# after 9.4update, can't use TiVoHD with dvr expander



## dubluv (Mar 3, 2006)

after receiving the new summer update yesterday, my tivoHD with dvr expander operated properly for just an hour or so. the box would restart and hang on the first powering up screen and stay there. forcing a reboot just repeated the process. since i had some issues seemingly related to the expander, i powered the expander down, and got the blue screen on restart saying the external storage device wasn't found. after 3 unsuccessful restarts failed to get me back to normal, i opted to divorce the expander. now, the unit is working flawlessly, just like my other tivoHD that does not have an expander. so, i am hoping this is a known issue, and they're working on it. before 9.4, at least i was able to use the expander, with only occaisional lockups. i was then able to get the box to work again after a forced reboot. 

this is very annoying, as i paid over $200 for the expander and now it may just be another brick like my hd dvd player.


----------



## atlynch (Jan 7, 2005)

Have you checked your cables lately? Make sure the eSata cable and the powercables are seated properly. I don't think there is a systemic problem with MyDVR Expanders as mine seems to be working fine.

-D


----------



## tiassa (Jul 2, 2008)

I agree with atlynch, check the cables (and make sure the MYy DVR expandes is powered up before your restart the Tivo. My DVR-E is working just fine as well


----------



## dubluv (Mar 3, 2006)

why would the cable be suspect, if it was working fine with the 9.3 software? the only change that was made was the new update, otherwise nothing was touched. i'm guessing the expander could be defective somehow, but it just seems odd that as soon as the new update hit, i had problems, and these problems dissappeared as soon as i unhooked the expander.


----------



## JStew (Oct 1, 2007)

dubluv said:


> why would the cable be suspect, if it was working fine with the 9.3 software? the only change that was made was the new update, otherwise nothing was touched. i'm guessing the expander could be defective somehow, but it just seems odd that as soon as the new update hit, i had problems, and these problems dissappeared as soon as i unhooked the expander.


I'm in the same boat you're in. The day after the download, I got the same message. I've ordered a new eSATA II cable but had to divorce the expander in order to use the Tivo. I lost 43 shows which does nothing for my blood pressure. Hopefully the new cable will fix the problem, but it won't bring back the shows I wanted to watch.


----------



## lostinplace (May 25, 2006)

I had exactly the same problem.

I got the 9.4 update, and my TivoHD started random rebooting. Shortly after that, it just got hung up on the Welcome screen.

I divorced the expander, and now the TivoHD works fine.

Nothing changed with the cable (the expander is behind the TV, out of reach of the kids, wife, cleaning lady, etc). The 9.4 update -- circumstantially anyway -- seems, to me, to be the culprit.


----------



## cdp1276 (Mar 25, 2003)

Looks like TiVo better start responding here and let us know what's going on. Seems like a lot of weird issues with 9.4 killing boxes than I've ever seen with other updates, I hope can be fixed (they can't all be all of a sudden hardware issues). See my issues I posted here:

http://www.tivocommunity.com/tivo-vb/showthread.php?p=6545323#post6545323


----------



## brewman (Jun 29, 2003)

I received the 9.4 update and started experiencing lockups and reboots which had never happened before. Spent more than an hour on the phone with TiVo customer support and came to the conclusion that the problem was the WD DVR Expander. Divorced the expander and the problem went away.

Of course, TiVo says it's WD's repsonsibility to make sure that the expander is compatible with TiVo SW update even though there's no way I'm aware of to do a firmware update of the expander once it's been married to the TiVo (even if an update were available - which there isn't). My reply to them, which falls on deaf ears, is that this might be a legitimate argument if I were given the option of accepting the software upload, but since I'm forced to accept it it's TiVo's responsibility to make sure the new software doesn't break anything that was working previously. As you might guess TiVo doesn't share my opinion.

Basically, TiVo says "you're S.O.L and it sucks to be you."

Since a TiVo HD is relatively useless with its stock capacity, I consider expanded storage capacity a requirement for the device. As such I've simply replaced my TiVo's internal drive with a WD10EVCS 1TB drive and am back in business.

I have had 6 TiVo's (1-S1, 2-S2, 2-HD, 1-S3) of which I've decomissioned the S1 and one of the S2's. I love the functionality of the TiVo and for the most part they just work, but it's times like this where I just want to say F#ck 'Em. Unfortunately, there's not another solution out there that works nearly as well for the average (read - my wife and kids) user. 

This is the second unit I've had that died following a software update and I'm certain this latest problem is the same as the previous problem. My understanding of TiVo's software upload process is that there are two partitions on the hard drive utilized for the operating system (once you marry an e-sata drive it's like you just have one big drive). The new software load is uploaded into the inactive partition and then the bootstrap points to the new partition. Unfortunately, the software update process doesn't seem to do much to verify the integrity of the inactive partition so if it has a bad sector you can get bad results when the boot partition switches (eg, freezes, lockups, failure to boot, etc). TiVo's attitude is that it's a hardware failure - to bad for you. So when that happens, and you have lifetime subscription on the unit, you just replace the harddrive and move on.


----------



## dubluv (Mar 3, 2006)

i replaced the harddrive in my humax S2, but i'm not so sure about doing it in the tivoHD. once you've replaced the stock drive with the new larger drive, how do you get the tivo software/operating system on it? and how hard is it to do?


----------



## rainwater (Sep 21, 2004)

cdp1276 said:


> Looks like TiVo better start responding here and let us know what's going on. Seems like a lot of weird issues with 9.4 killing boxes than I've ever seen with other updates, I hope can be fixed (they can't all be all of a sudden hardware issues).


I would say it isn't even close to the number of complaints about dead boxes compared to other updates. In fact, I would venture to say the failure rate is still about the same. Of course when you have 2 hard drives you are doubling your chance of failure so it isn't unusual to see issues like this crop up.


----------



## brewman (Jun 29, 2003)

dubluv said:


> i replaced the harddrive in my humax S2, but i'm not so sure about doing it in the tivoHD. once you've replaced the stock drive with the new larger drive, how do you get the tivo software/operating system on it? and how hard is it to do?


This thread http://www.tivocommunity.com/tivo-vb/showthread.php?t=370784 will tell you everything you need to know about increasing a systems capacity. If you have a TiVo HD with a bad DVR expander simply divorce the expander (boot the TiVo without it connected and say "yes" to the prompts) and then use MFS tools to copy the old drive to the new, larger one.

If you have a bad internal drive you can buy a good "image" for your particular TiVo and use that to format the new, larger drive.


----------



## JStew (Oct 1, 2007)

Has anyone tried a kickstart 54 after losing their expander once they've downloaded 9.4? I've replaced my eSATA cable (another 13 bucks wasted) and attempted a kickstart 54. According to that, my primary drive is fine, but the expansion drive gets as far as 90% on the short test and locks up. There's no pass or fail, just a lock-up at 90%. Just in time for the Olympics!!!


