# HR10-250 freezing up and rebooting constantly



## havenhalley (Mar 15, 2008)

I have two HR10-250 receivers, and in the last two days they have both suddenly started freezing up and/or resetting themselves constantly. Last night (Friday, March 14th) one of them was resetting about every thirty minutes. Sometimes they both go out at once, others one goes out, but the other stays on. 

They are both running the 6.3f which I think, from reading this forum, is a relatively new upgrade. Could this be the problem? They were both doing fine up until recently. We also had this same problem last summer, and a software update fixed it. I have ordered a new hard drive from Weaknees, but do not want to install it in one of them until I am sure it's not a DTV issue. Both receivers have original drives and one is about a year older than the other. 

Thanks in advance for any advice you can give.


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## KingSparta (Apr 4, 2003)

Me Too

Mine Is A Direct TV DVR R10 And A Samsung Direct TV DVR SIR-S4080R

It Does It On Both Of My Direct TV Tivo's

I Have Noticed Sometimes Both May Lockup At The Same Time

I Do Have A Multiplexer On it, And It Maybe This Device (Maybe)

I Just Checked All The Cable Connections.

Not Sure What The Problem Is, It has been doing this for sometime, I am about ready to throw them out the friggin window.


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## danwenz (Feb 28, 2008)

I'm having the same problems too. Two DirecTivo's that have both started to fail recently. Sometimes both at the same exact moment. The problem sounds too widespread for this to not be a DIRECTV software problem.


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## KingSparta (Apr 4, 2003)

The Tivo Froze Again, I Checked The Other Tivo, It Is Still Working.

So My Wife's Theary Of Both Of Them Frezing At The Same Time Is In Error, And They Just Happen Happen To Lockup Sometime During The Same Day, And Not At The Same Time.


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## danwenz (Feb 28, 2008)

My two sometimes reboot at the same exact moment. Overnight they 'froze' at the SAME EXACT instant. I know this because they happened to be on the same exact channel and the images on both channels were EXACTLY the same. This incident almost has to indicate it is something external to the hard drives and probably not (directly) related to the actual units. I believe the channel they both froze on was a local Fox network channel. (The same channel I had a difficult time recording American Idol on last week) Is there any chance a local channel could somehow be causing problems?

Dan

Tivo 1: Manufacturer brand: Hughes Network Systems, Series 2, IRD model HDVR2, Software 6.3f-01-2-151, upto 32 hours recording capacity

Tivo 2: Manufacturer brand: 100, Series 2, IRD model R54180, Software 6.3f-01-2-521, upto 67 hours capacity


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## cuse94 (Dec 17, 2007)

We have three DirecTiVos in the house and they are consistently freezing or rebooting at the same time, multiple times a day. I have a repair appointment scheduled for Friday. This is the second time they've been out in the last almost 3 months (almost because this trip is free because it is within 90 days - first one was free too). I am figuring the guy is going to check/replace the multi switch and check connections. But I am starting to think it is software related, as we had this problem late last summer (after an upgrade), then it got better for awhile, but now it is worse than ever. It is greatly impacting my basketball watching.


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## kingofbeers (Dec 19, 2007)

KingSparta said:


> Me Too
> 
> Mine Is A Direct TV DVR R10 And A Samsung Direct TV DVR SIR-S4080R
> 
> ...


I've got the same two receivers and the same problems. Been experiencing them for the last 10 days.


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## tochin (Mar 19, 2008)

What is going on? 

I've jumped into this boat since the 6.3 f software update was downloaded. My R10 applied the 6.3f update around 3/14 or so and now it freezes up at least twice a day if not more. Sometimes while watching a recorded program, it goes black and starts a reboot. It never did this before the software update.

Directv told me to just unplug it and do a hard reboot versus pushing the reset button but nothing has fixed it yet.

Anyone had any luck resolving this? 

I find it hard to believe that as soon as we get a software update that the problem is with the hard drive. 

I don't want to get the non-tivo R15 DVR but thats what Directv offers now.

Ugh!


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## tochin (Mar 19, 2008)

I also wanted to point out a solution someone offered on the directv forums
regarding this same problem (although before the 6.3f software update came out).

