# Hard disk supply



## spitfires (Dec 19, 2006)

I happened to have a Western Digital Red (WD10EFRX) on my desk, so before I used it for its purchased purpose I thought I'd try it in TiVo. Unfortunately it's a 'no boot', so it looks like we can add WD Reds to WD Greens as discs which won't work in TiVo. (And yes I was using an 'approved' adapter.)

Did anyone ever find out exactly why some discs work and some don't? The reports seem to suggest that it's discs which use 4kB sectors (rather than 512B) which the TiVo IDE controller can't cope with. Although the WD firmware translates the 4K sector to 512 it appears there is still something the TiVo controller doesn't like.

If this really is the cause of the no boot then there is a potential long-term problem here. Since Jan 2011 all new product HDs (well big capacity ones anyway) are supposed to be made with 4K sectors (so-called "Advanced Format"). If 4K sectors aren't going to work in TiVo then we are going to reach the point where we can no longer get new discs for our S1 TiVos. 

It would be ironic if our S1 TiVos were finally nailed by the lack of HD supply! 

Thoughts anyone? Is the 4K sector really the reason why some discs work and some don't?


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## unitron (Apr 28, 2006)

spitfires said:


> I happened to have a Western Digital Red (WD10EFRX) on my desk, so before I used it for its purchased purpose I thought I'd try it in TiVo. Unfortunately it's a 'no boot', so it looks like we can add WD Reds to WD Greens as discs which won't work in TiVo. (And yes I was using an 'approved' adapter.)
> 
> Did anyone ever find out exactly why some discs work and some don't? The reports seem to suggest that it's discs which use 4kB sectors (rather than 512B) which the TiVo IDE controller can't cope with. Although the WD firmware translates the 4K sector to 512 it appears there is still something the TiVo controller doesn't like.
> 
> ...


Are the Greens not working in S1s even after disabling Intellipark with wdidle3?

And does that include the older, pre 4K Greens, like the EADS was at one time?

I know S1s don't like Blues, PATA or Marvell chipped SATA.


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## spitfires (Dec 19, 2006)

unitron said:


> Are the Greens not working in S1s even after disabling Intellipark with wdidle3?


According to WD you shouldn't run wdidle3 on the new EARS Greens (4K) or you could hose the disc. It's fine on the old EADS Greens, but they aren't 4K.

wdidle3 was only to make the drive wait longer before parking the head and going to sleep.

AFAIK the EADS Greens will work ok but that's my point - you aren't going to be able to buy any more soon. They're EOL, and have been replaced by the 4K EARS, which apparently don't work


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## unitron (Apr 28, 2006)

spitfires said:


> According to WD you shouldn't run wdidle3 on the new EARS Greens (4K) or you could hose the disc. It's fine on the old EADS Greens, but they aren't 4K.
> 
> wdidle3 was only to make the drive wait longer before parking the head and going to sleep.
> 
> AFAIK the EADS Greens will work ok but that's my point - you aren't going to be able to buy any more soon. They're EOL, and have been replaced by the 4K EARS, which apparently don't work


Won't be able to buy anymore soon? I haven't seen a WD20EADS offered anywhere (except at ridiculous prices from online outfits I've never heard of) in over a year.

But saw the other day where somebody said the 10EADS is 4K now--they didn't even have the decency to change the model number.

There have been reports of some Greens not even cold booting in TiVos until Intellipark is disabled or the timer period set for like 5 minutes.

Bought a couple of WDBAAY0020HNC-NRSN the other day.

Used to be there would be a WD20EADS inside, now it's a WD20EARX, but I ran wdidle3 against them both (after running WD's long diagnostic--never trust a new drive just because it's new), and they're working fine, one with a PC and one in a Series 3 HD.

I'd think if the drive employs Intellipark there'd be a way to disable it or adjust the timeout period, and if not then wdidle3 would just return an error message.

I've got a WD10EACS, which is supposed to be a 16MB cache 4K drive working in an S2, but haven't tried anything not truly 512 in an S1 yet.


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## spitfires (Dec 19, 2006)

Yes prices shot up after the floods in Thailand and they've been rather slow at coming back down again 



unitron said:


> There have been reports of some Greens not even cold booting in TiVos until Intellipark is disabled or the timer period set for like 5 minutes.


 Ah I'd not heard that before - good to know. Unfortunately I can't re-test the Red (as it's now being used elsewhere).



unitron said:


> (after running WD's long diagnostic--never trust a new drive just because it's new),


 I agree - I've had so many DOAs over the years. Always wise to run a full diagnostic before using any new drive.

(p.s. the Reds have a 3 year warranty :up: unlike most (if not all!) new 'desktop' disks (Greens, Blues, Seagate, etc) which only have a measly 1 year warranty nowadays.)


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## unitron (Apr 28, 2006)

spitfires said:


> Yes prices shot up after the floods in Thailand and they've been rather slow at coming back down again
> 
> Ah I'd not heard that before - good to know. Unfortunately I can't re-test the Red (as it's now being used elsewhere).
> 
> ...


As far as I know only the Caviar Greens have Intellipark in the first place, so you only need run wdidle3 on a Green if it needs disabling.

At some point I might be able to conduct the somewhat pointless experiment of seeing if an out of date 1TB Caviar Black will run in an S1.

It's working in an S2 (with an extra fan hooked up--the Blacks get pretty toasty) just fine right now (except, of course, for being about 9TB too small  )


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## DX30 (May 22, 2005)

Spam reported


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## flashedbios (Dec 7, 2012)

cant you just buy IDE HDs? They still make them, up to 750GB too.


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## spitfires (Dec 19, 2006)

flashedbios said:


> cant you just buy IDE HDs? They still make them, up to 750GB too.


Not for much longer - very few new mobos have PATA so the manufacturers will simply stop making the disks. In fact the only ones readilly available (in the UK) are WD and they only go up to 250GB.

A Seagate 750GB IDE (assuming you can find one - they are discontinued) is over £100 vs. a 1TB SATA at £55


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## Ian_m (Jan 9, 2001)

Just looked at our hard disk wholesalers we deal with. They have 136 models of SATA for sale and only 4 models of IDE and 3 of those are out of stock and awaiting delivery !!!:down:


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## Ian_m (Jan 9, 2001)

Just looked at our hard disk wholesalers we deal with. They have 136 models of SATA for sale and only 4 models of IDE and 3 of those are out of stock and awaiting delivery !!!:down:


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## ScoobyDooZ (Sep 28, 2005)

I'm going to have a sort out of my junk room the weekend. Might be a good tome to sell all IDE drives I have!


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## unitron (Apr 28, 2006)

ScoobyDooZ said:


> I'm going to have a sort out of my junk room the weekend. Might be a good tome to sell all IDE drives I have!


Yeah, who knows, one or two of them might even still work.


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## ScoobyDooZ (Sep 28, 2005)

unitron said:


> Yeah, who knows, one or two of them might even still work.


I think they all work.

I have them all up on ebay with PSU's and New Remote Control!


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## ScoobyDooZ (Sep 28, 2005)

Last day and then I'm virgin Tivo only with no series one bits :/

http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/160980599021?ssPageName=STRK:MESELX:IT&_trksid=p3984.m1558.l2649

http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/160980605820?ssPageName=STRK:MESELX:IT&_trksid=p3984.m1558.l2649

http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/160980602835?ssPageName=STRK:MESELX:IT&_trksid=p3984.m1558.l2649


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