# Lost some local channels



## wishbone4401

I live in Colorado and have two Directv Tivo boxes - an HD10-250 and a Phillips DSR7000 and both have DVR upgrade kits. Sometime around the end of March both quit receiving signals for local channels 4,7,9 but they continued to show up in the program guide and display the information banner along with a blank, gray screen. Other local channels including 6,12, and 31 were still available. On the morning of March 30th channels 6,12 and 31 disappeared from the program guide of the DSR7000 at about 10AM and later vanished from the HD10-250 guide in the afternoon. The current status is 4,7,9 are in the guide but no signal; 6,12,31 are not in the guide and show up as unavailable if selected and I can receive 2,3,14,20,25,27 and 50. I should also mention I have a DTV HR20/700 hooked up to the same antenna and multiswitch and its working normally and receives the full guide and all the local channels in both high and low definition. In spite of numerous calls to Directv support, system resets, re-authorizations, and repeated guided setups nothing seems to fix the problem. Directv said all they could do is replace the old Tivo boxes with their home grown POS or send out a technician. I opted for the technician and without even looking at the boxes, he said they have had several calls on this problem (they started last Friday on 4/1/12) and they have been told all they can do is replace the old Tivo boxes with the DTV home grown POS. Anyone having similar problems or know anything about this other than it sounds like a plot by DTV to get rid of old Tivo accounts?


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## stevel

I know you are new to the forum, but it is getting really old now to have every problem with a DTiVo blamed on DirecTV trying to get rid of TiVo customers. This is especially nonsensical now that the THR22 is out there. (I have one and a HR21 and like them both. Neither is a "POS".)

I assume you are in the Denver market - I was looking at the spreadsheet of channels and transponders to see if there was any correlation, but I couldn't find any.

Have you checked the signal strength on all transponders for both tuners on the affected boxes? What happens if, as an experiment, you swap the HR20 and HR10 boxes?

You could get a THR22 if you love the TiVo UI so much. I have checked dbstalk.com and don't see anyone with a similar complaint, and I'd also expect to have seen something in this forum if the problem was widespread.


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## litzdog911

We've seen this problem with older Receivers and DVRs. It might be due to limited Guide Data memory. Checking with DirecTV contacts now to see if they can shed any light. Certainly the THR22 HD Tivo would be an immediate solution.


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## wishbone4401

1) The problem for me with the THR22 is the per month upcharge on my DTV bill as well as a 2 year DTV commitment unless I buy the receiver. One or the other would be okay with me but not both - especially since I dont care about HD. Its unfortunate DTV chose to market this receiver this way because I have been waiting for it to become available since they announced it years ago.

2) As far as other people having the same problem, check the Directv.com forum under troubleshooting starting about April 1st. 

3) All the transponders on the 101 degree satellite check okay except for 18, 20, and 28 which are spot beams which may or may not be boresighted to the Denver area. Directv tech support was unable to tell me which channels are on which transponders.

4) I didnt swap the HR10 and HR20 boxes but I did bypass the existing oval Ku/Ka band antenna and multiswitch by setting up an old standalone round dual LNB antenna, pointing it at the 101 deg satellite and running a dedicated rg6 cable directly to each of the affected Tivo boxes and got the same result.


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## mmartz

The same thing has happened to us in the Seattle market. Just lost 4-5 of our local channels. We have an HDVR2.


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## msommer

Well it's happening in the St. Louis market as well. I have four Hughes dvr40's that lost some of the local stations. Fox, ABC, CBS, PBS, and NBC are gone. However, I have an old Hughes GAEBO SD receiver and all the locals show up fine. 

After talking with DIRECTV and going thru their processes, I was told that to fix the problem I can either upgrade to HD or swap out the DTIVO's with DIRECTV sd dvr's. 

By the way, this is one case where it is DIRECTV that has made some type of change that has affected the old DTIVO's, because not only have my four stopped receiving locals, but my dad's are also not working. 

I don't have a problem going HD, but I'd like to do it on my own timeframe, not because I can no longer get local stations on my old DTIVO's.


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## rogersba

I lost a bunch of locals on my R10 here in Indianapolis, too. I have signal in the 90's. My old RCA freebie receiver and my Series 1 DSR6000 both work fine. Reauthorized, re-did setup, cold reboot, even switched the cables around to see if there was an issue with my multiswitch. Nothing.

I posted over on the DirecTV forums as well. 

And I'd love to buy a THR22. I wish they'd let me. I can't afford another day at home just to have the installer show up with the wrong box again.


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## wishbone4401

I keep hearing this problem may be with memory limitations and the size of the guide. Since I have the DVR upgrade I can telnet to my DSR7000 and the attached file contains a screenshot of the Tivo info relating to memory. There is a guide directory under /var/cache/tivo/guide that contains several "sort of readable" files that total about 9KB that when listed looks like guide information. As can be seen from the info, there is plenty of free memory to accommodate 9KB as well as swap memory if swapping of the guide is allowed. Are there any Tivo gurus out there that can tell anything from this stuff?


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## jjjeffr

Hey everyone..... the same problem is happening here in Minneapolis. I have lost at least 4 of my locals on 3 of my HDVR2's. 

I called Directv and they did all their troubleshooting and they could not figure it out either. I was offered free replacements to all my DVRs with newer standard DVRs, but not high def ones. What models could this possibly be? I have currently declined the offer.

So this does sound like a problem affected many of us.... what are our options?


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## falstaffpac

Happened on my end too. St. Louis area. I've had 2 Hughes SD-Tivos running for about 9 years without problem (with the exception of a harddrive upgrade here and there). We lost a local channel KPLR-11 recently, due to a contractual dispute between the station and DTV. That issue apparently recently resolved and KPLR-11 was added back to the local channel lineup. However, I've lost all my other local channels on the 2 Hughes SD-Tivos. 

I have 2 HR-22 HDTivos, which receive local channels fine. On the SD-Tivos, I went through the automated reauthorization process, no luck. Unplugged/plugged both boxes to reboot, no luck. Hard to believe this is a memory issue if it affected both boxes simultaneously. I'm on the phone now with DTV Technical Support. The Tech has me on hold now trying to come up with a solution. I came here to the forums to see if any solutions have already been found.


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## falstaffpac

For those of you having problems, can you comment as to whether your tivos are zippered or not? Both of mine have been hacked for several years. Is anyone having this problem with unhacked (virgin) Tivo OS? Perhaps it is a memory issue manifesting itself on zippered SD-Tivos?

Edited to add: Tech support recommended running guided setup, which I did on both boxes. This was not successful. The next solution offered was to have a tech come out which would cost me $50. I declined. I guess I will try a "reset all". If that doesn't work, I guess I'll try formatting/copying virgin Tivo software to the drives without zippering.


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## falstaffpac

After more research, it appears this is affecting people at least in the St. Louis area and Minneapoils areas and does not appear to be specific to the Hughes SD-Tivos, or Tivos in general. So, I doubt a clear/delete everything on my end OR rewriting the OS will do much good. I only post this to save someone else the trouble. 

I went to the DTV Technical Support forum, seems like there are some fairly rude people there. I'll just stay on this forum.


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## litzdog911

litzdog911 said:


> We've seen this problem with older Receivers and DVRs. It might be due to limited Guide Data memory. Checking with DirecTV contacts now to see if they can shed any light. Certainly the THR22 HD Tivo would be an immediate solution.


Had hoped to have some updated information from my DirecTV contacts by now. But nothing to report yet.


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## BurnITa

I have lost some local channels in St. Louis area, too.

The specific channels are 2 Fox, 4 CBS, 5 NBC and 30 ABC. They are not listed in the guide at all on my three Series 2 DTivos. Our other local channels: 11, 24 and 46 are still working. Best I can narrow down is it happened sometime between 4/4 at 5 pm and 4/5 at 4:30 pm.

I checked my standard RCA box and all local channels are working fine.

I guess I will be making my call later today.

Edit: Also missing channel 9 PBS


Zipped.


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## cobraduke

I have also lost the same local channels in the St. Louis area as the previous posts. It seemed to happen after 11pm on 4/4 since I had recorded shows on several of those channels earlier that night. They are still out as of today. I have a Hughes DVR80 and a Phillips DSR7000 that are affected. I also have tried all the rebooting and reauthorizations as previously mentioned with no change. I know several other people with the same SD models that have not been affected. We did have a storm that night with lots of lightning strikes and several brief power interruptions, but don't know how that could have contributed to the problem.


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## jporter12

Columbus Ohio market checking in with the loss on NBC local. The others are still there just fine.


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## wishbone4401

falstaffpac said:


> For those of you having problems, can you comment as to whether your tivos are zippered or not? Both of mine have been hacked for several years. Is anyone having this problem with unhacked (virgin) Tivo OS? Perhaps it is a memory issue manifesting itself on zippered SD-Tivos?
> 
> Edited to add: Tech support recommended running guided setup, which I did on both boxes. This was not successful. The next solution offered was to have a tech come out which would cost me $50. I declined. I guess I will try a "reset all". If that doesn't work, I guess I'll try formatting/copying virgin Tivo software to the drives without zippering.


For those of you that have hacked Tivos using the DVR upgrade kit with the internet connectivity option, try the following:

1) Access the Tivo box by typing its IP address into your browser
2) Click on User Interface 
3) Click on Channel Guide
4) Click on All 
5) At this point you should see all the channels available in your area - including the ones your Tivo box wont process like the HD channels. If youre having the same problem I am, some local channels you receive as normal are in the guide, some local channels you should receive are not in the guide and some local channels that are in the guide result in a blank screen when you select them for viewing.
6) Click on the callsign of one of the channels that comes in normally. This is what I get:
Receive= Yes
Favorite= No
SignalType= 6 (DirecTV)
NetworkID= 565
Transponder= 4
NumStreams= 2
ServiceType= 64 (DirecTvDigitalTv)
Spi= 1 (Gtv)
StreamType= 2 (StandardVideo)​7) Click on the callsign of one of the channels that shows up in the guide but comes up as a blank screen. This is what I get:
Receive= Yes
Favorite= No
SignalType= 6 (DirecTV)
NetworkID= 565
Transponder= 12
NumStreams= 3
ServiceType= 64 (DirecTvDigitalTv)
Spi= 127 (StreamLanguageDescriptorList)
StreamType= 2 3 3 (unknown)​8) Im guessing if I could set NumStreams = 2, Spi = 1 and StreamType = 2 in the latter category of channels, they would come in just fine. 
9) Regarding the local channels I should receive that arent in the guide, the callsigns of the HD versions of the channels are in the guide file but not the SD callsigns. This is an callsign dump for a typical HD channel
Receive= Yes
Favorite= No
SignalType= 6 (DirecTV)
NetworkID= 565
Transponder= 33
NumStreams= 0
ServiceType= 2 (AtscDigitalTv)
Spi= 124 (Terrestrial)
StreamType= (no value)​10) This sure looks like a Directv problem to me.


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## westsdad

wishbone4401 said:


> I live in Colorado and have two Directv Tivo boxes - an HD10-250 and a Phillips DSR7000 and both have DVR upgrade kits. Sometime around the end of March both quit receiving signals for local channels 4,7,9 but they continued to show up in the program guide and display the information banner along with a blank, gray screen. Other local channels including 6,12, and 31 were still available. On the morning of March 30th channels 6,12 and 31 disappeared from the program guide of the DSR7000 at about 10AM and later vanished from the HD10-250 guide in the afternoon. The current status is 4,7,9 are in the guide but no signal; 6,12,31 are not in the guide and show up as unavailable if selected and I can receive 2,3,14,20,25,27 and 50.


I have five series 2 SD DTivo's in the Denver, CO market with the same problem. Not receiving local channels 4 (CBS), 7 (ABC), and 9 (NBC) which started sometime late on the 27th or early on the 28th of March.

Have made several daily hour plus phone calls to CSR at DTV with "troubleshooting" and promises of escalating the calls to "network". Never was escalated by CSR and never resolved.

Confirmed satellite and transponders for missing local channels, and looked at signal strength on 101 satellite / transponders 4 (channel 9) and 12 (channels 4 and 7) and they are in the 90's. Declined a service call due to problem not being on my end, and then swapped one SD series 2 out for an "HD" DTivo HR10-250 and it's receiving local channels 4 (CBS), 7 (ABC), and 9 (NBC). Confirmed that this is definitely not a dish / wiring problem at my house and is isolated to a DTV change that affects the receivers.

Was offered replacement HD DVR's but not ready for a large monthly bill increase for HD and leased DVR's, nor loss of access to hundreds of hours of recordings.

If this is a memory issue, what was changed in late March that broached the memory capacity of the series 2 SD DTivo units?



wishbone4401 said:


> For those of you that have hacked Tivos using the DVR upgrade kit with the internet connectivity option, try the following:
> 
> 6) Click on the callsign of one of the channels that comes in normally. This is what I get:
> Receive= Yes
> Favorite= No
> SignalType= 6 (DirecTV)
> NetworkID= 565
> Transponder= 4
> NumStreams= 2
> ServiceType= 64 (DirecTvDigitalTv)
> Spi= 1 (Gtv)
> StreamType= 2 (StandardVideo)​7) Click on the callsign of one of the channels that shows up in the guide but comes up as a blank screen. This is what I get:
> Receive= Yes
> Favorite= No
> SignalType= 6 (DirecTV)
> NetworkID= 565
> Transponder= 12
> NumStreams= 3
> ServiceType= 64 (DirecTvDigitalTv)
> Spi= 127 (StreamLanguageDescriptorList)
> StreamType= 2 3 3 (unknown)​10) This sure looks like a Directv problem to me.


Confirmed items 6 and 7 above (although not a DVR upgrade kit -- manually performed) are the same on my series 2 SD DTivo units, and concur with item 10 statement.

Looks like this happened in Denver in late March and other markets in early April.

forums.directv.com/pe/action/forums/displaypost?postID=11047514#endform (can't post full link due to # of postings)

forums.directv.com/pe/action/forums/displaypost?postID=11046740 (can't post full link due to # of postings)


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## wishbone4401

westsdad said:


> swapped one SD series 2 out for an "HD" DTivo HR10-250 and it's receiving local channels 4 (CBS), 7 (ABC), and 9 (NBC).


Do I understand you correctly that you hooked up an HR10-250 (an old Tivo receiver that used to receive HD channels but now is only capable of receiving SD channels) and didnt have a problem receiving local channels? What about channels 6,12, and 31? - Are they in the program guide? What are the model numbers of the 5 series 2 units that aren't working? Do they have the original software and/or disk or have any of them had the software or disk replaced by the DVRupgrade folks or someone else?



westsdad said:


> Confirmed items 6 and 7 above (although not a DVR upgrade kit -- manually performed) are the same on my series 2 SD DTivo units, and concur with item 10 statement.


How did you confirm the callsign data manually?


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## cobraduke

If this is a Directv problem, them how come that not all Series 2 SD Dtivos in a particular area are affected? 
In St. Louis, I have friends with the same Series 2 model SD Dtivos (Hughes DVR 80 & Phillips DSR 7000) as mine that are not affected, while I have two that are.
I don't have any local channels that are blank, just not there at all. My units have been hacked, but so have theirs.
This is getting really strange.


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## westsdad

wishbone4401 said:


> Do I understand you correctly that you hooked up an HR10-250 (an old Tivo receiver that used to receive HD channels but now is only capable of receiving SD channels) and didn't have a problem receiving local channels? What about channels 6,12, and 31? - Are they in the program guide? What are the model numbers of the 5 series 2 units that aren't working? Do they have the original software and/or disk or have any of them had the software or disk replaced by the DVRupgrade folks or someone else?
> 
> How did you confirm the callsign data manually?


Yes, to your question about the HR10-250. Didn't realize that channels 6, 12, and 31 were gone since they are not in the guide and are skipped when using channel up / down. Callsign data was verified via web page as shown per your previous post. See synopsis of the different receivers that follow. Forgot that my original dual 120GB HDD's install was performed manually (Monte) by me, but current dual 400GB HDD's were by DVRupgrade software and scripts.

_
Mixture of five HDVR2 / SD-DVR40's all with InstaCake and PTVnet 6.2 software (DVRupgrade software installed by me):_

Channels 4 (CBS), 7 (ABC), and 9 (NBC)

Available in guide with correct program info
Available when using channel up / down (no video or audio, but channel is not skipped)
Initially shows top banner with correct guide info and no lower "error" banner when first going to channel, then goes blank with no video or audio
Top tuner area (round white outlined bullet) at right side of banner has no red ball inside of it like an available local channel would have

Channels 6 (PBS), 12 (PBS), and 31 (FOX)

Not available in guide
Channel is skipped when using channel up / down
Direct access to channel initially shows top banner with no program info and a lower "error" banner of "Channel not available" when first going to channel, then goes blank with no video or audio

_HR10-250 with original 6.4a software and RBautch enhancement script installed by me:_


None of the above problems
Receives channels 4, 7, and 9
Receives channels 6, 12, and 31 (also are in the guide)

Could be software version, DVRupgrade software and scripts, guide memory limitation, DTV change, or a combination of issues.



cobraduke said:


> If this is a Directv problem, them how come that not all Series 2 SD Dtivos in a particular area are affected?
> In St. Louis, I have friends with the same Series 2 model SD Dtivos (Hughes DVR 80 & Phillips DSR 7000) as mine that are not affected, while I have two that are.
> I don't have any local channels that are blank, just not there at all. My units have been hacked, but so have theirs.
> This is getting really strange.


What version software and enhancement method are you and your friends using? Could narrow down to an enhancement method and / or software version that a recent DTV change triggered this problem and possibly rule out guide memory limitation.


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## cobraduke

westsdad said:


> Yes, to your question about the HR10-250. Didn't realize that channels 6, 12, and 31 were gone since they are not in the guide and are skipped when using channel up / down. Callsign data was verified via web page as shown per your previous post. See synopsis of the different receivers that follow. Forgot that my original dual 120GB HDD's install was performed manually (Monte) by me, but current dual 400GB HDD's were by DVRupgrade software and scripts.
> 
> _
> Mixture of five HDVR2 / SD-DVR40's all with InstaCake and PTVnet 6.2 software (DVRupgrade software installed by me):_
> 
> Channels 4 (CBS), 7 (ABC), and 9 (NBC)
> 
> Available in guide with correct program info
> Available when using channel up / down (no video or audio, but channel is not skipped)
> Initially shows top banner with correct guide info and no lower "error" banner when first going to channel, then goes blank with no video or audio
> Top tuner area (round white outlined bullet) at right side of banner has no red ball inside of it like an available local channel would have
> 
> Channels 6 (PBS), 12 (PBS), and 31 (FOX)
> 
> Not available in guide
> Channel is skipped when using channel up / down
> Direct access to channel initially shows top banner with no program info and a lower "error" banner of "Channel not available" when first going to channel, then goes blank with no video or audio
> 
> _HR10-250 with original 6.4a software and RBautch enhancement script installed by me:_
> 
> 
> None of the above problems
> Receives channels 4, 7, and 9
> Receives channels 6, 12, and 31 (also are in the guide)
> 
> Could be software version, DVRupgrade software and scripts, guide memory limitation, DTV change, or a combination of issues.
> 
> What version software and enhancement method are you and your friends using? Could narrow down to an enhancement method and / or software version that a recent DTV change triggered this problem and possibly rule out guide memory limitation.


Tivo software 6.2 and 6.2a. Hacked using Zipper cd version 4.6
Channels missing are 2 (Fox), 4 (CBS), 5(NBC), 9 (PBS), and 30 (ABC).
Nothing for these channels appear in the guide.
Channels still there: 11 (CW), 24 (Independent), and 46 (MNT).
These work as normal.


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## Murdock

I am in the Seattle area and am having the same problem with my zippered S2 DTivos on 6.2a. Is there anybody who is running 6.4a that is missing locals? I wonder if this might just be affecting receivers running 6.2 and 6.2a? I might try upgrading a receiver to 6.4a and see if that fixes the problem.


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## westsdad

cobraduke said:


> Tivo software 6.2 and 6.2a. Hacked using Zipper cd version 4.6
> Channels missing are 2 (Fox), 4 (CBS), 5(NBC), 9 (PBS), and 30 (ABC).
> Nothing for these channels appear in the guide.
> Channels still there: 11 (CW), 24 (Independent), and 46 (MNT).
> These work as normal.


I'm assuming that this is your setup. What about your friends with same hardware that are working? What version software and enhancement method do they have?


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## falstaffpac

cobraduke said:


> Tivo software 6.2 and 6.2a. Hacked using Zipper cd version 4.6
> Channels missing are 2 (Fox), 4 (CBS), 5(NBC), 9 (PBS), and 30 (ABC).
> Nothing for these channels appear in the guide.
> Channels still there: 11 (CW), 24 (Independent), and 46 (MNT).
> These work as normal.


You and I have very similar configurations (nearly identical). Both of my SD-Tivos are on 6.2a, zippered. We each receive the same locals and fail to receive the same locals. I would be very curious to know if upgrading to 6.4 solves the problem. I'm going to try and poke around the OS and see if there is a way to modify the channel information refered to earlier in the thread.

My wife and daughter are informing me we are missing a couple of DTV channels we used to get (I don't watch the Oxygen channel). This may or may not be related to the current issue. But, I've not made any changes in our service plan.


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## cobraduke

westsdad said:


> I'm assuming that this is your setup. What about your friends with same hardware that are working? What version software and enhancement method do they have?


They are either 6.2 or 6.2a and Zippered with either version 4.5 or 4.6


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## wishbone4401

My SD Phillips DSR7000/17 has a DVRupgrade disk with PTVnet, has not been hooked up to a phone line since 2006 when it was installed and is running 6.2.01-2.101. My &#8220;HD&#8221; DTV HR10-250 has a DVRupgrade disk without network connectivity and is running 6.3e-01-2-357 and is connected to a phone line. Both units have the local channel problem (Denver area channels 4,7,9 in the guide but display a blank screen and no audio; channels 6,12,31 not in the program guide and display &#8220;channel not available&#8221;; can receive 2,3,14,20,25,27,50 without any problems). According to Tivo tech support, these software versions are the most current versions for these units. Also, when I power off/on the units I get a message that the &#8220;recorder was unable to find information for all channels&#8221;.


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## mmartz

Murdock said:


> I am in the Seattle area and am having the same problem with my zippered S2 DTivos on 6.2a. Is there anybody who is running 6.4a that is missing locals? I wonder if this might just be affecting receivers running 6.2 and 6.2a? I might try upgrading a receiver to 6.4a and see if that fixes the problem.


I'm also running 6.2 in Seattle on a HDVR2. Missing channels 4,5,7,9 & 27.


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## Murdock

mmartz said:


> I'm also running 6.2 in Seattle on a HDVR2. Missing channels 4,5,7,9 & 27.


I am missing all the channels you mentioned and 13

I'm starting to think this is a 6.2/6.2a problem. If all S2 DTivos were affected there would be a lot more people affected and a lot more posts in this thread. I have the 6.4a slices, when I have time I will upgrade and re-zipper. If I remember right the zipper should work with 6.4


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## falstaffpac

Woohoo! Upgrading to 6.4a solved locals on my end. For those of you that already have slicer, refer to the following post:
http://www.tivocommunity.com/tivo-vb/showthread.php?p=6687969#post6687969

In my case, I was able to run:
./slicer 6.4a-01-2-351 -d

This command downloaded the 6.4a slices and upgraded my system.

Edited to add: At first I did not think it would be necessary to have the Slicer program to upgrade following this method. However, the Slicer program will be necessary to upgrade to 6.4a via this method.


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## Murdock

I also just upgraded a unit from 6.2a to 6.4a and it fixed the problem.


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## Captain 80s

Don't you lose MRV with 6.4a?

btw... in Seattle. 4 units with 6.2a. All are affected.


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## stevel

Yes, no MRV in 6.4. I am not surprised that those with old versions have problems like this. 6.4 was put out to handle new formats of guide data. Is there anyone with 6.4A that also lists channels?


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## Captain 80s

stevel said:


> Yes, no MRV in 6.4.


Damn... knew this day was coming, but that might be a deal breaker for me. Suppose I could adapt. May be time to upgrade the living room unit anyway.

My units have never been connected to a phone line after imaging 6.2a instantcake with the zipper. Can anyone point me in the right direction if I decide to go 6.4?


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## mmartz

Shoot, I was hoping to stay on 6.2 for MRV. I'd appreciate a link to download 6.4 and hopefully some instructions.

Is slicer necessary or just easier than updating/rezippering?

Thanks.


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## MontyL

Ouch... got back from vacation to find myself in the same boat.

LivingRoom DSR7000 dropped local network listings in the guide last Thursday (Seattle 4,5,7,9,13 and 27). MBR DSR704 showing listings, but poor quality and pixellation on every local network affiliate recording starting about that day. Recordings from the networks had all the appearances of a typical rain fade from a near downpour, but they recorded. No other trouble anywhere "up and down the dial".

During a call to D* to see if they're having trouble, MasterBed DSR704 dropped the local networks during a reauthorization attempt, later I realized the independents (11, 16, 22 and 33) were pixellating badly. We don't watch any of them, and have them removed from the Guide under normal circumstances.

I've gone through and swapped things around enough to know beyond doubt that the receivers are the only possible source of the issue, and like westsdad, had D* "offer" a service call and the protection plan, as well as a $417.95 quote to rip the works out and install two new HD "with TiVo" DVRs and all new dish and cabling. I declined all three...

Both units are Zippered with 6.2a, I've never used slicer (but am curious). I did a clear and delete everything on the MBR on a brain fart last night, no change looking at it this morning, and I just found the original Maxtor 40G that I'll reinstall tonight after work...

It appears, fellas, that a recent change by D* has resulted in our owning some limited use hardware... It was fun while it lasted, but losing MRV is a dealbreaker; the other guys' new kangaroo branded technology is sure enticing, even though I'll need to whip together some metal to use in place of the ol' TiVoServer and the two TiVos for stored video.

Unless someone has a better idea and can get MRV to work on 6.4, or there's the coolest HME freeware out there...

(heh, "Newbie" with a join date of '03)


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## jporter12

I was afraid of this when I read people discussing software versions earlier in the thread. 

This very well could cause me to switch to cable.  Maybe I'll just pick up a couple ATSC tuners?


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## mmartz

falstaffpac said:


> Edited to add: At first I did not think it would be necessary to have the Slicer program to upgrade following this method. However, the Slicer program will be necessary to upgrade to 6.4a via this method.


I just updated my HDVR2 to 6.4a w/o using slicer. Just follow the post that *falstaffpac* references modifying the wget command for your particular machine, 151 in my case.

The only caveat that I ran into was installing the new OS. You need to pass a parameter to installSw.itcl, otherwise it just says the current OS is active. So:



Code:


installSw.itcl 6.4a-01-2-151

Reboot and wait.

Still have to zipper, any issues zippering with 6.4a?


----------



## falstaffpac

mmartz said:


> Still have to zipper, any issues zippering with 6.4a?


None. I'm updating them through TivoWebPlus now.


----------



## jjjeffr

cobraduke said:


> If this is a Directv problem, them how come that not all Series 2 SD Dtivos in a particular area are affected?
> In St. Louis, I have friends with the same Series 2 model SD Dtivos (Hughes DVR 80 & Phillips DSR 7000) as mine that are not affected, while I have two that are.
> I don't have any local channels that are blank, just not there at all. My units have been hacked, but so have theirs.
> This is getting really strange.


I think the problem manifests itself on a reboot when it need to re-acquire info from the satellites. I have one box that works and I am praying it does not reboot.


----------



## cobraduke

jjjeffr said:


> I think the problem manifests itself on a reboot when it need to re-acquire info from the satellites. I have one box that works and I am praying it does not reboot.


You are correct. One friend of mine who had working local channels on a hacked 6.2a Dtivo box lost them after a reboot following a power failure.

I guess the other people I know with working Dtivo boxes should hope for no reboots, too. I wasn't so lucky since a power failure during a recent storm got both of mine.


----------



## rogersba

I haven't been paying much attention to the hack scene, since I have an R10. I've done the capacity upgrade, but I thought nothing else was possible on that model. Am I stuck on 6.3e with broken locals?


----------



## technoid_tim

Greetings, I am glad this thread got started when it did, I have been going through hell trying to deal with DTV on this problem. I live in the Denver metroplex with an R10 and and an HR10-250, and both lost the local channels starting around April 1st. Both units were stock, unmodified, one was stuck at 6.1something and the other was at 6.3f. Both have been connected to the phone line and the dish for over a year and never updated on their own. I have been told by DTV that no, they no longer push updates to these old machines, and yes, they still update them. Anyway, I bought and downloaded an 6.4a image for the R10 and got it installed. I did the delete and clear all settings, went through the guided setup again, and when I connected to the DVR service, it spent 10+ minutes downloading data. For a good measure I also when online and reauthorized the machine as well after it got done with the phone call. During the who process there were probably 3 reboots, but all the locals came back very quickly and I had most of the program guide loaded after 8 hours. I have downloaded an image for the HR10-250 and hope to get it up later today. Thanks all for the helpful info! tim


----------



## texasbrit

This problem is apparently linked with the need to enable Descriptive Video Services on a number of locals, because people have been complaining to the FCC. The changes to the guide data to enable DVS are not compatible with releases prior to 6.4. I don't know whether DirecTV will be able to fix the guide so it's compatible with earlier releases, or if an update to 6.4 will be mandatory to solve this.


----------



## scout55344

Today I lost local channels 2-4-5-9-11 in the Minneapolis area.
I called DirectV and they wanted to dispatch a technician for $45.
I'm researching my options.


----------



## wishbone4401

According to Wikipedia, (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Descriptive_Video_Service) the FCC was prohibited in 2002 by a federal court from requiring broadcasters to provide DVS. So if Directv is doing it, its not clear its because of some federal mandate.


----------



## litzdog911

wishbone4401 said:


> According to Wikipedia, (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Descriptive_Video_Service) the FCC was prohibited in 2002 by a federal court from requiring broadcasters to provide DVS. So if Directv is doing it, its not clear its because of some federal mandate.


DirecTV may simply be trying to avoid any FCC action by listening to customers that have complained about not having the descriptive services available. It's certainly an important feature for sight-impaired customers.


----------



## texasbrit

The latest info we have is that updating the firmware to 6.4 is going to be the only solution for this...


----------



## Captain 80s

Is there any way a non-hacked receiver with a phone line will update itself? Or is it too late. 
I imaged a drive with 6.2a (non hacked), plugged in a phone line, updated the local number and have been forcing calls... but I'm not optimistic.
$40 to DVR Upgrade for 6.4a instantcake?


----------



## texasbrit

DirecTV is apparently talking to TiVo about making the 6.4a firmware available again, but I don't know for sure this will happen...


----------



## GusMan

Murdock said:


> I have the 6.4a slices, when I have time I will upgrade and re-zipper. If I remember right the zipper should work with 6.4


Will that allow you to still have MRV with 6.4?

PS: Chicago locals 2,5,7 are black. Channel 11 is missing from guide. A tweet to DirecTV makes it sound like no other problems have been reported.


----------



## stevel

No MRV with 6.4.


----------



## GusMan

Since it seems like upgrading is the way to go - for now - I thought I would give the manual upgrade a try.

One thing though... it says that I have 73MB of space available on var and I need 86MB. Is there anything specific I can get rid of to gain back some space so I can get the slices?

Thanks in advance.


----------



## markis

Lost my locals today and tried to do a manual slice upgrade on my HR10-250. Even though I had edited the installSw.itcl, the script rebooted instead of exiting. I posted more details at the link below. Please have a look and let me know if you have any suggestions on how to fix things.

http://www.tivocommunity.com/tivo-vb/showthread.php?t=486159

(I'm think there may have been another installSw.itcl somewhere in the path and it ran that one instead of the one I had edited in /tvbin/installSw.itcl.)


----------



## Whipl50

Lost most of mine today in Chicago area as well. Hughes unit, zippered. Looks like I'll need to update my software as well. :down: This may be a good excuse to try to get a HD DVR for free, but I'm so sick of how slow their DVR's are I really don't want to commit to another 2 years. I hate Comcast and can't get Uverse so maybe I'll look at Dish's Hopper/Joey setup. Bah.


----------



## Pete_C

Same thing here too near Chicago.

I have not played at all with my DirectTivo box in a long time but do have it updated and at the older software. Its all about WAF here as I do not personally watch TV. Panic mode though today as I was greeted this morning (our anniversary) with this debacle. Not getting channels 2, 5, 7 and 11 (plus others), I get a schedule on top but no video.

I do not know why I called CS as it took them over an hour to tell me I needed a software update. They did tell me that they are getting numerous calls. They told me to plug in the telephone line for an update. I do not have a phone line and worried right now what an update will do to my tweaked Direct Tivo box.

My TivoWebPlus 1.3.1 is showing software version on info page:

Software System: 6.2-01-2-321

TivoMan is also installed.

Is there a simple 1,2,3 FAQ. Can I just telnet and run:



> installSw.itcl 6.4a-01-2-151


Looks a bit more involved with slicer et al.

Please help. (wife may kill my 40 year old parrot today).


----------



## stevel

If you have hacks, you will lose them unless you take care to preserve them. You will lose MRV no matter what.

There's a thread with detailed instructions I have used in the past over at deal database dot com. I can't link to it here, but search for a thread titled "6.3a upgrade via bash". Just change the name. You'll also need to search for the correct patches to disable encryption, should you care.


----------



## markis

stevel said:


> There's a thread with detailed instructions I have used in the past over at deal database dot com. I can't link to it here, but search for a thread titled "6.3a upgrade via bash".


Yes, that's the guide I adapted and tried to use (and have used before for 6.3 manual slice upgrades). Unfortunately, I think there may have been another copy of installSw.itcl on my system without the "reboot" command changed to "exit", so the system rebooted before I could copy hack folders or do any patches.

My TiVo is now running unhacked on 6.4a and I can watch Live TV, but the interesting thing is that *my locals still don't work*. How long should it take for the the channels to start working again on 6.4a or do I have to get my hacks back in place first?

I think I will try to backup the working 6.4a partition, then try to add the hacks and patches back in again. See my thread here if you can offer any advice:

http://www.tivocommunity.com/tivo-vb/showthread.php?t=486159


----------



## stevel

Probably will take 24 hours or so for the guide data to reset.


----------



## Pete_C

Thank you Steve. 

Its pretty much just for my wife as I do not really watch or record DTivo stuff much these days.

I'm guessing that as long as I can telnet back to the DTivo I should be good to go.

She did just call and ask if all was "fixed".


----------



## GusMan

Let me ask this... if people are upgrading to new receivers, are they making any special offers? Any extra fees to consider? Concerned that having to upgrade will result in a good jump in my overall costs.

What can I say, Im spoiled by MRV.


----------



## stevel

No special offers in general, though some have reported getting discounts. There's a new $5/mo TiVo fee for the THR22. No MRV in the THR22 either. With HR24 and the like, you can do MRV streaming between boxes (I think there's a $3/mo fee to add that feature oer account. I don't have it.)


----------



## tward_biteme1

My two hacked ones lost channels today.... This is just sad.


----------



## Pete_C

I called regarding any deals. Only deal that DTV mentioned relating to TIVO was an upgrade for $100 plus $21 installation fee, leasing instead of owning the reciever and a $15 extra charge/month for HD.

That said; wife really cares less about HD versus the content and I already have Comcast and don't even watch TV.


----------



## markis

stevel said:


> Probably will take 24 hours or so for the guide data to reset.


Ok, thank you. I've had it on most of the day, so I'll keep it running overnight and check back again tomorrow, before I make any more changes. I also have one more unit that I haven't even touched yet which also has lost locals.


----------



## Whipl50

It's been so long since I messed with any of this. I don't care if I lose all of my zippered options, this is the last zippered unit in my house so no big deal. I've hooked a phone line back up to the unit, but it is failing to call in. I've placed my area code in and it says that the service is not answering the call.

I don't want to mess with hacking this any further.


----------



## litzdog911

Pete_C said:


> I called regarding any deals. Only deal that DTV mentioned relating to TIVO was an upgrade for $100 plus $21 installation fee, leasing instead of owning the reciever and a $15 extra charge/month for HD.
> 
> That said; wife really cares less about HD versus the content and I already have Comcast and don't even watch TV.


Not a bad deal. That's half the regular $199 THR22 price. Probably includes a new Slimline dish install, too.


----------



## litzdog911

Whipl50 said:


> It's been so long since I messed with any of this. I don't care if I lose all of my zippered options, this is the last zippered unit in my house so no big deal. I've hooked a phone line back up to the unit, but it is failing to call in. I've placed my area code in and it says that the service is not answering the call.
> 
> I don't want to mess with hacking this any further.


The v6.4a software is not currently in the satellite stream. DirecTV is working with Tivo to get it activated again to help folks with this problem. Stay tuned.


