DVRupgrade
Joined: 12/15/2004
Basic rules of this thread:
- Please use this thread for posting support usage questions about PTVnet and PTVnetHD.
- Please try to read existing threads and responses prior to posting your inquiries.
- Please keep in mind that this thread is sorted in chronological order; some posts may be out of date, so its important to read through as much as possible to ensure you fully understand what you are reading.
- Don't be rude. And remember, PTVnet is not an officially supported product; there is no guarantee that you will get a response to your inquiries and we encourage members of the community to try and help each other as much as possible.
Note that it is often not necessary to read every page of this thread, most of the posts are duplicated and answered many times over. Please spend a few minutes reviewing this thread before posting your questions and you'll see that there are very few problems encountered, and of the few, it is typically an error related to not reading the instructions, or not following the installation prompts.
If you've purchased a pre-configured PTVnet kit, you'll want to read the PTVnet support information first instead of plowing through the support thread and possibly asking a question that has probably already been asked and answered dozens of times.
If you are planning on using the PTVnet or PTVnetHD software CD, then please read the instructions below (the above support information will still apply to your newly configured drive, of course).
PTVnet/PTVnetHD DIY Software CD Instructions
The PTVnet Software Utility is a Linux Boot CD distributed in ISO format. We expect, the savvy computer user that you are, that you know how to burn an ISO to CD.
If you don't, here's a good place to start. If its still not making sense to you... well, we recommend you consider purchasing a full upgrade kit, or using our professional installation services. DIY tools are not intended for everyone.
Once you've burned your ISO, you will need to shutdown your computer, connect one or two drives intended for use in your DVR and carefully follow the boot screens and system prompts.
You will need to know the configuration of your CD-ROM drive (is it on the primary/secondary master or slave?) as well as the configuration of your TiVo drive(s). We highly recommend you disconnect your PC's system drive, or any other drives which contain important data on them - this will reduce the possibility that you will accidentally overwrite any important data.
Note: If you are using InstantCake in conjunction with PTVnet, please boot your PTVnet disk FIRST and then supply the InstantCake CD when prompted. Some folks have reported problems when building a disk with InstantCake, and then rebooting and installing PTVnet; this would not be expected to work unless the freshly "baked" drive is first installed in your TiVo, and then reconnect to your PC for PTVnet configuration. Clearly the recommended method is faster.
Screen Shots
We've just updated some screenshots depicting the use of PTVnetHD 6.3 with and without InstantCakeHD 6.3. These screen shots may or may not be the same as the version of PTVnet or PTVnetHD that you are using, but they are similar enough for you to get a feel for how the software should work. Take a look at these links for more information:
PTVnetHD 6.3x in action!
PTVnetHD 6.3x in action with InstantCakeHD 6.3b!
That is it. Now go ahead and read the PTVnet support information here, and you'll be good to go!
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PTVnet and PTVnetHD Hidden Options
As described, PTVnet/PTVnetHD are designed to be used on drives created using MFStools (ie not on ORIGINAL drives).
It is a confirmed FACT, that attempts to use PTVnet/PTVnetHD on "factory" drives that have been "untouched" by upgrade tools other than MFStools, or InstantCake (which uses MFStools) mostly fail with an error such as "unable to determine software version" and subsequently, a string of errors that result from the aforementioned failure.
It has also been reported that mfstools-created drives, that have been subsequently updated through a normal software update (ie. An MFStools or InstantCake created drive that has received a normal software update since its been deployed) may also experience this situation.
In an attempt to give people a little more control, and not for the intention of support folks in potentially endangering their ORIGINAL and UNMODIFIED drives, we've created a "parameter" you can use when running PTVnet that will potentially allow you to override these errors and "force" an install.
So, if you are receiving one of the aforementioned errors, here is something you can try:
Allow your PTVnet/PTVnetHD CD to boot normally and at the first prompt, type:
ctrl-c
which will interrupt and abort the normal PTVnet execution.
Then type:
PTVnet force
This will "force" the installation of the drivers in spite of the fact that the software version is not recognized.
Please be VERY careful when using this feature. If you use the FORCE option on a drive that has the WRONG software on it, it will most likely just not work. But there is always the possibility that you will mess up your drive. You can't damage the hardware, but you could end up putting things in a state where you will need to be rebuilding your drive from scratch - and we do not want to encourage people to take unnecessary risks!
For answers to commonly asked questions, please refer to the
InstantCake Instructions and Release Notes,
Official InstantCake Discussion Thread, and the
Official PTVnet Discussion Thread