TiVo Premier Quick start guide

Page 1 of 3
TiVoUPGRADE INSTRUCTIONS (#7)
(c) 2001-2010, weaKnees. All rights reserved.
Instructions for ONE DRIVE REPLACEMENT for TiVo Premiere/Premiere XL
These instructions are available in COLOR at http://www.weaknees.com/upgrade-instructions.php
A FEW WORDS OF CAUTION:
Upgrading a TiVo DVR presents a few physical hazards. As with most consumer electronics devices, components in the TiVo may still carry
a lethal charge, even after disconnecting from your power supply. Be aware of this while working inside your TiVo. Allow sufficient time for
discharging of components and avoid contact as much as possible with potential hazards. While we have done everything we can to provide
accurate, easy-to-follow instructions, we cannot be responsible for any damage done to your TiVo or to yourself as a result of your upgrade.
By opening your TiVo, you agree that neither weaKnees nor any of its members or affiliates is responsible in any way for any harm done.
Please be VERY careful when upgrading. NEVER open the TiVo while the unit is plugged in and NEVER operate the TiVo if the lid is not
securely fastened. PLEASE NOTE: Opening the TiVo voids the warranty.
THIS KIT INCLUDES:
1 T10 Torx L-Key (see Figure 1)
1 T15 Torx L-Key (see Figure 1)
1 Upgrade hard drive (not shown)
1 Set of upgrade instructions (not shown)
Figure 1
1. OPEN THE TIVO
Unplug the power cord from your TiVo and wait five minutes for the TiVo
to discharge. Do not plug the TiVo back in until you are completely
finished. Be very careful of static electricity, which can destroy your
TiVo’s internal parts. You should not perform this upgrade on carpet.
Using the Torx T10 (smaller of the two) L-key included with your kit,
unscrew the four (4) Torx screws on the back of your TiVo. Set these
screws aside.
Once the four screws are removed, remove the lid. Face the front of the
unit and place your palms on the top side edges of the TiVo, toward the
back. Push toward the back of the TiVo (this occasionally requires a bit of
force). The cover should slide back and you can then pull it up and off.
Remove the cover from the TiVo.
Figure 2 (above) Back View
Figure 3 (above) Front View

Page 2 of 3
2. DISCONNECT THE DRIVE FROM THE TIVO WITH THE BRACKET ATTACHED
With the cover off and looking at the to the front-left of the TiVo,
you will be able to see the TiVo’s hard drive and a drive cable
running to the side of the hard drive (the drive cable is actually a
data cable and a power cable running into a one-piece plastic
connector that connects to the hard drive).
The drive is connected to the TiVo with a two-piece metal
bracket. On each side of the drive, two drive screws connect the
drive (through colored grommets) to the metal bracket. Each
piece of the bracket is then connected to the TiVo with two
bracket screws. See Figure 4.
Gently remove the drive cable from the back of the hard drive.
Hold the black connector and pull straight back (the single
connector holds both cables). Move the drive cable toward the
middle of the unit, away from the hard drive and hard drive
bracket. Be careful not to brush the aluminum heat sink.
Using your Torx T10 L-key, unscrew and remove the four
bracket screws that connect the hard drive bracket to theTiVo.
See Figure 4. When you remove the screws, you will discover
that one of the four is actually a metal post that screws into the
motherboard; you will not be able to remove this screw/post from
the bracket. See Figure 5. The other 3 screws will come out of the
bracket.
Figure 5 (above)
Figure 4 (above) Top View
3. REMOVE THE DRIVE FROM THE BRACKET
Set the TiVo’s hard drive (and attached bracket) next to your new hard drive, as shown in Figure 6(a). The drive marked “OLD” is the TiVo’s
current hard drive. The drive marked “NEW” is the drive that came in your upgrade kit.
1) Unscrew the two drive screws that you can see pictured in Figure 6(a). Then move the metal drive bracket to the new hard drive and screw
the two screws into the new drive, as shown in Figure 6(b).
2) Turn each hard drive around so that the remaining metal on the old drive faces you. Then repeat Step 1 above, moving the remaining
metal bracket from the old drive to the new drive. See Figures 7(a) and 7(b).
Figure 6(a) (above)
Figure 6(b) (above)

Page 3 of 3
Figure 7(a) (above)
Figure 7(b) (above)
4. INSTALL THE HARD DRIVE AND BRACKET BACK INTO THE TIVO AND ATTACH THE CABLES
Align the drive and bracket into the TiVo as shown in
Figure 8. Using your T10 tool, screw in the screw/post
(highlighted in Figure 5) first, but do not tighten it.
Then, secure the bracket to the TiVo using the three bracket
screws you removed in Step 2. Do not tighten any of the
screws until all 4 have been partially screwed down. Once
you have partially screwed in all three screws and the one
screw/post, you can then tighten all four. Do not
overtighten.
Once the bracket and new drive are installed, attach the
drive cables to the hard drive. See Figure 8.
Figure 8 (above) Top View
5. RE-ATTACHING THE TIVO LID
Place the TiVo lid back over the TiVo with the back of the lid overhanging the
TiVo by about three-quarters of an inch. Slide the lid toward you while
simultaneously pushing down on the top of the lid. See Figure 9. Once the lid is
in place, reattach the four screws. Plug in your TiVo and enjoy!
Figure 9 (above) Front view
You can verify your new capacity by looking in the System Information screen of your TiVo. The System Information screen is located in the
“Messages and Setup” menu. Once in the System Information screen, you will see “Variable up to XX HD or YY SD hours” (you may have to scroll
down the page using the “channel down” button). This message gives you the maximum capacity of your unit, after the upgrade.
NOTE: If after installation of your new hard drive certain channels are not available, you will want to call your cable company and verify that the
Host ID and Data ID that they have matches the TiVo’s CableCARD settings screen.
We thank you very much for your purchase and hope that you enjoy your newly-enhanced TiVo. Please email us with any comments, suggestions or
complaints. If you found the upgrade easy to install (or even if you found it more difficult than you expected), we’d love to know. If you found our
service to be excellent (or awful), we want to know that too. We’re always looking to improve our products and services…the more we hear from
you, the better. Thanks very much!