----------



## Captain 80s

I don't think it will negotiate the call with your hacks in place. I think you'll have to image a drive with stock firmware. Or maybe it's the "upgradesoftware=false", don't know for sure how to disable that (or if that's what prevents it). I just imaged a drive with my instantcake 6.2a on one of my units and am waiting. If they start providing 6.4a in the stream again, I'll start swapping them out one by one after transferring anything I want off of them. I can stream my files extracted with tysuiteJ to my WDTV media player. Then re-zipper them. Well... least it's a great opportunity to run SpinRite on all of my drives.


----------



## Whipl50

I'm calling DirecTV tomorrow, see what they'll offer to fix this. I really don't want to go for another 2 years, but if they give me a free HD dvr upgrade I may.


----------



## litzdog911

Whipl50 said:


> I'm calling DirecTV tomorrow, see what they'll offer to fix this. I really don't want to go for another 2 years, but if they give me a free HD dvr upgrade I may.


Let us know what you find out.


----------



## Pete_C

During my call with CS/Sales over at DTV they said if I wanted to keep the monthly price identical with no new incurring costs was to switch over to their DTV DVR box. I said no.

I did download the slices but still haven't installed them. I do have the original TIVO drive somewhere and I could probably install that drive and do the download via the telephone line and be done with it. 

It really doesn't matter to me and is making me rethink about keeping Direct TV anyways.


----------



## Pete_C

So I purchased slicer and updated. Painless. While updating I choose to restore my mods. 

My Tivowebplus is still there but can't utilize the rest of my hacks. I can telnet though. I don't even remember what I had on the box. 

Looking through the directories I see some stuff and don't see other stuff.

Any suggestions relating to running a do all script such that I can get all my mods back?

A bit of this and that modding the original script I was able to install the mods back. During the update removed TivoWebPlus. I reinstalled the newest one and changed profile such that it would load on boot.

Just noticed that my rc dot sysinit dot author is still the old one with tivoman (which is gone now) stuff in it. 

Only issue now is that wife is complaining that the LCD keeps going back to the 4:3 display for whatever reason. It wasn't doing this before.


----------



## Zuggel

I have the same issue with 2 non-hacked D-Tivo units in different houses (Detroit metro area). Local channels are black with the guide download error at start up. When my mom call DTV she was told it was a wiring issue in the house and that there would be a $50 fee for the technician to come out. I don't know what is better, that they don't know what is going on or that they are charging to fix something that isn't even broke.


----------



## markis

I think I've now managed to manually patch and reinstall most of my old hacks from scratch after the unexpected 6.4a installSw.itcl reboot wiped them out. 

I'm still not seeing any missing locals yet. I was working on it last night, so I'm not sure if it got the nightly update data. I'll give it another night to see if the channels come back before I try to put 6.4a on my other box.


----------



## Pete_C

I updated manually early this morning and I have all of my locals back this afternoon. I am near Chicago.

I have all of mods back and now wondering what's the easiest way to image the drive to a backup drive?

Before today I would just create a second "virgin" DTivo drive with my mods.


----------



## wishbone4401

It seems that most of the people that contribute solutions on these blogs are knowledgeable hackers that have the time, patience, persistence, high tolerance to frustration and the inclination to run slicers, zippers and other software on their TIVO drives to solve this problem. I dont - so I solved it by getting a new hard drive for one of my HR10-250s from DVRupgrade for $140. I figured I would have saved about $20 by doing it myself by buying a blank hard drive, SATA/IDE adapter and instantcake software and it wasnt worth it. The new drive came with 6.4a software already installed and with the included instructions, it was easy to replace the old hard drive and it solved my local channel problem.


----------



## wishbone4401

I sent a letter to Directv corporate headquarters complaining about the longevity of this issue and the fact that the tech support and customer service representatives have not been told about this problem nor have they been given a consistent answer about our options. I received a call this afternoon from a corporate representative and this is what I was told:

Directv engineering was unaware that the updates to the old TIVO software were not being made available for download.

As has been mentioned elsewhere they are working to get the updates re-started.

They said they would call me next week to let me know the status about when and how updates will be available.​


----------



## markis

Pete_C said:


> I updated manually early this morning and I have all of my locals back this afternoon.


Good to know, thanks. I'm not sure why mine aren't back yet.



Pete_C said:


> I have all of mods back and now wondering what's the easiest way to image the drive to a backup drive?


You could try dd or use the backup options in MFSLive or WinMFS.


----------



## GusMan

I wouldn't say that we are all versed in hacking. But I will say that the resources found on this site have been very valuable and provided by some very intelligent and generous people.

In my opinion, hacking the Tivo to give it more functionality has extended its useful life for sure.

The bad part is that the "fix" kills off one of the best features of a hacked Tivo- MRV. Well, thats my opinion since it was the sole reason why I hacked it in the first place.


----------



## l2bengtrek

Hello All!

It has been a LONG time since I have been on here. My hacked Tivo has been serving me well..up until this missing local problem. I bought my Tivo already hacked..but I am pretty decent with computers and build them myself. Over the years I have browsed through the ZIPPER thread and am somewhat familiar with how it works. Like others though, I'm not *real* patient..but I am willing and I believe able to do this so here goes...

Can I do this to get my locals back and still have all the hacks?

1. Get the 6.4 image and networking cd's from DVRupgrade.com to enable the usb ports for networking.
2. Run them on a new drive. (or the original drive)
3. Once installed back in the Tivo, open up TELNET and run the script.

I would do all of this in accordance with the instructions on the original ZIPPER thread.

Would this get me back in business? I've never used the MRV feature so I'm not worried about that...but other features...including an "unmentionable" one I don't want to live without if I can help it..

Thanks!


----------



## stevel

As far as I know, MRV is the only thing you lose. But from indications I have seen here, 6.4a is "back in the stream" and it may be sitting in your MFS database ready for installation if you follow the correct instructions.

I've never been a fan of "Zipper" and other script-based tools for hacking as that means when something goes wrong, you're unable to recover.


----------



## l2bengtrek

Thanks Steve...saw your comments about this local channel topic over at DBSTALK and that led me back over here..don't quite know what you mean about MFS and "in the stream" though...are you talking about DirecTV putting it back out for download? I have read about that..what are "the instructions" you're talking about?

Thanks!


----------



## texasbrit

stevel said:


> As far as I know, MRV is the only thing you lose. But from indications I have seen here, 6.4a is "back in the stream" and it may be sitting in your MFS database ready for installation if you follow the correct instructions.
> 
> I've never been a fan of "Zipper" and other script-based tools for hacking as that means when something goes wrong, you're unable to recover.


I haven't seen any indication that 6.4a is available again....yet


----------



## l2bengtrek

Guys,

looking a little further into what I need to do..in regards to my previous plan of attack...if I run the DVRupgrade cd's to get myself running again...All I have to do is open up a telnet window and type in the command for the script? Where does the script come from? Little fuzzy on this part...


----------



## tward_biteme1

downloaded 6.4a-01-2-301.slices.tgz since -301 is the current active 6.2a, but now -101 for 6.4a is showing, does it matter if I use that one with the slicer?

Directory of /SwSystem starting at ''

Name Type FsId Date Time Size
---- ---- ---- ---- ---- ----
6.2a-01-2-101 tyDb 196612 02/17/07 08:41 700
6.2a-01-2-121 tyDb 196616 02/17/07 08:41 700
6.2a-01-2-151 tyDb 196617 02/17/07 08:41 700
6.2a-01-2-301 tyDb 196618 03/09/07 23:12 724
6.2a-01-2-321 tyDb 196619 02/17/07 08:41 700
6.2a-01-2-351 tyDb 196620 02/17/07 08:41 700
6.2a-01-2-381 tyDb 196621 02/17/07 08:41 700
6.2a-01-2-3F1 tyDb 196622 02/17/07 08:41 700
6.4a-01-2-101 tyDb 8567752 04/20/12 20:34 780
ACTIVE tyDb 196618 03/09/07 23:12 724


----------



## dewdogger

I live in Chicago and lost channels 2, 5, 7, and 32 two days ago along with a lot of other people. I saw the post re: upgrading to 6.4a to fix this problem. I was on 6.2 and was told by DirectTv that is what was required. I used the link from page on one this thread(Thanks by the way) to download the 6.4a slices which worked fine. I bought the Slicer tool and ran it without any problems that I could see. WHen the system was rebooted, it came up on 6.4a, I got channel 32 back but not 2, 5, and 7. I have tried reprogramming from satellite several times without success. It's been almost 24 hours since I upgraded and still no 2, 5, and 7. I saw one post that said it may take 24 hours for these to come back but 32 (Fox) was back immediately. Do I need to delete my guide/season pass/etc and let that rebuild? I don't want to a clear and delete but that may be next. As others have posted, I don't want to have to do the pain of rebuilding another drive. It may be time to bite the bullet and retire these old antiques. I have an RCA 40 and Philips 80 Series 2. I've gotten a lot of mileage out of them. Anybody else have issues with local channels after upgrading to 6.4a? Thanks.


----------



## wetchemistry

I also downloaded slicer and upgraded both my DSR704's to 6.4a and got channel 11 back immediately on both, but not 2,5,7. I'll wait to see if they come back by morning.


----------



## markis

dewdogger said:


> Anybody else have issues with local channels after upgrading to 6.4a? Thanks.


Yes, I'm still missing locals more than 24 hours after upgrading to 6.4a. I also ran the satellite setup again today and the channels still are not in yet. I do see the channels and descriptions in the guide, but when I tune to them, I just get a blank black screen.

I'm sure that the machine is running 6.4a, but I'm wondering if there's anything I can do over telnet to confirm that the machine is now compatible with DVS. Or is there a shell command to force a full download of new guide data?


----------



## Whipl50

Called DirecTV and was told that I need to attach a phone line and upgrade to 6.4. Can anyone point me in the direction of a thread that will explain how to do this? I can still telnet into my Tivo. I get a bash prompt, but it doesn't look like my /var/hack files are still there. It's been years since I messed with this, do I need to ftp back into the Tivo and put the files back?

I'm just looking to force an upgrade at this point, either through a phone call, or through telnet.

Thanks!


----------



## dw17

I used the Slicer and worked great. Just waiting for Service Data to download and fix the issue.

2, 5, and 7 are out, but 11 and 32 came back right away with the 6.4a upgrade.


----------



## zorro255

dw17 said:


> I used the Slicer and worked great. Just waiting for Service Data to download and fix the issue.
> 
> 2, 5, and 7 are out, but 11 and 32 came back right away with the 6.4a upgrade.


Did you lose MRV?


----------



## markis

Going on two days after the 6.4a upgrade on one machine and still no 2, 5, 7 here. I also completed another manual 6.4a upgrade on my second machine last night and the channels aren't coming in this morning (still under 24 hours).

I wonder if DirecTV has somehow misconfigured their DSV streams for 2, 5 and 7 in the Chicago market so that they aren't compatible even after a 6.4a upgrade. It wouldn't the first time they've had a glitch like this on their end.

Does anyone have a contact at DirecTV that they could ask to look into this issue of a possible misconfiguration with 2, 5, 7 in Chicago? I'm doubtful that calling customer service would send the message up the chain to the right technically-minded person of authority.

Are there any telnet commands we can run to narrow down the problem here? For those in other regions that have all their locals back with 6.4a, what values are you seeing now on fixed channels in the TivoWeb User Interface, Channel Guide, Callsign details under Spi= 127 (StreamLanguageDescriptorList) and StreamType= 2 3 3 (unknown)? (As wishbone4401 described here).



Whipl50 said:


> Can anyone point me in the direction of a thread that will explain how to do this? I can still telnet into my Tivo. I get a bash prompt, but it doesn't look like my /var/hack files are still there. It's been years since I messed with this, do I need to ftp back into the Tivo and put the files back?


Without slicer a manual upgrade can get tricky, but you can start reading here:

http://www.tivocommunity.com/tivo-vb/showthread.php?p=6687969#post6687969

I've updated a couple machines starting with those slices. As stevel, mentioned, I also followed the thread at another site: deal database dot com, search for "6.3a upgrade via bash". Some of my old notes from an earlier 6.3 manual upgrade based on that guide are here:

http://www.tivocommunity.com/tivo-vb/showthread.php?p=5664951#post5664951

Make sure to edit your installSw.itcl so it does NOT contain any "reboot" commands (change to "exit 0") or else you will lose telnet and have to pull the drive and hook it up to a PC with a Live CD to re-hack everything from scratch. If all those threads are confusing, it's probably best not to attempt it.


----------



## wetchemistry

Markis I'm in the same boat as you, "upgraded" both of my DSR704's to 6.4a and did the call in, re-authorization, reset satellite's etc.... Waited for the service data download and no joy. This is very disappointing. I wonder if there is a different 6.4a available?


----------



## markis

wetchemistry said:


> Markis I'm in the same boat as you, "upgraded" both of my DSR704's to 6.4a and did the call in, re-authorization, reset satellite's etc.... Waited for the service data download and no joy. This is very disappointing. I wonder if there is a different 6.4a available?


Well, I don't think so. I used the same slices link that falstaffpac posted earlier in the thread and he said that fixed his problem. But I think he was in a different region, because he posted before there were problems in Chicago.

This 6.4a is the same one that's been out for 3 or 4 years. There hasn't been an update for a long time.


----------



## tward_biteme1

I've upgrade one out of two and it worked. The locals came back pretty quick.


----------



## markis

tward_biteme1 said:


> I've upgrade one out of two and it worked. The locals came back pretty quick.


In what region? (Maryland?) The only area that people are reporting problems after updating to 6.4a seems to be the Chicago market channels 2, 5, 7 (CBS, NBC, ABC).

That's why I suspect a configuration error here on those channels, since all the locals seem to be coming back in other areas of the country after an update to 6.4a.

To put it another way, has anyone in the Chicago market gotten all their locals back including 2, 5, 7 after updating to 6.4a?


----------



## Pete_C

Apologies here:

I updated (via slicer) and thought (reported by wife to me) that 2, 5, & 7 had come back and in fact they have not.

Prior to the update a 1 hour phone call to DTV CS did say to connect my telephone line and update in that fashion. They also told me to call 24 hours after the update should I not see Chicago channels 2, 5, & 7.

Initially they did do a kind of "hard sell" to me stating that my equipment was now too old to get the new HD channels. (personally I don't mind keeping SD for the DTV; as I also have Comcast Service) relating to a "free" update to their DTV DVR or a $21 installation service charge and a $15 extra charge for a DTV new Tivo which would be leased instead of purchased. I refused both.

I am currently running TivoWebPlus version 2.1 B3. Here is what my info page shows.


----------



## tward_biteme1

markis said:


> In what region? (Maryland?) The only area that people are reporting problems after updating to 6.4a seems to be the Chicago market channels 2, 5, 7 (CBS, NBC, ABC).
> 
> That's why I suspect a configuration error here on those channels, since all the locals seem to be coming back in other areas of the country after an update to 6.4a.
> 
> To put it another way, has anyone in the Chicago market gotten all their locals back including 2, 5, 7 after updating to 6.4a?


Yes, Maryland...


----------



## dwellar

No 2 5 7 for me. Chicago. Going on 14 hours (overnight) since upgrading from 6.2 to 6.4a via manual slices. DSR704.


----------



## Pete_C

Here's a play by play with DTV CS right now at 1104C SAT, 21 of April 2012. 

We currently do not see local Chicago channels 2, 5, & 7.

Initially CS asked if I updated the software using call back. I said yes. It didn't work for me so I used slicer.

I told her I've already read posts from numerous DTV users in the Chicago region having the same issue.

She is checking.....

She came back and said that if after 24 hours (its been that for me) you don't see a picture on 2,5, & 7; do the update again. (comment here: a stall).

BUT she said that the DTV engineers are aware of the problem and working on it. 

So basically she is acknowledging the issue but "stalling" a bit by telling me to do the update again. 

A contradiction. 

She did say that there is a NOTE to NOT escalate the issue as its being worked on. 

I old told her I wanted a gimme from DTV and leave my service ticket open. Let's play a bit with mean time to resolution. So far the MTR is getting higher; the stall was just to reset the clock on the MTR; what a joke.

She credited me 3 months of local channels at $5.00 per month; IE: $15.

I would recommend all those in the Chicago region using the DTIVO series 2 boxes call DTV and complain and get your "gimme's". 

BTW my wife in the suffering from withdrawal phase of missing her local channels. 

I am trying to circumvent a major issue her by keeping her occupied with stuff other than TV; it is kind of working.

BTW just wrote to the Chicago Tribune relating to the Direct Tivo issue in the Chicagoland region.


----------



## litzdog911

Something is up with those Chicago stations. texasbrit has asked our DirecTV contacts for an update on why v6.4a hasn't restored those stations.


----------



## wetchemistry

Pete, I also called and tried to get a "gimme" and got the $5 off for 3 mos also. Though that does me no good if I can't use the local channels I want. I also wrote the Chicago Tribune and am writing CBS 2 local news Pam Zekmen. We'll see.


----------



## Alecp

Just lost my locals on Thursday - I'm in the Detroit area. Wife called DTV yesterday (I wasn't around) and they tried some stuff but couldn't help (I guess they offered her a free HD receiver but only with a 2 year contract?!). 

I'll read back in the thread and see about upgrading - I haven't hooked up to a phone line in years.

This is so annoying. My tivo's have been functioning fine for years, and not interested in upgrading (will screw up my multiplexer setup).


----------



## Whipl50

markis said:


> Going on two days after the 6.4a upgrade on one machine and still no 2, 5, 7 here. I also completed another manual 6.4a upgrade on my second machine last night and the channels aren't coming in this morning (still under 24 hours).
> 
> I wonder if DirecTV has somehow misconfigured their DSV streams for 2, 5 and 7 in the Chicago market so that they aren't compatible even after a 6.4a upgrade. It wouldn't the first time they've had a glitch like this on their end.
> 
> Does anyone have a contact at DirecTV that they could ask to look into this issue of a possible misconfiguration with 2, 5, 7 in Chicago? I'm doubtful that calling customer service would send the message up the chain to the right technically-minded person of authority.
> 
> Are there any telnet commands we can run to narrow down the problem here? For those in other regions that have all their locals back with 6.4a, what values are you seeing now on fixed channels in the TivoWeb User Interface, Channel Guide, Callsign details under Spi= 127 (StreamLanguageDescriptorList) and StreamType= 2 3 3 (unknown)? (As wishbone4401 described here).
> 
> Without slicer a manual upgrade can get tricky, but you can start reading here:
> 
> http://www.tivocommunity.com/tivo-vb/showthread.php?p=6687969#post6687969
> 
> I've updated a couple machines starting with those slices. As stevel, mentioned, I also followed the thread at another site: deal database dot com, search for "6.3a upgrade via bash". Some of my old notes from an earlier 6.3 manual upgrade based on that guide are here:
> 
> http://www.tivocommunity.com/tivo-vb/showthread.php?p=5664951#post5664951
> 
> Make sure to edit your installSw.itcl so it does NOT contain any "reboot" commands (change to "exit 0") or else you will lose telnet and have to pull the drive and hook it up to a PC with a Live CD to re-hack everything from scratch. If all those threads are confusing, it's probably best not to attempt it.


Thanks for the help Markis. I have the slices downloaded to my Tivo, but I'm going to wait to see what happens with other people in the Chicago area that have upgraded before I go much further. I'm a Windows guy and haven't messed with Linux in a long time.

If the upgrades work for others, I may just buy the slicer and upgrade via that route.


----------



## zorro255

Chicago problem here too. Called DTV getting the stall answer. I don't want to update 6.4a but I miss the local news. I am thinking about ordering the 390-399 channels at lest until DTV fixes this mess. But I want to know if these too are affected by this problem. Can someone tell me please if these channels are coming in on their system with 6.2a or 6.4a(Chicago only)?


----------



## Pete_C

Just checked on the East cost channels 390-399. These state to call DTV for ordering. They should at least provide them to the Chicago Direct Tivo Series 2 users until they fix their issues.


----------



## litzdog911

zorro255 said:


> Chicago problem here too. Called DTV getting the stall answer. I don't want to update 6.4a but I miss the local news. I am thinking about ordering the 390-399 channels at lest until DTV fixes this mess. But I want to know if these too are affected by this problem. Can someone tell me please if these channels are coming in on their system with 6.2a or 6.4a(Chicago only)?


You won't be able to get the Distant Network Service (DNS) network channels without waivers from your local stations. Not gonna happen.


----------



## wishbone4401

if you can get local channels that are broadcast over the air (OTA), this might work for you in Chicago like it worked for me in Colorado. I have OTA antenna for local channels but had no need to hook it up to my DVR until now and when I did I was able to select and record all my local channels. You cant get the ones that are in the guide that display a blank screen because the DVR thinks the satellite signal is good and chooses to select that satellite signal over the OTA signal. However the OTA HD versions of those channels also show up in the guide, have the same content as the SD signal and the DVR will allow you to select, display and record them in SD.


----------



## zorro255

What receiver are you using because doing some testing with rabbit ears no HD channels and no 11(PBS) or 32(FOX) shows up in the guide? This might be getting off topic, but do I need to purchase a HD antenna for your solution to work. But this problem could be just bad signal because the only signal that comes through OTA is 32-1(FOX) when plugged into the digital converter that I never used before.

Hughes HDVR2 6.2a
Hughes SD-120 6.2a


----------



## wishbone4401

zorro255 said:


> What receiver are you using because doing some testing with rabbit ears no HD channels and no 11(PBS) or 32(FOX) shows up in the guide? This might be getting off topic, but do I need to purchase a HD antenna for your solution to work. But this problem could be just bad signal because the only signal that comes through OTA is 32-1(FOX) when plugged into the digital converter that I never used before


I have a couple of HR10-250s (one on 6.4a and the other on 6.3e) and a DSR7000 (6.2) hooked to an old VHF TV antenna in the attic. Since our local channel transmitters are located on a mountain top, we get pretty good signals in the Denver area.

All my DVRs have a coax connector for an external antenna next to the connectors for the two satellite tuners. To configure it for OTA signals, you have to go through the guided setup and sometime during that process, youll get to a screen that says something like do you have 1 tuner, 2 tuners or tuners and an antenna. Select the latter option. In my case, all the channels that the antenna could receive showed up in the guide along with the information about whats on.


----------



## zorro255

Doing some research and more testing the Hughes SD-120 TiVo&#8217;s are not compatible with OTA recording. The HR10-250&#8217;s and DSR7000 might be a good solution for others. 

Thanks for the help.


----------



## markis

Pete_C said:


> BUT she said that the DTV engineers are aware of the problem and working on it.
> 
> So basically she is acknowledging the issue but "stalling" a bit by telling me to do the update again.
> 
> A contradiction.
> 
> She did say that there is a NOTE to NOT escalate the issue as its being worked on.





litzdog911 said:


> Something is up with those Chicago stations. texasbrit has asked our DirecTV contacts for an update on why v6.4a hasn't restored those stations.


Thanks for getting the word out. It sounds like DirecTV is getting the message that there are real problems here. Hopefully, they can come up with a fix soon. It must be misconfigured DSV streams or bad guide data. I would think they would compare their seemingly successful changes in other regions to the broken setup in Chicago to track down the issue.

I do have non-satellite OTA stations working on my HR10 with a standard antenna connection, but I also have an SD-DVR80 with local channel Season Passes that are recording nothing everyday.

On a positive note, after a few days of use both 6.4a updated machines are otherwise running smoothly and functioning as well as before. I always worry that new problems might come up after an update, but I haven't noticed any issues yet.


----------



## wetchemistry

They may be getting the message, but will they do something about it? I truly think they don't care at this point.


----------



## Pete_C

I'm thinking $15 off isn't enough of a gimme from DTV. 

I would be happier now with credit for one months worth of service (piss poor that it is).


----------



## dishdudes

I have an R10 in Maryland thats missing 4, 5,7,9 locals... I guess I need updated software? Is there a way to force it?


----------



## stevel

zorro255 said:


> Doing some research and more testing the Hughes SD-120 TiVos are not compatible with OTA recording. The HR10-250s and DSR7000 might be a good solution for others.


HR10-250, yes. DSR-7000, no - of all the DTiVos, only the HR10 has an OTA tuner in the box. (The new THR22 can use the external AM-21N.)


----------



## wetchemistry

What software does the HR10-250 need to be up to date?


----------



## markis

wetchemistry said:


> What software does the HR10-250 need to be up to date?


The HR10 and all series 2 units will need 6.4a, which is the latest and last version released a few years ago.



dishdudes said:


> I have an R10 in Maryland thats missing 4, 5,7,9 locals... I guess I need updated software? Is there a way to force it?


Read back through this thread and you will find some helpful links.


----------



## Whipl50

New HD dvr on it's way. I had a good ride with my old DirecTivos, but it's time to move on. This was my last SD holdout in the house.

Good luck everyone, I hope it is resolved soon.


----------



## Pete_C

I think DTV should run a "Walmart" special for those SD stepchildren left behind for the poster child city and state known as Chicago, Illlinois.


----------



## l2bengtrek

Don't feel bad...it's happening here in Cincy too....


----------



## dewdogger

Thank you for writing us.

I am very sorry about the ongoing trouble you are having with your local channels on your Tivo receiver. We intend to work with you to resolve your issue at hand, so I just wanted to let you know that we received your email and I have forwarded it for special handling. A specialist will respond as soon as an agent is available (likely within 24 hours). For immediate assistance, please call us at 1-800-531-5000.

We appreciate your time.

Sincerely,

Ronna S. - 100131199
DIRECTV Customer Service


tick tock tick tock.....It's evident that this is high on Direct TV's priority list. Day 5 without local channels...pathetic customer service.


----------



## solfun

I too am in Chicago with no 2,5,7 and now I think fox 32 is gone...11 also. 9 is there. WTF. I am on 6.2 only for MRV and moving to 6.4 is not really a good option here as we use MRV daily amongst my 3 receivers. Why did DirecTV mess with this? I love my Tivo, already tried DirecTV's brand and the interface is horrible..right with Comcast. I could go with DirecTV tivo - but no MRV...I could go with Tivo direct to get all I need - but no DirecTV (only comcast).

I may have to switch to comcast to get my Tivo - very frustrating. I saw the new DTV multiroom unit - which I may try in hopes they made the interface look better...but not sure what the price is as it is too new.

Decisions, decisions.

Ron


----------



## Pete_C

In FL I switched from DTV (after 10 years plus) to FIOS and in the "end" DTV offered a full year of service for free. 

I told them "no" and haven't looked back.

Here in the midwest only offerings are DTV and Comcast. I am still waiting for FIOS and Uverse to come around such that Comcast has a bit of competition. 

I wonder what it'll take to get them installed; as there was talk last year about it and nothing this year. Our subdivision in the MW is 100 homes. In FL it is only 50 homes and we have the choice there of Comcast, FIOS or Uverse. 

I am pretty much kind of "done" today with DTV, Customer service et al.

Now past my s list going to the "dark side" of looking forward to how many customers that DTV is going to lose for said debacle.

Its all well deserved DTV; you created your own s and I hope you like the smell of it as you wallow in it.


----------



## solfun

I wish we could get FIOS here - I would be all over that. U-verse is here, but I will never move to ATT. The worst support ever experienced from a company from DSL, Wireless, phone service & u-verse as I deal with them with clients all the time. 

I am having comcast price it out as it appears I can buy Tivo Premiere and pay them $15.00/m for service, on top of the DVR (if I don't pay $500.00 for lifetime) - then pay comcast for the programming. I have always liked DTV for quality - far surpassed comcast cable - but this may push me away from DTV...this little stunt they are pulling. 

Sad to see DTV ruin their own HD Tivo by not releasing it as a new Tivo model. Tivo models already have more than what DTV has in their Tivo...not sure why they did that. Kinda like how Motorola/Sprint puts out the i1 Nextel with Droid 1.5 - when it was years old already. Now, it is dead anyhow.


----------



## l2bengtrek

hey guys...

I'ts not my intention to turn this into a hacking how-to thread...but I can't seem to find the answer to a few questions. I've got a 6.4a instantcake and ptvnet cd order on its way and plan on trying to remedy my no locals problem this weekend. I think I have pretty good understanding on how to do this myself...but what I what I need to know is:

1: First of all, will I able to re-hack my DTivo using a 6.4a image? According to others, there will be no MRV and that isnt a deal breaker..I use other features..

1: Once I'm ready to FTP rbautch's enhancement script to my tivo...does it matter that directory I copy it to? what directory do I use?

2. Once I'm TELNET'ing and at the bash prompt...what exact command do I type to run it?

I'll try to keep the tech questions to a minimum..I think I should be able to do the rest with no problem..or feel free to point me in the right direction to where I can find these answers..

Thanks!


----------



## stevel

I suggest you ask this in the "Underground" section. Yes, you can hack a 6.4a image.


----------



## l2bengtrek

Will do...


----------



## wetchemistry

Anybody hear any news?


----------



## litzdog911

wetchemistry said:


> Anybody hear any news?


Nothing yet.


----------



## falstaffpac

I wanted to remind those of you upgrading to 6.4a that MovieLoader becomes an option to acheive MRV. Its been awhile since I used MovieLoader (on the old HDTivo). Movieloader lets you xfer shows from one tivo to another. It will also serve up shows in *.tmf format from the server.

There does seem to be a conflict between the latest version of Tivo Desktop and Movieloader. Tivo Desktop seems to block the DTivo's ability to see Movieloader. If I prevent Tivo Desktop from running and launch Movieloader, the tivo sees it fine and I have transferred a couple shows just to make sure everything is working.

Refer to the MovieLoader thread in Underground for setup, configuration etc.


----------



## dewdogger

I tried one more thing before giving up on these. I went into the restart menu and selected to delete Programming and To Do List. I had rerun guided setup several times to no avail. When I deleted Programming and the To Do List, it ran for about 4 hours but low and behold, back came the local channels. I still have an issue with the screen format reverting to 4:3 for some reason but the locals are back. You have to upgrade to 6.4a for those who haven't. Just follow the thread on the first page of this forum to download the 6.4 slices. I bought "the slicer" to install and that worked fine but now I have the 4:3 problem.


----------



## Pete_C

My wife asked me not to delete Programming and To Do list; but maybe will do that anyways if it gets her stuff back. 

I had the same issue after updating relating the the 4:3 screen size defaulting. I would set the 16:9 and change channels and it would revert back to the 4:3 video format.

I started to play with the video setting going back and forth between 4:3 and 16:9 saving each time. That said it's staying now at 16:9. I honestly don't know what I did though other than the saving piece to make it work again.


----------



## markis

dewdogger said:


> I tried one more thing before giving up on these. I went into the restart menu and selected to delete Programming and To Do List. I had rerun guided setup several times to no avail. When I deleted Programming and the To Do List, it ran for about 4 hours but low and behold, back came the local channels.


Thanks. I just tried the same thing on my HR10 (updated to 6.4a) and after 4+ hours, my channel 2, 5 and 7 locals are back now. Still no guide data, but it should fill in overnight then I can put all my Season Passes back in.

So, it seems like this solution definitely works. I'll try it on my other machine tonight.


----------



## zorro255

I tried "Delete Programming and To Do list" with my R10 6.1 no joy. Purchased a 6.4a cake got 2,5,7,11,32 back. 
Still don&#8217;t want to update the rest of the DTivos unless I absolutely must.


----------



## dwellar

Confirmed: a clear of the data and TO-DO list brings back Chicago 2 5 7 locals on a DSR704 slice updated to 6.4a.

Takes about 3 hours (not 1) for the clear to finish.

Make sure to update the channel list when the unit comes back. At least start with "Channels you receive", because "Favorites" gets cleared and if you have "favorites" for guide data, no channels will be available. 

I don't know if clearing the data and TO-DO would help on 6.2a, but suspect if it did, the "fix" would be short lived since the GUIDE INFO would quickly corrupt the 6.2 again.


----------



## wetchemistry

I'm in the process of doing that now. And hope it works, because I have a confirmation code to switch to UVerse on Saturday if it doesn't.


----------



## Pete_C

Yup; worked here to. I now have Chicago 2, 5 & 7 back. 

Thank you for the suggestion.

It did take about 4 hours.

Quick recap (my steps) Chicago watching area

1 - Telnetted to DTivo and checked current versions validating that I had 6.2 running
2 - per above post downloaded 6.4 sw
3 - purchased slicer for ~20.00 USD
4 - ran slicer and it installed sw 6.4
5 - it did remove most of my tweaks except for telnet
6 - reinstalled the tweaks and tivowebplus
7 - ran the clear data to do list - took about 4 hours to run
8 - Chicago channels 2, 5, 7 are now seen and OK.


----------



## wetchemistry

My DSR704 just completed the "delete" function and I can confirm I have the channels back. It took 3 hours, but it's worth it. EF, DirectV!


----------



## markis

My second machine just finished "Delete Programming and To Do List" and also got all the locals back, so we're finally back up and running here. I'll have to re-enter all the Season Passes tomorrow, once the guide data is up to date.



zorro255 said:


> I tried "Delete Programming and To Do list" with my R10 6.1 no joy. Purchased a 6.4a cake got 2,5,7,11,32 back.
> Still dont want to update the rest of the DTivos unless I absolutely must.


I don't think anyone using a version other than 6.4a has gotten their channels back.


----------



## dewdogger

Are 6.4a slices not available for my Philips DSR7000/17? I upgraded my RCA DVR80 using the wget -O /var/packages/getslice command specifying getslice-6.4a-01-2-301[/url] command and have also used 101 and 3010 for my service ID's and I'm either getting nothing or an HTTP 500 server error. Is there no 6.4a slice available for this box or am I not using the right service ID? Thanks.

If anyone is still having problems getting their locals back in Chicago, I found out yesterday that when you restart and delete your program information and To Do List, you'll get your channels back. It worked on my RCA back but I can't get the slices for my Phillips DSR7000. Thanks for any help you can provide.


----------



## dewdogger

Correction on my last post. For my RCA DVR80, I used service ID 321 and that worked fine. Service ID 301/101/3010 all do not work when I try to do a getslice to dvrupgrade.com which makes me wonder if 6.4a upgrades for this box are not available anywhere.


----------



## markis

dewdogger said:


> Are 6.4a slices not available for my Philips DSR7000/17? I upgraded my RCA DVR80 using the wget -O /var/packages/getslice command specifying getslice-6.4a-01-2-301[/url] command and have also used 101 and 3010 for my service ID's and I'm either getting nothing or an HTTP 500 server error. Is there no 6.4a slice available for this box or am I not using the right service ID?


I had a problem like that, which I think had to do with not having internet access on that machine (it only had LAN access). I didn't fix it, but I think you can look into adding entries to resolv.conf like this:



Code:


echo "nameserver 8.8.8.8" > /etc/resolv.conf
chmod 755 /etc/resolv.conf

I didn't do that. Instead, I just put the getslice links in my browser, then used FTP to transfer the slices from my PC. For example, for service ID 101, paste these links into your browser then save:



Code:


http://www.dvrupgrade.com/software/update_tool/getslice-6.4a-01-2-101
http://www.dvrupgrade.com/software/update_tool/6.4a-01-2-101.slices.tgz

Then FTP those files to /var/packages. (And rename: mv getslice-6.4a-01-2-101 getslice)


----------



## markis

Well, my DVR80 froze and I had to pull the plug to restart earlier today after running the Delete then downloading guide data overnight. My HR10 spontaneously restarted itself tonight about 10 minutes into recording two OTA HD shows.

I hope these aren't signs that 6.4a is less stable than the older 6.3e I was running. After all this, I still may need to look into new boxes if 6.4a means frequent lockups and reboots during recordings.


----------



## kenr

I'm an old school hacker that hacked my TiVos using a kernel that had killhdinitrd run on it thus I'm not familiar with some of the more modern hacking techniques. I downloaded this script referred to here and took a look at it but wasn't sure it's compatible with my hacking technique because it references the slicer and I never used the slicer.

Does the script assume a certain method of hacking?

Additionally using my TivoWeb I see this in MFS. I assume if I just wanted to eliminate my hacks I could run installSw.tcl and update to a non-hacked system. I'm not sure how unhacked software deals with unecrypted media files though. Anyone know.

Directory listing of /SwSystem
Name	Type	Id	Date Time	Size
6.2a-01-2-151	tyDb	2176230	02/17/07 03:26	700
6.2a-01-2-301	tyDb	2176231	03/16/07 18:11	724
6.2a-01-2-351	tyDb	2176233	02/17/07 03:26	700
6.2a-01-2-381	tyDb	2176234	02/17/07 03:26	700
6.2a-01-2-3F1	tyDb	2176235	02/17/07 03:26	700
6.3f-01-2-121	tyDb	3395073	12/08/07 03:11	780
6.3f-01-2-521	tyDb	3603583	01/29/08 03:03	780
6.4a-01-2-101	tyDb	4095120	05/21/08 02:39	780
ACTIVE	tyDb	2176231	03/16/07 18:11	724

Doesn't the table above show what things should like AFTER that script was run. Perhaps I don't need it at all and the only questions is whether slicer can update a TiVo that was previously hacked without slicer.



markis said:


> I had a problem like that, which I think had to do with not having internet access on that machine (it only had LAN access). I didn't fix it, but I think you can look into adding entries to resolv.conf like this:
> 
> 
> 
> Code:
> 
> 
> echo "nameserver 8.8.8.8" > /etc/resolv.conf
> chmod 755 /etc/resolv.conf
> 
> I didn't do that. Instead, I just put the getslice links in my browser, then used FTP to transfer the slices from my PC. For example, for service ID 101, paste these links into your browser then save:
> 
> 
> 
> Code:
> 
> 
> http://www.dvrupgrade.com/software/update_tool/getslice-6.4a-01-2-101
> http://www.dvrupgrade.com/software/update_tool/6.4a-01-2-101.slices.tgz
> 
> Then FTP those files to /var/packages. (And rename: mv getslice-6.4a-01-2-101 getslice)


----------



## solfun

FYI - anyone trying to just remove the todo & guide on a 6.2a hoping 2,5,7, come back...it does not. I am guessing you will need 6.4 unless we hear from DTV that they will fix what they broke and allow us to keep 6.2 and locals.

