# Tivo Slide Remote would not fully reset



## e_identity (Jan 21, 2005)

I am posting a description of a problem I had w/ my Tivo slide remote just in case it helps someone else. My problem seemed slightly different than other problems I saw described here.
I have a Premiere XL Tivo box and I purchased a slide remote separately. I connected the bluetooth ("bt") usb dongle and the slide remote worked fine. After a software update a month or two ago, the Tivo box and the slide remote stopped working. I reset the Tivo box (a few times) and it finally began working again, but the slide remote would not work. Multiple times I tried resetting the remote (<tivo><tvpower>, <thumbs down>X3, <enter>), attempting to re-pair the remote to the bt dongle, and restarting the Tivo box. I verified that the slide remote batteries were fresh and installed correctly. The slide remote still would not work on the Tivo box. I got out the IR glo remote that came w/ the Tivo box and it worked fine. When I pressed a button (other than volume, TVPower, TV Input) on the slide remote, the blue light at the tip of the remote flashed (indicating that the slide remote was still in bt mode even though resetting the remote and/or disconnecting the bt dongle should have caused the slide remote to revert to IR mode (amber light at tip)). If I programmed the slide remote, the TV would respond to the slide remote (volume, TVPower, TVInput) and for these functions the amber light flashed at the tip of the slide remote (indicating IR mode). After about a month of failing to solve this problem on my own, I contacted Tivo customer service. After a round of questions, the TIVO CSR determined that a faulty remote was the likely cause and gave contact info for arranging a warranty exchange. The Tivo CSRs I dealt with were polite and informed and I appreciated the assistance they provided.


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## e_identity (Jan 21, 2005)

As per the original post, I received a replacement Slide remote from Tivo. The problems I had with the original remote have now recurred with the replacement. I contacted Tivo customer service by email, but they were unable to suggest any steps that improved the situation and did not offer to re-replace the remote. I am wondering if there is anything I can do to get the Slide remote to work so that I don't have to throw it away. Basically, the problem is that the remote buttons dont work to control the Tivo (though it will control the TV via IR and the slide out keyboard seems to work). By contrast the IR remote that came w/ the Tivo seems to work fine to control the Tivo. I think the problem relates to the BT and that resetting the remote does not seem to reset the BT.

I have done a global reset of the remote according to Tivos instructions (<tivo><tvpower>, <thumbs > down>X3, <enter>). I know that I am successful b/c the remote forgets the TV remote code and that code needs to be re-entered b/f the remote will control the TV. However, after global reset, the remote buttons still do not work for the Tivo. I have also tried re-pairing the remote and the BT dongle according to TIVOs instructions, but that seems to have no effect.

When I do the global reset, it is my understanding that the remote *should* reset completely including being no longer paired to the BT dongle on the TIVO box. After a global reset, I understand that the slide remote *should* operate in IR mode to control both the TV (volume/power) and the Tivo box. I also understand that the color of the LED light above the TIVO button tells me which mode the remote is in (blue for BT, amber for IR). In my case, after a global reset and before I make any attempt to "re-pair" the BT function, the LED above the TIVO button still flashes blue when I press a button to control the TIVO box (but amber (after I reprogram the remote with the TV code) for a TV function button). This leads me to wonder if there is some other way to get the Slide remote to actually "unpair" from the BT dongle so that my attempt to "re-pair" it would be more successful. If I understand correctly, I could be certain the Slide remote had "un-paired" from the BT dongle if I did a global reset, did not "re-pair" it, and the light above the TIVO button was amber when I used a button to control the TIVO box. However, I cannot achieve this. I am certain my attempts at global reset are working b/c the remote forgets how to control the TV (after global reset, I have to re-enter the TV remote code b/f the slide remote will control the TV). The behavior of the slide remote is not changed even if the BT dongle is dis-connected from the TIVO box throughout the entire global reset process.

Thanks for any suggestions,

e


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## tunarollz (Jun 2, 2011)

a few questions:

-When in this funky state you mention the slide out keyboard works in the TiVo UI?

-After a global reset, what's the state of the Slide LED? It should be amber when you first activate the mode, and blink a few ambers after the thumbs down + enter sequence (confirmation of the clear). Right after this, the LED should have a constant blue blink while it searches for the BT dongle. Does yours go through all these same behaviors? If so, you just need to press and hold the BT button on your dongle for a few seconds and when you release it, it should also have a constant blink as well. Once they find each other, they'll both cease their blinks and be paired again.


