Problems after upgrade

[Xblhak]

I have a Philips DSR7000/17 DirecTV Tivo. I installed a 500gig hard drive to upgrade the stock 40gig drive.

Following step 10, upgrade configuration 3 on this page, I did an exact copy from my original drive to my new drive using the command:

mfsbackup -Tao - /dev/hdc | mfsrestore -r 4 -s 127 -xzpi - /dev/hda

When I put my new drive in after the copy completed (long time, but worth it, I don't want to lose my recordings), everything comes up just fine for a while. Watching a show, it will stutter briefly once in a while, and in rather short time the receiver will hard lock. The only way to get it back is to unplug it and plug it back in, but it will, without failure, hard lock again within a half-hour.

I did the copy again, upping the swap partition to 500 meg, but that didn't solve the problem.

Going into System Information (in the rare case I can get there before the receiver hard locks), it does recognize the full capacity of my new drive (~440 hours), and that it's running software version 6.4a-01-2-101. There is one thing that always seemed kind of odd to me though. When the copy completes (still hooked up to the PC), it says that my recording capacity has increased to ~580 hours, which is not true. My Tivo; however, does report the correct recording capacity of ~440 hours.

If I put the original 40gig drive back in, it works flawlessly. Thinking my new drive was bad I had it replaced, and this new drive is doing the exact same thing.

[WK-Jeff]

Assuming both of your drives test fine (you should test them in a PC to be sure), then you seem to have some other problem, most likely an issue with your motherboard unfortunately.

[Xblhak]

Thanks for tip! I will certainly check that out and post my findings. Not exactly what I was hoping to hear though, as that is a bit more dire. Was hoping for something along the lines of maybe the brand/model drive I got was just not up to the task; but, I'm not the expert here.

After running into the problem with a replacement for the original 500gig drive I had (thought the first drive was bad and had it replaced with same brand/model), I heard about an overall performance problem with Seagate drives that have an "AAK" firmware. The drive that I was using was a Western Digital brand that ended in "AAKB", so, I was hoping that perhaps the same problem that plagued those Seagates found its way to WD and into the drive that I had. But, I will test the drive out and see what happens.

Just to clarify though, I am doing a small A drive to larger A drive upgrade; not a small A drive to small A+large B upgrade. When I have the stock 40gig drive in it works flawlessly. When I have the 500gig in I get the occasional stutters and hard locks.

[WK-Jeff]

AAK from Seagate and AAKB from Western Digital is pure coincidence; one is a firmware version, the other is a drive model.

To be clear, I would assess the issue as motherboard related only if your drives all test fine. If you are have no problems with the 40gb at all, then that certainly points more to a drive issue.

[Xblhak]

Thank you once again for the advice!

I tested out the 500gig drive in my PC and it didn't perform all that well. So I returned the drive and ordered a new brand/model drive that seems to give pretty good results. That drive won't be here until tomorrow though.

[WK-Michael]

FWIW, we highly recommend DVR-specific drives, like the Seagate DB35 or the WD AV line.

[Xblhak]

FWIW, we highly recommend DVR-specific drives, like the Seagate DB35 or the WD AV line.

Thank you again! The drive that I ordered and which showed up today was a Seagate DB35. An hour in, and not a hiccup. So far so good!