Ugh.


----------



## markis

kenr said:


> I assume if I just wanted to eliminate my hacks I could run installSw.tcl and update to a non-hacked system. I'm not sure how unhacked software deals with unecrypted media files though. Anyone know.
> ...
> 6.4a-01-2-101	tyDb	4095120	05/21/08 02:39	780
> ACTIVE	tyDb	2176231	03/16/07 18:11	724


I haven't used the slicer script, just the slices for a manual upgrade, so I'm not sure how it handles various different hacking methods. Someone else mentioned that they ran slicer and lost all their old hacks except the kernel and telnet access.

On my first manual upgrade, I made a mistake and was running an unhacked 6.4a for a short time. I was able to play my old recordings without a problem.

If your receiver ID matches the 101 prefix, it looks like you may have the 6.4a slice loaded already.


----------



## kenr

markis said:


> I haven't used the slicer script, just the slices for a manual upgrade, so I'm not sure how it handles various different hacking methods. Someone else mentioned that they ran slicer and lost all their old hacks except the kernel and telnet access.
> 
> On my first manual upgrade, I made a mistake and was running an unhacked 6.4a for a short time. I was able to play my old recordings without a problem.
> 
> If your receiver ID matches the 101 prefix, it looks like you may have the 6.4a slice loaded already.


It looks like I have 6.4a slices on all 4 TiVos. I guess slicer may be overkill since I'm familiar with all the manual ways of hacking. 
Does this sound like a good plan.

Run a modified swInstall.itcl that doesn't reboot to install the new SW?
dd the older 6.2a kernel that had killhdinitrd run on it over to the soon to be active new boot partition?
Copy over my hacks and rc.d changes to the about to be new root partition
reboot

My backup plan is:

Call Verizon
Get FIOS


----------



## markis

kenr said:


> Does this sound like a good plan.
> 
> Run a modified swInstall.itcl that doesn't reboot to install the new SW?
> dd the older 6.2a kernel that had killhdinitrd run on it over to the soon to be active new boot partition?
> Copy over my hacks and rc.d changes to the about to be new root partition
> reboot


That's the basic idea. You can see my old notes at this link and also search for and read the "6.3a upgrade via bash" thread on another site. You also have to search elsewhere for the 6.4a patch locations for tivoapp.

http://www.tivocommunity.com/tivo-vb/showthread.php?p=5664951#post5664951

I'm also looking into Plan B options now, since 6.4a rebooted in the middle of recording tonight. This equipment is really outdated and it would be nice to get more HD stations. I may have to drop DirecTV though, since the last installer wouldn't put a new dish on the roof.


----------



## wetchemistry

Someone earlier posted that movie loader could be used to transfer programs back and forth instead of MRV. I went to the undergoround section and to save my life I can't find it. When I do a search I get linked to pages where movie loader is in people's signatures. Can someone point me in the right direction? Thanks in advance.


----------



## Captain 80s

Google "movie loader tivo" . First link over to DDB.


----------



## kenr

My upgrade of my hacked TiVo failed
I was able to run installSw.itcl just fine use the slices I already had in the MFS from years ago.
I then tried to reapply my hacks by copying stuff between the root partitions.

What I was unsure of was how to deal with the kernel. My new root partition was 7, do I copied over my old 6.2a kernel with dd if=/dev/hda3 of=/dev/hda6 bs=1024k
*
IS THE 6.2A KERNEL COMPATIBLE WITH 6.4A? 
*
I rebooted, got a message that the upgrade would take an hour, then the kernel paniced and since then it's in a reboot loop. (I have a serial console so I can see all this).

Fortunately I did this with a backup of the real disk so I can try over again.

Can anyone find a fault with my procedure?


----------



## wetchemistry

Captain 80s said:


> Google "movie loader tivo" . First link over to DDB.


Thank you, I was under the impression it was on THIS website, not DDB.


----------



## markis

kenr said:


> *
> IS THE 6.2A KERNEL COMPATIBLE WITH 6.4A?
> *
> I rebooted, got a message that the upgrade would take an hour, then the kernel paniced and since then it's in a reboot loop. (I have a serial console so I can see all this).


Yes, the old kernel works. I'm not sure what happened, but you can try to make sure you have the USB backport drivers and also look at your iptables and dhclient files. Also read through the 6.4a threads on DDB ("6.4a has arrived") to see problems others have run into and possible solutions.


----------



## wishbone4401

wishbone4401 said:


> I sent a letter to Directv corporate headquarters complaining about the longevity of this issue and the fact that the tech support and customer service representatives have not been told about this problem nor have they been given a consistent answer about our options. I received a call this afternoon from a corporate representative and this is what I was told:
> 
> Directv engineering was unaware that the updates to the old TIVO software were not being made available for download.
> 
> As has been mentioned elsewhere they are working to get the updates re-started.
> 
> They said they would call me next week to let me know the status about when and how updates will be available.​


I Received a call from the Directv corporate representative late this afternoon. He said Directv engineering has not responded with any information about when and how the software updates to fix this problem are going to be implemented. He said he would call me back next week to update the status.


----------



## falstaffpac

wetchemistry said:


> Thank you, I was under the impression it was on THIS website, not DDB.


That was my fault. I thought MovieLoader was discussed in Underground. After your post, it occurred to me the information may be on another site.

I apologize. The google search recommended above should get you to the right place.


----------



## kenr

I'm in the NYC market and lost channels:
2 (CBS)
4 (NBC)
5 (FOX)
7 (ABC)
13 (PBS)

I just noticed that these channels are active with the same programming as the lost channels:
390 (CBS-E)
392 (NBC-E)
396 (ABC-E) 
398 (FOX-E)

Therefore the only channel I've actually lost is PBS. I don't recall if these 39x channels were active before, but for us in the NYC market, it sure alleviates most of the problem.


----------



## stevel

You probably can get those because those are NYC stations in the 390s.


----------



## dwellar

KENR

Definitely need to replace the 6.4a USB drivers with Jamie's . If you unplug the Ethernet / USB connector, the drivers won't try to load. If that's why it is rebooting, unplugging will get you past that. It did for me, and then I uploaded Jamie's drivers over the serial port.


----------



## Penyles

stevel said:


> I know you are new to the forum, but it is getting really old now to have every problem with a DTiVo blamed on DirecTV trying to get rid of TiVo customers. This is especially nonsensical now that the THR22 is out there. (I have one and a HR21 and like them both. Neither is a "POS".)
> 
> I assume you are in the Denver market - I was looking at the spreadsheet of channels and transponders to see if there was any correlation, but I couldn't find any.
> 
> Have you checked the signal strength on all transponders for both tuners on the affected boxes? What happens if, as an experiment, you swap the HR20 and HR10 boxes?
> 
> You could get a THR22 if you love the TiVo UI so much. I have checked dbstalk.com and don't see anyone with a similar complaint, and I'd also expect to have seen something in this forum if the problem was widespread.


It is a Directv mess up. They changed the guide data and it is not compatable with any software version prior to 6.4a. Tivo does not have that version available anymore. So apparently, if you want your locals back you have to get dtvs crappy dvrs. they want to charge you a s&h fee for their screw-up. also want to charge you a rental fee for every receiver you get from them. I have 5 Tivos atm. 4 with software version 6.2a and 1 with version 3.?. so you can see my deal with them is no cheap thing.


----------



## Pete_C

Noticed two reboots here in the morning around 9 AM local time; one yesterday and one today. 

Its become very low on the WAF.


----------



## stevel

No, it is not a "DirecTV mess up". It's an unfortunate but predictable side-effect of those who actively prevent DirecTV from keeping the software compatible with the service. There was undoubtedly a good, technical reason for changing the guide data format, and customers who did not hack their boxes got the update automatically. If you take off the blade guard on the power saw, you lose the right to complain when you get cut.

I had hacked my DTiVos, but never used MRV so I moved to 6.4 when it cam out. At the time, it was said that the new version was to add compatibility with future guide changes. And now, 2-3 years later, it's needed. Your ire might be better directed to TiVo who removed the MRV code from 6.4, but even then it wasn't supposed to be there in the first place. The free ride has ended.


----------



## Pete_C

I believe its understood by both Direct TV and Tivo; especially TIVO that their software was modded/tweaked mostly for the better. That alone speaks for countless die hards that continue to utilize the Tivo.

I think most users here understood that they purchased or modded their own boxes and were dinged by the empathy shown by Direct TV when they in fact did make a change to the data stream that would only work with newer software. So what?

There has never been a "free ride" as all of the Tivo users either paid a monthly fee or a lifetime subscription.

Having been on the other side myself owning businesses (or being the "vendor"). What has always mattered is customer service. The existence of said companies is due to the customers not the other way around.

I do understand a common thread these days with self serving customer service customers and endline profitability. Its a working formula today for many vendors when their customers do their own self help / customer service; much more profits for the vendors.

Only thing is that they lose sight of their roots and the base for their own initial venture into their business.

Many customers have lost sight of this and gladly pay their providers $200 or more a month for the privilege of watching television completely bloated with an advertisement or product placement every few minutes.


----------



## kenr

dwellar said:


> KENR
> 
> Definitely need to replace the 6.4a USB drivers with Jamie's . If you unplug the Ethernet / USB connector, the drivers won't try to load. If that's why it is rebooting, unplugging will get you past that. It did for me, and then I uploaded Jamie's drivers over the serial port.


Yup, Jamie's drivers fixed the reboot. I had skipped this previously because back in 6.2a, his drivers were optional.

Now that I'm using Jamie's drivers I'm getting a message about once a second on the serial port that says: "unlinking :8239f290". If I unplug my USB dongle this goes away. When I plug it back in, the message comes back but with a different number. The eth0 port does not show up in ifconfig.

What I did specifically for the backport drivers is to remove the old 
ax8817x.o, usbcore.o, usb-ohci.o, and ehci-hcd.o, then copy in new usbcore.o, usb-ohci.o, and usbnet.o files. I then symlinked usbnet.o to ax8817x.o.

I also updated /etc/hotplug/usb.map

This all worked in 6.2a. I'm not sure why I'm having trouble now.


----------



## thegreen

I am having this issue in Chicago as well, and find myself having to join various forums to defend myself.



stevel said:


> No, it is not a "DirecTV mess up". It's an unfortunate but predictable side-effect of those who actively prevent DirecTV from keeping the software compatible with the service. There was undoubtedly a good, technical reason for changing the guide data format, and customers who did not hack their boxes got the update automatically. If you take off the blade guard on the power saw, you lose the right to complain when you get cut.


Unfortunately for some of us, this does not seem to be the case. I have two series 2 R10's. I have never hacked them. I don't know how. I don't want to. One runs 6.1, the other 6.3. Directv installed them correctly in my home and they have always made phone calls etc. Directv has been 100% in control of my software all along and even they don't know why I'm not current.

I realize that this was an accident, but yes, for some of us it was Directv's fault. Or whoever pushes/removes the updates. I agree that those who hack their boxes asked for it, but in my case (and others, I assume) DTV owes me a fix or replacements. Not a rental, not a contract, Replacement.


----------



## stevel

As I understand it, the fix is that 6.4a will be made available again.


----------



## jporter12

Well, I have one of my Dtivos fixed, and now have no MRV, which is one of the main reasons that I hacked them. I loaded 6.4a with the slicer, and got all but one of the locals back. After running that way for a week or so, I finally decided to reset the guide and channel info. Came home and all is well on that one. in my other unit I think the power supply decided to die. Ugh... It never ends!


----------



## litzdog911

stevel said:


> As I understand it, the fix is that 6.4a will be made available again.


Yes, hopefully soon.


----------



## wetchemistry

litzdog911 said:


> Yes, hopefully soon.


I really don't think it will be. This problem with locals began on April 1st for some areas, and on April 18th for Chicago and Indianapolis. It's now the end of April. I don't see anything coming from DTV, especially after I dealt with them on the phone. Let's just say that I don't see their commercial about being rated the best in customer service running any time soon.


----------



## jporter12

dwellar said:


> If that's why it is rebooting, unplugging will get you past that. It did for me, and then I uploaded Jamie's drivers over the serial port.


Ugh... This is why mine is rebooting, not a power supply issue. I have to figure out how to do this again, it's been at least 5 years since I've used a serial cable to connect to my TiVo! Are there any good tutorials out there from back in the day?

The other option I have is to pull the drive and re-zipper, with the 6.4a superpatch that is out there.


----------



## kenr

I still can't get ethernet working with 6.4a. I has absolutely no trouble with 6.2a.

I get:
usb.c: USB device 2 (vend/prod 0x2001/0x1a00) is not claimed by any active driver.

This code is in my /etc/hotplug/usb.map and I have all the latest backport drivers.

Any ideas?


----------



## Pete_C

My ethernet to USB is working but the box has been rebooting at random. IE: yesterday it rebooted itself twice.

That said do I have to update the USB to NIC drivers?


----------



## l2bengtrek

Updated to 6.4a using InstantCake with PTVNet and all is well...did a reauthorize over DTV's website and ALL locals came back immediately. Unfortunately I haven't been able to get my favorite hack to play nice with 6.4a. I'd tell you guys but I cant' talk about on here. Wish I could cuz I'm sure there's somebody out there that could help me...


----------



## spudly

stevel said:


> As I understand it, the fix is that 6.4a will be made available again.


Right Steve, but in the meantime we _the customer_ suffer. 
Suffer because we don't have programming. (And programming we pay for no less). Suffer because most front line representives have no clue. Suffer because we are not given a clear explanation from anyone at DirecTV as to (a) what happened, (b) why it happened, and (c) a timeline for a fix. Suffer because only those enough with enough time and gumption follow up on internet boards deciphering what is going on. And many people are encoutering this are long time DirecTV customers who don't need,want or should have to pay for the 'latest and greatest' (sic) recievers; rather are content in using their investments they made years ago when they purchased hardware.

They owe a mea culpa to everyone effected by being upfront about the problem and some tangible information as to what they are doing to rectify.


----------



## tecnofile

Hello, we are now having this issue in Kansas City MO, on a hdvr2, 6.2 software atm and a netgear fa120 usbnet adapter. Normal local channels are 4,5,9,19,29,38,41 and 62. We no longer are receiving 4(fox), 5(cbs), 9(abc), 19(pbs) or 41(nbs), nor are they listed in the guide at all. I "modified" this unit a long time ago and have never had a problem with it until now and yes it is running 6.2-01-2-151 atm. So, when it happened yesterday I knew the way it was acting that it was a dtv change that had to have caused the issue, because signals lvls are fine and nothing has been changed otherwise, and 2 other newer receivers are still working fine. So I started searching around the usual places on the net an ran across this upgrade to 6.4a stuff and then here is the weird thing. I went into swsystem to make sure what exact version of software I was running and this is what was in there:



6.2-01-2-151 tyDb 61570 02/19/06 05:24 724
6.4a-01-2-151 tyDb 8653116 04/22/12 02:40 780
ACTIVE tyDb 61570 02/19/06 05:24 724



If Im not mistaken thats the 6.4a upgrade in there with a date of 4-22-12?? How did this get on my box? I don't have a phone line near this box, it is networked, but my internet routers firewall keeps it blocked from the internet?? I don't ever remember putting 6.4a in there and why would it have that date from last week?? So i guess I can just use the slicer and upgrade it to 6.4a with this file to fix the local chan problem??

So if I run the slicer against that 6.4a file and it upgrades, then all I have to do is rerun the tweak script and maybe the stuperpatchen and it would be close to back where it was before?? Would all my previous recordings still on there survive the process?


----------



## kenr

tecnofile
You have just proven that the 6.4a update is now being sent again over the satellites.

The one thing you've misunderstood is that the update comes from the satellite, but it's the phone call that causes the TiVo to update using the image from the satellite.


----------



## CrashHD

I can confirm technofile's results in the KC market. 

4(fox), 5(cbs), 9(abc), 19(pbs), and 41 (nbc) are all gone.

updating one box from 6.3f to 6.4a fixed it.

I'm holding off on the 6.2a boxes. A year or two ago they scrambled up some guide data, and causes 6.2a boxes to miss some recordings for two or three weeks (never lost channels though). 6.4a was supposed to be necessary to fix that problem, but it went away that time. 

I'll miss my mrv'd tivos, but I'm determined to ride this train to the end.

I'm glad I did my own installation instead of using the mover's program when I recently moved. I'm very happy to not be under a contract right now.


----------



## dc123

Problem is happening in DC market too. Hughes dvr 80 sw 62a-01-2-351

Lost NBC, Fox, CBS, ABC and some PBS

Those of you saying this is not a DTV issue seem clearly off base.

I am pretty certain that the issue began when I lost power yesterday and the receiver had to reboot. During the reboot it says that it can't download the complete guide. It says the same thing when I reset the system. I was definitely receiving CBS on Sunday 4/29.

I have not had my TIVO plugged into a phone line for about 1850 days. It was not really necessary and I don't have a convenient phone line. 

SO QUESTION:

Should I hook up to a phone line and try to get a SW upgrade now, hold tight for a while, or just switch to FIOS?


----------



## dc123

stevel said:


> No, it is not a "DirecTV mess up". It's an unfortunate but predictable side-effect of those who actively prevent DirecTV from keeping the software compatible with the service. There was undoubtedly a good, technical reason for changing the guide data format, and customers who did not hack their boxes got the update automatically. If you take off the blade guard on the power saw, you lose the right to complain when you get cut.
> 
> I had hacked my DTiVos, but never used MRV so I moved to 6.4 when it cam out. At the time, it was said that the new version was to add compatibility with future guide changes. And now, 2-3 years later, it's needed. Your ire might be better directed to TiVo who removed the MRV code from 6.4, but even then it wasn't supposed to be there in the first place. The free ride has ended.


I have not hacked my TIVO and I have the issue. Why such an apologist for a company with such crappy customer service, and a history of this kind of stuff?


----------



## tecnofile

kenr said:


> tecnofile
> You have just proven that the 6.4a update is now being sent again over the satellites.
> 
> The one thing you've misunderstood is that the update comes from the satellite, but it's the phone call that causes the TiVo to update using the image from the satellite.


Oh ok then that explains it, I thought the update came across the ph line. So I guess that could be good news for some ppl if they get the 6.4a over the sat now and can update.

So can anyone answer my question about if I use this 6.4a update and I use slicer to update, will all my previous recordings survive the update??


----------



## l2bengtrek

My 2 cents is that I really don't blame DTV that much for this. Standard Def Tivos have haven't been offered by them for quite some time now. Mine is hacked and like many others, CHOSE TO NOT allow updates for the software because it would wipe out the modifications...which is what caused this problem. Now for the people who for whatever reason did not know and therefore did not do the update to 6.4 when it was available..this is unfortunate...Pain in the butt to fix? Yes. But if we all had left our phone lines hooked to them to make the call for an update..we wouldn't be talking about this...FWIW


----------



## dc123

l2bengtrek said:


> My 2 cents is that I really don't blame DTV that much for this. Standard Def Tivos have haven't been offered by them for quite some time now. Mine is hacked and like many others, CHOSE TO NOT allow updates for the software because it would wipe out the modifications...which is what caused this problem. Now for the people who for whatever reason did not know and therefore did not do the update to 6.4 when it was available..this is unfortunate...Pain in the butt to fix? Yes. But if we all had left our phone lines hooked to them to make the call for an update..we wouldn't be talking about this...FWIW


Since mine isn't hacked, will hooking up to the phone fix my issue or do I need to wait until somebody here says that an update is available through directv.


----------



## stevel

I am not an "apologist", just expressing the view that it isn't a diabolic plot of DirecTV to force everyone to replace their TiVos. If indeed 6.4a is back "in the stream", that shows that DirecTV does want to keep the old boxes alive.

dc123, you should hook the box to the phone line. It can take a few days to download all the "slices" for the update, so don't be concerned if you don't get the new software right away. But you can force a "daily call" and then see if you are in a "pending reboot" status.


----------



## dc123

Thanks for the info. I will do that. I just wanted to make sure that it wouldn't cause me more issues. Like I said mine is straight out of the box. Bought it new years ago with the intent of hacking it but never did I was too lazy.


----------



## tecnofile

Well it was the correct 6.4a, it appears. Ran the slicer and it seemed to work, and my recordings seem to still be intact(thanks to no one for any help). Lost my fa120 netusb adapter, which Im still trying to get working. At least I still have bash through the serial cable.


----------



## kenr

tecnofile said:


> Well it was the correct 6.4a, it appears. Ran the slicer and it seemed to work, and my recordings seem to still be intact(thanks to no one for any help). Lost my fa120 netusb adapter, which Im still trying to get working. At least I still have bash through the serial cable.


I can't get my USB device to work either despite making sure I had the back port drivers. Are you getting "unlinking" printed repeatedly on the serial port?


----------



## tecnofile

kenr said:


> I can't get my USB device to work either despite making sure I had the back port drivers. Are you getting "unlinking" printed repeatedly on the serial port?


I don't remember seeing unlinking, but I will check again. The message I keep seeing mainly is something about:

USB device 2 (xxxxxxxxxxxxxxx) is not claimed by any active driver.
Unable to handle kernel paging request................... yada yada

Then it just reboots over and over until I unplug the fa120

Ive now ran across so many different threads about losing networking, but none are clear and none seem to be about my model (hdvr2), so I don't know whether to follow those posts or not..


----------



## tomc585

kenr said:


> I'm in the NYC market and lost channels:
> 2 (CBS)
> 4 (NBC)
> 5 (FOX)
> 7 (ABC)
> 13 (PBS)
> 
> I just noticed that these channels are active with the same programming as the lost channels:
> 390 (CBS-E)
> 392 (NBC-E)
> 396 (ABC-E)
> 398 (FOX-E)
> 
> Therefore the only channel I've actually lost is PBS. I don't recall if these 39x channels were active before, but for us in the NYC market, it sure alleviates most of the problem.


NY Metro Area, I just lost 4 NBC and 5 FOX yesterday and 7 ABC today. Ch390, 392, 396 and 398 are now active which were not before. Running stock SD-DVR80 w 6.2


----------



## wishbone4401

I sent a letter to Directv corporate headquarters around the 1st of April when I began to have problems receiving my local channels.

A corporate representative has called me once every week since then with a status of the problem. Until today, the status has been we have not heard anything from engineering about how they are going to fix this problem.

Today a representative called and told me the following:

The software downloads to fix this problem have been restarted. To get the download you need to do the following:

Have the receiver hooked up to a phone line and be sure the phone line is not in use

Go to the Directv menu / read messages & settings / settings / phone / connect to the DVR service now

Initiate the call - if it fails, try again or exercise the option to select another phone number

After a successful phone call, go to the Directv menu / read messages & settings / reset or restart system / restart the recorder

After the recorder restarts, go to the Directv menu / read messages & settings / system information / - verify the software version starts with the numbers 6.4

If the software version does not start with 6.4, wait 24 hours and repeat the process.

When the system information finally indicates the software version starts with 6.4, the local channels should return

If the local channels DO NOT return within 4 hours, go to the Directv menu / read messages & settings / reset or restart system / clear program information and to do list

The local channels should return at this point but you will have to re-enter your season pass selections. 

I asked if the updates were available nation wide or if they were being phased in gradually across the US? She said they are available nation wide.

I asked if the software updates will work on all DTV / TIVO receivers? She said her information states the updates will work on all legacy models - she didnt know specific models.


----------



## wetchemistry

Now that it's been fixed, I am having "showcases" pop up when a show I have recorded is over. Does anyone know how to rid this annoyance?


----------



## tomc585

does " clear program information" wipe out my recordings?..also, I dont have a landline so i would bring it to a friends house, i dont need it to be hooked up to a dish to get the update right?


----------



## wetchemistry

tomc585 said:


> does " clear program information" wipe out my recordings?..also, I dont have a landline so i would bring it to a friends house, i dont need it to be hooked up to a dish to get the update right?


"If the local channels DO NOT return within 4 hours, go to the Directv menu / read messages & settings / reset or restart system / clear program information and to do list"

Doing the above will delete the guide completely and the to do list, which will wreak havoc on your season passes. You will have to re-enter the season passes manually.

As to dialing in from a friend's house without satellite reception. I don't know


----------



## tomc585

i dont mind setting up the season passes, i just dont want to lose my library of recorded shows.


----------



## sk33t3r

Well as several others I WAS missing a few locals here in Houston, I followed http://www.tivocommunity.com/tivo-vb/showthread.php?p=6687969#post6687969 to get the slices over then ran SLICER that I had stored from way way back. All the shows are still there and playing fine. Now its time to fix dear ole dads HDVR2 Im still missing 2 locals, so a clear and delete may fix that. If you need the slices here they are

http://www.dvrupgrade.com/software/update_tool/6.4a-01-2-101.slices.tgz

http://www.dvrupgrade.com/software/update_tool/6.4a-01-2-151.slices.tgz

http://www.dvrupgrade.com/software/update_tool/6.4a-01-2-351.slices.tgz

http://www.dvrupgrade.com/software/update_tool/6.4a-01-2-121.slices.tgz

http://www.dvrupgrade.com/software/update_tool/6.4a-01-2-321.slices.tgz


----------



## JackS

I'm running an HDVR2 (v6.2a) in the Los Angeles area. Last month I
lost local channel 5 - KTLA. I guess it was not a technical issue, but rather
a lack of agreeing to contractual terms for rebroadcast by DTV? It was
back again within a few days.

Starting Thurs, I lost another local channel 4 - KNBC. No audio, no video.
Guide data and program info are found. One call to DTV and they say that
their engineers are working on a solution. (I usually have to call at least
twice.) Three days later and still no audio/video on ch 4.

-Jack


----------



## tomc585

JackS said:


> I'm running an HDVR2 (v6.2a) in the Los Angeles area. Last month I
> lost local channel 5 - KTLA. I guess it was not a technical issue, but rather
> a lack of agreeing to contractual terms for rebroadcast by DTV? It was
> back again within a few days.
> 
> Starting Thurs, I lost another local channel 4 - KNBC. No audio, no video.
> Guide data and program info are found. One call to DTV and they say that
> their engineers are working on a solution. (I usually have to call at least
> twice.) Three days later and still no audio/video on ch 4.
> 
> -Jack


Join the club jack. Check for your lost locals up in the 300's for a quick fix or plug in a phone line and let DTV do its thing. Reports are that it may take a while for the receiver to get the update going. Make sure your setup to dial in to a working DTV number. I never used the dial up and when I checked it (phone number to DTV) wasnt even a working number. Run the phone self check to be sure.


----------



## Irv

Lost some locals in DFW area with a bone stock Sony SAT-T60 (original HDD). 

I'm going through the upgrade process now. I had to run a temporary phone line across the room -- it hasn't made a daily call in over 4 years ...so I'm a little behind. Might take a few days. 

System info currently shows version 3.5c


----------



## tomc585

so i brought my dvr to work and let it call in, download...rinse-repeat, rinse-repeat. I did it 4 times to make sure it finished. Hopefully tonight it will complete its transformation to 6.4


----------



## dah31

Irv said:


> Lost some locals in DFW area with a bone stock Sony SAT-T60 (original HDD).
> 
> I'm going through the upgrade process now. I had to run a temporary phone line across the room -- it hasn't made a daily call in over 4 years ...so I'm a little behind. Might take a few days.
> 
> System info currently shows version 3.5c


I haven't made a daily call in longer than that (well over 5 years), but you win on software version!

Looks like this issue has hit Wash. DC now. My two SD DTiVo boxes have both lost channels 4 (CBS), 5 (F*x), 7 (ABC), and 9 (CBS). Tuning to one of these channels gives a black screen with a DTV banner "Channel not available.". One box is running 6.2a and is missing 26 (PBS) and 32 (PBS) as well, and possibly other channels; I haven't checked the Other box for those yet. The channels are missing from the All Channels Guide.

We had a brief power cut this morning, so I thought that might have been related. I rebooted the Other box, and it was "Unable to obtain information for all channels". Then it crashed while trying again, so I pulled the plug and rebooted. Again it was "Unable", but this time it went to Live TV.

This box has been having difficulties like this on startup for at least a couple of months; the last time was at the start of April, when I swapped my New HDTiVo into its spot so the tech could access it (a (probably) unrelated issue about Live TV trick play sometimes not working). That time, it didn't go to Live TV but rather to a GSOD. It seemed to sort itself out after an hour or two of me scrambling to get copies of the programmes I thought I'd lose when I inevitably had to reimage the box.

Here's the version information from the Other box:



Code:


% /% SwSystem

Directory of /SwSystem starting at ''

    Name                      Type        FsId      Date  Time   Size
    ----                      ----        ----      ----  ----   ----
    6.2-01-2-321              tyDb        3965  04/03/12 16:57    724
    6.3f-01-2-101             tyDb      526148  04/03/12 16:52    780
    6.4a-01-2-121             tyDb     1350086  04/03/12 17:43    780
    ACTIVE                    tyDb        3965  04/03/12 16:57    724

% %

So it looks like it's time to back up the drive and get slicing. It's not like I've got anything else to do(!) There's a good reason why I've stayed on 6.2 despite the Daylight-Saving Time changes: updating is tedious.

Don't mind me; just having a grumble. I feel a bit better now.


----------



## tomc585

woke up this morning at 5:30am and saw the box was downloading data. Had my hopes up since normally the dvr updates are finished by 3-4am ish. Sad to see im still on 6.2a. Guess i need to try another dial in session.


----------



## thegreen

tomc585 said:


> woke up this morning at 5:30am and saw the box was downloading data. Had my hopes up since normally the dvr updates are finished by 3-4am ish. Sad to see im still on 6.2a. Guess i need to try another dial in session.


I've been hooked up to phone/sat, doing extra daily calls/reboots every day or so, and I got nothing. If I were you, I'd wait until you see posts claiming success before lugging that thing again.


----------



## JackS

tomc585 said:


> Join the club jack. Check for your lost locals up in the 300's for a quick fix ...


Thanks.
Found my local NBC on channel 393 (KNBC Los Angeles) Saturday morning.
Added ch 393 to Favorite Channels. Season Pass recorded ok from ch 393.

My HDVR2 has been running without a hitch for 4-5 years, with no phone
connection. If I loose more local channels, and it fouls up season passes,
I'm prepared to take corrective action.

-Jack


----------



## roadrashjd

OK - So I finally called Direct TV. They are going to force the 6.4 Upgrade to load. 

Now I have a hacked Hughes DVR-40 to 300 Hours. I know it reboots every morning. Do I need to go in and change a setting to make sure that the update takes. 

When and IF the update takes will I lose all my hacks. I tried reading down through the threads, but I'm getting mixed messages. Should I use Slicer?

Can anyone help?

JD


----------



## nmiller855

Just spent 30 minutes on the phone with a technical support "expert" that has worked there 4 years & doesn't have a clue about TiVos. He immediately my unit was the cause of losing local channels. He had me do the guided setup & when it took longer than 3 minutes he said that proved it is the box & he can't stay on the phone with me any longer.
When I referenced this thread he had no response. He said I was eligible for an upgrade & should take it. When I told him I had lifetime service on this unit & was not interested in buying another box he basically siad he couldn't help me.
My OCD came in handy because I have another TiVo hooked up & just switched the season passes for those channels to the other unit.


----------



## stevel

You will lose your hacks unless you manually install the slices and reestablish the hacks before it reboots. I don't know what Slicer does - I have always done these upgrades by hand.


----------



## Vern748

Well it looks like it is onto the SFO/Bay Area. 1 DTV Hughes DVR-40 is missing 2Fox, 5KCBS, 7KGO, 9PBS. The other DTV Hughes DVR-40 is still getting these channels for now. Looks like the wife needs to finish watching all her stored movies before I blow away the To Do List.
:down:


----------



## sk33t3r

Vern748 said:


> Well it looks like it is onto the SFO/Bay Area. 1 DTV Hughes DVR-40 is missing 2Fox, 5KCBS, 7KGO, 9PBS. The other DTV Hughes DVR-40 is still getting these channels for now. Looks like the wife needs to finish watching all her stored movies before I blow away the To Do List.
> :down:


Im waiting on my wife to do that same thing, so I can clear and delete. But she keeps on recording!!!


----------



## wetchemistry

You can blow the to do list and not lose your current recordings, you WILL have to re-enter all your Season Passes. They will still be listed, but will not work, so you will have to delete, re-enter, and hope you don't forget one.


----------



## Marco

DirecTV tech sounded surprised that the phone calls haven't resulted in a software update from 6.2a to 6.4. They're sending a tech to my house Monday morning. Based on what I'm reading here I don't think they're going to be able to restore my missing locals that way.


----------



## thegreen

Marco said:


> DirecTV tech sounded surprised that the phone calls haven't resulted in a software update from 6.2a to 6.4. They're sending a tech to my house Monday morning. Based on what I'm reading here I don't think they're going to be able to restore my missing locals that way.


Unless the tech is prepared to swap hard drives, I doubt he can help. Good luck, though.


----------



## thegreen

texasbrit said:


> The latest info we have is that updating the firmware to 6.4 is going to be the only solution for this...


I know you guys are trying to help. We appreciate it. I just think we deserve better than silence followed by wiping out all communication. They could delete offensive posts and leave the threads intact.


----------



## fooz

LOL, DirecTV solved this issue for me.

I have 3 Series 2 units affected, and after 2 weeks of working on the issue and still no locals, I fired off a simple email requesting information on their cancellation policy:

"...I am no longer under contract, so my question is how long from the time I cancel does my service/billing stop? Is it immediate or can I set a shut off date?"

I got an offer a short time after to call for a reward, which I did and it was to replace one of my 3 crippled Tivos for a DVR, and of course a 2 year extension. I turned this offer down as it would still leave me with 2 not working correctly. I then received an email that stated:

"Normally, we require you to speak with a Customer Service Representative in order to cancel service. However, since you may have already ordered new service, I made an exception and scheduled your account to be disconnected as of midnight on 05/11/12...."

My first reaction was to call and reinstate my service, but I signed up for Dish with 2 hoppers systems to be installed tomorrow. i was not sure if I was going to cancel, but DirecTV made up my mind for me.


----------



## thegreen

Directv has now deleted three threads concerning this topic from their internal forums. I can only assume that they are trying to make this issue- and us- go away. I don't want to fight, but if anyone effected by this issue wants to get help, please consider sending detailed accounts of your experiences to the FCC, EFF etc. And maybe save cached copies of the remaining threads at DTV forum before they get deleted, if necessary. I'm not sure what else to do but move on.


----------



## fooz

thegreen said:


> ... I'm not sure what else to do but move on.


Agreed, I feel better already. My next battle I am sure will be that they will insist my Tivos are theirs.


----------



## l2bengtrek

It seems that the most painless way to fix this is to do it yourself...meaning don't even screw with calling DirecTV.  For me it was a SUPER EASY decision to run INSTANTCAKE and PTVnet from DVRUPGRADE to make a new drive with 6.4a...of course I had no shows saved on my old one so I'm sure there are a lot of you that would not agree since you want to keep your shows. For me, I was up and running with all of my channels restored in about an hour..


----------



## wetchemistry

l2bengtrek, I agree, it is how I fixed my issue, with help from this forum and the DTV one. But I am really mad at DTV because it was MY thread about losing Chicago locals that was deleted. As far as I can tell, I or others broke no TOS agreements by posting what was collectively found to fix the problem. Yes there were a few links to file a complaint with the FCC, but they could have deleted specific posts, NOT the whole thread. A CSR called me and asked me how my 7 phone calls went trying to fix the problem, I gave them the worse reviews I could and told them that as soon as I can get U-Verse to come out I was ditching them. It is sad to see a company most of us flocked to after cable being so terrible in the 80's and 90's be destroyed by greed.


----------



## thegreen

I agree as well, and if Dtv will pay to have it done for me, no problem. Even though it was an accident, I feel that it's their responsibility to fix my boxes and I shouldn't have to buy extra stuff and learn how to hack them to get it done. I don't give a **** about the shows.

I find it interesting that the volunteer guides continue to defend Dtv, even after having their own useful posts deleted along with entire threads. I don't think I could back someone who censors my work with no explanation. Unless the price was right, I guess.