----------



## cdp1276 (Mar 25, 2003)

I have run the kickstart 54 in long mode (not the overnight mode yet) and didn't see where you could tell the internal drive from the expansion. However mine seemed to finish and had a green text that said test passed I think or something. However I had to pull the plug and reboot it to get back to normal. Is that the way it should end?

Also my issues I believe are related to the expander since the v9.4 update but didn't lose the drive that I know of.


----------



## Voix (Aug 2, 2008)

I've had my TiVo HD for about two weeks. Yesterday I received a DVR Expander which I purchased from Amazon. Upon startup, the TiVo gets stuck on the "Welcome, Powering Up..." screen. The TiVo boots fine if I disconnect the DVR Expander.

I've scheduled a return on the DVR Expander and a replacement is on the way. What are my chances that the new DVR Expander is going to work?


----------



## mike3775 (Jan 3, 2003)

My expanded HD works fine still and I have had 9.4 for over a week now.


----------



## dubluv (Mar 3, 2006)

mike3775 said:


> My expanded HD works fine still and I have had 9.4 for over a week now.


when you say, "expanded", are you saying a larger internal drive, or a 2nd drive or a dvr expander? and if you did mean a larger, internal drive, did you put the tivo sytem on it, or transfer your stock drive to the new bigger drive?


----------



## brewman (Jun 29, 2003)

It is clear to me that TiVo does not handle hard drive problems (internal or external) well. We're not talking about major disk crashes, but a bad sector on an inactive boot partition seems to be just as fatal as heads bouncing off platters - only takes longer to show up.

That being said, if you plan to expand the capacity of your TiVo and are not afraid to install a hard drive in a PC, then don't introduce a second point-of-failure by using an external or second internal drive until you have max'd out the single internal drive.


----------



## JStew (Oct 1, 2007)

cdp1276 said:


> I have run the kickstart 54 in long mode (not the overnight mode yet) and didn't see where you could tell the internal drive from the expansion. However mine seemed to finish and had a green text that said test passed I think or something. However I had to pull the plug and reboot it to get back to normal. Is that the way it should end?
> 
> Also my issues I believe are related to the expander since the v9.4 update but didn't lose the drive that I know of.


You should see two columns - one is the internal drive and the other is the external. It will run checks on both and you'll see the word "Pass" in green once it passes the tests. I saw that both drives passed the first test but on the second, the external drive froze on me.

I've contacted Western Digital and have a new drive coming. Not a happy camper especially with the Olympics beginning on Friday.


----------



## cdp1276 (Mar 25, 2003)

JStew said:


> You should see two columns - one is the internal drive and the other is the external. It will run checks on both and you'll see the word "Pass" in green once it passes the tests. I saw that both drives passed the first test but on the second, the external drive froze on me.
> 
> I've contacted Western Digital and have a new drive coming. Not a happy camper especially with the Olympics beginning on Friday.


That must be what likely happened to me too. How long have you had your WD drive? I got My DVR Expander drive direct from TiVo on 11/27/07. So I assume is still under warranty? Wonder if I can contact TiVo for this or is it, WD? Did they send you a replacement before sending back your current one?


----------



## JStew (Oct 1, 2007)

cdp1276 said:


> That must be what likely happened to me too. How long have you had your WD drive? I got My DVR Expander drive direct from TiVo on 11/27/07. So I assume is still under warranty? Wonder if I can contact TiVo for this or is it, WD? Did they send you a replacement before sending back your current one?


I got mine almost to the day you got yours. I purchased mine at Best Buy and got on the WD website and sure enough, the drive is eligible for replacement.

I'd contact Tivo if that's where you got yours.....They may very likely will pass you on to the WD website for a replacement.


----------



## Voix (Aug 2, 2008)

Voix said:


> I've had my TiVo HD for about two weeks. Yesterday I received a DVR Expander which I purchased from Amazon. Upon startup, the TiVo gets stuck on the "Welcome, Powering Up..." screen. The TiVo boots fine if I disconnect the DVR Expander.
> 
> I've scheduled a return on the DVR Expander and a replacement is on the way. What are my chances that the new DVR Expander is going to work?


To document - I received my replacement DVR Expander today and it is working fine.


----------



## donnoh (Mar 7, 2008)

I have a TiVo HD box with a My DVR Expander both about 6 months old and had a hell of a time getting it to work when I got the 9.4 update.

When the update first installed and the message appeared touting all of the great new features it had a purple background and wouldn't do anything, locked up tight. Powered down, rebooted, came up normally. When I went to watch live TV it worked until I changed channels and locked up.

The saga continues, after the next boot all was well until I tried to record a program, got the please wait clock for about 10 minutes and then it rebooted on it's own. Came back up and then locked up again... I'm getting pissed at this point. Powered everything down, unplugged everything, replugged everything and it's worked fine since.

I must note that when it booted the last time I didn't touch it for several hours so I can't say if it was doing something in the background that may have contributed to my problems or not.


----------



## JStew (Oct 1, 2007)

Voix said:


> To document - I received my replacement DVR Expander today and it is working fine.


Glad to hear you're back up and running. How long did it take to get the replacement from Amazon?


----------



## Voix (Aug 2, 2008)

JStew said:


> Glad to hear you're back up and running. How long did it take to get the replacement from Amazon?


To speed things up I just paid for a new one and had it shipped next-day. A refund from Amazon will process in about a week's time.


----------



## JStew (Oct 1, 2007)

Voix said:


> To speed things up I just paid for a new one and had it shipped next-day. A refund from Amazon will process in about a week's time.


Makes sense...Thanks.


----------



## JWThiers (Apr 13, 2005)

dubluv said:


> i replaced the harddrive in my humax S2, but i'm not so sure about doing it in the tivoHD. once you've replaced the stock drive with the new larger drive, how do you get the tivo software/operating system on it? and how hard is it to do?


If you know how to add a Hard drive to a PC its stupid simple. Go to DVR Upgrade and download the instantCake for your model tivo (I linked to THD), Make a CD from the iso file, Buy the Hard drive of you choice, Connect it to your PC, reboot from the CD, and follow the instructions. That will put the Tivo OS on your new drive, Then swap out drives in your tivo and it will be just like a brand new Tivo with a Terra drive in it (or whatever size you bought).

Or they also have numerous options to either buy a pre-configured drive for you to install or you can send them your tivo to do the work for you or you can buy new tivos already upgraded. Great company can't say enough good about them.


