HR2x / HR34 External Hard Drive FYI/Support (eSATA)

[vurbano]

How did I know you would have this come back. If plugging in an eSATA data cable fries the machine, I will BUY you another one. You have to prove it though. Plugging a data cable in is much different then opening a case, removing power lines, removing a drive, plugging in an unsupported driven internally, and booting this off the INTERNAL power source. That is the danger, not the booting into a different data storage.

If the internal drive specs match and they generally do for these drives you have more of a chance frying something by introducing a second 115 volts into the mix with an external drive. I take it your offer to buy me a new one means D* would still charge you for the cost of a machine.

 

[Ramy]

If the internal drive specs match and they generally do for these drives you have more of a chance frying something by introducing a second 115 volts into the mix with an external drive. I take it your offer to buy me a new one means D* would still charge you for the cost of a machine.

Sorry but the external source does not introduce power across the eSATA cable like that. All it does is transfer data which would use very very little power.

 

[Brewer4]

If the internal drive specs match and they generally do for these drives you have more of a chance frying something by introducing a second 115 volts into the mix with an external drive. I take it your offer to buy me a new one means D* would still charge you for the cost of a machine.

Yep. I want to see you fry it. Also find the VOD activation code too! I hear they got great threads at another forum talking about this.

 

[vurbano]

Sorry but the external source does not introduce power across the eSATA cable like that. All it does is transfer data which would use very very little power.

SO if the power source goes wacky there is no possible way that a spark can occur inside the drive and travel through the wires in the SATA cable. I dont believe it.

 

[vurbano]

Yep. I want to see you fry it. Also find the VOD activation code too! I hear they got great threads at another forum talking about this.

I have no interest in doing either.

 

[Brewer4]

SO if the power source goes wacky there is no possible way that a spark can occur inside the drive and travel through the wires in the SATA cable. I dont believe it.

:haha:haha:haha:haha:haha:haha:haha:haha:haha

You crack me up.

 

[Ramy]

SO if the power source goes wacky there is no possible way that a spark can occur inside the drive and travel through the wires in the SATA cable. I dont believe it.

Oh geez.

 

[tfoss]

To Brewer4, yes very easy & very quiet, wish I could put the 750 gig inside though, any upgrades like what they have for the tivos, hate to waste the harddrive inside

 

[Brewer4]

To Brewer4, yes very easy & very quiet, wish I could put the 750 gig inside though, any upgrades like what they have for the tivos, hate to waste the harddrive inside

I too think its a waste and extra heat producer. I went back and forth in my head to the pros and cons of going internal and came to the conclusion the extra heat,noise,waste, etc. didnt override the risk and simplicity of doing external.

 

[tfoss]

Can one just replace the harddrive inside with a 750 gig? Or does the harddrive have to be formatted in a special way? Just wondering........

 

[Brewer4]

Can one just replace the harddrive inside with a 750 gig? Or does the harddrive have to be formatted in a special way? Just wondering........

You can put one in and it will format on the next boot. If you are risky, know what you are doing, and dont mind taking a warranty risk, then its fairly straight forward. I just hedged away since I had the space on my rack and felt 30 bucks was better spent then taking a chance and damaging the unit. Risk is small but I just didnt want to deal with Directv if anything went wrong.

 

[tfoss]

Thanks, I upgraded my old tivo a couple of time with no problems, but still a little gun shy, are there any pictures of the insides of a hr20-700? thanks

 

[Brewer4]

HR20-700 - The Review - DBSTalk.Com

Post #6

 

[Brewer4]

The other thing to consider is opening the unit, leave the drive, but unplug the SATA cable and power. This way its easy to put back then remove the drive.

 

[tfoss]

After looking at the pictures and reading the procedure on how take out the harddrive, no thanks just isn't as easy as the tivo was, will live with my $30 enclosure

 

[Brewer4]

Good decision.

 

[tfoss]

but still.....................what a waste of a 300gig hd :>(

 

[Smith P.]

That one what was in my hands went out with Hitachi 1 TB disk - no problemo. Original disk 320 GB will play his own tasks as video processing storage on own separate SATA channel .

 

[dfergie]

Added a DirecTV support equipment sub catagory Herein the new Reviews section so you can review External HDD's used with the HR20...

 

[tfoss]

Smith, P

Where did you get it & how much & did you put it inside the hr20-700? Thanks