----------



## l2bengtrek

I agree with both of you..does seem pretty underhanded if that's what's they did...but from what I've read, they *have* made 6.4a available again in the satellite stream to download. Either way, that's why I decided to take them OUT of the equation as far as these old tivos go. With IC and PTVnet discs at my disposal, I no longer need their support on these, I can make new drives whenever I want...unless of course somewhere down the road, they make the guide data just flat out totally unreadable by the older equipment. Then there will be really nothing else that can be done...


----------



## thegreen

l2bengtrek said:


> ...but from what I've read, they *have* made 6.4a available again in the satellite stream to download. Either way, that's why I decided to take them OUT of the equation as far as these old tivos go.


6.4 in the stream was an unconfirmed, single message from Dtv to a forum user that, if true, didn't work. More recent reports at DBS say that it's not there.

I see the desire to take them out of the equation, believe me. But I think I'd rather do it by getting a full house, new, Hopper/Joey setup that Dish wants to trot out to my house for free.


----------



## wetchemistry

Yeah, the "6.4a is in the stream" story was getting old, staunchly regurgitated by the volunteers who pretend to be company men. Has anyone already switched to the hopper system? I might give that a look if someone can give it a good review.


----------



## fooz

wetchemistry said:


> Yeah, the "6.4a is in the stream" story was getting old, staunchly regurgitated by the volunteers who pretend to be company men. Has anyone already switched to the hopper system? I might give that a look if someone can give it a good review.


After DirecTV was kind enough to give me 14 hours notice and cancel me as of midnight tonight, I called Dish, They are supposed to be installing 2 hoppers, 3 joeys and a slingbox tomorrow . I felt I needed more tuners and went for an extra hopper, I will let you know how it goes.

Funny thing they canceled my account and called 8 times today and never left a message.


----------



## wetchemistry

I think they have decided to ditch people like us who, owned our own receivers and didn't upgrade etc... It's a shame. I believe they didn't leave you a message their customer service is horrendous.


----------



## fooz

When they offered me 1 HD DVR, I told them that it wouldn't do, but that I would be interested in the HMC Hr34 and 4 receivers to replace my HD DVR and 3 Tivos. The woman told me she was not in any position to make any other offers and hoped I had a good day. I do believe that this was a simple ploy to get me to accept a new DVR and locking me in for 2 years and when I declined they decided to shut me off. After reading their forums and the issues with HMC I am happy they couldn't make that deal.

It does seem that Dish has better technology with the dual room DVRs, Hopper/Joey, sling box, and even google tv integration.


----------



## thegreen

It would seem there's some good topics to see/join over at http://www.dbstalk.com/index.php concerning Dish/hopper stuff- and some Dtv/Dish debates.

Let's try to keep this thread on Tivo repair topic.


----------



## fooz

Just curious, has anyone seen or heard of someone having this problem fixed by following DirecTVs advice? Which is to plug into a phone line and force a call. 

The only people I see who fixed it have either bought/built a new drive or used slicer.


----------



## thegreen

Nope- no reports of success through the official connection process.


----------



## litzdog911

Finally got some news from our DirecTV contacts. They've verified with Tivo that v6.4a is available, and if your Tivo is connected to a phone line and successfully "phoning home", then it should be getting the update. Clearly that's not working for some folks, so they've requested the following information to help troubleshoot the issue ....


Your Tivo model number?
What Tivo software version do you currently have?
Your Tivo Service Number (TSN)? .... Should be in the system information display.
Does your Tivo have any "modifications" to its original software?
TV brand & model number?
How is your Tivo connected to your TV?
If you have an HR10-250 HD Tivo, what video output resolution(s) are you using?

If you're uncomfortable posting all of that info here, send me a private message and I'll pass along to my DirecTV contacts.


----------



## nmiller855

The rollout of 6.x will not help me because I have a Sony SAT-T60. I currently have 3.5C-01-1-011.
When the "expert of 4 years" first saw my account, he said "Wow, you've been with us a long time. I don't think I've ever talked to anyone with such an old account. (I've had the account since 1999)" He then said the problem was that my unit was old & needed to be replaced. I told him that wasn't a possibility.
I don't understand how replacing a hard drive will fix this. It is not a hardware problem, it is a software issue. 
I have moved all my local season passes to my Hughes unit & use the Sony unit for all other passes.


----------



## stevel

nmiller855, you need the 3.5d software version. If you replaced the disk with one that had that version, the problem would be gone.


----------



## wetchemistry

Having seen this drag out since April 1st, I'm skeptical, it smells to me like they are looking to blame those of us that have "modifications." Funny, we're the ones that fixed our own problem. Anywho....

Will those that phone in still have to blow out their guide and to do list? Then have to re-enter all of their season passes manually?


----------



## nmiller855

So the 3d version won't download on its own like all the others have?
Can I send a request like we used to be able to and request the download?


----------



## Vern748

Updating to 6.4 solved the issue and I did not need to remove the To Do List or Programs List.

Now I need to get Zipper back onto the box. Not sure why the USB port is not working. ??

Thanks All !!!


----------



## litzdog911

wetchemistry said:


> Having seen this drag out since April 1st, I'm skeptical, it smells to me like they are looking to blame those of us that have "modifications." Funny, we're the ones that fixed our own problem. Anywho....
> 
> Will those that phone in still have to blow out their guide and to do list? Then have to re-enter all of their season passes manually?


None of us here know exactly what's going on between DirecTV and Tivo regarding this problem. But I do know that DirecTV is requesting some specific information from folks unable to upgrade to v6.4a. If you provide that information, I will pass it along. Don't know if you'll still need to "blow out the guide and to do list".


----------



## litzdog911

nmiller855 said:


> So the 3d version won't download on its own like all the others have?
> Can I send a request like we used to be able to and request the download?


Nope. I don't think DirecTV/Tivo have plans to reactivate the old Series 1 Tivo software. You'll need to look elsewhere, such as Weaknees, PTVUpgrade, etc.


----------



## dc123

Ok, I tried for about a week with multiple forced calls to dtv and reboots and no luck on getting the new version of the software. I then tried to clear program information and ToDo list. Now it has been 4 hours and all I get is a red blinking light and a screen that says the process may take up to an hour. Suggestions, ideas, advice? My SD tivo is not hacked. It is a hughes sd dvr80


----------



## wetchemistry

So, it's been some time dc123, any luck?


----------



## dc123

wetchemistry said:


> So, it's been some time dc123, any luck?


Ok, sometime in the night it completed. So I tried connecting to the DVR service again and rebooting. Still on 6.2a, incomplete guide data, and no local channels. So back to where I was, but now I need to reenter my season passes.


----------



## fooz

dc123 said:


> Ok, sometime in the night it completed. So I tried connecting to the DVR service again and rebooting. Still on 6.2a, incomplete guide data, and no local channels. So back to where I was, but now I need to reenter my season passes.


This is the samething that happened to me.


----------



## wetchemistry

<comment dripping with sarcasm>Maybe you should try calling in one more time, you know, 23 times is a charm.</end of sarcasm>


----------



## sk33t3r

So your still on 6.2a and you expect the locals to be back???


----------



## wetchemistry

He needs to call in again....


----------



## sk33t3r

Or just download the slices and run the slicer which you have to purchase. And if your going to purchase the slicer why no just get a image


----------



## dc123

sk33t3r said:


> So your still on 6.2a and you expect the locals to be back???


who is this addressed to?


----------



## wetchemistry

skeeter, one of the reasons a lot of people have had this problem since it started is that they do not have access to their machines via network, serial, or telekinesis. They just want to get their DVR up and running without hacking into it. I can't say I blame them. Most of these people never hacked their Tivos in the first place, so have no clue what the slicer and image do.


----------



## dc123

wetchemistry said:


> skeeter, one of the reasons a lot of people have had this problem since it started is that they do not have access to their machines via network, serial, or telekinesis. They just want to get their DVR up and running without hacking into it. I can't say I blame them. Most of these people never hacked their Tivos in the first place, so have no clue what the slicer and image do.


thats me... although if i had a 6.4 iso for a hughes sd dvr80 i would burn it to an extra hard drive and swap out the drive. however, it chaps my ass to have to pay $40 to fix the problem when all I did was disconnect my tivo from the phone for several years. i did that because the phone jack wasn't convenient and because there were some reports of upgrades causing issues.

i have no idea what the slicer is.

i could always switch to fios and get a sweet deal from them. however that would mean no sunday ticket and a lamer mlb package.


----------



## thegreen

wetchemistry said:


> skeeter, one of the reasons a lot of people have had this problem since it started is that they do not have access to their machines via network, serial, or telekinesis. They just want to get their DVR up and running without hacking into it. I can't say I blame them. Most of these people never hacked their Tivos in the first place, so have no clue what the slicer and image do.


+1 here. 
Not hacked; hooked up to phone/sat by a Dtv tech years ago. 
Some of us never got it back then and now just need to get it fixed. I tinker w/ phones and pc's, just not interested in tivos. They're my wife's, and I got finals.


----------



## wetchemistry

skeeter. The other way is that the DTV customer did not have it connected to a phone line. A lot of people have no land line, the reason is, why pay for it when all they need is a cell phone.


----------



## thegreen

Noob Question Time!

Is it possible/likely that the software is on my boxes but just not getting installed? If so, is there any way to check?


----------



## stevel

Not unless you hack.


----------



## tomc585

As long as they (DTV) keep the locals active in the 300's I can live with it the way it is.


----------



## stevel

Yes, since you're in the NYC locals area, that is an option for you. For many others, it isn't. (LA area can use the west coast feeds).


----------



## 55tbird

I've been trying to get the 6.4a slice by using the following;

wget -O /var/packages/getslice http://www.dvrupgrade.com/software/update_tool/getslice-6.4a-01-2-321

but I keep getting the telnet response;

wget:www.dvrupgrade.com: host name lookup failure

I've verified that my service ID begins with a 321 so what's going on?

P.S. I've already verified via the command

echo mls /SwSystem | tivosh

that I currently only have the 6.2a version.


----------



## Ken Crane

wetchemistry said:


> skeeter, one of the reasons a lot of people have had this problem since it started is that they do not have access to their machines via network, serial, or telekinesis. They just want to get their DVR up and running without hacking into it. I can't say I blame them. Most of these people never hacked their Tivos in the first place, so have no clue what the slicer and image do.


+1 here.
Not hacked; hooked up to phone years ago.
I never got it back then and now just need to get it fixed.


----------



## litzdog911

Thanks to your inputs, it looks like Tivo has figured out the problem ....

Here's what we know at this time. 

1. Thanks to your help the issue has been identified. The download is in the stream but there is an authentication issue preventing some models from receiving it.
2. DirecTV is working with TiVo to resolve.
3. No official ETA but a fix is expected soon (can't commit a time frame yet)
4. Outside of the phone connection there should be no need for users to take additional steps.

Hopefully they'll get it fixed soon. Stay tuned.


----------



## thegreen

Thanks for the update!


----------



## elmariachi

My unit is now stuck on the "Powering Up..." welcome screen. I was having the same problem with the lost local channels for the last week. I called DirecTV to see what the problem was. Since I have Viop phone service my unit call in was hit and miss. I could go for aver a year without a successful call-in. The last update I had was 6.2a. The tech I spoke with said he knew exactly what the problem was, Well after about a half hour of making some setting changes so my unit (Hughes SD-DVR40) could make a forced call I gave up. I went on line and found some settings that seemed to work for the phone test, but it wouldn't work for the forced call. I left it at that since I had read this thread and figured until DirecTV got it's act together I could live with the locals on the 390s.

Well, I think my unit may have gotten a conenection last night and maybe gotten part of the new 6.4 update. This morning when I went to watch TV the unit wouldn't come on. I unplugged the unit and it turned on but it got stuck on the "Powering Up..." screen. After several attempt to get it to work I figured I would let it sit there all day to see if it would fix itself. No luck. When I got back from work it was still on this screen.

Does anyone know if there is a way to reset the unit? Could this be due to the update or has my unit finally fried? I would love to get some programs that I had saved on there back (never got around to during them to DVD).

Any help would be greatly appreciated. Looking for the easiest route, and will perhaps do a hack as a last resort as long as it's not too complicated.


----------



## Ken Crane

Many thanks for your help which is much appreciated.

However, I am skeptical of the following piece of information given to you by DTV as IMO the problem is not " an authentication issue preventing *some models* from receiving it." but it is with *all models* as not one person has been able to get the download.

I am hoping for the best but don't have high expectations.

Thanks again for taking your time to try help resolve this issue.



litzdog911 said:


> Thanks to your inputs, it looks like Tivo has figured out the problem ....
> 
> Here's what we know at this time.
> 
> 1. Thanks to your help the issue has been identified. The download is in the stream but there is an authentication issue preventing some models from receiving it.
> 2. DirecTV is working with TiVo to resolve.
> 3. No official ETA but a fix is expected soon (can't commit a time frame yet)
> 4. Outside of the phone connection there should be no need for users to take additional steps.
> 
> Hopefully they'll get it fixed soon. Stay tuned.


----------



## litzdog911

elmariachi said:


> My unit is now stuck on the "Powering Up..." welcome screen. .....


Sounds like your hard drive bit the dust. Probably unrelated to the software update issue.


----------



## fooz

It's funny, it took DirecTV over a month to decide to ask their customers for some input to help solve the problem. Then supposedly in a couple of days of getting the input they have identified the problem. Hmm, perhaps if they deleted the "offending" posts from their forums instead of whole threads they would have had some insight to this issue earlier.

Good Customer Service is how a company handles issues or mistakes, and unfortunately in my case they bungled this one.


----------



## wishbone4401

Okay - the good news - I provided my DVR / TIVO information (HR10-250) to Litzdog911 and when I forced the phone call this morning, it lasted only a few seconds and the call status came back showing pending restart as opposed to successful. After forcing the restart, the system came back during the power up message saying a service update was in progress and may take up to an hour. It took about 15 minutes and when it came back up, the system information display showed the software version was now 6.4a. The bad news - not all of the local channels came back. Those that had been totally missing from the guide are back (in my case in Denver 6,12,31) Those that had been in the guide but produced a blank screen (4,7,9 - network channels) were not and a re-authorization did not solve the problem. The original guidance from Directv was that if this happened after the update, to wait 4 hours and then go to the restart or reset system menu and select the clear program information and to do list option which will require re-entering season pass information. Since I didnt have season pass information on this receiver that I cared about, I went ahead and did it. It took about 2 hours for the receiver to complete the task and when it finished, all the local channels returned. Also, as near as I can tell, my season pass manager is still intact (the selections and to do list seem normal) but if it still works or not is another issue. 

Regarding comments about hacked boxes having a flag set to not allow software updates, this receiver has a replacement hard drive from DVRupgrade that was on 6.3e and was always hooked up to a phone line. In this case, it didnt have network connectivity (PTVnet was not installed) so Im assuming the flag wasnt set since the update worked.


----------



## litzdog911

Thanks for the follow-up, wishbone. Great news!


----------



## thegreen

Boxes now updating after a phone call/ reboot. Will post results later...


----------



## tomc585

guess i'll give it another try and bring my unit to work and hook up the phone.


----------



## Ken Crane

*NO* good news for me - forced a phone call & rebooted my *6.3.e SAMSUNG SIR-S4080R* & got *NO MESSAGE* re a service update - just the same old reloading channels to *84%* with *no local or PBS channels*.


----------



## tomc585

let us know what box's your having success with


----------



## Techguy9707

OK... I have been a DirectTV TIVO subscriber since 2001. I have had about 4 different pieces of hardware in place due to different hardware failures over the years. I was holding my breath hoping the Phillips DSR704 box I am using now with v3.5 OS was going to make it until a good DirecTIVO receiver was in cplace and could be used with my "lifetime" TIVO subscription. 

This past weekend, we bought a new TV and that required a new cabinet for the TV a tear down of all components. I unplugged the TIVo and when I rebooted, I had the "lost locals" issue. I called D* and talked with 3 different first line "techs" and mentioned i was on a series 2 TIVO to all of them. I ended up getting hung up on... after about 20 minutes of hold music. I called back and the tech said asked when the last time I called in using the land line... I think my machine said it was about 2,200 days since my last call. She said I need to have the daily call completed and that is should be OK tomorrow. I even had to get new phone numbers for dial-in.

The next evening... same problems. I called, the tech knew the OS needed to be current and asked me to make a forced daily call and they might be back in 24 hours... that will be tonight.

The funny thing is when I installed the new 50 inch plasma HDTV, I said to myself I was going to try the local FIOS MediaRoom offering from SureWest with it's HD signal and bundled internet service. I had already started getting the new account set-up. 

I have been a long time loyal D* customer and TIVO supporter. I am tired of messing with failing HDD and power supplies and my current TIVO runs at 60def Celsius...it doubles as a space heater.

I am done. Goodbye TIVO... good bye DirecTV.


----------



## wishbone4401

wishbone4401 said:


> Also, as near as I can tell, my season pass manager is still intact (the selections and to do list seem normal) but if it still works or not is another issue.


Now that my receiver has had a chance to download part of the guide, it appears all the season passes will have to be re-entered. The to do list and season pass lists look normal but they are not finding the programs to record. At least the season passes can be re-entered and deleted one at a time without having to work from a written list, screen photographs or memory.


----------



## thegreen

OK- on both of my R10's I forced a call, then rebooted. Got a message they needed to install a system update, and rebooted themselves. OS showed 6.4a, but no locals yet. Cleared the Program/To Do list... took about 2 1/2 hours... locals came back. Guide data has slowly restored. passes are there, but may need to be re-entered.
Good luck, y'all.


----------



## yknott

Has anyone with a Philips DSR708 been updated. Still stuck in 6.2. Doing the force phone call several times a day with no luck. I'm in Kalamazoo Michigan.


----------



## sk33t3r

thegreen said:


> OK- on both of my R10's I forced a call, then rebooted. Got a message they needed to install a system update, and rebooted themselves. OS showed 6.4a, but no locals yet. Cleared the Program/To Do list... took about 2 1/2 hours... locals came back. Guide data has slowly restored. passes are there, but may need to be re-entered.
> Good luck, y'all.


I had to reauthorize my HDVR2, which you can do at https://www.directv.com/DTVAPP/login/login.jsp?_requestid=16774


----------



## dc123

reauth, force call, reboot, no dice still on 6.2a - hughes series 2 sd dvr80


----------



## sk33t3r

I might know where a 6.4a image is for a Hughes 151/351


----------



## tomc585

sk33t3r said:


> I might know where a 6.4a image is for a Hughes 151/351


oh? do share


----------



## Dobey

litzdog911 said:


> Thanks to your inputs, it looks like Tivo has figured out the problem ....
> 
> Here's what we know at this time.
> 
> 1. Thanks to your help the issue has been identified. The download is in the stream but there is an authentication issue preventing some models from receiving it.
> 2. DirecTV is working with TiVo to resolve.
> 3. No official ETA but a fix is expected soon (can't commit a time frame yet)
> 4. Outside of the phone connection there should be no need for users to take additional steps.
> 
> Hopefully they'll get it fixed soon. Stay tuned.


Provided Litzdog my info and back up and running with locals.

Does this now mean that the fix is out there now? I have a neighbor that still has not received the update to 6.4.


----------



## litzdog911

Dobey said:


> Provided Litzdog my info and back up and running with locals.
> 
> Does this now mean that the fix is out there now? I have a neighbor that still has not received the update to 6.4.


Yes, provided their Tivo is connected to a phone line and successfully phoning home. But some folks still have not successfully updated, even after recent phone-ins, so perhaps there are still some issues to be solved.


----------



## Techguy9707

Well, I tried several dial-in calls, reautorizations via the website, a delete programming and hard re-boots. I still cannot get my system off 3.5 to be able to get the locals back on my Tivo. I guess leaving my machine unplugged from the mothership too long, plus the changes D* made, means I have a brick on my hands. 

Who wants a Philips series 1 box for cheap?


----------



## ESPalmer

Tech Guy,

Series 1's (Phillips and Sonys) will never go beyond 3.5, I have two Sat-60s which well for the kids as they only watch Cartoon Network and Disney - so Series 1's are not worthless, yet............


----------



## stevel

I believe you need 3.5d on the S1 boxes.


----------



## gnezer

Have a Hughes 7000...Instacake, PTV Net, Alpha Wolfe's S2s, Superpatch-67a-NutKase. Like many others, I lost local channels several weeks ago.

Then used Slicer to update to 6.4a. After a couple of reboots, all but two local channels came back.

Then did a hard restart (i.e. erased everything...now showing, season passes, etc)...and magic happened. All locals were back.

But then I came home from work the next day, and the unit was frozen. Several attempts at rebooting leaves it stuck in the start up process (usually at the "Just One More Minute" screen).

Here is the info from Tera Term....

CPU revision is: 00005430
FPU revision is: 00005410
Primary instruction cache 32kb, linesize 32 bytes.
Primary data cache 32kb, linesize 32 bytes.
Linux version 2.4.20 ([email protected]) (gcc version 3.0) #22 Fri Feb 20 18:19:25 PST 2004
Determined physical RAM map:
memory: 04000000 @ 00000000 (usable)
On node 0 totalpages: 16384
zone(0): 16384 pages.
zone(1): 0 pages.
zone(2): 0 pages.
Kernel command line: root=/dev/hda4 dsscon=true console=2,9600
Monotonic time calibrated: 81.00 counts per usec
Calibrating delay loop... 161.79 BogoMIPS
Contiguous region 1: 8388608 bytes @ address 0x80d00000
Contiguous region 2: 1048576 bytes @ address 0x81500000
Contiguous region 8: 10485760 bytes @ address 0x81600000
Contiguous region of 19922944 bytes total reserved at 0x80d00000.
Memory: 43820k/65536k available (1222k kernel code, 21716k reserved, 81k data, 64k init, 0k highmem)
Dentry cache hash table entries: 8192 (order: 4, 65536 bytes)
Inode cache hash table entries: 4096 (order: 3, 32768 bytes)
Mount-cache hash table entries: 1024 (order: 1, 8192 bytes)
Buffer-cache hash table entries: 4096 (order: 2, 16384 bytes)
Page-cache hash table entries: 16384 (order: 4, 65536 bytes)
Checking for 'wait' instruction... unavailable.
POSIX conformance testing by UNIFIX
PCI: Probing PCI hardware
ttyS00 at iomem 0xb4100100 (irq = 79) is a 16550A
ttyS00 at port 0xbc010000 (irq = 133) is a unknown
ttyS00 at iomem 0xb4100140 (irq = 81) is a 16550A
ttyS00 at iomem 0xb4100120 (irq = 80) is a 16550A
Linux NET4.0 for Linux 2.4
Based upon Swansea University Computer Society NET3.039
Initializing RT netlink socket
Starting kswapd
Serial driver version 5.05c (2001-07-08) with MANY_PORTS SHARE_IRQ SERIAL_PCI enabled
ttyS00 at 0xb4100100 (irq = 79) is a 16550A
ttyS01 at 0xbc010000 (irq = 133) is a unknown
ttyS02 at 0xb4100140 (irq = 81) is a 16550A
ttyS03 at 0xb4100120 (irq = 80) is a 16550A
Uniform Multi-Platform E-IDE driver Revision: 6.31
ide: Assuming 33MHz system bus speed for PIO modes; override with idebus=xx
hda: ST3120026A, ATA DISK drive
ide0 at 0x400-0x407,0x438 on irq 87
hda: 234441648 sectors (120034 MB) w/8192KiB Cache, CHS=14593/255/63
Partition check:
hda: [mac] hda1 hda2 hda3 hda4 hda5 hda6 hda7 hda8 hda9 hda10 hda11 hda12 hda13 hda14 hda15 hda16
RAMDISK driver initialized: 16 RAM disks of 4096K size 1024 blocksize
PPP generic driver version 2.4.2
PPP Deflate Compression module registered
NET4: Linux TCP/IP 1.0 for NET4.0
IP Protocols: ICMP, UDP, TCP
IP: routing cache hash table of 512 buckets, 4Kbytes
TCP: Hash tables configured (established 4096 bind 8192)
ip_conntrack version 2.1 (512 buckets, 4096 max) - 152 bytes per conntrack
ip_tables: (C) 2000-2002 Netfilter core team
NET4: Unix domain sockets 1.0/SMP for Linux NET4.0.
VFS: Mounted root (ext2 filesystem) readonly.
Freeing unused kernel memory: 64k freed
Starting rc.sysinit
Running boot Stage A_PreKickstart scripts
Scanning for configuration files
starting test.conf
starting /init/001_bash.init
starting /init/002_62start.init
bash: no job control in this shell
EXT2-fs warning: mounting unchecked fs, running e2fsck is recommended
bash-2.02# resetting boot parameters; must reboot to take effect...
root=/dev/hda4 dsscon=true console=2,9600

No device name given, assuming /dev/hda
Updated boot page on /dev/hda
No device name given, assuming /dev/hda
root=/dev/hda4 dsscon=true console=2,9600
starting /init/011_usb.init
usb.c: registered new driver usbdevfs
usb.c: registered new driver hub
usb.c: starting integrated EHCI driver
ehci_hcd 00:0d.2: PCI device 1033:00e0
ehci_hcd 00:0d.2: irq 6, pci mem b4002000
usb.c: new USB bus registered, assigned bus number 1
PCI: 00:0d.2 PCI cache line size set incorrectly (0 bytes) by BIOS/FW, correcting to 32
ehci_hcd 00:0d.2: USB 2.0 enabled, EHCI 0.95, driver 2003-Dec-29/2.4
hub.c: USB hub found
hub.c: 5 ports detected
usb.c: EHCI initialization succeeded
usb.c: registered new driver usbnet
usb-ohci.c: USB OHCI at membase 0xb4000000, IRQ 5
usb-ohci.c: usb-00:0d.0, PCI device 1033:0035
usb.c: new USB bus registered, assigned bus number 2
hub.c: USB hub found
hub.c: 3 ports detected
hub.c: new USB device 00:0d.2-2, assigned address 2
eth0: register usbnet usb-00:0d.2-2, Netgear FA-120 USB Ethernet
usb-ohci.c: USB OHCI at membase 0xb4001000, IRQ 3
usb-ohci.c: usb-00:0d.1, PCI device 1033:0035
usb.c: new USB bus registered, assigned bus number 3
hub.c: USB hub found
hub.c: 2 ports detected
Loading tivoconfig.o
Invoking startup scripts for:
platform 'trinity'
implementation 'Series2'
implementer 'TiVo'
Releasing /initrd and clearing ramdisk, if they exist
umount: /initrd: not mounted
Activating swap partitions
Adding Swap: 130044k swap-space (priority -1)
Loading core system drivers
Loading fpga.o
Parallel modem driver loaded, 1 ports starting at /dev/ttyS1
Loading i2c_Series2.o
Loading ircatch.o
Found rev 'F' Si2433 modem on /dev/cua1
Checking for Kickstart panic signal
Running boot Stage B_PostKickstart scripts
Cleanup /dev/hda9 pass 1
ext2fs_check_if_mount: No such file or directory while determining whether /dev/hda9 is mounted.
/dev/hda9 was not cleanly unmounted, check forced.
Inode 6148, i_blocks wrong 134 (counted=128). Set i_blocks to counted? yes

Inode 6146, i_blocks wrong 6388 (counted=6374). Set i_blocks to counted? yes

Inode 6152, i_blocks wrong 102 (counted=90). Set i_blocks to counted? yes

Inode 6155, i_blocks wrong 906 (counted=894). Set i_blocks to counted? yes

Fix summary information? yes

/dev/hda9: 89/32768 files (13.5% non-contiguous), 10953/131072 blocks
Cleanup /dev/hda9 pass 2
ext2fs_check_if_mount: No such file or directory while determining whether /dev/hda9 is mounted.
/dev/hda9: clean, 89/32768 files, 10953/131072 blocks
/dev/hda9 is clean after pass 2
Mounting /var
/dev/hda9 on /var type ext2 (rw)
Cleaning up files in /var
Checking space in /var
Mounting initial environment
Starting logging daemons
Found Silicon Labs "Si2433" modem, rev F, skipping modem patch
Scanning for phase1 repair scripts
Running boot Stage C_MediaInitialization scripts
Loading input section drivers
Loading oslink.o
Loading cobra.o
cobra module was successfully installed, LNBPA 0x10 LNBPB 0x16
Loading output section drivers
Loading brcmdrv-rb.o
Linux BCM7020 STB interface: version 510082104
******** versionInfo->major is 2 ********
Splash the screen
Running boot Stage D_PreMfs scripts
Remote control is TIVO
MFS partition on /dev/hda10
Loading Trinity dssapp
Look for debug board
/tvbin/dssappAV: DSS Interface Version 1.24, compiled on May 8 2008
Not loading ATSC processor for this platform
Loading irblast.o
Loading ideturbo.o
Loading fan.o
Loading therm.o
Loading TvBus router
Updating system clock
Time set to: Thu May 17 12:03:15 2012
Enabling local route
Setting TCP keepalive parameters
Checking for additional disk
Start fan control
First temperature parameters set:
Terminal temp: 71
Critical temp: 62
Logging temp: 60
Target temp: 50
Lowest fan speed: 7
/tvbin/fancontrol is running in the background.
Starting TvLauncher
Waiting for launcher to start.
Launcher is running.
Scanning for phase2 repair scripts
Running boot Stage E_PreApplication scripts
Checking for database conversions
No upgrade to load
NewSoftware: getting SwSystem name
NewSoftware: failure reading SwSystem master: 0x30001
Scanning for phase3 repair scripts
Running boot Stage F_ApplicationLaunch scripts
Starting Services.
Microcode version is TiVo!
ApgLogFrequency( 0 sec )
ApgManager Transition from state INIT to BOOT
hda: status timeout: status=0x80 { Busy }
hda: DMA disabled
hda: re-enabled DMA
ide0: reset: success
hda: drive not ready for command
hda: lost interrupt

Would welcome any insight on what went wrong here, and how to remedy it. Thanks.


----------



## gnezer

The unit is a Hughes DVR40.


----------



## sbourgeo

Techguy9707 said:


> Well, I tried several dial-in calls, reautorizations via the website, a delete programming and hard re-boots. I still cannot get my system off 3.5 to be able to get the locals back on my Tivo. I guess leaving my machine unplugged from the mothership too long, plus the changes D* made, means I have a brick on my hands.
> 
> Who wants a Philips series 1 box for cheap?


stevel is correct, 3.5d is what you need. At this point, it looks like DirecTV is only going to do Series 2 software updates so you'd need to acquire the image and install it yourself to continue using your DSR6000.


----------



## Dobey

litzdog911 said:


> Yes, provided their Tivo is connected to a phone line and successfully phoning home. But some folks still have not successfully updated, even after recent phone-ins, so perhaps there are still some issues to be solved.


Sent you the information on that one as well via PM. Thanks again for all of your help!


----------



## fooz

some people are on 7 weeks with this issue. That just blows my mind.


----------



## IBEmerson

gnezer said:


> Have a Hughes 7000...Instacake, PTV Net, Alpha Wolfe's S2s, Superpatch-67a-NutKase. Like many others, I lost local channels several weeks ago.
> 
> Then used Slicer to update to 6.4a. After a couple of reboots, all but two local channels came back.
> 
> Then did a hard restart (i.e. erased everything...now showing, season passes, etc)...and magic happened. All locals were back.
> 
> But then I came home from work the next day, and the unit was frozen. Several attempts at rebooting leaves it stuck in the start up process (usually at the "Just One More Minute" screen).
> 
> Here is the info from Tera Term....
> 
> ...
> Kernel command line: root=/dev/hda4 dsscon=true console=2,9600
> ...
> Loading ideturbo.o
> ...
> ApgLogFrequency( 0 sec )
> ApgManager Transition from state INIT to BOOT
> hda: status timeout: status=0x80 { Busy }
> hda: DMA disabled
> hda: re-enabled DMA
> ide0: reset: success
> hda: drive not ready for command
> hda: lost interrupt
> 
> Would welcome any insight on what went wrong here, and how to remedy it. Thanks.


These Tivos are a little finicky about using DMA. I would suggest adding "runideturbo=false" to your bootpage parameters.

Then again, it might be something else. I've had one, running stock (unhacked), lock up, reboot, and stick on "Welcome Powering Up" until the plug as pulled.

IBEmerson


----------



## Techguy9707

sbourgeo said:


> stevel is correct, 3.5d is what you need. At this point, it looks like DirecTV is only going to do Series 2 software updates so you'd need to acquire the image and install it yourself to continue using your DSR6000.


I am not going to make that much effort to get a hobbled and crippled TIVO working. I have replaced the TIVO unit twice and a couple HDD and power supplies to keep my TIVO active and running. I have brand-new 50 inch plasma that looks like sh*it on the SD signal from my TIVO. D* knows I have a series one, its listed in my account on my "account" web page. They didn't have the common courtesy to let me know they were going to make changes to the network. I understand may it make business sense to stop supporting 10 year-old OS boxes. I can even accept that they may not have known in advance that S1 boxes were going to be killed/disabled/whatever-you-call-it by the actions they have taken. They have had nearly two months to either fix the problem or contact me to make arraignments to get me a new receiver (Tivo or D* DVR). They haven't and based on what I have read here... they can't fix it. They want to send me a new box, they want a "new" contract for a ten-year+ loyal customer. I don't care what "they want".

It looks like to me DirectTv is going to need to invest in several thousand dollars in advertising to get me to trust them again. It was "promised" (or whatever you would call their emails and postings) that they were working with TIVO to create a quality product to replace/upgrade D* with a quality product and they come out with what I consider a vastly inferior product based on an ancient OS.

I don't keep up with all the advances in TIVO and D* DVRs but I know TIVO has better products out in the stand-alone, FIOS and cable environment. If D* wanted to disable the Netflix and other web content, I am OK with that but that's not what they are offering to sell me after a 10 year investment in TIVO and D*.

This next Tuesday morning, I move over to the dark-side with Microsoft's "replacement" to UltimateTV... MediaRoom on "almost" FTTH. My dish will go dark.

Tirade over...


----------



## tomc585

I've been bringing my DVR-SD80 to work all week to dial in. Seems about every other day it dials in and it gets a download of something which it then installs (takes about 4 min to process after download (via phone). Other days it's a quick dial in process with nothing to update. Maybe one of these mornings It'll pull down the 6.4 from the stream. Fingers crossed.


----------



## JackS

sk33t3r said:


> Or just download the slices and run the slicer which you have to purchase. And if your going to purchase the slicer why no just get a image


My HDVR2 running 6.2a ad the 6.4a software downloaded from the satellite. I decided
to use an old copy of 'the slicer' to install 6.4a via the USB interface (should have used
the serial port instead). HDVR2 rebooted into 6.4a. Only screwedup local channel is
ch4 (KNBC in Los Angeles), which has no audio or video.

I was unable to finish the task using 'the slicer' via USB/ethernet. The USB became
disabled since the reboot into 6.4a. I still need to run a script to restablish the symlinks
in var. I built a null modem serial cable, established a connection with the HDVR2 but
cannot get past the "What is the password?" prompt. Any ideas on how to finish what
I started with 'the slicer'?
-Jack


----------



## JackS

Vern748 said:


> Updating to 6.4 solved the issue and I did not need to remove the To Do List or Programs List.
> 
> Now I need to get Zipper back onto the box. Not sure why the USB port is not working. ??
> 
> Thanks All !!!


Tried an old copy of the Zipper today and fat fingered it. USB not working.

Running 6.4a added missing local channels back to the guide data but did not
resolve the no audio/video on local ch4 KNBC.
-Jack


----------



## CrashHD

For those of you having networking issues after upgrading, the issue is that the stock 6.4a network drivers are not compatible with the hacked kernel. You have to copy over your old drivers, or install new backport drivers. If you can mount your old partition, copy over the driver modules from /lib/modules


----------



## falstaffpac

CrashHD said:


> For those of you having networking issues after upgrading, the issue is that the stock 6.4a network drivers are not compatible with the hacked kernel. You have to copy over your old drivers, or install new backport drivers. If you can mount your old partition, copy over the driver modules from /lib/modules


I would like to offer a further bit of advice. The issues with drivers and backported drivers were always a little nebulous for me (I didn't do enough reading on it). The latest version of the Zipper will install the backported drivers for you. Earlier versions of the Zipper did not. If you are having network issues after formatting, an easy solution may be to simply pull the drive and run zipper on it, install backported drivers, then assign your IP address and router address.
I rely on this method to get my network issues resolved.


----------



## CrashHD

The best way to avoid a driver issue is to copy the ones from the other software partition. Those drivers have already been tested with the kernel you are using, for as long as you have been running that box.


----------



## Pete_C

I'm having the same issue as above. Updates fine; next day see all of the channels; runs OK for a couple of days then locks up. Three different drives all acting exactly the same. No problems before the DTV update.


----------



## tomc585

Pete_C said:


> I'm having the same issue as above. Updates fine; next day see all of the channels; runs OK for a couple of days then locks up. Three different drives all acting exactly the same. No problems before the DTV update.


Which unit and which version are you runing?