Anyone know if the following steps works or is worth trying?
This is from the following thread:
http://forums.directv.com/pe/action/forums/displaysinglethread?rootPostID=10332667

=======================================================

DirecTV tech support will tell you that the problem is the hard drive when in fact the problem is that they release a BAD update knowing about it. The updates contains an alleged bug that causes the software to access to a bad sector of the hard disk. 
To fix it, they will try to forced you into signing a 2 year extension in exchange for a buggy R15 that is "refurbish".

Although HDD failures is the #1 cause of TiVo problems, it is also a problem that is misdiagnosed. Before you sign another 2 years with DTV (nothing bad if you like DTV, just unnecessary) just simply follow the following:

To resolve this problem, all you have to do is tell TiVo to run an MFS check by causing a "software panic". Here are the steps:

- While booting (starting) the power light will change from green to yellow. This happens a few seconds before the screen changes from the startup image to "almost there" and it's your cue to hold down the PAUSE ( || ) button on the remote to trigger a panic. 
- When the record light changes yellow, key in one of the following sequences (you only have 5 secs):

57 -> to run the MFS check

These will cause a green screen and various MFS checks.

Please don't panic if you see a green screen for FATAL ERROR. The software will fix the problem in less than 3 hrs.

NOTE: The TiVo must be connected to an active phone line for the proper function of the self diagnostic software.

After you follow this simple steps, your TiVo will again work without any problems.


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## Dkerr24 (Oct 29, 2004)

tochin said:


> I also wanted to point out a solution someone offered on the directv forums
> regarding this same problem (although before the 6.3f software update came out).
> 
> Anyone know if the following steps works or is worth trying?
> ...


That's good to know... but the simpler solution would have been to never plug in the phone line and never upgrade


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## codespy (Jan 7, 2006)

One of my SD-DVR40's froze today (picture froze like it was paused) at 3:17pm CST running 6.3f unhacked. Had it on my local channel 12. Unplugged to reboot and working fine now.


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## texasbrit (Mar 17, 2004)

I expect many of you are watching the Raleigh-Durham SD locals, channels 5 or 50. These seem to be causing the lockups, indicating it is a datastream issue.


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## Beerhouse (Sep 27, 2006)

Dkerr24 said:


> That's good to know... but the simpler solution would have been to never plug in the phone line and never upgrade


Dkerr24 is correct. I've reverted back to an InstantCake 6.3a image on my Hughes HDVR2 model, unplugged the phone line and everything is working great. I'm not plugging it back in until I hear about a stable release version.


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## Scott D (Jun 17, 2001)

tochin said:


> DirecTV tech support will tell you that the problem is the hard drive when in fact the problem is that they release a BAD update knowing about it. The updates contains an alleged bug that causes the software to access to a bad sector of the hard disk.
> To fix it, they will try to forced you into signing a 2 year extension in exchange for a buggy R15 that is "refurbish".


Now THIS sounds like DTV. A new way to lock in the customers.


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## JimSpence (Sep 19, 2001)

texasbrit said:


> I expect many of you are watching the Raleigh-Durham SD locals, channels 5 or 50. These seem to be causing the lockups, indicating it is a datastream issue.


That is what was reported in the "Nosie" thread. 
http://www.tivocommunity.com/tivo-vb/showthread.php?t=387889

For all who are having a problem, please report your location and what channels it was tuned to.

And, as I stated in that thread, I have had no reboots.


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## htroberts (Jul 7, 2003)

texasbrit said:


> I expect many of you are watching the Raleigh-Durham SD locals, channels 5 or 50. These seem to be causing the lockups, indicating it is a datastream issue.


You could be right--I am in Durham, but I'm still gonna call BS on that.

There shouldn't be anything that could possibly come in any datastream that causes the box to crash. Microsoft has trained consumers to accept crap for software quality.

And I'm pretty sure that at least some of the witnessed reboots came when neither tuner was on channel 5 or 50--in fact, I have interrupted simultaneous recordings of the Today show on 17 and This Old House on DIY. I can't say for sure whether I've had a reboot when neither tuner was on a local channel.


