# TiVo stuck on "Powering up" -- HD replacement & other options



## GoAWest (Oct 28, 2003)

Just a quick check before I proceed down the obvious path(s).

I have an S2 TiVo (TiVo-built TCD24008A) with Lifetime (the first of my two Lifetime TiVos). The 80G HD had been previously swapped out with a 160G (so 137G was available). It's been working fine for the last couple of years.

Today I found it sitting on a "Welcome, powering up" screen. The USB=>wired Enet link light is off, presumably because it's not getting far enough for a driver to enable the USB port. The fact that the "Welcome, powering up" screen shows up suggests that at least some of the power supply is OK (TiVo still has video out, and I can hear the HD spinning). I've let it sit on this screen for the last couple of hours (has never taken this long or anything before) and will let it sit overnight.

So the obvious think to do it to replace the HD, either using the original 80G + the same procedure I used before *or* using an Instant Cake upgrade (leaning toward the later--easy, and will get a larger HD in the bargain with the new 48LBA kernel). My old recordings and SPs are toast.

Anything else I should be thinking about other than a HD replacement & InstantCake? Is there any chance that the power supply is bad (even though I'm getting the "Welcome, powering up" screen)? Anything else that might have gone out? What's TiVo's system for replacing/repairing an S2 unit if a HD swap doesn't fix this? I could do the Lifetime=>S3, but I only have analog cable, don't have HiDef and the S3s are too expensive.

Thanks in advance.


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## funtoupgrade (Mar 15, 2005)

Most likely the hard drive. Last I heard TiVo charges $149 for replacement unit with lifetime transferred to it. If all else fails, sell it on eBay and then buy a working lifetime from there.


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## HomeUser (Jan 12, 2003)

Does the original hard drive still work in the TiVo?


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## GoAWest (Oct 28, 2003)

I haven't popped it back in yet (wrapped in an anti-static bag in a firebox) but that would be a good test to prove it's the HD. It's a pretty old version of software (would auto-upgrade to 7.2.2 -- unfortunately...) and is small by current standards (80G) so I wouldn't want to run with it permanently.


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## HomeUser (Jan 12, 2003)

GoAWest said:


> I haven't popped it back in yet (wrapped in an anti-static bag in a firebox) but that would be a good test to prove it's the HD. It's a pretty old version of software (would auto-upgrade to 7.2.2 -- unfortunately...) and is small by current standards (80G) so I wouldn't want to run with it permanently.


Wow, you put your TiVo drive(s) in a safe mine is in an ESD bag sitting on a shelf way in the back of the junk closet.

For the test I would keep it form updating by unplugging the network and/or phone. If you find the drive is the problem you could let the old drive get the updates then with the LBA48 software expand it to the new super sized drive.

Another thought is to test the suspected drive in a PC with the manufactures diags. 
Sometimes the data can be recovered by cooling the drive then making a quick image copy to a new drive. It helps to use a fan to keep the drive as cool as possible.


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## GoAWest (Oct 28, 2003)

HomeUser said:


> Wow, you put your TiVo drive(s) in a safe mine is in an ESD bag sitting on a shelf way in the back of the junk closet.
> 
> Another thought is to test the suspected drive in a PC with the manufactures diags.
> Sometimes the data can be recovered by cooling the drive then making a quick image copy to a new drive. It helps to use a fan to keep the drive as cool as possible.


I just happen to have a firebox (media rated, with one of those melting bands around the perimeter of the lid) where I throw all my media. And I had enough space to also toss in the two drives, also in ESD bags, from my two TiVos when I upgraded them.

I pulled out the original 80G from the firebox and will try it this weekend (w/o a network connection), maybe with the TiVo open and a fan blowing across the unit. And I picked up a 300G Maxtor (I prefer Seagates with a 5yr warranty vs. the Maxtor 1yr, but a sale is a sale...) and an IC2 copy of InstantCake, so an upgrade is likely this weekend (the original 80G would be too small for my family at this point no matter what) as long as the problem is really a failed HD.

If it was *my* TiVo I'd probably go to some trouble to try to recover the data (serial shows from last and this season that I haven't watched) but for the "family" TiVo it's mostly cartoons and other kids shows (that my son has watched several times) and older movies that my wife has watched or has "been meaning to watch" for the last year. The time to set the thing back up (config, Season Passes) is more annoying (*there's* a suggestion for TiVo, a way to use the home LAN to back up and restore TiVo configs to/from a PC).

Thanks for the ideas. If it's *not* the HD I'll report back.


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## GoAWest (Oct 28, 2003)

Well bummer...

This weekend I let the unit cool down (no diff). I popped the top and put in a new CR2032 battery (no diff). So I pulled out the (Seagate 160G, 137G avail) and put back in the TiVo original (Maxtor 80G) HD. But I *sill* only get the grey "Powering up, please wait..." screen. I tried moving the IDE jumper on the drive (force slave [initial], force master, cable select) and letting it sit for 10min or so each time but no diff.

So it appears that something other than the HD has gone south. I can't see anything obvious in the unit. As I mentioned before, I'm getting video (the grey "Powering up" screen) and the HD is spinning, so at least part of the power supply is working.

