# Seemingly dead or dying TiVo



## Mizake (Dec 21, 2001)

Hello all.

Had problems start with our TiVo a couple of days ago when we added a channel to the "Channels You Receive" list that we'd previously left out, in order to record a program on the next night. The channel was added and the program was set to record without any apparent problems.

When we checked the "To Do List" in order to pad the recording, we couldn't access the entry for the program we'd set to record (If you're interested, it was "Dave Gorman in America Unchained" on More4) - each time we tried TiVo would return us to the main menu.

We couldn't use the "Clear" button to cancel the recording, either. Doing so took us straight back to the main menu again. When we used TV Guide to navigate through to the scheduled program, the screen "froze" momentarily as it loaded data for that time slot - and this time, trying to select the program to carry out any actions caused TiVo to reboot.

Fearing bad things, we decided to cancel the recording by scheduling another recording that clashed. This worked fine, and the original recording was cancelled. We then removed More4 from our list of "Channels You Receive" again.

Unfortunately once all this was done we began to see regular pixelation, freezing and slow button response on both Live TV, recorded programs and the menu system. This would continue until the machine was rebooted and would then start once it had been running for 10 - 20 minutes.

We decided to do a System Restart - the initial choice was to "Delete Program Data and To Do List". We kicked this off last night, the screen indicating it should take an hour, and...it was still going this morning, after more than 12 hours.

I then (perhaps foolishly) power cycled TiVo at the wall socket. It returned with the "Clearing program data, this will take an hour" message. That was around 4 hours ago; still no progress.

I'm inclined to believe that our TiVo is at this stage either dead or about to die. Anyone have any thoughts to the contrary?

Miz.


----------



## cwaring (Feb 12, 2002)

Sounds like the hard drive's on it's way out. There are a number of places you can get them from, ready to just swap with your old one including, but not limited to....

www.tivoheaven.co.uk
www.tivoland.com
www.tivocentral.co.uk

Or you can just buy a drive and DIY


----------



## Pete77 (Aug 1, 2006)

cwaring said:


> Or you can just buy a drive and DIY


Using the instructions at www.steveconrad.co.uk/tivo/upgrade3.html


----------



## Mizake (Dec 21, 2001)

cwaring said:


> Sounds like the hard drive's on it's way out


I suspected as much but wasn't sure. We'd already resigned ourselves to losing all recordings and had made a note of our Season Passes & Wishlists.

I'm assuming that TiVo's current "state" - it being in the middle of program data deletion - isn't stored anywhere but on the HDD, and thus installing a new one would basically put me back to the start of Guided Setup?



Pete77 said:


> Using the instructions at www.steveconrad.co.uk/tivo/upgrade3.html


I'm both lazy and nervous so I'll probably look to buy a drive ready-prepped.


----------



## cwaring (Feb 12, 2002)

Mizake said:


> I'm assuming that TiVo's current "state" - it being in the middle of program data deletion - isn't stored anywhere but on the HDD, and thus installing a new one would basically put me back to the start of Guided Setup?


That is correct, yes.



> I'm both lazy and nervous so I'll probably look to buy a drive ready-prepped.


Fair enough


----------



## blindlemon (May 12, 2002)

Mizake said:


> I'm assuming that TiVo's current "state" - it being in the middle of program data deletion - isn't stored anywhere but on the HDD, and thus installing a new one would basically put me back to the start of Guided Setup?


Yes, you will need to run GS to download your local listings, updated IR database, etc. etc., but with a pre-configured drive you should be fully up and running in a few hours (once the data is indexed).


----------



## Pete77 (Aug 1, 2006)

Mizake said:


> I'm assuming that TiVo's current "state" - it being in the middle of program data deletion - isn't stored anywhere but on the HDD, and thus installing a new one would basically put me back to the start of Guided Setup?


www.tivoheaven.co.uk and www.tivocentral.co.uk may be able to help salvage the SPs, Wishlists, thumbs data etc from the current drives depending what state they are in if you send the current drive(s) to them (safely packed in bubblewrap and jiffy bag etc) and in return for an extra fee of some kind.

However it is always possible the drives may be in a state where the data is now beyond salvaging. Although there again it may well be possible.


----------



## blindlemon (May 12, 2002)

Thanks for your faith Pete, but if the drive is seriously corrupted as the OP implies then salvaging any data is pretty unlikely.


----------



## Mizake (Dec 21, 2001)

cwaring said:


> That is correct, yes.


Good to hear. That was my main concern, not knowing anything about TiVo's architecture - that we could install a new HDD and find ourselves faced with the same "be done in an hour, honest" screen as now.



Pete77 said:


> www.tivoheaven.co.uk and www.tivocentral.co.uk may be able to help salvage the SPs, Wishlists, thumbs data etc from the current drives


Well, I'm looking on this as a golden opportunity to tidy up our SPs and Wishlists which have become rather messy and confused in the years since we first started using TiVo.

