Hi Lakotah!
Your problem is pretty common. Famous brand DVRs used to have the same issues. Given the continuous high volume data transfer involved some hard drives simply can't take it any more.
We have been working with DVRs ever since they came out and we experienced a high rate of hard disk failure with Maxtor hard drives in special, regardless the brand of the DVR.
What I can advise you at this point is to learn from this situation and clone the hard drive even before you start using a DVR. With a consistent backup startegy this clone can be used to recover your system and recorded data after a hard disk crash.
Some DVR manufacturers provide setup CD-s that format the hard drive and install the system on it. Contacting your manufacturer for a CD like this is a good idea even if you had no problems with your hard disk but you need to upgrade to more storage.
If you need more info about how to do any of the above just ask and your question will be answered!
Have fun!
