# 3TB Bolt VOX w/Failed HD (all lights flashing) - Toshiba MQ03ABB300 Replacement?



## Dodge DeBoulet (Aug 3, 2010)

I purchased a 3TB Bolt+ back in 2017 along with a couple of minis. TiVO reached out to me early in 2020 to tell me that my hard drive was reporting errors and that the unit should be replaced. They sent me a 3TB Bolt VOX at no charge, which has been updated to the latest UI (TE4?) and worked fine until yesterday, where it crashed and refused to restart ... all lights rapidly flashing after the initial splash screen.

Since the flashing lights indicate a boot/drive failure, I've decided to replace the drive. There are lots of posts on how to do it and I'm completely comfortable with the mechanical aspects of the process. I've ordered a new Toshiba MQ03ABB300 3TB drive, as it appears to be a direct replacement.

I've seen various posts on the need to power off the Bolt once arriving at the initial setup screen, remove the drive, and run some windows-based utility to initialize it before continuing setup. Other posts seem to indicate the once the drive is physically installed, no other initialization is required. So, some questions:

The reviews for the drive on Amazon are all over the place. Is this the best choice, assuming I don't want to go with an external drive option?
Do I need to do anything special to initialize the drive, as indicated in the previous paragraph?
What can I expect for recovery of my configuration data once the unit is back on-line?
Thanks in advance for any guidance you can provide.


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## Dodge DeBoulet (Aug 3, 2010)

So, I've taken the additional step of verifying that the drive is the issue. I removed the old 3TB drive (a WD30NPRZ) and swapped in a 750GB Seagate Momentus (ST9750420AS). The Bolt was not happy with that, however (same flashing lights), so I next tried a 500GB Seagate "Laptop Thin HDD" (ST500LM021). Yeah, I never throw anything out.

The Bolt booted, spent some time thinking, then got me to this screen:










Am I good to go (at least until the 3TB replacement arrives) or is there something else I need to do to the drive before continuing?


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## Dodge DeBoulet (Aug 3, 2010)

Alright, so continuing my conversation with myself ...

Without doing anything else special with the drive I worked through the initial setup screens, selecting all the same settings I did the last time I perform a full setup. 20 minutes later, I'm at the TiVO home screen with access to my channels. The minis are re-connected, and everything seems to be right where we left off (except for anything previously recorded, obviously).

It's currently sitting on my workbench with the cover off. It's cool there (cellar), so I'm going to leave it for a while to make sure it's completed any background tasks before I return it to the media room.

Thanks for ... reading 😁

PS. I'll follow up with the results of the 3TB Toshiba install if anyone cares.


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## pl1 (Jan 18, 2007)

Dodge DeBoulet said:


> (snip) I've ordered a new Toshiba MQ03ABB300 3TB drive, as it appears to be a direct replacement. (snip)


You are on the right track, with that drive, but, any 2.5" drives larger than 2TB are problematic. AAMOF, you will notice that both TiVo and Weaknees do not sell any TiVos with 3TB 2.5" drives anymore. It appears that the smaller the 2.5" laptop drive, the longer it appears to last. So, for the Toshiba, I would recommend either the
Toshiba MQ01ABD100V 1TB 5400RPM 2.5" SATA 3Gb/s Hard Drive (Sold on Ebay & Amazon) (And used by the Verizon Fios DVR) or the
Toshiba 2TB MQ03ABB200 5400RPM SATA 2.5" Laptop HDD Hard Drive -15mm Walmart (Sold and shipped by goHardDrive) and Ebay

And regardless of what drive you do use, whether it is an External 3.5" drive or an internal 2.5" drive, make sure it is a CMR drive as opposed to an SMR drive. For external 3.5" drives, anything in the WD Red Plus Series or the WD Purple should work.


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## boywaja (Sep 30, 2001)

I've replaced the drive twice now in my bolt+.
I didn't do anything special. Hardest part is having the right screwdrivers and not breaking the case. I just hooked up the drive. Didn't do anything else.

First time was a weaknees kit. Outlived the extended warranty before dying 

Second time used a Toshiba MQ03ABB200 2TB 5400RPM. I couldn't find any 3 TB when buying anyway, and i'd seen the reports of the 3 TB failing often. And I didn't really need the extra space. 

To prevent future failure, based on some posts here I also set the Bolt on some bottle tops and used a fan on the right side to blow are under and over it to keep the temps down. Whether that helps or not, who knows.

AmazonSmile: AC Infinity MULTIFAN S4, Quiet 140mm USB Fan, UL-Certified for Receiver DVR Playstation Xbox Computer Cabinet Cooling : Electronics


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## Dodge DeBoulet (Aug 3, 2010)

pl1 said:


> You are on the right track, with that drive, but, any 2.5" drives larger than 2TB are problematic. AAMOF, you will notice that both TiVo and Weaknees do not sell any TiVos with 3TB 2.5" drives anymore. It appears that the smaller the 2.5" laptop drive, the longer it appears to last. So, for the Toshiba, I would recommend either the
> Toshiba MQ01ABD100V 1TB 5400RPM 2.5" SATA 3Gb/s Hard Drive (Sold on Ebay & Amazon) (And used by the Verizon Fios DVR) or the
> Toshiba 2TB MQ03ABB200 5400RPM SATA 2.5" Laptop HDD Hard Drive -15mm Walmart (Sold and shipped by goHardDrive) and Ebay
> 
> And regardless of what drive you do use, whether it is an External 3.5" drive or an internal 2.5" drive, make sure it is a CMR drive as opposed to an SMR drive. For external 3.5" drives, anything in the WD Red Plus Series or the WD Purple should work.


Thanks for the info. The 3TB Toshiba is already on order, and while I can probably cancel it, I'm not seeing any of 2TB drives that aren't refurbished and/or have less than 2 weeks shipping from China. I'm also not sure a 1TB drive will be adequate, so I think I'm going to take my chances with the 3TB version.

I suspect insufficient cooling may be a contributor to the drive's failure, so I'll be providing some additional active ventilation to the Bolt once it's back on its shelf in the media room.


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## pl1 (Jan 18, 2007)

boywaja said:


> Second time used a Toshiba MQ03ABB200 2TB 5400RPM. I couldn't find any 3 TB when buying anyway, and i'd seen the reports of the 3 TB failing often. And I didn't really need the extra space.
> 
> To prevent future failure, based on some posts here I also set the Bolt on some bottle tops and used a fan on the right side to blow are under and over it to keep the temps down. Whether that helps or not, who knows.


I'm running the identical setup as you, same hard drive and same fan. I installed this drive in April 2021, so I'm hoping I get at least another year out of it. I have a backup already imaged and ready to go with my CableCARD settings for whenever it does go.


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## Dodge DeBoulet (Aug 3, 2010)

pl1 said:


> I'm running the identical setup as you, same hard drive and same fan. I installed this drive in April 2021, so I'm hoping I get at least another year out of it. I have a backup already imaged and ready to go with my CableCARD settings for whenever it does go.


What "CableCARD settings" require some form of stored configuration? My CableCARD was recognized and activated automatically when I installed the (temporary) new drive; I didn't even have to call Comcast/Xfinity.


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## pl1 (Jan 18, 2007)

Dodge DeBoulet said:


> What "CableCARD settings" require some form of stored configuration? My CableCARD was recognized and activated automatically when I installed the (temporary) new drive; I didn't even have to call Comcast/Xfinity.


Well, that is unusual. Usually, the CableCARD has to be paired since the Cablecard ID is determined by the hardware. Anytime a new hard drive is installed, you have to call and have them remove the old drive and add the new drive. So, to make a backup of just those settings, or those settings and all of the recordings, you can use MSF Tools.


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## Dodge DeBoulet (Aug 3, 2010)

pl1 said:


> Well, that is unusual. Usually, the CableCARD has to be paired since the Cablecard ID is determined by the hardware. Anytime a new hard drive is installed, you have to call and have them remove the old drive and add the new drive. So, to make a backup of just those settings, or those settings and all of the recordings, you can use MSF Tools.


Hmm. So sort of like an IMEI and EID on a cell phone?

I'd think whatever TiVO uses for a device ID that might be paired with the CableCARD ID would be stored in something like NVRAM or EEPROM rather than on the hard drive. But that's my completely uninformed opinion 😉


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## krkaufman (Nov 25, 2003)

Dodge DeBoulet said:


> What "CableCARD settings" require some form of stored configuration? My CableCARD was recognized and activated automatically when I installed the (temporary) new drive; I didn't even have to call Comcast/Xfinity.


You may want to check any Premium channels you’re supposed to receive. The typical experience is as described … a “new” drive replacement will require CableCARD pairing to restore full functionality.


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## Dodge DeBoulet (Aug 3, 2010)

krkaufman said:


> You may want to check any Premium channels you’re supposed to receive. The typical experience is as described … a “new” drive replacement will require CableCARD pairing to restore full functionality.


We have whatever Xfinity is calling "Basic Plus" these days. That has everything we care to time-shift ... Netflix, Amazon, Hulu, Disney+ and HBO Max covers everything else 😁


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## Yuterald (Jan 21, 2002)

I replaced the stock drive in my Bolt when I got it using one from a Passport port drive (removed it from the casing). I followed a video (maybe more than one) from someone on YT who posted how to swap it out for a larger one. That's what I did.


