# Can I Put A 2.5" Laptop Drive In Tivo S2?



## mnanda (Jan 17, 2010)

I've got a spare 320GB SATA 2.5" laptop drive and a dead TiVo and want to know if there's any reason why I can't/shouldn't put this smaller drive in my Tivo.

I'm on a Mac so I can't do InstantCake. I called Weakness and they'll put the correct software on my drive for $55. But when I asked them about the drive, they fumphered around and said they didn't recommend that I use that drive and they couldn't guarantee that it would work - maybe the speed would be off... The drive is much newer than my TiVo, so I'm sure the speed will be fine. I know I need to an SATA to IDE converter which Weakness says they have.

Am wondering if anyone has had experience - positive or negative - putting a 2.5" drive in a Tivo. Is there anything else I need to know? 

Thanks a bunch,



Amanda


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## Worf (Sep 15, 2000)

It should work, the only real problem would be mounting it.

There are a couple of concerns, tnough.

First is power - a laptop drive doesn't have a 12V draw. It may be an issue for the TiVo's power supply since some really hate unloaded rails and can have regulation problems if they aren't loaded. I've seen this on a PC power supply where we needed 3.3V only and caused issues until we stuck an old hard drive on the end (not connected to anything but power) which made it work very well. Whether or not this is a problem is unknown. If you're adding a second driver, then it's not an issue as the primary drive obviously works fine.

Second might be the usage - the TiVo is extremely hard on the drive since it's under constant access 24/7, and it's a usage pattern that laptop drives may not be used to - constantly reading writing and seeking. There is a chance it may degrade early.

Other than that, there shouldn't be other problems - a laptop drive produces less heat, so if it survives TiVo usage, your TiVo may last a long time.


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## wscannell (Dec 7, 2003)

The drive is also a SATA drive while an S2 takes a PATA drive. There are converters available. You would need to get one that works in a Tivo. There is a thread here that lists converters that work.


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## mnanda (Jan 17, 2010)

Actually it's not my secondary drive. It will be my primary drive as primary is dead. NOTE: next time you move - remove your drive before packing your TiVo!


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## Soapm (May 9, 2007)

Aren't laptop drives slow?


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## wscannell (Dec 7, 2003)

The TiVo does not require great speed. A laptop drive should be fast enough.


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## Worf (Sep 15, 2000)

Like I said, the only issues that might be a problem is the power supply needing a load on +12V (the laptop drive doesn't use it) or it may have issues, and the utilization.

Adapters - sometimes TiVo's fussy, but another brand adapter should work fine. If it's a Weaknees adapter, it shoudl work. Speed isn't an issue - TiVo doesn't need a lot of it. 

Just that all that seeking and continuous read/write might cause the drive to fail prematurely.


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