Hundreds of unwatched TV shows flow past every hour, but that doesn't ease the pain when a recorded show scrolls off your TiVo for lack of room. The best way to ease that pain is to increase TiVo's storage space - its hard drive, just like the one in your computer. And, just as with a computer, TiVo's old hard drive can be upgraded with a new, higher-capacity drive fairly easily.
Adding a new hard drive to TiVo once fell exclusively to techies who understood words like "Torx" and "Linux." Now that TiVo's been enthusiastically greeted by a more mainstream crowd, several companies sell ready-to-go upgrade kits designed specifically for ease of installation. An upgrade kit makes it easy to double, or even triple, the number of television hours you can hoard in your TiVo's storage space.
You can upgrade your TiVo's storage space several ways. Here's a sampling - from easiest to most difficult:
- Buy an already upgraded new TiVo. Some companies sell new TiVos prestocked with larger hard drives. Whereas many of today's TiVos come with either a 40MB or 80MB hard drive, companies like WeaKnees WeaKnees and PTVupgrade. PTVupgrade sells new, ready-to-go TiVos with more than 300 hours of storage capacity.
- Send in your TiVo for upgrades. Both WeaKnees and PTVupgrade will upgrade your TiVo for a fee. You merely pack it up and mail it to them. (PTVupgrade can even send you a customized packing box, complete with return shipping label.)
- Replace TiVo's existing hard drive yourself. The easiest method for do-it-yourselfers, replacing your hard drive entails opening TiVo's case, removing TiVo's existing hard drive, plugging in the replacement drive upgrade kit, and replacing TiVo's case.
• Pros: A replacement hard drive upgrade kit comes pre-loaded with TiVo software. When plugged in, TiVo wakes up in like-new condition - but with much more storage capacity. You can save your old drive as a backup against problems down the road. Being factory new, the replacement drive is less prone to failure than TiVo's existing drive, especially for older TiVos.
• Cons: Replacing your drive wipes out your existing recordings, settings, Season Passes, and WishLists. You'll have to run TiVo's Guided Setup again to tell TiVo your connection settings, channels, and other information.
- Add a second drive to TiVo. Pop open TiVo's case, add a second drive upgrade kit, and close TiVo's case. That gives TiVo two drives for show storage.
• Pros: Your recorded shows and settings stay intact, and TiVo immediately begins filling the second drive with shows, more than doubling your current storage.
• Cons: Adding a second drive requires more work and skill. Depending on your TiVo model, you'll be adding extra cables, brackets, and perhaps even an extra fan for cooling. TiVo keeps using your older drive, leaving a higher chance of failure down the road. Experienced computer users can handle these things, but first-time do-it-yourselfers may find them overly demanding.
Several companies sell TiVo upgrade kits through the Internet. When you order an upgrade kit, it arrives with the tools necessary for installation and a detailed, step-by-step instruction sheet customized for your particular TiVo model.