----------



## charms (Jan 19, 2005)

Voix said:


> I've had my TiVo HD for about two weeks. Yesterday I received a DVR Expander which I purchased from Amazon. Upon startup, the TiVo gets stuck on the "Welcome, Powering Up..." screen. The TiVo boots fine if I disconnect the DVR Expander.
> 
> I've scheduled a return on the DVR Expander and a replacement is on the way. What are my chances that the new DVR Expander is going to work?


I've been running the DVR Expander on my TiVo HD for 8+ months with no problems at all. Got the 9.4 update on 7/31. Went away this past weekend (8/8-8/10) and came home to a pink screen of death.

Multiple reboot attempts failed (only power cycling the Tivo, not the DVR-E). As soon as I power-cycled the Expander and then the TiVo, the TiVo rebooted correctly. It runs for an hour or two, then the picture freezes, then the TiVo reboots and gets stuck on "powering up". Cycling the DVR-E is the only solution at this point (other than divorcing and/or replacing the DVR-E). I'd rather not divorce and lose everything.

In addition, a lot of pixelation and generally choppiness since the update.

I really don't care if this is WD or TiVo's problem...it needs to get fixed. Bricking a $200 drive and losing all my programs isn't exactly what I'd call an upgrade.


----------



## charms (Jan 19, 2005)

Progress? I did a major pruning of my HD recordings and now I haven't had a reboot in 12 hours. Two recordings overnight. I was maxed out on both drives (zero suggestion recordings) across both drives, so perhaps the new buffering features in 9.4 weren't working with an already "full" drive (?!?) We'll see how it holds up.

I also reoriented the drive in my cabinet, putting it in a weird LED face down position (it was on its side before). It had plenty of empty space around it already, but that might have helped ventilate it marginally better. I still suspect the upgrade rather than a sudden, coincidental hardware failure.


----------



## elsteve (Sep 15, 2005)

I'm seeing the same behavior. Just received my DVR Expander today and installed on my HD Tivo - running 9.4 flawlessly for a couple weeks now.

Now - rebooting every 10 minutes or so....argh!

Any consensus whether this is a 9.4 problem, a DVR Expander problem - or a combination?


----------



## rocko (Oct 29, 2002)

elsteve said:


> I'm seeing the same behavior. Just received my DVR Expander today and installed on my HD Tivo - running 9.4 flawlessly for a couple weeks now.
> 
> Now - rebooting every 10 minutes or so....argh!
> 
> Any consensus whether this is a 9.4 problem, a DVR Expander problem - or a combination?


Some folks have had problems with the stock eSATA cable that ships with the DVR Expander. I was getting all kinfds of weird crap until replacing the cable. I got the SIIG I beleive.


----------



## bdj470 (Sep 19, 2004)

Got my Tivo HD Monday August 4. Then got the WD DVR Expander from Buy.com delivered on Friday August 8. 

Just installed the dvr expander with stock eSATA cable on Tivo HD with 9.4 and so far no problems.

Just curious what is everyone's Recording Hours say? Installed the dvr expander and mine says 86 Hours of HD. Is that about right.


----------



## elsteve (Sep 15, 2005)

Weird. After about 5 reboots it started functioning normally. I set up a wishlist to record all HD content - figured I'd fill up both drives 'n see if I could force anything to happen...nothing yet...

BTW bdj470 - I'm showing 197 hours recording at best quality...can't find where it says how much HD time is available though...I'd guess 86 hours is about right - the expander is supposed to add 60(?) hours to the existing drive...

**Update**
Still rebooting, but not nearly as often...I'd say hourly. Still no good. For now I have disconnected the expander and will be looking into a replacement eSata cable and then returning the unit...


----------



## deecee (Dec 20, 2007)

elsteve said:


> I'm seeing the same behavior. Just received my DVR Expander today and installed on my HD Tivo - running 9.4 flawlessly for a couple weeks now.
> 
> Now - rebooting every 10 minutes or so....argh!
> 
> Any consensus whether this is a 9.4 problem, a DVR Expander problem - or a combination?


I've been wondering most about that last thing you mentioned... a combination of both. After I received my replacement refurb Tivo HD, I connected the expander and tried to playback an HD show recorded on the internal HD. After only a few seconds playback froze and then it rebooted. After restart I began the same show and it played fine but then none of the buttons on the remote control would work.

I tested the refurb by playing back the same show I recorded on it before I connected the expander and it worked fine which would make you think it is the expander. However, I'm not so sure. I already had to replace the original Tivo HD which had similar issues with the expander. That box became a brick coincidentally after the 9.4 update and would no longer boot even with the expander properly detached.


----------



## Voix (Aug 2, 2008)

Well, I thought that the replacement DVR Expander solved my problems, but I've been having random reboots that get stuck at the "Powering Up" screen. I've divorced the drive for the time being and the Tivo seems OK without it...


----------



## MJedi (Jun 17, 2002)

So much for the Official DVR Expander they were trying to push on us FAP users.  It would seem the problem is with the 9.4 update, and NOT with the external drive.


----------



## elsteve (Sep 15, 2005)

Yikes. That's not what I want to hear. I just RMA'd my Expander today with Western Digital hoping to alleviate the problem.

What I don't understand is that, if it's a problem with 9.4 - then everyone on a HD with 9.4 and an Expander should be having the same problem....


----------



## davemcs (Nov 18, 2003)

9.4 killed my THD as well. Constant reboots, "serious error" screens, general mayhem. Tried to divorce the DVR-E and now I'm stuck in an endless loop where the WD unit is not even attached any longer but the DVR is still trying to "remove it". Re pluggin the DVR-E does not make a difference either still loops to the DVR-E divorce screen
Just decided to buy a new bigger internal drive and sell off the DVR-E's to maybe break even (I had an extra DVR-E ans SIIG cable which did not make any difference)


----------



## charms (Jan 19, 2005)

Still getting pink/purple screen of death about once every 24 hours. Unplugging the DVR-E and then the TiVo solves it...until 24 hours later.

Now what are the chances that all these people's Expander drives suddenly bricked at the same time. This is obviously a problem with the 9.4 update and it needs to be fixed.


----------



## charms (Jan 19, 2005)

MJedi said:


> So much for the Official DVR Expander they were trying to push on us FAP users.  It would seem the problem is with the 9.4 update, and NOT with the external drive.


Exactly, if you require that I buy something that is "TiVo Verified" that damn well oughta mean something.


