dethdeks
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Backing up TIVO to ur computer harddrive Part 1 - 2007/10/30 13:03
This is not my work found it on another site as well as i do not take any responsibilty for any damages that may be caused to ur tivo by doing this hack
A real good place to look for more in depth information is the absolute best TiVo forum: DealDatabase
[Note: this is NOT a hack to freely use either the DirecTV service, or the TiVo-service!
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Specially TiVo should be credited for it's effort to create an open system, so we can modify the TiVo to our needs!
I'm not so sure about DirecTV - since they still do not listen to their customers, they can be pretty arrogant and stubborn, not to mention plain insulting when talking to their customer service on questions why HMO is not available on DirecTV TiVo's.
The aim of this hack is:
Upgrade your TiVo and give it some more recording space (optional).
Enable the TiVo's USB ports
Use the ports for Ethernet connection.
Enable FTP/Telnet/TiVoWeb etc, so we can remote control our TiVo.
Enable TyTools so we can copy a movie from the TiVo harddisk to our PC, so we can burn our recordings to VCD, SVCD, DVD or DivX.
I HIGHLY recommend upgrading to a bigger harddrive as well.
By default the Hughes SD-DVR40 has a 40Gb disk, good for about 35 hours of movies. Get a 120Gb disk (You can get one for less than $100!), this will give you 110 hours ...
Another reason to use another harddrive is that this way the original drive remains in tact and can be put back in the TiVo if things do not work out the way they should.
What do we need?
Removing the harddisk from the TiVo
Install the TiVo harddrive in your PC
Running the 'Monte' script
- Prepare Sleeper CD Rom
- Boot the PC
- Initiate Monte Script
- Backup TiVo disk
- Fix kernel
- Install new disk(s) in your PC
- Restoring TiVo image to new disk(s)
- Test new disk(s)
- Apply Hacks and install extra tools
- Network setup
- - network driver list
- Test the hacked TiVo with the new drive(s)
Questions, Common Issues, and Problems - a.k.a. HELP!
- Weird screen colors
- Remote control goes nuts
- Network does not seem to work
- Generic harddisk and boot issues
- Can the TiVo be connected to my PC without a hub or router?
- Can I put a disk larger than 120Gb in my TiVo?
- Can I use wireless/WiFi with my TiVo?
- Can I watch DirecTV for free after applying this hack?
- I get an error message ofter running the scripts
- Is this hack protected against software updates?
- Do I need to make my new (un used) DirecTiVo to make a call before applying the hack?
- Can I disable certain hacks?
- What models will this hack work with?
- Do the hacks all start automatically?
- What is the difference between standard romfs and delayed romfs?
- Telnet issues with Mac OS X
- Is this hack suitable for so called RID models?
- How do I copy movies from my TiVo to my PC?
Links and more stuff to read
What do we need?
Screwdrivers
Basically we need a Torx T10 and a Torx T11 screwdriver.
Some models might need a Philips screwdriver.
Sleeper CD Rom
This CD Rom, called Sleeper - named after the creator of this CD Rom, is basically an adapted Linux distribution specifically created for making hacking the TiVo easy. Read more about it in this thread at DealDatabase.
Much credit to him, for without him this would not have been an easy job.
Download the most recent version of the Sleeper ISO file from DealDatabase or from our downloads page.
UnZip/UnRar the file and burn the ISO with your favorite CD Burning software.
Nero can burn this kind of CD very nicely - you can even download a functional version at their website.
An open PC
We need a PC, any PC, with at least one harddisk and a CD Rom player installed in it, and being able to boot from CD Rom
There are no speed limitations etc on the type of PC, as long as it can do this:
• The harddisk must at least have one partition (usually the C-drive) formatted with FAT or FAT32, with at least 2 Gb free space. This free space will hold the backup image of the original TiVo harddisk.
The harddisk must be installed as MASTER on the PRIMARY IDE (IDE-0).
• The CD Rom player must be installed as the SLAVE on the PRIMARY IDE (IDE-0).
We need this so we can boot the system from the Sleeper CD Rom
• The PC must be able and set to boot from CD Rom (in the PC BIOS, set FIRST BOOT DEVICE to CDROM).
