TiVo Community Forums Archives - 160 gb Maxtor 7200 RPM

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160 gb Maxtor 7200 RPM - $99.94 after MIR
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Posted by: l8er

I realize a stock TiVo can't utilitize the full 160gb (only the first 137gb), but Staples currently has a deal on the 160gb Maxtor 7200 RPM drive - $99.94 after MIR. http://www.staples.com/Catalog/Brow...pe=1&Sku=504516
If the link doesn't work, search on item #504516.

-Gary

Posted by: Ladd Morse

Anyone know of any in-store "Dollars off at the cash register" coupons that can be used to drop the purchase price further?

Posted by: Robert S

Ob warning: If you put these in a Series 1 TiVo it will lock them. You may be able to unlock the drive with qunlock, but it's a good idea to do the whole upgrade before you put the drive in the TiVo - skip any verification steps.

Posted by: BuzzLitYr

So no issues with a HDVR2?

Posted by: lvirden

I'm preparing to purchase my first tivo.

I've a friend who can help me upgrade with a drive like this.
I just wondered if anyone out there has used one of these
drives. Are they reliable? Do they fit okay within a Tivo?
If I get a tivo series 2, are there any special problems
to be aware of?

Posted by: groupdelay

I installed a 160G Maxtor in my T60 and never had it lock. Not even the original Quantum 40G was locked...which everyone tells me it should have been.

Posted by: lvirden

So have you tried the modifications to the driver so that you get the full 160 gig, rather than just the 137 gig that used to be the max?

A friend has agreed to help me install the new drive - but asked me to find out if there was a good guide for activating the whole drive.

He mentioned that when doing the work on his tivo, there was a web page with like a 10-15 or more page careful step by step description of the process. However, that guide still left one limited to 137 gig.

Posted by: lvirden

another question - anyone put two of these into your tivo?
Do you find you need to also add a fan to compensate for additional
heat?

Posted by: jerobi

I put one of these in my Series2 last night and it's quite noisy. Then again, I had it in my bedroom for testing and it's usually elsewhere, so perhaps that was the difference.

For 207 hours, I'm not really complaining, though. I doubt it will bother me much once I put it in the living room.

Posted by: RULost

I also installed one of these in a Philips HDR212, and have not seen any issues with it. The head seek is a bit noisy, but I can live with it. I have not checked since installing whether TiVo locked the drive or not though.

RULost

Posted by: lvirden

A friend asked me if anyone has written up specific steps for installing these drives into a series 2 tivo
and setting up to use the entire 160 gig.

He said he has used a web site that talks in great detail (quite a few pages) about the process for series
1 and directv tivos.

Has the community documented the steps to make full use of these drives now?

Posted by: Robert S

The process for Series 1 TiVoes is now very well documented (see the 160Gb thread in the Underground). A good number of people who are not experienced TiVo hackers have used the procedure successfully.

For all Series 2 TiVoes, both stand alone and combo, the process is greatly complicated by the counter measures against running unauthorised software on those platforms.

I've seen posts suggesting that a way has been found, but there are no instructions on this site.

Posted by: grecorj

quote:
Originally posted by RULost
The head seek is a bit noisy, but I can live with it.

quote:
Orignially posted by jerobi
I put one of these in my Series2 last night and it's quite noisy. Then again, I had it in my bedroom for testing and it's usually elsewhere, so perhaps that was the difference.

I, too, just put one of these in my HDVR2 and find it to be a bit noisy, even after setting the acoustic management to its lowest (128) setting with the Hitachi Feature Tool.

Oh, btw: I was able to get one for ~$72 AR -- there was a deal posted on this drive on FatWallet last week thru Office Dept. Yeah, I'm bragging! :D

Posted by: malixsys

quote:
Originally posted by Robert S
The process for Series 1 TiVoes is now very well documented (see the 160Gb thread in the Underground). A good number of people who are not experienced TiVo hackers have used the procedure successfully.

