# Please insert access card



## cashoe (Jan 1, 2006)

HI all, I have used the search function, and came up with no close matches to my dilemma.

After a upgrade from zippered 250gb to dual 500gb drives using mfstools cd. my receiver is booting, acquiring satellite, and giving me telnet access, even changing channels.

BUT

i have no picture. and the onscreen message is saying "insert access card" and giving me my recvr#

there is no extension to call. it does NOT say "insert valid access card"

in the tivo information screen, it says "access card not inserted" in the access card # area.

and account status reads as "Account Closed"

.

any ideas?
any help?

...please?

thanks in advance ..
-c


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## JimSpence (Sep 19, 2001)

i"m not sure, but remove the card and reinsert it. The card contacts may need to be cleaned and/or the card slot is misaligned to accept the card properly.


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## hiker (Nov 29, 2001)

Or maybe the card reader was damaged when you changed out the drives. Replace the card reader or have company here do it.


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## moonman (Jul 21, 2004)

Try cleaning the "business" side with a pencil eraser, being carefull to wipe the debris away
before putting it back...also try to re-hit your programming authorization by going here.....
https://www.directv.com/DTVAPP/mydirectv/mysystem/mySystemResendAuthorization.jsp
log into your account and go to trouble shooting/refresh your programming


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## durl (Dec 1, 2005)

I started getting the same error message. I called D* and they determined that the card reader had failed. They sent a replacement and I got a refurbed HR10.

Last night, I opened up the box to check the "switch" that opens when the card is inserted. (It looked fine.) After I blew the dust out of the box, I rubbed the access card chip with an pencil eraser and hooked it up. I let it run for about 20 minutes and it worked perfectly. No stuttering or "insert access card" message. I'm going to hook it up again this weekend to let it run longer and see if it's still good.


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## Dave47 (Jun 4, 2004)

My HR10 gave a similar error when the power supply died. Seeing as how you went from one stock drive to two larger drives, I suspect this might be the case.

Try reverting to one drive or order the $50 replacement from Weaknees.

David


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## Marc (Jun 26, 1999)

I ran into the same problem when 6.3 first started showing up for the HDTiVos. I had used Slicer to upgrade mine (it was hacked), and I started running into this problem. If I rebooted the HDTiVo, it'd work for a while, but eventually it'd start getting messed up, saying to insert the access card or getting very sluggish.

I went back to the prior version and allowed it to upgrade itself to 6.3 without the hacks, and everything has worked fine since.


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## cashoe (Jan 1, 2006)

Thanks for all the help, I will try the different methods given. 
I called directv thursday just after I posted, and this morning (saturday) Fedex-Home dropped off a refurbished hr-10 replacement. 
No return label or instructions, and no mention from the csr that i needed to return the old one.

The csr did say that he would ship me a refurb with NO COMMITMENT extension. 

When i called to activate the replacement, the csr asked me if i would be adding the replacement unit as a 5th tivo, and i said yes. (2 r-10's, 1 samsung sir4120, 1 currently bad hr-10, and the replacement hr-10 = #5)

I guess i got very lucky with csr roulette at least twice. 

If i can get the original hr-10 running again, i'll have a spare, or a good reason to get a hdtv for the bedroom.

And yes, i guess it is more proof that Dtv still has hr-10's in stock.


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## temp357 (Feb 18, 2004)

I had the same problem with mine until i downreved back to 3.1.5f


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## durl (Dec 1, 2005)

Quick update: my HR10 is still working perfectly after doing the old "eraser" trick. No glitches or warning messages at all.

BUT, the refurb they sent me rebooted 3 times in 3 hours yesterday.


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## cashoe (Jan 1, 2006)

the refurb i got saturday is rebooting every 45 minutes to an hour. 
They are sending me a repalcement for the replacement.
the rep specifically told me " there is no need to return the defective equipment" , even she thought that was odd, so she triple checked , and yes, there is no need to return the defective receivers. 
Good for me, i now have lots of spares to tinker with, but i think overall it is bad news, as the pool of refurbishable hr-10s looks to be about to dry up.

I'm gonna throw a zippered drive in this one and see if that takes care of the reboots.


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## SFWidescreen (Nov 28, 2000)

Mine was showing 'Please Insert Access Card'. It started in February. Various folks at D* walked me through re-inserting the card then re-booting with the card out and inserting when asked. It got more and more frequent to where it wouldn't stay connected for more than 20 mintues.

