Problem:

Solution:

Problem:

Solution:

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Solution:

• Step 1: Configure your PC such that your CD-ROM drive is connected as the primary slave device. You may need to adjust a jumper on the rear of the CD-ROM; many CD-ROM drives have the jumper set for cable-select (CS) and you can simply move the jumper to the slave position (SL) to ensure it is configured properly. To ensure the CD-ROM is connected as the primary IDE device, use the IDE cable connected to your PC's C drive; this is typically connected to the primary IDE interface in your PC. If you have more than one CD/DVD device in your system, please disconnect all but one of them. We recommend you disconnect your PC's primary hard drive (and any other hard drives that are installed in your PC) to ensure they are not accidentally overwritten by the InstantCake software.

• Step 2: Configure your PC's system BIOS so that you can boot from CD-ROM, and ensure your CD-ROM is installed as the primary slave on your PC.

• Step 3: Configure and connect one or two new drives destined for your TiVo on the PC's secondary IDE interface. You will need to refer to the manufacturer's guidelines for master and slave settings for your hard drives' jumpers. Do not use the cable-select jumper settings for your new drive(s); it is important to know which drive is the master and which drive (if you are building a dual-drive kit for your TiVo) is the slave to ensure they are properly installed in your TiVo.

• Step 4: Apply power, and boot the InstantCake CD. The CD will auto-boot and prompt you with a few questions before building your kit.

• Step 5: Please take note of all messages, warnings and instructions which may be displayed when the InstantCake program is done running. Knowing these important details may make a difference, especially if you need additional support.

• Step 6: Install your new drives in your TiVo; you can use our hardware installation instructions as a reference.

Links to Release Notes with Version Specific Information (under construction)

InstantCake for Series1 Standalone Units

InstantCake for Series2 Standalone Units

InstantCake for Series1 DirecTV units

InstantCake for Series2 DirecTV units

InstantCake for the HR10-250 HDTV TiVo

InstantCake for Series3 Standalone Units 

TiVo Models Supported

Philips PTV100, PTV300, HDR110, HDR112, HDR212, HDR312, HDR31201, HDR31202, HDR31203, HDR31204, HDR612
Sony SVR-2000

Software Revision Information 

InstantCake for ALL Series1 standalone models contains version 3.0 of the TiVo operating environment.  TiVo announced end-of-life (EOL) for this product over five years ago, so this is not expected to change. 

TiVoWebPlus Edition

InstantCake TWP Editition for your Series1 unit includes LBA48 support, large swap, and has been tested to run on drives as large as 750GB. This special version of InstantCake will build the equivalent of our TiVoWebPlus replacement drive kits featuring TiVoWebPlus 2.0 -- this means you can purchase a TurboNet or CacheCard separately and install it in your unit, connect it to your home network, and access it via any PC/MAC browser for remote scheduling and management. You can even use our popular, and free GoToMyDVR service to access your unit automatically. Your upgraded system will also be configured with telnet/ftp; if you are inclined, you can install additional modifications, as well!

Product Specific Notes

InstantCake for your Series1 standalone units includes LBA48 support, large swap, and has been tested to run on drives as large as 750GB. InstantCake will build the equivalent of DVRupgrade NetReady replacement drive kits; these are drives with TurboNet and CacheCard drivers installed, as well as bash serial access enabled. You can purchase a TurboNet or CacheCard separately and do the software configuration yourself without reinstalling the drive in a PC. More information regarding NetReady can be found here. Note that if you are using an external modem plugged into your serial port, you may need to disable BASH access to prevent conflicts.  We recommend the use of TurboNet cards instead of external modems.  Also note that InstantCake does not support TiVoNet adapters; only TurboNet and CacheCard adapters.

Drive Sizes

Drives must be larger than the original drives in your unit to accommodate larger swap size. We recommend you keep your original drive as a backup and use a replacement drive that is significantly larger. We do not recommend attempting to build any kits larger than the ones we provide. To see largest kits available you can go to our web site and select your TiVo make/model to view drive sizes used when building kits.

Additional Information

Please consult the InstantCake Instructions for proper use of this product and consult the Official InstantCake discussion thread on our forums if you need additional assistance. 

Remember, DVRupgrade does not provide direct support for the use of DIY software utilities! 