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## e_identity (Jan 21, 2005)

tunarollz,
Thanks for all your suggestions.

1. Yes, when in this funky state, the slide keyboard will input text to the tivo box. I used my regular remote to get to a search field then tested the keyboard.

2. When I press <TVPower><TIVO> for a few seconds, solid amber light comes on. When I press <thumbs down>X3 and <enter>, the amber light flashes with each button press. Then the amber light flashes on its own four times, then nothing more. No blue light indicating that the remote is searching for the BT dongle. When I press a button to control the TIVO, the blue light flashes once for each button press, but the buttons do not have any effect on the TIVO.

I also tried re-pairing the slide & dongle. On the TiVo Slide remote, I pressed and held the TiVo button and the blue "B" button simultaneously until the activity indicator light blinked blue. The light on the slide blinks blue twice, then stops. On the dongle, I pressed and held the button until the LED started blinking. The remote still doesn't work. Then I tried reversing the order (button on dongle then buttons on slide), but remote still doesn't work to control the TIVO box. The light on the dongle keeps flashing for a while after I press the button, but the light on the remote only flashes a few times.

Thanks again for your suggestions--I really appreciate them. I guess I may be sending another remote to the landfill.


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## tunarollz (Jun 2, 2011)

sorry to hear you're still having problems with your slide. It sounds like that unit isn't able to go into pairing mode anymore. I don't know why though. I'd suggest asking TiVo CS to replace the unit, but upon reading your above posts, it sounds like this is the replacement unit and it somehow has the same issue...

Both the global reset and the tivo+B pairing procedures should leave the remote in a BT hunting state. Neither of your slides seem to want to unpair though. That's why it stays in BT mode (as indicated by your blue LED flashes w/ keypresses on your slide).

Curious...what happens when you remove the BT dongle from the box and press a few keys on the slide upper half? You *should* see it eventually revert from sending BT to IR based on the status LED. I'd imagine since it's having problems unpairing, it probably isn't talking to your dongle to begin w/ and will just stay in BT mode.

Another question - this is a new slide and new BT dongle that came with the new unit, yes? It should be pre-paired out-of-box. Was that the case w/ ur new slide? Or are you re-using the old dongle?


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## e_identity (Jan 21, 2005)

tunarollz,

Thanks again for your thoughts!

>Curious...what happens when you remove the BT dongle from the box and
> press a few keys on the slide upper half? You *should* see it eventually 
>revert from sending BT to IR based on the status LED. I'd imagine since it's
> having problems unpairing, it probably isn't talking to your dongle to begin
> w/ and will just stay in BT mode.

You are correct, when I remove the BT dongle from the Tivo box and press keys on the upper half of the Slide remote, the slide stays in BT mode and the blue status LED flashes. The dongle has been unplugged for more than 24 consecutive hours, and this condition persists.

>Another question - this is a new slide and new BT dongle that came with
> the new unit, yes? It should be pre-paired out-of-box. Was that the case
> w/ ur new slide? Or are you re-using the old dongle?

You are correct, this is a new slide that came with a new BT dongle, I am not reusing the old BT dongle. The remote/dongle were pre-paired out-of-the-box and worked fine for a few months, then the same problem I had with the first Slide remote recurred.

Thanks again for your help!

e_identity


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## tunarollz (Jun 2, 2011)

yikes...not sure what's causing these slides to fail. How long has it been since you got this replacement? I'd let TiVo CS know that the replacement unit failed the same way. Hopefully you get a replacement that doesn't go south like that.


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## rcobourn (Nov 10, 2004)

It almost sounds like your remote is pairing with something else when you reset it... I wonder if you have a neighbor whose TiVo suddenly starts responding to phantom remote commands. 

Just for kicks, turn off every other device with BT in your house, then try re-pairing.

Good luck.


