Replacing the hard drive / RTVPatch drive upgrade/replacement documentation

• Replacing the hard drive / RTVPatch drive upgrade/replacement documentation:

RTVPatch for Windows, runs only on Windows 2000, Windows XP or Windows Server 2003. If you're running any other version of Windows, you'll need to use the Linux boot disk method with RTVPatch. For direct links to the RTVPatch/Hard drive replacement documentation, see below*.

Do not allow Windows to write to or manage a ReplayTV drive (including Windows Disk Adminstrator) - when this happens Windows may add a signature to the boot partition of the drive which will leave it unable to boot in a ReplayTV even after running RTVPatch. If Windows has managed the drive, you may need to low level format at least the first 100 MB or so of the drive (using the manufacturer's utility) and then use RTVPatch.

RTVPatch works best when used with a standard IDE controller - usually the motherboard controller or an add-in PCI controller card. (You may also avoid problems by making sure the drive is on an IDE cable by itself - for example: remove the cable from the CD or DVD drive so the target hard drive is the only thing on the cable while you're using RTVPatch). Some have had success using external USB or firewire enclosures, although some people have not been able to do a successful upgrade using an external enclosure. Generally, if Windows can see the drive size properly, then RTVPatch should work. You should avoid trying to use any type of RAID controller with RTVPatch, even if the RAID features have been disabled for the controller.

Pay close attention to drive jumpers. The 5XXX series of ReplayTVs use the cable select setting, while older series ReplayTVs may need to have the drive set to master. Some hard drives have only master/slave/cable select jumper settings, while some drives (particularly Western Digital) have an additional "master/single" drive jumper setting. When hooking the drive up to your computer, if it's the only drive on the cable, you should use the cable select or single drive setting, if available, or the master jumper setting. In a single drive ReplayTV, you usually want it set to cable select or master (master/single).

The RTVPatch documentation covers copying from an existing ReplayTV drive. You can choose to copy only the system partition, which will retain all your original set up information from the original drive and choose to reset the mpeg partition - this does not retain any recorded shows from the original drive, although the shows will still be listed in the Replay Guide, they will not physically exist on the new drive. OR you can choose to copy the system partition AND the mpeg partition, which will then retain your original set up info as well as copy your existing recorded shows to the new drive. (The original RTVPatch documentation recommends not copying the mpeg partition, but under the current version, copying shows is a very reliable process. About the worst that can happen is some shows will not transfer to the new drive.)

When going from an existing two drive system to a single drive or new two drive system, you must first patch the original drive 1 to become a single drive system. Using RTVPatch, set the original drive 1 as the target, make sure "Single-drive system" is checked, then choose "Patch Target Drive", then exit. That's really all there is to it. Any shows that exist on the original second drive cannot be transferred to the new drive(s). Then you can use the single drive to copy to a new single drive system, (or, for a new two drive system, copy as a single drive, verify it boots, then patch the new drive with the new second drive to make a new two drive system). You could use extract_rtv to recover the shows from the original second drive to a computer and then either burn them to DVD or, with 4XXX and 5XXX series ReplayTVs, use DVArchive to stream them back the ReplayTV. RTVPatch cannot copy a 2 drive system and all recorded shows to a new 2 drive system or new larger drive.

If you have a functional ReplayTV drive, RTVPatch can also be used to make a backup image of the drive. While recorded shows are not saved to the image, all existing set up information is saved. You choose "Backup source drive" and then point to a location on your PC's hard drive.

When you put the drive back in the ReplayTV, I would recommend routing the drive cable other than under the drive. There's a cooling vent directly under the drive, that is at least partially obstructed when the cable is routed under the drive.)

One method is to route the cable over the drive:

Another way is to route the cable over the motherboard: