# Tivo Bolt stuck on the "starting up" screen after hard drive replacement.



## wyro (Sep 25, 2002)

The title says most of it - I changed the 500gb drive for a 2 tb drive.

Now, the tivo won't go past the "starting up" screen. If i switch back to the old 500gb drive, it will boot.

Same problem with 2 different 2tb drives.

https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B079BQS5WQ/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_asin_image_o00_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1

https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B01LX13P71/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_asin_title_o03_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1

has anyone else had this issue?


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## wyro (Sep 25, 2002)

I've waited a max of about an hour - is it possible it takes longer?


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## ThAbtO (Apr 6, 2000)

Usually it means that the drive is consuming more power than the power supply can provide.


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## wyro (Sep 25, 2002)

Interesting - the specs on the drives are the same - [email protected] amps, but maybe the newer one consume more.


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## jmbach (Jan 1, 2009)

ThAbtO said:


> Usually it means that the drive is consuming more power than the power supply can provide.


His issue might be more of an issue with TE4 on a Bolt with certain drives. Those drives will boot TE3 on a Bolt but gets stuck on the starting up screen when the Bolt upgrades to TE4.


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## jmbach (Jan 1, 2009)

wyro said:


> The title says most of it - I changed the 500gb drive for a 2 tb drive.
> 
> Now, the tivo won't go past the "starting up" screen. If i switch back to the old 500gb drive, it will boot.
> 
> ...


Are you on TE4 or TE3?


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## ThAbtO (Apr 6, 2000)

jmbach said:


> His issue might be more of an issue with TE4 on a Bolt with certain drives. Those drives will boot TE3 on a Bolt but gets stuck on the starting up screen when the Bolt upgrades to TE4.


I said, "Usually," but it can be both.


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## wyro (Sep 25, 2002)

The software version is 21.9.2v4-USC-11-9-849

I assume the v4 means I’m on TE4


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## ThAbtO (Apr 6, 2000)

wyro said:


> The software version is 21.9.2v4-USC-11-9-849
> 
> I assume the v4 means I'm on TE4


Not exactly, the 21.x is TE4 or Hydra.
TE3 is v20.x.


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## wyro (Sep 25, 2002)

Is there a way to “roll back” v20?


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## ThAbtO (Apr 6, 2000)

wyro said:


> Is there a way to "roll back" v20?


If you mean rollback from v21,TE4, Hydra, then yes. Although its not 100%.


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## jmbach (Jan 1, 2009)

wyro said:


> Is there a way to "roll back" v20?


Read here.


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## wyro (Sep 25, 2002)

Man - and I thought it was a P.I.T.A. to upgrade the tivo back in college when i followed the hinsdale how to and had more time on my hands  

Might just have to have the wife live with her 500gb tivo!


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## Mikeguy (Jul 28, 2005)

wyro said:


> Man - and I thought it was a P.I.T.A. to upgrade the tivo back in college when i followed the hinsdale how to and had more time on my hands
> 
> Might just have to have the wife live with her 500gb tivo!


Depending on the model, easy enough to insert a 3TB drive and let the box do all the work.


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## wyro (Sep 25, 2002)

OK - I've successfully upgraded after reading all over the place - to help someone in my situation here's what I did:

Watched the video on how to replace the drive on youtube;

Bought this drive:
https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B079BQS5WQ/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_asin_title_o01_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1

Unique steps:

Had to roll back Hydra; link above
Install the new drive;
Restart;

Quadrupled my dvr storage for 70$

No comment on the durability of the drive yet.


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## wyro (Sep 25, 2002)

Spoke to soon - upgrading to hydra brought back the stuck on "starting up" screen.... Maybe i'll just re-do it and leave it on TE3


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## jmbach (Jan 1, 2009)

wyro said:


> Spoke to soon - upgrading to hydra brought back the stuck on "starting up" screen.... Maybe i'll just re-do it and leave it on TE3


Out of curiosity, what is the part number of the PCB of the drive you are using.

Normally this has been happening on the larger WD 2.5" drives.


