It All Started With A Request From A Friend
Even before I purchased my TiVo, I was asked by a friend if I could add another hard drive to his TiVo unit. I was honest with him, and told him I didn't know. I knew that TiVo ran the Linux operating system and had some great features, but that was about it. When I tackled this request, there was only one source for information on upgrading the TiVo: tivo.samba.org . There is now a wealth of information available online about upgrading TiVo.
The TiVo Community Forum is, by far, the largest TiVo product information support mechanism available; if you have a problem with your TiVo, chances are that others in this online group have probably had the same problem, and can offer suggestions or solutions to help. Subjects covered are topics such as: upgrade options for TiVo; how to get a BASH prompt; PPP over the serial port; TiVoNet; TurboNet; and TiVo Web Project. The TiVo Community Forum can be found at www.tivocommunity.com/ . There is plenty of helpful information and innovative TiVo suggestions at this web site. Because of TiVo's Linux roots, its development community continues to grow and offers an interesting hobby for those so inclined.
Shortly after TiVo was first released, the additions or modifications were limited: you could back up your original 'A' drive, and "bless," or install a 'B' drive. Dylan's Boot Disk was the tool of choice for "blessing" the 'B' drive, and the Linux command "dd" was used to back up the original 'A' drive.
We will walk you through a step-by-step process of how to add more storage space to your TiVo, and along the way we will try to give you some additional insight into TiVo and its underlying technology. We strongly urge you read this article carefully through to the end before attempting anything discussed within this article. It is also important to note that if you do not have previous experience in adding a hard drive to a PC, then this process most likely isn't something that you should try. In this case, find someone who has more knowledge of such things, and ask them to give you a hand with your TiVo upgrade.
