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Feeling dense...how to setup to use 160GB
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Posted by: tivolovit

OK,

I have read, read, and re-read the Hinsdale-How-To and for the life of me I cannot see where I setup the 160 to only use the "allowable" amount of space (137GB). Without really thinking I did the MFSAdd with the 160 and got a TiVo that sees more hours than it "should" and recordings that aren't really there when selected, so I know it doesn't just do it automagically (unless I did something wrong). A little help please. If I am missing something please point me to what I am missing (preferably pg. #).

Thanks in advance,

Posted by: Robert S

You do it by using the normal MFS Tools 2.0 boot CD (mfstools2noJ.iso), which has the same 137Gb limit as the TiVo kernel. If you want to use the full capacity of the disk, you need to use an LBA-48 compliant boot disk (PTVUpgrade have made a nice one). You'll see the capacities of the drives declared in the Linux boot log (dmesg | grep hd if you miss it) so you can check that things are working as expected. (It's a good idea to do this every time you boot a TiVo boot disk).

If you make a >137Gb TiVo image without having support for that in the TiVo kernel, the TiVo will crash when it starts to access blocks beyond that limit.

However, it will take several days to get to that point, and the TiVo will work perfectly in that time.

If you've imaged your drive from another TiVo's backup, you need to do a 'Clear and Delete Everything' reset before you can make recordings. That resets the internal encryption keys for the new mobo service #.

Posted by: tivolovit

OK,

That is the image file that I have, created on my disk on May, 6th 2003 (10,624KB .iso). I burned it to CD that day as well. But when I boot this on my PC and view the disk sizes they report as the full 160GB. ??? I checked this by doing the shift+page-up and reviewing the device listings and their size...is that OK and the same as looking at the log file? The real question I have is why is mine reporting the full 160GB size when with this .iso file it is only supposed to recognize 137GB. I guess it is as simple as downloading a new image file, but now I am curious how this happened. Maybe my creation date will be an indicator to someone. Did I get a copy before this "fix" was added?

Now, when we talk "crash" what are we talking here. As I described above, my TiVo isn't GSODing or anything, I do get some strange messages about recordings "having problems" because no signal was present. I think they are bogus and it is in fact some indicators of this inability to address the additional space. Strange thing is that it continues to let me record new shows. Just for testing I have been recording 48hrs of programming for several days now (channel 200 and 500 from 5am-5am) expecting to see a GSOD or something else and it just isn't occurring. Any ideas on this, what have other people seen when they did this?

Another reason why I am even going on with this testing is because this particular TiVo has received the "c" update. The software version is 3.1.1c-01-1-301 (it is a DSR704 - so brazenly listed in my sig with 283hrs...what a shmuck I am). So instead of just nuking it and going ahead and starting over I thought I would "see" if it made any difference in the ability to address large disks. Any comments?

Anyway thanks for setting my mind at ease on the Instructions anyway. I couldn't see how I was missing it.

Regards,

Posted by: Robert S

Well, er, it shouldn't work that way! Hinsdale is still linking http://hellcat.tyger.org/MFS/2.0/mfstools2noJ.iso and I know hundreds of people who've successfully used that to upgrade to 160Gb disks. (The date on your file is the date you downloaded it, but even so, I think it pre-dates any LBA-48 TiVo boot disks).

I don't believe it's possible for the PC's BIOS to help the OS get round this limit. But if Linux is detecting 160Gb (presumably it's saying something like 160000Mb?), then that's what MFS Tools will see.

The early reports suggested that TiVoes in this state would just lock-up when they went over their limit. Later reports suggested more subtle problems like what you've described, so I don't know exactly what to expect

Posted by: tivolovit

Well,

I will download the image file again and burn another disk to see what happens. I can try another computer, or two, or a dozen, until I find one that will see the disk(s) as 137 instead of the full 160. I REALLY appreciate the info, and if anyone else has additional input about if the bios could alter or affect the drive size reported I would like to know. I have drive detection in the bios disabled for both ide interfaces, and when the system I have been using to do the upgrades boots with the tiger boot cd it reports NO DRIVES DETECTED during P.O.S.T. So it should only be Linux accessing them...AFAIK.

Thanks again,

Posted by: Robert S

Just a crazy thought, but perhaps you could encourage Linux to detect the drives the way you want by entering some fake data in the BIOS? I'm thinking if you reduced the number of cylinders to 136/160 of what they are supposed to be, Linux might detect that setting and thus prevent MFS Tools from exceeding the LBA-28 limit.

Posted by: Sasparilla

Just a note, I installed dual 160's into my TiVo about a month ago. I did not in any way have to format them specially prior to mfstools - when it did it's stuff, it apparantly sized things correctly then.

If I go check the size available via Disk Space Usage (backdoors enabled - Pick Programs to Record screen - 0 then thumbs up) it shows 249730MB as total usable space which is about right 137 + 137 = 272 or so (subtract 300MB for system stuff...) and you've got it.

The amount of hours that works out to according to TiVo is: 362Hours in basic compression...

For what it's worth,

Scott

Posted by: ocntscha

I don't believe its a problem that your computer sees all 160Gig of the drive. Thats fine and dandy, but the Linux kernel on the MFS Tools CD is only capable of utilizing the first 137Gig.

Whether or not the computer's BIOS "knows" that there's actually more disk space available than the operating system is utilizing is kind of irrelevant.

Am I wrong?

Posted by: quongeroo

I upgraded to a 160 G HD running mfstools on existing linux system which sees the full 160G. Tivo apparently thinks it has 160 G, as it reports 190 hours of recording time at the lowest quality. I copied my entire 40G disk to the new 160G. The problem is some old recordings (made before the disk upgrade) and some new records (made after) don't play.
Tivo reports "no video signal". What's even more perplexing is that programs that would play one day, won't play the next.

This is for a 240004A unit.

I believe that Linux ignores the bios and probes the disks itself which is why
it can see very large disks cleanly.

I guess the bottom line is I should have booted from the mfstools CD.