TiVo Models Supported

Philips DSR6000, DSR6000R, DSR6000R1
Sony SAT-T60
Hughes GXCEBOT, GXCEBOTD

Product Specific Notes

2/1/08

TiVoWebPlus Edition Now Available

InstantCake TWP Editition for your Series1 unit includes LBA48 support, large swap, and has been tested to run on drives as large as 750GB. This special version of InstantCake will build the equivalent of our TiVoWebPlus replacement drive kits featuring TiVoWebPlus 2.0 -- this means you can purchase a TurboNet or CacheCard separately and install it in your unit, connect it to your home network, and access it via any PC/MAC browser for remote scheduling and management. You can even use our popular, and free GoToMyDVR service to access your unit automatically. Your upgraded system will also be configured with telnet/ftp; if you are inclined, you can install additional modifications, as well!

 
9/07/07

As of this date, InstantCake for these models will install and configure version 3.5c.  As a courtesy, all orders placed in the current shopping cart at www.dvrupgrade.com have been updated to the latest version.  If you've already reached your download limit you will need to repurchase the software.

3/19/07

As of this date, InstantCake for these models will install and configure version 3.5b containing changes to support DST.  As a courtesy, all orders placed in the current shopping cart at www.dvrupgrade.com have been updated to the latest version.  If you've already reached your download limit you will need to repurchase the software.

Important Note

If your unit is configured with a drive larger than 137GB, your software has been modified with a special "kernel" that allows the TiVo operating  system to recognize all of the capacity of these larger drives.  As a result, any updates to the DirecTV software on your unit, could cause problems.  With this in mind, we've configured your unit so it will attempt to not automatically receive updates from DirecTV WITHOUT your knowledge.  In order to do this, we've configured the system to "think" its making its daily call to DirecTV even though it is not doing it.  In addition, we've adjusted your phone dialing prefix and call waiting prefix with the *# characters, just to prevent your unit from accidentally dialing.  Naturally, you can still connect a phone line, and if you'd like to have your unit dial out you can do it at any time by editing those characters.  BUT WE RECOMMEND YOU JUST LEAVE YOUR PHONE LINE DISCONNECTED and with that in mind, we suggest you just leave things be and if you have problems with pay per view events, you can still order them from the DirecTV web site, or just by calling 1-800-DIRECTV. 

Again, there is no reason you can't use your unit as you normally do, however we've made these minor changes to give you the option of resisting a future software update without your knowledge.  We don't know whether or when DirecTV will release any additional updates, however the chances are that running with your current version is fine for the foreseeable future.

5/14/06

This product has been updated for units which have received the 3.5.0 software update from DirecTV. It includes current TurboNet and CacheCard drivers as well as updated LBA48 support. If you have a version of InstantCake dated prior to 5/14/06 and would like to upgrade, you will need to purchase a new copy of the software.

InstantCake for your Series1 DirecTiVo unit includes LBA48 support, large swap, and has been tested to run on drives as large as 500GB. InstantCake will build the equivalent of DVRupgrade NetReady replacement drive kits; these are drives with TurboNet and CacheCard drivers installed, as well as bash serial access enabled. You can purchase a TurboNet or CacheCard separately and do the software configuration yourself without reinstalling the drive in a PC. More information regarding NetReady can be found here. Note that if you are using an external modem plugged into your serial port, you may need to disable BASH access to prevent conflicts. We recommend the use of TurboNet cards instead of external modems. Also note that InstantCake does not support TiVoNet adapters; only TurboNet and CacheCard adapters.

Drive Sizes

Drives must be larger than the original drives in your unit to accommodate larger swap size. We recommend you keep your original drive as a backup and use a replacement drive that is significantly larger. We do not recommend attempting to build any kits larger than the ones we provide. To see largest kits available you can go to our web site and select your TiVo make/model to view drive sizes used when building kits. We recommend the use of single drive in these units, vs dual drives. We feel that age of these units combined with the fact that single drive units are ALWAYS more reliable than dual drive units is a good enough reason to stick with a single, large drive.

Additional Information

Please consult the InstantCake Instructions for proper use of this product and consult the Official InstantCake discussion thread at DVRplayground if you need additional assistance. Remember, DVRupgrade does not provide direct support for the use of DIY software utilities!