IDE Flat cable
So we can connect our original TiVo harddisk to the PC we will utilize for hacking the drive.
Some PC's have this second IDE cable already installed - so check first!
Replacement harddisk (optional, but strongly recommended)
Since prices are so low, I would recommend getting a 120Gb disk (TiVo might not be able to handle larger disks - I installed a 160Gb and it did work, but it doesnot seem to use the full 160Gb).
5400 RPM (if you can get one) will work just fine (low noise level).
A 7200 RPM or even 10000 RPM drive will give you a better performance but they also produce a bit more noise.
Removing the harddisk from your TiVo
OK, so we're ready for step 1; opening the TiVo and removing the harddisk.
!! WARNING !!
1. although the power cord might be disconnected,
THE POWERSUPPLY OF THE TiVo can still
hold quite a nice voltage to zap you!
2. Either use an anti static (ESD) wrist thingy
or grab something that is grounded,
to discharge static electricity your body might CARY.
Static electricity might damage the sensitive parts OF the TiVo!
3. OPENING THE TIVO VOIDS WARANTY!
Remove ALL the cables from your TiVo (satellite antenna, video, audio, power, etc)!
Now put the TiVo on a table so you can easily access all connectors, screws etc.
Get the Torx T10 and remove the 4 screws on the back, indicated by the red arrows below:
Hughes DirecTV TiVo - Remove the 4 screws on the back
Once you removed the 4 screws, slide the hood of the TiVo to the backside of the TiVo. It might require some force to get it going.
Hughes DirecTV TiVo - Remove the hood by sliding it to the back
Once you opened, you will see the main components of your TiVo:
Hughes DirecTV TiVo - A: Harddrive, B: Power supply
Be very careful, avoid touching the power supply (B: the brown colored PC .
Now we have access to the harddrive (A). You will see that an IDE flat cable and a power cable (familiar to those who have opened a computer before) that connect the harddrive to the TiVo mainboard (the green PC.
Hughes DirecTV TiVo - Harddisk located
In the image above you see the harddrive. Notice the arrows:A Screw 1 of the harddrive bracket
B Screw 2 of the harddrive bracket
C Harddrive power connector
D Harddrive IDE cable
E After removing A, B, C and D, slide the bracket in this direction
I think the table above explains most of it;
Remove the screws (A and , the power cable (C)(watch out for the white flat cable!) and the IDE cable (D).
Now move the harddisk in the direction as indicated by the arrow (E) until you can lift it and take it out.
The 4 screws of the harddrive can be removed with a Torx T11.
Once removed, we can continue with the next steps,...
Installing the harddrive in your PC
OK, before we start doing this, make sure that the C-drive of your PC meets these requirements:
The C-drive should have at least 2 Gb free disk space (check this in Windows or DOS to make sure).
Make sure that the C-Drive is either FAT or FAT32 formatted. NTSF formatted drives WILL NOT WORK.
(NTFS won't work since this Linux version cannot mount NTFS drives as a read/write drive!)
The harddisk should be installed as the MASTER disk of the PRIMARY IDE (IDE-0).
This PC should also have a CD Rom player. Make sure the following requirements are met:
The computer should be able to BOOT from CDROM.
The CDROM player should be connected as SLAVE on the PRIMARY (IDE-0) IDE.
Tip: Verify in the BIOS of your PC that the first boot device is set to CDROM. Usually you can get into the PC's BIOS by pressing the "Del", "Ins", "F1" or "F10" button (at boot time it will usually show a brief message indicating which key to use). Commonly in the "Advanced settings" section of the BIOS you can change the boot device to "CDROM" or "IDE CDROM".
If your computer meets these requirements, then it's time to continue to the next step: Connect (if not already there) the FLAT CABLE to the SECONDARY IDE (IDE-1). Connect the other end of the flat cable to the TiVo harddrive.
Connect a power connector to the TiVo harddrive.
Verify that the jumpers of the TiVo harddrive are set to MASTER or CABLE SELECT.
Note: not all PC work well with CABLE SELECT, so for your PC setting it to MASTER might be required.
Please write down first how the jumper where set, so you can set them back later - if needed.
Tip: if you do not have documentation on the jumpers (either a manual or printed on the harddrive itself, then lookup the drive on the Internet on the manufacturers homepage. They usually have an online manual for the drive showing the jumper settings.