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## hokietivo (Apr 14, 2016)

Dodge DeBoulet said:


> So, I've taken the additional step of verifying that the drive is the issue. I removed the old 3TB drive (a WD30NPRZ) and swapped in a 750GB Seagate Momentus (ST9750420AS). The Bolt was not happy with that, however (same flashing lights), so I next tried a 500GB Seagate "Laptop Thin HDD" (ST500LM021). Yeah, I never throw anything out.
> 
> The Bolt booted, spent some time thinking, then got me to this screen:
> 
> ...


I had a bolt and upgraded to a 3or 4tb drive I forget which one, they lasted about a year or so… after the second one failed I just bought a lower capacity weakness drive… smooth sailing since. I had to use an old tivo OS to get the larger TB drives to work it was a hassle

it was just a hassle to keep swapping them out and now we have all these streaming services, although I am still on The older OS.

the first tivo I got was free with some docker pants, anytime remember that promo? Series 2 tivo.

anyway as much as I like tivo… it feels more and more like days are numbered.


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## Sandman (Sep 24, 2002)

After my 3rd failure I purchased a 3.5 drive and put it in powered external case, drilled a hole in my bolt, and have been smooth sailing for 4 years now. All the directions were here on forums.


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## Steve (Apr 24, 2003)

Dodge DeBoulet said:


> What "CableCARD settings" require some form of stored configuration? My CableCARD was recognized and activated automatically when I installed the (temporary) new drive; I didn't even have to call Comcast/Xfinity.


Same here. I've probably replaced a half dozen drives over the past 20 years and never had to re-pair. Optimum.


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## seanandrsn (Dec 12, 2010)

I replaced the 500 GB drive with one from Weaknees and the replacement drive failed about 4 months after. I was able to get a warranty replacement 500 GB from Weaknees but I decided to buy a SSD 1 TB (~$90) drive off of Amazon and install it since it would not have a spinning disc and it would not run as hot. I put it in about 8 months ago and I have not had any issues and feel the unit runs smoother. I have this Bolt on a TiVo bridge network with a computer, another Bolt & 3 mini's. I archive off any shows to a 10 TB external drive that is attached to my desktop. I'm running PY TiVo on the desktop which allows me to serve up any media from the external hard drive. I can transfer a 2 hour movie in about 45 seconds to a minute and a half.


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## ccmking (Nov 27, 2011)

seanandrsn said:


> I replaced the 500 GB drive with one from Weaknees and the replacement drive failed about 4 months after. I was able to get a warranty replacement 500 GB from Weaknees but I decided to buy a SSD 1 TB (~$90) drive off of Amazon and install it since it would not have a spinning disc and it would not run as hot. I put it in about 8 months ago and I have not had any issues and feel the unit runs smoother. I have this Bolt on a TiVo bridge network with a computer, another Bolt & 3 mini's. I archive off any shows to a 10 TB external drive that is attached to my desktop. I'm running PY TiVo on the desktop which allows me to serve up any media from the external hard drive. I can transfer a 2 hour movie in about 45 seconds to a minute and a half.


I think the best way to go with the Bolt (and Edge) is to get an external HDD/kit from Weaknees. Unfortunately, you can no longer find SATA HDD enclosures on the Internet so you're stuck with buying it from Weaknees.


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## tommage1 (Nov 6, 2008)

ccmking said:


> I think the best way to go with the Bolt (and Edge) is to get an external HDD/kit from Weaknees. Unfortunately, you can no longer find SATA HDD enclosures on the Internet so you're stuck with buying it from Weaknees.


Can still easily build your own. The Sabrent can be found. AND can go Sata to Sata which is always better than Sata to Esata. I would not buy a 3TB internal 2.5, too expensive IF you can find a new/new old stock (must be CMR, no SMR.) If wanting to go internal you can find new/new old stock Seagate/Samsung 2TB CMR, only 9.5mm also so would fit Edge with no mods, st2000lm003. Must get EXACT model number, if not you'll most likely get stuck with an SMR drive. BUT external still best, and do Sata to Sata, skip the Esata. Probably half the cost of WK or less. Easy to do.

TE4 or TE3 Bolt or Edge upgrade with external drive | TiVo Community Forum


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## Mike Davis (Mar 29, 2021)

I had two drive failures in my Bolt and one in the Vox Tivo provided as a replacement, all within about three years. I replaced the last drive with a 3TB larger format external drive offered by Weakknees. Weaknees wondered why Tivo used such a small format less reliable drive in a non portable device. I think heat might have been a factor in the internal 3TB drives. Friends with smaller internal drives all seem to have better reliability.

Mike Davis


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## MrDell (Jul 8, 2012)

Mike Davis said:


> I think heat might have been a factor in the internal 3TB drives. Friends with smaller internal drives all seem to have better reliability.
> 
> Mike Davis


I think that may be true…. I have a one terabyte Bolt with a little external cooling still going strong after 4-1/2 years!


