Upgrading TiVo is fairly easy. Replacing its hard drive is nearly identical to replacing a computer's hard drive. And because an upgrade kit's hard drive comes pre-loaded with TiVo's software, everything works as soon as you plug TiVo back in.
Budget yourself about a half hour for this one and don't hesitate to try the installation yourself. You'll love the extra storage space.
After you've removed TiVo's cover, exposing its internal organs, identify the parts inside. You need to detach everything from the old hard drive so that you can replace it with the new one.
When the following instructions differ from your kit's instructions, follow your kit's instructions. They're customized to your exact TiVo model; these are not.
Here's how you install your new hard drive:
1. Locate and identify TiVo's hard drive and cables.
Your TiVo will look somewhat like the one in Figure 1. Take some time to locate its hard drive, drive bay or bracket, IDE cable, power cable, and anything else listed in your kit's instructions.
Figure 1: Examine TiVo to locate its hard drive, drive bay, IDE cable, power cable, and anything else listed in your kit's instructions.
The IDE cable is flat and wide, often with a black or blue connector. The power cable consists of four cables that attach to the hard drive with a white connector.
TiVo's hard drive - the silver rectangular thing - is screwed into its drive bay or bracket.
2. Remove the hard drive from its bracket and unplug the drive's IDE cable and power cable.
Depending on your kit's instructions, you may first need to remove your hard drive's bracket from the chassis in order to remove the hard drive from TiVo. If so, use the Torx wrench that came with your kit to remove the screws holding the bracket to TiVo's chassis. Save the bracket and its screws to attach to the new drive.
Next, remove the drive from its bracket, usually with the same Torx wrenches. Drives usually attach with four screws.
Finally, unplug the IDE and power cables from the hard drive, leaving their other ends firmly attached to TiVo's internal organs. Pull on the cables' connectors - not on the wires themselves - when detaching them from the drive. Figure 2 shows the connectors; the power cable's white connector is above the IDE cable's black connector. You may need to rock the connectors back and forth slightly to unplug them.
Figure 2: Unplug the power connector and IDE cable from the drive, but leave both cables attached to TiVo.
3. Place your old drive in a safe place.
You probably won't need it again, but keep your old hard drive in a safe place, inside the new drive's protective bag, as a backup. If something ever goes wrong with your new drive, pop in the old drive while you wait for a replacement to arrive.
Drives are sensitive. Don't drop them.
Your new hard drive may bear a different brand name, but it should look very similar to the one you removed.
4. Attach the new drive to the old drive's bracket.
Use the Torx wrench and the old drive's screws to fasten the new drive to the old drive's bracket. The holes on the new drive match perfectly with the holes in the bracket. Whoopee!
The drive's Master, Cable Select and/or Slave jumpers are already set to the proper positions for each upgrade kit. Don't try to second guess anybody by switching the jumpers.
5. Plug in all the cables.
Carefully reattach the drive's IDE cable; it only fits one way. (The little notch on the cable's connector lines up with the hole on the drive's connector.)
Push the power cable's connector back into the drive, as well. (Like the IDE cable's connector, the power cable's connector only fits one way.) It sometimes requires a healthy push.
6. Reattach the drive bracket to TiVo.
If you removed the drive's bracket from TiVo, use the Torx wrenches to fasten its screws back onto TiVo's chassis.
Reattach any other items you removed according to your kit's instructions.
If your TiVo has a fan, be sure to push the cables away from the fan so that they don't get stuck.
