Replacing hard disk in 721

[David_Levin]

Thanks for the info Faw. This is good stuff !!!

 

[markusian]

WOW! This is really good news. Thank you Faw.

Now the next step, who is willing to try a bigger drive?

-Mark

 

[dfergie]

WOW! This is really good news. Thank you Faw.

Now the next step, who is willing to try a bigger drive?

-Mark

Tiger direct has 200gig maxtors for 129$...

 

[Faw]

WOW! This is really good news. Thank you Faw.

Now the next step, who is willing to try a bigger drive?

-Mark

I would, if someone was willing to fund my research. Any sponsors?

 

[GaryPen]

WOW! This is really good news. Thank you Faw.

Now the next step, who is willing to try a bigger drive?

-Mark

If it was creating partitions from some setting in the firmware, wouldn't it just create the same size, regardless of hdd capacity? Of course, there is a chance that it might use the remaining free space to its maximium. But, knowing that the 522's firmware always sets the same size partitions regardless of hdd capacity, I'd say it was a good chance that the 721 does the same.

 

[GaryPen]

I
After this I restored the first partition with the Linux OS from a Ghost Image I created from the bad disk. I was lucky the bad sectors where in the other partitions. I installed the disk back in the 721.

Can you clarify this part? Did you use a Linux PC? Or, did you use Norton Ghost on a Windows PC? If the latter, are there any specific settings to get it to copy it as a Linux partition, or does it always copy partitions in their native format?

 

[Faw]

If it was creating partitions from some setting in the firmware, wouldn't it just create the same size, regardless of hdd capacity?

I installed the 60GB drive and the last partition was ok, but since the disk was also bad I didn't tested it. Maybe it just uses the remaining of the disk for the last partition, regardless of the size. The first 4 partitions are fixed though, I guess if you install a something less than a 4GB disk it will crash since it wont have space for the first 4.

 

[Faw]

Can you clarify this part? Did you use a Linux PC? Or, did you use Norton Ghost on a Windows PC? If the latter, are there any specific settings to get it to copy it as a Linux partition, or does it always copy partitions in their native format?

I used Norton Ghost 9 on a Windows XP PC. The partitions look like this in the list:

Drive                     Size
(*:\)                     250MB
(*:\)                     1024MB
(*:\)                     1024MB
SWAPSPACE(*:\)            128MB
(*:\)                     114819MB

I just backed up the 250MB one, which contains the linux partition (it was a guess, but an educated one ), allowed the 721 create all the partitions in the new drive, copied the Ghost image to the new drive, and reinstall in 721.

I used no special settings in Norton Ghost, just clicked "Backup Drive", selected the 250MB partition and created the image.

 

[GaryPen]

I installed the 60GB drive and the last partition was ok, but since the disk was also bad I didn't tested it. Maybe it just uses the remaining of the disk for the last partition, regardless of the size. The first 4 partitions are fixed though, I guess if you install a something less than a 4GB disk it will crash since it wont have space for the first 4.

That is VERY interesting news. If so, it may indeed be possible to increase storage capacity on a 721!
Since hdd's are fairly inexpensive, I wish somebody will try with a 250GB drive! (Perhaps one that they were going to use for their PC, anyway. They can try it on the 721 first, just to see if it works, and use it for their PC afterwards.)
If it does configure the final, and I assume "programming" partition for the max, and the OS recognizes the add'l space, it would be breakthrough news!

 

[Smith P.]

Actually, I saw reports - the 721 DishLinux will create 5th partiton with max size of 137 GB regardless if it 160 GB or 250 GB disk.

 

[kbohip]

Hmm, this is great news! This basically means that all those used 721's I'm looking at on Ebay wondering if they have an almost dead drive could be a good deal for me. Especially considering the fact that I wouldn't have to pay an extra $5 VOD fee with the old 721's. The ability to replace the drive makes this DVR a lot less obsolete.

The procedure seems fairly straightforward too. I replaced the drive in my Dad's Tivo last year and it was a lot more time consuming for a Linux noob like me.

 

[dssturbo1]

seen other reports that a larger HD will not work in the 721, sorry guys. Think the limit is built into the flash on the motherboard.
Any 120gb HD will work as replacement in the 721. But not just a straight install a new HD and reboot. It must be prepared as Faw did by loading a 721 dishlinux image to a new 120gb HD with Norton Ghost.

It will do a fresh install then, reintialize go through rebuild stage 1 and stage 2 then finish loading info to the new HD and should be good to go. If you have the L174 image you do not even have to go through software upgrade downloading time.

Hey Faw, did you use Ghost 2003? heard the newer Ghost versions had issues.
Guys be careful with Ghost it can be buggy as it works from DOS. It locked my pc with sata HDs and sata raid up big time. I had to go back to an older computer just to use Ghost without a lockup.

 

[Faw]

Hey Faw, did you use Ghost 2003? heard the newer Ghost versions had issues.
Guys be careful with Ghost it can be buggy as it works from DOS. It locked my pc with sata HDs and sata raid up big time. I had to go back to an older computer just to use Ghost without a lockup.

I used Norton Ghost 9 with Windows XP Professional. I was thinking of trying a 160GB disk this weekend to experiment with it. I was also curious about the networking (webserver and telnet) comments I read about some time ago.

 

[Smith P.]

seen other reports that a larger HD will not work in the 721, sorry guys. Think the limit is built into the flash on the motherboard.
<skip>

I think the limit exist in DishLinux kernel. We'd discuss it here and at DBStalk - LBA28 vs LBA48.

 

[kbohip]

Man these 721's are hard to find on Ebay! There are only 14 for sale on there now and some are going for over $350 used! For that price I might just bite the bullet and go with the 921.

 

[Faw]

I think the limit exist in DishLinux kernel. We'd discuss it here and at DBStalk - LBA28 vs LBA40.

Yup, I checked the 160gb disk and it creates the recording partition with a max size of 124gb, it wont use the remaining of the disk. Also I was able to mount the 1st partition of the disk in Linux and it is not the linux os. The partition is where the downloaded software is placed before installation.

 

[Smith P.]

It was reported - 721 and 921 using Ext2+XFS file system, in opposite 522/625/942 using regular Ext3.

 

[David_Levin]

Smith, I've used unix/linux systems at work, but never set one up.

Don't suppose you could write a couple of lines explaining these file system terms.

Thanks

 

[Faw]

Smith, I've used unix/linux systems at work, but never set one up.

Don't suppose you could write a couple of lines explaining these file system terms.

Thanks

Ext2 is the most common Linux filesystem. Ext3 is a journaling extension to Ext2. Journaling means that after a crash, recovery is faster and less data is lost. XFS is a journaling filesystem developed by SGI (Silicon Graphics). XFS is the best of the 3 filesystems. Don't know why Dish went with Ext3 when XFS is better.

 

[Smith P.]

You know, if your CPU handle decoding 2 HD streams from satellite, MPEG-2 decomp and encoding/writing 2 HD TS streams to disk, you'll start thinking as E* engineers and will try to reduce CPU load for support journaling file system.