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## e_identity (Jan 21, 2005)

tunarollz, I did contact Tivo CS by email. As I noted above, Tivo CS did not offer to re-replace the unit. What they actually said via email was "If you have done this [i.e. global reset as per Tivo's instructions], at this point I would advise an exchange as you know the Bluetooth works since the keyboard works, and the IR sensor on the TiVo is functioning or else the other remote would not work. I see that it was not purchased through us, so I would suggest contacting the place of purchase to see what your options are." I am not sure I agree w/ Tivo CS's diagnosis, but they didn't respond to my follow-up email. In any case the unit is well out of warranty (IIRC the warranty is a relatively short 60 days). Given the expired warranty and the fact that I don't any longer have the remote originally sold to me by ElectronicsExpo (I returned it to Tivo), I did not bother contacting the orginal seller. I originally purchased the Slide in late October 2010, didn't get around to using the Slide till late that winter, and by late March 2011, the first slide had stopped working. I contacted Tivo and they agreed to send a replacement at that time, and I used the replacement until it stopped working (probably sometime this summer). I didn't have any time to deal w/ the problem till recently, so the dysfuntionial slide just sat there for a while. I will note that in the fall of 2010 I bought two Tivo Boxes and two Slide remotes. The Slide remote that I use w/ the Premier XL box, has had the problems described in this thread. The Slide remote that I use with my Premier box has not had any problems. Anyway, thanks for your suggestions!!

rcobourn, thanks for your response and suggestions! I did think about whether the Slide was pairing w/ another BT device. I disconnected the BT dongle on the Premiere XT Tivo Box, verified that BT was off on my Blackberry, disconnected the BT dongle on my desktop pc, and couldn't find any other BT devices that were active. It did not change the Slide's behavior. Good suggestion though. In any case, as noted above, when I do the global reset it doesn't go through the seek for BT process described by tunarollz and it doesn't go through the continuously-flashing-blue-led phaze when I make a specific effort to pair it to the BT dongle on the Tivo Box. So it seems to me that it is not pairing w/ some other BT device. In any case, I really appreciate your thinking about it!


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## tunarollz (Jun 2, 2011)

any chance these slide remotes are going through some more-extreme-than-usual handling? Kids, pets, frequent dropping or accidental sitting on the remotes? I ask because the behavior you describe and the fact that it happens over time leads me to suspect the ribbon for communication between the two halves may've become severed or at least disconnected.

Are you able to program any functions to control your TV using one of these affected slide remotes?


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## e_identity (Jan 21, 2005)

tunarollz,
Thanks again for your continued thoughts on this! The slide remote, after I program it to control the TV, does a fine job of controlling the TV volume, power, and input functions. When a TV function button is pushed, the remote uses IR to control the TV (based on the fact that it works on the IR only TV and the flashing amber LED at the top of the remote). At the same time, the buttons don't work at all to control the Tivo (blue flashing LED when a TIVO button is pressed). I have a kid (no dog) and it wouldn't shock me to learn that the remote had been dropped or sat upon. That said, I am not sure that the two-halves of the slide are disconnected since the bottom half keyboard still works and the top half TV buttons still work. Is there anyway to test for this problem? I guess I could try disassembly just to see what I find. If I can't get it back together, I won't be any worse off....
Anyway, I really appreciate your suggestions!


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## tunarollz (Jun 2, 2011)

Yeah. unfortunately it'd have to be opened up to check what's going on with the ribbon. It's obviously not fully disconnected as the top half still has function. It sounds like it may be damaged somehow though. Not sure how this happens on two separate slides though. Any chance you're located in California (the bay area to be specific)?

-jon


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## e_identity (Jan 21, 2005)

tunarollz,
Unfortunately, I am on the other coast. Thanks though!
Any advice on opening the slide up? There is one screw under the battery cover, but removing that screw doesn't reveal an obvious next step. I searched for help, but didn't find any advice on this.
Thanks again!!!


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## tunarollz (Jun 2, 2011)

Yeah it's tough to open w/o breaking so be really careful. That said, I'm not sure how much you'll actually be able to see once it's open. The ribbon being damaged is suspect, but other than that, it'll probably be hard to track down any obvious issues...


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## e_identity (Jan 21, 2005)

Tunarollz, thanks for the advice! Turns out that, after you remove the screw, it pops apart pretty easily. I inspected the interior of the slide remote. Ribbon cable attached and appears to be be w/o damage. No obvious damage anywhere. This is obviously not conclusive, but all I can determine visually. Sadly, the remote appears to be off to the landfill. Thanks for all the assistance and suggestions!