TiVo Models Supported [software revision info]

Effective May 15th, 2009:

TiVo TCD130040 [9.3-01-2-130]

TiVo TCD140060 [9.3-01-2-140]

TiVo TCD230040 [9.3-01-2-130]

TiVo TCD240040, TCD24004A, TCD240080, TCD24008A, TCD240140 [9.3.2a-01-2-140]

TiVo TCD540040, TCD540080, TCD540140 [9.3.2b-01-2-540]

TiVo TCD649080, TCD649180 [9.3.2-01-2-649] 

HUMAX T800, T2500 [9.3-01-2-590]

Sony SVR-3000 [9.3.2-01-2-110]

Special Note: As of 5/15/2009 we have made a modification to the TCD540 version of InstantCake. Previous versions, over the past three years, have allowed the use of drives smaller than the original TiVo drive (40GB) and were also optimized for a smaller/faster download from our servers.  Due to some problems a small number of folks are having with a recent update from TiVo and a possible database corruption issue, we are making a change to our version of InstantCake in the case that it happens to be something with our specially prepared image that is causing the problem.  At this stage, we are uncertain of the origins of the problem, and whether only InstantCake users are affected.  As a result, we are going back to the 'old way' of preparing the image and expect there to be no problems moving forward.  The download is significantly larger, and does require the use of drives greater than 40GB (see notes below).

Product Specific Notes

InstantCake for your Series2 standalone unit builds the equivalent of our standard replacement drive kits for your unit. Unlike earlier versions, all current versions of InstantCake for Series2 standalone units do contain LBA48 support (see drive size information below). This product does not contain any modifications for your unit, other than capacity expansion.

Drive Sizes

InstantCake no longer requires the use of drives larger than the original, except for the TCD649 (dual-tuner standalone TiVo) and TCD540 versions where drives must be larger than the original drives in your unit to accommodate larger swap size; in the case of the TCD540 version, the drive must be larger than 40GB. We recommend you keep your original drive as a backup and use a replacement drive that is significantly larger. We do not recommend attempting to build any kits larger than the ones we provide. To see largest kits available you can go to our web site and select your TiVo make/model to view drive sizes used when building kits; 750GB and 1TB drives (with the appropriate PATA/SATA adapter) will work fine.

Special Instructions

Other than for the TCD649 units, this product uses InstantCake2 technology which allows user to enter an 'advanced' mode to specify IDE device connectivity beyond the defaults. You should be able to use this product with PC's with only one IDE device, however we recommend you follow the basic product requirements and instructions to ensure success.

Additional Information

Please consult the InstantCake Instructions for proper use of this product and consult the Official InstantCake discussion thread on our forums if you need additional assistance.

Remember, DVRupgrade does not provide direct support for the use of DIY software utilities!

TiVo Models Supported [software revision info]

Effective Jan 14th, 2009:

Product Specific Notes

InstantCake for your Series2 standalone unit with DVD builds the equivalent of our standard replacement drive kits for your unit. This product does not contain any modifications for your unit, other than capacity expansion.

Drive Sizes

This product uses InstantCake2 technology which allows use of virtually any drive. We do not recommend use of this product on drives smaller than what was originally in your unit, however smaller drives will work. We have not test this product on drives as large as 1TB (750GB PATA drives and 1TB drives with an IDE-SATA adapter, available on our site).

Special Instructions

This product uses InstantCake2 technology which allows user to enter an 'advanced' mode to specify IDE device connectivity beyond the defaults. You should be able to use this product with PC's with only one IDE device, however we recommend you follow the basic product requirements and instructions to ensure success.

Additional Information

Please consult the InstantCake Instructions for proper use of this product and consult the Official InstantCake discussion thread on our forums if you need additional assistance. Remember, DVRupgrade does not provide direct support for the use of DIY software utilities but we do monitor our forums!

TiVo Models Supported

Standard Definition Units

Hughes HDVR2, HDVR3, SD-DVR40, SD-DVR80, SD-DVR120
Philips DSR7000, DSR704, DSR708
RCA DVR39, DVR40, DVR80, DVR120
Samsung SIR-S4040R, SIR-S4080R, SIR-S4120R

DirecTV R10

High Definition Units

Hughes/DirecTV HR10-250

Important Note for PTVnet DIY CD users: To use InstantCake in conjunction with the PTVnet DIY CD, you MUST boot with the PTVnet DIY CD FIRST.