----------



## tomc585

sk33t3r said:


> HDVR2 6.4a image, just the OS with *NO* hacks, no zipper no nothing.
> Its a bit torrent, so the more people download it and seed it the faster the download speed will be. Download the attached, and open the file with your favorite bit torrent software.


awsome, just what i was hoping for, downloading and will be seeding to help others. thanks.


----------



## Captain 80s

tomc585 said:


> awsome, just what i was hoping for, downloading and will be seeding to help others. thanks.


Except that no one is seeding it to download in the first place.


----------



## wetchemistry

Captain 80s said:


> Except that no one is seeding it to download in the first place.


I noticed that too.


----------



## tomc585

hmm...just noticed that too!


----------



## sk33t3r

I am seeding it and I ran a test, im seeing a bunch of PEX errors in the logs and im using the latest uTorrent 3.1.3

[2012-05-20 14:32:22] Connecting ...
[2012-05-20 14:32:22] Checking intermediate networks ...
[2012-05-20 14:32:33] Running Upload test ...
[2012-05-20 14:32:46] Running Download test ...
[2012-05-20 14:32:57] Testing alternate servers...
[2012-05-20 14:33:24] Checking for forwarded port
[2012-05-20 14:33:25] Results: Port is open. Your network is properly configured.
[2012-05-20 14:33:25] Port Forward test complete.

I see plenty of incoming connections and my setup is good


----------



## wetchemistry

I can see there are 8 of us connected, but not a single seed.


----------



## nmiller855

Since version 3.5d is available I wish they would provide it to us old timers. I won my original standalone which led me to buy a couple more standalones. Then the DirecTv models came out & I bought several of those. It's not like I just bought one Sony SATT60. I guess my only option is to send it for an upgrade if I ever want to see most of local channels again on this unit.


----------



## sk33t3r

wetchemistry said:


> I can see there are 8 of us connected, but not a single seed.


I got no idea, the port is forwarded the firewall is opened up. WTF???


----------



## Pete_C

Tom,

Running 151/351 software update here. 

Doing an experiment. 

Started from scratch with original software. Will let it run a few days with use (minus the local channels and software update) and see what happens. 

Wife's feedback (she is very patient) saids it appears to be locking up when she configures and watches her recorded "stuff" 1-2-3 days after the update.

Curious how other users DTivo series 2 boxes are "behaving" with the new update; IE: is it me only that is having problems?


----------



## sk33t3r

I made a new torrent file http://www.gamblin.net/tivo/6.4a%20hdvr2%20torrent.zip

I made it a private torrent, and it now says seeding


----------



## Captain 80s

sk33t3r said:


> I made a new torrent file http://www.gamblin.net/tivo/6.4a%20hdvr2%20torrent.zip
> 
> I made it a private torrent, and it now says seeding


Just updated to this torrent... still no seeds.


----------



## Pete_C

Just called DTV regarding said issue. My ticket was still opened. Good news.

I requested access to CBS, NBC and ABC wherever it comes from as its what DTV is supposed to provide and cannot right now.

That said DTV customer service representative said she would send me a form to send to the FCC requesting east coast feeds ABC, CBS and NBC TV service.

I'm thinking now that the DTV/Tivo debacle starts to get to a point of becoming a valid complaint to the FCC about DTV. The 3 months of "free" local service credit doesn't work for me anymore.

sk33t3r,

Trying your torrent and no seeds here either. As its only 60Mb can you post it somewhere. I'll download it and repost it on some freebee sites.


----------



## sk33t3r

I would rather put it on a torrent but here it is on my site so have at it. It is only 60meg because its the OS ONLY, once you unzip it you will have a 000001 file, use mfsrestore -s 127 -xzpi /mnt/dos/tivo.bak /dev/hdc If you dotn know how to use mfs tools just search for it and youll find it to put this on your hard drive or use zipper.
PS

FROM MY HDVR2 Directv sd tivo, and as dvrupgrade has stated 151 and 351 are the same

It may take a while to download is a bunch of ppl hit it, but I leave this server up 24/7 so have at it.


----------



## wetchemistry

Pete_C.
I now from another thread, we're in the same market and after I complained to the FCC I received a very nice letter from them about this debacle. DTV called me a few times wanting to know how they could make me happy, but $5 off a month was all they would do. They wouldn't even come down on the price of a good DVR. And no matter what they offered it was contingent of a two year contract extension. Anywhoooooo

On the DVR front, I have two DSR704's hacked with 1TB of storage and one HR10-250 with 1TB of storage. After using the Slicer to get 6.4a on and deleting all of my to do list, etc.... I experienced no problems what so ever with reboots or freezing. I think that's because I kept the phone line connected and the Tivos call in every night now. I have all of these stupid ads on there now, that they call "Showcases." Did you keep yours connected to a phone line?


----------



## sk33t3r

You can tell it to NOT record showcases.


----------



## wetchemistry

sk33t3r said:


> You can tell it to NOT record showcases.


That's news to me. I've searched all over, there's even a thread n how to delete the whole folder, but not how to prevent their recording


----------



## sk33t3r

How do I turn TiVo Suggestions on or off?

1. Navigate to TiVo Central > Messages & Settings > Settings > Recording > TiVo Suggestions.

2. Highlight Yes to record TiVo Suggestions, or No to turn them off, and then press SELECT.

http://support.tivo.com/app/answers/detail/a_id/205/kw/suggestions#TurnOff


----------



## tomc585

sk33t3r said:


> I made a new torrent file http://www.gamblin.net/tivo/6.4a%20hdvr2%20torrent.zip
> 
> I made it a private torrent, and it now says seeding


says...Cant find server.
edit, got it going now, downloading. thanks


----------



## wetchemistry

sk33t3r said:


> How do I turn TiVo Suggestions on or off?
> 
> 1. Navigate to TiVo Central > Messages & Settings > Settings > Recording > TiVo Suggestions.
> 
> 2. Highlight Yes to record TiVo Suggestions, or No to turn them off, and then press SELECT.
> 
> http://support.tivo.com/app/answers/detail/a_id/205/kw/suggestions#TurnOff


Skeeter, "Showcases" are not the same as "Suggestions." Suggestions are programs that Tivo feels you will like based on your viewing and thumbs up and down ratings. "Showcases" are ADVERTISEMENTS that appear after you finish watching a show. They appeared with the "upgrade" to 6.4a

I thank you, but they are not the same thing.


----------



## sk33t3r

oh DAMN I misread then, If you ran zipper or tweak there is a option when its installing


----------



## Captain 80s

Put your 000001 file on a new zipper cd and applied image to a fresh formatted drive. Everything proceeds normally, reinstall drive in Tivo and boot, but under system info it says 6.2a.


----------



## sk33t3r

really, i will go look


----------



## Pete_C

> On the DVR front, I have two DSR704's hacked with 1TB of storage and one HR10-250 with 1TB of storage. After using the Slicer to get 6.4a on and deleting all of my to do list, etc.... I experienced no problems what so ever with reboots or freezing. I think that's because I kept the phone line connected and the Tivos call in every night now. I have all of these stupid ads on there now, that they call "Showcases." Did you keep yours connected to a phone line?


Thank-you wetchemistry; I did not leave the phone line connected. Will try again with the phone line connected.

Thanks sk33t3r for the download.

I started to build a mythTV box tonight.....test to see if wife will be able to use it...start with just OTA then maybe will give a cablecard tuner it that works...


----------



## wetchemistry

Pete_C said:


> I started to build a mythTV box tonight.....test to see if wife will be able to use it...start with just OTA then maybe will give a cablecard tuner it that works...


I built one using a USB tuner and it was OK, it was also for my wife, so I needed it to work well. It did not. I then switched over to XBMC.org and it worked really well. I would give it a shot also. This was for OTA only


----------



## sk33t3r

Captain 80's its fixed now. Sorry, so many files. HDVR2_64a


----------



## thaneg

My Series 2 R10 is not hacked and i don't understand most of the hacking discussion. 

I have connected to a phone line for a couple of weeks, reauthorized receiver, connected to the phone service, restarted, restarted and removed guide information, and still no upgrade and still missing local channels here in Chicago. Anyone else still having problems??


----------



## tomc585

thaneg said:


> Anyone else still having problems??


Most of us that are running stock. I've been letting it dial in but it hasnt grabbed the 6.4a from the stream (if its there). If I do get it I will be making a back up ASAP.


----------



## Captain 80s

Update: Was able to get the unit to boot. When it first started, it rebooted itself as normal using the Zipper. But it then would not get past "Almost there". I hard re-booted it and it did come up. It had a warning saying that I couldn't record anything until I take care of the error and I should restart. 
Restarted. Booted fine.
I am watching local channels, BUT...
- Error 51 (see above and below)
- does not report correct drive size.

I am running the zipper script as I type. That will take care of the error 51. But I am a little concerned about the reported drive size.

All for now.


----------



## Captain 80s

Final reboot... was able to successfully run Zipper script. It had to retry many times to get rid of those damn showcases.


----------



## wetchemistry

Captain 80s said:


> Final reboot... was able to successfully run Zipper script. It had to retry many times to get rid of those damn showcases.


Are you stating that running the Zipper will get rid of those AWFUL showcases?


----------



## Captain 80s

OK... yes, it looks like it. Was able to move standby to the main menu and there is not a showcase option in the main menu anymore. But i haven't finished watching a recording, so I don't know about what happens there.

I am currently watching and recording local channel 4. ALL of my locals were instantly available.

Now I just have to figure the reported available recording hours discrepancy.



wetchemistry said:


> Are you stating that running the Zipper will get rid of those AWFUL showcases?


----------



## spiffy

nmiller855 said:


> Since version 3.5d is available I wish they would provide it to us old timers. I won my original standalone which led me to buy a couple more standalones. Then the DirecTv models came out & I bought several of those. It's not like I just bought one Sony SATT60. I guess my only option is to send it for an upgrade if I ever want to see most of local channels again on this unit.


If D* can make the software for S2 boxes available in the stream, I don't understand why they can't do the same for us S1 owners.


----------



## Captain 80s

Post deleted.


----------



## Windstar

Can anyone provide a dial-in phone number that was used successfully for the update to 6.4a? I have two unhacked Hughes HDVR2 units and I cannot get either of them to update after many, many calls to many, many different phone numbers. Any help will surely be greatly appreciated.

My time is valuable, maybe I should send DTV an invoice for all the time I have spent on this problem.


----------



## RLJinCT

I have an HDVR2 (Hughes branded), non-hacked, that is running version 6.2a ending in 151. Several years ago I replaced the hard disk with a larger capacity one purchased from Weaknees. The receiver was not connected to a phone line for over a year, so I only became aware of the software update issue when I noticed I was missing some local channels.

Since Saturday 5/19, I have reconnected a phone line, spoken to DirecTV and initiated a call back to my receiver. The receiver called in on Sun. morning and on Mon. morning but neither call resulted in a software download. Another phone call to DirecTV on Mon. and I was told that after the call back, the receiver needed to be rebooted before the successive phone call would download the update. Rebooted yesterday afternoon and receiver called in last night, again no update. In the System Information section of Tivo, it says that last successful Service Data download (via satellite) was May 3, although it attempts daily. Guide Data continues to be updated without issues.

*Allowing for the probability that some of what I was told by CSR at DirecTV was inaccurate, is there anything else I can be doing, other than hacking or calling DirectV daily, to enable my receiver to update?*

Thanks for any suggestions.


----------



## tomc585

I keep seeing something being downloaded and processed during dial in but nothing new after the late night data download via satellite (other than the program guide info).


----------



## thegreen

Windstar said:


> Can anyone provide a dial-in phone number that was used successfully for the update to 6.4a?


This # was successful for me: 1-847-841-0035


----------



## tomc585

thegreen said:


> This # was successful for me: 1-847-841-0035


interesting, one would think that it wouldn't matter which number you dialed into but hey....you never know.


----------



## poman

thegreen said:


> This # was successful for me: 1-847-841-0035


I tried that one, didn't do anything special for my HDVR2.

I'm starting to think the only way to get the update is to hack.


----------



## fooz

Got my locals back. Switched to Dish with 2 Hoppers /3 Joeys, sent my HD DVR and 4 access cards back today. Couldn't be more satisfied.

Funny thing is they have put more effort into "getting me back" then trying to fix/satisfy me before canceling me. Heck they offered a new HD DVR and 4 HD boxes along with some other special pricing to come back. If they had offered to upgrade my 3 Tivos to an HD DVR and 2 boxes I would still be a customer and would be locked in to 2 more years.


----------



## derelict

I also lost the locals on my three Samsung SIR-4080's in the Los Angeles market. Fortunately I can still get these on channels 390-400.

It looks like upgrading to 6.4 is not an option for me since MRV is a must have feature... I think I can live with the inconvenience of finding ABC on 397 instead of 7 if I can keep MRV. I just wonder what is going to happen next that will render my poor DTivos obsolete.

Can anyone tell me if there are any options out there that will enable something like MRV and the ability to extract shows for archiving? Since the new DVRs and Tivos are not hackable, I think I am out of alternatives....


----------



## Pete_C

Redid upgrade:

1 - Manually upgraded to 6.4A
2 - ran zipper
3 - rebooted and cleared everything
4 - local Chicago channels (2,5 & 7) came back a few minutes after with reboot.
5 - plugged in phone line and enabled dial out
6 - manually configured Chicago number
7 - validated dial up.
8 - configured some scheduling for wife

Wife tested and I watched. 

Playback of anything recorded on 2,5 & 7 would result in a reboot after about 15 minutes. 

Playback of any other channels recorded worked fine. 

Something is different.

Ordered the Linux "branded" OTA tuner for the new MediaPortal box (I mistakenly stated MythTV before). I have XBMC running on on a few Aopen Digital Engines now recently replacing a "few" Patriot PBO's around the house. I also have a TVersity / Playon TV server that I have been using for a couple of years now.


----------



## zorro255

derelict said:


> I also lost the locals on my three Samsung SIR-4080's in the Los Angeles market. Fortunately I can still get these on channels 390-400.
> 
> It looks like upgrading to 6.4 is not an option for me since MRV is a must have feature... I think I can live with the inconvenience of finding ABC on 397 instead of 7 if I can keep MRV. I just wonder what is going to happen next that will render my poor DTivos obsolete.
> 
> Can anyone tell me if there are any options out there that will enable something like MRV and the ability to extract shows for archiving? Since the new DVRs and Tivos are not hackable, I think I am out of alternatives....


Ok I upgraded all my tivos to the 6.4a with cake to get my locals back. Movieloader and HME is no MRV but do not say NO to it out right. Do some testing first you can always go back to 6.2a if you dont like Movieloader

Steps I took.



Code:


1.	Running 6.2a I install MFS_FTP in /enhancements/varhacks/mfs_ftp (been running for years actually)
2.	Backed up All my shows to the computer using MFS_FTP using a FTP client 
a.MFT_FTP is key for Movieloader. So get it running in 6.2a first.
b.If your new to MFS_FTP transfer the TMF files ONLY.
3.	Move your MFS_FTP folder to your computer for easy reinstalling or make the folder a .tar file. (You will thank yourself later)
4.	Image the Tivo with cake. (one TiVo got a harddrive size increase.)
5.	Cleared and Deleted every thing 
a.	They say it is not needed but does no harm (you choose)
6.	Follow the on screen instructions for the Satellite.
7.	Follow the on screen instructions for the Phone
8.	Force a Call in then reboot.

Up to now it is an unhacked Tivo

Now for the Zipper.

1.	Grab a Superpatch that will work with 6.4a from the other site.
2.	Rip the drive out again.
3.	Zipper it up
4.	Install the drive
5.	Rebooted twice like normal
6.	Run tweak. [B]DO NOT REBOOT[/B].
7.	[B]DO NOT REBOOT  [/B]The next steps might be issues that should go on the Zippers and rbautch threads.
I am making a note hear for those who have not upgraded and want to quickly get MRV function and locals back. Sometimes TiVo reboots during acquiring signal after running tweak. My solution is simple. 
	
8.	 Edit the etc/rc.d/rc.sysinit.author 
a.I ftp it to my computer and ftp it back for the first time install. After this I use Hackman
9.	Find were it says [B]sleep 30[/B] change to [B]sleep 90[/B] this is long but it should work.
10.	Also add another [B]sleep 90[/B] before starting TivoWeb if installed 
11.	Also make sure the export HOSTNAME does not include special characters like # or . If it does comment the export HOSTNAME out or change the name
12.	mount -o remount,rw /
13.	FTP rc.sysinit.author back
14.	Reboot.

(If you already rebooted before editing the author file. Just wait till the Acquiring signal comes up then QUICKLY go to Read Messages and Settings->Settings->Satellite->Repeat Guided setup QUICKLY get to the [B]confirming setup screen[/B] then wait a few minutes after this screen is done. Letting rc.sysinit.author finish. Then finish acquiring signal step. Finally make the right changes and reboot)

15.	Now install MFS_FTP and have it start automatically after the (2) 90 second sleeps by adding /enhancements/varhacks/mfs_ftp/mfs_ftp.tcl & to the end of the etc/rc.d/rc.sysinit.author
16.	(Optional) add echo 'Done' | /enhancements/varhacks/hack/bin/out2osd -d3 &>/dev/null to the end of etc/rc.d/rc.sysinit.author and it just lets you know on the TV screen that the tivo is up and running. 
17.	Enable HME under Music, Photos, & More
18.	Verify MFS_FTP is running then start Movieloader on your computer 
a.	It might take 1 minute longer after MFS_FTP is started to get all the way up and running.
19.	Your MovieLoader.properties file should look something like this
Tivo1=ftp://0.0.0.0:3105/tmf/
Tivo2=ftp://0.0.0.0:3105/tmf/
Computer=C: \TivoBackupVideos\

Hope this helps you make the decision to upgrade to 6.4a


----------



## Captain 80s

Great post... maybe we need to start a new thread in the underground section?

And.... oh no... my wife can't believe the time I spent getting all of our 6.2a's where I wanted them. So it begins again...



zorro255 said:


> Ok I upgraded all my tivo's to the 6.4a with cake to get my locals back. Movieloader and HME is nothing to laugh at. It's no MRV but do not say NO to it out right. Do some testing first you can always go back to 6.2a if you don't like Movieloader
> 
> Hope this helps you make the dissection to upgrade to 6.4a


----------



## zorro255

Captain 80s said:


> Great post... maybe we need to start a new thread in the underground section?


Someone already did.

http://www.tivocommunity.com/tivo-vb/showthread.php?t=487593


----------



## zorro255

On another note I reimaged my R10 to 6.1 image that I still had and let it call in every day and rebooted. I wanted to see how long it would take to get 6.4a. Never got 6.4a. That was last Sunday over 11 days ago. It is an unhacked tivo. I finally just reimaged it with 6.4a cake. Are we sure that 6.4a is in the stream?


----------



## Captain 80s

I've had a stock 6.2a making successful daily calls since mid April... <crickets>


----------



## zorro255

Is there any official update from DirecTv for the customers who don't want to open there tivo? Or should customers be learning how to install 6.4a using a cake or the slicer if they don't want to hack them? 

2 months is WAY TO LONG.


----------



## Captain 80s

I eagerly modified my Tivo and unplugged the phone line, so personally I'm not too upset about the work I'm doing now to get my units updated. But, I'm comfortable opening boxes, telnet-ing, ftp-ing, configuring bios for cdroms to boot, etc. I keep an old HP with no hard drives handy just for imaging and running Spin-Rite on all my drives.

But, I'm pretty sure I've read reports of people claim they've had stock units hooked up to phone lines since they've got them and _they're_ not up to date. That's not 
cool.

I think Instantcake will be their best bet, but you're still cracking boxes and hooking drives up to computers. I think a lot of people just don't want to get into that.


----------



## litzdog911

zorro255 said:


> Is there any official update from DirecTv for the customers who don't want to open there tivo? Or should customers be learning how to install 6.4a using a cake or the slicer if they don't want to hack them?
> 
> 2 months is WAY TO LONG.


No update. Crazy, huh?


----------



## spiffy

I've used InstantCake years ago to replace the dead drive in my SAT-T60, so I don't mind doing it again, as daunting as it was. However, it's been several days already, and I still haven't heard back from DVRUpgrade about whether their current version of InstantCake will bring me up to 3.5d. Does anybody know??

Meanwhile, D* actually told me to keep the phone line plugged in until Friday (translation: don't bug them until then) and see what happens, which I found totally unacceptable.


----------



## Windstar

litzdog911 said:


> No update. Crazy, huh?


I sure hope you are not being sarcastic, because it is BEYOND crazy. It is totally unacceptable.

I have two HDVR2's that have been continuously connected to a phone line for the past 10 years. I have replaced drives and power supplies in both units several times. We have always been subscribed to the full package with extras, which now comes to well over $150 a month. Without going into Quicken, simple math tells me I have paid DTV well over $15,000 since becoming a "customer". This does not include the cost of drives, power supplies, down time, my time, time spent listening to my wife complain, etc.

We have been without locals for over a month and a half. I have spent untold hours on forums, on the phone with DTV, forcing calls, trying different dial in numbers, blah, blah, blah. To no avail.

After all the $$$ I have paid DTV wouldn't you think that if they can't fix what they broke in a reasonable amount of time that, at the very least, they would just send me two new boxes that work. Is expecting to enjoy what I am paying for as a "customer" crazy? I certainly don't think so.


----------



## Ken Crane

I am pessimistic that DTV/TIVO will ever fix the problem of the missing local channels. Jump back to 2008/2009 - my phone was permanently connected & calling in successfully when the 6.4 software came available & it didnt upgrade then. Also in this time frame the daily telephone call stopped being able to connect not only for me but most if not all Tivos. There are threads one can search if interested re this on DBS Talk & Tivo community. DTV could not or couldnt be bothered to apparently fix this daily connect in 2008/2009 so I disconnected the phone. Jump to the present: 2012: DTV upgrades something in their system & people with Standard definition Tivos lose local channels. DTV has now miraculously fixed the phone call in connect problem & I have been able to connect every day for the last 7 weeks but have not received the 6.4 software upgrade. Could DTV/TIVO fix this problem?  I have no doubt if it was system wide affecting thousands of customers it would be fixed by now.
My receiver/TV details are:
·	Tivo model number - SAMSUNG SIR-S4080R
·	Tivo current software version - 6.3e  012-381
·	Tivo Service Number - 381-0000-EO5D-BF78
·	My Tivo does NOT have any "modifications" to its original software 
·	TV brand & model number? SONY  KV-32XBR48
·	My Tivo is connected to my TV via  COAX



zorro255 said:


> Is there any official update from DirecTv for the customers who don't want to open there tivo? Or should customers be learning how to install 6.4a using a cake or the slicer if they don't want to hack them?
> 
> 2 months is WAY TO LONG.


----------



## wetchemistry

fooz said:


> Got my locals back. Switched to Dish with 2 Hoppers /3 Joeys, sent my HD DVR and 4 access cards back today. Couldn't be more satisfied.
> 
> Funny thing is they have put more effort into "getting me back" then trying to fix/satisfy me before canceling me. Heck they offered a new HD DVR and 4 HD boxes along with some other special pricing to come back. If they had offered to upgrade my 3 Tivos to an HD DVR and 2 boxes I would still be a customer and would be locked in to 2 more years.


Fooz, let us know how much you like/ dislike the Dish Hopper.


----------



## RLJinCT

litzdog911 said:


> No update. Crazy, huh?


It is definitely crazy... I remember when I unplugged my DTivo from the phone line 4 or 5 years ago, it was because DTV had just put out an update (6.3?) that was making my receiver restart 20 times a day. So I bought a new larger drive from Weaknees that had 6.2 pre-installed and never had another problem, until 2 weeks ago. I reconnected phone line on Sat. 5/18 and have calling in daily, but no update. Still on 6.2.

I'm giving this another week. I can get the exact same programming for the same price from Metrocast Cable in my area, and I'll buy the Tivo Premiere XL4, which I know I'll be happy with.


----------



## fooz

wetchemistry said:


> Fooz, let us know how much you like/ dislike the Dish Hopper.


So far I am happy.

I do have an issue from the install that they are supposed to correct this Saturday (the installer hooked me up with 2 single node switches instead of 1 duo node). But, I can say I am happy that DirecTV decided to give me the boot instead of fixing the problem. So be careful if you complain too much about them crippling your Tivos they will be happy to cancel you with very little notice.

I really was looking to get an HR34 but read about some real issues with it and I have had no real issue with my Hoppers & Joeys.


----------



## fooz

It looks like DirecTV is throwing it over the fence now.

"..the problem is in Tivo's hands now. Hopefully they'll figure it out soon."


----------



## litzdog911

Windstar said:


> I sure hope you are not being sarcastic, because it is BEYOND crazy. It is totally unacceptable.
> 
> ....


No sarcasm. It's truly dumbfounding that it's taking this long to sort out this problem. But I'll pass along any information I hear from my DirecTV contacts.


----------



## wetchemistry

I like how over at the DTV forums - on my thread that was deleted - the "company wanna-bes" kept sayin' that the 6.4a upgrade was in the stream, "the phone call was just to authenticate the upgrade.". Then a few people got upgraded via "phone call" and all was well. But now, that a few people can't upgrade, and for some it's been 8 weeks, it's ALL Tivo's fault. Whatever, DTV dropped the ball, and now the "company wanna-bes" are blaming Tivo. C'mon......


----------



## RLJinCT

There seem to be two separate issues (if I understand correctly): the inability of our receivers to update to 6.4 seems to be an authentication issue with *TiVo*; the fact that many of us cannot receive local channels was caused by a change that *Directv* implemented that was incompatible with software versions earlier than 6.4.


----------



## litzdog911

wetchemistry said:


> I like how over at the DTV forums - on my thread that was deleted - the "company wanna-bes" kept sayin' that the 6.4a upgrade was in the stream, "the phone call was just to authenticate the upgrade.". Then a few people got upgraded via "phone call" and all was well. But now, that a few people can't upgrade, and for some it's been 8 weeks, it's ALL Tivo's fault. Whatever, DTV dropped the ball, and now the "company wanna-bes" are blaming Tivo. C'mon......


Dude, we're only reporting what we're hearing from our DirecTV contacts. Latest word is that Tivo has figured out the problem and successful downloads should be starting in the next day or so. Let's hope so.


----------



## wetchemistry

litzdog911 said:


> Dude, we're only reporting what we're hearing from our DirecTV contacts. Latest word is that Tivo has figured out the problem and successful downloads should be starting in the next day or so. Let's hope so.


Reporting it as news received from a third party is different than writing ,"we will fix it," etc.... I'll give you a pass, you have been helpful over at the DTV forums, but there are some over there that take "volunteer" to a whole new level.


----------



## sbourgeo

wetchemistry said:


> Reporting it as news received from a third party is different than writing ,"we will fix it," etc.... I'll give you a pass, you have been helpful over at the DTV forums, but there are some over there that take "volunteer" to a whole new level.


Kinda hard to pin this on TiVo IMO once the TiVo/DirecTV relationship changed (I think in 2002) so that all TiVo support for the combo units was funneled through DirecTV. Even TiVo employees here that had been forthcoming about the combo units prior to that change began referring to them as "their product" while providing the DirecTV toll free number.


----------



## RLJinCT

litzdog911 said:


> Dude, we're only reporting what we're hearing from our DirecTV contacts. Latest word is that Tivo has figured out the problem and successful downloads should be starting in the next day or so. Let's hope so.


Thank you, litzdog911, for keeping us informed. I, for one, am grateful.


----------



## spiffy

litzdog911 said:


> Dude, we're only reporting what we're hearing from our DirecTV contacts. Latest word is that Tivo has figured out the problem and successful downloads should be starting in the next day or so. Let's hope so.


Any word on whether a solution is found for Series 1 boxes? When I called again on Friday, I got a rep that claimed he would be sending an email to the engineering team, and they would be able to upgrade me to 3.5d -- that I just had to keep the phone line plugged in for the next 72 hours. This rep at least knew about the software upgrade issue for Series 2 DTivo, which made me slightly more hopeful than before...


----------



## bingle

I encountered the "missing locals" issue today here in Orlando.

Unit is a caked, zippered HDVR2 running 6.2-01-2-321 with telnet access via USB (no access via serial).

As I was already toying with ditching my 3 HDVR2 units and DirecTV in general for Comcast, I'm not terribly interested in paying for the slicer and hopefully will never need my hacks again (which were sparingly used anyway). I also no longer have easy access to an IDE based box to play with the drive on.

But, I'm having a problem trying to force an upgrade to 6.4a.

I used wget to pull down the slices for 6.4a

FamRm-TiVo# echo mls /SwSystem | tivosh
Directory of /SwSystem starting at ''

Name Type FsId Date Time Size 
---- ---- ---- ---- ---- ---- 
6.2-01-2-321 tyDb 3965 03/21/05 00:54 724 
6.4a-01-2-121 tyDb 6663989 05/26/12 21:46 780 
ACTIVE tyDb 3965 03/21/05 00:54 724 

BUT, my unit hasn't phoned home in years (fakecall.tcl is installed) and bootpage shows that zipper (correctly) set upgradesoftware to false

FamRm-TiVo# bootpage -p
No device name given, assuming /dev/hda
root=/dev/hda4 dsscon=true console=2,115200 upgradesoftware=false

I thought that maybe forcing an actual call via the phone settings might trigger the "pending restart" despite fakecall.tcl and the upgradesoftware=false but I can't for the life of me get to actual make a successful call. Most of the time it fails during negotiating but also sometimes doesn't even manage to get an answer. It didn't have a phone number set, so I put in ,4076481375,, as the dial prefix as that is the number that an unhacked HDVR2 in the bedroom is using to actually dial in. No real change in behavior as far as I can tell. Most of the time it fails negotiating.

Any suggestions on how I can get the unit to complete the upgrade to 6.4a? Again, I won't be terribly disappointed with losing my hacks as long as I can retain my recordings and get my locals back.

Thanks!


----------



## sk33t3r

Its nto going to upgrade with the highlighted test in bootpage root=/dev/hda4 dsscon=true console=2,115200 *upgradesoftware=false*


----------



## bingle

sk33t3r said:


> Its nto going to upgrade with the highlighted test in bootpage root=/dev/hda4 dsscon=true console=2,115200 *upgradesoftware=false*


Yeah, was afraid of that.

So since I _think_ I have the slices i need is it as simple as:

bootpage -P "root=/dev/hda4 dsscon=true console=2,115200"

followed by a restart from the menus?

Should I be concerned that I can't get a test call to succeed? Is that a show stopper?

Thanks for the quick reply!


----------



## bingle

bingle said:


> Yeah, was afraid of that.
> 
> So since I _think_ I have the slices i need is it as simple as:
> 
> bootpage -P "root=/dev/hda4 dsscon=true console=2,115200"
> 
> followed by a restart from the menus?
> 
> Should I be concerned that I can't get a test call to succeed? Is that a show stopper?
> 
> Thanks for the quick reply!


Update: With some more research I was able to force a test call and connect to the DVR service. I had to remove the routes that had been added via /etc/rc.d/rc.sysinit.author that were effectively stopping routing to 204.176.49.2. Based on /var/log/tclient it did a bunch of work including downloading a bunch of that showcase junk that I see on my 6.4a box in the other room.

So, now it is just a matter of getting it to _do_ the upgrade.

Hmm... Now that I've had some success, I'm getting a bit worried. This unit does have a bigger disk than it originally had. From what I can remember from years ago this particular image was constructed via the L48ADD download from PVTUpgrade and zipper. The slices I downloaded via wget from dvrupgrade.com aren't going to mess up my killhdinitrd kernel are they? I don't want to end up with the unit not seeing all of the disk!


----------



## Pete_C

Thank-you guys for the very informative forum posts. 

I am back to a stable and modded 6.4a Direct Tivo box.

Very high on the WAF. 

I had forgotten most of what I had done to the box so many years ago.


----------



## sbourgeo

bingle said:


> Hmm... Now that I've had some success, I'm getting a bit worried. This unit does have a bigger disk than it originally had. From what I can remember from years ago this particular image was constructed via the L48ADD download from PVTUpgrade and zipper. The slices I downloaded via wget from dvrupgrade.com aren't going to mess up my killhdinitrd kernel are they? I don't want to end up with the unit not seeing all of the disk!


I don't remember what version of the TiVo software LBA48 support first appeared with, but any series 2 box should be fine with a larger disk if you're upgrading to the latest software release (any series 1 box will need an LBA48 kernel though). If you do upgrade your software via the slices, you will lose any hacks you have with your current setup and will need to put them back into place.


----------



## derelict

zorro255 said:


> Ok I upgraded all my tivos to the 6.4a with cake to get my locals back. Movieloader and HME is no MRV but do not say NO to it out right. Do some testing first you can always go back to 6.2a if you dont like Movieloader
> 
> ...
> 
> Hope this helps you make the dissection to upgrade to 6.4a


Hi zorro,

Thanks for the post... I will consider this. Adds an extra step which I am not crazy about (looks like I need to extract any program I want to view on another tivo to a computer first in order to use movieloader). MRV is a bit more convenient.

But I may need to go this way as I found a little snag in my plans on using the 390-400 channels. Turns out NBCw is both channel 4 and channel 393 in the socal market. Channel 4 still shows up in my channel list, but is blank. But when I set shows using tivowebplus to record, they are defaulting to channel 4 and not recording due to lack of signal. I tried un-checking channel 4 from the channel list in setup, but it still shows up in the channel lineup. Anyone know how I can remove channel 4? I think that would solve my problem short term.


----------



## zorro255

derelict said:


> (looks like I need to extract any program I want to view on another tivo to a computer first in order to use movieloader)


NO

Movieloader allows for TiVo to TiVo and Computer to TiVo, and TiVo to export (your watching Tivo1 and want to send a show from Tivo2 to Tivo3 you can) all need to have MFS_FTP installed and running. It's just that Movieloader needs to be running on a computer much like Tivoserver. I only backed up my shows to the computer because I was using instant cake and not the slicer to perform the upgrade. And the cake deletes all files on the hard drive.
I then sent all my shows back to the TiVo.

Movieloader has its own thread on how it works and how to run it on the other site.

Don't forget you will lose MRV with the 6.4a upgrade but you get all your locals back.

The other downside with Movieloader you *should *wait for the entire show to transfer before watching it.

The upside ML allows for the deletion of shows from any TiVo. This has come in handy for me. Also with the 6.4a upgrade you get one button delete no more confirming you wish to delete the show from the now play list. Select the show and hit "Clear" and it's deleted or should I say "Recently Deleted".


----------



## litzdog911

spiffy said:


> Any word on whether a solution is found for Series 1 boxes? When I called again on Friday, I got a rep that claimed he would be sending an email to the engineering team, and they would be able to upgrade me to 3.5d -- that I just had to keep the phone line plugged in for the next 72 hours. This rep at least knew about the software upgrade issue for Series 2 DTivo, which made me slightly more hopeful than before...


I don't expect any joy for the Series 1 DirecTivos.


----------



## bingle

I went ahead and updated via slices to 6.4a by running swInstall.itcl. The local channels that had completely disappeared came back immediately, but the local CBS affiliate on channel 2, which was still "there" but with no video or audio is still showing no video or audio. It's been 8+ hours since i upgraded.

That channel having no video/audio was the initial symptom that i had encountered. It wasn't until I did a restart that the other local channels had completely disappeared from the channels received list. That channel works fine in the other room, so i know it isn't he affiliate's feed.

Any idea why this local is acting this way? Any hope that it will start working again?


----------



## zorro255

bingle said:


> I went ahead and updated via slices to 6.4a by running swInstall.itcl. The local channels that had completely disappeared came back immediately, but the local CBS affiliate on channel 2, which was still "there" but with no video or audio is still showing no video or audio. It's been 8+ hours since i upgraded.
> 
> That channel having no video/audio was the initial symptom that i had encountered. It wasn't until I did a restart that the other local channels had completely disappeared from the channels received list. That channel works fine in the other room, so i know it isn't he affiliate's feed.
> 
> Any idea why this local is acting this way? Any hope that it will start working again?


Write down or print out your Season passes you will lose them. Then confirm you are running 6.4a and do a "Clear program information & To Do List" should work.


----------



## zorro255

Did that work?


----------



## bingle

zorro255 said:


> Did that work?


Yep. It took about 3 hours to run the clear, but it worked. I have all my locals back now!

Thanks to everyone for their help!


----------



## zorro255

Was watching Chicago 7 this morning and lost local Again. I then checked another TiVo running 6.4a lost locals like when running 6.2a. Did a reboot on one TiVo, locals came back. Checked the other TiVo without the reboot, locals are back. Anyone know why?


----------



## stlklk

I have a Series 2 Phillips DirecTV Tivo and have been reading all of these posts on other people who have missing local channels. I have been missing mine for about 3 weeks now. Has anyone had success with normal dial in to 3.4 and getting local channels back? I am not a techie and would have no clue on how to do any of the splice or other stuff people have been doing.


----------



## fooz

stlklk said:


> I have a Series 2 Phillips DirecTV Tivo and have been reading all of these posts on other people who have missing local channels. I have been missing mine for about 3 weeks now. Has anyone had success with normal dial in to 3.4 and getting local channels back? I am not a techie and would have no clue on how to do any of the splice or other stuff people have been doing.


