# GSOD Loop



## browncoat (Aug 24, 2004)

Hi

I have tried to look in other threads to see if anything there will solve my problem but I didn't find anything. Here is the situation:

I have several Series 1 Tivos running 3.0-01-1-000
They have 500GB drives in them that were all created from the same image.
This image has been working well for years on various drives.

Today I bought a new 500GB drive and formatted it. I put it in a Tivo to make sure it was working before installing it in the Tivo it would eventually go in. But to do this I had to disconnect the drive that was already in that Tivo. After the new drive booted I reconnected the drive that is normally in that Tivo and it entered a GSOD.

The drives were formatted using the following commands:
mfstool restore -s xxx -r4 -xzpi <target drive>
tpip --verbose --series1 --mkswap <target drive> --swaptype=1

(I'll explain the xxx below)

mfstool is v 2.0
tpip is v 1.2

Here is where I think the problem is. My notes say to use a swap space of 511if the drive is larger than 274GB, but it looks like when I formatted the GSOD drive I accidently read an older note which said 127.

So the drive that has the GSOD loop has a swap of 127 and the new one has 511.

I put both drives in a computer to look at the sizes in pdisk and confirmed that. The differences in size are as follows:

Partition 8 Swap/Linux Swap
New: 511.0M
GSOD: 127.0M

Partition 13 MFS/New MFS Media
New: 452.6G
GSOD: 452.9G

Interesting note - when I put the new drive back in the Tivo it GSODed!!! But it was not in a quick loop like the other. It stayed on the GSOD screen for a few minutes, rebooted, went back to a GSOD for a few minutes, rebooted and it came up.

So it seems like the swap is working on the new drive which has nothing on it (I plan to reformat it anyway just to play it safe since), but not the old drive which I have been using for the last 2 months.

To make matters more complicated, the image was based on a previous drive that had GSODed and had a small swapspace. I was able to restore it by reducing the size of the alternate boot partitions and adding it to the swap partition. As a result, the alternate boot partitions do not have any room.

Here are the sizes of the partitions:
1: -
2: 2.0M
3: 2.0M
4: 128.0M
5: 2.0M
6: 2.0M
7: 128.0M
8: 127.0M
9: 128.0M
10: 512.0M
11: 11.8G
12: -
13: 452.9G
14: 2.0M

Is there any way to fix this?

The drive has alot of things on it but I don't think it was full to the point that it was deleting anything yet.

If I were to get a new drive and format it with a swap space of 511 and dd copy everything but the swap, will that work? I realize that partition 13 which has most of the program data will not have enough room but its only a .3G difference and hopefully theres nothing in that space since the drive isn't full.

I've also had problems copying large drives, even using the boot CD that recognizes large drives. 
Is there a specific way I would need to copy them? 
Should I use vmlnodma when I boot?
Should I use bswap?

Can anything be done to save the programs on it?

Thanks.


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## unitron (Apr 28, 2006)

Are these stand alone Philips TiVos? No satellite, no Sony?


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## browncoat (Aug 24, 2004)

unitron said:


> Are these stand alone Philips TiVos? No satellite, no Sony?


Yes they are standalone Philips. Thanks.


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## unitron (Apr 28, 2006)

browncoat said:


> Yes they are standalone Philips. Thanks.


Here

http://www.tivocommunity.com/tivo-vb/showthread.php?p=9132990#post9132990

are S1 SA Philips images

I don't understand why you would test the drive in a TiVo other than the one into which it was to go if you had that one right there.

I also don't see how removing the correct drive that had been working and then putting it back in would cause it to not work just like it had been before.

I've found the best way to shut down a TiVo is to go into the menu with all the clear and deletes and select "Restart the TiVo" and do the 3 thumbs down and then hit the enter button and unplug it as soon as the video leaves the screen.


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## browncoat (Aug 24, 2004)

unitron said:


> Here
> 
> http://www.tivocommunity.com/tivo-vb/showthread.php?p=9132990#post9132990
> 
> ...