They had me put in a card from another receiver and it didn't even recognize it as the wrong card, so they diagnosed bad card reader and shipped me a new HR20-700 and said I could do what I liked with the HR10-250.

But I like my TiVo, so I came here and read this and other threads. I opened up the HR10-250, sprayed a bunch of canned air into the card reader, cleaned the switch and put it all back together again. No Joy.

So I did a 'Clear and Delete Program Data and ToDo List'. All is better now, has been running solid for two weeks.

Based on all that I've read here and my own sample size of one, I'm begining to think the bad and missing access card messages are software driven glitches that really have nothing to do with the access card other than the fact that resetting it can clear them sometimes. I think it's a 6.3c/d thing that needs some level of reset to clear it out. Here are some questions I'd ask to confirm this:

-Did the folks who cleared it up with eraser or switch cleaning or reader cleaning have it go away for good, or did it come back after a week/a month?

-Has anyone experienced bad or missing access card messages (or their little brother 'activate your DVR service' messages) who did not upgrade to 6.3? I guess the two categories would be folks still on 3.x and folks with a fresh 6.3 drive, though the 'fresh image' was probably built from an upgrade. Still I'd be interested in the OS version and how you got there.

-Has anyone gotten one of these messages and done a 'Clear and Delete' and *not* had it fix the problem?

Inquiring minds want to know.


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## aklett (Nov 1, 2006)

Over the weekend HR10-250 has started doing similar things. The picture comes and goes in bursts along with the "Please insert access card Rcvr=...." message flickering in and out. I called DTV tech support and they walked me through a few diagnostics the the guy just told me plain out that my card reader was bad and that it can't be fixed and that I would have to get a new one from them plus a 2year commitment. I told him I wasn't interested and decided to come look here for some info on this. Looks like I have a few things to try. As a last resort I'll try the clear and delete everything but I don't want to lose my programming on the drive. Maybe I'll look into hacking it so I can back it up first, I've done it with my non-HD one before. If anyone has more info on this access card problem I'd love to hear it.


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## JohnnyO (Nov 3, 2002)

Argh!

I've had my HR10-250 (bought used) since January 2007.

I've had a few reboots when changing OTA channels.

Now, in the last week I've had three reboots, the last 45 minutes ago. Now I'm getting the "please insert access card = xxx" Argh! While typing this note it just rebooted again while watching a previously recorded HD show.

Hrumph.

I never had any issues with my SD DirecTivo boxes.

I guess I'll try deleting some shows (I have suggestions on) and maybe re-enter my 14 Season Passes, since it seems to have helped others. 

Frustrated.

John


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## rbreding (Dec 12, 2004)

Did you try the eraser trick as already mentioned ?


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## JohnnyO (Nov 3, 2002)

rbreding said:


> Did you try the eraser trick as already mentioned ?


No, but I did pull the card out and re-insert it. Based on other symptoms, a failing hard drive seems to be the most likely culprit for my HR 10-250. I've got a new drive in it now, and will see how it does overnight. Right now it is still on the Last Step: Receiving Info from Satellite (9%). It has been at that percentage for about an hour.


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## JohnnyO (Nov 3, 2002)

I replaced the drive, and the problem did not go away. Now it also is sometimes losing connectivity from the TV via the HDMI. The TV goes blank for a second or two, and the input selector icon on the Panasonic shows up, as if it lost signal from the source (HR10-250).

Sigh.


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## temp357 (Feb 18, 2004)

Did you try going back to 3.1.5f? I'm not kidding when i said i had the same problem. Downgraded to 3.1.5f and the invalid access card messages went away.


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## JohnnyO (Nov 3, 2002)

temp357 said:


> Did you try going back to 3.1.5f? I'm not kidding when i said i had the same problem. Downgraded to 3.1.5f and the invalid access card messages went away.


I haven't tried downgrading to 3.1.5f. I guess at this stage I don't want to spent another $20.00 for another InstantCake CD.

Also -- I wish it made more sense -- I've been running various versions of 6.3 since January without problem.

I'll keep it in mind though -- I appreciate the idea.


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## durl (Dec 1, 2005)

JohnnyO said:


> No, but I did pull the card out and re-insert it. Based on other symptoms, a failing hard drive seems to be the most likely culprit for my HR 10-250. I've got a new drive in it now, and will see how it does overnight. Right now it is still on the Last Step: Receiving Info from Satellite (9%). It has been at that percentage for about an hour.