It's a little annoying that we've lost what programs were still in Now Playing, but to be honest that just proves we should have watched the things earlier!



blindlemon said:


> if the drive is seriously corrupted as the OP implies then salvaging any data is pretty unlikely


It's almost certain that the effort involved in salvaging any data left there would be way out of proportion to how much of an inconvenience it is to lose it all. I'm happy to go ahead and start afresh, I think.

Thanks to everyone for your advice and comments, they were all greatly appreciated.

Miz.


----------



## mikerr (Jun 2, 2005)

Pete77 said:


> www.tivoheaven.co.uk and www.tivocentral.co.uk may be able to help salvage the SPs, Wishlists, thumbs data etc from the current drives


While it is _possible _ to get recordings back from corrupted drives,
(providing only the boot partition, and not the MFS partition is corrupted) 
it's currently too unreliable and timeconsuming - i.e. expensive - to offer as a standalone service.

Is timeshifted TV worth much anyway ?


----------



## Pete77 (Aug 1, 2006)

mikerr said:


> Is timeshifted TV worth much anyway ?


Surely it is when it is timeshifted a lot (eg more than one week based on current BBC Iplayer download period availability) and that is why old tv programs cost a great deal more on VHS or DVD than just the cost of recording the program on to the media and packaging them.


----------



## Mizake (Dec 21, 2001)

Hi
I've now upgraded my TiVo with two new harddrives and a cachecard and it's working fine.

However, the drives are a bit noisy and the box sits in a wooden cabinet with no doors. Can anyone recommend some kind of anti-vibration rubber or foam matting I could use to cut down the noise?

Miz.


----------



## AMc (Mar 22, 2002)

I can heartily recommend the cheapest mouse mat you can find 
I effectively silenced a noisy PC with an old Harry Potter mat I found in with my PC junk - I don't think you need anything special.


----------



## martink0646 (Feb 8, 2005)

Mizake said:


> Hi
> I've now upgraded my TiVo with two new harddrives and a cachecard and it's working fine.
> 
> However, the drives are a bit noisy and the box sits in a wooden cabinet with no doors. Can anyone recommend some kind of anti-vibration rubber or foam matting I could use to cut down the noise?
> ...


An old audiophile remedy is to cut 2 squash balls in half & place the 4 halves under each corner. This sorts out most NVH issues & should absorb more than a mouse mat unless it is a particularly thick one.

Martin


----------



## Pete77 (Aug 1, 2006)

Mizake said:


> Hi
> I've now upgraded my TiVo with two new harddrives and a cachecard and it's working fine.
> 
> However, the drives are a bit noisy and the box sits in a wooden cabinet with no doors. Can anyone recommend some kind of anti-vibration rubber or foam matting I could use to cut down the noise?
> ...


What drives did you fit then?

blindlemon will be quick to tell you that if you had fitted two times Samsung HA250JC drives they would be as quiet as church mice.

Having said that I have 2 two and a half year old Samsung HA 250JCs in my Tivo and periodically in the wee small hours I can hear a throbbing sound from vibration. Of course its virtually non existent compared to the clattering of heads during indexing I could hear from the other side of the room on my old Quantum drives even with the telly turned on.

Its never really bothered me in a living room as I can only hear anything at all at dead of night but if I had the Tivo in a bedroom I suspect I would try the cut up mousemat or squash ball under each Tivo foot trick.


----------



## blindlemon (May 12, 2002)

Pete77 said:


> What drives did you fit then?
> 
> blindlemon will be quick to tell you that if you had fitted two times Samsung HA250JC drives they would be as quiet as church mice.


HD400LDs - like all 7200rpm drives these do vibrate a bit, which can translate into hum if the TiVo is placed on a resonant surface - especially inside an AV cabinet.

<drum banging>

But you're right - HA250JCs are much less prone to this :up: 

</drum banging>


----------



## Pete77 (Aug 1, 2006)

blindlemon said:


> HD400LDs - like all 7200rpm drives these do vibrate a bit, which can translate into hum if the TiVo is placed on a resonant surface - especially inside an AV cabinet.


No response from the OP I so can I assume they must be one of your customers for you to know what drives they are using?

I wonder how the Western Digital Green Power 1TB compares with a Samsung HA250JC for noise levels. As I understand the comments of others they have variable RPM according to the demand placed on them data wise. Top speed still seems to be 7200rpm though.

Now down to £158.68 delivered from Ebuyer.......


----------



## mikerr (Jun 2, 2005)

The WD10EACS is a 5400rpm drive like the HA250JC 

The "variable speed" thing seems to be just marketing spin


----------



## Pete77 (Aug 1, 2006)

mikerr said:


> The WD10EACS is a 5400rpm drive like the HA250JC
> 
> The "variable speed" thing seems to be just marketing spin


The spin seems to have convinced Ebuyer that it is a 7200 rpm drive.


----------



## Mizake (Dec 21, 2001)

Thanks for the replies. The humming is worse when the unit is sitting inside the AV unit, so I'll try the mousemat option - there are plenty lying around the house to use!!

thanks once again

Miz.


----------