Thanks unitron but I don't understand why you sent this link. I don't need an image. I'm trying to repair the drive.


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## unitron (Apr 28, 2006)

browncoat said:


> Thanks unitron but I don't understand why you sent this link. I don't need an image. I'm trying to repair the drive.


You bought a 500GB drive to put in an S1.

(personally I'd have gone with a 1TB SATA and a Marvell chipset based adapter to get the most GB/$)

I'm assuming you weren't trying to copy, including shows, from the target TiVo's original drive.

If you had been, testing the copy in a different TiVo would have screwed things up because of the different TiVo Service Numbers involved.

Quit screwing around with MFS Tools and tpip and old stuff like that.

Just make yourself a copy of the MFS Live cd v1.4 and use it for any images you already made or my .bak image, or use WinMFS for a .tbk image.

Just use one of my images, and either WinMFS or MFS Live, restore to the 500GB with a 250MB swap partition, slap it into the TiVo you intended that drive for and be done once it digests the TSN mismatch.

If you are specifically trying to save recordings, say so, and we can go from there.


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## browncoat (Aug 24, 2004)

unitron said:


> You bought a 500GB drive to put in an S1.
> 
> (personally I'd have gone with a 1TB SATA and a Marvell chipset based adapter to get the most GB/$)
> 
> ...


I DID say so.


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## unitron (Apr 28, 2006)

browncoat said:


> I DID say so.


Okay, the TiVo in which you intended to place that new 500GB drive is now designated TiVo1.

The TiVo in which you decided to test that drive is now designated TiVo2.

Are you trying to save any recordings from the original or most recent drive in TiVo1?

Are you trying to save any recordings from the drive you temporarily disconnected from TiVo2?


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## browncoat (Aug 24, 2004)

unitron said:


> Okay, the TiVo in which you intended to place that new 500GB drive is now designated TiVo1.
> 
> The TiVo in which you decided to test that drive is now designated TiVo2.
> 
> ...


I am trying to save everyting on the Tivo 2 drive which is in a GSOD loop.

The other Tivo and drive is not an issue.


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## unitron (Apr 28, 2006)

browncoat said:


> I am trying to save everyting on the Tivo 2 drive which is in a GSOD loop.
> 
> The other Tivo and drive is not an issue.


Okay, we may be able to perform a rescue.

Do you have a PC to which you can hook that drive and on which you can run WinMFS?

Have you used WinMFS before?

While I think about your problem overnight, make yourself a copy of the MFS Live cd v1.4 and get the WinMFS program as well.

Both are free.

I'm familiar with them and with using them to try to rescue stuff, so you'll need to be using one or both for me to be able to help.

I can help you get either if necessary.


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## browncoat (Aug 24, 2004)

unitron said:


> Okay, we may be able to perform a rescue.
> 
> Do you have a PC to which you can hook that drive and on which you can run WinMFS?


Yes



unitron said:


> Have you used WinMFS before?


No



unitron said:


> While I think about your problem overnight, make yourself a copy of the MFS Live cd v1.4 and get the WinMFS program as well.
> 
> Both are free.
> 
> I'm familiar with them and with using them to try to rescue stuff, so you'll need to be using one or both for me to be able to help.


I would like to try this on a clone of the drive and not on the original. I have another 500GB drive to copy it to. Can we start with instructions on the best way to clone it?

I also would not be able to try anything until the weekend at the earliest because I would need to take the SATA->IDE adapters out of 2 Tivos to use them in the PC.



unitron said:


> I can help you get either if necessary.


That would be helpful, thank you.


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## unitron (Apr 28, 2006)

Are any of those hard drives Western Digital Caviar Blues?


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## browncoat (Aug 24, 2004)

unitron said:


> Are any of those hard drives Western Digital Caviar Blues?


No those don't work in the series 1 (which I suspect is why you asked). They are Seagates and they do work in the series 1.


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