----------



## dubluv (Mar 3, 2006)

charms said:


> Exactly, if you require that I buy something that is "TiVo Verified" that damn well oughta mean something.


precisely, and has tivo contacted anyone who complained of this issue? basically, in trying to support tivo and avoid problems, we buy the dvr expander and then we have to unplug it to continue using the tivo. this sux. i was about to start a new thread asking if anyone has been able to use their dvr E now that 9.4 has been out a few weeks. i'm going to call tivo and ask what i do with the dvr E now that its more than obvious it won't work reliably with 9.4:down:


----------



## janry (Jan 2, 2003)

charms said:


> Progress? I did a major pruning of my HD recordings and now I haven't had a reboot in 12 hours. Two recordings overnight. I was maxed out on both drives (zero suggestion recordings) across both drives, so perhaps the new buffering features in 9.4 weren't working with an already "full" drive (?!?) We'll see how it holds up.





charms said:


> Still getting pink/purple screen of death about once every 24 hours. Unplugging the DVR-E and then the TiVo solves it...until 24 hours later.


I was hoping you were onto something. I permanently deleted many programs from my Deleted folder about 24 hours ago to try your intial suggestion and so far, so good.


----------



## Voix (Aug 2, 2008)

Can anyone with a DVR Expander confirm that theirs _is _working OK with 9.4?


----------



## cdp1276 (Mar 25, 2003)

Voix said:


> Can anyone with a DVR Expander confirm that theirs _is _working OK with 9.4?


After the update my original one was acting up but see my other posts as my issues were different than everyone else. I decided since it was under warranty to replace it. So far so good with a new WD DVR Expander working under v9.4.


----------



## ZeoTiVo (Jan 2, 2004)

dubluv said:


> i was about to start a new thread asking if anyone has been able to use their dvr E now that 9.4 has been out a few weeks.


Just to answer that specific question - I have a DVR expander on a TiVo HD originally at 9.3 (was given to me just as the expanders came on the market) and *it has worked the same, that is to say perfectly *with the 9.4 upgrade I have had since 9.4 first came out - I was in one of the initial waves.

I did not have it full at any time but it was around 80% or so.


----------



## V7Goose (May 28, 2005)

Voix said:


> Can anyone with a DVR Expander confirm that theirs _is _working OK with 9.4?


My box-stock THD with approved WD My DVR Expander is working like a dream - not even a single problem after connecting the external drive. There is no doubt that some people are having problems, but the majority of us are not. In fact, for most TiVo users with no problems at all (and not looking for info to hack or upgrade the unit), there is absolutely no reason to spend time on a forum like this. That means that the majority of users HERE might be reporting problems (but they are NOT) and that still would not indicate an issue affecting the majority of TiVo owners.

I am going to start sounding like a broken record, but I strongly recommend that everyone with these types of problems pull the drives and put them in a computer (if using WinDoze, it MUST be XP SP1 or higher) and run extended diagnostics with the utility of your choice. I'd bet that most of you find a problem with a drive. Good luck.


----------



## mchief (Sep 10, 2005)

I have had no problems with 9.4. My expander is working like a charm. However, I do keep the DELETED folder empty and try to keep available space over 40&#37;. If I get too many HD programs (40 or more), I transfer some series to the PC and burn DVDs. I read in a thread a year or so ago that filling up the Tivo seemed to cause problems.


----------



## janry (Jan 2, 2003)

mchief said:


> I have had no problems with 9.4. My expander is working like a charm. However, I do keep the DELETED folder empty and try to keep available space over 40%..... I read in a thread a year or so ago that filling up the Tivo seemed to cause problems.


When the problem first started, I had about 130 programs in my deleted folder. I deleted about 40 of them and the problem went away for about 3 days. Yesterday, I had to delete 30 more even though I'd only recorded 4 half hour programs in that time. I am running OK for the time. I believe something funny is going on and the DVR Expander is not freeing up hard space appropriately from the buffer's use because it is running into this problem even though the appearance is the drives are not full


----------



## Voix (Aug 2, 2008)

I ran the SMART tests on my internal drive; all tests passed. I was unable to run the tests on the DVR-E because, with the DRV-E connected, the TiVO would hang after selecting the SMART Tests item from the Kickstart 54 list.


----------



## elsteve (Sep 15, 2005)

Received my new drive from WD yesterday. DOA. Nice. I'm fed up & the drive is going back for a refund - less whatever restocking fee I get stuck with, plus shipping. Two weeks of nothing but frustration & it's costing me money.

For a "Tivo approved/verified/whatever" device, I am hugely disappointed.


----------



## Beachbum55 (Jan 1, 2004)

mchief said:


> I have had no problems with 9.4. My expander is working like a charm. However, I do keep the DELETED folder empty and try to keep available space over 40%. If I get too many HD programs (40 or more), I transfer some series to the PC and burn DVDs. I read in a thread a year or so ago that filling up the Tivo seemed to cause problems.


Just curious. Why would you need an expander if you keep the available space over 40%?


----------



## jfink22 (Jun 11, 2004)

I didn't change the cable to My DVR Expander, I didn't move my box, I didn't touch my box, I didn't look at it funny but now I get constant crashes with the 9.4 software...

I really think Tivo just doesn't have a QA department any more... This is a systemic problem and Tivo needs to Fess Up and Fix....

I posted the following on Tivo's Forum as well http://forums.tivo.com/pe/action/forums/displaysinglethread?rootPostID=10391771&returnExpertiseCode=

Will be calling support tonight to get the run around...


----------



## JStew (Oct 1, 2007)

elsteve said:


> Received my new drive from WD yesterday. DOA. Nice. I'm fed up & the drive is going back for a refund - less whatever restocking fee I get stuck with, plus shipping. Two weeks of nothing but frustration & it's costing me money.
> 
> For a "Tivo approved/verified/whatever" device, I am hugely disappointed.


I'm waiting for my new drive now. I just got an email letting me know it was on it's way. After trying a new eSATA cable and kickstart, I sent the drive back to WD for replacement. If this doesn't work, I'll send the drive back for a refund. Maybe, just maybe WD will get the hint and ask Tivo what kinds of updates they're sending to their Tivo owners. You'd think they'd get together and check out the software update before sending software that bricks their "official" external drives.


----------



## mchief (Sep 10, 2005)

Beachbum55 said:


> Just curious. Why would you need an expander if you keep the available space over 40%?


Try basic math. TivoHD = 20 hrs HD + WDE + 66 hrs = 86 hrs. I try to keep no more than 50 hours of hd on the drives. And have had zero problems.


----------



## flatcurve (Sep 27, 2007)

Beachbum55 said:


> Just curious. Why would you need an expander if you keep the available space over 40%?


Because the internal 160GB drive is only 24% of the total 660GB. That basically means that he's only keeping the external drive half full.

ETA: I think that's my first smeek...


----------



## jlib (Nov 22, 2002)

jfink22 said:


> ...I really think Tivo just doesn't have a QA department any more... This is a systemic problem and Tivo needs to Fess Up and Fix...


