|
How to Unlock a Locked Maxtor drive from a DVR / TiVo
Unlocking Hard Drives
Many early-model TiVo DVRs contain a mechanism that "locks"
a hard drive once it has been installed in the TiVo. When a locked
drive is connected to a PC, the drive capacity will report 0MB to
10MB, rather than its full capacity.
If your hard drive is locked, then you will not be able to use
or diagnose the drive in your PC.
If you have a locked Maxtor drive, the company's Powermax utility
will not test the drive properly. It will test only some small percentage
of the drive (0-10MB) and will likely not find any error that may
actually be present. Thus, if you have a drive that is not functioning
properly in your TiVo, you will want to "unlock" the drive
so that a drive utility will see the entire drive.
To unlock a drive, you must download and run one of several DOS-based.
One of those programs, DiskUtil, is available for download below.
Creating DOS Boot Disk to Unlock a Drive
1) Create a floppy disk that boots into DOS. Click here
for links to software that will create a DOS boot disk.
2) Download DiskUtil,
unzip the file and copy the diskutil.exe file to your boot floppy.
3) Boot your PC with your locked drive attached.
4) Enter the following command at the DOS prompt:
If your TiVo drive is connected to the primary master IDE bus,
enter:
diskutil /PermUnlock 0
If your TiVo drive is connected to the primary slave IDE bus, enter:
diskutil /PermUnlock 1
If your TiVo drive is connected to the secondary master IDE bus,
enter:
diskutil /PermUnlock 2
If your TiVo drive is connected to the secondary slave IDE bus, enter:
diskutil /PermUnlock 3
NOTE: This command is case sensitive. (You must use a capital P
and a capital U.)
5) Completely power down your PC (do not use CTRL-ALT-DELETE).
6) Now remove your DOS boot disk and restart your PC and confirm
that the drive recognizes the proper capacity.
DISCLAIMER: weaKnees makes no representations or warranties with respect,
to the contents hereof and specifically disclaims any implied warranties
of merchantability or fitness for any particular purpose. These instructions
are provided without warranty of any kind. In no event will weaKnees
be liable to you for any damages, including any loss of profit or
savings, arising out of the use or inability to use the information
contained in this document.
*DirecTV DVRs and Series3 TiVos (in HD) record digital broadcast streams and all compression is determined by the broadcaster, so hours stated are estimates assuming average compression. Standard Definition TiVo DVR and TiVo Upgrade Kit capacities are stated at Basic Quality. All capacities may vary due to hard drive models used. Capacities are guaranteed to be within 5% larger
or smaller of stated size. Email with any questions. 
| 
