Do your TiVo Upgrades come with the latest software? Generally, all replacement kit upgrades come with the latest software.
In cases in which a newer software version has been released, your
TiVo will download the latest version as soon as they are dialed
in for the first time.
Can I save money by buying blank computer hard drives from a store and putting them in my TiVo? All of our upgrade kits come with hard drives that have been specially
prepared for use in your TiVo. With a preformatted drive upgrade
kit, you simply follow our instructions and install the drive--no
PC is necessary. If you are looking to save a few dollars and are
willing to invest the time, then you can purchase standard EIDE
hard drives and prepare them yourself. If you have a PC, if you
have basic Linux knowledge (not a must, but helpful) and if you
have a rudimentary understanding of your PC's insides (eg. you know
what an IDE cable is, you know what "primary" and "slave" means
and you know what a "jumper" is), then you should be able to perform
the drive preparation on your own.
Please note, though, that in our opinion, all hard drives are not
created equal. The drives we use for most of our upgrades--Maxtor
QuickViews--are specially made for use in digital video recorders;
they are not standard desktop drives. For more information,
see here.
If you want to buy your own drive, we offer blank QuickView drives
(see here). Also, we have written
the "Interactive TiVo Upgrade Instructions" site (link
below) to make it easier to load the software you need, but a decent
knowledge of Linux helps greatly. Updates to the upgrade instructions
are in the "TiVo Upgrade Blog" that we maintain. Also,
if you try to install the TiVo software on your own and do something
wrong, it is possible to corrupt the software your existing TiVo
drives.
Bottom line:
If you're willing to invest some time to learn how, you can
definitely purchase blank drives and prepare them. If you'd prefer
to spend your time doing something else, or if your computer skills
are minimal, then you might prefer to purchase a TiVo Upgrade
Kit.
If you have a TiVo already and are looking to upgrade, then
acquiring the parts on your own is not likely to save you much
versus buying a pre-configured WeaKnees.com TiVo Upgrade Kit.
Our kits include the parts that you'll need, and in many cases,
purchasing parts separately (such as tools, cables, bracket, blank
drive, etc.) can be more expensive than purchasing a ready-to-install
kit.
Why are the number of hours you use different than the number of hours I see on other web sites? There are several reasons: (1) Because drive sizes vary (a drive labeled 120gb may be 119.5gb or 121.0 gb), (2) because the number of hours
depends on the software version (and others may quote hours based on older software versions), and (3) because some web sites exaggerate
the number of hours their drives will produce. The best way to
compare prices is to find out the size of the hard drive you are
purchasing and how many gigabytes your TiVo will have, in total,
after the upgrade. Please do not be fooled by inflated hours
quotes. If you have any questions about the number of hours, please
feel free to email us. When in doubt, or when faced with conflicting
information, ask how many gigabtyes your TiVo will have after an
upgrade.
If I use your upgrade kit (or have you do my TiVo upgrade), will I lose my programming and TiVo settings? If you have a one-drive TiVo, adding a second drive will not impact
your settings or programming. If you have a two-drive TiVo, you
can now upgrade without losing your programming, but upgrading a
two-drive unit and saving programming is very time consuming
and requires you to send your TiVo or drives to us. If you have
a one-drive TiVo and want to purchase a two-drive upgrade, for an
additional charge you can send us your TiVo and we will not only
perform your upgrade, but we will move all of your programming to
your new two-drive TiVo (for this service, simply add the "Deluxe
Upgrade Service" to your cart before checking out). If you
have a two-drive unit and want us to save your programming, for
an additional charge you can send us your TiVo and we will not only
perform your upgrade, but we will move all of your programming to
your new one- or two-drive TiVo (for this service, simply add the
"Deluxe Upgrade Service" to your cart before checking
out). Under any circumstance, once you upgrade, your TiVo will operate
just as it did before the upgrade.
If you already have a TiVo and want to upgrade, determining whether
you have a one-drive model or a two-drive model is important. A
one-drive model is the easiest to upgrade. With a one-drive model,
you can add a second drive without losing any programming or settings.
With a two-drive model, it is very time consuming to save settings
when upgrading with one or two new drives. In a two-drive model,
you must either purchase a one-drive REPLACE or a two-drive REPLACE
upgrade (i.e. replace both of your original drives with one or two
new drives) OR you must perform some additional steps to reprogram
your original drive. If you have a two-drive TiVo, we can reprogram
one of your original drives and replace the second drive with a
larger drive.