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## wyro (Sep 25, 2002)

Since I’m not smart enough to understand your question... I’m an accountant- I’ll post an image that may help!


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## jmbach (Jan 1, 2009)

wyro said:


> Since I'm not smart enough to understand your question... I'm an accountant- I'll post an image that may help!


Picture of board on flip side of drive as well please.


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## wyro (Sep 25, 2002)

I don’t see anything there’s a white sticker. But here’s some more shots of the drive and tivo


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## andrewket (Jan 27, 2002)

Did you ever figure this one out? My factory WD 3TB blue drive died (or I believe, all 4 LEDs blinking). I couldn’t find a 3TB 2.5” drive locally, so I went with a WD blue 2tb which should be more than enough for our needs. 

It’s stick at “starting up” brand new, no partitions, etc. 

Drive is a WD208PZX. TiVo is a bolt+, SPCA-00128-000D rev D2.


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## jshaffernc (Dec 11, 2002)

I have the same issue with Seagate 2TB BarraCuda STL2000LM015


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## marcv (Dec 1, 2015)

Why not use an external 3.5" in an external powered enclosure instead of those 2.5" troublemakers?


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## Agebt6ee (May 25, 2018)

That's interesting, I just had a ST2000LM003 working yesterday(F/W 2BC10006). It was my hold over from the original drive dying, to my new drive(WD60EMAZ) which has the problem you have, so I reverted to TE3. Enjoy the missing pre roll, miss the autoskip.

Maybe someone can get to the bottom of this by looking at differences between the two


jshaffernc said:


> I have the same issue with Seagate 2TB BarraCuda STL2000LM015


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## DICK LOCKWOOD (May 22, 2020)

Allow me to join the *me too* parade. I just spent the day on two different tries, neither worked.
My Box is Tivo Bolt, series 6, new 12/2019. 500 Mg Hd. Software 129.7v7-USC-11-849.
Spent the day on the following: 
Try #1: WD blue label internal 2.5" H/D - 2 T/B, Model WD208PZX, 6 GB SATA. Amazon @ $84. After install the Tivo is stuck on "Starting Up" screen. Several tries, each 1 hour or more. No change. Called W/D: Their tech thinks power supply cord might be the problem but not sure. Says send the H/D back to vendor. 
Possible Fix: A post elsewhere on this forum said going back to previous software got their internal upgrade with this same TB Internal hd WD drive to work. I would rather not go to the old interface. And, every time Tivo updates, would it not instal the new interface?

Try #2: External H/D, 2 T/B, Fantom Mega Disk USB 3.0 & eSATA connectivity. 
*Catch 22* - If you have been down this road, and read the forum posts, you know that the only external HDs that TIVO recommends are WD external Hard Drives. Problem: WD externals only come with USB connectivity. TIVO Bolt only recognizes (allows) eSATA connected externals. Plug an external into a Bolt USB port and nothing happens. So, off to the web and found only the Fantom 3 T/B 7200 rpm drive had optional eSATA port. Bought it!

Connected this drive with its eSata port to the eSATA port on the Bolt. Followed instructions elsewhere on this forum. Power on Fantom, with power to Bolt unplugged. Plug in Bolt and allow restart. After full restart, Bolt detects new External Drive. Do I want to set it up? Yes! But after I select "Set up" I get "Unsupported Drive", contact TIVO/External on line. That link proves to be a 404 - no such link. A Real life Catch 22! 

*Any Help Appreciated!* I would like to go to at least 2 T/b storage. I don't care if internal or external but my preference would be internal.
Anyone have anything that worked for them on their BOLT?


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## ThAbtO (Apr 6, 2000)

DICK LOCKWOOD said:


> And, every time Tivo updates, would it not instal the new interface?


No. When you're on the better UI (TE3, v20.7x), it would not update to (TE4, v21.x) unless you had pressed the Mic button. There would be confirm screens.

If its the Bolt OTA, it can't go to TE3.


