# Upgrade Series 2 540XXX model



## tommage (Feb 24, 2006)

Hello, I'd like to upgrade my series 2 540xxx model to 200GB HD. I would like to keep all my recordings (Olympics at this point ). Here is my question, can I just use Norton Ghost booted from floppy to copy my 80GB drive to the new 200GB drive (would just disconnect my computer hard drive completely, just use the original Tivo drive and the new 200GB drive)? Or would there be something else required (for example for the Tivo to recognize the 200GB drive) I was told the 540xxx model will recognize larger drives (in fact how big of a drive will it recognize?) If using Ghost would work should I backup my original Tivo drive anyway? I was just going to keep the original 80GB drive as backup for the future (in fact might add another 200GB drive later)

Thanks,
Tom


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## HomeUser (Jan 12, 2003)

*No, [email protected]$#, You Can Not Use Ghost!*  Ghost can make a (very slow) binary 1:1 copy of the drive. Ghost can not expand the space on a TiVo drive what you want is MFSTools MFSTools runs from a very basic version of Linux that runs from a CD.

Issues you need to be aware of
- Keep the original drive as a backup (You said that)
- Increase the swap partition to at least 100M for a 200G drive I'll suggest 127M
- Double verify the drive select jumper settings
- OH and just to be sure you know* NEVER BOOT XP* with the TiVo drive installed in the computer.

For a link to a free download of MFSTools and upgrade instructions follow the first link in the  Sticky: WeaKnees Interactive Online TiVo Upgrade Instructions at the top of this forum.

The max drive size is yet to be determined, there is a thread in this forum about a Stand Alone Series 2 upgraded with 2 500G Hard Drives. Drives larger then 250G require use additional options in the restore.


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## tommage (Feb 24, 2006)

Very good, thanks  I wanted to do something that would work with my computer drive disconnected completely, either boot from floppy or CD (no image on C: drive needed). While keeping my recordings intact. Looking forward to the extra space, even at low quality recording quality not enough space on 80GB drive for entire Olympics (got through today)


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## tazman1911 (Feb 18, 2006)

How about imaging my Tivo 40GB disk with Acronis True Image, then restoring that image to a new, bare 320GB drive and sticking that into the Tivo? (Done from a CD boot, not WinXP) Acronis, when it restores a disk image, can resize to use all the space on the target HD. If this would work, would I also have to mess with any other details, for example figuring out how to change swapfile size in Linux? I would sure like to be able to just put the contents of the old HD onto the new HD and be done, but that would probably be expecting too much.


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## HomeUser (Jan 12, 2003)

PQMagic/Drive image, Ghost and Acronis know nothing about the layout of TiVo partitions.


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## classicsat (Feb 18, 2004)

You need to use msftools. Itis not that hard, really.


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## tazman1911 (Feb 18, 2006)

HomeUser said:


> PQMagic/Drive image, Ghost and Acronis know nothing about the layout of TiVo partitions.


Does a Tivo hard disk have more than one partition? If it's a disk with one big partition, I don't see what the problem would be with imaging the origninal disk, then restoring to a larger HD. I don't even know what the file format is (I assume a linux file system?) but this would be kept the same when the image was restored. What would the "layout" of a Tivo partition affect? Of course I am coming at this with next to *zero* Tivo knowledge, but I have done a little cloning/imaging/partitioning/restoring of hard disks. I will start looking at mfstools etc in the meantime.

One thing I came across so far is Instantcake, but from looking at the info on their website it looks like you end up with a new, functioning tivo disk, but *without* your old data on it. Does anyone know if you can do instantcake and get your old data onto your new, biger hard drive?


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## tommage (Feb 24, 2006)

Used the "weaknees" boot CD. Kept my recordings so it took 19-20 hours to make the copy to the 200GB drive but it's up and running. I now have up to 229 hours. I may add another 200GB drive, Staples had great deal this week in store (one more day to go), $40 for the 200GB Maxtors (7200RPM, 8MB cache) after rebate. So I grabbed a "few". Very nice, I missed one day of Olympics (put it on tape instead) but should be set now. Another drive would be 458 hours (though I will now use high or best quality since I have more space)


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## HomeUser (Jan 12, 2003)

tazman1911 wrote: "I don't even know what the file format is" Exactly, neither does any of the above hard drive utilities. There are several partitions a couple are Linux partitions one is a Linux style swap partition and the others are MFS partitions. MFS is based on some kind of modified Apple partition. The entire HD is not recognizable by unmodified Linux the Linux that is used on the boot CD's has been modified to recognize the special drive layout. MFSTools also knows about the TiVo drive layout and as it reads the drive as a device not by its partition MFSTools can work when running on unmodified Linux systems. DOS and Windows will see the drive as unformatted and XP will write something to the drive corrupting the TiVo's boot process.

To complicate it some more some of the TiVos use a processor that accesses the data on the HD byte reversed from the way an IBM based system would access the data.

Instantcake is a package that is pre-loaded with the TiVo software and scripts that semi-automatically create a drive that can be used in the TiVo. Instantcake is handy for when you do not have a working TiVo backup or drive for the TiVo. If you have a working TiVo drive use MFSTools mfsbackup and mfsrestore to copy/expand to the new drive this allows you to keep your settings and recordings. Ghost and other drive utilities have been discussed in this forum many, many times. Before doing anything to the TiVo drive scan the sticky threads at the top of this forum.


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## HomeUser (Jan 12, 2003)

tommage, congratulations on the upgrade.


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## rpdre1 (Feb 20, 2005)

tommage said:


> Used the "weaknees" boot CD. Kept my recordings so it took 19-20 hours to make the copy to the 200GB drive but it's up and running. I now have up to 229 hours. I may add another 200GB drive, Staples had great deal this week in store (one more day to go), $40 for the 200GB Maxtors (7200RPM, 8MB cache) after rebate. So I grabbed a "few". Very nice, I missed one day of Olympics (put it on tape instead) but should be set now. Another drive would be 458 hours (though I will now use high or best quality since I have more space)


sorry to have to tell you but you can only expand a tivo drive once.


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## tommage (Feb 24, 2006)

rpdre1 said:


> sorry to have to tell you but you can only expand a tivo drive once.


Hmm, now that I don't understand, why is that? Since I now have an expanded drive I cannot add a second drive? Or if for some reason I wanted to put in a bigger single drive I could not do that either? I did "shelve" the original 80GB drive so couldn't I at least start from scratch again with the 80GB and do a two 200GB upgrade? If that is possible what is different about the 200GB single drive I have in there now that won't allow me to add a second drive?


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## rpdre1 (Feb 20, 2005)

ah im sorry, ignore what i said earlier. i've been awake too long lol


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