If you have a standalone Philips recorder, your TiVo is a one-drive
model unless you have an HDR312 or HDR612. If you have an HDR112,
HDR212, HDR31201, HDR31202, HDR31203 or HDR31204, you have a one-drive
model. If you have a Sony SVR2000 or Sony SVR3000, you have a one-drive
unit. If you have a DirecTiVo (Sony, Hughes, Philips), contact us
and we can help you determine whether you have a one-drive unit
or a two-drive unit (or see our DirecTiVo
page). The older (130040) AT&T Series2 TiVo has one drive
(with room for two). The 60-hour TiVo-branded Series 2 TiVo has
one drive (with room for two). All other TiVo-branded DVRs (TCD240080,
24008A, 540080, 240040, 24004A, 540040, 240140, 540140 and 230040),
Humax T800/T2500, Hughes units (HDVR2, SD-DVR40, SD-DVR80 and SD-DVR120,
HR10-250), Philips (DSR7000, DSR704, DSR708), RCA DVR39, DVR40,
DVR80, Samsung units (all models) and other newer DIRECTV/TiVo units
each has one drive and, without the TwinBreeze
bracket (which is included in all of our "add" and two-drive
kits for these untis), has room for only one drive. All TiVo/DVD
players/recorders (eg. Toshiba SD-H400, Pioneer DVR-810H, Humax
DRT800, Toshiba RS-TX20, RS-TX60, and Pioneer Elite 57H) all have
one drive and room for only one drive.
Do I need the Advanced Cooling Pak? Do I need the PowerTrip?
Do I need the TwinBreeze? The Advanced Cooling Pak is available for TiVo models that have
the TwinBreeze installed. The ACP consists of one or two fans, depending
on the TiVo model in which it will be installed. We generally do
recommend the ACP, especially if you are looking to reduce noise
or if your TiVo will be used in an enclosed space (such as an entertainment
cabinet). If you are looking to maximize cooling, but do not mind
the noise, then we would recommend that you install only the bracket
fan (which comes in every ACP), but not the replacement for the
factory fan (which comes in some ACPs).
For more information about the PowerTrip, see our PowerTrip
page. We include the PowerTrip at no additional cost in upgrade
kits for TiVos that need it.
If you are looking to add a second drive to certain Series 2 TiVo
models, you will need a special bracket. We include the TwinBreeze
bracket in all upgrade kits that require it. For more information
about the TwinBreeze, see our TwinBreeze
page.
How long will it take to upgrade
my TiVo if I purchase a TiVo upgrade kit? If you have a one-drive TiVo and purchase a TiVo Upgrade Kit from
us, expect to spend about 10-30 minutes to upgrade the TiVo (once
it is disconnected from your TV/entertainment system). Essentially,
for an ADD kit for a standalone TiVo, your only tasks are (1) to
secure the pre-formatted TiVo drive we send you to the bracket that
we send you (other models don't even require a bracket), using the
step-by-step instructions that we provide (approximately 5 minutes);
(2) to open your TiVo using the Torx screwdriver that we supply
and the "tried and true" instructions that we provide (approx 5
minutes); (3) installing the drive in the TiVo, using the step-by-step
instructions that we provide (approx 3-5 minutes); and (4) closing
the TiVo, using our instructions (approx 3 minutes).
If you have a two-drive TiVo and are replacing both drives with
one or two drives, the level of complexity is no greater than with
a one-drive TiVo, but it will take an extra 10-15 minutes to remove
and replace the extra drive.
Installation of an upgrade kit containing our TwinBreeze bracket
should take between 15-45 minutes, depending in large part on whether
you have fans to install. The TwinBreeze was designed to install
very quickly and easily and the installation instructions are fully
illustrated.
NOTE: We wrote our TiVo upgrade installation instructions ourselves
and we took a long time in doing so. To this day (or at least as
of the date we last updated this FAQ entry?a good three+ years after
we started selling TiVo Upgrade Kits), we have had very few TiVo
upgrade purchasers call us or email with installation questions,
which we believe suggests that our instructions are complete and
simple. However, we are readily available to answer questions for
any of our TiVo Upgrade Kit purchasers. Just send us an email.
WeaKnees.com is not affiliated with TiVo Inc. TiVo is a registered trade- mark of TiVo Inc.
All orders are eligible for FREE shipping! We use UPS and USPS (free ground shipping in 48 states-full shipping info).
Questions? Contact us! Call us at 888 - WEAKNEES (888 932-5633) or 310 842-4700 or send an email.