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## bigvanilla7 (Mar 15, 2008)

By the way I was on NHL network in the middle of "on the fly" and it shut down.

I also took the time to call TIVO and chat with a Tech who would not say it but hinted to it....about the problem not coming from TIVO but somebody else. He would not name names.


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## Captainjack66 (Mar 22, 2008)

tochin said:


> I also wanted to point out a solution someone offered on the directv forums
> regarding this same problem (although before the 6.3f software update came out).
> 
> Anyone know if the following steps works or is worth trying?
> ...


I have a Hughes DirecTV Tivo box which last successfully dialed in for updates about 130am on March 18, 2008. Since that day, it has not worked. constant freezes, reboots, etc. as reported all over the internet. I tried unplugging, resetting, etc., no help. Then on Thursday, I tried the fix suggested above - holding the pause button down, then keying in "57". Since then the box has been in a constant loop - gray screen changing to the blue DirecTV screen saying "just another minute", then on to the green screen saying "serious error - don't reset or unplug". What do I do now?? Is there a code or series of entries I can make which will take it out of this diagnostic mode?? Called TIVO, they said I need to call DirecTV. Called DirecTV, and they claim it is not a widespread problem and I need to have a technician come out and install a new (their's) DVR box. I have been a DirecTV customer for 10 years and this is the best they can do?

Any help with what entries I can make to stop this diagnostic loop would be appreciated. I am not a super techie, so please keep it simple. Would disconnecting the two SAT cables help any? How about disconnecting the phone line briefly? I have two other SAT boxes - another TIVO (Sony) and a plain SD box - both are working fine. I have tested the phone line going to the Hughes Tivo box - it works fine. Any help , please. Super frustrated.


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## KingSparta (Apr 4, 2003)

> I tried the fix suggested above - holding the pause button down, then keying in "57".


Me Too, It Id Not Fix The Problem...


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## havenhalley (Mar 15, 2008)

I started this thread and just thought I'd update.

Called DTV service last weekend after MULTIPLE reboots on both HR10-250s, usually both at exact same time. They first suggested I upgrade to their units---I said no thanks---then suggested a CLEAR AND DELETE EVERYTHING, which I did on the machine we watch the least. The reboots became fewer and far between, but I'm really not sure it had anything to do with this, as the other receiver that I did nothing to also had fewer reboots.

All week, freezing up/reboots continued, though not quite as badly. Then this weekend we are back to one about every hour. I just called DTV again and was told that these receivers are not compatible with their new HD programming and that is why they are rebooting. The solution is to upgrade to their receivers. 

I just think it's odd that during the LONG customer service call last weekend this was never mentioned. Maybe I am paranoid, though?

Frankly I am fed up and considering just switching over to be done with all this...


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## KingSparta (Apr 4, 2003)

The Idea That Wral 5 And 50 Freezing Up The Tivo Also Has Been Debunked by Me For My Equipment.

Today The System Locked Up 3 Times And Rebooted 2 Times, And That's only In The Last 3 Hours.

So

I Noticed That The Tivo Was About At Max, Since It Was Only Going To Hold The New Programs Until Tomorrow. I Deleted All Recorded Programs And All Programs To Record In The Season Pass.


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## Dkerr24 (Oct 29, 2004)

KingSparta said:


> The Idea That Wral 5 And 50 Freezing Up The Tivo Also Has Been Debunked by Me For My Equipment.
> 
> Today The System Locked Up 3 Times And Rebooted 2 Times, And That's only In The Last 3 Hours.
> 
> ...


Wow, I Don't Think I've Ever Seen Anyone Type Every First Letter In Caps Before.


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## danwenz (Feb 28, 2008)

My two DirecTV tivos have been failing badly lately, but today while I was away I left each (all 4 channels) on non-local channels and when we returned this evening neither one of them was frozen. 

In addition, while I was watching the NCAA hoops tourney at home last night I noticed that the picture was unusually poor (channel 5 in Raleigh area). When I went to other channels on the same unit the picture quality was much better. I remember the unit either freezing or rebooting at least once while watching the games last night. I'm convinced that something has changed recently that is causing all the failures we are seeing in the Raleigh area.


