Hack 27. Putting TiVo s Drives Back

   

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Hack 27 Putting TiVo's Drives Back

You took those hard drives out. Now they have to go back in just right to make everything work again .

Putting your drive or drives back in, conceptually, is the reverse of pulling the drives out [Hack #21] and opening the TiVo [Hack #20] in the first place. But, as usual, there are a few subtle things to get rightwe'll make sure to cover in this hack.

The first thing you should do is get your new drive or drives ready to go in. If you are placing only one drive back into your TiVo, it is generally recommended that you set its jumpers into "master." If you are installing two drives in your TiVo, one should be set as "master" and the other as "slave." Also, arrange things so the master drive can be at the end of the IDE cable and the slave drive can be installed in the middle connector.

Putting Hard Drives into Type 1 TiVos

Use the same four Torx screws to connect the new drive to the bracket that you removed from your TiVo. Take care to put it back in the same way it came out. When installed properly, you will see four bracket holes below the connectors when looking at the power and IDE cable connectors with the drive-label facing up.

If you are installing two drives, you will need that newly purchased bracket. In lieu of a bracket, cable ties will also work to secure the drive so long as you aren't planning to move your TiVo (we can promise you that if you give FedEx your precious cable-tied TiVo, your drive will be surfing all over the motherboard by the time the TiVo arrives at its final destination). If you're using a bracket, screw that bracket onto the second hard drive as you did the first one; then place it down next to the first drive.

Once you have the drive or drives installed properly, reattach the bracket by lining up the two metal prongs in the chassis with the holes in the bracket. If you have a second drive to install, place it down now before screwing either one in. Finally, secure them all in place.

Once that hardware is screwed down and mounted, connect all the power cabling. Be sure to push on the connectors with some force to be sure that they are seated properly. Next, attach the IDE cabling. As mentioned before, with two drives, put the middle connector with the slave drive and the end connector with the master. Be sure the cable is pushed in snugly, but be very careful not to bend any of the hard drive pins.

Reattach the TiVo lid, screw it shut, and wire it back up to your television.

Putting Hard Drives into Type 2 and Type 3 TiVos

If you are simply installing one drive, just reattach the hard drive to the bracket that was factory installed. If, instead, you are installing the two drives into a TiVo based on the type 2 architecture, install the second/slave drive closer to the fan. If you are installing two drives into a TiVo based on the type 3 architecture, follow the instructions that you received with the custom bracket (see Table 2-2, earlier in this chapter) we recommended you order. Users with type 3 TiVos should ignore the remainder of this section and instead refer to the installation instructions that came with your bracket.

The easiest way, we find, to attach a drive to the factory bracket is to turn it upside-down. Using one hand, hold the drive against the bottom of the bracket and look through the holes in the drive bay to align the screw holes. Using your hands, screw the screws into each of the four holes and use a screwdriver to tighten it all up.

If you are operating on a Sony SAT T-60, Hughes GXCEBOT, or any of the TiVos born of the type 3 architecture, and you are installing two drives, you might notice at this time that the IDE ribbon in the TiVo itself has connectors that can accommodate only one drive. It's time to take out that new IDE cable we told you to buy (see Table 2-2). Remove the existing IDE cable by pulling it up and out and insert the new cable, taking care to align the grooves in the cable with the notch in the connector.

Table 2-2 also asked you to buy a Y-power splitter if you have a Hughes GXCEBOT or any of the type 3 architecture boxes and are installing two drives, so now its time to install that also. Just connect that adapter to the end of the existing drive power cable to give you two male power connectors instead of one.

Wire up the drives with the gray hard drive cable and the power cable. Be sure to push the IDE cable snugly into each hard drive; the two-drive setup should have the master going in at the end and the slave drive in the middle. Try not to make a hard fold at any point in the cable or bend any of the hard drive cables. Next, wire the power connectors up and apply some force to make sure that a snug connection is made.

Carefully flip the drive bay over and orient yourself at the front of your TiVo. You'll need to insert the two pins on the right into the blue grommets, while at the same time watching the power connectors and the IDE ribbon cable. You will want to tuck the power cables down into the TiVo (in front of the hard drives). In the two-drive upgrade, you will also want to tuck down the portion of the hard drive ribbon cable that is between the two drives. Watch to make sure that the fan cable remains free throughout this process.

One quick word about the extra cabling in a two-drive TiVo: you'll need to play with the excess cable to be sure that it packs neatly in front of, or on top of, the drives and not below them. If you pack the cable below the drives, you might pinch it and restrict airflow to the motherboard. Ideally, you will have the excess gray cable folded on top of the drives and the power cable tucked in front of the fan housing.

Once the two pins are in the blue grommets, align the left side of the drive bay so that it is directly over the screw holes on the left side of the TiVo. Screw the two screws and the gold insert back into the holds on the left side using your Torx screwdriver.

Don't forget to reattach the fan! Insert the fan cable back into the motherboard. Reattach the lid, secure it, and start running cabling back to your TV.

Putting Hard Drives into Type 4 TiVos

If you are installing two new drives into your TiVo, the slave drive should be in the position closer to the fan and the master drive should be at the edge of the bracket. In either case, be sure to orient the drive so that the connectors are opposite the fan cable. Next, secure the whole apparatus down.

The easiest way to attach a drive to the bracket is to turn the bracket upside-down. Using one hand, hold the drive against the bottom of the bracket and look through the holes in the drive bay to align the screw holes. Using your other hand, screw the screws into each of the four holes. Use a screwdriver to tighten the screws.

If you are installing two hard drives, you are going to need to replace the IDE ribbon cable and add a Y-power adapter to your TiVo. Remove the existing IDE cable by pulling it up and out. Replace it with the new cable, taking care to align the grooves in the cable with the notch in the connector. As for the power cable, just hook up the two ends to the hard drive, but don't connect it to TiVo power yet.

Wire up the drives with the IDE cable. Remember, if you are putting in two drives, the master should be on the far end of the cable with the slave hanging off the middle.

Slide the bracket to the edge of the TiVo lid and insert the end of the IDE cable into the TiVo motherboard. Be careful to insert the cable properly. There is a groove in the blue connector that must align with the notch in the motherboard connector. Now, attach the drive power connector (the red, yellow, and black cable) from the TiVo into the power connector coming out of the drives.

Once the cables are connected, carefully flip the drive bracket over and install it into the TiVo. The drive bracket will move fairly freely inside the TiVo, and you will have to be careful to align the four holes in the TiVo with the four holes on the drive bracket. Be sure that the IDE and power cables are in front of the two drives; they should not be under the drives as you turn the bracket over.

Once the four holes are aligned and the drive bracket is installed, again make sure that the IDE and power cables are tucked under the front lip of the TiVo. It is critical that all of these cables are tucked underneath the gold and silver tabs on the lip of the TiVo, lest they get pinched. With your screwdriver, reattach the four black screws in the holes on the drive bay.

Remember to reattach the fan at this point, or your TiVo is going to get mighty hot inside.

Slide the lid on and seal her up.

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