I don't know how extensive their internal beta testing is but what I wonder about is why these problems weren't caught by TiVo during the preliminary release a few weeks before the final. Either nobody reported problems or TiVo did not do any analysis of the opened cases.


----------



## steelbot (Aug 15, 2008)

Voix said:


> I ran the SMART tests on my internal drive; all tests passed. I was unable to run the tests on the DVR-E because, with the DRV-E connected, the TiVO would hang after selecting the SMART Tests item from the Kickstart 54 list.


I'm having the same exact problem. After experiencing a couple lock-ups on my new TiVo HD and My DVR Expander (only a week old), I decided to try running the S.M.A.R.T. tests. Froze up as soon as I selected the item from the kickstart menu. I divorced the expander and then tried running the S.M.A.R.T. tests again: voila, tests started fine.


----------



## Voix (Aug 2, 2008)

I gave up on the DVR-E (my second) and returned it to Amazon for refund. I've installed an internal 1TB drive and, for less money, have more storage. It seems to be working fine.

Amazing that I went the DVR-E route to keep it simple and ended up finding the internal solution to be easier (because it works).


----------



## davemcs (Nov 18, 2003)

Voix said:


> I gave up on the DVR-E (my second) and returned it to Amazon for refund. I've installed an internal 1TB drive and, for less money, have more storage. It seems to be working fine.
> 
> Amazing that I went the DVR-E route to keep it simple and ended up finding the internal solution to be easier (because it works).


+1

Both of my DVR-E's are now for sale..replaced by single larger internal drives


----------



## Gerry (Dec 24, 2001)

My Series 3 with a 1TB non-approved external HD was working perfectly for over one year until last week. The 9.4 software had been installed for several weeks. Then, the power went out and TiVo rebooted. At this point, reboots occurred about every five minutes following the identical pattern -- all works fine after the reboot for about 5 minutes, then picture freezes/starts (does not matter if watching a recording, making a recording, watching live TV, or just watching TiVos 'ears' moving) for a few minutes and then the restart occurs.

There appears to be a connection to cablecards as I read on another thread. If I remove the cablecards, there are no reboots and functioning is normal (at least for the one day I left them out).

This morning, I put the cards back in but did NOT do a reboot. Functioning seemed fine until I left for work.

I've read that it might be a good idea to do a Kickstart 57 or 58. However, I cannot get TiVo to recognize a Kickstart (pressing and holding pause during the initial screen) anymore. (It used to do Kickstarts just fine -- I had to do it to marry the external drive originally.)

Any thoughts will be greatly appreciated!


----------



## lattanzi (Dec 19, 2007)

I'm having a similar problem. I've had the DVR-E connected for 7 months or so on my Tivo HD without any problems. Got the 9.4 upgrade on 7/31 and everything ran just fine until yesterday, 8/21. I came home to a gray screen. Rebooted the Tivo and it got stuck on "Welcome. Powering up..." I can unplug the DVR-E and get to the spot to divorce the two, but have not taken that step. Called Tivo last night and they are sending a replacement Tivo HD.


----------



## Allez (Dec 9, 2007)

My Tivo HD had been working fine with my expander for 7 months. It started then freezing with a dark screen, and was unresponsive to the remote. I had to unplug the THD and expander and reboot. I replaced the eSATA cable to no avail. The only thing that worked was divorcing the expander - otherwise every 2 days the THD would freeze. I've contacted WD for a replacement expander, so we'll see. . .


----------



## JStew (Oct 1, 2007)

Just out of curiosity, has anyone contacted Tivo? I know it was easier for me to box up the WD drive and send it back for replacement which will be here on Monday. But, I never even gave Tivo a second thought when in all actuality, they're the problem! I'm sure the new drive will arrive on Monday and it'll be DOA, but we'll see.


----------



## Allez (Dec 9, 2007)

JStew said:


> Just out of curiosity, has anyone contacted Tivo? I know it was easier for me to box up the WD drive and send it back for replacement which will be here on Monday. But, I never even gave Tivo a second thought when in all actuality, they're the problem! I'm sure the new drive will arrive on Monday and it'll be DOA, but we'll see.


I did call Tivo - the person I spoke with wasn't sure what was causing my problem but basically felt it was either the expander or the eSATA port on the THD. As such he offered either to replace the THD, or for me to got through WD for the expander. I chose the latter since I figured the expander was more likely to be the problem. Incidentally, I think things started to act up for me - several days before the 9.4 update.


----------



## lattanzi (Dec 19, 2007)

Update - I divorced my DVR-E this morning and now my Tivo HD is working again. Tivo already shipped me a replacement Tivo, but I'm going to call them back this morning. My DVR-E is still under warranty, so I'm planning to get WD to replace it as well. Sure sounds like some kind of problem with 9.4 and the DVR-E.


----------



## No Static At Al (May 22, 2002)

Similar problem in Michigan..

Stock THD with WD Expander, worked perfectly for 8 months. Then 9.4 rolls. Multiple spontaneous reboots, same story that has been told here dozens of times. IN ADDITION, audio would mute after FF, REW, 8 sec back etc. during live or recorded shows.

Divorced DVE (Ug!) No more reboots, but still the audio problem.

TiVo CSR suggested Kickstart 54, drive passed. Also suggested a new cable card. Reluctantly, I had Charter out and that was replaced. Problem persists.

TiVo will replaced the THD (for $50 shipping) That should be here next week, but now after reading through this entire thread, I've very reluctant to marry the DVE to the new THD.....


----------



## janry (Jan 2, 2003)

For those of you that were able to get WD to replace the DVR-E under warranty, did you have to ship the old one back in the orginal packaging with all the cables, manual etc? I have everything excecpt the box and original packaging. I never hang onto those things.


----------



## HDRyder9 (Aug 2, 2007)

WD just replaced mine under warranty. All they wanted returned was the drive and the power supply. Packaging, eSATA cable and documents were not required. My replacement has been shipped but not arrived, yet.


----------



## BarryD99 (Mar 30, 2002)

For what's worth, I installed my Tivo HD 6 days ago and the exteranal drive two days later. 
It is running 9.4 and have not any any problems. Having said that, I'm probably using less than 25&#37; of the combined disk capacity.


----------



## JStew (Oct 1, 2007)

janry said:


> For those of you that were able to get WD to replace the DVR-E under warranty, did you have to ship the old one back in the orginal packaging with all the cables, manual etc? I have everything excecpt the box and original packaging. I never hang onto those things.


I shipped my expander and power cord according to their website. I just put everything in a plain brown box and shipped it UPS (I got a deal on the shipping charges on the WD website). A week later I got an e-mail telling me my replacement was sent via UPS (two-day air) and I will recieve it on Monday.

They want nothhing but the expander and power cord.....Everything else is yours.