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## DICK LOCKWOOD (May 22, 2020)

This Bolt is not OTA. I do not want the earlier interface anyway. Awaiting other suggestions of how to get Bolt to recognize the W D 2.5" 5400 rpm, 2 TB internal drive. I will contact Western Digital help desk (again) on Monday . Also the help desk at Famtom to see if they have any help (before returning both the W D and the external eSATA Phantom drives as incompatible with Bolt. May try again to ask Tivo but they have only supplied Catch 22 info. to date. . I am almost ready to stick with 500 GB capacity. Surely someone out there has made a successful upgrade internally using a W D internal drive?


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## ThAbtO (Apr 6, 2000)

TE4 is less drive friendly than TE3, so not so many drives will work under TE4.


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## Anotherpyr (May 6, 2015)

DICK LOCKWOOD said:


> Allow me to join the *me too* parade. I just spent the day on two different tries, neither worked.
> My Box is Tivo Bolt, series 6, new 12/2019. 500 Mg Hd. Software 129.7v7-USC-11-849.
> Spent the day on the following:
> Try #1: WD blue label internal 2.5" H/D - 2 T/B, Model WD208PZX, 6 GB SATA. Amazon @ $84. After install the Tivo is stuck on "Starting Up" screen. Several tries, each 1 hour or more.


This drive is known to not work with the TE4 UI.

List of drives that don't boot under TE4 21.x on Bolt

Drives that work:
*Toshiba MQ03ABB300*
WD20NPVZ

There may be others that still work. The WD drive is rather pricey these days. I've been using the Toshiba drive without issues so far.


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## Kevin Waropay (Jul 21, 2020)

Hi - I just bought a drive that is on the list not compatible with TE4 and I can't return it. a 2TB WD WD20SPZX.

I was curious...if I bought an external closure with an external power supply, would it work then?

Note, I realize I would have to mod my tivo bolt for any external drive use, which does not bother me.

Thanks for any replies.


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## ThAbtO (Apr 6, 2000)

Kevin Waropay said:


> Hi - I just bought a drive that is on the list not compatible with TE4 and I can't return it. a 2TB WD WD20SPZX.
> 
> I was curious...if I bought an external closure with an external power supply, would it work then?
> 
> ...


No.


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## DICK LOCKWOOD (May 22, 2020)

Hi ThAbt0.

*First...A suggestion for TIVO.* *Please Fix your Software*! 
The use of a larger hard drive (_external or internal_) being blocked and locking up apparently is caused by your software V4.
Proof - Software V3 works!
So change your software. Your Tech Dept. recommends using a Western Digital external hard drive. 
Catch 22 --- W/D no longer makes any external drives that are compatible with Tivo.
The only solution you offer is to Buy a bigger and a newer Tivo Hard Drive unit (for more $$$$).
That's fine for new customers. But how about helping out your loyal long-time customers 
that don't want or need a new Tivo??

*Here is the method to increase my Tivo hard drive capacity that is working for me.* 
I too went through the effort for bigger storage for my new Tivo Bolt 500 GB unit with software V4 (_it is not an OTA Bolt_). 
I got lots of help from other forum members as I tried everything listed on the forum. 
Nothing worked for me until this...

Someone had posted about the old W/D extenders that are no longer made.
And, the fact that they apparently worked on Bolts with Software V4.
From those posts, I learned that W/D made both 1 TB and 500 GB external drives for Tivo.
I found and bought two of these W/D External drives (_they are labeled made for Tivo_).
They were listed on E Bay, and were around $80 each). 
The first one was listed as "Used" but in good condition. (500 GB)
After I installed it, it locked up at Tivo's startup and did not work.
The seller (in Mt View, CA) refunded my purchase price and even paid for shipping both ways!
What a great seller!