It does appear that a few people have had success. But over on the DirecTV forums they have thrown this over the fence and placed it in Tivo's lap.


----------



## litzdog911

fooz said:


> It does appear that a few people have had success. But over on the DirecTV forums they have thrown this over the fence and placed it in Tivo's lap.


I've seen one report with the Tivo updated itself to v6.4. I think there's still a problem that hasn't yet been resolved. I'll keep poking at my DirecTV contacts and post what I learn here. But it's quite clear that the problem must be resolved by Tivo's engineers, not DirecTV's. That's probably a big part of why this is taking so long to resolve.


----------



## nmiller855

I believe there is some confusion about the software editions. For example, my Series1 Sony SAT-T60 has 3.5c but needs 3.5d to regain the missing locals.
It appears that some Series2 units may have 6.2 but need 6.4 to regain the missing locals. I have a Hughes Series2 SD-DVR40 that upgraded to the 6.4a without problem so I haven't lost my locals on that unit YET.
My solution was to move all my Season Passes for programs to my Series2 unit at least for now.
There may or may not be an upgrade for Series1 units but I haven't heard of a successful one that hasn't involved hacking or switching hard drives.


----------



## spiffy

I am totally not knowledgeable on this subject; but it seems like if neither Tivo nor DirecTV can figure out the solution yet, isn't the fastest work around to just enable the East/West Coast feeds for the customers? I have Series 1; and I still have the Network feeds listed in my programming guide. Until somebody figures out a solution that doesn't involve hacking and/or opening the box, why won't D* unlock the feeds in the interim so we can have the major networks back? Please correct me if I am completely way off base.


----------



## litzdog911

spiffy said:


> I am totally not knowledgeable on this subject; but it seems like if neither Tivo nor DirecTV can figure out the solution yet, isn't the fastest work around to just enable the East/West Coast feeds for the customers? I have Series 1; and I still have the Network feeds listed in my programming guide. Until somebody figures out a solution that doesn't involve hacking and/or opening the box, why won't D* unlock the feeds in the interim so we can have the major networks back? Please correct me if I am completely way off base.


That's not gonna happen. The local stations won't let DirecTV simply activate the DNS networks. My sources tell me that Tivo may be have a fix within a week. Keeping fingers crossed.


----------



## spiffy

litzdog911 said:


> That's not gonna happen. The local stations won't let DirecTV simply activate the DNS networks. My sources tell me that Tivo may be have a fix within a week. Keeping fingers crossed.


Just got off the phone with DirecTV again, and was also told that because local channels _are_ available in my area they couldn't enable remote viewing. 

I'm guessing the fix is for Series 2 only?


----------



## litzdog911

spiffy said:


> Just got off the phone with DirecTV again, and was also told that because local channels _are_ available in my area they couldn't enable remote viewing.
> 
> I'm guessing the fix is for Series 2 only?


Looks that way.


----------



## RLJinCT

litzdog911 said:


> That's not gonna happen. The local stations won't let DirecTV simply activate the DNS networks. My sources tell me that Tivo may be have a fix within a week. Keeping fingers crossed.


Wow!! As much as another week, possibly?? Truly amazing that a team of techs at TiVo could not have solved this by now...

Even though I am still at 6.2, I decided to clear program data and To Do list on my HDVR2 last night. It took about 4-1/2 hours (!), but this morning I noticed one change: in the System Information screen, where it had displayed a date of May 3 for last successful Service Data download, this morning it displayed June 2.

The day before I did another reboot for no particular reason and the only change was that I lost 2 additional local channels that I had been receiving. So now I have 3 locals (CBS and 2 CW stations) and am missing other CBS, NBC, ABC, PBS & FOX.

Cable with TiVo Premiere XL4 is looking better everyday.


----------



## wetchemistry

DirecTV says it's up to Tivo to fix, meanwhile Tivo says it's DirecTV's problem. Hmmm, I'm thinking it'll never get fixed unless you hack your DTV yourself.


----------



## zorro255

wetchemistry said:


> DirecTV says it's up to Tivo to fix, meanwhile Tivo says it's DirecTV's problem. Hmmm, I'm thinking it'll never get fixed unless you hack your DTV yourself.


What problem are they trying to fix? The 6.2a Local missing or putting 6.4a back into the stream. They are 2 different problems in my opinion.


----------



## litzdog911

zorro255 said:


> What problem are they trying to fix? The 6.2a Local missing or putting 6.4a back into the stream. They are 2 different problems in my opinion.


The won't be any fix to provide those missing local stations with any software prior to the latest 6.4a version. That's why it's important that Tivo and DirecTV get this rolled out ASAP.


----------



## sk33t3r

Before going through all the time and losing your season passes, I suggest trying to reauthorize your receiver via thi directv web site https://www.directv.com/DTVAPP/login/login.jsp?_requestid=3126299, it take mere second and like I said you dont loose any recordings or season passes.

If customers are still running 6,2a you will be forced to 6.4a, IMO


----------



## wetchemistry

sk33t3r said:


> Before going through all the time and losing your season passes, I suggest trying to reauthorize your receiver via thi directv web site https://www.directv.com/DTVAPP/login/login.jsp?_requestid=3126299, it take mere second and like I said you dont loose any recordings or season passes.
> 
> If customers are still running 6,2a you will be forced to 6.4a, IMO


skeeter, I do NOT want to come off as a jerk, but have you read the previous posts in this thread? Most people land here after DTV has them reauthorize like three times over the phone.


----------



## sk33t3r

Im speaking from MY experience, yes I read the post, I did not call Directv, I didnt do anything over the phone, after upgrading to 6.4a i went to that link and reauthorize to get my locals back, and I have done this several times, since I was testing out and trying like hell to get standby back one other thing I had to do was run dish setup.

PS It was just a suggestion!!!


----------



## zorro255

sk33t3r said:


> Im speaking from MY experience, yes I read the post, I did not call Directv, I didnt do anything over the phone, after upgrading to 6.4a i went to that link and reauthorize to get my locals back, and I have done this several times, since I was testing out and trying like hell to get standby back one other thing I had to do was run dish setup.
> 
> PS It was just a suggestion!!!


Your problem sounds like a fresh image problem NOT this threads problem. That is ERROR 722. Call DirecTv and tell them Error 722 and the automated system will reauthorize all the systems. It takes 3mins (I timed it) from Thank you for calling DirecTv to Did that solve the problem?. I find the phone call easier and faster than logging into the website and finding the right area to perform the reauthorization and one receiver at a time sending the signal.


----------



## Frostwolf

The problem has hit me now in Huntsville,AL locals.

I don't have a phone line to connect to. I was offered a new box for $199 + new fees, new contract, and $99 for SD box for other room. I think not. We use MRV everyday, so 6.4a would just put me in the dog house. Sigh...


----------



## stevel

If you use MRV, you could switch to the non-TiVo boxes and get that and more.


----------



## fooz

stevel said:


> If you use MRV, you could switch to the non-TiVo boxes and get that and more.


I do agree with this, but I do not agree that they want to charge for this.


----------



## zorro255

Movieloader, It's free.


----------



## wetchemistry

zorro255 said:


> Movieloader, It's free.


True, it's a pain in the @$& to install.


----------



## zorro255

wetchemistry said:


> True, it's a pain in the @$& to install.


You are only talking about MFS_FTP, right? With Movieloader you just create a properties file and run the program.

I am trying to not make people afraid of upgrading to 6.4a and losing MRV functionality. The cool point to the mfs_ftp is that it runs on 6.2a so everyone can TEST there install skills and if it works install it on the next TiVo.

I found installing MFS_FTP not easy but not difficult, easier then hacking your TiVo for the first time. (We were all newbies once.) The step by step instructions are at h t t p : / / d v r p e d i a . c o m / M f s _ f t p

Install mfs_ftp in 
*/enhancements/varhacks *instead of */var/hack/*
then run var-symlinks.sh and you should be good.

I took it one step further. First get it running on one TiVo then created a mfp_ftp.tgz which contains the mfs_ftp directory. Then I push and extract it on the next tivo.

Create:


Code:


tar cvzf mfs_ftp.tgz mfs_ftp

Extract:


Code:


tar xvzf mfs_ftp.tgz

This makes for easy reinstalls.


----------



## wetchemistry

zorro255 said:


> You are only talking about MFS_FTP, right? With Movieloader you just create a properties file and run the program.
> 
> I am trying to not make people afraid of upgrading to 6.4a and losing MRV functionality. The cool point to the mfs_ftp is that it runs on 6.2a so everyone can TEST there install skills and if it works install it on the next TiVo.
> 
> I found installing MFS_FTP not easy but not difficult, easier then hacking your TiVo for the first time. (We were all newbies once.) The step by step instructions are at h t t p : / / d v r p e d i a . c o m / M f s _ f t p
> 
> Install mfs_ftp in
> */enhancements/varhacks *instead of */var/hack/*
> then run var-symlinks.sh and you should be good.
> 
> I took it one step further. First get it running on one TiVo then created a mfp_ftp.tgz which contains the mfs_ftp directory. Then I push and extract it on the next tivo.
> 
> Create:
> 
> 
> Code:
> 
> 
> tar cvzf mfs_ftp.tgz mfs_ftp
> 
> Extract:
> 
> 
> Code:
> 
> 
> tar xvzf mfs_ftp.tgz
> 
> This makes for easy reinstalls.


Thanks a lot. I had a hard time installing MS_FTP. I could get the functionality on the screen, but then nothing would transfer, it would just show 0%. I finally got it to work, but couldn't tell you how. Thanks for the easy to follow instructions for next time.


----------



## derelict

I'm still contemplating the move to 6.4a... movieloader looks like it will mostly take care of what I want, the thing I am nervous about these days is doing the actual upgrade. When I hacked my Tivos I did it the old school way pre-zipper... to complicate things it was also done on a laptop (no desktops at home) with a USB based hard drive enclosure which has since died. I guess I feel like my hacking skills are a bit rusty


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## litzdog911

Update from Tivo via my DirecTV contacts ....
New estimated "v6.4a update fix" is June 20. Just keeps slippin' and slippin.


----------



## bigjess

Just a question for everyone, has anyone successfully upgraded a Hughes SD-DVR40/80 Receiver to 6.4a via zipper/cake/etc and have tivowebplus/hackman/bufferhack/mfs_ftp installed ---- and the thing works (is STABLE)? 

If so, would you mind adding some comments to this thread:
tivocommunity.com/tivo-vb/showthread.php?t=488002

Many thanks in advance.


----------



## hughjazz

Finally got my update yesterday. I have an sddvr-40 with a bigger hard drive done with instantcake years ago and no phone line. When the locals went I connected using null modem to my computer and submitted my info per litzdog on dtv forum. I had not gotten a service data download for at least a month, but early this week I started getting them every night successful. After 3 or 4 nights and yesterdays phone call it said pending restart. Restarted and waited maybe 15 min. bingo 6.4a.

Because I never had a phone line since I put in the bigger hard drive I have to conclude that the update came over the sat in the service data download, in parts, and the install was initiated by the next successful phone call


----------



## litzdog911

hughjazz said:


> Finally got my update yesterday. I have an sddvr-40 with a bigger hard drive done with instantcake years ago and no phone line. When the locals went I connected using null modem to my computer and submitted my info per litzdog on dtv forum. I had not gotten a service data download for at least a month, but early this week I started getting them every night successful. After 3 or 4 nights and yesterdays phone call it said pending restart. Restarted and waited maybe 15 min. bingo 6.4a.
> 
> Because I never had a phone line since I put in the bigger hard drive I have to conclude that the update came over the sat in the service data download, in parts, and the install was initiated by the next successful phone call


Excellent! Finally some successful update reports.


----------



## RLJinCT

Successful update to 6.4 on my HDVR2 this morning. Two calls to local number failed during download phase, so I forced call to number reported here as successful, 847 841 0035. Joy to see "Pending Restart" after download and 6.4 in System Information! 

Restarted and didn't see missing locals immediately, so I decided to do a Clear Programming and To Do List. When that completes and I wait the requisite 4 hours... We'll see.

Update: all locals are back!


----------



## poman

HDVR2 updated this morning after forced call. Irving 972 number used.
Don't know how long the phone call lasted, was at 2+ hours when I left the house. 
Returned to "pending restart" status :up:


----------



## thaneg

I also have all my locals back on my R10. No hacks needed. Used the 847 841 0035 number, restarted, then did the clear programming/to do. Everything back and running now. About time.


----------



## zorro255

Another success story. My R10 that I had down graded was unplugged so it didn't even have a guide. I just plugged it in last night and forced a call in. Don't know how long the call was but woke up and know running 6.4a.


----------



## Ken Crane

I have a SAMSUNG SIR-S4080R & no upgrade for me - appears to me the problem for my type of receiver has not been fixed. If anyone with a Samsung has received the 6.4 upgrade I would be very surprised!!


----------



## stlklk

Forced the daily call. It took several attempts to get it to go through, but it did it update and went to "Pending Restart". Restarted and it said it was doing a services update. Took about 25 mins and it was on 6.4 and my locals were back! I didn't have to clear anything out and all of my season passes are still there. Finally back to local channels after a month! Now calling DirecTV for a credit for services.


----------



## CrashHD

Reports at DDB are indicating they got tyFTPd working with Movieloader this past weekend.

tyFTPd installation is a breeze compared to mfsftp.

Not intending to go off topic, but there's been much talk of movieloader in this thread


----------



## dc123

In the early am on 3/10 the receiver rebooted on its on. When the reboot completed my locals were back. Yay. Better a crappy response from directv than no response.


----------



## spiffy

Still nothing for Series 1


----------



## fooz

spiffy said:


> Still nothing for Series 1


Over on the DirecTV forum they are saying there will not be a fix for series 1


----------



## litzdog911

spiffy said:


> Still nothing for Series 1


There won't be.


----------



## litzdog911

If your Series 2 DirecTivo is connected to a phone line and successfully making calls, but you're still not getting the v6.4a update, then please post back with your Tivo Model Number and Tivo Service number. I'll pass that information along to our DirecTV contacts to provide to Tivo for further troubleshooting.


----------



## 55tbird

I now have NO locals, not even the non majors after reinstalling 6.2a then getting 6.4a from DVRUpg... , used slicer 1.9 to install it which is working but not even the channels #'s are showing up in the guide? Yes, I've even deleted every recorded show and season pass prior to running the "Clear program info and To Do List"...twice. I've reran the "Repeat Guided Setup" under the Setup menu and nothing. It's been over 24 hours and no sign of a local. I've even gone to the website and reauthorized twice but nothing. 

Any thoughts?


----------



## zorro255

Call DirecTV tell the computer answering machine *Error 722*. I know you went to the website and did this but it's a last attempt before talking to a human. This should redo all your receivers that are connected to the satellite. Maybe the call will work over the website. Try at least.


----------



## lawnmowerdeth

Hm, guess I'm hosed unless I want to hack things, I've been stuck on 6.2 for a long time now, have no phone line.


----------



## 55tbird

lawnmowerdeth said:


> Hm, guess I'm hosed unless I want to hack things, I've been stuck on 6.2 for a long time now, have no phone line.


So it sounds like you're completely stock..... you don't have phone line access somewhere? What about a friend?

If your Tivo has telnet & FTP then it's really easy to upgrade to 6.4a for $20 (Slicer) and a wget from DVRUpgr....
but it's not without a few potential issues, so far I've done 1 Tivo without any issues... got locals and all's good but 2nd one still has "no" locals.

A temporary issue... but don't let that stop you from upgrading to 6.4a though.

Correction: 2nd one got locals after 24 hours! I'm good to go now.


----------



## 55tbird

zorro255 said:


> Call DirecTV tell the computer answering machine *Error 722*. I know you went to the website and did this but it's a last attempt before talking to a human. This should redo all your receivers that are connected to the satellite. Maybe the call will work over the website. Try at least.





55tbird said:


> So it sounds like you're completely stock..... you don't have phone line access somewhere? What about a friend?
> 
> If your Tivo has telnet & FTP then it's really easy to upgrade to 6.4a for $20 (Slicer) and a wget from DVRUpgr....
> but it's not without a few potential issues, so far I've done 1 Tivo without any issues... got locals and all's good but 2nd one still has "no" locals.
> 
> A temporary issue... but don't let that stop you from upgrading to 6.4a though.


Well it seems that the 722 call did the trick, I've got the ALL the locals now on both 6.4a units. Thanks zorro255!


----------



## Ken Crane

litzdog911 said:


> If your Series 2 DirecTivo is connected to a phone line and successfully making calls, but you're still not getting the v6.4a update, then please post back with your Tivo Model Number and Tivo Service number. I'll pass that information along to our DirecTV contacts to provide to Tivo for further troubleshooting.


Here is my info again:

Tivo model number - SAMSUNG SIR-S4080R - SERIES 2
Tivo current software version 6.3e  012-381
Tivo Service Number - 381-0000-EO5D-BF78
My Tivo does NOT have any "modifications" to its original software
TV brand & model number? SONY  KV-32XBR48 
My Tivo is connected to my TV via  COAX


----------



## fooz

Some people are going on almost 3 months without locals, this is crazy. I am happy I was forced to bail after only 2 weeks. I will have 3 series 2 Tivo's to get rid of once we have watched all of the content.


----------



## lawnmowerdeth

55tbird said:


> So it sounds like you're completely stock..... you don't have phone line access somewhere? What about a friend?
> 
> If your Tivo has telnet & FTP then it's really easy to upgrade to 6.4a for $20 (Slicer) and a wget from DVRUpgr....
> but it's not without a few potential issues, so far I've done 1 Tivo without any issues... got locals and all's good but 2nd one still has "no" locals.
> 
> A temporary issue... but don't let that stop you from upgrading to 6.4a though.
> 
> Correction: 2nd one got locals after 24 hours! I'm good to go now.


Yeah, stock 6.2 image on an HDVR2. I have Vonage and have never been able to get it to make a successful phone call.
Had a 6.4 backup image a few years ago but lost it in a hard drive crash, can't bring myself to spend $40 on an Instantcake for a near 10 year old receiver, I remember when they only charged $20. That, and I don't want to lose the recordings.


----------



## yknott

Here is my info:

Tivo model number - Phillips DSR7000/17 - SERIES 2
Tivo current software version 6.2a-01-2-301
Tivo Service Number - 301-0000-C08D-0DD8
My Tivo has a 1 TB hard drive
TV brand & model number? Samsung  PN50C450B1DXZA
My Tivo is connected to my TV via  COAX 

I have tried every tip and trick I can find with no luck. Please Help

Thanks


----------



## litzdog911

Ken Crane said:


> Here is my info again:
> 
> Tivo model number - SAMSUNG SIR-S4080R - SERIES 2
> Tivo current software version 6.3e  012-381
> Tivo Service Number - 381-0000-EO5D-BF78
> My Tivo does NOT have any "modifications" to its original software
> TV brand & model number? SONY  KV-32XBR48
> My Tivo is connected to my TV via  COAX


Got it. Same info you provided via the DirecTV Forum, right?


----------



## Ken Crane

litzdog911 said:


> Got it. Same info you provided via the DirecTV Forum, right?


Right. Many thanks for your help.


----------



## 55tbird

lawnmowerdeth said:


> Yeah, stock 6.2 image on an HDVR2. I have Vonage and have never been able to get it to make a successful phone call.
> Had a 6.4 backup image a few years ago but lost it in a hard drive crash, can't bring myself to spend $40 on an Instantcake for a near 10 year old receiver, I remember when they only charged $20. That, and I don't want to lose the recordings.


I don't have any solutions for you since it sounds like you haven't done much of any hacking before and the cost of something like Instantcake is too prohibitive.

Although you still should be able to get away with the 6.4a upgrade by pulling your drive and running a "PTVnet" cd (probably about the same $), it would give you telnet coupled with the "slicer 1.9" ($20 for a total of $60) you should be able to maintain your existing recordings and then have access to TivoWebPlus just for starters. It would be very easy if you've ever built a desktop computer you should have no problems. There are people here that can provide some guidance to make it relatively easy but for the cost.

If you're concerned about the age of your hard drive you could use MSLive to copy the orginal to a larger one thus extending the life of your Tivo. In fact most Tivos die earlier deaths than necessary because their power supplies effects the tuners and there is a company that will repair whatever your problem is.

If I'm wrong about your abilities then it's just a matter of cost. And my apology.


----------



## lawnmowerdeth

55tbird said:


> If I'm wrong about your abilities then it's just a matter of cost. And my apology.


Oh, it's not skill, it's cost and initiative. It's a 'stock' image, yes, but it's on a 750GB drive. 
The saddest part is, my unit was running 6.4a just fine 2 years ago before the hard drive crashed, all I had was the 6.2 backup image. 
This HDVR2 has been through a lot over the years, probably it's 4th hard drive, 2nd power supply (that I got from a non-DirecTV TiVo that most of the forums said was too underpowered for an HDVR2 - has worked great for 3 years now)


----------



## vuu73

I recently started following this forum. Us like so many have been without local channels on one of our two Tivo Direct Tv units. One has 6.4 and gets all channels. The other has 6.3e and gets NO local channels. I have tried contantly for 5-6 days now to force upgrade the software on the problem unit. The problem unit has a 213 hour hard drive in it and is almost full. Can this be causing our problem (my wife wants to save her Oprahs) Any more suggestions? Here follows our information:

Tivo Model number - SAMSUNG SIR-S4080R - SERIES 2
Tivo current software version 6.3e &#8211; 01&#8212;2-381
Tivo Service Number - 381-0000-EO5C-C023
My Tivo does NOT have any "modifications" to its original software
TV brand & model number? Visio V0370M
My Tivo is connected to my TV via &#8211; RCA AV cable


----------



## litzdog911

vuu73 said:


> I recently started following this forum. Us like so many have been without local channels on one of our two Tivo Direct Tv units. One has 6.4 and gets all channels. The other has 6.3e and gets NO local channels. I have tried contantly for 5-6 days now to force upgrade the software on the problem unit. The problem unit has a 213 hour hard drive in it and is almost full. Can this be causing our problem (my wife wants to save her Oprahs) Any more suggestions? Here follows our information:
> 
> Tivo Model number - SAMSUNG SIR-S4080R - SERIES 2
> Tivo current software version 6.3e  012-381
> Tivo Service Number - 381-0000-EO5C-C023
> My Tivo does NOT have any "modifications" to its original software
> TV brand & model number? Visio V0370M
> My Tivo is connected to my TV via  RCA AV cable


I've submitted your information to my DirecTV contacts.


----------



## guins

Like others I have lost 3 local channels (4, 11, and 53).

I have a zippered (no slices) Hughes TiVo that I just want to have it phone home and get the 6.4 update. I don't care if I lose all the hacks; I just don't want to lose any of my recordings, season passes, etc. etc.

How can I reverse the zipper hack that prevents the TiVo from making the daily call so I can get the software update?


----------



## zorro255

Read post 337
Step 2

http://www.tivocommunity.com/tivo-vb/showthread.php?p=9106704#9106704

or use the slices from Post 195 http://www.tivocommunity.com/tivo-vb/showthread.php?p=9080228#9080228


----------



## Bill99

Two stock DVR's
One R10 running 6.1a
One DVR80 running 6.3e.

Did the following:
1. Connected to DVR service successfully.
(At this point on the DVR80 only:
I did a power reboot then "accidently" connected to DVR service a second time. It ran quickly and I assumed it didn't download anything).
2. Did power reboot.
3. Ran "clear thumb ratings & suggestions"
4. Ran "clear program information & to do list"
5. Did restart.

R10 now has 6.4a and has all local channels.

DVR80 still running 6.3e (even after power reboot after restart). It now has 4 local channels which weren't there before, but not ABC, NBC, CBS, FOX or PBS.

When I connected to DVR service a second time on the DVR80 perhaps it wiped out what the 1st download did?

I don't have a phone line to keep it permantely attached to. Any thoughts on anything to do next for the DVR80?


----------



## Ken Crane

My *SAMSUNG SIR-S4080R* was automatically updated to 6.4a by a software download at 2:00am this morning Sunday June 17th. All network & local PBS channels are back & working with the exception of NBC  ch 4 in my local Los Angeles market.

*litzdog911*  Many, many thanks for your help which is very much appreciated. I am sure I would never have received the 6.4a update without your help  thanks again.

On Saturday morning, June 16th on checking my system information I found the message pending restart. Since I would be watching the 2012 Euro Soccer Championship & US Open Golf for most of the day I didnt want to force a restart. I also didnt want to force a restart today, Sunday, June 17th for the same reasons.

On Saturday evening I thought I would try & force a call to shift the next scheduled call and avoid any possibility of an automatic restart over the weekend that would interrupt my viewing but received an onscreen message saying this feature was not available until after a software service download @ 2:00am. I did nothing further & this morning, Sunday June 17th my system had automatically updated to 6.4a & all the missing network & local channels were back & working with the exception of NBC  my local Los Angeles Ch 4 that is still a blank screen although it is in the guide. Because I receive & can view the NBC west coast network feed on Ch 393 I will not either be clearing my to do list & program guide and/or restart/reset my system as my current to do & season pass lists are all there & have recorded & are currently recording properly. I had removed all the season passes & to do list programming that required any of the missing channels prior to the software upgrade. I added them back today after the update.

If I have any further problems as a result of the 6.4 update I will for back with an update.

I wish everyone good luck in receiving the 6.4a update soon & again would like to thank *litzdog911* for his help


----------



## mr.bill

sony t60 stopped getting local channels like 2 months ago. Probably because its modem died like 3 years ago and it has not updated software.

So I dug out an old hr10-250 my friend gave me. I started to add it on to the account, but 1/2 way through the software update it died. It acts like its turning on, get to almost there and then it gets to a green screen that says something like a serious error error occurred. call direct tv. The tech thinks the HDD is corrupted. I think there maybe more wrong with it, as I could never get it to see channel 100..

So I dug out an old phillips dsr708. It was able to see channel 100. Direct tv was able to turn it on but its missing local channels(I get channel 4, 14, espn, hbo, plus a bunch more). But it had not updated in like 2500 days. So its updating now (going on 2.5+ hours on the phone). Will see if it gets locals after the update..


So the questions:
hr 10-250: Toss it or try to mess with it? Trade in? 
sony t60: toss it? 

Probably going to look for a replacement receiver from direct tv. What is a good replacement? (My direct tv account has lifetime free tivo)

Direct tv says they can give me a hd tivo and premium install for $199. They also want to give a SD receiver (Non tivo) for free. Is that a good deal? Any better deals out there? I would prefer to have 2 tivo units (1 hd 1 not). Thanks for any help!


----------



## stevel

The HD TiVo (THR22) is normally $199 with free install. Do you want a second DVR or will just a receiver do? That you have lifetime is good - you get to avoid the $5 TiVo fee as well as the $8 DVR fee. The THR22 is a fine choice for a newer box, but you may want to look at the differences between it and the HR24 (current non-TiVo equivalent), as the HR24 has newer hardware and has features such as MRV lacking in the THR22.


----------



## vuu73

litzdog911 said:


> Update from Tivo via my DirecTV contacts ....
> New estimated "v6.4a update fix" is June 20. Just keeps slippin' and slippin.


Software update received (6.4a) but still no local channels. I've done the forced phone/satellite, no luck!


----------



## litzdog911

vuu73 said:


> Software update received (6.4a) but still no local channels. I've done the forced phone/satellite, no luck!


Did you try this ....
1. "clear thumb ratings & suggestions"
2. "clear program information & to do list"
3. Restart.


----------



## mr.bill

stevel said:


> The HD TiVo (THR22) is normally $199 with free install. Do you want a second DVR or will just a receiver do? That you have lifetime is good - you get to avoid the $5 TiVo fee as well as the $8 DVR fee. The THR22 is a fine choice for a newer box, but you may want to look at the differences between it and the HR24 (current non-TiVo equivalent), as the HR24 has newer hardware and has features such as MRV lacking in the THR22.


The phillips was able to update and local channels are back. I got the t60 to dial but it still has not updated. The problem was that the local numbers were bad and I needed to find a new numbers. I am going to try to restart/reinstall the t60 to see if it will update too.

Thanks for the reply! I will look into those receivers. Viewing in other rooms would be nice. This is for my dad so simple is better. He has only used tivo for the past 12+ years, so I would assume non tivo version will function a little differently. He was not happy switching from the sony remote to the peanut..

Personally I would want a receiver that could record 4 programs, but he is fine with 2. I plan on upgrading his tv to HD. So the 2nd dvr is not critical, but since phillips is working, I think it will be used as the 2nd receiver.


----------



## yknott

I'm about to give up. I've done everything I can think of it just doesn't looking like my Phillips DSR708 will ever update. I've cleared and deleted everything twice with no luck. Cleared thumb ratings & suggestions, clear program information & to do list then restarted 3 times and still nothing. I would have done the instantcake on my drive weeks ago but don't have the set up on my computer to do it. Anyone have any ideas how I might get my 708 to update I'm out of ideas at this point. Thanks


----------



## 55tbird

yknott said:


> I'm about to give up. I've done everything I can think of it just doesn't looking like my Phillips DSR708 will ever update. I've cleared and deleted everything twice with no luck. Cleared thumb ratings & suggestions, clear program information & to do list then restarted 3 times and still nothing. I would have done the instantcake on my drive weeks ago but don't have the set up on my computer to do it. Anyone have any ideas how I might get my 708 to update I'm out of ideas at this point. Thanks


You're a little vague about "if" you even have telnet access currently or not. I realize you mention instantcake but providing you possible solutions for so many possible scenarios isn't practical.

Not sure what you're referring to about the setup on your computer. The software would be things like LeechFTP and I like TeraTermPro for starter and they are (were free last I checked). Sounds like you might be aware of how to install instantcake and ptvnet. If not, I don't have any options for you but maybe somebody else has an option for you.

It also sounds like you're thinking that by running the different "clear and deletes" you mentioned that it will force an update (to 6.4a)... it won't, not in my experience. There have been discussions about downloading a 6.4a slice then by using "slicer" it will install and update you to 6.4a.

I've tried to give you some basic answers but a little more info would help out ....... possibly. GL


----------



## yknott

I gave up and sent my hard drive to Hinsdales to get it upgraded to 6.4a. Cost me $75.00


----------



## fooz

yknott said:


> I gave up and sent my hard drive to Hinsdales to get it upgraded to 6.4a. Cost me $75.00


IMO DirecTV should credit your account for this, but of course they won't.


----------



## Bill99

I finally got 6.4a on my DVR80, ran "clear thumb ratings & suggestions" and "clear program information & to do list" & then restarted. Still no locals. But then, reauthorized receiver, reran both clears, and another restart or 2 along the way. Locals showed up.

So anyone who has 6.4a and didn't get locals may want to try the process over again.


----------



## Pete_C

Here I've had issues this past week with the Updated to 6.4A software. 

Prior to this past week its been doing fine.

Wierd constant reboots, missing schedules, requests for reauthorizations and totally messing with the recordings.

Right now the DTivo message is asking for a reauthorization (which was already done) and not seeing any of the schedules; this messing with the recordings.

In retrospect looks like DTV is attempting to blanket fix something which personally wasn't broken for me; another nail in their coffin. IE: I reauthorized this morning via the web and the DTV box rebooted (makes me wonder now) and states that the DVR is not authorized (no scheduling this morning).

That said I have spent more time researching the shift over to DISH as I am most likely will be not utilizing Tivo / DTV in the future. 

That said I also have Comcast and been pushing the town to let AT&T / Verizon offer their wares in our 100 home subdivision as its available but for whatever reason the town is not giving permission to them to provide us with the competition for Comcast. I have the option of Comcast, AT&T and Verizon in the Florida house / subdivision of 50 houses. I shut off DTV / Comcast a few years back and went to Verizon FIOS for phone, internet and TV and they have been just fine.

My Myth TV box / combo XBMC box is now running and doing well.


----------



## wetchemistry

Pete_C said:


> My Myth TV box / combo XBMC box is now running and doing well.


Have you transferred all of your recordings?


----------



## Pete_C

Not interested in transferring any recordings as my wife told me she doesn't really care about losing her daytime TV recordings. 

I unplugged the DTIVO box a few minutes ago as it just boots up to an authorization screen and reboots making it totally worthless now. 

Funny too that I authorized the box via the internet and got an acknowledgement via email that the box was authorized.

I am done as it really isn't worth my time to play with this anymore nor deal with DTV or Tivo. 

Honestly I don't think DTV cares much about its legacy DTivo customers anyways.

I am testing the remote MythTV Tuner pieces as I have set up a couple of digital engines on two other house HD LCDs. Next step though is a multistream tuner for cable in the box.


----------



## Pete_C

Yesterday I called Direct TV customer service.

The problem as mentioned above and stated to Direct TV CS was that the box kept putting a message up that it was not an authorized Direct TV DVR.

The customer service person was very personable and pleasant. She had me do some step by steps to reauthorize the direct Tivo box. The box did quit rebooting itself but still was posting the unauthorization message. The steps included removing the smart card; deauthorizing the card, reinsertion of the card and reauthorization. After some granular testing of the signal strengths the customer service representative stated that one feed's signal was too low at around 67 %. She stated that I needed more than 67% to get the authorization and the guide (which had not worked for the last two days). That said she configured a truck roll for this morning, Sunday at 8 AM to readjust for the sweet spot. 

The direct tv service technician called at 8 AM stating he was on his way to my home and should be there at 8:30 AM; which he was.

He adjusted the parabolic 4 LNB Direct TV antenna and left the two LNBs at around 95-98%. The second LNB was previously at 95%. He stated he had never seen this specfic parabolic antenna and never seen 4 LNBs on a direct tv dish antenna.

He then came indoors and called direct tv customer service to reauthorize the box. The direct tivo box again started to reboot itself. 

My wife at that point stated to the technician that he would not be leaving until there was a functional DTV DVR box in the house.

He then stated our legacy Direct Tivo box was just at the end of its life and would no longer work with the Direct TV data stream. He then shut off the old Direct Tivo box, installed the Direct TV DVR box. It worked just fine. He instructed my wife on the remote / DVR functionality asking her if she was satisfied with the Direct TV DVR box and its functions. She said she was.

The DTV service technician was pleasant and easy going.

The above stated; the Direct Tivo box is now off and disconnected and will no longer be utilized. For the time being the Direct TV DVR is working, functional and mostly now very high on the WAF.


----------



## wetchemistry

I'm glad your wife s happy.


----------



## Pete_C

She is happy.

This issue was related to her watching TV habits / recording her shows. I don't and miss the functionality of the Tivo box; liked having it; but really never used it myself in the last few years. 

Personally I don't watch or record any regular and while she uses CC she doesn't want to record from it.

Meanwhile trying (testing) the mythtv box on her (whiich will get the OTA/CC stuff)...going in baby steps....she is set in her ways. I have added XBMC to the Linux MythTV box and plugins on the other XBMC boxes to get to the MythTV boxes. Working, fast and simple.


----------



## gdog007

I have two R10 DVR's with 6.1 software that I've tried to get updated to 6.4a software for over two years. Only one is currently connected. After being told by directv that the software was no longer available I finally gave up. A few weeks ago I lost my local channels. I recently found this forum and was glad to hear that 6.4a was back in the stream. I've forced about a dozen calls and several hard resets over the past week. no message about restart. Still no update. Can anyone give any helpful info?

Tivo Model number - Directv R10
Tivo current software version 6.1-01-2-521
Tivo Service Number - 521-0001-90C1-59CA
My Tivo does NOT have any "modifications" to its original software


----------



## vuu73

litzdog911 said:


> Did you try this ....
> 1. "clear thumb ratings & suggestions"
> 2. "clear program information & to do list"
> 3. Restart.


after countless tries at steps 1.2.3. above, woke up this morning and had local channels. Thanks so much for the ideas!


----------



## fooz

It appears that if you have one Tivo, then DirecTV will gladly replace it for free with an HD DVR (and of course 2 more years).

My problem was that I had 3 and they had no interest in replacing them. I would have happily taken 1 HR34 and 2 receivers, or 3 DVRs as replacement and signed up for 2 more years.


----------



## tomc585

been hooking up to the phone at work 2x a week for 3 weeks but my my series 2 still hasnt grabbed the 6.4. suck s when i wake up and see the unit downloading at 4am just to find it still on 6.1


----------



## N-HARDY

My sister's DirecTv Tivo Phillips 708 has been without most of the local channels since May 1. We see that it still has 6.3e software. We have tried everything DirecTv told us to do to restart it. We even did a complete reboot and cleared everything just to see if that helped. We have nothing to lost at this point. This unit has never been opened up like some have done. I read about slicers and have no idea what that is. I just do not what to do any more. We did get DirecTv to credit her account the $5 for the local channels for one year. After the last phone call to whin about their lack of customer service, they gave her Showtime free for a month. Like that is going to help. My sister has her old Samsung, I think, Tivo series 2. But it would need repaired with a new fan and tuners. This Tivo have the 6.4a software. And a new card from DirecTv would have to be bought again. What do you think she should do??