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## Anfony (Mar 8, 2008)

I was having freezing/rebooting and severe pixellation problems on some channels and I cured my problem by unplugging the RCA cables from the back of the TIVO and instead using the S-Video cable that came with the unit.

It solved my problem.
Give it a try


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## cramer (Aug 14, 2000)

bigvanilla7 said:


> I also took the time to call TIVO and chat with a Tech who would not say it but hinted to it....about the problem not coming from TIVO but somebody else. He would not name names.


(you're not supposed to call tivo about dtv units, btw.)

I'll name names.... C-B-S. Their broadcasts have been known to lock up S3's. DTV is just rebroadcasting what they're handed. (except for HD locals which they re-encode to MPEG4.)



havenhalley said:


> ... CLEAR AND DELETE EVERYTHING ...
> 
> All week, freezing up/reboots continued, though not quite as badly.


POWER SUPPLY. Scoff all you want. If you're sure the drive isn't bad, replace the power supply. If you don't want to shell out $60 without knowing that'll fix it, run the internal drive(s) off a separate power supply (old PC PS, whatever.)

As for DTV... their standard proceedure is "replace tivo." I'm sure somewhere in DORIS, CSRs are told (in 36point font) don't even bother troubleshooting tivo issues.


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## KingSparta (Apr 4, 2003)

Dkerr24 said:


> Wow, I Don't Think I've Ever Seen Anyone Type Every First Letter In Caps Before.


It's A Gift.

At Any Rate, The Clearing All Programs, And Items To Record Seems To Have Helped. It Is Not Freezing Every Hour Or So But, It Still Does Every So Often Thru The Day.


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## jdoug (Dec 15, 2002)

My HR10-250 is also locking up.


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## rawilson (Mar 25, 2008)

I live in the Raleigh-Durham area and my R10 has become completely unusable. It won't last more than an hour per boot. I called DirecTV yesterday and was told I'd need to wipe out my hard drive and start over. This is unbelievable that so many people in one area are having these problems at the same time. It can't be a coincidence.


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## Ichee Marone (Feb 5, 2004)

I'm in Raleigh also and my R10 has been locking up for about three weeks now. I thought it was the HDD going bad, but now I'm not sure...


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## dmgrimes (Mar 12, 2008)

I live in Smithfield and evidentally the locals are what is locking up my Tivos. After wasting $20 on the Instantcake software hoping to format a hard drive and replace one of them, I stumbled onto the forum at DirecTV.com suggesting the local channels as the cause. Sunday afternoon I removed the local channels from "channels I receive" and deleted any season passes we had for local channels. Since then I've gone from constant rebooting and freezing to ZERO problems. Encouraging, but this sucks since most of the stuff we season passed was on the locals channels!

Tivo, HELP!


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## rawilson (Mar 25, 2008)

I rebooted mine the night before last, changed off the local channels and removed all scheduled recordings on the locals and it's been running fine ever since. Before that, it was lasting only about 15-20 minutes before it would lock up. How can we find out if DirecTV or Tivo is working on this problem?


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## Jebberwocky! (Apr 16, 2005)

I wish my legacy 10-250 would start to reboot randomly so I could get a free upgrade.


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## tochin (Mar 19, 2008)

I have to say that I've waited to reply to this forum to see how things were gonna shake out. I primarily have kept my tuners off the local channels the past 2 weeks. I have not had a freeze or reboot since I started doing that.

Last week I started watching locals and I still record locals shows with a season pass but I never left the tuners on locals unless I was watching. No freezes or reboots.

This week I started leaving 1 tuner on locals overnight (although not every night) and have even left both tuners on channels 5 and 50 overnight. No freezes or reboots.

It definitely has improved for me but I don't know what has changed. I don't want to says its gone away for me but it has improved whether by luck or by staying off the locals.

I plan to go back to normal viewing patterns and just watch and record what I want, leaving the tuners where they are (local or not).
I am curious if this is over with or not.

Would love to know if TIVO did something with software or the stations did something to improve the data stream. 

For now I'm happier at least although cautious to say its resolved.


