Replacing WebTV (MSN TV) Hard Drives - Revision history

Para: mostly wording related fixes

2025-09-16T04:49:31Z

mostly wording related fixes

← Older revision		Revision as of 00:49, 16 September 2025
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	== Before You Proceed ==		== Before You Proceed ==
	Before you tear apart your unit, it would be wise to verify that the hard drive has failed. If your unit displays a message saying "Your Internet terminal is connecting to WebTV to check for the latest update.", it most likely means the internal hard drive has failed. ~~To avoid damage to your unit, please first read~~ [[Backing Up WebTV (MSN TV) Hard Drives]].		Before you tear apart your unit, it would be wise to verify that the hard drive has failed. If your unit displays a message saying "Your Internet terminal is connecting to WebTV to check for the latest update.", it most likely means the internal hard drive has failed. As mentioned on [[Backing Up WebTV (MSN TV) Hard Drives]], you should always unplug the WebTV/MSN TV unit when unplugging the hard drive, as otherwise you risk blowing some fuses that are difficult to replace.

	<div class="captioned-img">		<div class="captioned-img">
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	== Choosing a Replacement Storage Medium ==		== Choosing a Replacement Storage Medium ==
	WebTV/MSN TV hard drives use an IDE connector to deliver data and a ~~molex~~ cable for power. This gives you a few choices for your replacement, ranging from least to most costly.		WebTV/MSN TV hard drives use an IDE connector to deliver data and a Molex cable for power. This gives you a few choices for your replacement, ranging from least to most costly.

	* Your own IDE hard drive		* Your own IDE hard drive
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	* CompactFlash to IDE converter		* CompactFlash to IDE converter

	If you have any of the devices listed above, you can install it into your unit in place of the original hard drive~~. You can obtain the original WebTV/MSN TV firmware for your unit either by downloading an upgrade from the service you are connected to, or use your original hard drive image~~. If the service you connect to offers flashrom downloads, your unit will download the upgrade and appropriately partition the installed storage medium, if supported. ~~WebTV/MSN TV~~ hard drive support tends to be hit or miss, so it is recommended that you check the "Tested Devices" list below.		If you have any of the devices listed above, you can install it into your unit in place of the original hard drive. If the service you connect to offers flashrom downloads, your unit will download the upgrade and appropriately partition the installed storage medium, if supported. If you are able to back up your original hard drive, you can also write that image to the new drive. Hard drive support tends to be hit or miss, so it is recommended that you check the "Tested Devices" list below.

	{\| class="wikitable" style="margin:auto"		{\| class="wikitable" style="margin:auto"
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	\|}		\|}

	Before purchasing any items, old IDE hard drives are prone to failure, and Compact Flash cards can be expensive depending on the capacity and speed.		Before purchasing any items, note that old IDE hard drives are prone to failure, and Compact Flash cards can be expensive depending on the capacity and speed.
	== Conversion Technology ==		== Conversion Technology ==
	~~Your~~ WebTV/MSN TV ~~box, as mentioned before,~~ only supports IDE ~~devices as the main storage medium~~. It's possible to buy converters to ~~alleviate this~~. Below is a list of tested converters.		As mentioned before, WebTV/MSN TV units only supports IDE hard drives for storing data. It's possible to buy converters to allow usage of more modern storage formats. Below is a list of tested converters.

	{\| class="wikitable" style="margin:auto"		{\| class="wikitable" style="margin:auto"
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	! Manufacturer !! Model !! Type !! Notes !! Supported		! Manufacturer !! Model !! Type !! Notes !! Supported
	\|-		\|-
	\| StarTech \|\| IDE2CF \|\| CF to IDE \|\| Set jumper JP2 to position "1-2", needs floppy to ~~molex~~ power cable \|\| Yes		\| StarTech \|\| IDE2CF \|\| CF to IDE \|\| Set jumper JP2 to position "1-2", needs floppy to Molex power cable \|\| Yes
	\|-		\|-
	\| Generic (Amazon.com) \|\| ??? \|\| SD to IDE \|\| WebTV OS loads slow, MPEG video choppy \|\| Yes		\| Generic (Amazon.com) \|\| ??? \|\| SD to IDE \|\| WebTV OS loads slow, MPEG video choppy \|\| Yes
	\|-		\|-
	\| Generic (Amazon.com) \|\| ??? \|\| CF to IDE \|\| Mounts in vertical position, too tall to fit inside unit, needs floppy to ~~molex~~ power cable \|\| No		\| Generic (Amazon.com) \|\| ??? \|\| CF to IDE \|\| Mounts in vertical position, too tall to fit inside unit, needs floppy to Molex power cable \|\| No
	\|-		\|-
	\| Generic (Amazon.com) \|\| ??? \|\| SATA to IDE \|\| Box does not attempt to boot whatsoever, does not power on \|\| No		\| Generic (Amazon.com) \|\| ??? \|\| SATA to IDE \|\| Box does not attempt to boot whatsoever, does not power on \|\| No

