SKY HD box hdd upgrade

danwood6

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My HD box is getting on a bit now. It has become massively noisy, even when in standby. Having upgraded to multi-room and moved this box to my bedroom I can't stand it anymore.

So my question is should I just buy a new one, or as the noise comes from the hdd. Can this be upgraded to a larger memory and would this help me to get some sleep. Anyone's advice with any experience of this would be gratefully received. If it works I think I'll get the new box done at the same time, although it is quieter than a church mouse.

Cheers guys...
 

Tonya

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Hi there!
The only two moving parts in a Sky HD box are the fans and the HD itself, all of which are relatively simple to replace, although the process maybe not for the faint hearted.
The fans are on small plugs so they are easy, providing you can source the correct replacements.
The HD is also fairly straightforward but a bit fiddly.

First thing is to get the special screwdriver needed to open the box, which is available at most electronic stores.
Without going into too much detail, remove the power cable and open the Sky box and locate the HDD which is situated in a plastic frame.
CAREFULLY remove the connections, including the ribbon cable (remember to pull the neck of the connector down first to unlock the cable) and lift the plastic frame out.

Remove the old HDD (it's held in by small screws) and replace it with a nice new 750 Gbyte model from Seagate, Western Digital or Samsung, they all work fine.
Just be aware that the Sky HD uses a SATA drive, not the IDE type!

Reconnect the cables and replace the frame in the box, not forgetting to cover the drive with the small accoustic blanket.

Replace the top of the Sky box and plug in.
Total time taken so far, around 15 minutes . . . .

Now the box will see the new drive and automatically format it to be ready.
This can take several minutes depending on the size of the new drive.
Go have a cup of tea and relax.
I usually wait a good 20 mins before powering up the box again, and that's it.
You won't see all of the 750 Gbyte capacity of course, as sky Anytime will reserve it's portion, but you will get tons more space, and it will be practically noiseless.

If it's still not quiet, then replace the fans as they do get dry bearings eventually and will start causing a racket before they fail completely.

There are several sites on the Net which have a step by step guide with pictures detailing how you do this, if you haven't done it before.
 

simonlewis

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Can i also mention that if you have a lot dust in the machine & round the fans, you can buy a can of compressed air from maplin to give everything including your fans a good clean.
 

Wightknight

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If you would like some pictures to go with Tonya's explanation, try http://www.skyuser.co.uk/tutorials/thomson_hd_box_how_to_change_the_hard_drive.html

I am assuming you have a Thomson box, but if not, there are descriptions for the other makes on the Sky User site.
 
A

Anonymous

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does the HD box add all the epg and software automatically once you power back up the box?
 

Tonya

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.... does the HD box add . . . . .

Yes it does.
After you have powered up with the new drive, it takes several minutes of activity, but then it's good to go. You don't have to worry about formatting or anything like that. The operating system is already contained in the hardware. The EPG will appear as usual after you turn it on at the end of the installation.
Again, don't panic as it can take up to 20 minutes of what appears to be nothing happening before it's finished doing it's own housecleaning before the box can be turned on again.

May I just add the same procedure also applies to the standard Sky boxes as well.
 

Wightknight

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If you want to copy all of your recorded programs to the new drive, you can do it using Copy+ (see http://www.skycopyplus.co.uk/)

This software also helps with formatting large drives.
 
A

Anonymous

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any one replaced the fans to larger ones to quieten the box down?
 

D.J.KRIME

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I replaced my 300gb to a 1TB one and it really is quite easy to do and personally I find it much quiter in operation now
emotion-2.gif
 
A

Anonymous

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just fitted a wd green 500gb drive ,quiet and only 45 quid from ebuyer.

replace due to old 300gb drive not playing or recording.

tested tonight all ok

thomson 4007 box 14mths old!!
 

Tonya

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Wherever possible, I fit Samsung SpinPoint drives when upgrading Sky PVRs.
They are almost totally silent, run relatively cool and I haven't had one die on me yet . . . .
 

Wightknight

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Tonya:Wherever possible, I fit Samsung SpinPoint drives when upgrading Sky PVRs.
They are almost totally silent, run relatively cool and I haven't had one die on me yet . . . .

How many of these have you used?

I have a 1TB Samsung Spinpoint installed on my PC and I am really pleased with it, but I have heard - on other fora - of people having problems with the Spinpoints in Sky+ HD boxes.

I will be pleased if you can heartily recommend them.
 

Tonya

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Only about 12 or so, but WD and Seagate are also fine.

In fact the very last mod I did was a Seagate 750Gb as the supplier was out of stock of the Samsung and I found that drive perfectly acceptable.
The reason I prefer the Samsung SpinPoint is that I think they are the quietest of the bunch and I have had a quartet of them running 24/7 in a server for 2 years now without a hitch.
My own personal Sky+ box had a SpinPoint dropped in it when it was new, years ago.
It's used every day and I have yet to see a problem with it.

Then again, I have yet to see a problem with the Sony 52W4500 series LCD.
My view is that any product that survives the first week or so without problems usually lasts a long time. If there is a critical manufacturing flaw, it usually shows up pretty early on. Any manufacturer can output a bad batch from time to time.

The only HD that I would warn against in ANY senario, be it Sky, PC, laptop, etc, would be the IBM drives that are made in Thailand. For some reason they tend to rattle themselves to death at an early age due to a design defect with the bearing mechanism.
 

Tonya

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The operating system is not held on the hard drive unit itself, but rather in the internal memory of the box. Ergo, when you change out the drive for a new one, your card will still be activated and your EPG will remain unchanged, however you will of course lose any recordings you have made unless you have backed them up using software described elsewhere in this forum, and of course you will have to enter the personal stuff like series links again.
 

Cofnchtr

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Hi,

Used guide and instructions/pictures as described above - now plugged the box back in and put the kettle on....waiting nervously...will update soon(ish).

Thus far has taken me approximately 15 minutes.

Cheers,

Cofnchtr.
 

Cofnchtr

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Hi,

SKY picture has returned - quiet as a wee timorous beastie. Took almost 10 minutes for me to press the 'on' button again and it fired into life.

Just recording a show to make sure it records etc. Already re-entered planner info. Looking good. :)

Cheers,

Cofnchtr.
 

Tonya

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It'll be fine Cofnchtr, the first time you do a mod like this on anything it can a bit nerveracking but after you have a few under your belt, it's a piece of urine.
The length of time the Sky box takes before you can switch it on is usually proportionate to the size of disk you have installed.
Enjoy the new space, but remember if you have the Anytime facility, the reserved space needed is automatically subtracted from the drives total fee space, which is why you will notice some "missing" capacity.

This is normal, so don't panic!
 

Cofnchtr

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Hi Tonya,

I've built several PC's so was aware the formatting would make it look like a few MB would be missing - not sure if the 'Anytime' has returned to the system yet - not checked it recently.

I installed a Samsung 1TB drive £80 from local PC shop.

Thanks for 'holding my hand' through it.

Cheers,

Cofnchtr.
 

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