Registered: Oct 2002
Location: San Jose. CA
Posts: 9

Upgrade A drive or add a B?

Hello All,

After reading more threads than my brain can handle, I am still stumped as to a basic upgrade question. But first some background info...

I have a Sony, Stnadalone, 30Hr Series 1 TiVo (only contains 1 drive). I want to upgrade my TiVo to have more space.

I am planning to keep all the recorded shows that I currently have saved (only about 6 hours worth). I will delete all unnecessary shows from my Now Playing list before I begin. I realize that this is more time consuming, but it is my plan.

I know this seems to be a matter of opinion, but which is better? Should I upgrade my A drive to a larger size or just add a larger B drive?

I like the idea of being able to put my original A drive back in if there are problems. I know I could still take a backup, but I would need a third drive.

I appriciate the help.

WT

POST #1 | Report this post to a moderator | IP: Logged

Registered: Jul 2002
Location: Motown
Posts: 195

Take it from someone who had some drives fail. Just keep the tivo drive as a backup. Makes it easy to just pop it in if the new drive fails!

__________________
----
1 samsung direct tivo - 247 hours
1 series 2 tivo - 300 hours

POST #2 | Report this post to a moderator | IP: Logged

Registered: Jul 2002
Location: Cambridgeshire, UK
Posts: 9266

You should still take a backup. If you mean you don't have a FAT partition to backup to, make a small FAT partition on your new drive, backup to that and then copy the backup to your main drive before proceeding with the upgrade.

Use an MFS Tools pipe (mfsbackup ... | mfsrestore ...) to transfer your recordings as this lets you increase your swap (will be important if you want to add a big B drive later).

I don't think the time taken for a copy-with-recordings is affected by number of active vs deleted recordings, it'll still take six hours. Set it going before you go to bed.

USe MFS Tools 2.0 as described in New Hinsdale (and don't work from an old copy - make sure your version tells you to use -s 127).

Extricating yourself from a twin drive TiVo with a botched upgrade or a failing hard drive and no backup can be really ugly.

__________________
Please do not PM me asking for TiVo backups. I don't have any.

POST #3 | Report this post to a moderator | IP: Logged

Registered: Dec 2001
Location: Owings Mills, MD
Posts: 325

I agree with Robert S. My Sony SA originally had, of course, a 30GB A drive, to which I added a 60GB B drive. When 120GB drives went on sale for $99 after rebate at Circuit City, I picked one up and replaced both drives with the single 120GB drive.

All of my recordings were saved by doing a pipe backup, and I left the door open to future upgrades by using the -s 127 switch to increase the swap space. I really liked having the 30GB as a spare, and eventually I ended up using it (see the sig). And I also really like having a single drive in the old Sony, because it's cooler than two drives and you're less likely to have a drive failure problem down the road.

I would recommend either a 100GB or 120GB drive as an A drive. My 120GB drive is worth 141 hours at basic, and something like 39 hours at best quality.

Let us know how the upgrade goes. We like to hear success stories.

--Chris

__________________
webmaster, Artisan Cards

In-house:
Sony SVR-2000, 140 hours (WD 120GB), $199 lifetime sub and TurboNet
Philips HDR312, 167 hours (A: WD 60GB & B: WD 80GB), $249 lifetime sub and TurboNet.
Philips HDR112, 144 hours (A: Maxtor 120GB), lifetime sub. PPP over serial!
Philips HDR112, 144 hours (A: Maxtor 120GB), lifetime sub, removeable hard drive and TurboNet.
Philips HDR312, currently in pieces...'cause it's fun to mess with stuff!
That's three weeks of TiVo at medium quality, 24 hours a day.

Out on loan:
Philips HDR112, 116 hours. Currently on loan to Dad.

Actual mother-son conversation:
Son: "Hey, Mom. How's your Christmas present (DirecTiVo) working out?"
Mother: "TiVo rocks."

POST #4 | Report this post to a moderator | IP: Logged

Registered: Mar 2000
Location: location, location.
Posts: 2054

Two reasons why I recommend single-drive upgrades:

1. You always have a backup you can use in a pinch

2. Single drive means less likelihood of drive failure (two drives = twice the chance of a drive failing)

A single 120GB drive will give you 140-145 hours at Basic, something like 85+ hours at Medium or 40 hours at Best. That's a *lot* of space.

POST #5 | Report this post to a moderator | IP: Logged