----------



## fmdeadrick (Aug 24, 2008)

Same problem post 9.4... 1.5 year old Series 3, 6 month old expander, both pretty much full.

I permanently deleted my deleted folder items. I tried something else last night. I was having 5 - 10 min restart cycles while both tuners were on HD channels. I tried one HD and one SD, restarted within 45 min. I then switched to two SD channels and went to bed. I was able to record the F1 race at 2.5 hours without an issue, so the TiVo has been on at least 3 hours now without a restart. Has anyone else had similar results?

Mark
San Diego


----------



## janry (Jan 2, 2003)

Mark,
Yes, I was able to delete everything and increase the time between reboots for a while, and yes, changing to SD will help as each minute of SD takes less disk space then HD. But eventually I got to the point of nothing would help. Disconnecting the cable or antenna might help but I saw no purpose in doing it. I have arranged for an advanced replacement with WD and as soon as I receive the replacement, I will drop the old Expander in the new one's box and return it. Since your Expander is still in warranty, I suggest you quit agrravating yourself and go ahead and return your Expander.


----------



## fmdeadrick (Aug 24, 2008)

I honestly can't see any logic in why the expander itself is a problem. If this were a trickling in problem over the past 6 months, or however long the expander has been out (I got mine the first week), it would be a good candidate for a hardware issue. WD won't succumb to TiVo's failure to properly release the latest update. I think it is pretty clear to me that this is a system software issue. I would be more inclined to wait for them to fix this in software before giving up a whole drive's worth of data. 

TiVo could be looking at a class action suit if this is not resolved promptly. They are on think ice as it is, and this could send them into the deep sea in short order. 

TiVo, we know you read these. Give me a DVR that does DVRing, and DVPing. I don't need streaming music, podcasts, movie downloads, the ability to order flowers for Mother's Day 2009. I have a good collection of computer that can do this. I want something that can record TV programs, and allows me to play them back, when I want, without having to do the 2008 equivalent of adjusting the rabbit ears every 10 minutes. 

Mark


----------



## JStew (Oct 1, 2007)

fmdeadrick said:


> I honestly can't see any logic in why the expander itself is a problem. If this were a trickling in problem over the past 6 months, or however long the expander has been out (I got mine the first week), it would be a good candidate for a hardware issue. WD won't succumb to TiVo's failure to properly release the latest update. I think it is pretty clear to me that this is a system software issue. I would be more inclined to wait for them to fix this in software before giving up a whole drive's worth of data.
> 
> TiVo could be looking at a class action suit if this is not resolved promptly. They are on think ice as it is, and this could send them into the deep sea in short order.
> 
> ...


Wow, what a concept, eh? Having a Tivo that does what a Tivo is supposed to do! I couldn't agree more.

People are getting fed up and a class action lawsuit could very well be the next step.


----------



## janry (Jan 2, 2003)

fmdeadrick said:


> I honestly can't see any logic in why the expander itself is a problem. If this were a trickling in problem over the past 6 months, or however long the expander has been out (I got mine the first week), it would be a good candidate for a hardware issue. WD won't succumb to TiVo's failure to properly release the latest update. I think it is pretty clear to me that this is a system software issue. I would be more inclined to wait for them to fix this in software before giving up a whole drive's worth of data.


There are 2 things I find interesting that make me suspect the Expander is the problem, though neither enough to conclusively say so. First, WD seems to be exchanging the drives pretty readily, though that could just be good customer service. When I called support I just basically said my Expander was causing my TiVo to reboot and lock-up and the support person said "Let me get you a RMA number". He didn't even ask me to run diagnotics or anything.

Second, the model number of the Expander WD is sending me is different than the one I'm returning. It isn't uncommon for companies to change the model number of their products but they generally don't do it unless there has been a significant change to the product.

While I agree TiVo should seemingly be doing more to assure us their product isn't the problem, they also don't need to trash their business partners if they want to continue a relationship.



> TiVo, we know you read these. Give me a DVR that does DVRing, and DVPing. I don't need streaming music, podcasts, movie downloads, the ability to order flowers for Mother's Day 2009. I have a good collection of computer that can do this. I want something that can record TV programs, and allows me to play them back, when I want, without having to do the 2008 equivalent of adjusting the rabbit ears every 10 minutes.


I totally agree with you on this. I have never used any of those features. My guess is TiVo feels the need to add this stuff to appeal to more consumers.


----------



## HDRyder9 (Aug 2, 2007)

I received my Western Digital replacement drive today. They sent me a My Book drive not a My DVR Expander drive. I emailed WD ansd asked them to send the proper product. I have yet to get a response. My understanding is the only drive recognized by Tivo is the My DVR Expander.


----------



## fmdeadrick (Aug 24, 2008)

janry said:


> There are 2 things I find interesting that make me suspect the Expander is the problem, though neither enough to conclusively say so. First, WD seems to be exchanging the drives pretty readily, though that could just be good customer service. When I called support I just basically said my Expander was causing my TiVo to reboot and lock-up and the support person said "Let me get you a RMA number". He didn't even ask me to run diagnotics or anything.
> 
> Second, the model number of the Expander WD is sending me is different than the one I'm returning. It isn't uncommon for companies to change the model number of their products but they generally don't do it unless there has been a significant change to the product.
> 
> While I agree TiVo should seemingly be doing more to assure us their product isn't the problem, they also don't need to trash their business partners if they want to continue a relationship.


I guess I'll hold final judgement until someone has the same problem with the new drive. Its pretty amazing to me that these drives are doing 24/7 duty cycles and not failing more often. If WD is readily replacing them, they are either assuming responsibility, or they have a deal with TiVo to take responsibility. I think overall WD is probably a more stable company and can afford it.

I'm still having much better results with both tuners set to SD channels, no restarts since yesterday when I tried to do a transfer to the computer. That seems to really cause problems.

Mark


----------



## fmdeadrick (Aug 24, 2008)

HDRyder9 said:


> I received my Western Digital replacement drive today. They sent me a My Book drive not a My DVR Expander drive. I emailed WD ansd asked them to send the proper product. I have yet to get a response. My understanding is the only drive recognized by Tivo is the My DVR Expander.


Do you think there is any difference between them? Larger buffer, access or RPM?

Mark


----------



## Beachbum55 (Jan 1, 2004)

HDRyder9 said:


> I received my Western Digital replacement drive today. They sent me a My Book drive not a My DVR Expander drive. I emailed WD ansd asked them to send the proper product. I have yet to get a response. My understanding is the only drive recognized by Tivo is the My DVR Expander.


I pretty certain that the My Book will not work with your S3 and they'll need to ship you a My DVR Expander instead. A call vs. email may get a faster response. Frustrating when stuff like that happens.


