Lou Jacob
06-26-2007, 12:37 PM
Introduction
IF YOU FIND THESE INSTRUCTIONS USEFUL, PLEASE RATE THIS POST IN THE PANEL ABOVE AND TO THE RIGHT. THANKS!
Please note, we are in the process of revamping InstantCake for the Series3 and will be working on new instructions for that version. The underpinning of InstantCake for the Series3 is a new CD that we may eventually use for some older versions of InstantCake as well. It is not really more difficult to use, but does offer some additional options for use of SATA controllers, and we felt the documentation would be different enough that it warrants its own specific documentation. More to come, soon.
InstantCake is a custom DIY software tool designed to quickly and easily create a basic replacement drive kit from a standard off-the-shelf PC hard drive. InstantCake comes as a single CD (or as a downloadable ISO which can be easily burned to CD) for your specific TiVo Digital Video Recorder. The CD must be booted from your PC's CD-ROM drive, and it will ask you several simple questions about the upgrade you wish to perform. InstantCake will then create a replacement drive kit on one or two standard hard drives that must also be connected to your PC. Your original TiVo hard drive is not used or required for the upgrade and we recommend you keep it in a safe place and use it as a backup in case anything goes wrong with the new drives you've created.
The InstantCake family of products have been available since February, 2003. They are mature products used by many people on practically every TiVo system available, to date. We are confident that if you follow these instructions, read the associated release notes, and are relatively comfortable with your PC, you should have no problem using the product. With that in mind, we are not accountable for your technical abilities, PC in compatibilities, CD burner issues, etc. So if you are not up for a DIY project, please consider our kits and professional services if you are looking to save time and get a guarantee.
Requirements for using InstantCake
You will need an x86-based Personal Computer (PC), preferably with two IDE interfaces which can be accessed as the PRIMARY and SECONDARY devices, and a CD-ROM which you can use to boot our CD. You do not need to be running Windows XP or any specialized software, in fact, we recommend you disconnect your hard disk drive(s) to ensure their protection, as well as disable any SATA devices supported on your motherboard.
The InstantCake software boots and runs from a CD we supply you or can be burned if you've downloaded it as an ISO. You will need one or two blank hard drives which will be formatted for use in your TiVo.
We do not recommend you use your existing TiVo disk drive for InstantCake installations, in fact, in many cases it will not work: the target drive is expected to be larger than the original - please keep your TiVo drive in a safe place as a backup; at least until you've used InstantCake successfully at least once.
Directions for using InstantCake
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 (http://www.dvrupgrade.com/dvr/stores/1/install_instructions.cfm) as a reference.IF YOU FIND THESE INSTRUCTIONS USEFUL, PLEASE RATE THIS POST IN THE PANEL ABOVE AND TO THE RIGHT. THANKS!
* Note that newer versions of InstantCake have been equipped with an 'advanced mode' that can be selected after the first boot screen and which will give you the opportunity to manually specify the location of your hard drives.
IF YOU FIND THESE INSTRUCTIONS USEFUL, PLEASE RATE THIS POST IN THE PANEL ABOVE AND TO THE RIGHT. THANKS!
Please note, we are in the process of revamping InstantCake for the Series3 and will be working on new instructions for that version. The underpinning of InstantCake for the Series3 is a new CD that we may eventually use for some older versions of InstantCake as well. It is not really more difficult to use, but does offer some additional options for use of SATA controllers, and we felt the documentation would be different enough that it warrants its own specific documentation. More to come, soon.
InstantCake is a custom DIY software tool designed to quickly and easily create a basic replacement drive kit from a standard off-the-shelf PC hard drive. InstantCake comes as a single CD (or as a downloadable ISO which can be easily burned to CD) for your specific TiVo Digital Video Recorder. The CD must be booted from your PC's CD-ROM drive, and it will ask you several simple questions about the upgrade you wish to perform. InstantCake will then create a replacement drive kit on one or two standard hard drives that must also be connected to your PC. Your original TiVo hard drive is not used or required for the upgrade and we recommend you keep it in a safe place and use it as a backup in case anything goes wrong with the new drives you've created.
The InstantCake family of products have been available since February, 2003. They are mature products used by many people on practically every TiVo system available, to date. We are confident that if you follow these instructions, read the associated release notes, and are relatively comfortable with your PC, you should have no problem using the product. With that in mind, we are not accountable for your technical abilities, PC in compatibilities, CD burner issues, etc. So if you are not up for a DIY project, please consider our kits and professional services if you are looking to save time and get a guarantee.
Requirements for using InstantCake
You will need an x86-based Personal Computer (PC), preferably with two IDE interfaces which can be accessed as the PRIMARY and SECONDARY devices, and a CD-ROM which you can use to boot our CD. You do not need to be running Windows XP or any specialized software, in fact, we recommend you disconnect your hard disk drive(s) to ensure their protection, as well as disable any SATA devices supported on your motherboard.
The InstantCake software boots and runs from a CD we supply you or can be burned if you've downloaded it as an ISO. You will need one or two blank hard drives which will be formatted for use in your TiVo.
We do not recommend you use your existing TiVo disk drive for InstantCake installations, in fact, in many cases it will not work: the target drive is expected to be larger than the original - please keep your TiVo drive in a safe place as a backup; at least until you've used InstantCake successfully at least once.
Directions for using InstantCake
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 (http://www.dvrupgrade.com/dvr/stores/1/install_instructions.cfm) as a reference.IF YOU FIND THESE INSTRUCTIONS USEFUL, PLEASE RATE THIS POST IN THE PANEL ABOVE AND TO THE RIGHT. THANKS!
* Note that newer versions of InstantCake have been equipped with an 'advanced mode' that can be selected after the first boot screen and which will give you the opportunity to manually specify the location of your hard drives.