TiVo Community Forums Archives - Detailed questions on upgrading Tivo and general

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Detailed questions on upgrading Tivo and general
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Posted by: BobOfBob

Hello everyone!

I'm a soon to be Tivo owner thanks to all the information that the Tivo community(including this forum) has put out and discussed. However, in my research, I've found that I have a number of questions that I couldn't easily find answers to.

Could I assume correctly that the majority of HDR112 - 14 hour models come as version 1.2.1?

Does going through the guided setup also update the Tivo to the latest version(1.3)? Or is the update process(to the latest version) a seperate process altogether???

If so, would I be better off running through the guided setup, upgrading, AND THEN backing up?

I ask this because of all the "re-upgrading" talk I have been watching. Namely that it's very possible that Tivo could stop allowing people to upgrade again from a previous version(more than once). Yes I read from a post that it is allowed now, but what about later?

I was seriously thinking about backing up my "virgin A drive", but am starting to reconsider. Although I could get a smaller backup POSSIBLY even small enough to fit 1 CD-R, I would still have to upgrade it to the latest version. Wouldn't I? Plus if I went through the guided setup, I would be able to see if there were any initial problems with the box that might make me want to have it replaced. I'm not overly concerned about getting a DOA Tivo, though it is on my mind. I plan to carefully remove the seal. Even if it is broken, it's not likely that CC will check the seal if I return it, will they?

Could someone describe what all happens during the guided setup process so I can get a better idea of when to backup after it is finished? Will the program literally tell me that it is finished with the guided setup??

I heard that the version detection and upgrade process only takes place every couple of calls. If so, how does a Tivo currently running 1.2.1 operate with the service?? Doesn't the service require the latest version(1.3) to be running on your Tivo to work with it?

On a slightly different note... would one of those Circuit City extended warranties be worth the money? To what extend do they cover? As long as the seal isn't broken and the upgrades you've performed are not the reason your system has failed, I don't legally or morally see a reason why an unofficial upgraded box can't be covered.

I am planning on buying a surge surpressor based on what I've read in the forum. Any suggestions for surge surpressors that I can pickup and find available in stores? I'd rather not have to special order one online. Forgive me if I sound ignorant, but would I need a seperate one for my phone line? I won't be living in a place that I can install a whole household surpressor(Dorm). Anyone have any suggestions for a phone line surge surpressor??

Hmm... I think that's about all the questions I have for now... If you can enlighten me, I'd really appreciate it. Thanks

Posted by: Otto

Could I assume correctly that the majority of HDR112 - 14 hour models come as version 1.2.1?

It seems that way, but there's no real confirmation of this.

Does going through the guided setup also update the Tivo to the latest version(1.3)? Or is the update process(to the latest version) a seperate process altogether???

The upgrade does not occur at GS, but at a daily call sometime afterwards.

If so, would I be better off running through the guided setup, upgrading, AND THEN backing up?

It depends. The main reason you'd want to backup after running GS is to make sure the modem works before you break the warranty. But, a virgin 1.2.1 backup compresses to 590 meg or so, easy to put to a cdr disk.

I ask this because of all the "re-upgrading" talk I have been watching. Namely that it's very possible that Tivo could stop allowing people to upgrade again from a previous version(more than once). Yes I read from a post that it is allowed now, but what about later?

Yes, it's possible, but I doubt it. Since 1.3 they use local dialups, which costs them much less than the tollfree number. Also, it may involve a large change to their system which is probably not worth it.

Could someone describe what all happens during the guided setup process so I can get a better idea of when to backup after it is finished? Will the program literally tell me that it is finished with the guided setup??

Yeah. You can't watch any TV until it's done. http://www.avsforum.com/ubbtivo/smile.gif

GS downloads the program data for your lineup and indexs and sorts it. The call is quickish (15-25 minutes), the sorting is painfully slow (2-6 hours).

I heard that the version detection and upgrade process only takes place every couple of calls. If so, how does a Tivo currently running 1.2.1 operate with the service?? Doesn't the service require the latest version(1.3) to be running on your Tivo to work with it?