And to top it off, my DirecTv Tivo Phillip 708 has a tuner going bad. The local channels cube up and the sound skips. Is it worth sending it to Tivo Upgrage or WeaKnee if DirecTv is doing everything to not support Tivos these days? I need to decide what to do before the new fall seson starts. Please tell me what you think. Replace both tuners? I so love Tivo better than DirecTv's DVR. I only have a small amount of programs that I can put on disc if I want to save them before send in for servicing, if you think it is worth it. Is it worth servicing??

* Just read the WeaKnee forum about the same issue. They suggest a new hard drive. Does this sound right? *


----------



## derelict

N-HARDY said:


> And to top it off, my DirecTv Tivo Phillip 708 has a tuner going bad. The local channels cube up and the sound skips. Is it worth sending it to Tivo Upgrage or WeaKnee if DirecTv is doing everything to not support Tivos these days? I need to decide what to do before the new fall seson starts. Please tell me what you think. Replace both tuners? I so love Tivo better than DirecTv's DVR. I only have a small amount of programs that I can put on disc if I want to save them before send in for servicing, if you think it is worth it. Is it worth servicing??
> 
> * Just read the WeaKnee forum about the same issue. They suggest a new hard drive. Does this sound right? *


For the pixelation issue, I would suggest looking at this thread:
http://www.tivocommunity.com/tivo-vb/showthread.php?t=333631

This was my issue... I was able to successfully fix one Tivo where the tuner completely stopped working by following this thread.


----------



## CrashHD

If someone offered a service where you could send your tivo to be updated, or remove your hard drive and send it to be updated (cheaper shipping), would anyone be interested?


----------



## 55tbird

N-HARDY said:


> My sister's DirecTv Tivo Phillips 708 has been without most of the local channels since May 1. We see that it still has 6.3e software. We have tried everything DirecTv told us to do to restart it. We even did a complete reboot and cleared everything just to see if that helped. We have nothing to lost at this point. This unit has never been opened up like some have done. I read about slicers and have no idea what that is. I just do not what to do any more. We did get DirecTv to credit her account the $5 for the local channels for one year. After the last phone call to whin about their lack of customer service, they gave her Showtime free for a month. Like that is going to help. My sister has her old Samsung, I think, Tivo series 2. But it would need repaired with a new fan and tuners. This Tivo have the 6.4a software. And a new card from DirecTv would have to be bought again. What do you think she should do??
> 
> And to top it off, my DirecTv Tivo Phillip 708 has a tuner going bad. The local channels cube up and the sound skips. Is it worth sending it to Tivo Upgrage or WeaKnee if DirecTv is doing everything to not support Tivos these days? I need to decide what to do before the new fall seson starts. Please tell me what you think. Replace both tuners? I so love Tivo better than DirecTv's DVR. I only have a small amount of programs that I can put on disc if I want to save them before send in for servicing, if you think it is worth it. Is it worth servicing??
> 
> * Just read the WeaKnee forum about the same issue. They suggest a new hard drive. Does this sound right? *


Your hard drive may very well be starting to give you problems so change it if it's been in use more than 2 years.

However, I've experienced the same issue numerous times over the last 5 years, ie, currently have 4 DTivos and have had the tuner issue 7 times and "all" but once it was the power supply that was going bad (not able to provide proper volts/amps), I would simply swapout the supply and the 2nd tuner would work (verified supply was bad as I would swap it into a known good working unit and the 2nd tuner wouldn't work. I've read numerous posts from others and it seems to be a common issue.

BTW, the vendor you mentioned also can repair units with bad tuners, power supply if you're not up to it yourself or don't want to try. If you have ever worked on a desktop computer and are not intimidated by trying it "is" a relatively simple process to replace the supply.

What do you really have to lose? You're on the verge of getting rid of it anyway and you very likely would end up with a working unit with a little effort & a "good" power supply.

Good Luck with whatever decision you make.


----------



## litzdog911

CrashHD said:


> If someone offered a service where you could send your tivo to be updated, or remove your hard drive and send it to be updated (cheaper shipping), would anyone be interested?


Weaknees already offers that service.


----------



## N-HARDY

derelict said:


> For the pixelation issue, I would suggest looking at this thread:
> http://www.tivocommunity.com/tivo-vb/showthread.php?t=333631
> 
> This was my issue... I was able to successfully fix one Tivo where the tuner completely stopped working by following this thread.


Well I got my Tivo box out and brought up all the cables and the setup manual. And I don't have the S-video cable or the composite video connection cable plugged in to any ports. The tv did not have a S-video connection on the back. My is set up looks like example A with a tv, vcr/dvd recorders, Tivo all with coaxial cables. I took the new coaxial cable that came with the Tivo and bypassed the vcr/dvd and connected it to the tv to Tivo. No difference. But it was worth a shot. Why is it never that easy?


----------



## kkesler

litzdog911 said:


> If your Series 2 DirecTivo is connected to a phone line and successfully making calls, but you're still not getting the v6.4a update, then please post back with your Tivo Model Number and Tivo Service number. I'll pass that information along to our DirecTV contacts to provide to Tivo for further troubleshooting.


DSR-704
Software System:	6.2a-01-2-301
Service Number:	3010000C048AA04
System Type:	United States Series 2 DirecTiVo
Subscription:	Monthly Subscription

Phone Call Information
Last Call	03:41am, 27-Jun-12
Last Call Status	Succeeded
Next Call	08:52am, 28-Jun-12


----------



## gdog007

litzdog911 said:


> If your Series 2 DirecTivo is connected to a phone line and successfully making calls, but you're still not getting the v6.4a update, then please post back with your Tivo Model Number and Tivo Service number. I'll pass that information along to our DirecTV contacts to provide to Tivo for further troubleshooting.


Tivo Model number - Directv R10
Tivo current software version 6.1-01-2-521
Tivo Service Number - 521-0001-90C1-59CA
My Tivo does NOT have any "modifications" to its original software


----------



## dy123

I have a Philips DSR7000. Upgraded to 302 Hours with Instant Cake running 6.2a. 

About 2 months ago I lost local channels in Southern California. It had been so long ago that I did the whole hard drive swap that I forgot about all the details of how I even did it.

I pulled out my old 50 foot phone cord and hooked the unit up to the wall jack. I did that for about 2 weeks, but nothing ever happened. It connected fine, but update was never downloaded. I put away the phone cored and thought I was out of luck. 

It was unplugged for about 3 weeks.....and for some reason at 11:30 last night I thought I should plug it in again and see what happens. I forced it to connect. It connected and did a download (maybe 5 minutes).

When I went back into phone setting to check status it said "pending restart". I went to bed and when I checked this morning all my locals were back! Now is says software version 6.4a. 

I was about to try all kind of costly alternatives to get my locals back. SO glad I happed on its own. 

btw I never gave my tivo details here or on the other forum. So those of you that didn't either, it should eventually download and upgrade. I guess it is just a waiting game. Have faith, it should work eventually.

Even though the debacle should have never happened&#8230;.thanks to whoever fixed it!


----------



## N-HARDY

DRUM ROW PLEASE... My sister's series 2 Philips DSR708 downloaded software version 6.4a. The local channel have reappeared after two months!!!!!!!!


----------



## CrashHD

N-HARDY said:


> DRUM ROW PLEASE


drum *roll*?


----------



## jwracer14

litzdog911 said:


> If your Series 2 DirecTivo is connected to a phone line and successfully making calls, but you're still not getting the v6.4a update, then please post back with your Tivo Model Number and Tivo Service number. I'll pass that information along to our DirecTV contacts to provide to Tivo for further troubleshooting.


Hughes Series 2 sd-dvr40
software version 6.3e-01-2-151
service number 351-0000-A067-F4C1


----------



## kkesler

kkesler said:


> DSR-704
> Software System:	6.2a-01-2-301
> Service Number:	3010000C048AA04
> System Type:	United States Series 2 DirecTiVo
> Subscription:	Monthly Subscription
> 
> Phone Call Information
> Last Call	03:41am, 27-Jun-12
> Last Call Status	Succeeded
> Next Call	08:52am, 28-Jun-12


6.4a now, had it for a few days.

Still no locals.

Now the 30 second skip won't work. Is there a secret to get it working again, the sps30s code isn't working.


----------



## CrashHD

SPS30S works on my 6.4a boxes. You might try entering it again. Do you get the triple tone after the final select?


----------



## ronsch

stevel said:


> I believe you need 3.5d on the S1 boxes.





sbourgeo said:


> stevel is correct, 3.5d is what you need. At this point, it looks like DirecTV is only going to do Series 2 software updates so you'd need to acquire the image and install it yourself to continue using your DSR6000.


I'm still on 3.5c on my DSR6000. If someone could PM me with the locaion of a 3.5d image I would appreciate it. Just noticed a short time ago that my locals were missing.

Interestingly enough I didn't lose my locals until July 1.


----------



## nmiller855

I think the only solution to us stuck on 3.5c is to buy it from someone like Weaknees or DVRupgrade.


----------



## derelict

I bit the bullet today and tried to update one of my Samsung SIR-4080 tivos with the slicer from DVR upgrade. It seemed to run ok until I ran into a bootloop. I am getting this error:



> Starting TvLauncher
> assert: Tmk Assertion Failure:
> assert: TmkServer, line 379 ()
> Tmk Fatal Error: Activity TvBusProxy <106> strayed!
> Paste the following into a shell to get a backtrace...
> 
> bt -t /tvbin/tivoapp <<END_OF_BT
> tcd 1
> hpk Series2
> build b-6-4-prod @299218 2008.05.08-0010 release-mips []
> pack 6.4a-01-2
> read 0x00400000 /tvbin/tivoapp
> read 0x02000000 /lib/libc.so.6
> read 0x02200000 /lib/libm.so.6
> read 0x02400000 /lib/libpthread.so.0
> read 0x02600000 /lib/libutil.so.1
> read 0x02800000 /lib/libtvutil.so
> read 0x02a00000 /lib/libtmk.so
> read 0x02c00000 /lib/libtvstructures.so
> read 0x2aaa8000 /lib/ld.so.1
> read 0x2ab04000 /lib/libhpkoss.so
> read 0x2ab50000 /platform/lib/libhpkhl.so
> read 0x2ac18000 /platform/lib/libhpkll.so
> read 0x2ac5c000 /lib/libdl.so.2
> read 0x2aca0000 /lib/libcdaudio.so
> 0x02a7e47c 0x02a826d4 0x02a24620 0x02a4fdcc 0x006922b4 0x02a28c08 0x02a28834
> 0x02a6069c 0x02a2871c 0x02a28630 0x02a2b03c 0x02a3c684 0x02a3c56c 0x02a3c41c
> 0x02a3b978
> END_OF_BT
> 
> Tmk Fatal Error: Activity TvBusProxy <106>: assertion failure
> Waiting for launcher to start.
> Launcher is running.
> Scanning for phase2 repair scripts
> Running boot Stage E_PreApplication scripts
> Checking for database conversions
> flushing ide devices: hda
> Restarting system.


I have no idea how to recover from this... anyone?


----------



## ronsch

nmiller855 said:


> I think the only solution to us stuck on 3.5c is to buy it from someone like Weaknees or DVRupgrade.


Check the post from Sbourgeo(#44) in the Sony T60 Now won't finish Booting thread to see if 3.5d is already on your TiVo.


----------



## Pete_C

After a couple of weeks of new DVR; antenna moved. 

I called for service and customer service representative stated I would have to pay for the call. I said no as it was just installed and that the dish should not have moved after two weeks. Old dish was in place for 10 years and never moved. Customer service representative then stated service call would be covered under 90 day warranty.

Very interesting service call. The antenna was adjusted within 2 hours by the service manager who happened to be in town. Pleasant gentleman had an issue hitting the sweet spot; so I made go back up to adjust antenna. Hopefully he tightened it. 

The DTV bill comes a week later. It had a service charge with a credit for half of the service. I called CS and needed to talk to three people to get it adjusted to nil. It was an hour's waste of my time and the reason I am posting this message today. Funny too that they "recorded" on their service ticket a charge when I explicitly said adjust it with no service charge or remove it. They didn't write that down on their notes though.

What a joke.

Who owns Direct TV these days?

They went from apparant good customer service getting me to change over to a DTV DVR; poor installation (antenna moves after a couple of weeks)

Their piss poor customer service (in addition to me having to give up my direct tivo) has convinced me to switch in the next couple of weeks.


----------



## CrashHD

Pete_C said:


> They went from apparant good customer service ...


Directv's customer service has always been very poor. Poor customer service is pretty universal. Switch service if you wish. I fail to understand why you will feel better to be treated just as poorly by someone else.
Otherwise, if you're going to rant about it, there are threads in the forum where such discussion would be on topic.


----------



## kkesler

CrashHD said:


> SPS30S works on my 6.4a boxes. You might try entering it again. Do you get the triple tone after the final select?


Triple tone? I have sound effects turned off. Anyway, it won't work. Tried again and again, no joy.

Still no locals.

My bill just went up 5 bucks.

Think I'm done with DTV, I just picked up a used Premiere cheap.


----------



## stevel

My own experience with DirecTV customer service has always been good. But yes, errors in communication happen, and with the multi-layered support approach DirecTV has, problems are more likely to appear.


----------



## snapdad

DSR6000 has 3.5c and will not connect to the service, Keep getting a message that it is Busy connecting to DirectTv and exits the attempted phone call. I can not change the phone numbers because it needs to call in to get the list. I was thinking about nuking the dvr at set back to factory defaults, maybe get a phone line then. Does this sound like an option that will work?


----------



## sbourgeo

snapdad said:


> DSR6000 has 3.5c and will not connect to the service, Keep getting a message that it is Busy connecting to DirectTv and exits the attempted phone call. I can not change the phone numbers because it needs to call in to get the list. I was thinking about nuking the dvr at set back to factory defaults, maybe get a phone line then. Does this sound like an option that will work?


I haven't heard a single report (on this forum or elsewhere) of a Series 1 user getting the 3.5d software install after the locals issue first appeared. Unless that changes, your only options for reviving your DSR6000 would be to manually install the 3.5d slices if they're already on your TiVo (like I did here) or to get a 3.5d image and restore it to your hard drive. Feel free to pm me if you have questions on either option.


----------



## litzdog911

snapdad said:


> DSR6000 has 3.5c and will not connect to the service, Keep getting a message that it is Busy connecting to DirectTv and exits the attempted phone call. I can not change the phone numbers because it needs to call in to get the list. I was thinking about nuking the dvr at set back to factory defaults, maybe get a phone line then. Does this sound like an option that will work?


This old Series 1 Tivo software is no longer being streamed. You can have a dealer like Weaknees upgrade your software. Or perhaps consider upgrading to the new THR22 HD Tivo.


----------



## ronsch

I have the 3.5d slices on my hard drive from when the TiVo tried to upgrade me four years ago. The problem with allowing it to go forward now is I need to be able to use a IDE<-->USB adapter as I no longer have a PC with IDE connections to upgrade to the LBA48 kernel. None of the Linux tool software releases(Instantcake, mfslive, PTVUppgrade) seem to be able to recognize the TiVo drive when attached this way. WinMFS will recognize it as a TiVo drive but I can't use that to copy in the modified kernel.

Has anyone made the jump to 3.5d in this environment?


----------



## sbourgeo

I had similar problems trying to help someone re-enable initrd and switch to the stock kernel for a DSR6000 with a stock prom and they only had a laptop with a IDE<-->USB adapter. No dice. :down:

In your case, I wonder if you could work around this by grabbing the kernel from the lba48 cdrom and sticking it on a flash drive along with the Linux static tpip binary and then use a Linux boot disk that recognizes your TiVo drive to run tpip manually?


----------



## CrashHD

I've never had trouble with MFSLive accessing any sort of usb storage adapter.

If you run

pdisk -l

it should scan every storage device available to the system, and read out the partition table info when it finds them.

Alternatively, instead of adapting your ide drive to USB, you could try adapting it to SATA http://www.amazon.com/IDE-SATA-Adapter/dp/B000RK89M4


----------



## ronsch

I think I did use pdisk under mfslive. I know I tried it under one of the Linux tool sets. Mfslive could see my flash drive which was plugged into the adjacent usb port but it showed it under /media instead of /dev.

I could probably try the usb ports on the back and see if it makes a difference. I may be able to find an old XP/IDE PC at work....

The SATA conversion might work although I would have to disassemble the disk cage on my PC to put in the drive. PIA!

Also been meaning to see if it makes a difference using a Series 2 drive.


----------



## CrashHD

any usb media I've ever used under mfslive were assigned to sd(x).

if you plug in the usb after the system has booted, it should show what device it is mapped to on the console screen.


----------



## ronsch

Ok. Here's the sequence:

1. Boot up MfsLive 1.4 booted with byteswapping on.

2. Power up Tivo drive connected to IDE-USB converter.

3. Plug in to PC USB connection.

4. About 15 seconds later I get:

usb 2-1.3: new high speed USB device using ehci_hcd and address 6
usb 2-1.3: configuration #1 chosen from 1 choice
scsi8 : SCSI emulation for USB Mass Storage devices
scsi 8:0:0:0: Direct-Access WDC WD25 00JB-00GVA0 2D08 PQ: 0 ANSI: 2 CCS
sd 8:0:0:0: [sdg] 488397168 512-byte hardware sectors: (250 GB/232 GiB)
sd 8:0:0:0: [sdg] Write Protect is off
sd 8:0:0:0: [sdg] Assuming drive cache: write through
Repeat previous 3 lines verbatim
sdg: unknown partition table
sd 8:0:0:0: [sdg] Attached SCSI disk
sd 8:0:0:0: Attached scsi generic sg7 type 0

There is no sdg in /dev and any attempt to reference sdg gets an 'unknown' file or partition error. 
It is in fact a 250GB Western Digital drive.


----------



## sbourgeo

I don't recall, but is /dev sitting on a ramdisk?

If so, you could try manually creating the device files and see if that makes a difference:

mknod /dev/sdg b 8 96
mknod /dev/sdg1 b 8 97
...


----------



## ronsch

sbourgeo said:


> I don't recall, but is /dev sitting on a ramdisk?
> 
> If so, you could try manually creating the device files and see if that makes a difference:
> 
> mknod /dev/sdg b 8 96
> mknod /dev/sdg1 b 8 97
> ...


Your a genius! I can now do a mfsinfo on sdg!

Guess it's time to read up on the mknod command and do some playing with this old TiVo drive before I start messing with the real thing.....


----------



## sbourgeo

ronsch said:


> Your a genius! I can now do a mfsinfo on sdg!
> 
> Guess it's time to read up on the mknod command and do some playing with this old TiVo drive before I start messing with the real thing.....


I wish! Glad you were able to work around that issue though. :up:


----------



## CrashHD

mfslive has always used the first vacant letter for me (e.g. third drive is sdc), but I've never booted in byteswap mode. perhaps that has something to do with it. either way, it seems not to matter since you've found a way around it.


----------



## ronsch

CrashHD said:


> mfslive has always used the first vacant letter for me (e.g. third drive is sdc), but I've never booted in byteswap mode. perhaps that has something to do with it. either way, it seems not to matter since you've found a way around it.


You need to take into account that my keybord and mouse are both usb(sdc and dd). This is an HP PC so it also has two usb slots for camera memory cards(sde and sdf). That means the first additional item is sdg.

Even though I now have access to the TiVo drive, byteswapping is something I'm concerned about. The utilities usually make a point of saying only hdc and hdd qualify for byteswapping.


----------



## CrashHD

I'm not certain, but I don't think all usb devices get assigned a /dev/sd(x) node. I think it's just storage devices. I do know card slots will take nodes, even without cards inserted.

I've never worked on a S1 drive, so I don't know the full details on byteswapping. Does it matter for all disk access, or just access to MFS partitions?


----------



## sbourgeo

If you can mount the file systems on a S1 TiVo drive then you have byteswapping enabled. If you don't, I believe you would be OK with backup/restore utilities, but I'm not sure about replacing the kernel.


----------



## tomc585

litzdog911 said:


> If your Series 2 DirecTivo is connected to a phone line and successfully making calls, but you're still not getting the v6.4a update, then please post back with your Tivo Model Number and Tivo Service number. I'll pass that information along to our DirecTV contacts to provide to Tivo for further troubleshooting.


Tivo Model number - SERIES 2, SD-DVR80
Tivo current software version 6.2a-01-2-351
Tivo Service Number - 351-0000-D036-D239
Stock Tivo Software
TV brand & model number? LG LCD
My Tivo is connected to my TV via  S Video & RCA AV cable


----------



## ronsch

sbourgeo said:


> If you can mount the file systems on a S1 TiVo drive then you have byteswapping enabled. If you don't, I believe you would be OK with backup/restore utilities, but I'm not sure about replacing the kernel.


I can't mount the file systems. I've tried every Linux distro I have access to and the MFSLive CDs are the only ones that recognize the drive properly. Even Knoppix 7.0 doesn't even acknowledge that the drive is there.

The mfslive boot process only allows option numbers and then the cfg file tells it what kernel parameters to pass so I have no way to specify bswap.

I DO have access to an IDE PC at work so I may just do that unless anyone has other ideas?


----------



## CrashHD

Disclaimer: This is a reach beyond my actual first hand experience, and the following information may in fact be absolutely wrong.

You can pass custom boot parameters to the mfslive bootcd. You can accomplish the same as boot option #2 by entering the following at the boot prompt:
bzImage append ide=nodma hdc=bswap hdd=bswap initrd=initramfs.gz vga=788

You can adjust the parameters as you see fit to turn on byteswapping on additional device nodes. I do not know if it is possible to byteswap a /dev/sd node, but if it's possible to do so in the same way, this would likely be what turns it on.

I don't remember, but I think the ide=nodma parameter is necessary because the driver cannot simultaneously do dma and byteswapping.


----------



## ronsch

CrashHD said:


> Disclaimer: This is a reach beyond my actual first hand experience, and the following information may in fact be absolutely wrong.
> 
> You can pass custom boot parameters to the mfslive bootcd. You can accomplish the same as boot option #2 by entering the following at the boot prompt:
> bzImage append ide=nodma hdc=bswap hdd=bswap initrd=initramfs.gz vga=788
> 
> You can adjust the parameters as you see fit to turn on byteswapping on additional device nodes. I do not know if it is possible to byteswap a /dev/sd node, but if it's possible to do so in the same way, this would likely be what turns it on.
> 
> I don't remember, but I think the ide=nodma parameter is necessary because the driver cannot simultaneously do dma and byteswapping.


I'm pretty sure I tried that aready. Because of the cfg file it only accepts 1, 2, 3, or 4. I believe you are correct about the nodma & bswap being mutually exclusive.


----------



## CrashHD

I don't have a byteswapped drive to test with, but I was able to boot the cd (1.4) using those parameters on the command line.

I know it was booting from the parameters I put on the command line, and not from the config file, because the first time I forgot to include the initrd=initramfs.gz and the boot process ended in a kernel panic due to there being no root fs to mount.

DMA and bswap are mutually exclusive NOdma & bswap go together, but I think that's what you meant.

FWIW, you mentioned having access to an IDE PC at work...that is probably the safest course. I have no idea whether byteswapping is even possible on an interface other than IDE.


----------



## ronsch

CrashHD said:


> I don't have a byteswapped drive to test with, but I was able to boot the cd (1.4) using those parameters on the command line.
> 
> I know it was booting from the parameters I put on the command line, and not from the config file, because the first time I forgot to include the initrd=initramfs.gz and the boot process ended in a kernel panic due to there being no root fs to mount.
> 
> DMA and bswap are mutually exclusive NOdma & bswap go together, but I think that's what you meant.
> 
> FWIW, you mentioned having access to an IDE PC at work...that is probably the safest course. I have no idea whether byteswapping is even possible on an interface other than IDE.


I finally figured out the initrd was missing as well. I was testing with 1.3b after what you said earlier. The boot succeeds now and pdisk shows the partitions but I can't mount any of them. Just says mount failed. No other explanation.


----------



## CrashHD

I would say bswap must be handled in the ide driver, and since you're hooking up via usb, it's a different driver, but I have no facts to support that statement, it's purely a wild a$$ guess.


----------



## ronsch

CrashHD said:


> I would say bswap must be handled in the ide driver, and since you're hooking up via usb, it's a different driver, but I have no facts to support that statement, it's purely a wild a$$ guess.


I wouldn't be surprised. Think it's time to use the machine at work although that's a PIA being separated from the TiVo, unless I just take it home over a weekend. Also might need to see about getting one of my old IDE computers fixed just so I'll have one available.


----------



## CrashHD

a good number of pci ide cards get recognized as /dev/hd(e,f,g,h) by most of these boot cd's. If you've got one of those laying around, that's another way (I've got an old promise UATA 100 card I refuse to part with for just that reason).


----------



## JohnnyRocket

Hi,
I have a dsr6000 stuck at 3.5c... 
Lost my locals last night...
Does anyone know where I can get a 3.5d image? would anyone send me one?

Thanks for any help...


----------



## ronsch

JohnnyRocket said:


> Hi,
> I have a dsr6000 stuck at 3.5c...
> Lost my locals last night...
> Does anyone know where I can get a 3.5d image? would anyone send me one?
> 
> Thanks for any help...


This:

echo mls /SwSystem |tivosh

will show you if you have it on your system already and just need to get it installed.


----------



## chimpster

ronsch said:


> This:
> 
> echo mls /SwSystem |tivosh
> 
> will show you if you have it on your system already and just need to get it installed.


Ronsch, do you have the image? I don't have 3.5d, and for some reason, no matter how many times I try to force an upgrade, it never wants to download.

I'd be grateful if anyone could post/send me a copy too.


----------



## sbourgeo

chimpster said:


> Ronsch, do you have the image? I don't have 3.5d, and for some reason, no matter how many times I try to force an upgrade, it never wants to download.
> 
> I'd be grateful if anyone could post/send me a copy too.


Unfortunately, I haven't heard reports of anyone with a Hughes GXCEBOT or Sony SAT-T60 getting 3.5d via a donated image or by manually installing slices. I was able to manually install the 3.5d software on my DSR6000 since I already had the slices on board though (link). If you have access to the bash prompt on your T60 you might be able to do the same if you have the 3.5d software sitting in the MFS database.


----------



## stevel

3.5d is not available for download from DirecTV/TiVo. So the only way to get it is by a manual install.


----------



## ronsch

And the only place I have it is in the slices in my MFS.


----------



## chimpster

I thought a manual install could be done by getting the extracted data from the MFS slices, and then installing it on another unit. Is that not the case?


----------



## sbourgeo

I'm not sure if extracting the slices from MFS to use elsewhere is even possible. I believe the typical method is to catch the slice files sitting on a regular file system before they are loaded into MFS and deleted. And it stands to reason that if someone had 3.5d T60 slices to share, they would also have a 3.5d T60 backup image to share.


----------



## chimpster

Well the issue is that I'd like to keep the shows on my older version. Wouldn't I be stuck creating a new drive with a backup image, and losing all of my old shows?


----------



## sbourgeo

chimpster said:


> Well the issue is that I'd like to keep the shows on my older version. Wouldn't I be stuck creating a new drive with a backup image, and losing all of my old shows?


Yes, the only way to save your shows would be to do a slice upgrade, although having the 3.5d slices also seems to be hit or miss. One of my DSR6000s running 3.5c that has been subbed for several years but never phoned in had the 3.5d slices. Another that I took a look at for someone else was running 3.1.0 even though it was unhacked and had been in use for years. They didn't even have the DST fix from a few years ago.


----------



## chimpster

Argh, that's a bummer. It's crazy that DirecTV won't let anyone download the 3.5d software.

It looks like I'm out of luck unless someone figures this out. Not sure how many people are in the same situation I am. I hate to just lose everything, but I guess I'm out of options.


----------



## sbourgeo

chimpster said:


> Argh, that's a bummer. It's crazy that DirecTV won't let anyone download the 3.5d software.
> 
> It looks like I'm out of luck unless someone figures this out. Not sure how many people are in the same situation I am. I hate to just lose everything, but I guess I'm out of options.


Yeah, you probably have to start from scratch unless you have access to the bash prompt and already have the 3.5d slices sitting in MFS.


----------



## ronsch

I managed to get my hands on an old IDE-based PC so I decided to go for it this afternoon.

Removed the upgradesoftware=false from the bootpage but didn't get the install.

The kernel logs shows:

Could not check software installation: can't open object (errDbNotFound)

as a result of the call on finishInstall.tcl statement:



Code:


puts "Checking new software installation"
if [catch {finishSoftwareInstallation} res ] {
    puts "Could not check software installation: $res"
}

Anyone have any ideas?


----------



## chimpster

sbourgeo said:


> Yeah, you probably have to start from scratch unless you have access to the bash prompt and already have the 3.5d slices sitting in MFS.


Have the bash prompt, but don't have the 3.5d slices.


----------



## chimpster

ronsch said:


> I managed to get my hands on an old IDE-based PC so I decided to go for it this afternoon.
> 
> Removed the upgradesoftware=false from the bootpage but didn't get the install.
> 
> The kernel logs shows:
> 
> Could not check software installation: can't open object (errDbNotFound)
> 
> as a result of the call on finishInstall.tcl statement:
> 
> 
> 
> Code:
> 
> 
> puts "Checking new software installation"
> if [catch {finishSoftwareInstallation} res ] {
> puts "Could not check software installation: $res"
> }
> 
> Anyone have any ideas?


I think that's the heart of this problem. Regardless of whether or not you have blocked software updates or not, DirecTV is no longer sending them downstream.


----------



## sbourgeo

chimpster said:


> Have the bash prompt, but don't have the 3.5d slices.


That stinks, looks like you need to nuke everything to get 3.5d.


----------



## ronsch

That's just it. According to my MFS I do have it.

TiVo: /var/tmp#echo mls /SwSystem | tivosh
Directory of /SwSystem starting at ''

Name Type FsId Date Time Size
---- ---- ---- ---- ---- ----
3.5c-01-1-001 tyDb 4110482 09/06/07 23:41 708
3.5d-01-1-001 tyDb 5226744 05/15/08 06:32 684
ACTIVE tyDb 4110482 09/06/07 23:41 708


----------



## CrashHD

if you have telnet access, you could try "/tvbin/installSw.itcl 3.5d-01-1-001"

If it were a Series2, that would be the command to install the update. Hacks would be lost in the process.

I do not know if it is the same for a Series1


----------



## hawkeye1991

Hi trying to go from HDVR2 zippered 6.2 to 6.4 a

Have the slices, bought the slicer. but when I try to install I get this error messge.

*MJTIVO1-bash# ./slicer 6.4a-01-2-151
Inconsistency detected by ld.so: dynamic-link.h: 62: elf_get_dynamic_info: Assertion `! "bad dynamic tag"' failed!*

Can some one help me with this please.

thanks,
Mani


----------



## ronsch

CrashHD said:


> if you have telnet access, you could try "/tvbin/installSw.itcl 3.5d-01-1-001"
> 
> If it were a Series2, that would be the command to install the update. Hacks would be lost in the process.
> 
> I do not know if it is the same for a Series1


I'll give that a shot Saturday and post the results. I will have to halt the process on the ensuing reboot because I have a 500GB drive in there and need to add the LBA48 kernel. When I upgraded from 3.1.0c2 to 3.5b and then to 3.5c the /var partition with my hacks was intact.

Actually I just checked and I don't have another scheduled recording until late Saturday morning so I may give it a shot tomorrow evening.


----------



## CrashHD

assuming it's similar to a Series2 (if you do this, you *assume* responsibility for that assumption), you can edit installSw.itcl, changing the the "reboot" command to an "exit" command. It will then give you the opportunity to rehack your new boot partition/kernel set. I've done it a number of times, with mixed results on a Series2. I always forgot something. One time I dd'ed my kernel into /dev/hda4 instead of /dev/hda3. That dog don't hunt...

Be careful.


----------



## ronsch

CrashHD said:


> assuming it's similar to a Series2 (if you do this, you *assume* responsibility for that assumption), you can edit installSw.itcl, changing the the "reboot" command to an "exit" command. It will then give you the opportunity to rehack your new boot partition/kernel set. I've done it a number of times, with mixed results on a Series2. I always forgot something. One time I dd'ed my kernel into /dev/hda4 instead of /dev/hda3. That dog don't hunt...
> 
> Be careful.


I will probably go in and edit out the reboot although I hate the Linux editors. I am accessing via a Telnet session rather than Bash and I hate having to run out to the TiVo and pull the plug.


----------



## CrashHD

It works from a telnet session. The "exit" exits the tcl script, not the telnet window.

I hate vi. put joe or pico on your box.


----------



## ronsch

CrashHD said:


> It works from a telnet session. The "exit" exits the tcl script, not the telnet window.
> 
> I hate vi. put joe or pico on your box.


I don't like Joe either. 

Well, I tried but the variable tcl_library is empty so all the library references are failing. Do you know what it should be, and better yet, where is it supposed to be set?

I thought this seemed familiar so I did some searching. I actually tried to do a manual install of 3.5b five years ago when we were under the gun to get to that release for DST issues. The same thing happened then and I posted it on the other forum but nobody was interested in helping. Eventually let the automatic install run and stopped it by pulling the plug at the appropriate time.


----------



## ronsch

Woo Hoo!

Finally figured it out with help from an ancient archived post! The installSw script needs to be run under tivosh to get all the definitions. I am up under 3.5d, have all my locals back without clearing anything. Only thing left to do is kernel patches. I'll post the entire upgrade in detail when I get a chance but it's time to find something for dinner.


----------



## CrashHD

That makes sense, although if the first line in your installSw.itcl is "#!/tvbin/tivosh" it should not matter. It should have automagically run under tivosh.

It is amazing how easy it is to overlook such automatic things we take for granted.


----------



## ronsch

CrashHD said:


> That makes sense, although if the first line in your installSw.itcl is "#!/tvbin/tivosh" it should not matter. It should have automagically run under tivosh.
> 
> It is amazing how easy it is to overlook such automatic things we take for granted.


It actually starts with


Code:


#! /tvbin/tivosh
################################################################
#
#   File: installSw.itcl
#
#   Description: Drive the software install process on the TCD.

and unless I'm mistaken the # comments the entire line.


----------



## CrashHD

The shebang (#!) line tells the OS what command interpreter to use for the file. In the case of tivos, generally .tcl scripts are /tvbin/tivosh and .sh scripts are /bin/sh. (much the same way as windows file extensions)

It's the command interpreter (tivosh, sh, etc.) that typically ignores all lines after a "#"

I don't know what one calls the program that loads the script and passes it to the appropriate interpreter, but that is apparently where it went wrong in your case, since manually calling the script under tivosh seemed to solve the problem.


----------



## sbourgeo

CrashHD said:


> The shebang (#!) line tells the OS what command interpreter to use for the file. In the case of tivos, generally .tcl scripts are /tvbin/tivosh and .sh scripts are /bin/sh. (much the same way as windows file extensions)


Yeah, the interpreter should work just fine with the shebang. When I upgraded my DSR6000 to 3.5d, I did have to qualify the path of the installSw.itcl script. Perhaps specifying the interpreter when running the script basically did the same thing if it was run from cwd?


----------



## ronsch

sbourgeo said:


> Yeah, the interpreter should work just fine with the shebang. When I upgraded my DSR6000 to 3.5d, I did have to qualify the path of the installSw.itcl script. Perhaps specifying the interpreter when running the script basically did the same thing if it was run from cwd?


Would the embedded space make a difference?


----------



## sbourgeo

ronsch said:


> Would the embedded space make a difference?


Even though shell commands can be finicky, I've never known the space to make a difference. I just tried it to use csh on Solaris and Linux boxes and it worked just fine (even though csh scripting stinks  ).


----------



## NghtShd

Thought I'd post in case someone is in the same predicament I was. One of my S2's is an R10 with no locals. I use VOIP and the Tivo had never been able to make the call home successfully, so it hadn't dialed in in years. For reasons I won't bore you with I have recently started using this R10 a lot more and not having locals was becoming a nuisance. With some tinkering I got the Tivo to dial in, sync up and download the update.

If you have some kind of locked down voip ATA this may not help you much, but here's how I got it to work. First I set my dial prefix in the Tivo settings to ',#019' to limit the maximum speed the modem would try to negotiate. Then on my voip ATA I disabled all codecs except G711 and turned off all options that had anything to do with echo cancellation or echo suppression (BTW I tried other combinations of these things, but nothing worked until I did them all) and restarted the ATA. After those changes the R10 was able to dial home and connect successfully. It took a long time for it to do all its stuff, but eventually it finished up disconnected without reporting any errors.

At this point I was still on 6.3e and didn't have any indication of a pending upgrade or reboot, but I rebooted manually to see what would happen. What happened was it booted up normally then rebooted itself and began installing an update. When that was done I was on 6.4a, but still without locals. I thought it might just take a while to get guide data, but I was impatient and decided to try some things. I rebooted again, but still had no locals. I did the guided dish setup and let it reacquire guide info, but still nothing. I forced a couple more dial-ins. Nothing. Then finally I restarted with the "Clear program information & To Do List" option and, after 3 or 4 hours of the Tivo blinking its red light and telling me to wait, it booted up and my local channels were back.


