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Official Moxi Hard Drive Replacement Thread

113K views 847 replies 129 participants last post by  moximan007 
#1 ·
Due to recent demand, I have decided to start an informative thread on which drives do and do NOT work as replacements for the retail Moxi boxes (not the chartered cableco boxes). As anyone who has had experience doing this process can attest, it can be a lengthy and immensely frustrating exercise.


Please contribute with the following:
  • Your equipment, ie. whether it's the 2 or 3 tuner model. Please do not post that it's a MR-1500T3 box, because both units (for no good reason) use the exact same model #
  • The hard drive model # and specs (Manufacturer, capacity, RPM, cache size)
  • Firmware version, if you have it available
  • Success or failure


I'll kick things off with the following:

Moxi 2-tuner DVR
Samsung Spinpoint F4 HD204UI OEM 2TB 5900RPM 32MB cache
Firmware v.6.1.1.9R4BR-P.319355
FAILURE

Good luck and happy posting!


**Edit** You may also want to include whether this was tested as an internal or external hard drive. Depending on the model, the same unit may work one way but not another.
 
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#2 ·

After installing a new hard drive you'll need to format the drive and reinstall the software. This is done by downloading the OS directly from Moxi.net. This can only be done by performing the hidden command sequence known as the 4-Finger Press (4FP).

Discovery of the 4-Finger Press

4-Finger Press Instructions :

Note: you need an active internet connection to the box in order to get the process going. You may also need to disable any firewalls in place on your router or modem.


Your CableCARD may also need re-pairing with your cable provider after the formatting process.


 
  1. Unplug the power from the Moxi.
  2. Plug the power cord into the Moxi to reboot.
  3. Hold down all the 4-directional arrows on the front panel of the main unit simultaneously for 25 seconds
  4. MOXI will display on the screen for first 15-18 second.
    • Screen will flash for 1 second.
    • MOXI will reappear on the screen for 2 seconds then you will receive the Welcome to Moxi screen to initiate the recovery process.
    • If you see the left-most indicator light on the front bezel start to flash amber, it didn't work and it's checking the hard drive like a normal boot.
  5. Press front panel OK button to continue- do not wait too long to do so.
  6. Install Initiated Recovery App should begin - process can take up to 20-40 minutes
 
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#3 ·
chief-J, did you say that you had a 1.5 Seagate that worked? I'm getting tired of staring at my $800 (2-tuner) paperweight, that won't get past the blinking (left) light in the install phase. Please help populate this thread if anyone has had continued success with a drive. I'll even take a 500gb at this point...I just can't stomach replacing it with this same model seagate drive that seems to have a higher rate of failure (from what we've seen). Thanks all!
 
#4 ·

Quote:
Originally Posted by jokestr /forum/post/19799374


chief-J, did you say that you had a 1.5 Seagate that worked? I'm getting tired of staring at my $800 (2-tuner) paperweight, that won't get past the blinking (left) light in the install phase. Please help populate this thread if anyone has had continued success with a drive. I'll even take a 500gb at this point...I just can't stomach replacing it with this same model seagate drive that seems to have a higher rate of failure (from what we've seen). Thanks all!

Jokestr,


You are correct. I never could get any of my 2TB models to work, but I did have a 1.5 TB Seagate in my pc that I ended up using. Worked like a charm, once I did get that install process to kick off. Here's the info:

Moxi 2-tuner DVR
Seagate Barracuda ST31500341AS 1.5 TB 7200RPM 32MB cache
Firmware v.6.1.1.9R4BR-P.319355
Internal
SUCCESS
 
#5 ·
A couple more:

Moxi 2-tuner DVR
Seagate Barracuda ST320005N4A1AS-RK 2.0 TB 5900RPM 32MB cache
Firmware v.6.1.1.9R4BR-P.319355
Internal
FAILURE
Moxi 2-tuner DVR
Hitachi Deskstar 7K2000 2.0 TB 7200RPM 32MB cache
Firmware v.6.1.1.9R4BR-P.319355
Internal
FAILURE
 
#6 ·
I hate to throw more money at Seagate, but your info will at least let me sleep a little better knowing that there is a bigger drive that's been proven to work.


I'm also looking into a reviews claim on Amazon (I can't post url's on here yet
) that the Samsung 1.5 TB 5400 RPM works well after being dropped into an external enclosure (on the 2-tuner). I might take the leap and try that one first internally, then if all else fails I will donate more money to seagate.
 