Software Revision Information

As of September 22nd, 2008, InstantCake for all Series2 Standard Definition DirecTiVo models (listed above) is available with 6.4a and 6.2a of the operating environment.  Please see forum discussions on our site and at tivocommunity.com for details on which version may be best for you.

As of June 24th, 2008, InstantCake for the HR10-250 has been updated to version 6.4a of the system software; a new version of PTVnet has been released to correspond with it, as well. 

As of February 8th, 2008, InstantCake for the HR10-250 has been updated to version 6.3f of the system software.  Versions of PTVnet purchased prior to February 8th, will NOT work with version 6.3f of InstantCake, a new version of PTVnet must be purchased or downloaded, as discussed here. 

As of March 5th, 2007 all standard-definition units will have version 6.2a installed except for the R10 which is version 6.1.  These units will update to the latest version available within a few days of making the daily phone call.

3.1.5f and 6.3e versions are available for the HR10-250 units and can be selected at the time of purchase.

As of August 25th, 2007, InstantCake for the HR10-250 has been updated to 6.3e.  All orders in our system for any version of 6.3 (a, b, c or d) have been updated to 6.3e.  If you have any unexpired download attempts remaining, you can download the most current version from our site, otherwise, let your unit update itself organically, or you can purchase the latest version if you prefer to start fresh.

Product Specific Notes

InstantCake for your Series2 DirecTV units builds the equivalent of our standard replacement drive kits for your unit. All versions of this product currently contain LBA48-support which means use of single drives greater than 137GB is not a problem. This product does not contain any modifications for your unit, other than capacity expansion. If you are looking for the ability to network your Series2 DirecTV unit, please consider our PTVnet replacement drive kits or PTVnet DIY software.

Drive Sizes

6.2a and 6.4a - Series2 DirecTV DVR Systems standard-definition (updated 9/22/2008)

Supports as many as two drives, each as large as 750GB (2x750GB maximum)

Effective 12/1/2006

This product uses InstantCake2 technology which allows use of virtually any drive. We do not recommend use of this product on drives smaller than what was originally in your unit, however smaller drives will work. We have not tested this product on drives larger than 500GB, however it is possible that larger drives may be accommodated.

IRD Model and Software Revision Information

Version 6.2a InstantCake users may see incorrect IRD Model information in the System Information screen. This correct way to verify that you are running the proper software is to proceed to your System Information screen and verify that the LAST 3 DIGITS OF THE SOFTWARE VERSION should match the FIRST 3 DIGITS OF YOUR SERVICE NUMBER (this should also match the first three digits of the service number on the back of your unit). If these numbers do not match, then you are running the WRONG software on your unit and you could create problems for TiVo, DirecTV and the upgrade community if your unit connects to TiVo's servers! As for the IRD name listed, please ignore the erroneous information.

Version 6.4a InstantCake users may see incorrect IRD Model information in the System Information screen.  More info to follow.

3.1.5 - HR10-250 (pre 7/24/2005) high-definition

Maximum primary drive size is 250GB, and the maximum secondary drive size is 400GB.

3.1.5f - HR10-250 (post 7/24/2005) high-definition

Supports as many as two drives, each as large as 750GB (2x750GB maximum)

Effective 12/1/2006

This product uses InstantCake2 technology which allows use of virtually any drive. We do not recommend use of this product on drives smaller than what was originally in your unit, however smaller drives will work. We have not tested this product on drives larger than 500GB,however it is possible that larger drives may be accommodated.

6.3b, c, d, etc. - HR10-250 high-definition 

Supports as many as two drives, each as large as 750GB (2x750GB maximum)

Effective 12/1/2006

This product uses InstantCake2 technology which allows use of virtually any drive. We do not recommend use of this product on drives smaller than what was originally in your unit, however smaller drives will work. We have not tested this product on drives larger than 500GB,however it is possible that larger drives may be accommodated.

 
Clear and Delete (pre 12/1/2006)

This is documented during the installation process, but just in case you miss it - don't forget to do a clear and delete everything after installing your new drive in your TiVo, followed by guided setup. If you skip the clear and delete everything you will have problems recording programming. Some versions of the software do NOT require a clear and delete everything - if you do not see a message at the end of your installation indicating it is necessary, you do not need to do one. If you receive a 'hardware error' or an "error 51" after booting your drive in your TiVo, then you probably need to do a clear and delete everything. Note: If you are using PTVnet, you should not need to do a clear and delete everything; if you are receiving a "hardware error" then you may not have installed/configured PTVnet properly.

