# TiVo Roamio Won't Work After Reboot



## garynchilds (7 mo ago)

I have a TiVo Roamio with a Lifetime subscription I bought in 2015. I'm getting an error screen from my cable company that says to contact them. I tried rebooting the TiVo and it goes through the reboot routine, and when it finishes, it shows me my TiVo menu screen for a split second, and then a quick flash of the cable channel that it is tuned to. 

Then it returns right back to the error screen. The remote control for the TiVo will not take me to the menu or allow me to change channels. I just hear that familiar kettle drum sound (bong, bong), and it won't move away from the error screen from my cable company. The TiVo won't even play shows that are recorded on the drive. It doesn't seem to function at all. Is it dead?


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## ThAbtO (Apr 6, 2000)

Which model is it? Is it the 4 tuner or 6 tuner model?

It sounds like its the hard drive (and maybe also the power brick on the 4 tuner models, in combination). You cannot get another Roamio from Tivo, it is now the Bolt or Edge. These use 2.5 inch laptop drives and can be more unreliable then the Roamio.

What you can do is to get a WD Red Plus (models end in EFRX, EFZX) and can replace the old drive. You don't need an image to be placed on there and can handle up to 3TB without the use of a computer, or 8TB (or more) with a computer and some program.


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## garynchilds (7 mo ago)

ThAbtO said:


> Which model is it? Is it the 4 tuner or 6 tuner model?
> 
> It sounds like its the hard drive (and maybe also the power brick on the 4 tuner models, in combination). You cannot get another Roamio from Tivo, it is now the Bolt or Edge. These use 2.5 inch laptop drives and can be more unreliable then the Roamio.
> 
> What you can do is to get a WD Red Plus (models end in EFRX, EFZX) and can replace the old drive. You don't need an image to be placed on there and can handle up to 3TB without the use of a computer, or 8TB (or more) with a computer and some program.


It's the 4 tuner.


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## garynchilds (7 mo ago)

ThAbtO said:


> Which model is it? Is it the 4 tuner or 6 tuner model?
> 
> It sounds like its the hard drive (and maybe also the power brick on the 4 tuner models, in combination). You cannot get another Roamio from Tivo, it is now the Bolt or Edge. These use 2.5 inch laptop drives and can be more unreliable then the Roamio.
> 
> What you can do is to get a WD Red Plus (models end in EFRX, EFZX) and can replace the old drive. You don't need an image to be placed on there and can handle up to 3TB without the use of a computer, or 8TB (or more) with a computer and some program.


I don't think it's a power problem, because the reboot sequence works and lights on the front of the unit don't go out.


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## tommage1 (Nov 6, 2008)

garynchilds said:


> I don't think it's a power problem, because the reboot sequence works and lights on the front of the unit don't go out.


Strange problem. Maybe not power but possible, supply can go partially bad, enough to light things up but not boot the drive. Try pulling the cable card for fun. Try disconnecting the internet. You say LIGHTS on front of unit do not go out, when fully booted there should be only one, the green. If multiple could be the drive (or the power supply). Are they flashing?


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## tommage1 (Nov 6, 2008)

If you have multiple lights, never gets to solid green, the first thing I would try is another power supply. 12v 2a minimum with same polarity. Even better 12v 3a or more amps, must be 12v and same polarity (do you have another Tivo, if so try it's power supply, a Bolt power supply would be great as it is 3a). If power supply does not solve pull the drive. Hook it up to your computer. If a Windows computer it will not recognize, will say not initialized (because it has linux/Tivo partitions). Do NOT initialize it. Download crystal disk info. Run the test. See what it says. Could be drive is bad. Remember DO NOT INITIALIZE when you put in computer, can run crystal disk as is, if you initialize you will lose all your Tivo info.


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## tommage1 (Nov 6, 2008)

One final thought, you say you bought this in 2015? If you have been using constantly the drive would be near 7 years old, probably nearing end of life. So good idea to replace drive even if you get it up and running. Question would be, if current drive ok (no bad sectors), could probably copy to the new drive. If not, maybe just start fresh. Roamio on TE3 OS will format up to 3TB itself. If TE4 will format pretty much any size drive. You MUST use a CMR drive (not SMR). As other poster mentions WD Red PLUS (not Red) will work. Or there are other CMR drives available, just make SURE it is CMR. Power supply would be 7 years old also, I'd replace that too, with 12v 3a, if you want Tivo brand just buy a Bolt PS, it's 3a, better than stock Roamio 2a.