----------



## Allez (Dec 9, 2007)

janry said:


> There are 2 things I find interesting that make me suspect the Expander is the problem, though neither enough to conclusively say so. First, WD seems to be exchanging the drives pretty readily, though that could just be good customer service. When I called support I just basically said my Expander was causing my TiVo to reboot and lock-up and the support person said "Let me get you a RMA number". He didn't even ask me to run diagnotics or anything.


FWIW, I requested my exchange via their website. It was very easy, and I get the impression the same process is used for their other hard drives.

I received my replacement today, so I'll see how things go . . .


----------



## JStew (Oct 1, 2007)

Allez said:


> FWIW, I requested my exchange via their website. It was very easy, and I get the impression the same process is used for their other hard drives.
> 
> I received my replacement today, so I'll see how things go . . .


I did the same thing via the website and got my replacement today. The total time from sending the expander in to getting a replacement was 7 days. So far, so good. At least it connected and operating correctly for the moment.


----------



## JWThiers (Apr 13, 2005)

fmdeadrick said:


> TiVo, we know you read these. Give me a DVR that does DVRing, and DVPing. I don't need streaming music, podcasts, movie downloads, the ability to order flowers for Mother's Day 2009. I have a good collection of computer that can do this. I want something that can record TV programs, and allows me to play them back, when I want, without having to do the 2008 equivalent of adjusting the rabbit ears every 10 minutes.


Actually, I only think you are part right on this point. I don't need another widget to get flowers delivered or buy movie tickets, BUT, if it is video content delivery (i.e. Unbox, YouTube, Video Podcast, TivoCast, Viewing pictures, etc.) to your TV, I think it is a logical extention. I use Unbox a couple of times a month and watch a number of TivoCasts weekly.

Personally, I haven't ever had a problem with my tivo (unless I caused it). What do I mean by that? I have only had an THD for about 6 months and had zero problems that was specifically tivo's fault. I had a few problems with my CC's and channel lineup issues but I blame them on BHN and those problems are not a problem anymore. But I did have a DirecTV w/tivo for a number of years and any problem I encountered were a result of having hacked to enable networking and generally that only happened if I futzed with something too much, but again , my fault and I fixed those problems. As long as tivo doesn't sacrifice its basic functionality adding a few features I probably won't use (streaming music, youtube, flowers) doesn't bother me. And like I said at the begining of this paragraph, I haven't had any problems, sooo.....


----------



## elsteve (Sep 15, 2005)

I'm giving up. Two My DVR Expanders and two different SATA cables (whatever was reccomended in the FAQ) and I still have continual reboots of my Tivo HD.

Anybody want my DVR Expander? The limited warranty is good until 12/12(?). It's yours for $120, including shipping.


----------



## rifleman69 (Jan 6, 2005)

Why would someone want a used DVR expander for $120 when you can get a brand new one for about $10-15 more?


----------



## elsteve (Sep 15, 2005)

It is brand new - well, almost new. Been plugged in once. Then unplugged. I've had it for...2 days now...


----------



## davemcs (Nov 18, 2003)

elsteve said:


> I'm giving up. Two My DVR Expanders and two different SATA cables (whatever was reccomended in the FAQ) and I still have continual reboots of my Tivo HD.


I had the same issue..with both the existing DVR-E AND and brand new spare. THD kept rebooting after 9.4 loaded. Fixed it by replacing the internal drive...used a 500GB drive and all is right in my Tivo world now.


----------



## janry (Jan 2, 2003)

davemcs said:


> I had the same issue..with both the existing DVR-E AND and brand new spare. THD kept rebooting after 9.4 loaded. Fixed it by replacing the internal drive...used a 500GB drive and all is right in my Tivo world now.


Will an internally upgraded THD accept a DVR Expander? It would be nice if it did.


----------



## ZigZagZiggin (Nov 27, 2007)

My Tivo HD and my "My DVR Expander" has been working flawlessly up until yesterday. I accidently unplugged the Expander while the Tivo was powered on, and then rebooted the Tivo without the expander connected. Everytime I tried to reboot with everything connected, it doesn't recognize my expander drive. Is this because of me disconnecting it at the wrong time? Now that it was disconnected, is there no way to recover my recorded programs? Will divorcing and "re-marrying" the drive most likely get it working again (obviously minus my recorded programs)?

After a drive is divorced, can it be married again? Obviously I would be losing all my recordings (which I think are now lost anyway), but will it still be formatted so it can be used with the Tivo again?


----------



## davemcs (Nov 18, 2003)

janry said:


> Will an internally upgraded THD accept a DVR Expander? It would be nice if it did.


You would need to have the new internal drive and the DVR-E "married". Weaknees said they could do it for me but I opted to sell off my DVR-E and keep the one internal drive


----------



## mchief (Sep 10, 2005)

One of the cats disconnected the Expander, and Tivo rebooted. At the divorce screen, I plugged the plug and reconnected. Rebooted and everything works fine. If you did not divorce the Expander, it should work. Also after divorce, you should be able to reconnect and it should work as a new Expander would.


----------



## Big Boy Laroux (Oct 10, 2006)

Add another person to the list. My DVR Expander is now shot. Started with frequent freezes and reboots shortly after the 9.4 upgrade (really got more frequent when watching the olympics). It then rebooted and hung at the "Welcome, Powering Up" screen. I was actually out of town when it happened - my wife said it stayed on there all day. So I get back and try to reset the TiVo - it will only get somewhere if i disconnect the Expander. It then gets to the "Do you want to remove the external drive" screen.

However, I select to remove the drive, and it keeps rebooting and going to to the same spot. Asking me again and again if i want to remove the drive. I am electing to do so each time! Any ideas there?


----------



## Big Boy Laroux (Oct 10, 2006)

Called TiVo support and there was nothing they knew how to do. So i have RMA'd the TiVo HD with TiVo AND the Expander with WD. 

I'm somewhat glad this happened when it did and not later. I was like 2 days away from my TiVo warranty expiring... but of course it sucks. Lost recordings, have to set up all season passes again, etc. etc.


----------



## JStew (Oct 1, 2007)

Big Boy Laroux said:


> Called TiVo support and there was nothing they knew how to do. So i have RMA'd the TiVo HD with TiVo AND the Expander with WD.
> 
> I'm somewhat glad this happened when it did and not later. I was like 2 days away from my TiVo warranty expiring... but of course it sucks. Lost recordings, have to set up all season passes again, etc. etc.


That's exactly right. Tivo's claim to fame is that it is so much better than anything else out there when it comes to recording. But once you divorce their "recommended" expander, everything you've recorded is gone. I lost over 40 hours of material.


