# Upgrade / Hack question



## Guyy (Nov 1, 2001)

Guess this question could go in either upgrades or underground, but anyway..

OK it's been a long time since I've popped open a Tivo. last one was my DSR6000 Dtivo. I'm currently running a S2 SA Tivo box as my back up DVR (have cable HDDVR) and I want to one add a new drive, done that before guessing it should be about the same. But I would also like to enable the bash prompt and add some goodies as well. 

So I'm going to put a larger than 137 gig drive in the box, is there really any reason to buy something like the PTVupgrade ISO as opposed to just downloading MFS tools with LBA48 support?

And! right now I have my Tivo connecting wireless thru a USB adapter, does one still need a serial cable to transfer tools to the box or can it all be done wireless. I'm hoping for all wireless.. Thanks!


----------



## JWThiers (Apr 13, 2005)

Guyy said:


> Guess this question could go in either upgrades or underground, but anyway..
> 
> OK it's been a long time since I've popped open a Tivo. last one was my DSR6000 Dtivo. I'm currently running a S2 SA Tivo box as my back up DVR (have cable HDDVR) and I want to one add a new drive, done that before guessing it should be about the same. But I would also like to enable the bash prompt and add some goodies as well.


Disclaimer: 
I do not have an SA tivo so my knowledge about them is limited (at best).

My understanding is that the newer SA tivo's require a PROM mod to hack (I'm not sure of model numbers), but the older ones are OK.



Guyy said:


> So I'm going to put a larger than 137 gig drive in the box, is there really any reason to buy something like the PTVupgrade ISO as opposed to just downloading MFS tools with LBA48 support?


If you don't want to hack the free MFS tools with LBA48 support is fine if you just want to copy your current drive over to the new one and expand it (provided you haven't already expanded from an earlier drive)(this is what I assumed you meant). If you intend on hacking you will need either the pay for version of the MFS Tools or the ISO for your unit that has PTVNet (I think thats what they call it the one with network support)(They both have the hacked linux kernal which is required). An advantage of the PTVNet ISO is you then have a ready backup for the tivo.



Guyy said:


> And! right now I have my Tivo connecting wireless thru a USB adapter, does one still need a serial cable to transfer tools to the box or can it all be done wireless. I'm hoping for all wireless.. Thanks!


(See my above disclaimer) Once you hack the tivo you should have telnet and ftp, as long as you also have an IP (and on SA that is easier than a DTivo, because you have a network setup menu) you should be able to use the network. Having said that, I would still have a serial cable around just in case you bork it up to bad and loose your network setup. This is a real issue with DTivo's, not having a network setting menu in tivo.


----------



## classicsat (Feb 18, 2004)

You just need the free LBA48 MFSTools CD, for just the upgrade.

You probably want to consider just replacing the drive in that TiVo, as there are certain risks twinning drives, and below a point (250 GB or so), the risk isn't worth the gain, with the prices of large drives so cheap.

As for hacks, for the core stuff, you don't really need them on latest S2Sa software releases, they do a lot of stuff on their own stock, as I have been running mine since 7.2.


----------



## Guyy (Nov 1, 2001)

classicsat said:


> You just need the free LBA48 MFSTools CD, for just the upgrade.
> 
> You probably want to consider just replacing the drive in that TiVo, as there are certain risks twinning drives, and below a point (250 GB or so), the risk isn't worth the gain, with the prices of large drives so cheap.
> 
> As for hacks, for the core stuff, you don't really need them on latest S2Sa software releases, they do a lot of stuff on their own stock, as I have been running mine since 7.2.


I was planning on pulling the 40 gig drive and backing it up and laying the image on a 250 gig (Why 250? 'cause I have one!). Then just keeping the old drive as a backup.

OK did some more reading on the hackablity of my tivo, and on the back of my Tivo the model number is TCD240040, but the box it came in (new two years ago) sayes TCD540040. From what I understand the TCD240 can be hacked but the TCD540 can not. Weird, mine is not the nightlight version so I'm think I have a TCD240040. Guess I'll try the $5 version of PTVupgrade and see what happens!


----------



## JWThiers (Apr 13, 2005)

Guyy said:


> OK did some more reading on the hackablity of my tivo, and on the back of my Tivo the model number is TCD240040, but the box it came in (new two years ago) sayes TCD540040.


If you had noticed that when you bought it I bet you could have got some $ back.


----------



## classicsat (Feb 18, 2004)

Yes, 0xx, 1xx, and 2xx standalones can be openly hacked. 5xx and 6xx need a PROM mod to begin.


----------



## Guyy (Nov 1, 2001)

classicsat said:


> Yes, 0xx, 1xx, and 2xx standalones can be openly hacked. 5xx and 6xx need a PROM mod to begin.


Great thanks! Sounds like I'm set, so the PTVupgrade ISO is recomended? Over say the Weaknees version?


----------



## tivoupgrade (Sep 27, 2000)

Guyy said:


> Great thanks! Sounds like I'm set, so the PTVupgrade ISO is recomended? Over say the Weaknees version?


You really don't need the $5 CD to do a basic capacity upgrade on one of these units; the free lba48 CD will do just fine....


----------



## JWThiers (Apr 13, 2005)

tivoupgrade said:


> You really don't need the $5 CD to do a basic capacity upgrade on one of these units; the free lba48 CD will do just fine....


He said he wanted to enable BASH and add some other goodies as well.


----------



## tivoupgrade (Sep 27, 2000)

JWThiers said:


> He said he wanted to enable BASH and add some other goodies as well.


Right - sorry I missed that part of the question. Well, still no *need* to purchase the CD to accomplish that. The only difference between the free CD and the purchased one is that the purchased one contains killhdinitrd and killhdinitrd modded kernels that will make that easier to achieve. With that said, you still will have your work cut out for you to accomplish that. But, if you are looking for a single CD that has the modded kernels already on it, and you know how to use them, then the $5 CD would be what you need.

You can also just get the free CD I linked above, and grab killhdinitrd at DDB for no charge, so no reason to pay the $5 unless you just want to added convenience...


----------



## JWThiers (Apr 13, 2005)

tivoupgrade said:


> You can also just get the free CD I linked above, and grab killhdinitrd at DDB for no charge, so no reason to pay the $5 unless you just want to added convenience...


Thats why I like PTVUpgrade. They even will tell you where to get the free stuff that they use to make the stuff sell for a convenience fee. :up: :up: :up:


----------



## Guyy (Nov 1, 2001)

OK follow up question. 

I bought the $5 disk from PTV, and was able to upgrade to a 250 gig drive no problem. Also I tried to enable telnet at the same time but that does not seem to work.

I'm guessing the killhdinitrc kernel worked because when I put the drive back into my computer my hack dir and my modified rc.sysinit was still there. (on my active part hda4).

I added "tnlited 23 /bin/bash -login" but when I try to connect to the box wirelessly I can't connect on port 23. I have the IP right 'cause the tivo webpage comes up.

Any ideas? Thanks!


----------



## Guyy (Nov 1, 2001)

Guyy said:


> OK follow up question.
> 
> I bought the $5 disk from PTV, and was able to upgrade to a 250 gig drive no problem. Also I tried to enable telnet at the same time but that does not seem to work.
> 
> ...


Answered my own question, guess there is an iptables file that needs dummy-ed to disable the firewall. Works great now!


----------