----------



## iiigoiii

ronsch said:


> Woo Hoo!
> 
> Finally figured it out with help from an ancient archived post! The installSw script needs to be run under tivosh to get all the definitions. I am up under 3.5d, have all my locals back without clearing anything. Only thing left to do is kernel patches. I'll post the entire upgrade in detail when I get a chance but it's time to find something for dinner.


for those of us who have DSR6000s (R01 actually) - can you spell out how to get from 3.5c to 3.5d without clearing saved programs?

are you only able to do that if your system happened to have 3.5d already on it? if not, is the only option to go with instantcake or one of the other vendors...or do they even have 3.5d?

and...a stupid question...how did you get to the linux prompt on a dsr6000?


----------



## ronsch

iiigoiii said:


> for those of us who have DSR6000s (R01 actually) - can you spell out how to get from 3.5c to 3.5d without clearing saved programs?
> 
> are you only able to do that if your system happened to have 3.5d already on it? if not, is the only option to go with instantcake or one of the other vendors...or do they even have 3.5d?
> 
> and...a stupid question...how did you get to the linux prompt on a dsr6000?


I posted the upgrade here:
http://www.tivocommunity.com/tivo-vb/showthread.php?p=9194739#post9194739

Yes, you have to already have 3.5d on your database for this to work. If not, the only way to upgrade and not lose your recordings is to have access to the individual slices for 3.5d and a slicer tool. If you don't mind starting from scratch I have a mfslive 3.5d backup image. You need to have previously hacked your unit to get telnet access or have a serial cable to get to a bash prompt all of which is extensively documented in these forums and the other place.


----------



## sbourgeo

iiigoiii said:


> for those of us who have DSR6000s (R01 actually) - can you spell out how to get from 3.5c to 3.5d without clearing saved programs?
> 
> are you only able to do that if your system happened to have 3.5d already on it? if not, is the only option to go with instantcake or one of the other vendors...or do they even have 3.5d?


You can upgrade it saving programs and settings if you have the 3.5d software already residing in the MFS database. This is how I upgraded my DSR6000 from 3.5c to 3.5d: link. Failing that, you would need to start from scratch with a 3.5d image you acquire from a friend or via instantcake, or from a service selling a DSR6000-ready hard disk with 3.5d pre-installed.



> and...a stupid question...how did you get to the linux prompt on a dsr6000


Gaining Telnet Access to your TiVo


----------



## tomc585

SERIES 2, SD-DVR80
I had given up on getting 6.4 on my unit. Was getting old disconnecting and bringing it to work every day only to find no update. It's been 2 months so this morning I figured what the heck...hooked it up, forced the dial in and watched as it went through its paces, house keeping, dialing, connecting, verifying subscription status, downloading (about 5min), hanging up, preparing data. I have seen this sequence many times before but this time it said waiting for reboot which is something I only read about happening . I unplugged it and when I got home i booted it up and after it received sat info (about 5-10min which is normal for a power cycle) I had 6.4 with all my locals back except 1 which I'm sure will come back once I clear my recording passes.

I have to assume I received my update via phone line and not just a code to tell the unit to download/update via data stream from the satellite. Either way I'm back in business again.


----------



## stevel

If you really got the update over the phone, it would take a lot more than five minutes.


----------



## tomc585

stevel said:


> If you really got the update over the phone, it would take a lot more than five minutes.


Thats what I thought but I watched it the whole time. Is it possible it came in pieces and this was the last package? Or did it truly get it from the stream when it was redoing the program guide. wait that couldn't be because i didn't reboot after i hooked back up to the dish and it was already showing 6.4a


----------



## sbourgeo

tomc585 said:


> Thats what I thought but I watched it the whole time. Is it possible it came in pieces and this was the last package? Or did it truly get it from the stream when it was redoing the program guide. wait that couldn't be because i didn't reboot after i hooked back up to the dish and it was already showing 6.4a


The software downloads via the satellite, so you may have kept interrupting the process by unplugging it and bringing it into work. Of course, even if you do have the software downloaded and loaded info MFS, you still need to initiate the actual upgrade with the phone call. You probably finally just happened to call in to the mothership when the software had finally been downloaded and was ready to install. Back in the day it used to take about an hour to download a new software version over the phone line, so the software definitely came from the satellite unless the phone call lasted a long time.


----------



## tomc585

sbourgeo said:


> even if you do have the software downloaded and loaded info MFS, you still need to initiate the actual upgrade with the phone call. You probably finally just happened to call in to the mothership when the software had finally been downloaded and was ready to install.


I'll buy that one. It (the 6.4 software) was just sitting and waiting all this time.


----------



## tomc585

I did a clear and reset 2 hrs ago but its still going. I thought it was supposed to only take an hour. I only had 6 passes.


----------



## litzdog911

tomc585 said:


> I did a clear and reset 2 hrs ago but its still going. I thought it was supposed to only take an hour. I only had 6 passes.


What sort of "clear and reset" and did you do?

If you did a "Clear and Delete Everything", then you'll need to repeat the Tivo's Guided Setup, which requires a phone call to the mothership.


----------



## tomc585

litzdog911 said:


> What sort of "clear and reset" and did you do?
> 
> If you did a "Clear and Delete Everything", then you'll need to repeat the Tivo's Guided Setup, which requires a phone call to the mothership.


Not the clear and delete everything. She's good now, just took a long time. I just left it and when I came back home (4hrs later) she was up and running with the final local channel that was still missing.

Thanks to all in this thread who helped.

I did notice we now have a "recycle bin" where we can retrieve delete programs.


----------



## elric1v

ronsch said:


> If you don't mind starting from scratch I have a mfslive 3.5d backup image.


Hi, ronsch, you indicated that you have a mfslive 3.5d backup image suitable for a DSR6000R01. Would you be willing to share it?

I'd be happy to post a torrent for it and seed it in case anyone else needs it, too. Like others, I'm stuck at 3.5c and never downloaded 3.5d; I don't care about the shows on there (I've already done a c&d all) but I'd like to be able to get the local channels back. Apologies if I'm breaking the rules here (I checked the FAQs and didn't see anything) but an image or slices seems like the only way to get these things working again! Thanks!


----------



## Celusil

Well it's been a long time since I logged on here (forum says sept 2010) 
I have had Sat t-60 for 10 years constantly plugged in - I have had to replace HD ever now and then, and the last time I had weaknees replace because I didn't want to F with it. I live in chicago
one Sat-t60 has 3.5d all local channels work well. Around the beginning of august the other tivo which as 3.5b lost 2,5,7 to blank screens and 32 doesn't even show up in the channels available. 

I wish I would have checked here before buying a new multi-switch. Why I thought a new multi-switch would fix it I have no idea. 

I have read this entire thread all 28 pages (some I skimmed) and it appears that I have limited options. after speaking with weaknees I can buy an upgrade kit which would replace 2 perfectly good HDs and lose all my recordings. I can send it to them, but they would upgrade 2 perfectly good HDs and lose all my recordings. 

I can upgrade to the new DTV Tivo, pay the xtra 10 for HD service even though I don't have an HD dish and don't really need it. I would also have to pay for the premium dvr - 

my monthly is already $105, my wife wants me to kill all TV as it is. 

or, it seems, I could go through what seems to me a complicated upgrade to 3.5d where I may or may not lose all my recordings. 10 years ago I was willing to hack, now not sure I have time or the will to do it. 

Seems to me Dtv should provide the 3.5d software, however it looks like they will not. 

I was on the phone to D* last night, tech wasn't aware of this software problem at first he had to leave and talk to others 2-3 times before he got an inkling of the issue (this started in APRIL it is now Sept. ) 

He did say something informative that I didn't see in this thread. He told me that the Sat T-60 will not be compatible with Tivo service by the end of the year. Anyone else hear that?

I love my Tivo's I like D* okay, I hate comcast. what's a old couch potato to do? sell all my equipment as my wife wants me to? Limp along with 1 tivo recording locals? (which may stop functioning by Dec 31) upgrade to the new tivo? Decisions, Decisions. 

Glad to see the forum is still here, and just as informative and helpful as ever, got me out of a few jams in the past

also Litzdog911: Your signature says you have a Sat t-60 with 3.5b are you limping along? or did you upgrade and haven't updated your sig? just curious


----------



## sbourgeo

Celusil said:


> I have read this entire thread all 28 pages (some I skimmed) and it appears that I have limited options


You do have several options to get your locals back, although unfortunately getting the upgrade the standard way from DirecTV isn't one of them:


Ditch the 3.5b T-60.
Upgrade from 3.5b to 3.5d via the bash prompt if you have the new software in mfs (saving recordings)
Restore a backup of your 3.5d T-60 to your 3.5b T-60 (losing recordings)
Buy a 3.5d hard disk or upgrade service from Weaknees, DVR_DUDE, etc. (losing recordings)

I used option #2 to upgrade my DSR6000 from 3.5c to 3.5d a few months back.



Celusil said:


> He told me that the Sat T-60 will not be compatible with Tivo service by the end of the year. Anyone else hear that?


That's the first I've heard of it. Hopefully you were just speaking with a clueless CSR.


----------



## ronsch

Celusil said:


> He did say something informative that I didn't see in this thread. He told me that the Sat T-60 will not be compatible with Tivo service by the end of the year. Anyone else hear that?


So how about it Tivo employees who are monitoring the forums? Any truth to Series 1 DTivos hitting a hard end of life 12/31 or is this another Mayan calendar issue?


----------



## sbourgeo

ronsch said:


> So how about it Tivo employees who are monitoring the forums? Any truth to Series 1 DTivos hitting a hard end of life 12/31 or is this another Mayan calendar issue?


Unfortunately, once the handling of the TiVo sub moved from TiVo to DirecTV and the product became known as a "DirecTV DVR" the TiVo employees here took up the "contact DirecTV, it is their product" stance.


----------



## ronsch

I posted to the attention of the Tivo folks because even with DirecTV officially responsible for it, the Tivo folks ought to know the real story or should certainly be able to find out easier than the average DTV customer.

I have also posed the question to DirecTV.


----------



## stevel

I doubt any TiVo folks are following this forum.


----------



## ronsch

My question to Directv was answered with old tivos will continue to operate as before but our newer ones work so much better wouldn't you rather have one...


----------



## Celusil

ronsch said:


> My question to Directv was answered with old tivos will continue to operate as before but our newer ones work so much better wouldn't you rather have one...


I would love to have one, but I wouldn't love my monthly bill to go up another $20 per month (or more depending on content purchased)

what I would really love is for D* to update my ailing tivo to 3.5d


----------



## nmiller855

But it is not true that the old TiVos will operate as before because before we were able to get all of our local channels.


----------



## ronsch

nmiller855 said:


> But it is not true that the old TiVos will operate as before because before we were able to get all of our local channels.


And you still can if you are running 3.5d on Series 1 and 6.4a on Series 2.


----------



## nmiller855

But in order to run 3.5d I would have to hack my unit rather than just having it download like all the other updates have done.


----------



## sbourgeo

nmiller855 said:


> But in order to run 3.5d I would have to hack my unit rather than just having it download like all the other updates have done.


Unfortunately, that's just the way it is. You either live with what you have, get different equipment, or get 3.5d installed on your own since DirecTV has stopped providing software updates to the S1 units. I've helped several people get their S1 combo units upgraded to 3.5d, so DirecTV's lack of interest isn't shared by some customers at least.


----------



## Celusil

sbourgeo said:


> Unfortunately, that's just the way it is. You either live with what you have, get different equipment, or get 3.5d installed on your own since DirecTV has stopped providing software updates to the S1 units. I've helped several people get their S1 combo units upgraded to 3.5d, so DirecTV's lack of interest isn't shared by some customers at least.


I appreciate users like you helping others hack there machines.

I think what I will do is move or drop local season passes to my tivo that does work. then work through the recordings I have, watch what I want, Dump what I want to save. then send to weaknees to get the update and maybe a HD size upgrade at the same time. - that may take a while though


----------



## nmiller855

That's what I did. I have one that has 6.4a on one nonupgraded unit & that's where I record all my local channels.
I will eventually send my original unit off for repair because it list the second tuner several years ago.


----------



## Celusil

I came home from work last night and the tivo that was having problems rebooted. I looked at system information and I now have version 3.5d!

Local Channel 32 now shows up and works.
2, 5, 7 still show blank, but I'm hopeful that today they will come back. 

if that doesn't work I guess the reset thumbs and season passes might worki?

anyone else get updated?

at any rate. If our rants here got D* to make the 3.5d version available again then thanks to all.

C


----------



## sbourgeo

Celusil said:


> I came home from work last night and the tivo that was having problems rebooted. I looked at system information and I now have version 3.5d!


Wow, that's the first report of an "official" 3.5d update I've heard since the locals problem popped up a few months ago. Maybe DirecTV is listening after all...


----------



## nmiller855

I hadn't checked mine for a while but did after I read that. I will start checking every once in a while & hope it shows up.


----------



## Celusil

2, 5, 7 still out havent done the clear thumbs and season passes


----------



## nmiller855

The latest thing that happened to me today was all of the shows I recorded from season passes disappeared today. The only things left are suggestions & shows recorded tonight. I was hoping that meant that 3.5d had shown up but it hadn't.


----------



## Celusil

nmiller855 said:


> The latest thing that happened to me today was all of the shows I recorded from season passes disappeared today. The only things left are suggestions & shows recorded tonight. I was hoping that meant that 3.5d had shown up but it hadn't.


You mean spontaneously disappear? Wow. Luckily that hasnot happened to me


----------



## nmiller855

Yes, I was looking for something to watch & the programs are just gone. I'm the only one with access to this unit. My dad has one in his room but it is a Hughes model so his remote cannot interact with my Sony


----------



## Celusil

nmiller855 said:


> I hadn't checked mine for a while but did after I read that. I will start checking every once in a while & hope it shows up.


I think I neglected to mention that when I called the D* tech he took my Tivo's ID number (access card, serial no. Whichever one shows up on the system info screen) he said he would look in to it and try to get something going. Maybe HE did. if so then I take all the bad things about D* techs I've ever thought or said 

but since nmiller855 hasn't got an upgrade I'm thinking it's not universal and they did a download off my serial number?

just a thought.


----------



## spiffy

I got 3.5D installed through the phone line onto my SAT-T60 just yesterday -- after almost FIVE MONTHS having no local channels -- but this afternoon, I got the Green Screen Of Death; five hours later, I'm now stuck on "Almost There, A Few More Seconds Please..."

Called D*, and they say I still have to pay if I want a replacement Tivo. I'm supremely pissed off.


----------



## Celusil

spiffy said:


> I got 3.5D installed through the phone line onto my SAT-T60 just yesterday -- after almost FIVE MONTHS having no local channels -- but this afternoon, I got the Green Screen Of Death; five hours later, I'm now stuck on "Almost There, A Few More Seconds Please..."
> 
> Called D*, and they say I still have to pay if I want a replacement Tivo. I'm supremely pissed off.


wow, sorry to hear about that. do you think it's a Hard drive problem? or do you think it's directly related to the upgrade?


----------



## nmiller855

spiffy, did you contact DirecTv before your download of 3.5d or did it just show up?


----------



## spiffy

Celusil said:


> wow, sorry to hear about that. do you think it's a Hard drive problem? or do you think it's directly related to the upgrade?


Whether it's due to the hard drive or the upgrade, don't you think it's a little suspicious that within 24 hours of getting the new software that the unit went out?


----------



## spiffy

nmiller855 said:


> spiffy, did you contact DirecTv before your download of 3.5d or did it just show up?


I did contact D* several months ago to ask about the loss of local channels; but tech support only told me to keep the phone line connected. 3.5d showed up sometimes on 9/24, I believe.


----------



## ronsch

spiffy said:


> Whether it's due to the hard drive or the upgrade, don't you think it's a little suspicious that within 24 hours of getting the new software that the unit went out?


This happens more than you would think when there hasn't been a software upgrade in a long time. You discover that the alternate partition(s) have enough bad sectors for the upgrade to fail. Almost certainly a drive problem.


----------



## Celusil

spiffy said:


> I did contact D* several months ago to ask about the loss of local channels; but tech support only told me to keep the phone line connected. 3.5d showed up sometimes on 9/24, I believe.


9/22 was when I noticed mine, this doesn't seem like a coincidence


----------



## nmiller855

I had given up until I saw Celusil's post & today was the first day I had extra time to make sure a call went through. After several partial calls spanning about 3 hours, I got the pending restart message so I restarted it. I got back all but 2 of my locals with 3.5d. I've just done a reauthorization & another restart to see if I get them.


----------



## Celusil

nmiller855 said:


> I had given up until I saw Celusil's post & today was the first day I had extra time to make sure a call went through. After several partial calls spanning about 3 hours, I got the pending restart message so I restarted it. I got back all but 2 of my locals with 3.5d. I've just done a reauthorization & another restart to see if I get them.


great news, reauthorization is that a call to D* or how are you doing that?
I am still missing 2,5, and 7 in the chicago are. I still haven't done the delete thumbs and SPs that as I've read here may fix some things. But if reauthorization would work I wouldn't have to go through the pain of reinstalling SPs


----------



## stevel

You can do the reauthorization from a phone call (automated system) or the DirecTV web site.


----------



## nmiller855

I did both the web way & phone call. Still missing 2 locals.


----------



## Celusil

nmiller855 said:


> I did both the web way & phone call. Still missing 2 locals.


I reauthorization. 
didn't fix it
I did clear thumbs and to do list
still missing 2, 5, 7

I am going to re authorize again and see what happens


----------



## ronsch

Celusil said:


> I reauthorization.
> didn't fix it
> I did clear thumbs and to do list
> still missing 2, 5, 7
> 
> I am going to re authorize again and see what happens


Do you have a T-60 or DSR6000?

I think I remember from earlier in this thread or in another that more severe actions are needed to restore the locals for the T-60s.


----------



## Celusil

ronsch said:


> Do you have a T-60 or DSR6000?
> 
> I think I remember from earlier in this thread or in another that more severe actions are needed to restore the locals for the T-60s.


I have a t-60
I haven't wanted to delete all because I have a ton of programs on this Tivo
but I will recheck the thread.

thanks


----------



## DDROW

This might not be the same but I had 6.2 software on one of my extra HDVR2s and several months ago lost my locals. I tried several time over several weeks to dial in and get 6.4 downloaded never happen so I gave up. Just last week I decided to dial in on all my units. I only do this a couple of times a year since I have no local numbers to dial into. To my surprise 6.4 was downloaded and I now have my locals back. So 6.4 is out there for download but I don't know if this is the same thing or not.


----------



## tomc585

from what I understand and have experienced, it takes several successful calls and downloads to complete the package. Took mine quite a few weeks before it grabbed the final package. I would suggest that anyone who hasn't received the update to if at all possible leave the unit hooked up to the phone line until it is complete. I dont have a landline at home so I had to bring it to work.


----------



## gsjenkins

litzdog911 said:


> What sort of "clear and reset" and did you do?
> 
> If you did a "Clear and Delete Everything", then you'll need to repeat the Tivo's Guided Setup, which requires a phone call to the mothership.


You say this REQUIRES a phone call to the mothership. Is there NO way around this on a hacked (zippered) 6.4a unit? I have no home phone line and this old S2 hasn't made a phone call in 6 or more years.

Thanks for all the help you provide on these forums.


----------



## nmiller855

From what I understand it does require the phone call. Do you have a friend or relative that has a landline or could you take it to work & hook it up to a phone line there?


----------



## gsjenkins

nmiller855 said:


> From what I understand it does require the phone call. Do you have a friend or relative that has a landline or could you take it to work & hook it up to a phone line there?


Thanks for the reply. I am afraid you are right. I brought the unit to a house with a land line and tried dialing out MANY times over about an hour and a half. I used the method described in a thread from 2008 and put a local access number in the dialing prefix field. The modem is dialing out and negotiating the connection, but failing at negotiating. I tried multiple numbers with the same result each time. I hate to think that I may have sunk myself. The unit was zippered with 6.2 software, then updated to 6.4a software when I lost locals a few months ago. I read one message in the old dial up problem thread that said if the unit was previously hacked that the initial phone call would fail every time. That it took a clean, unhacked drive to complete the first phone call. Does anyone know if this is true?

Thanks for any help anyone can provide. The wife is pushing for a major upgrade to the new Genie system. I don't think she realizes what that is likely to cost... Four weeks ago I had six working tuners. I am now down to one. (Long story, but a drive had a major failure, among other things.)


----------



## nmiller855

The setup I have is:
Dial prefix: ,#034,
Call waiting prefix: *70,,
Tone/pulse dialing: Tone
Availability detection: Off
Dial tone detection: Off


----------



## gsjenkins

Thanks again for the help. I have it working now. I just re-imaged the drive from a 2006 6.2 image I had on a zipper boot cd. I also had a copy of the old PTV upgrade cd and everything I needed to do a re-image and re-zipper. Then I reapplied the 6.4a slices so I could regain my locals. Everything is working fine now. It took the better part of half of today, but things are MUCH better now. I just finished applying the last of the 6.4a hacks. Now I know to NEVER do a clear and delete all.

In 24 hours, I went from 1 tuner back to having 5 working DTivo series 2 tuners again. I had one unit that had the pixellating tuner two problem. I moved that drive to a backup unit that had both tuners working. Fixed the unit needing to call out, 2 more tuners. Moved a 6.2a drive into the machine with only one working tuner and it is now a media server with a single tuner working. I am happy again and can once again put off upgrading the hardware... until the next malfunction. But that's why I keep three more old non-RID units in storage. When my old 32 inch tube TV goes out, I'll move into the 21st century.


----------



## surfboy500

Succesfully upgraded my both my Phillips 704 and Hughes HDVR2 from hacked 6.2a to 6.4a in order to get locals back. Used slicer and downloaded the 6.4a from DVRUpgrade per the instructions posted.
Last thing the upgrade did was tell me that it was preserving my hacks etc.

All is working EXCEPT I cannot telnet the units anymore. Do I have to do anything different to use the PTVNET telnet feature?
Netgear FA120s show blinking lights BUT telnet connect fails


----------



## Kimberlini

*Background:*
A few months ago, I lost my local channels for ABC, NBC, CBS and FOX only on my DirecTV Tivo box. Other receiver was fine. I didn't have a phone line connected to my Hughes SD DVR80 so I didn't get the software update. Couldn't connect with the phone line but was finally successful after using the "096" code trick recommended by Weaknees. Software update 6.4a was installed, and access to CBS and FOX were restored.
*
Current problem:*
After numerous restarts and a full week, ABC and NBC local channels are still NOT restored.

*What else could be the problem and what should I do now?*

Thanks,
Kim


----------



## kyderr

I cannot download the slices to upgrade. I'm stuck on 6.2a, and no matter what I do, I cannot get it to work. Anyone know where I can get the slices to update? Or any other solution?


----------



## kyderr

surfboy500 said:


> Succesfully upgraded my both my Phillips 704 and Hughes HDVR2 from hacked 6.2a to 6.4a in order to get locals back. Used slicer and downloaded the 6.4a from DVRUpgrade per the instructions posted.
> Last thing the upgrade did was tell me that it was preserving my hacks etc.
> 
> All is working EXCEPT I cannot telnet the units anymore. Do I have to do anything different to use the PTVNET telnet feature?
> Netgear FA120s show blinking lights BUT telnet connect fails


SURFBOY, How did you get the files from DVRUpgrade? It's been down for days... Any idea where I can get the slice or Slicer? It seems that's the only source on the net...


----------



## nmiller855

Kimberlini, what is the 096 trick? Those are the channels that I haven't been able to get either.


----------



## Kimberlini

nmiller855 said:


> Kimberlini, what is the 096 trick? Those are the channels that I haven't been able to get either.


If you haven't been able to make a phone call to update your software, you can override the dialing instructions by doing the following:

As the dialing prefix in your TiVo's dialing settings, enter the following:

,#096,,XXXXXXXXXX

comma=pause on your remote
#=enter on your remote

Replace the Xs with the local phone number you want your TiVo to dial, as you would dial it on your phone.


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## Kimberlini

Kimberlini said:


> *Background:*
> A few months ago, I lost my local channels for ABC, NBC, CBS and FOX only on my DirecTV Tivo box. Other receiver was fine. I didn't have a phone line connected to my Hughes SD DVR80 so I didn't get the software update. Couldn't connect with the phone line but was finally successful after using the "096" code trick recommended by Weaknees. Software update 6.4a was installed, and access to CBS and FOX were restored.
> *
> Current problem:*
> After numerous restarts and a full week, ABC and NBC local channels are still NOT restored.
> 
> *What else could be the problem and what should I do now?*
> 
> Thanks,
> Kim


P.S. My Tivo has never been hacked.


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## surfboy500

kyderr said:


> SURFBOY, How did you get the files from DVRUpgrade? It's been down for days... Any idea where I can get the slice or Slicer? It seems that's the only source on the net...


Yes is saw that DVRUpgrade is down. Fortunately I had downloaded them before the site went down and saved them on my hard drive


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## tomc585

Kimberlini said:


> P.S. My Tivo has never been hacked.


did you clear your season passes? (no need to wipe out saved movies and shows)


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## tomc585

hmmm......wonder if the upgrade software is responsible for my Hughes SD DVR80 rebooting 2 times a day now....


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## stevel

No - see http://www.tivocommunity.com/tivo-vb/showthread.php?t=495885


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## tomc585

stevel said:


> No - see http://www.tivocommunity.com/tivo-vb/showthread.php?t=495885


thanks, looks like i'm not the only one.


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## stevel

Looks as if it may be fixed now.


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## habibrobert

Sounds pretty good to me!


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## nmiller855

I won't be home until tomorrow to check to see if my 2 channels have returned. I'm sorry that we all had to deal with the reboot issues but if it returned the missing channels, I am thankful.


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## iiigoiii

so if i'm reading this correctly, it sounds like some people here have had luck getting 3.5d on their series 1 directivo's by just getting the unit to call out for software updates?

i'd try, but i had to reload my system software a few years ago with instantcake - which loaded 3.5c. and - i thought i remembered that once a unit was upgraded to a larger HDD with instantcake, it was important to unhook the phone line (something about software updates inadvertently blowing away some changes made by the instantcake reload?). i haven't made any other system mods on my own.

does anyone know if my philips DSR6000R01 would actually be able to get the 3.5d off the phone line, and if it would still work with the larger HDD?


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## ronsch

iiigoiii said:


> so if i'm reading this correctly, it sounds like some people here have had luck getting 3.5d on their series 1 directivo's by just getting the unit to call out for software updates?
> 
> i'd try, but i had to reload my system software a few years ago with instantcake - which loaded 3.5c. and - i thought i remembered that once a unit was upgraded to a larger HDD with instantcake, it was important to unhook the phone line (something about software updates inadvertently blowing away some changes made by the instantcake reload?). i haven't made any other system mods on my own.
> 
> does anyone know if my philips DSR6000R01 would actually be able to get the 3.5d off the phone line, and if it would still work with the larger HDD?


Based on what others have said it may still be possible to get 3.5d but it would be from the satellite, not the phone line. You may already have it on your dsr6000. If you have bash access to your TiVo execute the following command.


Code:


echo mls /SwSystem | tivosh

That will show whether you have 3.5d waiting.

Also do


Code:


bootpage -p /dev/hda

This will show if your instacake install was set up to prevent automatic upgrades.


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## sbourgeo

iiigoiii said:


> does anyone know if my philips DSR6000R01 would actually be able to get the 3.5d off the phone line, and if it would still work with the larger HDD?


If you do a "stock" upgrade from 3.5c to 3.5d you will not get an LBA48 kernel and will eventually have data corruption issues if you are trying to use more than ~137 GB of a single disk. There is an LBA48 kernel available, but that would require a little work to get set up (link).


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## nmiller855

I have an upgraded SAT-T60 & it updated to 3.5d through phone calls. I have never bern able to restore 2 of the local channels even after the "fix".


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## ronsch

nmiller855 said:


> I have an upgraded SAT-T60 & it updated to 3.5d through phone calls. I have never bern able to restore 2 of the local channels even after the "fix".


Did you go to the extreme of trying a Clear & Delete Everything or a Program Data at the least? I thought others were reporting that the T-60's were a bit crankier about locals than the DSR6000's...


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## BigIrv

ronsch said:


> Did you go to the extreme of trying a Clear & Delete Everything or a Program Data at the least? I thought others were reporting that the T-60's were a bit crankier about locals than the DSR6000's...


T-60 upgraded from 3.5c to 3.5d, but I was still missing two local channels. I did a full reset (took 5+ hours) and once I was up and going -- no locals at all!

I let it run overnight and today all locals are working.


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## ronsch

BigIrv said:


> T-60 upgraded from 3.5c to 3.5d, but I was still missing two local channels. I did a full reset (took 5+ hours) and once I was up and going -- no locals at all!
> 
> I let it run overnight and today all locals are working.


Glad it worked!


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## iiigoiii

crap...can't remember what size disk i put in there or if i did anything special for large disk support. the system info says 145hrs.

and i never got to the point of getting bash. the readme for the new IC says that it has bash support enabled, not sure if it was on my older version. i do know that i never flashed my PROM myself, don't know if IC did it on the 3.5c install.

the phone line has long been disconnected, but the system info shows a 'successful call' this morning, leading me to suspect that there is call imitation going on in the software somewhere to prevent the system from actually calling. and i read on the IC readme that they do disable auto updates.

oh well, guess the easiest path is to start over with 3.5d and wipe out my recordings....


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## D'Ecosse

I found I was unable to connect my HDVR2 to the phone - I use VOIP (Vonage) and it does not seem to like that for connecting. It would dial and try to connect, but would not hand-shake - tried multiple phone numbers, all with same result. 
I took the system down to my wife's office and used a Land Line from there with their office TV for display; no problem connecting from there, although no Satellite inputs obviously into the HDVR2. 
But the modem connected with no problem and spent about 10 mins downloading 'something'; Then have the 'pending restart' status
However with a forced restart, it was still stuck on 6.2a - did not update to 6.4
Repeated the process and still on 6.2 - seems like there is no way to force it to update to latest software?

I called DTV while connected, see what they could do to help force the software change - not much they could do on that front over phone however gave me *killer* deal to get a Genie - with complete install incl Cinema Kit and SWM installation. 
So probably going to 'park' the Tivo - had just repaired the Power Supply and successfully executed the capacitor mod to eliminate the Tuner2 issue, too. 
I'm sure the locals would have been restored if/when it eventually updated the software, but not having the std land-line at home was prohibitive to that happening in its own sweet time. 
Just wanted to share the issue with the Vonage connection especially (or similar VOIP connections), if others find themselves with that dilemma


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## wetchemistry

I didn't realize this was still an issue. Too sad. But dialing in with Vonage is easy:

So for future searchers....

If you are only using your Vonage Phone Service only to allow your TiVo DVR to make its calls, you can plug the TiVo DVR into the green Port 1 of the Vonage Phone Adapter.
If you are using your Vonage Phone Service to make voice telephone calls and you want to allow your TiVo DVR to also make its calls, you have two options:
Get a phone line splitter from a local retail electronics store such as Radio Shack. Plug the splitter into the green Port 1 of the Vonage Phone Adapter, then plug your telephone into one plug of the splitter and the TiVo DVR into the other plug of the splitter.
Add a second phone line from Vonage and plug the TiVo DVR into the green Port 2 of the Vonage phone adapter.


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## D'Ecosse

Thank you for your proposed solution:



wetchemistry said:


> .... dialing in with Vonage is easy:
> 
> Plug the splitter into the green Port 1 of the Vonage Phone Adapter, then plug your telephone into one plug of the splitter and the TiVo DVR into the other plug of the splitter....


Edit - I have since discovered this was just copied/pasted from the Vonage site - not a validated method of connecting. 
This thread shows that it is not that simple - if only it were!

That is _effectively_ what I have - from the splitter one wire goes to the primary phone (which is then wirelessly connected to other phones) and the second cable plugs into a wall socket, which distributes throughout the house (the incoming telephone company connection is removed so that only the internal house system is interconnected); the Tivo is the ONLY thing that is connected into the home distribution.

That seems no different than what you propose other than additional in-wall phone line between the Tivo and the splitter plugged directly into the Vonage adapter. 
The modem will successfully dial - it simply will not establish a connection with the other end after it picks up.

Edit - have connected Tivo directly to the green port 1 eliminating the home wiring and still exactly same - will not establish connection with the modem at the opposite end 
Have tried different rate settings - #034, #096 and none, makes no difference.

I'll pick this up in the referenced thread above which more appropriately deals with that specific issue.


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## D'Ecosse

What an ordeal! 
Gave up messing with PPP (think the USB-Serial adapter not working out) and took box down to my Mrs office & hooked to land-line POTS (TV monitor in office) 
It connected to DVR service no problem, then spent about 90 mins 'downloading', then ~ another 30 mins after hang-up compiling the data. 
Let it complete till "pending reset" displayed. 
Thought I was gold at that point, unplugged everything & brought it home. 
Restarted and .......... still on 6.2a


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## tomc585

IT may take several calls to the mother ship to complete the up grade. I was bringing mine into work for several days until it finally finished.


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## d1940u

I have searched this forum trying to find a fix and have not been able solve my problem.

I have a R10 that is used for grand kids to watch there recorded shows. Lately I have been wanting to watch Bengals play on local channels.I discovered I only have two of ten locals and not the one I need. I have tried working with Direct Tech over phone and have not been able to get problem fixed. They say I need to have a tech service call. I tried the tech help online forum and they sent me here to see if 6.4a upgrade is available and how to get it.

Background

Everything works great except locals.

Signal strength is 95 on both Sat in cables for the transponder. The system upgrade is 6.1-01-2. I have been told I will not get locals till it is ungraded to 6.4a. I am an old man and not able to much technical. Will I be able to use this receiver for locals?


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## litzdog911

d1940u said:


> I have searched this forum trying to find a fix and have not been able solve my problem.
> 
> I have a R10 that is used for grand kids to watch there recorded shows. Lately I have been wanting to watch Bengals play on local channels.I discovered I only have two of ten locals and not the one I need. I have tried working with Direct Tech over phone and have not been able to get problem fixed. They say I need to have a tech service call. I tried the tech help online forum and they sent me here to see if 6.4a upgrade is available and how to get it.
> 
> Background
> 
> Everything works great except locals.
> 
> Signal strength is 95 on both Sat in cables for the transponder. The system upgrade is 6.1-01-2. I have been told I will not get locals till it is ungraded to 6.4a. I am an old man and not able to much technical. Will I be able to use this receiver for locals?


Weaknees used to provide a service where they would upgrade your DirecTivo to the latest 6.4a software, so you might check with them. Or perhaps considers this a good time to move to the newer DirecTV DVR platform.


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## fooz

d1940u said:


> .. Will I be able to use this receiver for locals?


Most likely not without jumping through all kinds of hoops. A guide update caused the locals to disappear from Tivos that were not up to the last firmware.

I know in my case I had three of these units lose locals, tech support kept blowing it off and telling me to just make sure they were plugged in the phone line, which they always were. Well, after over 2 weeks of no help by DirecTV, I was left with no real options, but to replace my boxes for $600 from DirecTV, or switch to another provider. I ended up switching to Dish with all new equipment, that included more rooms with whole home DVR, and all at a way better price. Now of course DirecTV offers me free equipment and all kinds of free programming to come back, but after tasting the customer service and technology I have with Dish, I can't see giving them another chance at this time.


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## tomc585

Im guessing you didnt have that unit connected via phone line when the updates were being pushed. Took me a long time to get mine updated. Im not sure if they are even pushing it anymore.
1) You can either update the software yourself (or buy a replacement drive that's updated already)
2) Buy / Acquire another DVR used thats up to date.


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## tomc585

I know these units are old but just incase anybody needs it I was able to make a backup of the 6.4a image from my hughes series 2 sd unit via mfs tools (what a life saver).


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## unitron

tomc585 said:


> I know these units are old but just incase anybody needs it I was able to make a backup of the 6.4a image from my hughes series 2 sd unit via mfs tools (what a life saver).


Do you already have a free DropBox account?

(they're very handy for hosting TiVo images)

If not, and you let me refer you, we can both get extra free space.

PM me to learn how.


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## wscannell

Does anyone know whether 6.4a is still available via unit phone call(s)?


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## wscannell

Answered my own question - tried it and after about 1.5 hours on the phone was pending restart. One one call was required. 6.4a now on machine.


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## tomc585

Good to know. What machine are you updating?


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## wscannell

Seems to work for a DSR7000/DVR39 and SD-DVR40. I imagine it works for any version of 6.4a. So I think you should be ok for your SD-DVR.


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## tomc585

I have it already on my sd dvr. I have a DVR-R10 that I haven't had on in a while, wondering if i should activate it just to update it so its ready if i need it.


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## wscannell

You do not have to activate it. Just set it up and let it phone home. It should download the update.


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## tomc585

interesting...will give it a try.


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