you should be able to fix the drive. Once that is done you COULD capture the programs to your PC using a plethora of different means . . .


You're not paying attention, DXB. This guy claims that something _else_ in his TiVo box failed, but the HDD is OK. Your advice won't help him. It sounds like nothing will...


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## Jonathan_S (Oct 23, 2001)

tbb1226 said:


> You're not paying attention, DXB. This guy claims that something _else_ in his TiVo box failed, but the HDD is OK. Your advice won't help him. It sounds like nothing will...


Well if the power supply died then he could just order a new one from weakness.com, or swap in the one from his new TiVo.

But if the motherboard died (much rarer than a dead modem, power supply, or hard disk) then you are right, it sounds like nothing would help him.


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