Don't Throw Away Your Crashed DVRs & TiVos

As with most people in today's world, life would not be the same with out the existence of electronics. With all of the electronics that exist in the world there are bound to be those pieces of equipment that are going to find their way to the electronics graveyard. Many of which are not obsolete but just have a part that no longer works.

Such is the case with many DirecTV DVRs. A DirecTV DVR for those unfamiliar with the term is a satellite receiver that receives DirecTV satellite signals but also allows one to pause and record live television without the use of a video tape or DVD-R. It is a very neat idea. Well, it is until the medium, used to save the programs, recorded fails. That item saves those shows, movies, and news programs are none other than a hard drive. Yes, the same thing used to save music, videos, and other files saved on a computer. Just like the hard drives that crash on a computer, the same thing happens on DirecTV DVRs.

Normally, a person would just call up the service provider and ask for a replacement. Well, that replacement would cost about $100, for a lease, which means it is not yours at the end of the two-year contract agreed. No thanks! Rather than sign the commitment, there are other options.

With the decision made to try to repair the DVR without the help of a technician, the internet provides a lot of helpful information. After searching for a bit, it is very easy to obtain a hard drive that already has the information, formatting, and everything needed to get the DVR up and running once again.

A site called Weaknees.com has such items available. The only thing needed is the model of the DVR needing repair. There is one thing to remember, which is that once the case is opened to the DVR, any warranty that is still in place is rendered null and void.

Weaknees provides everything needed to repair the device, including any hardware and step-by-step instructions. The unique thing is that repairing of this piece of electronic equipment does not even require the use of a computer.

I found that replacing the hard drive from my crashed DVR only required about 30 minutes, and I was off and running again. The best part is that I purchased a larger hard drive, so I am now able to save even more programs than I was able to before. I did this for less than the $100 that I would have paid for that lease equipment, without the commitment and fear that I would have to pay a minimum of $50 a month for the remainder of the contract period. What a deal!

Note that any TiVo device that has had a hard drive failure can have it replaced.