Nitrate92: add images

2023-12-07T22:28:24Z

add images

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 == Before You Proceed ==
 Before you tear apart your unit, it would be wise to verify that the hard drive has failed. If your unit displays a message saying "Your Internet terminal is connecting to WebTV to check for the latest update.", it most likely means the internal hard drive has failed. To avoid damage to your unit, please first read [[Backing Up WebTV (MSN TV) Hard Drives]].
 == Choosing a Replacement Storage Medium ==

Nitrate92 at 20:53, 4 November 2023

2023-11-04T20:53:45Z

Nitrate92: Created page with "If the hard drive in your WebTV/MSN TV box has failed for any reason (which is a concern 20+ years after manufacture), or you're replacing the hard drive as a form of preventative maintenance, this article goes in depth on helping you choose the correct hardware. Lists of known compatible hardware is given. == Before You Proceed == Before you tear apart your unit, it would be wise to verify that the hard drive has failed. If your unit displays a message saying "Your Int..."

2023-08-10T00:45:20Z

Created page with "If the hard drive in your WebTV/MSN TV box has failed for any reason (which is a concern 20+ years after manufacture), or you're replacing the hard drive as a form of preventative maintenance, this article goes in depth on helping you choose the correct hardware. Lists of known compatible hardware is given. == Before You Proceed == Before you tear apart your unit, it would be wise to verify that the hard drive has failed. If your unit displays a message saying "Your Int..."

New page

If the hard drive in your WebTV/MSN TV box has failed for any reason (which is a concern 20+ years after manufacture), or you're replacing the hard drive as a form of preventative maintenance, this article goes in depth on helping you choose the correct hardware. Lists of known compatible hardware is given.

== Before You Proceed ==
Before you tear apart your unit, it would be wise to verify that the hard drive has failed. If your unit displays a message saying "Your Internet terminal is connecting to WebTV to check for the latest update.", it most likely means the internal hard drive has failed. To avoid damage to your unit, please first read [[Backing Up WebTV (MSN TV) Hard Drives]].

== Choosing a Replacement Storage Medium ==
WebTV/MSN TV hard drives use an IDE connector to deliver data and a molex cable for power. This gives you a few choices for your replacement, ranging from least to most costly.

* Your own IDE hard drive
* SD to IDE converter
* CompactFlash to IDE converter

If you have any of the devices listed above, you can install it into your unit in place of the original hard drive. You can obtain the original WebTV/MSN TV firmware for your unit either by downloading an upgrade from the service you are connected to, or use your original hard drive image. If the service you connect to offers flashrom downloads, your unit will download the upgrade and appropriately partition the installed storage medium, if supported. WebTV/MSN TV hard drive support tends to be hit or miss, so it is recommended that you check the "Tested Devices" list below.

{| class="wikitable" style="margin:auto"
|+ Tested Devices
|-
! Manufacturer !! Model !! Capacity !! Type !! Notes !! Supported
|-
| Seagate || ST31012A || 1.1GB || Hard Drive || Stock drive || Yes
|-
| Seagate || ST31013A || 1.1GB || Hard Drive || Stock drive, used later in production || Yes
|-
| Western Digital || WD80EB-28CGH2 || 8GB || Hard Drive || Box kicked to minibrowser || No
|-
| SanDisk || Extreme 60MB/s || 32GB || Compact Flash || WebTV OS loads slow, MPEG video choppy || Yes
|}

Before purchasing any items, old IDE hard drives are prone to failure, and Compact Flash cards can be expensive depending on the capacity and speed.
== Conversion Technology ==
Your WebTV/MSN TV box, as mentioned before, only supports IDE devices as the main storage medium. It's possible to buy converters to alleviate this. Below is a list of tested converters.