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## hungstart (Mar 21, 2007)

hold down the PAUSE ( || ) button on the remote to trigger a panic.
- When the record light changes yellow said:


> What do the symbols after 57 mean (->)? I can't get my H10-250 to run this MFS check.
> 
> Rick


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## clivep1958 (Apr 6, 2008)

My Tivo SD_DVR 40 in my family room started locking up on March 13th and continued to do so every hour or so. i tried all the suggestions on this thread with no success and eventually I swapped it with the DirecTV DVR R15-500 in my basement so that we could watch TV upstairs.
The SD_DVR 40, now in the basement, continued to be unuseable. On Friday (4/3) I called DirecTV and agreed to take one of their reconditioned DVRs in place of the Tivo Box - accepting new 24mth commitment. Since then, my SD_DVR 40 has not locked up once. I have not installed the replacement DirecTV DVR I received - and will not do so unless the problem re-occurs. I have changed nothing else. It seems that the problem is fixed for me, but the timing is hugely coincidental.


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## tallgntlmn (Jan 18, 2005)

I normally never double post but the other thread I posted in is quite old and not sure anyone would want to look through 6 pages. So I apologize for the double post. 

My SD-DVR40 started freezing and rebooting again. Trying to watch Sportscenter this morning and it kept freezing when Coach Knight was trying to talk.

It rebooted sometime between the end of the Nascar race and 10:15 tonight. Both tuners on ESPN and no power outages. I am not sure what happened overnight last night but I usually have one tuner on ATL2 and the other on ESPN before I go to bed Saturday night. This morning when I turned on the TV, one tuner was on ESPN but the other was on 201. I never, ever watch 201. 

I was watching Tennessee beating LSU and it was freezing. Now I am watching History and it's freezing. In fact, my SD-DVR40 just rebooted. GRRRRRRRR. CAN'T THEY FIX THIS CRAP? Running 6.3f-01-2-151 here. It had been fixed since the week after the New England vs Jacksonville playoff game. Now for some reason it's doing it again.

If my unit is dying, that's cool. But if it is another software flaw, that's just friggiin ridiculous.


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## dmgrimes (Mar 12, 2008)

For a couple of weeks now I've banned local channels on two of my Tivos and just watched them on the Tivo in my Den. Like everyone else it has behaved pretty well lately and I was considering going back to local channels on the other two. We went away this past weekend and when I got back today the Tivo in the den was frozen (but not the other two). Once it rebooted I pulled up the recorded list and saw that it did not record the basketball game Saturday night (which after that result I grateful) nor any of my Sunday night Season passed shows, all of which are on local channels. It must've frozen up Friday night or some time Saturday.

I'm still holding out hope and trying to resist the urge to exchange the Tivos for the crappy DirecTV DVRs.


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## danwenz (Feb 28, 2008)

I was afraid it couldn't last. After two weeks of no problems one of my Tivos rebooted betwen 8-9 (it was on local 5, CBS) this morning and it also froze between 9-10 while on local channel 5 (Dr. Phil). 

My second Tivo also just rebooted (11 am). I was viewing CNBC (channel 355). I'm not sure what was on the second tuner. Here we go again!


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## tallgntlmn (Jan 18, 2005)

Mine rebooted sometime during the day. One tuner was on 201 which I never turn on. And then it rebooted in the last 10 minutes of Idol. I almost missed who got booted. I knew it was going to happen when the History Channel started freezing and then audio with no video. I'm getting fed up with this. I just don't want to give up my DLB. I hate the fact that the HD DVR doesn't have that feature.


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## danwenz (Feb 28, 2008)

I noticed that DirecTV 'pushed' content to my Tivo Thursday/Friday. I'm wondering if this 'pushed' programming (found in Directv Central) may be the cause of our problems. The content was a Masters preview and one about BMW autos.


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## KingSparta (Apr 4, 2003)

Today I Called Support, And They Suggested I Swap Cable 1 With Cable 2, So I Did That On One Unit.

He Also Said It Could Be The MultiPlexer, And Or Lose Or Bad Cable Connections.

I Will Report Back Later.


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## KingSparta (Apr 4, 2003)

Well That Did Not Work...

I Had To Reboot It 5 Times Tonight.