Give the eraser trick a thought. It takes 10 seconds and might fix the problem. If it doesn't work you only gave up a few seconds of your time.

I was getting the error message along with a stuttering picture and reboots but I've not had a problem with my receiver since I rubbed the access card chip with an eraser.


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## JohnnyO (Nov 3, 2002)

durl said:


> Give the eraser trick a thought. It takes 10 seconds and might fix the problem. If it doesn't work you only gave up a few seconds of your time.
> 
> I was getting the error message along with a stuttering picture and reboots but I've not had a problem with my receiver since I rubbed the access card chip with an eraser.


Thanks for the info. I did try cleaning the contacts on the card with alcohol and a soft cloth. I'll try again tonight with the eraser.

John


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## JohnnyO (Nov 3, 2002)

JohnnyO said:


> Thanks for the info. I did try cleaning the contacts on the card with alcohol and a soft cloth. I'll try again tonight with the eraser.
> 
> John


I used an eraser to clean the contacts. The brightened a bit, and after cleaning off the eraser bits I re-inserted the card. The problem remained the same. I restarted the TiVo, and the problem seemed to go away for about 3 minutes, then it came back, with the status message switching between card not inserted, and showing the correct number for the card.

Based on that -- it seems likely that the card reader is starting to flake out.

John


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## TheMerk (Feb 26, 2001)

Dave47 said:


> My HR10 gave a similar error when the power supply died. Seeing as how you went from one stock drive to two larger drives, I suspect this might be the case.
> 
> Try reverting to one drive or order the $50 replacement from Weaknees.
> 
> David


My HR10-250 is doing the same thing. The picture will be crystal clear and then the screen will go grey with a please insert an access card message for a few seconds at a time. It will flick on and off like this for a 30 seconds or so and then clear up again for a minute or two.

I'm positive that it is the power supply. With the cover off of the unit I can hear a distinct electrical whine coming from the power supply board when the message pops on the screen. The whine goes away while the message is not on the screen.

This is happening with with any drive configuration that I throw at the unit (2 brand new instantcaked drives, a brand new Instantcaked A drive, the original stock drive.)

I haven't been able to pinpoint exactly what portion of the power supply is the culprit. For now I've got a replacement coming from D* (hopefully it's not an HR20!), and I'll be replacing the power supply with the kit from Weaknees shortly too.


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## JohnnyO (Nov 3, 2002)

JohnnyO said:


> I used an eraser to clean the contacts. The brightened a bit, and after cleaning off the eraser bits I re-inserted the card. The problem remained the same. I restarted the TiVo, and the problem seemed to go away for about 3 minutes, then it came back, with the status message switching between card not inserted, and showing the correct number for the card.
> 
> Based on that -- it seems likely that the card reader is starting to flake out.
> 
> John


Just to follow up -- I ended up buy another HR10-250 from eBay. I transferred the access card from the problem HR10-250 to the new one, and it is working just fine there.

So -- either the card reader is bad, or the power supply (it still was rebooting a few times a day) or something else. I was at the end of my troubleshooting rope.

John


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## greenhut (Jul 24, 2002)

My HR10-250 first started reporting it was overheating. A quick disassemble and component cleaning and giggling mostly resolved it, but it would periodically need to reboot to resolve. Then I started getting the grey screen and "insert a valid access card" message. It got so bad the picture would go grey 3-10 times a minute. The initial overheating message lead me to replace the power supply with one from Weaknees. Both problems completely solved.


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## TheMerk (Feb 26, 2001)

greenhut said:


> My HR10-250 first started reporting it was overheating. A quick disassemble and component cleaning and giggling mostly resolved it, but it would periodically need to reboot to resolve. Then I started getting the grey screen and "insert a valid access card" message. It got so bad the picture would go grey 3-10 times a minute. The initial overheating message lead me to replace the power supply with one from Weaknees. Both problems completely solved.


Wow. My problem exactly, just opposite. As I said earlier in this thread, I was getting the grey screen just like you. Now when I power on I get the message that the internal temp is too high.

Glad to see a new power supply solved it for you. Off to order one from weaknees now...

BTW, the replacement I received from D* was an HR20. grrr!


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## ayrton911 (Sep 4, 2000)

Hi. I'm having the same problem TONIGHT. Access card trouble reading. What should I do?

Will DirecTV make me return this one with all my recorded shows? Thanks. Mine is like 1 year exactly old, will they say they don't cover it then? Thanks.