{| class="wikitable" style="margin:auto"
|+ Tested Converters
|-
! Manufacturer !! Model !! Type !! Notes !! Supported
|-
| StarTech || IDE2CF || CF to IDE || Set jumper JP2 to position "1-2", needs floppy to molex power cable || Yes
|-
| Generic (Amazon.com) || ??? || SD to IDE || WebTV OS loads slow, MPEG video choppy || Yes
|-
| Generic (Amazon.com) || ??? || CF to IDE || Mounts in vertical position, too tall to fit inside unit, needs floppy to molex power cable || No
|-
| Generic (Amazon.com) || ??? || SATA to IDE || Box does not attempt to boot whatsoever, does not power on || No
|}

== Final Notes ==
Before installing any devices, check that the device's "master" jumper position is set, otherwise your unit will not boot off your storage medium. Make sure to take care when mounting a new storage device inside of the box, as it could come in contact with the case or motherboard of your unit and cause permanent damage. You can avoid damage by attaching a non-conductive flat item to the bottom, such as a thin sheet of bubble wrap, cardboard, or anti-static material. No appropriate mounting devices exist for most solutions, but regular IDE hard drives can reuse the original unit's hard drive bracket.

← Older revision		Revision as of 16:53, 4 November 2023
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	\| Seagate \|\| ST31012A \|\| 1.1GB \|\| Hard Drive \|\| Stock drive \|\| Yes		\| Seagate \|\| ST31012A \|\| 1.1GB \|\| Hard Drive \|\| Stock drive \|\| Yes
	\|-		\|-
	\| Seagate \|\| ST31013A \|\| 1.1GB \|\| Hard Drive \|\| Stock drive, used later in production \|\| Yes		\| Seagate \|\| ST31013A \|\| 1.1GB \|\| Hard Drive \|\| Stock drive, used later in production \|\| Yes
			\|-
			\| Seagate \|\| ST38630A \|\| 8.6GB \|\| Hard Drive \|\| Stock drive, used in EchoStar Dishplayer 7100 \|\| Yes
	\|-		\|-
	\| Western Digital \|\| WD80EB-28CGH2 \|\| 8GB \|\| Hard Drive \|\| Box kicked to minibrowser \|\| No		\| Western Digital \|\| WD80EB-28CGH2 \|\| 8GB \|\| Hard Drive \|\| Box kicked to minibrowser \|\| No
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	\|+ Tested Converters		\|+ Tested Converters
	\|-		\|-
	! Manufacturer !! Model !! Type !! Notes !! Supported		! Manufacturer !! Model !! Type !! Notes !! Supported
	\|-		\|-
	\| StarTech \|\| IDE2CF \|\| CF to IDE \|\| Set jumper JP2 to position "1-2", needs floppy to molex power cable \|\| Yes		\| StarTech \|\| IDE2CF \|\| CF to IDE \|\| Set jumper JP2 to position "1-2", needs floppy to molex power cable \|\| Yes
	\|-		\|-
	\| Generic (Amazon.com) \|\| ??? \|\| SD to IDE \|\| WebTV OS loads slow, MPEG video choppy \|\| Yes		\| Generic (Amazon.com) \|\| ??? \|\| SD to IDE \|\| WebTV OS loads slow, MPEG video choppy \|\| Yes
	\|-		\|-
	\| Generic (Amazon.com) \|\| ??? \|\| CF to IDE \|\| Mounts in vertical position, too tall to fit inside unit, needs floppy to molex power cable \|\| No		\| Generic (Amazon.com) \|\| ??? \|\| CF to IDE \|\| Mounts in vertical position, too tall to fit inside unit, needs floppy to molex power cable \|\| No
	\|-		\|-
	\| Generic (Amazon.com) \|\| ??? \|\| SATA to IDE \|\| Box does not attempt to boot whatsoever, does not power on \|\| No		\| Generic (Amazon.com) \|\| ??? \|\| SATA to IDE \|\| Box does not attempt to boot whatsoever, does not power on \|\| No
	\|}		\|}

	== Final Notes ==		== Final Notes ==
	Before installing any devices, check that the device's "master" jumper position is set, otherwise your unit will not boot off your storage medium. Make sure to take care when mounting a new storage device inside of the box, as it could come in contact with the case or motherboard of your unit and cause permanent damage. You can avoid damage by attaching a non-conductive flat item to the bottom, such as a thin sheet of bubble wrap, cardboard, or anti-static material. No appropriate mounting devices exist for most solutions, but regular IDE hard drives can reuse the original unit's hard drive bracket.		Before installing any devices, check that the device's "master" jumper position is set, otherwise your unit will not boot off your storage medium. Make sure to take care when mounting a new storage device inside of the box, as it could come in contact with the case or motherboard of your unit and cause permanent damage. You can avoid damage by attaching a non-conductive flat item to the bottom, such as a thin sheet of bubble wrap, cardboard, or anti-static material. No appropriate mounting devices exist for most solutions, but regular IDE hard drives can reuse the original unit's hard drive bracket.