For all Series 2 TiVoes, both stand alone and combo, the process is greatly complicated by the counter measures against running unauthorised software on those platforms.

I've seen posts suggesting that a way has been found, but there are no instructions on this site.

My series 2 DirecTivo now boasts 120 hours after installing a 89$ (after MIR) 160Gb Western Digital.

I used MS Windows Virtual PC and tools found using simple google searches.

Look for Monte Backup series 2, amongst others...

Posted by: F18fxr

I've read a lot of good things about the SAMSUNG SpinPoint 120GB 7200RPM Model# SP1203N - OEM, DRIVE ONLY. It's available at newegg.com for $91 with free FedEx or you can get a 160GB there for $110.

They are slightly higher priced than what some people have been getting for their Maxtor or WD drives after rebates, but the best thing I think is that there are no rebates to deal with here. I think the best price for a AR drive was $72 + tax at Office Depot.

I'm also aware that weaknees uses these drives and have had no problems with them.

Posted by: abergdc

That's a good deal on the Samsung. I can get the Maxtor 120G 8MB cache drive at Staples for $85.00 (last week's deal). Am I OK either way?

I'm worried about the locking issue -- does that ever happen with my Series 2 SA Tivo?

Posted by: rkung

I installed the 160gb Maxtor in my v2 in Sept., the drive went out 2 nights ago. The quality on Maxtors tends to be spoty; some drives lasts a long time, some don't. Generally, I find Maxtor drives to breakdown alot in PCs. Western Digital drives are more durable, but some users are concerned about noise.

Posted by: abergdc

I went with the Samsung.
Thanks.

Posted by: smenzel

I'm looking to upgrade my Series 1 TiVo (30 hour) w/ a 120 GB drive, preferably 5400 rpm. I've been watching priceline.com and they seem to be running in the low $80's these days.

Are there any drive specifics I should be looking out for? Noise, realibility, etc.

Posted by: abergdc

FYI, I went with the Samsung, installed it over the weekend, great, no problems! It's super quiet, overall much quieter than the fan. I can't hear any head noise ever, unlike with the stock drive on my SA280, even before it started to go bad. Thanks to all for the help.

Andy

Posted by: skyler4321

Amset made my Maxtor almost silent however; my first new 160GB Maxtor DiamondMax plus 9 died after one month and then a new 120GB Maxtor DiamondMax plus 9 died after 2 weeks. I lost every thing twice in 6 weeks. I am now trying Seagate drives. Unfortunately the new Seagate’s don’t have adjustable acoustics. They are very quiet drives though I can hear the head seeks a little. I have noticed that the Seagate drive are running a lot cooler to the touch and the Tivo temp is down 2 deg. C. Only time will tell.

Posted by: abergdc

@#$#@%. Now I am getting serious stutter and, periodically, some sort of loud crackling noise (even while watching live TV, but just when the signal is going through the Tivo (SA2)).

It's not running hot (46 degrees, e.g.). I'll try reseating the cables but before starting to open the box again I wonder if I can diagnose/fix the drive?

I checked the Samsung web site but didn't see any diagnostic programs. Does anyone have a suggestion about how to take a look at this hard drive for errors? Should I plug it into my PC (I could use a Win98 machine) and boot off Windows then run some sort of disk diagnostic software, or even just use Scandisk?

I saw a post from "stevel" that mentioned not to boot off XP (OK) and mentioned that "there are standalone disk diagnostics that boot from a floppy, such as Maxtor's POWERMAX tool, downloadable from the Maxtor web site. However, these diagnostics will basically tell you if the drive is dead or not - they don't tend to reveal the more subtle problems that can afflict a TiVo."

So is there anything to be done but just try to get my money back on the drive (if I can find the receipt -- which I probably can't) and try again with a new drive?

Thanks and apologies if this is all covered elsewhere.

Andy

Posted by: abergdc

Update: I rebooted and solved the sound problem, but not the stopple. It doesn't seem to repeat itself at the same points in the show when I rewind and replay. Does this mean it is not a hard drive problem?