----------



## ReedSavory (Nov 26, 2006)

Add another person to the list - had my Tivo HD since December last year, bought the WD Expander right around the time they became available, around February I think.

TiVo HD has been working great all along, received the 9.4 update the other day, unit now constantly reboots.

Went through and cleaned-up a ton of space, but it's still rebooting.

Seriously, if someone wants to call a class-action lawyer, I'm ready at this point to join-up -I'm really reaching the pissed-off stage here. There have been way to may problems with Updates over the last few years.

I'd be one thing if I was using an unauthorized expander - but to see so many folks having problems with the 9.4 update using the Expander that TiVo certified is totally, totally unacceptable.


----------



## rbprescott (Feb 26, 2002)

I have had 2 Series 3 TiVo's replaced, one cost me $150, because of the TiVo Expander which I purchased from TiVo. One of the replacemen units would not work and had to be exchanged again. Serveral weeks after I installed the TiVo Expander, two diffent TiVo units experienced he same problem on play back. They would lock up. Sometimes you could get the playback to continue and other times the TiVo would lock up. I went thru so many calls with support. I tried everything, all my attempts are one big blur. The kickstart 54 showed one of the systems was fine, primary and secondary. I now have two fuctioning Series 3 TiVo units. The Expander is in the process of being replaced by WD. I am very wary of installing the expander. Do you think I have a chance of getting my money back from TiVo?


----------



## rbprescott (Feb 26, 2002)

ReedSavory said:


> Add another person to the list - had my Tivo HD since December last year, bought the WD Expander right around the time they became available, around February I think.
> 
> TiVo HD has been working great all along, received the 9.4 update the other day, unit now constantly reboots.
> 
> ...


*I am TOTALLY discusted with TiVo. *


----------



## Allez (Dec 9, 2007)

FWIW, my lockups have stopped (knocks on wood) since having my expander replaced. Before replacement, my TivoHD would lock up every couple of days only while I had the expander attached - it had worked fine when the expander was disconnected.


----------



## windracer (Jan 3, 2003)

Oh oh ... I think this has happened to me now.

I found my THD with just a black screen, unresponsive to the remote last night. No big deal, I rebooted it and it came back up fine. Then I tried to play an HD recording and it spontaneously rebooted. This time it got stuck in a reboot loop. So I let it sit unplugged for a few minutes and tried again and it booted fine. I tried playing the recording again, bam, reboot.

It got stuck in a loop again, so I tried leaving it uplugged for a while like before, but no luck, still the reboot loop. Sometimes it would get to the "almost there" screen, other times it would just keep repeating the "powering up" screen.

Then I remembered I had the WD Expander connected. So I checked all the cable connections and they were tight. I tried booting without the Expander connected and my THD got all the way to the "external storage not detected" screen so things started pointing to the Expander as the issue. I wasn't ready to divorce the drive just yet, so I unplugged the THD _and_ the Expander and let them sit for a while.

When I power up the Expander, it makes a slight buzz (like a pager) then I can hear the drive spin up. Then I can hear a clicking noise, which doesn't sound good and then the drive sounds like it spins down.

So I'm not sure this is the exact problem described in this thread, it could be an actual hardware failure. I can't get into the kickstart though (I've tried several times). I suspect the box is hanging when trying to read the Expander and thus not getting far enough to recognize the kickstart codes. I don't have an eSATA connector on my PC, so I'm not sure how I can check the drive without it being connected to the TiVo ... unless I rip open the enclosure.

Tonight I'm going to try a few more things ... I guess worse case I divorce the drive and then see if I can re-associate it. 

_edit:_ I just checked my drive's serial number on WD's warranty site and it's still covered, so maybe I'll just try the RMA route.

_edit #2:_ yeah, this is a hardware failure. The drive clunks a few times when it tries to spin up and then just shuts down. I'm going to send it back to WD. *sigh* Time to file for divorce.


----------



## Allez (Dec 9, 2007)

I would definitely RMA it - it fixed my problem, and even if it's not the exact same problem as mine it certainly sounds like an external hard drive problem. You can do it through the WD website - very easy to do.


----------



## windracer (Jan 3, 2003)

windracer said:


> I'm going to send it back to WD.


Argh! My replacement drive from WD arrived today ... and they sent me the _bare_ 500gb SATA drive! 

The first tech I spoke with at WD told me I was the one who opened the RMA and I requested an internal drive. I said no, I put in the serial number on the back of _external_ WD Expander and I was sent an internal drive. I was transferred to a supervisor who is going to have me scan the label on the back of the drive and e-mail it in so they can send me the proper model.

Geez.


----------



## jlb (Dec 13, 2001)

I got a "External Storage Missing" message this afternoon (well my daughter did and she told me about it when I got home). Anyways, I have been fine on 9.4 before I got the drive. Hooked the drive up about 2+ weeks ago with a SIIG cable. Just did a reboot and all was fine. Hopefully it is the only and last time I see that.


----------



## PhiTauBill (Sep 20, 2002)

than adding customers...



janry said:


> I totally agree with you on this. I have never used any of those features. My guess is TiVo feels the need to add this stuff to appeal to more consumers.


Tivo is still beleeding cash, so they are drifting away from their core competencies... I suspect they'll address the 9.4 issues, but not until 9.5...


----------



## janry (Jan 2, 2003)

Allez said:


> I would definitely RMA it - it fixed my problem, and even if it's not the exact same problem as mine it certainly sounds like an external hard drive problem. You can do it through the WD website - very easy to do.


I don't want to say how my results have been since receiving my replacement drive from WD over 4 weeks because I'm afraid I'll jinx myself.


----------



## windracer (Jan 3, 2003)

windracer said:


> Argh! My replacement drive from WD arrived today ... and they sent me the _bare_ 500gb SATA drive!


My new external drive _finally_ arrived today. I've re-married it to the TiVoHD and everything seems fine again.


----------



## omelet1978 (Mar 7, 2006)

I've had the same problems as everyone esle, random crashes, freezing, etc.. which all started at the same time.

I had both the tivo and hard drive replaced with no charge and they are crashing just like the previous ones.

I called support and they said it might be the tivo adapter. One thing that backs that up is that when I try to transfer files via tivo to go it usually does not work. However, I'm thinking it is probably a problem with the 9.4 software and not the adapter.

Has there been any solution for all of this. Maybe a new software update to fix this thing?


----------



## dubluv (Mar 3, 2006)

i'm amazed that tivo and western digital have been silent over this matter. i'm so disappointed, since i'm a big tivo fan. what am i supposed to do with this expander? for those of you who've contact tivo support, was there any indication that a fix or solution of some sort was in the pipeline? maybe after some of us subs start calling to cancel service they'll at least acknowledge this problem exists.


----------