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## danwenz (Feb 28, 2008)

This is a widespread and getting worse problem. See: http://forums.directv.com/pe/action/...ostID=10392156


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## kingofbeers (Dec 19, 2007)

KingSparta said:


> Well That Did Not Work...
> 
> I Had To Reboot It 5 Times Tonight.


Haven't checked in for a while but the rebooting on my boxes has been horrible the last two days. Think it rebooted 8 times on me yesterday. I also live in Raleigh and record on locals.

One other thing that may be worth mentioning. This problem has been off and on for me starting about 5 months ago. I notice that sometimes when I change to a local station I get the "Searching for satelite signal". When I do, it can take up to 10 seconds before I get the picture. This only happens occasionally and also started around 5 months ago. However when checking my signal strength from time to time it's always good. Don't know if this is related at all, but since Raleigh local channels have now come up in the discussion, it seems more relevant.


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## rawilson (Mar 25, 2008)

After a couple of weeks without problems, the problem has returned for me on my R10 as well. Completely unusable now.


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## KingSparta (Apr 4, 2003)

I Just Ordered A Whole New Setup, I Am Going To Tie The Other Behind My Car And Drag It Down The Road.


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## Dkerr24 (Oct 29, 2004)

KingSparta said:


> I Just Ordered A Whole New Setup, I Am Going To Tie The Other Behind My Car And Drag It Down The Road.


Be sure and shoot a video and post on youtube.


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## KingSparta (Apr 4, 2003)

Well The New System Is In, The Tech Said That They Have Been Getting Many Calls Since The Software Upgrade. But He Also Said That The Multiplexer Could Be At Fault.

The Setup Included Two "DirectTV Plus HD DVR" $199 Each (The DVR's Are Leased). 

He Put Up A New Dish, And A Switch (I think It Is Kind Of Like A Multiplexer).

They Do Not Have Tivo Inside.


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## skipw (Feb 9, 2006)

$400 to get around a bug in their software, and you now get to pay a lease fee....

OUCH!!!!

Maybe I should buy some DTV stock.... looks like it might go up.


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## KingSparta (Apr 4, 2003)

I Know, But It Works Now

But I Am Also Buying A HDTV Soon So I Figured I Would Have Done It Anyway.

For The Past 3 Years Or So DirectTV Has Not Had New Receivers Out With Tivo. It Seems To Me Tivo Will One Day Take A Hit On The Lack Of Subscribers, And Then May Fold At Some Point.


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## hburns61 (Nov 27, 2006)

I'm late to this thread, but one of my Tivos (the SD one) was doing this constantly a couple of months ago. I figured it was getting old and the hard drive was failing.

Meanwhile DirecTV called and offered to replace all of my equipment for free so I could get all the new HD channels and I took them up on it.

The interface is not as good as a Tivo, but it's not bad. The pluses of the new channels, remote scheduling (from DirecTV's web site) and On-Demand outweigh the bad.


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## rawilson (Mar 25, 2008)

Hold on, everybody....There's a similar thread on the DTV technical forums. Some of us have been contacted by DTV and asked if we'd allow them to use our units to debug the problem (at least in the Raleigh-Durham area). They asked for permission to let DTV and Tivo track our units and to allow them to call us. Hopefully this means they realize there's a problem and are willing to fix it.


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## Dkerr24 (Oct 29, 2004)

rawilson said:


> Hold on, everybody....There's a similar thread on the DTV technical forums. Some of us have been contacted by DTV and asked if we'd allow them to use our units to debug the problem (at least in the Raleigh-Durham area). They asked for permission to let DTV and Tivo track our units and to allow them to call us. Hopefully this means they realize there's a problem and are willing to fix it.


Wow, sounds like they are actually trying to resolve the problem! Kudos to them!


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## sloan (Feb 13, 2003)

South Raleigh Here.

I can also confirm the 5(.1) and 50(.1) issue.

I turn to 50(.1) and LOCKUP.

Lots of reboots.

..

What are people doing now? Reverting to 3.1.5?
Is there any 6.x version that works? (6.x.a??)

I have InstantCake 3.1.5 and 6.3e. Does anyone have 6.x.a Instant Cake?


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