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## TheMerk (Feb 26, 2001)

ayrton911 said:


> Will DirecTV make me return this one with all my recorded shows? Thanks. Mine is like 1 year exactly old, will they say they don't cover it then? Thanks.


Yes, they will. Try cleaning the access card chip with a pencil eraser. If that doesn't do it, the apparent solution is to replace the power supply, you can get a new one from weaknees.com for $69 before shipping.


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## ayrton911 (Sep 4, 2000)

TheMerk said:


> Yes, they will. Try cleaning the access card chip with a pencil eraser. If that doesn't do it, the apparent solution is to replace the power supply, you can get a new one from weaknees.com for $69 before shipping.


They said No charge, and that I will not extend commitment. They must be better about equipment swaps now.

I have to admit. It only took 25 minutes on the phone, 2 reps, and only 1 restart before the guy said he'd send me a replacement HD DVR and remote. That isn't terrible service, good actually.

Sucks though he said 3 business days to get here. Is that what you guys noticed? Did you have to sign for the new receiver? I might not be home.

What's the chance of getting the new HR20 compared to HR10? I want the new HR20 cause I want the MPEG 4 channels when they launch.

Then I might try to fix the HR 10 too. Weird this is happening to so many people.


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## TheMerk (Feb 26, 2001)

They didn't tell me which one it would be. They said it MAY be an
HR10, probably an HR20. An HR20 is what showed up.

I ordered it Tuesday morning, received Thursday afternoon via FedEx. No signature necessary.

I ordered a replacement power supply board from Weaknees last night,
hopefully that does it. The HR20 is going back to D*...


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## ayrton911 (Sep 4, 2000)

I tried the eraser on the access card with no luck. I also opened it up and cleaned and pushed on the access card area some. ha-ha. Back together and symptoms are identical. I guess I'll have to wait for the replacement receiver. 

I did get an old receiver (non HD but TiVo) out that was still activated. I had to resend it at directv site, but at least I have standard def in the living room while I wait.


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## ayrton911 (Sep 4, 2000)

It's hard to even watch the recorded shows now. It keeps slowing down. I have to keep playing tricks with it. Removing the card completely seems to have helped a little bit in watching pre-recorded shows. Any ideas on why it does this slow down so much particularly with HD shows? It must just all be related to not having the card (although removing it helps) haha.

At DirecTV.com did your replacement order status change, when it shipped, or did it keep saying Processing? Thanx


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## TheMerk (Feb 26, 2001)

It kept saying processing. If you call them and give the order # they can give you the FedEx tracking #.


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## TheMerk (Feb 26, 2001)

I was skeptical, but the replacement power supply from Weaknees fixed all of my Please Insert a Valid Access Card and Internal Temp too high messages. My HR10-250 is working as good as new.

Thanks everyone for the awesome advice!


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## laurentm (Jan 17, 2005)

I had the same issue. The card reader IC is a TDA8024T and can be found in most DTV receiver. I took one out of a D11 to replace the bad one in my HR10-250. Works perfect now.


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## ayrton911 (Sep 4, 2000)

laurentm said:


> I had the same issue. The card reader IC is a TDA8024T and can be found in most DTV receiver. I took one out of a D11 to replace the bad one in my HR10-250. Works perfect now.


Is it hard to remove and install the card readers? Did you have directions to follow anywhere?

Any idea if a GXCEBOT DirecTV TiVo would have the same card reader as the HR10-250?

Many thanks for the idea!!!


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## laurentm (Jan 17, 2005)

The TDA8024T is a surface mount 28pin chip. It is located on the bottom side of the main board right under the card slot. You'll need a soldering iron and some desoldering braids.

I don't know if the GXCEBOT would have the same IC card interface but you could open it and see if you can find it near the card slot.


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## ayrton911 (Sep 4, 2000)

Those of you like me who had DIrecTV replace receiver, did they send you a letter saying, if a fedex return labeled was provided, you'd be charged $1000 for not returning it?

I was never told to return it, nor did I get a return label, just the letter saying if I had a label and didn't return it, $1000.

Any ideas? I should be ok? Thanks!!!


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## Dave47 (Jun 4, 2004)

TheMerk said:


> I was skeptical, but the replacement power supply from Weaknees fixed all of my Please Insert a Valid Access Card and Internal Temp too high messages. My HR10-250 is working as good as new.
> 
> Thanks everyone for the awesome advice!


No Problem! 6 months my new power supply and all is well. Shame that Weaknees saw the uptick in power supply orders and raised the price, though. I guess that is business.

David


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