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## garynchilds (7 mo ago)

tommage1 said:


> One final thought, you say you bought this in 2015? If you have been using constantly the drive would be near 7 years old, probably nearing end of life. So good idea to replace drive even if you get it up and running. Question would be, if current drive ok (no bad sectors), could probably copy to the new drive. If not, maybe just start fresh. Roamio on TE3 OS will format up to 3TB itself. If TE4 will format pretty much any size drive. You MUST use a CMR drive (not SMR). As other poster mentions WD Red PLUS (not Red) will work. Or there are other CMR drives available, just make SURE it is CMR. Power supply would be 7 years old also, I'd replace that too, with 12v 3a, if you want Tivo brand just buy a Bolt PS, it's 3a, better than stock Roamio 2a.


When I say the lights work, I mean that the green is on all the time, the yellow shows when I use the remote, the red shows when it tried to record a show this morning, and I saw the blue come on a split second when I plugged the power supply back in. I have unplugged the power supply many, many times now, and it always goes through the reboot sequence normally, but shows the "TiVo Central" screen for a few split seconds, then a brief screen shot of the program on TV, and then the error screen from my cable provider comes up. It can't make it beyond the reboot messages.


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## tommage1 (Nov 6, 2008)

That's a new one on me. I guess I'd try what I suggested initially, take the cable card out and maybe disconnect the internet, assuming it is ethernet, could probably not do wifi if you can't get to the Tivo Central. I'd still try a different power supply too, if you have one sitting around with specs I mentioned.


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## garynchilds (7 mo ago)

tommage1 said:


> That's a new one on me. I guess I'd try what I suggested initially, take the cable card out and maybe disconnect the internet, assuming it is ethernet, could probably not do wifi if you can't get to the Tivo Central. I'd still try a different power supply too, if you have one sitting around with specs I mentioned.


I tried the cable card removal and reinstall, and disconnecting from internet (it's ethernet). I ordered a new drive, which is a WD30EFZX Red Plus (CMR).


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## krkaufman (Nov 25, 2003)

garynchilds said:


> and it won't move away from the error screen from my cable company


Can you post a pic/screenshot of the error display?


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## tommage1 (Nov 6, 2008)

garynchilds said:


> I tried the cable card removal and reinstall, and disconnecting from internet (it's ethernet). I ordered a new drive, which is a WD30EFZX Red Plus (CMR).


Well I didn't mean remove and reinstall, I meant remove and try booting without it in there, see if you get to Tivo Central. Also disconnect the cable coax. If you get to Tivo Central can take it from there.


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## garynchilds (7 mo ago)

krkaufman said:


> Can you post a pic/screenshot of the error display?


Here it is, but the other TV with no TiVo is receiving the cable signal just fine.


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## cwoody222 (Nov 13, 1999)

That doesn’t look like a HD issue to me.

Did you try to call Cox?

As someone else suggested, I’d try to boot without the cable card. Then try to reinsert it.


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## garynchilds (7 mo ago)

tommage1 said:


> Well I didn't mean remove and reinstall, I meant remove and try booting without it in there, see if you get to Tivo Central. Also disconnect the cable coax. If you get to Tivo Central can take it from there.





cwoody222 said:


> That doesn’t look like a HD issue to me.
> 
> Did you try to call Cox?
> 
> As someone else suggested, I’d try to boot without the cable card. Then try to reinsert it.


Yeah, the first thing I did was call them.


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## garynchilds (7 mo ago)

garynchilds said:


> Yeah, the first thing I did was call them.


I pulled the cable card, and shows recorded on the TiVo will play. Obviously, I can't tune channels in without the cable card though. Does this mean that the cable card is bad?


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## cwoody222 (Nov 13, 1999)

garynchilds said:


> I pulled the cable card, and shows recorded on the TiVo will play. Obviously, I can't tune channels in without the cable card though. Does this mean that the cable card is bad?


Cable cards don’t “go bad”. They become unpaired. You’re going to have to call Cox again.


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## garynchilds (7 mo ago)

cwoody222 said:


> Cable cards don’t “go bad”. They become unpaired. You’re going to have to call Cox again.


I called Cox again and talked to someone on a higher technical tier. They told me to bring in the cable card and channel tuner and exchange them for new ones and then pair the new cable card. From what I've read, they can "decline in efficiency".


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## cwoody222 (Nov 13, 1999)

garynchilds said:


> I called Cox again and talked to someone on a higher technical tier. They told me to bring in the cable card and channel tuner and exchange them for new ones and then pair the new cable card. From what I've read, they can "decline in efficiency".


