I am pretty much at wits end with the HD Tivo and their DVR Expander (produced by Western Digital).
I have been through 3 DVR Expanders, 4 E-SATA cables and 2 HD TIVO units. Except for a short period when things worked ok (after which everything locked up until the DVR Expander was removed) I have not been able to get the HD TIVO to setup the DVR Expander. Here is the typical scenario: 1. I hook up the DVR Expander as per TIVO instructions and plug in the HD TIVO . 2. It goes through its normal boot-up process and I get to TIVO Central. 3. The TIVO indicates there is an external device attached and asks if I want to have it set-up. I say "yes". 4. The Tivo comes back and says the external device is unsupported and it cannot set it up. I have tried multiple DVR Expanders, e-sata cables and HD TIVO units. I have tried using alternate wall outlets. I have tried moving the HD TIVO unit and DVR Expander away from other electronic units. I have tried booting up the TIVO multiple times in succession, hoping it would work eventually. I have tried using the TIVO and Expander with a different TV in an different room. In all cases I see the same "unsupported device" message. Other than this problem, both HD TIVO units appears to function perfectly. I have run the hard drive S.M.A.R.T. test full sequence on the my newest TIVO unit and everything passes. Of course, since the TIVO unit won't set-up the DVR Expander it can't run the tests on that unit. I just requested yet another RMA from Western Digital to try a fourth DVR Expander unit. Any suggestions would be appreciated!! Richard