So basically you have this setup now:
DirecTiVo - Basic Backup setup
Note: this is just a sketch on how the connections should run - the position of IDE-0 and IDE-1 may differ, depending on the type/brand of mainboard your PC has. Please consult the manual of the mainboard to identify the right connectors, or incase you don't have a manual, look closely on the mainboard. Some mainboard's have text printed next to the connectors.
Running the 'Monte' script
If you reuse the original drive (not recommended!), then it is not unlikely that you make a mistake or that the hack didn't go as well as planned. In that case you want to be able to restore the original drive, so you have been warned.
If you plan to upgrade your TiVo using a bigger harddrive, then we will also need this backup to be copied to that new harddrive.
Prepare a "Sleeper" CD Rom
If you haven't done so yet:
- Download the sleeper file (either from DealDatabase, or from our Download page).
- UnZip/UnRar the file
- burn the ISO with your favorite CD Burning software.
Tip: Nero and Burn3Free can burn this kind of CD very nicely!
Boot the PC.
Start the computer and open the CD Rom tray as soon as possible.
Tips:
If the PC is already running before it can detect a bootable CD Rom: Restart the PC (CTRL+ALT+DEL or press the RESET button).
If the PC won't boot from CD Rom: Go into the BIOS and change the first boot device to CDROM and try again.
Once the PC starts booting of the CD Rom, it will start an adapted Linux version.
It will show you Available boot options; just press enter and the Linux distribution will boot from CD. This will work for most computers.
This Linux version is adapted in this sense, that it will have the appropriate file system drivers, tools, scripts and hacks onboard to make your life a lot easier. Credits for this one goes to Sleeper who did an excellent job on this.
Pretty soon a menu will appear:
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Press the letter of the script to run and then press 'enter'.
p) Prom
Backup Original Tivo Drive to C Drive.
Restore stored image from C Drive to new drive.
Replace initrd and install hacks.
m) Monte
The Full Monte including hacks.
r) Reset the autodetect and start from beginning.
s) Shutdown Computer
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Initiate Monte Script.
To make this start press "M" and press the Enter button. This overview will be shown.
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This script will perform some or all of the following:
a) Backup the original Tivo hard drive to the FAT32 drive.
b) Restore the backed up image to 1 or 2 new hard drives.
c) Install the 3.1U5-01-2-151 (Userland) kernel and file system on the
alternate partitions.
d) Generate and copy the monte_romfs to the last partition (apple free).
e) Write new boot parameters to the new hard drive to enable
the bash shell and execute the runmonte script.
f) Kill the initrd in the kernel.
g) Install /bin utilities, install BusyBox utilities,
install network drivers, install tivoftp, install telnet,
install mfs_ftp, install tyserver, install tivoweb,
install fixsub, install sps30, install sort.
f) Create the rc.sysinit file in /etc/rc.sysinit.
Press any key to continue...
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It's pretty self explanatory what this script does. Press 'ENTER' to continue.
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This installation requires the following hardware setup:
a) A FAT32 hard drive installed as MASTER on the PRIMARY Controller
b) A bootable CDROM drive installed as SLAVE on the PRIMARY Controller
c) The Original Tivo drive installed as MASTER on the SECONDARY Controller
Press 'enter' to continue, any other key and 'enter' to abort.
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Info on how to connect the disks and the CD Rom player - we already discussed them before.
So just press 'ENTER' to continue.
Backup TiVo disk.
Tip: To skip of most of these 'questions' simply type one or more random characters and press the 'ENTER' key.
However! Make sure that if you skip any of these that you're pretty sure what you're doing!
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Monte Install - Backup Phase.
Press 'enter' to continue, any other key and 'enter' to skip.
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The script will now begin it's Backup Phase, meaning: it will backup the essential parts of your original TiVo disk to the FAT partition of the other harddisk.
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A FAT32 hard drive is about to be mounted as /cdrive
The drive MUST be configured as MASTER and
MUST be connected to your PRIMARY controller.
The commands that will be executed are:
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mkdir /cdrive
mount -t vfat /dev/hda1 /cdrive
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Press 'enter' to execute these commands...
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Press 'ENTER' to start detection of the FAT partition.