Local Channels

After completing guided setup your local channels will not be available immediately -- please be patient, it can take anywhere from 24-48 hours for local channels to be visible in your channel line-up after completing your guided setup. Or, if you want them right away, you can log into your DIRECTV account and refresh your services using this link.

HR10-250 3.1.5f Special Slicer Edition
This special edition version of InstantCake will work the same as the standard edition of InstantCake. It will install 3.1.5f in a normal environment and if your unit is eligible for the 6.3 upgrade from DirecTV it will eventually update itself over time. Naturally, the special edition can also be used in conjunction with PTVnet for your HR10-250, as well.  The 3.1.5f special edition contains slices for 6.3a and 6.3b versions of the TiVo operating environment.

The extra benefit fo the special edition is that when it is used along with PTVnet, your networked TiVo can now be manually upgraded to 6.3a or 6.3b or later versions in conjunction with The Slicer. The Slicer is easily installed on your networked unit using FTP, and is invoked using TELNET. The Slicer will manually install 6.3a and also preserve your basic network connectivity, so that you can update your unit to 6.3a without pulling your drive, and without losing basic connectivity. You can then remotely log in to reinstall any other modifications and/or tune the modifications that have been preserved.

The other benefit is that if 6.3 does not work well for you (many people have complained about 6.3 not working well in their environments, and it appears to be somewhat random), you can easily rebuild your drives to run 3.1.5f, and keep your unit 'frozen' at that version, knowing you have the latest stable software.

The Slicer is intended to be a technical tool for intermediate users - if you don't understand what you are currently reading, then you probably don't need it! But for those who see the benefits, we encourage you to try it out, you may like it.

Screenshots 

Here is a link to some screen shots of InstantCakeHD 6.3 in action. 

I have deleted or lost my DIY download product or DIY CD.  Can I download it again or have you ship me another copy?

Unfortunately, no.  DIY products fall under your responsibility and therefore we can't help with lost or misplaced items.  If you have recently purchased an item from our cart and have your login email, login and see if you have an available download left.  If you do, you can go ahead and download it again. If you don't, then you will have to purchase another copy as we only re-generate downloads for those who are having trouble initially getting a good download, not for those who need help replacing their lost items or for those who just want to download as many times as they can.

If you had placed a download order with us prior to Nov 20th 2006 from www.ptvupgrade.com your order is no longer in our system.  You will have to purchase a new copy from www.dvrupgrade.com

After Nov 20th 2006 our cart changed over and is currently our only DIY cart.  If you have received your order confirmation for you DIY product, just follow the instructions at the bottom of the email where it says Log In.  Your user name and password is something you setup yourself so please make sure you remember that.  If you do not, you can request a re-set password but the system is completely automated and we have no control over it.

If you have previously purchased a DIY CD from us and have misplaced it, you will have to purchase another copy as we only ship out 1 copy per order. 

Problem:

I can not burn my downloadable item.  Can you send me a CD version instead?

Solution:
 

Sorry, we can not.  We do ask that you have a full understanding of how to burn ISO images before you complete checkout.  Please use the forum links in the auto response email that you received when you opened up the ticket for additional help.  If you have not received this email, please check your spam folders.

If you must have a CD version of the product you will have to order it separately. 

Some Helpful Pointers: 

• If you are able to extract the iso from the zip file, then your download item is complete.  If you are not, then you can try re-downloading again. If you have exceeded your download attempts, we will re-enable them as a one time courtesy, however if you have lost or misplaced your DIY product and need the links regenerated, we will not allow a regeneration.  Download regenerations are only for those who are having trouble initially getting a good download.
• Make sure you are burning the iso as an image and not trying to extract the contents of the ISO and trying to burn them.  The ISO is a complete, bootable image that just needs to be written as a bootable image.
• It has been reported that if you are using Nero Express you will not be able to burn an ISO image so make sure if you do not have the Nero FULL Version installed you can download their free trial version. http://www.nero.com
  
• Try burning at a slower speed or try a different media or a combination of both.