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## tunarollz (Jun 2, 2011)

was hoping something obvious would show up. sorry to hear about the troubles you've had with your slide. if you were local, i'd love to pick it up and have one of my guys take a look. Very curious what would turn up from FA...


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## kbake (Feb 1, 2011)

I'm experiencing a frustrating problem with the slide remote. All functions were learned from my Glo remote and everything works fine except the Power button. It will turn OFF the tv but it will not turn it ON. Very strange.

I've tried the learning feature several times and the light blinks multiple times to indicate learning failed. I have entered every code listed for the Sony Bravia and still no luck. I even found my old Series 2 remote to try learning from that and no luck.

Anyone else having the same problem or can offer any suggestions?


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## jhauser77 (Jan 4, 2011)

I'm having the same problem with my new slide remote. E_identity, did you figure it out?


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## jl82 (Jun 15, 2011)

I noticed today that after an apparent automatic update (the guide changed from red to blue) my slide remote stopped working. I have the premiere XL and the USB dongle and after 6 months without a delay ever, the remote no longer controlled any of the functions.

This is no coincidence after software updates the remote crashed?


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## gteague (Apr 1, 2007)

my slide remote controls my tv, but it flashes blue, not amber, while doing it. i went back through the tivo faqs on their page and didn't see anything that specifically said the light should flash amber when controlling the tv (or rcvr) although it does say that:

_If you press a button on the remote and the activity indicator light flashes amber when the USB receiver is installed, the Slide remote is operating in IR mode and you will need to enable Bluetooth manually. _​
another thing i noticed today regarding the slide remote, i replaced one elite with another one and the remote remained paired to the usb dongle across the transfer, so that seems to prove that whatever the dongle is plugged into doesn't matter as far as pairing goes.

/guy


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## jl82 (Jun 15, 2011)

The weird thing is after i reset the box for the second time, upon starting it brought me to the main menu screen as if i were to hit the tivo button, i pressed the menu down button on the slide remote and it went down! it made the tivo noise like usual when pressing a button but then it stopped after that. 

My problem began when i answered a phone call last night. I paused what i was watching, and about 5 minutes later i went to resume and none of the functions worked. I reset the box numerous times, replaced batteries, tried re-pairing by hitting the button with the blue b button until all lights werer flashing... no luck.

Ive noticed nuances with tivo, and the premiere xl, and i would figure them to chalk it up to a defective remote and im SOL, but i think there is more to it. I never had a problem until the software update yesterday

luckily i have the tivo app on my iphone, and i can use that for now....


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## wmcbrine (Aug 2, 2003)

I have a similar problem. My Slide was working fine until tonight. I was using it normally, slid it open (just for the heck of it, I'm sorry to say, not to actually type anything), slid it back, and suddenly none of the top buttons were working. _Except_ the volume and TV power -- the ones that still used infrared. But if I opened it, the keys on the keyboard side still worked. The blue light still flashed when I pressed one of the top buttons, but nothing else happened.

I assumed I'd dislodged or torn the cable between the two halves. After ruling out battery issues, I disassembled the remote, but could find no problem. (I couldn't fully get at both ends of the cable, though, to try reseating it.)

So I thought, if the TV commands still work, then maybe the remote will still work in infrared mode. But, I can't seem to get it out of Bluetooth mode. I pulled out the dongle, left the batteries out for a few minutes, and finally ran the global reset. But the light still glows blue. And that's all that happens.

Edit: I disassembled it again, this time all the way. I got at both ends of the cable, and still saw no problem, but reseated it. I had it working (in IR mode) for about five seconds, and then it was acting as before. But it was still in pieces at the time, so maybe there was another reason...


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## bhiga (Oct 20, 2006)

wmcbrine said:


> Edit: I disassembled it again, this time all the way. I got at both ends of the cable, and still saw no problem, but reseated it. I had it working (in IR mode) for about five seconds, and then it was acting as before. But it was still in pieces at the time, so maybe there was another reason...


How do you get into the top part of the remote? I can get to the keyboard section, but for the life of me I can't figure out how to open the top ("normal") section...


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## Cypher16e (Dec 29, 2014)

Ok, I think I've figured it out. Unplugging the dongle, holding the button on the bluetooth dongle, pressing the button once / multiple times, global reset on the slide remote, etc. -- all didn't work at all.