If successful, a success message will tell you something like this:
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SUCCESS: FAT32 Drive on /dev/hda1 mounted as /cdrive
Press 'enter' to continue...
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Press 'ENTER' to continue.
The next step is to detect and mount the CD Rom drive and will try to mount it.
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A CDROM drive is about to be mounted as /cdrom
The CDROM drive MUST be configured as SLAVE and
MUST be connected to your PRIMARY controller.
The commands that will be executed are:
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mkdir /cdrom
mount -t iso9660 /dev/hdb /cdrom
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Press 'enter' to execute these commands...
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Press 'ENTER' to start detection of the FAT partition and will try to mount it.
If successful, a success message will tell you something like this:
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SUCCESS: CDROM Drive on /dev/hdb mounted as /cdrom
Press 'enter' to continue...
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Press 'ENTER' to continue.
Now the script will try to identify the TiVo disk.
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The bootpage command is going to determine the boot signature
on the Tivo hard drive
The command that will be executed is:
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/cdrom/bootpage -p /dev/hdc
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Press 'enter' to execute these commands...
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Press 'ENTER' to continue.
If successful, a message similar to this one will appear:
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SUCCESS: The bootpage command returned the following:
root=/dev/hda7
Press 'enter' to continue...
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Press 'ENTER' to continue.
Additional info will be shown (similar to this):
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INFO : Tivo boot partition is: 6
INFO : Tivo root (/) partition is: 7
Press 'enter' to continue...
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We're now ready to perform a backup.
Press 'ENTER' to continue.
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The Tivo drive is going to be backed up to the FAT32 drive
The command that will be executed is:
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mfsbackup -f 4138 -6so /cdrive/tivo/Tivobackup-08-26-04_21_27.mfs /dev/hdc
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Press 'enter' to execute these commands...
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In the command displayed here you will see where you can find the image file (in case you'd like to back it up to a CD Rom or something like that). The filename of the backup also includes back date and time. In this example: August 16th, 2004, 21:27.
Press 'ENTER' to continue.
Your PC will be working for a while making an image of your TiVo disk onto the C-Drive.
The text shown below will show a while, so be patient.
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Scanning source drive. Please wait a moment.
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After a while the real backup starts. Once it's done a screen similar to this one shows:
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Scanning source drive. Please wait a moment.
Source drive size is 40 hours
Backup image will be 40 hours
Uncompressed backup size: 1466 megabytes
Backing up 1466 of 1466 megabytes (100.00%)
Backup done!
SUCCESS: mfsbackup complete.
Press 'enter' to continue...
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OK, so the backup is done.
Press 'ENTER' to continue.
Fixing the Kernel.
The next step is to extract and fix the kernel.
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A copy of the kernel is going to be extracted from the Tivo drive.
The command that will be executed is:
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dd if=/dev/hdc6 of=/cdrive/tivo/kernel.img
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Press 'enter' to execute these commands...
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Press 'ENTER' to continue.
The kernel will now be extracted from the Tivo disk.
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4+0 records in
4+0 records out
SUCCESS: Copy of kernel extracted to /cdrive/tivo/kernel.img
Press any key to continue...
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Press 'ENTER' to continue.
Some info similar to this will be displayed:
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INFO : Kernel real name found within kernel is: 2.4.4-TiVo-3.0
Press 'enter' to continue...
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Press 'ENTER' to continue.
The process is finished for now:
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Backup Complete!
The computer will now shutdown.
Once shutdown is complete, poweroff the computer.
Remove the ORIGINAL tivo drive from the SECONDARY controller
and install the new tivo drive as MASTER on the SECONDARY
controller. If you have 2 new Tivo drives, install the second
drive as SLAVE on the SECONDARY controller.
Then power up the system. The script will automaticall continue.
Press any key to shutdown...
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As you can see, the back is complete now.
Press 'ENTER' to continue.
[cde]
The computer will tell you when you can switch off the PC.The system is going down NOW !!
Sending SIGTERM to all processes.
Sending SIGKILL to all processes.
md: recovery thread got woken up ...
md: recovery thread finished.
mdrecorvery(10) flushing signals.
The system is halted. Press CTRL-ALT-DEL or turn off power.
stopping all md devices.
Power down.
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