No. The service provides the program data, the tivolution magazine, and the network showcases. There's no fundamental change in the service from 1.2.1 to 1.3.

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Otto, Supreme TiVoWarrior - Moderator - AVS Forum - Tivo Underground
"If once you start down the dark path, forever will it dominate your destiny. Consume you it will!" -- Yoda

Posted by: bsnelson

BobOfBob, good questions. I've read Otto's responses also, but I'll add what I understand (which may or may not be correct):

I really don't think that ANY 14 hr units came with 1.3 in the box. It was my understanding that they had pretty much stopped making the 14 hr units by the time 1.3 was being put on TiVos from the factory.

Someone wrote in another thread that they got the upgrade by doing GS, then forcing a call. If this is indeed the case, I'd almost (stressing ALMOST) consider taking another backup of my drive after GS and the upgrade (I already have a "virgin" 1.2.1 backup) so I'd have a 1.3 backup as well. Maybe. I'm still considering it..

This one is a fact: You CANNOT depend on a virgin 14 hr compressing to one CD-R. I know, because I personally did it, and it's gonna take 5 CD-Rs. Apparently this is due to the fact that some (or most, or whatever) of the 14 hr units had a "demo mode" loaded on them from the factory, taking up a lot of space.

Regarding surge protectors, Panamax makes some good ones, and I'm sure there's others. In general, what you want to do is not get frugal when purchasing one. If you buy a $9.95 surge protector, that's about what you'll get. If you get one that looks well built, with a good performance guarantee, that costs more, you'll get better protection.

Good luck!

Brad

Posted by: BobOfBob

WOW, thank you for the extremely fast responses! You people must watch this board like a Hawk, so to speak...

Now I'm undecided as to whether I should backup my A drive virgin. Odds are that my Tivo will be fine when I receive it, but is it a big risk? CD-R media really doesn't cost that much and people don't restore their A drives on a daily basis. So aside from the size difference, is there any other reason why I should backup the A drive as virgin before I run guided setup?

Is it best to run the backup process twice so that you can compare the two files to see if there were any backup problems? Should I?

Thanks again!

Posted by: Karl

I made a disk to disk backup after the 1.3 upgrade (mainly due to the fact that I bought the Tivo on Sunday and I didn't get the hard drives until Tuesday. Couldn't wait to play with the new toy. http://www.avsforum.com/ubbtivo/smile.gif )
I figure the main reasons to make a backup are to make an even bigger upgrade in the future (i.e. I used a 30GB disk. When prices go down, maybe I'd put in a 60GB disk. You can't do that w/o a backup after it's married.) and in case they change the 2.0 kernel to not work with upgraded drives.

I can't imagine TiVo will not allow multiple downloads of 2.0 or future versions per machine. Seems like it would be a big hassle for them to keep track of accurately with no benefit for them. The whole point of the upgrade is that they want everybody to be running the same version for their service.

Though I've heard it makes no difference, I waited to back up until after I bought the lifetime service. (It's tied to the serial # on the motherboard, not on any hard drive info.) Irrational fears, I guess.
-Karl

Posted by: djenk1

My plan is to make a backup image of my virgin tivo A drive. Then upgrade tivo program to 1.3 and make a copy of the hard drive on another 15.4 quantum drive and install as A drive and park the original drive on the shelf. Bless a 61.4 maxtor drive and install to achieve a 91 hour tivo machine. ANY OTHER SUGGESTIONS???

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David djenk@primenet.com

Posted by: BitbyBlit

What about powering up the tivo and getting it to dial out to test the modem, as suggested by bsnelson on another thread? As long as you only do the first few steps, I would think you'd be okay as far as disk space goes. I haven't actually done this yet, but the majority of disk space is consumed by video, and if you only do the first few steps, I don't think any video is added to drive. So, even if tivo did download some data (for the clock and other setup things), that data shouldn't be too big, and you'd have an almost virgin drive.

[This message has been edited by BitbyBlit (edited August 20, 2000).]