I did try this on my PC (I've been using the Slide to control XBMC on my home theater PC for a couple years now): *right-click the bluetooth* icon in my Windows tray, and selected *"Turn Adapter Off"*. Now, a global reset (TiVo button + TV Pwr, ThumbsDown button 3 times, then Enter button next to zero on lower right to get 4 Amber flashes) immediately unpaired my remote, and automatically went into bluetooth pairing mode!

How's this help anyone not using the TiVo Slide on an HTPC? How'd y'all post on this forum? *Plug the USB bluetooth dongle into your PC or Mac, and attempt to "Turn Adapter Off" and then perform a global reset on the Slide remote!*


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## Cypher16e (Dec 29, 2014)

I know its been years since this thread originated, but if any of youse find your way back, please post your results.

I know there's a lot of confusion out there about the 6 different drivers TiVo made for the Slide: the first handles most of the buttons, the common ones like arrows, numbers and letters, volume, channel, play/pause; and the rest are either upper or lower filter drivers. The second handles the special buttons: the TiVo button, Live TV button, and the ThumbsUp & ThumbsDown buttons, as well as detects when the Slide keyboard is revealed or slid closed. The third is used, but what for I don't know. The fourth is the only one that detects when any button is _released_. The fifth I'm unsure of; the sixth always seems to error out, however it's my hunch that the sixth fixes a bug in one or more of the others, and possibly, the fifth is similar. The clear button does not work on non-TiVo boxes, so its possible the 3rd, 5th or 6th filter drivers (a filter driver acts as a helper to the main driver, adding or modifying data sent from the device before it is submitted to the main driver [lower filter], or altered after the main driver has processed it but before being handled by the operating system [upper filter], and typically they're used to add functionality or update a device) were a quick way to address intermittent bugs not caught before the Slide remote initially shipped, or was a difficult problem to solve or unclear on the exact implementation of the function (i.e. the clear button [which became a nice convenience since the advent of smart phones & searching Google or app stores]).

I'm interested if this fully unchains the Slide from bluetooth for everyone: if you've had success or failure, post it!


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## firebladeboy (Oct 13, 2004)

Didn't work for me I'm afraid. Nothing will kick my Slide out of bluetooth mode and it won't communicate with the Tivo except for a few buttons (but not all) on the slide-out portion.


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## bhiga (Oct 20, 2006)

firebladeboy said:


> Didn't work for me I'm afraid. Nothing will kick my Slide out of bluetooth mode and it won't communicate with the Tivo except for a few buttons (but not all) on the slide-out portion.


Have you checked the Bluetooth daughtercard? If it comes loose it can do stuff like this and only the IR portions will work, if it works at all.

This guy's video shows everything you need to know about that:


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## firebladeboy (Oct 13, 2004)

bhiga said:


> Have you checked the Bluetooth daughtercard? If it comes loose it can do stuff like this and only the IR portions will work, if it works at all.
> 
> This guy's video shows everything you need to know about that:


OMG!!! That was totally it!! My daughterboard wasn't completely detached but very loose in it's socket resulting in the weirdness I guess.

@bhiga - THANK YOU so much!!


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## bhiga (Oct 20, 2006)

firebladeboy said:


> OMG!!! That was totally it!! My daughterboard wasn't completely detached but very loose in it's socket resulting in the weirdness I guess.
> 
> @bhiga - THANK YOU so much!!


Glad it worked for you.

Usually if it's completely popped off you'll hear it rattle and you only get IR, but if it's partially connected it does weird things.

Had to reseat it on my Slide remote as well, that's how I found the video. Keep on Slidin'!


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## skinnystar (Nov 28, 2008)

firebladeboy said:


> Didn't work for me I'm afraid. Nothing will kick my Slide out of bluetooth mode and it won't communicate with the Tivo except for a few buttons (but not all) on the slide-out portion.


I recently had a Slide Remote (not Pro) that as soon as I put the batteries in it would start flashing the blue LED. Once before I had let it flash for a while, then it quit flashing and worked OK in IR mode. But another time it just kept flashing until the batteries were dead.
New batteries were installed and it started the blue flashing. Did a full re-set of it, but it was still flashing blue.
Out of frustration I repeated the full re-set about 6 or 7 times, one right after the other.
It's worked in IR mode OK ever since, about a week now.
Fingers, eyes and legs crossed.


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