Installation guide

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The information here is presented as-is. Technical support beyond the information presented is not available here. Technical
support from other ReplayTV users is available at Planet Replay.
If you believe something is missing from this site, or that something needs changing, then you can contact me here. I will not
provide technical support on an individual basis.
• Drive Compatibility
Short version - I have personally tested and used the Maxtor QuickView (300 GB - 5A300J0) and Seagate DB35 (500 GB -
ST3500841ACE) lines of drives in my ReplayTVs. Both of these lines are intended to be used in DVRs and should work fine in
any ReplayTV. I have also tested and used Western Digital (300 GB - WD3000JB) drives with no problems. (The Maxtor
QuickViews are 5400 RPM, while the other two brands are 7200 RPM drives.) Drives you should avoid include the Maxtor
Diamondmax 10 line, Seagate 7200.9 and 7200.10 lines, Hitachi 400 GB, and all Samsung drives. These drives will not work
reliably in a 5XXX series ReplayTV.
Long version - ReplayTVs and ShowStoppers have an IDE/ATA controller. (Also referred to as Parallel ATA.) Serial ATA drives
will not work, since they have the wrong drive interface to use in a ReplayTV or ShowStopper. Many IDE/ATA drives will work,
with the exceptions noted below. Note, however, that newer firmware in some previously compatible lines of drives may
make newer drives incompatible with ReplayTVs.
Most ReplayTVs come with 5400 RPM, 2 MB cache Maxtor drives. Those types of drives are plenty fast for DVR use, although
some people report the user interface operates a little faster with 7200 RPM drives. Please note that 7200 RPM drives
generally produce more heat than 5400 RPM drives, so when using a 7200 RPM drive in a pre-40XX series ReplayTV, you should
seriously consider adding a fan of some kind (40XX series ReplayTVs and later already have a fan). With the exception of the
drives noted in the next few paragraphs, any 5400 or 7200 RPM with any size cache should work fine in a ReplayTV. (Pre-40XX
series ReplayTVs will use no more than 137 GB of a drive, regardless of the actual drive size, due to limitations of the
controller.)
Most Samsung hard drives and the Hitachi 400 GB drive will not boot in a 5XXX series ReplayTV. This is due to some
incompatibility between these drives and the controller. (At one point, no Samsung drive would boot in a 5XXX series
ReplayTV, but there has been at least one report of a Samsung booting in a 5040. It's possible Samsung has changed the
firmware and that some Samsung drives will now work in a 5XXX ReplayTV: YMMV).
There have also been some problems reported with the Maxtor DiamondMax 10 line of drives. Early reports indicated problems
with the 16 MB cache versions, but there's also been at least one report of problems with the 8 MB cache version.
These drives will boot, but there have been reports of stuttering, sluggishness or other problems. Although a few other users
have also reported no problems with the Diamondmax 10 line of drives. Beware of any site selling pre-loaded upgrade drives
that's still selling Diamondmax 10s for use in ReplayTVs. There have been enough reports of problems that the risk of getting a
flaky drive just isn't worth it.
Newer Seagate drives may also prove to be problematic in 5XXX series ReplayTVs, specifically the Seagate 7200.9 line of drives
(these have 16 MB cache, see this thread) and the 7200.10 line of drives. Seagate 7200.8 drives have had no reported
problems in ReplayTVs (the 7200.8 series can have either 8 MB or 16 MB cache). Though recently, even boxes that are labeled
as 7200.8 drives may likely contain 7200.9 drives that will be incompatible with ReplayTVs.
Keep in mind that just because a drive boots in a ReplayTV does not necessarily mean it is completely compatible. Like the
Maxtor Diamondmax 10 line, newer drives may boot fine, but may cause problems after days or weeks in operation.
To take the incompatibility of some types of drives a step further - it would appear that the incompatibility of some drives is
likely tied to newer firmware versions. As the drive makers extend firmware changes into other models or lines of drives, you
may encounter drives other than those listed here specifically that will not boot in a ReplayTV. This may particularly apply to
drives from Hitachi, Samsung, Maxtor and/or Seagate.
Summary:
-Most Samsung hard drives and the Hitachi 400 GB will not boot in a 5XXX series ReplayTV
-Many problems reported with Maxtor Diamondmax 10 drives in ReplayTVs
-The Seagate 7200.9 and 7200.10 line of drives may have problems in 5XXX series ReplayTVs
-Other drives from those same drive manufacturers may or may not work in a ReplayTV