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This page shows you how I installed a harddisk into my DreamBox 7020(S).

No rocket science, since the manual that comes wi ht the DreamBox covers this as well, but maybe useful tips for newbies, or great to look at for people who are just curious about the DreamBox.

Checkout some of these DreamBox related website's:

www.dream-multimedia-tv.de (German/English Manufacturer website)
wiki.tuxbox.org (German)
dreambox.sjerom.com (Dutch)
www.sat-industry.net (English user forum)
www.dreamboxfornewbies.net or www.dbfn.tv (English/USA user forum) - Highly recommended for US users!
its.no-enigma.de (German developers forum)

But there are many, many, great other website's out there dealing with the DreamBox ... checkout Google for more links.

Note: Please read the disclaimer, specially with this topic where there can be a thin line between having fun experimenting and what is legal or not legal in your country. All the links and text are provided for fun and education - not to promote or stimulate satellite piracy or other illegal use!

Note: Most the examples are based on a DreamBox running the Nitro image - other images may respond differently.

What do we need to make it happen?

• Philips screwdriver
• 4 screws to mount your harddisk
• An IDE harddrive

As for a choice of harddrive: it has to be an IDE disk, either ATA100 or ATA133 - I don't think it really matters.
Disks come in different speeds like 5400 RPM (quiet and cool, but hard to find in a nice size), and 7200 RPM (more noisy, faster, 300Gb available, and ... run hotter).

To limited the heat buildup in your DreamBox; see if you can find a disk that uses not to much power. Read the specs before buying. For example I started with a 40Gb disk which used more power (Amps) than the newer 300Gb disk I used for this guide. Guess what; the 40Gb disk turned red hot (although worked just fine), where as the 300Gb just became warm.

Also note that the DreamBox does not come with the 4 screws to mount your harddrive. So you'll need to get those yourself.

Opening the DreamBox

This is the part where I was a little disappointed about the type of screws that where used ... but I guess it works.

First make sure you're not statically charged, holding something metal that is grounded will discharge you if you are statically charged - for example a radiator, a tap, or anything metal ... static discharge on the components of your DreamBox can be fatal for your DreamBox - you have been warned.

On the back we need to remove 5 screws - 3 of which hold the "hood" of the casing, and 2 of them (you'll see later) holding the harddisk bracket.

DreamBox 7020 - Remove the 5 screws on the back

Next we have to remove 2 screws on both sides of the case:

DreamBox 7020 - Remove the 2 screws on both sides of the Dreambox

Once you removed all 9 screws, you can slide the hood towards the back, this might not go super smooth. Use patience and do not use excessive force.

DreamBox 7020 - Slide the top of the case to the back - be gentle!

OK, now we have a first look at the inside of the DreamBox 7020:

DreamBox 7020 - A first look on the inside of the 7020

The components that are easy to identify:

Next remove the last 2 screws of the harddisk bracket.

DreamBox 7020 - Remove the last 2 bracket screws ...

Installing the disk in the HDD-Bracket

Now we have removed all required screws so we can lift the bracket out so we can install our harddrive.

DreamBox 7020 - Harddisk bracket

Before mounting the harddisk; make sure the drive is set to "Cable Select" (recommended by the DreamBox manufacturer). Consult the label on your harddisk, the manual of the harddisk, or the website of the harddisk manufacturer for the proper jumper settings.

Set the harddisk jumpers to "Cable Select"

Now we can put the disk in the bracket. Make sure the connectors are pointing to the large opening in the back of the bracket. When you screw the disk in, make sure to slide it to the back as far as possible (see side view below).

DreamBox 7020 - Slide the disk as far to the back as possible

Once you installed the disk in the bracket you can position the bracket with disk back into the DreamBox. Just make sure the IDE cable and the powercable are reachable when the bracket is inserted, so you will be able to connect them to the disk.

Final Steps

After that you can do the screw procedure in reverse. So first the 2 screws of the bracket in the front of the DreamBox.
You can also insert the 2 screws at the back of the DreamBox which are holding the bracket (this way you can see what you're doing).

DreamBox 7020 - Harddisk installed

Now you can slide the top back on and screw in the last 7 screws (2 on each side, and 3 on the back).

So that's as for the hardware part of installing the harddisk.

Next step is to do the harddisk setup (software/configuration) in your DreamBox.