# BOLT OTA 1TB Internal Upgrade to 3TB



## Tsunnamie (Jun 21, 2019)

Hey all,

I have been looking at the forums, sadly I get so confused and I am not sure what instructions I should follow to upgrade my internal storage capacity from 1TB to 3TB or larger. I am not looking for an external solution.

My Devices
R84900VO TiVo BOLT OTA 1TB
RA9500 TiVo Mini VOX (4)

I use an antenna and have the devices network setup using MOCA.

I am hoping to purchase the needed items before tearing apart the box.

I found this drive listed in a different thread any known issues yet?

SEAGATE BARRACUDA ST5000LM000 5 TB 2.5" HARD DRIVE 15MM 0.59" HEIGHT

I do not care about the current recordings

I can complete the process using a windows PC. I also have a NAS currently on my network.

I understand that this is covered throughout the forums here but I just am not confident which instructions to follow.

Thanks for any help in advance
TSunnamie


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## ThAbtO (Apr 6, 2000)

Tsunnamie said:


> I am not looking for an external solution.


Only a 2.5 inch drive will fit inside a Bolt and they have become unreliable and fail sooner than expected. Also, v21+ of the Tivo software can have an affect in the drive issues.


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## AskTheGnome (Jan 14, 2020)

Hi Tsunnamie,

I have used this exact drive in 2 Bolt VOX's. They have both worked fine for the last year and a half. There have been a couple of weird reboots since the initial install on both devices but they have been rare. They are a very tight fit in the case. In one location, the Bolt has 4 other mini VOXs that connect.

You can use instructions found at A Guide to Upgrading Your Tivo Bolt, Tivo Premiere, Tivo Roamio, Tivo Roamio OTA, Tivo HD, Tivo Series 3 or Tivo Series 2 (Easily upgrade your Tivo Bolt, Roamio or Premiere to 300 Hours+ HD Capacity) - Also includes instructions on how to fix a broken Tivo. or on these forums.

Good Luck!



Tsunnamie said:


> Hey all,
> 
> I have been looking at the forums, sadly I get so confused and I am not sure what instructions I should follow to upgrade my internal storage capacity from 1TB to 3TB or larger. I am not looking for an external solution.
> 
> ...


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## Mikeguy (Jul 28, 2005)

In my humble opinion, the easiest upgrade for the Bolt is to the Toshiba 2.5" 3TB drive, or 2TB drive, which often have been favored here. Model no. Toshiba MQ03ABB300 for the 3TB drive, MQ03ABB200 for the 2TB drive. Both have been available within the past 1-2 months at great prices (which often has been otherwise, as the drives have become more scarce--I don't know the pricing today)--a search here on the model numbers should bring the discussions up.

Installation is as easy as undoing a few Torx screws and prying the case open (this is the hardest part of the process); unscrewing and removing the old drive, taking care with the WiFi antenna wire; putting the new drive in place, along with the WiFi antenna wire; closing the case up; and starting the box, at which point the box will do what needs to be done for the setup of the hard drive--no human intervention required!* An excellent video on YouTube walks you through the relatively simple process: https:// www.youtube.com/watch?v=CcH8NyRDRCU&t=10s. I see that WeaKnees now also has a similar video, which is good for seeing how best to pry the case open: https:// www.youtube.com/watch?v=iZvDvhujtwQ.

As the videos show, the only "special" tools needed for this are a couple of Torx screwdrivers (you can find inexpensive sets of Torx screwdrivers around) and some spacing/prying tools, such as a regular screwdriver or 2 and/or some unused credit cards.

If I can do it, most people can. Again, the hardest part I found was prying the case open, and not losing the small screws. 

* This is true for internal replacement drives up to and including 3TB.


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## Mikeguy (Jul 28, 2005)

Just saw the Toshiba 3TB 2.5" hard drive available at Amazon.com for 129.98, totally fair pricing, along the lines of what it had been when it was more readily available. https://www.amazon.com/Toshiba-5400...ords=Toshiba+MQ03ABB300&qid=1579065158&sr=8-2 And a little bit less at eBay: Toshiba MQ03ABB300 3 TB 5400RPM 2.5" SATA 6.0Gb/s Hard Drive 15mm 696859079580 | eBay.

And the 2TB drive at $59.99, great pricing. https://www.amazon.com/TOSHIBA-MQ03...SQHKYRZ1CJ8&psc=1&refRID=G7MHJB178SQHKYRZ1CJ8

These drives no longer are being manufactured, and so will be gone. Frankly, I was surprised to see them here now.


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## Tsunnamie (Jun 21, 2019)

ThAbtO said:


> Only a 2.5 inch drive will fit inside a Bolt and they have become unreliable and fail sooner than expected. Also, v21+ of the Tivo software can have an affect in the drive issues.


Thank you for the information


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## Tsunnamie (Jun 21, 2019)

Thanks for the links to the instructions



AskTheGnome said:


> Hi Tsunnamie,
> 
> I have used this exact drive in 2 Bolt VOX's. They have both worked fine for the last year and a half. There have been a couple of weird reboots since the initial install on both devices but they have been rare. They are a very tight fit in the case. In one location, the Bolt has 4 other mini VOXs that connect.
> 
> ...


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## Tsunnamie (Jun 21, 2019)

Thanks for the drive links i may buy 1 or 2 for spares



Mikeguy said:


> Just saw the Toshiba 3TB 2.5" hard drive available at Amazon.com for 129.98, totally fair pricing, along the lines of what it had been when it was more readily available. https://www.amazon.com/Toshiba-5400...ords=Toshiba+MQ03ABB300&qid=1579065158&sr=8-2 And a little bit less at eBay: Toshiba MQ03ABB300 3 TB 5400RPM 2.5" SATA 6.0Gb/s Hard Drive 15mm 696859079580 | eBay.
> 
> And the 2TB drive at $59.99, great pricing. https://www.amazon.com/TOSHIBA-MQ03...SQHKYRZ1CJ8&psc=1&refRID=G7MHJB178SQHKYRZ1CJ8
> 
> These drives no longer are being manufactured, and so will be gone. Frankly, I was surprised to see them here now.


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## Antrom (Apr 6, 2017)

goHardDrive.com - MaxDigitalData 3TB 8MB Cache 5400RPM (15MM) 2.5'' USB 3.0 Internal Mobile Hard Drive - 1 Year Warranty

or

goHardDrive.com - Toshiba MQ03ABB200 2TB 5400RPM 16MB Cache (15mm) SATA 6.0Gb/s 2.5'' Mobile Hard Drive - 3 Year Warranty


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## Mikeguy (Jul 28, 2005)

Antrom said:


> goHardDrive.com - Toshiba MQ03ABB200 2TB 5400RPM 16MB Cache (15mm) SATA 6.0Gb/s 2.5'' Mobile Hard Drive - 3 Year Warranty


Cool--$10 less ($49.99) than the already excellent price at Amazon.


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