More likely they only know how to “set up” a new one; rather than troubleshoot an existing issue.

But if you have a local office close to swap, it probably is the path of least resistance.


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## garynchilds (7 mo ago)

cwoody222 said:


> More likely they only know how to “set up” a new one; rather than troubleshoot an existing issue.
> 
> But if you have a local office close to swap, it probably is the path of least resistance.


It's weird becasue the TiVo is still recording all my shows, but I can't watch them unless I remove the cable card, and I can't watch live TV with the cable card in or out. So, the cable card needs to be in place to tape the shows, and removed to watch them.


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## ThAbtO (Apr 6, 2000)

garynchilds said:


> Here it is, but the other TV with no TiVo is receiving the cable signal just fine.


This is not a Tivo error screen. Its from your CableCo. There is nothing you can do on the Tivo to resolve it.


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## dwiller (Sep 28, 2001)

My friend is having this exact issue. Also with Cox cable and that same message on the screen. She can’t access the tivo menu and can’t watch live tv. I will suggest to her pulling the cable card and see if that allows her to watch recorded shows. She called Cox and they told her it’s a TiVo problem. She called TiVo and doesn’t sound like they support her unit (premiere perhaps) anymore. She tried rebooting approx 4 times but nothing changed. 

For what it’s worth she’s in Rhode Island. Let me know if swapping out the cable card or TA helped.

What she said: “It started when I paused Colbert last night. It wouldn’t unpause. Then I couldn’t do anything, change tuner, home it, nothing. Then that screen showed up. Every time I unplug it, when it’s done restarting, I see a glimpse of the TiVo menu but then that screen comes full. No remote functions respond. Stuck on that screen”

Same Cox cable screen you’re getting.


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## tommage1 (Nov 6, 2008)

dwiller said:


> My friend is having this exact issue. Also with Cox cable and that same message on the screen. She can’t access the tivo menu and can’t watch live tv. I will suggest to her pulling the cable card and see if that allows her to watch recorded shows. She called Cox and they told her it’s a TiVo problem. She called TiVo and doesn’t sound like they support her unit (premiere perhaps) anymore. She tried rebooting approx 4 times but nothing changed.
> 
> For what it’s worth she’s in Rhode Island. Let me know if swapping out the cable card or TA helped.
> 
> ...


Actually that is concerning. For the OP, possible the cable card or the tuning adapter (I guess you need a tuning adapter with Cox?) went bad. But if someone else having the same problem, sounds more like Cox may have done something that causes the card/adapter not to work with a Tivo. Or they have to do something different now to get it to work. Will be interesting to see what develops. Since two people, seems to be same problem, different model Tivos, sounds like something Cox did/is doing.

And yeah, removing card/adapter to test good idea. If get to menu, can watch shows and negotiate menus would indicate the Tivo itself is ok (probably).


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## bsbd (Mar 1, 2015)

garynchilds said:


> It's weird becasue the TiVo is still recording all my shows, but I can't watch them unless I remove the cable card, and I can't watch live TV with the cable card in or out. So, the cable card needs to be in place to tape the shows, and removed to watch them.


Which Cox system are you on? I'm on Cox Hampton Roads and thankfully haven't seen that, but it reminds me of the behavior when there's an emergency alert like an EAS or Amber Alert. In those cases Cox forcibly switches user equipment to a special alert screen and sometimes on the tail-end will throw on a white screen graphic similar to what you posted. Until things time out you can't watch anything and you just have to wait it out. My bet would be on something being hung-up at the headend at your local Cox facility. I doubt it's the cablecard and definitely not the tuning adapter, but I guess you need to humor them.


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## ascuser (Oct 16, 2007)

dwiller said:


> My friend is having this exact issue. Also with Cox cable and that same message on the screen. She can’t access the tivo menu and can’t watch live tv. I will suggest to her pulling the cable card and see if that allows her to watch recorded shows. She called Cox and they told her it’s a TiVo problem. She called TiVo and doesn’t sound like they support her unit (premiere perhaps) anymore. She tried rebooting approx 4 times but nothing changed.
> 
> For what it’s worth she’s in Rhode Island. Let me know if swapping out the cable card or TA helped.
> 
> ...


I am having the same issue on a Premiere - and also on Cox in RI.

Disconnecting the coax coming in lets me use the Tivo.