#7 ·
Sounds good. Please take the time, if you could, to post results here. From what I've seen/read, the level of success should go up when using drives externally vs. internally.


But if you're like me, you don't want to clutter your space with more devices hanging off the first. At least you should have no problem returning it if it doesn't work
 
#8 ·

Moxi 2-tuner DVR
Seagate Momentus ST96023AS 60GB 7200RPM 8MB cache 2.5" Laptop HD
Firmware v.6.1.1.9R4BR-P.319355
Internal
SUCCESS
 
#9 ·

Moxi 3-tuner DVR
Samsung Spinpoint F4 HD204UI OEM 2TB 5400RPM 32MB cache
Firmware unknown
SUCCESS

Mine is an internal install.


I know that this conflicts with chief-j's post. I have had this running in my 3-tuner Moxi since mid November 2010. It is currently ~19% full and I have not had any major problems that would seem to be related to the HD. I have had a "stuck" tuner which required a reboot (happened twice).
 
#10 ·
Quote:
Originally Posted by jonnyb
I know that this conflicts with chief-j's post. I have had this running in my 3-tuner Moxi since mid November 2010. It is currently ~19% full and I have not had any major problems that would seem to be related to the HD. I have had a "stuck" tuner which required a reboot (happened twice).
Not to worry - this is what this thread is all about! I think this shows that the different models are either more or less tolerant of certain makes and certain sizes of drive. Maybe the older 2-tuner models just couldn't handle 2TB sizes?
 
#11 ·
Western Digital WD5000AVDS 500GB A/V Green Drive in a Two-Tuner Moxi approx. 9 months ago. I have never had any issues with it whatsoever. (Success)


Western Digital WD5000AVDS 500GB in a Three-Tuner Moxi. Eventually stutters & freezes. Removed it. (Fail)


Kingston 512GB SSD SNVP325-S2/512GB in a Three-Tuner Moxi. Stutters and massive freezes. (Fail)


Western Digital 600GB WD6000HLHX in a Three-Tuner Moxi. Stutters and massive freezes. (Fail)


Seagate Pipeline ST31000322CS 1TB in a Three-Tuner Moxi. No issues at all. (Success)
 
#13 ·
I just bought a brand new Seagate 500GB ST3500312CS and put it inside another Two-Tuner Moxi to replace the original Seagate 500GB ST3500312CS factory drive. (Approx. $50 paid.)


I did this because the original Seagate 500GB ST3500312CS factory drive failed after about a year of use.


Please know that the original factory ST3500312CS, with a date code of Sept. 30, 2008, is multi-platter and thicker and heavier than the brand new ST3500312CS, which is date coded Nov. 2010. Seagate changed the ST3500312CS to make it single platter, thinner, and lighter in weight.


Success.
 
#14 ·
Thought this might help


Let me repost this just in case anyone is looking for an external drive.
ADDING External Storage to your MOXI


Problem:

500GB is not enough space on the MOXI HD

Internal harddrive swap voids warranty

DVR Certified External Drives too expensive

Homebrewed Internal SATA Harddrive with both USB/eSATA interfaces not reliable with Linux OS. Random disconnects.

Enclosure with only eSATA are not readily available.


SOLUTION:


Avoid the enclosures all together. Connect an SATA drive directly to your Moxi HD using a SATA to eSATA cable.
http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00180F236


Use AC power adapter to power your harddrive
http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B001OORMVQ


From what I gather the Seagate Pipeline and Western Digital Green drives should be fine.


GOOD LUCK!


Note: This is not supported, endorsed nor recommended by Moxi. Please do not call them for help with this since they only recommend DVR certified esata devices.
 
#15 ·

Quote:
Originally Posted by acaoacao /forum/post/19862694


Thought this might help


Let me repost this just in case anyone is looking for an external drive.
ADDING External Storage to your MOXI


Problem:

500GB is not enough space on the MOXI HD

Internal harddrive swap voids warranty

DVR Certified External Drives too expensive

Homebrewed Internal SATA Harddrive with both USB/eSATA interfaces not reliable with Linux OS. Random disconnects.

Enclosure with only eSATA are not readily available.


SOLUTION:


Avoid the enclosures all together. Connect an SATA drive directly to your Moxi HD using a SATA to eSATA cable.
http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00180F236


Use AC power adapter to power your harddrive
http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B001OORMVQ


From what I gather the Seagate Pipeline and Western Digital Green drives should be fine.


GOOD LUCK!


