How do I replace internal hard drive

Once removed, plugged it into my Win 10 PC, downloaded Partition Manager 17 (Freeware) and extended the partition to the full 1.8TB capacity. Returned it to the Humax and now works a treat. I took the precaution of removing the encryption and copying to an external drive before proceeding. I specialise in computer disaster recovery, so I couldn't do it any other way, really :).
Just a simple (novice Q)
I understood you can put a new HDD into PVR (running CF) and it takes care of all formatting & setup.
Why the need to change partition .... keen to know
 
Just a simple (novice Q)
I understood you can put a new HDD into PVR (running CF) and it takes care of all formatting & setup.
Why the need to change partition .... keen to know

Because the OP wanted to put in a larger Hard Drive and retain all his existing recordings. The larger HDD has the space for a larger video partition. He created an image of the old hard drive. Installed the image on the new HDD and increased the size of the Video partition to the maximum to use up all the disk space

He would have used free software like Macrium reflect


I did the same to install a larger PC SSD C: boot drive in my Win 10 laptop
 
The partition can be tuned as well, although not strictly necessary, which is what I think prpr was referring to:
The simplest way to do this is to let the Humax partition and format. Then go in to Maintenance mode and re-format the partitions as per the guide.
 
I purchased one from eBuyer but there are plenty of other sources. There was one listed earlier in this or in the upgrade section. I just purchased that one as it was designed for this type of work.
 
Have a look on Amazon for 2TB hard drives, SATA interface suitable for video, ideally PVR. Sorry, I can't post links.
 
Been there, done that GLT. Sargen has a few threads on the go about HDDs for T2s.
But that's the one I have fitted in my T2 and that's the one I would go for if it needed replacement.
But as per usual on 't web, when you ask a question, you get a whole bunch of conflicting answers, it's hard to sort out the wheat from the chaff.
 
But that's the one I have fitted in my T2 and that's the one I would go for if it needed replacement.
The problem is that you can't buy them new otherwise the discussion about hard drives wouldn't have arisen. The drive in the link posted by Graham Thompson is I would suggest too cheap; I suspect (without any direct evidence other than some of the Amazon reviews) is that it is "reconditioned". Might be OK, might not. If I had to buy a PVR drive I would probably have a punt at a Seagate Skyhawk https://smile.amazon.co.uk/Seagate-SkyHawk-Internal-Surveillance-Systems/dp/B07H2F3744/ which is sold by Amazon themselves rather than a seller on Amazon Marketplace.
 
The problem is that you can't buy them new otherwise the discussion about hard drives wouldn't have arisen. The drive in the link posted by Graham Thompson is I would suggest too cheap; I suspect (without any direct evidence other than some of the Amazon reviews) is that it is "reconditioned". Might be OK, might not. If I had to buy a PVR drive I would probably have a punt at a Seagate Skyhawk which is sold by Amazon themselves rather than a seller on Amazon Marketplace.
Martin - thanks for the suggestion, but your earlier post in this thread (in 2016) said "Surveillance drives aren't usually recommended for PVR applications". Do you know if anyone has confirmed the SkyHawk drive works, or would I be taking a big chance on this?
 
Martin - thanks for the suggestion, but your earlier post in this thread (in 2016) said "Surveillance drives aren't usually recommended for PVR applications". Do you know if anyone has confirmed the SkyHawk drive works, or would I be taking a big chance on this?
The availability of PVR specific drives has declined markedly since 2016. Various members of this forum have fitted Skyhawks and I haven't seen any reports of problems but they are a fairly new model so there is no long term data. Interestingly the Seagate web site now mentions DVR (aka PVR) usage for the Skyhawk. If I was in the market for a PVR drive then a Skyhawk is the drive I would buy at the moment.
 
I purchased the Seagate drive from Amazon last May. It has given good service since then. They are still for sale at Amazon (just checked). Unfortunately I cannot post links. Perhaps someone would oblige?
 
I purchased the Seagate drive from Amazon last May. It has given good service since then. They are still for sale at Amazon (just checked). Unfortunately I cannot post links. Perhaps someone would oblige?
My suspicion is that the Seagate ST20000VM03 drives being sold on Amazon marketplace as new are in fact reconditioned drives with the SMART data wiped. Some will be fine but there have been a significant number of problems reported here; caveat emptor.
 
I purchased the Seagate drive from Amazon last May. It has given good service since then. They are still for sale at Amazon (just checked). Unfortunately I cannot post links. Perhaps someone would oblige?
There is a thread which has been adopted specifically for centralising this kind of information: HDR-FOX HDD Replacement.

"Seagate" is ambiguous, because the current Seagate offering is the SkyHawk. Presuming you mean the OEM-fitted Pipeline series:
Choosing a Replacement Drive

The OEM (original equipment manufacture) drive was the Seagate Pipeline. At the time of writing (end of 2020), these are now only available as remnant stock. New old-stock does turn up, but unscrupulous sellers have cottoned onto the idea that the Pipelines are in demand (as like-for-like replacements; they were commonly used in PVRs including Sky boxes) and are hawking second hand units as "new" on the likes of Amazon Marketplace and eBay. They are gambling on the buyer not being sophisticated enough to check the SMART stats (which includes a log of the time a drive has been powered up for - a factory-fresh drive should be close to zero), or (worse) could have wiped the SMART stats before dispatch. That's fraudulent, like "clocking" a car to conceal its true mileage.
 
Back
Top