The second one I bought was listed as "New, never used." 
It came in the original box with a power supply and literature and appears to be truly "Brand New".
It is a Western Digital External Drive (_*made for Tivo)*_ 1 TB HD. 
It connects from its External W/D eSATA port to the eSATA port on my TIVO Bolt.
I installed this one, and it was recognized on boot-up, and it worked. 
These units require an external power supply that is separate from that of your Tivo Bolt.
So far (for more than a month) there are no problems. I now have 1.5 TB storage which is enough for my use.
The Box does not differentiate between the Bolt and the W/D. I read here that the data is stored on both 
drives at the same time (probably split between the two drives.)
If you go this route, be sure to follow the process to add an external storage unit.
"Some models of DVR Expander from Western Digital support a USB cable in addition to the eSATA cable, but TiVo boxes do not support a USB connection at this time. If you connected a My Expander using a USB cable, please follow these steps to correctly install your DVR Expander:
1. Disconnect the power cables from your Tivo box and your DVR Expander.
2. Disconnect both ends of the USB cable from the DVR Expander and your TiVo box.
3. Connect one end of the eSATA cable to the DVR Expander and the other end to your TiVo box.
4. Connect the power cable to the DVR Expander. The power LED will illuminate.
5. Wait approximately 15 seconds for the hard drive to reach operating speed.
6. Reconnect the power cable to your TiVo box.
7. Follow the on-screen instructions that are presented after your TiVo box has started up.
Other forum members have posted that process on the forum.
good luck with your quest to expand your Tivo Bolt Storage.

I am not an E Bay seller and have "No dog in this hunt."
I hope this link is OK to post?
Here is a web address that has several W/D Tivo Extender Drives listed.
The first four are like the ones I bought. The others after that are probably not compatible.
tivo western digital external hard drive | eBay


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## DICK LOCKWOOD (May 22, 2020)

DICK LOCKWOOD said:


> Hi ThAbt0.
> 
> *First...A suggestion for TIVO.* *Please Fix your Software*!
> The use of a larger hard drive (_external or internal_) being blocked and locking up apparently is caused by your software V4.
> ...


I hit send accidentally and it cut off the link: tivo western digital external hard drive | eBay


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## ThAbtO (Apr 6, 2000)

@DICK LOCKWOOD If you think I work for Tivo, you are mistaken.

Those WD extender drives will fail sooner or later, and when it does, you will lose recordings. It also adds many points for failure. They only add 500GB or 1TB for the Tivo to use as storage. You are right that Tivo will use the BOTH drives to store the shows (parts on either drive) Less drives seem to work on Tivos running v21 (Hydra, TE4) than on v20 (TE3).

Drives that work usually are CMR (WD ending in EFRX, PURX, PURZ). CMR drives (ie: WD ends in EFAX) does not work.


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## jmbach (Jan 1, 2009)

ThAbtO said:


> @DICK LOCKWOOD If you think I work for Tivo, you are mistaken.
> 
> Those WD extender drives will fail sooner or later, and when it does, you will lose recordings. It also adds many points for failure. They only add 500GB or 1TB for the Tivo to use as storage. You are right that Tivo will use the BOTH drives to store the shows (parts on either drive) Less drives seem to work on Tivos running v21 (Hydra, TE4) than on v20 (TE3).
> 
> Drives that work usually are CMR (WD ending in EFRX, PURX, PURZ). CMR drives (ie: WD ends in EFAX) does not work.


I think you meant SMR drives do not work

Sent from my SM-G988U using Tapatalk


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## ThAbtO (Apr 6, 2000)

jmbach said:


> I think you meant SMR drives do not work


Yea, it can be confusing, CMR, PMR, SMR.


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## DICK LOCKWOOD (May 22, 2020)

I do not think, nor did I imply, that anyone replying works for Tivo. 
Too bad that they do not. 
Perhaps if they did, they would consider modifying their software to make it more user and hard drive friendly.
The V4 interface is great and I, for one, do not want to go back to an earlier interface.
I hope my post helps others that were or are looking for more Bolt storage capacity,
without having to replace a perfectly good older Bolt unit with a newer Bolt for lots more $$$$$$.
Yes...sooner or later my WD external will probably fail. 
Or, the Bolt might fail before the WD external does.
For now...the fix is working well.


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