Easy Guide - Upgrade the Hard Drive in your Skybox to 2TB

[AnotherJoe]

2TB HD Upgrade for around £65

I looked into this a while back but my skybox (DRX-890) would only support a max size of 1TB if the skybox formatted the drive - so 1TB would end up unused.. It was also difficult to copy recordings off the old hard drive because COPY+ did not support the DARWIN firmware on the newer skyboxes.

Anyway now there is a tool than can do all this for you - ExPVR.

http://www.ph-mb.com/products/ExPVR/about

If you want to copy your existing recordings over from your old box you have to buy the full version (£15), but if you just want to install a new larger drive the trial version will suffice.

This is the procedure for just installing a new 2TB drive.

- Connect your new 2TB drive to a free sata port on your windows pc.

- Download and run ExPVR on your pc.

- Click Tools -> Format

- Select the 2TB drive and click next. (the drive will only be visible if its has no partitions allocated).

- Select the model of your skybox from the list (eg DRX890)

- Click next and your drive will be FORMATTED

- Click Finish, turn off your pc, disconnect the 2TB drive place it in the Skybox in place of the original.

- Turn on the skybox, wait 1-2mins while it initialises and you now have space for around 400hours of HD.

 

[Anonymous]

Or.............

Sod that and just upgrade to a 2TB box

 

[Dave_]

Its beneficial to fit a larger HDD in an existing box, rather than 'upgrade'.

It's cheaper, you dont get tied into a contract and you can re-purpose the old drive, for 30 mins tops of your time its a no brainer...

 

[Anonymous]

I upgraded for nothing, getting a free 2TB box from Sky. I'm in a contract already.

For zero minutes of my time, it was a no brainer 😛

 

[BIGBERNARDBRESSLAW]

2TB HD Upgrade

I looked into this a while back but my skybox (DRX-890) would only support a max size of 1TB if the skybox formatted the drive - so 1TB would end up unused.. It was also difficult to copy recordings off the old hard drive because COPY+ did not support the DARWIN firmware on the newer skyboxes.

Anyway now there is a tool than can do all this for you - ExPVR.

http://www.ph-mb.com/products/ExPVR/about

If you want to copy your existing recordings over from your old box you have to buy the full version (£15), but if you just want to install a new larger drive the trial version will suffice.

This is the procedure for just installing a new 2TB drive.

- Connect your new 2TB drive to a free sata port on your windows pc.

- Download and run ExPVR on your pc.

- Click Tools -> Format

- Select the 2TB drive and click next. (the drive will only be visible if its has no partitions allocated).

- Select the model of your skybox from the list (eg DRX890)

- Click next and your drive will be FORMATTED

- Click Finish, turn off your pc, disconnect the 2TB drive place it in the Skybox in place of the original.

- Turn on the skybox, wait 1-2mins while it initialises and you now have space for around 400hours of HD.

You make it sound so easy,but I'm not sure I'd have the confidence to do it.

If I did decide to do it, is there a particular make/model hard drive that would be best to use?

 

[AnotherJoe]

You make it sound so easy,but I'm not sure I'd have the confidence to do it.

If I did decide to do it, is there a particular make/model hard drive that would be best to use?

Nope, any 2TB 3.5'' sata drive will work - I use a 2TB Seagate Barracuda but only because I had a spare one lying around.

Search the internet for a guide with photos showing how to take apart your model model of skybox (Its generally only about 6 screws, and unclipping a couple of ribbon connectors). The model number will be on the back somewhere.

 

[Dave_]

Nope, any 2TB 3.5'' sata drive will work - I use a 2TB Seagate Barracuda but only because I had a spare one lying around.

You can use any drive, but it isn't advisable, you risk PSU failure.

Ideally you want an AV/CE drive which draw less power, produce less heat and run f/w that is optimised for use in PVRs (they don't do all the error checking PC drives do etc)

The WD AV-GP drives are popular...

 

[AnotherJoe]

You can use any drive, but it isn't advisable, you risk PSU failure. ..

The extra 2-3 watts of a desktop HD isnt going to blow your psu. If you have a spare lying around theres no reason not to use it.

 

[michael hoy]

This is one guide to replacing a HD