philips hdr212 drive and phone

Hello all - it in now July 2014 and have, over the years, added drives to a couple of Series 1 Tivos. But now am wondering if the old techniques still work.



First, is there a way to aviod using a phone call for the initial setup after reinstalling the OS?



I don't even have a phone line anymore !!! Maybe at my workplace I could use their line but is that likely to work? Are the phone lines still 'compatible'?



Second, do people still find 5400 rpm IDE drives for sale? Is there a preferred brand or supplier? I think I would get a 120 or 160 gb (assuming that is still the max size).



Thanks, I just wanted to see if folks are able to keep the old stuff going. I have sort of a "security cam" setup.



Third, why is there a UK area of this forum? I live in the U.S. and am wondering if the UK info will work for me.



Thanks.