This is an S2 with Lifetime (I have two of those).

1) I could call TiVo and RMA the thing (with the original 80G HD put back in) to get it repaired (i.e. swapped for a refurb box). I should be able to put my 160G(137G) HD directly into the new unit when it arrives and get all my SPs and programming back (since it isn't likely that the HD is also bad).

2) I could go with a new S3, but at $1K ($800 for the box + $200 to transfer lifetime) this just doesn't make sense, esp. since I don't have digital cable (just analog basic--I *think* the S3 can record two shows, each from analog input(s)) nor HighDef anything (and no interest in it or THX).

3) An S2 with dual-tuners would be a minor but interesting "upgrade." But is there any way to transfer my Lifetime from a dead S2 to an S2 DT as part of this (with or without an RMA)? BTW, does can the TCD240 (or any) InstantCake software be used with a DT unit?

4) I could sell this S2 w/Lifetime (eBay etc.) as a "dead TiVo with Lifetime" and use the money to buy a new S2 DT with monthly service (would eventually (?) get a multi-unit monthly discount due to the other S2 Lifetime I already have).

Any other thoughts or alternatives?


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## GoAWest (Oct 28, 2003)

Just to wrap this up...

After considering my options vs. price, I went ahead and ordered a refurb unit (ship "new" to me, ship back dead one via RMA, will refund price of "new" one once they get the dead one back) for $150+tax. They won't do an S2 DT "upgrade" even on a dead-RMA unit, and the S3+Lifetime doesn't sense given the price ($800+$200) or my lack of (nor interest in) HiDef or digi-cable. They won't tell me what I'll get (other than "80hr", so TCD240 or 540?), so I won't know until it arrives if I'll be able to pop my 160G(137G) HD [keep SPs + shows] into the replacement unit or will need to (InstantCake) a new image onto a new HD.


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## HomeUser (Jan 12, 2003)

GoAWest said:


> "if I'll be able to pop my 160G(137G) HD [keep SPs + shows] into the replacement unit"


Drive yes, keep shows no.


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## GoAWest (Oct 28, 2003)

Why not? If an already-formated & working TiVo HD is moved from one TiVo of the same kind to another (e.g. TCD240), why won't it come up with perfectly (settings, SP, shows) in the second TiVo?

Is something (e.g. the media key) keyed to one specific TiVo for purposed of playing the shows off a HD? If so, will I at least be able to list the shows (or do some ther global "clear & delete") so I can delete them without needing to also reformat the drive, redo all the settings and the Season Passes, etc.?


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## HomeUser (Jan 12, 2003)

The key is tied to the TiVo not the hard drive. You can put the drive in the new TiVo then to get it to work you will have to do a "Clear and Delete Everything" of corse after the CDE I believe you will be in the original out of the box setup mode.


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## GoAWest (Oct 28, 2003)

You'll have to forgive me (and with > 10x my number of posts you very well may be right) but I'm dubious of this. I have (had... :-( ) two TiVos now and transfer shows between them (as well as a PC) over USB/Ethernet with the (formerly named) HMO. They all share the same Media Access Key. TiVo is pre-activating the new box under my existing account before they send it to me, and I assume that I'll have the same MAK that I had before (since I still have the other unit and there's no reason for its key change) since the MAK is tied to the *boxes* (account), not the HD. So on the *surface* it seems like putting this HD back in *should* result in the TiVo(s) considering the program files on it *native* with the same MAK.

I guess I'll find out in a few days. But CDE will be the last thing I'll try.

BTW, based on the "after the CDE I believe you will be in the original out of the box setup mode" comment it sounds like that blows away not only all the shows but also the setup and Season Passes. Is there anything that will toss the shows but not the settings and SPs that I could try before CDE?


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## HomeUser (Jan 12, 2003)

That would be good news if that works that way. I have only used CDE once and that was a few versions back just after LBA48 support.


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## wscannell (Dec 7, 2003)

The MAK really has nothing to do with the HD working in a different TiVo. It is the TiVo service number. Each TiVo has a separate Service Number. In order to move a drive from one TiVo to another, you must do a Clear and Delete Everything. Unfortunately, there is no way to save settings and season passes when moving to a different TiVo.


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## GoAWest (Oct 28, 2003)

We'll, I never got to the point of proving or disproving the MAK vs. see old shows and settings vs. new TiVo issue. The refurb unit they shipped me was a TCD540 instead of a TCD240 (my old model). I don't know if the drive software would have swapped, but InstantCake sells different ISO CDs for the two, so I assume there's a diff. I didn't get around to trying out the old 160G drive and just when for a new IC2 format.

Instead of popping a 3-yr old TiVo drive back in (with or without a reformat) I picked up a 400G Seagate (returned the 300G Maxtor when the Seagate went on sale) and used IC2 TCD540. Had to go thru the setup hassle (with a couple of reload reboots), reconfig and reenter a bunch of season passes. But the TiVo is back up, and now has 450hr of basic recording time.

One minor point of interest. IC2 installed 7.2.x, and I was at first thinking "wow, this TCD540 is so much faster than my old TCD240!" But then the 7.3.x update loaded and the I/F is back down to as annoyingly slow as the dead and my other TCD240...


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