Note: This is not supported, endorsed nor recommended by Moxi. Please do not call them for help with this since they only recommend DVR certified esata devices.

Although I do not own a Moxi, acaoacao's stated solution is the one I have recommended to anyone with any DVR that wanted to add an eSATA External HDD. My PDF shows the WD1001FALS 32MB Cache, which looks like it may be being discontinued, I am now using a WD1002FAEX 64MB Cache. I prefer the WD Caviar Black series HDDs


Adding a SIIG CE-PR0112-S1 Hard Disk Silicon Protector Sleeve is a good idea too,
Here is my 3-page PDF Parts List Set-Up with No-Enclosure.
 
#17 ·

Moxi 2 Tuner DVR
Western Digital 2TB Caviar Green WD2000EARS
Internal Drive
Failure (would not get to boot screen)
Moxi 2 Tuner DVR
Seagate 1.5TB Barraccuda 7200 ST31500341AS
Internal Drive
Success (a beautiful thing)

hated to throw money towards a seagate again...but install, and operation has been near perfect after 1 month. at least i was able to spend $70 to triple the storage instead of $150 with Moxi for the same crappy drive.
 
#18 ·
BTW, just a side-note, after 6 weeks into my HD replacement on my 2-tuner model.


The speed of the unit seems just slightly faster. Yes, you read that right, the remote response time is quicker. My box was down for about 2 weeks, and unless MOXI released one of their uber rare software updates in that time (I doubt it), I'm blaming the speed increase on the newly installed hard drive.


It's not a drastic difference, but it is noticeable. (not sure if any effect would be had on a 3-tuner model)


Maybe cheif-j would care to comment on this as well?
 
#19 ·
Original HD failed last night. Installed new drive this afternoon and so far so good. I have recorded only five pprograms tonight and viewed two with good results so far. I will follow up with any problems down the road.


Moxi 3-Tuner DVR

Western Digital - Caviar Green 2TB Internal SATA Hard Drive

Model: WDBAAY0020HNC-NRSN

Success (So far)
 
#21 ·

Moxi 2-tuner DVR
Seagate Barracuda LP ST315005N4A1AS-RK 1.5 TB 5900RPM 32MB cache
Firmware sorry, did not check before installing
Internal
SUCCESS

Had to re-pair the cable card; completed on the phone with Frontier FiOS


One other note: definitely can hear the drive; low rumble and continuous disk seeking. No other issues.
 
#23 ·
Moxi 3 tuner DVR

Western Digital 1.5TB Caviar Black WD1501FASS

Internal Drive - originally successful but after a period of use I notice i have the same bug that people report with SSD drives.(15 - 20 second freeze while watching recordings) Also happens in live TV on the mate. My guess is the buffering before streaming data to the mate
 
#25 ·
Moxi Two Tuner


I tried the brand new, fastest SSD on the market as of today, the OCZ Vertex 3 Series, model number VTX3-25SAT3-120G


Complete failure. (I really, really want an SSD to work in a Moxi, but it is obvious that desire cannot be fulfilled. One day, of course, SSD's will be standard in DVR's, but it is doubtful said DVR will ever be a Moxi.)


(Incidentally, I use SSD's in both Windows and Mac computers. For reliability and speed, they just cannot be beat. My computers boot up from cold start to Web browser open surfing the Web in approx. 15 seconds. So you can see why I want to use an SSD in the Moxi...especially since I have had so many hard drive failures in my multiple Moxi's.)
 
#26 ·

Quote:
Originally Posted by midas89 /forum/post/20289352


Moxi Two Tuner


I tried the brand new, fastest SSD on the market as of today, the OCZ Vertex 3 Series, model number VTX3-25SAT3-120G


Complete failure. (I really, really want an SSD to work in a Moxi, but it is obvious that desire cannot be fulfilled. One day, of course, SSD's will be standard in DVR's, but it is doubtful said DVR will ever be a Moxi.)


(Incidentally, I use SSD's in both Windows and Mac computers. For reliability and speed, they just cannot be beat. My computers boot up from cold start to Web browser open surfing the Web in approx. 15 seconds. So you can see why I want to use an SSD in the Moxi...especially since I have had so many hard drive failures in my multiple Moxi's.)

I.m not sure i understand this. TV plays back at normal speed just fine with a HD. An SSD will add nothing. Are you trying to get faster menu speed? I found the Moxi to be very responsive as is. Since you don't boot up a Moxi very often, the SSD will not help much there. So why do you really really want one?
 
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