# Put HD XL hard drive in XL?



## paulistano (Sep 3, 2010)

I have an HD XL and was recently gifted an HD with lifetime service. I've seen lots of posts about upgrading to non-TiVo hard drives, but can't find anything about swapping drives between TiVos. 

Is this easy to do?


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## ThAbtO (Apr 6, 2000)

When you do that, they need to be the exact Tivo model, (TCDxxxxxx), but then you must do Clear & delete everything, or else it will not be able to record and update.


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## paulistano (Sep 3, 2010)

Damn. So there's no way at all to make it work?


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## ThAbtO (Apr 6, 2000)

Tivo is hardware-specific and also software-specific. In other words, the software in the HD XL (TCD658000) drive will not work in a HD (TCD652160) Tivo, and vice versa.


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## unitron (Apr 28, 2006)

paulistano said:


> Damn. So there's no way at all to make it work?


That depends on your definition of "work".

I have an HD XL image that I put on a drive and stuck in an HD just as an experiment, and it sort of booted, but if I'd let it connect to the TiVo servers I'm sure it would have led to disaster in short order.

If that HD XL is on monthly, that lifetimed HD will qualify you for the MSD deduction on the XL.

Of course if your goal is to retire the XL and save the monthly payment and avoid laying out any cash for a bigger drive for the HD, then it's doable, but you'll need a PC to which you can attach hard drives other than the one you boot it from.

You should make a backup truncated image off of the 1TB drive out of the XL.

Then you can overwrite the XL's drive with the stuff on the HD's drive, and then expand into the other 840GB.

But if you can afford it, I'd recommend finding a new WD20EURS 2TB drive on sale somewhere for around $100 and putting that into the lifetimed HD.

You'll have twice as much space on a new drive with a 3 year warranty.


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## jrtroo (Feb 4, 2008)

Here is how to make it work:

Purchase a new 2TB drive and upgrade the lifetime box. Sell the other box.


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## Soapm (May 9, 2007)

jrtroo said:


> Here is how to make it work:
> 
> Purchase a new 2TB drive and upgrade the lifetime box. Sell the other box.


Yup, and if necessary, subscribe both Tivo's for a month while you transfer the recordings via TTG. Or use KMTTG or desktop to move the recordings to a PC. If the recordings won't move then they were lost either way. The encryption chip wouldn't have moved with the harddrive.


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