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## Dodge DeBoulet (Aug 3, 2010)

Looping back around now that the replacement drive arrived.

Installation went smoothly, although this time I did get the CableCARD screen that told me to call Xfinity to activate it. So I did ... and they essentially told me that it was already paired. Seems like they must have done something, though, because at first I wasn't getting a lot of the basic cable channels that were in my plan. That changed over the next few minutes, though, and eventually everything showed up.

So yeah, it's a 3TB internal Toshiba @ US$60, but I've taken the extra precaution to put the Bolt VOX on a laptop cooling pad with an independent power supply. I've also set the thing to a "sleep level" that doesn't record suggestions, since it never seemed to get them right and just wasted a lot of disk space. Seems to be running a LOT cooler now.

If the drive croaks again, I'll probably just switch to something else.


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## bck17 (Jul 14, 2012)

Dodge DeBoulet said:


> Looping back around now that the replacement drive arrived.
> 
> Installation went smoothly, although this time I did get the CableCARD screen that told me to call Xfinity to activate it. So I did ... and they essentially told me that it was already paired. Seems like they must have done something, though, because at first I wasn't getting a lot of the basic cable channels that were in my plan. That changed over the next few minutes, though, and eventually everything showed up.
> 
> ...





Dodge DeBoulet said:


> Looping back around now that the replacement drive arrived.
> 
> Installation went smoothly, although this time I did get the CableCARD screen that told me to call Xfinity to activate it. So I did ... and they essentially told me that it was already paired. Seems like they must have done something, though, because at first I wasn't getting a lot of the basic cable channels that were in my plan. That changed over the next few minutes, though, and eventually everything showed up.
> 
> ...


I just went through the same process. The 3TB drive on our Bolt failed. I replaced it with a 2TB drive sourced from Weaknees. Repeated guided set up. That all worked uneventfully.

I had to re-pair the CableCARD and called the Comcast CableCARD support number since their on-line self activation tool wasn’t able to recognize our account. Channels all work except HBO and Showtime. They of course said the CableCARD must be at fault and replace but I’ve been through that with them many times over many years at multiple locations and it’s never the CableCARD. It’s always a combination of agent know-how and/or systemic technical process issues. The problem seems to be with pairing Motorola cards that have already been paired to a “different” TiVo. In this case, the “different” TiVo is ours before the HDD failure. 

They promised a tier 2 tech call back “within 24 to 72 hours” and advised that I be “ready to accept their call and be near my TV” when they do. Nice window… That was now 4 days ago with no call back.

I can stream HBO and Showtime using our AT&T or Comcast credentials so we can live with it. We got our first TiVo in late 1999 and are nearing the end of a 22+ year run. We just need to get another year out of this setup before cutting the cord.


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## DCM87 (Jun 23, 2021)

Try Weaknees.com My 3TB 2.5" internal HD failed after 3.5 years. They used a 3TB 3.5" desktop EXTERNAL replacement as the fix. TiVo most likely to save space and money used a laptop drive, which can't handle the 6 platters and 450 GB of space. It cost about $350, but they are super trustworthy and will not recommend anything they wouldn't use themselves. They could have sold me a refurbished 3TB small HD like the original for a $100+ more, but they said the external new desktop drive will last 10 years and the refurbished drive will last 3 years. The refurbished model was $349 plus $120 to transfer the settings and shows and mine was at least $125 cheaper. I have used them twice (2 months ago and 7 years ago and both TiVo's are still running just fine. If you don't want to fix it yourself Weaknees.com is the company for you.


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## doyling (Aug 11, 2006)

Thank you for the write up. I just got the flashing lights of hell for my Bolt Vox 3TB. This was a great guide, have a fan and HD on order. I haven't had to fiddle with a TiVo in awhile. Is the OS on the motherboard now? No Instant Cake or WinMFS or anything?


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## dianebrat (Jul 6, 2002)

doyling said:


> Thank you for the write up. I just got the flashing lights of hell for my Bolt Vox 3TB. This was a great guide, have a fan and HD on order. I haven't had to fiddle with a TiVo in awhile. Is the OS on the motherboard now? No Instant Cake or WinMFS or anything?


Correct, if you want to be extra careful you can pre-test the HDD, but in general you take a blank drive, put it in the Roamio or higher, turn it on, and it formats the drive from flash and you're ready to go.


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## Yuterald (Jan 21, 2002)

Did you have to format the drive to get to 3TBs access or did the TiVo read it as a 3TB by default?


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## dianebrat (Jul 6, 2002)

Yuterald said:


> Did you have to format the drive to get to 3TBs access or did the TiVo read it as a 3TB by default?


3TB drives are autoformatted by the units.


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