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## tommage1 (Nov 6, 2008)

ascuser said:


> I am having the same issue on a Premiere - and also on Cox in RI.
> 
> Disconnecting the coax coming in lets me use the Tivo.


That's good to know, don't have to remove cable card, easy.


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## karen g. (Mar 24, 2006)

tommage1 said:


> That's good to know, don't have to remove cable card, easy.


Hi! I am dwiller's friend that he posted about. I just disconnected the Coax and now the menu screen shows up. A show did record last night, despite that Cox (in RI) screen being up at the time it recorded. So, I can watch what is recorded. But still can't watch live tv with the coax not connected. Should I still try to swap out the cable card? My tuning adapter is only about a year old; it was replaced after I had an issue a year ago. So, that is fairly new. The Cox tech last night said I had to call Tivo because I couldn't access the menus he needed to try to pair the card again. So, he said until I got that resolved, he couldn't do anything. Now that I can access the menu, should I just try to pair it again first in case it just lost its pairing? I am so glad I am not the only one with this issue!


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## Elliot2 (Dec 15, 2016)

ThAbtO said:


> Which model is it? Is it the 4 tuner or 6 tuner model?
> 
> It sounds like its the hard drive (and maybe also the power brick on the 4 tuner models, in combination). You cannot get another Roamio from Tivo, it is now the Bolt or Edge. These use 2.5 inch laptop drives and can be more unreliable then the Roamio.
> 
> What you can do is to get a WD Red Plus (models end in EFRX, EFZX) and can replace the old drive. You don't need an image to be placed on there and can handle up to 3TB without the use of a computer, or 8TB (or more) with a computer and some program.


I would get another Romeo on eBay with a lifetime


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## ascuser (Oct 16, 2007)

karen g. said:


> Now that I can access the menu, should I just try to pair it again first in case it just lost its pairing? I am so glad I am not the only one with this issue!


Certainly couldn't hurt to try - That's my plan to try that tonight when I get home.


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## karen g. (Mar 24, 2006)

ascuser said:


> Certainly couldn't hurt to try - That's my plan to try that tonight when I get home.


Just thought of a stupid question: when they pair it, does the coax have to be connected? If it does, I won't be able to access my menu again.


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## ascuser (Oct 16, 2007)

karen g. said:


> Just thought of a stupid question: when they pair it, does the coax have to be connected? If it does, I won't be able to access my menu again.


I assume so because I think the signal is sent down the cable but my plan was to disconnect the coax, take photos of the screens with the pairing info, then reconnect the coax. Hopefully if the pairing works it'll unfreeze after it gets the signal.


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## fusionh3_5928 (7 mo ago)

This sounds like your Tivo has passed control to the cable card, due to the communication issue, preventing decryption of a specific channel(s), possibly because it was removed from your ISP's line-up, without proper notification to Tivo's directory service. I have found that either the tivo remote clear or enter button returns control to the tivo box and you can then navigate to another channel. You could then remove that channel from your list of channels. For the cable card communication issue, you can try resetting your broadband equipment. In my case, I power-off my FiOS Fiber Optic "Terminal", which consolidates POTS, Cable TV and Internet into the fiber. I also turn off any routers that may need upstream updates, then after time for capacitors to discharge, I turn things back on from the FiOS terminal, down stream to routers. But there are settings, like DNS names, IPs, gateways, etc PROM-stored in the cable card for encryption keys that a cable tech would need to update, if they need updating - Mine have been working for 10+ years and needing updating means a lot of work for and lack of planning by the ISP, so unlikely.

Contrary to other answers, cable cards are electronics, and so can fail, but are very solid state, they don't wear out. It does not sound to me like yours has failed...


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## fusionh3_5928 (7 mo ago)

ascuser said:


> I assume so because I think the signal is sent down the cable but my plan was to disconnect the coax, take photos of the screens with the pairing info, then reconnect the coax. Hopefully if the pairing works it'll unfreeze after it gets the signal.


Properly, they should send a tech out to pair the card, while it is in the Tivo box and able to ping the server.


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## tough joe (Sep 16, 2006)

I’d start by putting in a new drive AND a new cable card.


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## ascuser (Oct 16, 2007)

fusionh3_5928 said:


> Properly, they should send a tech out to pair the card, while it is in the Tivo box and able to ping the server.


They suggested sending a tech out but then wanted $75 to do so since I don't pay for a "service contract" - I declined


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## karen g. (Mar 24, 2006)

ascuser said:


> I assume so because I think the signal is sent down the cable but my plan was to disconnect the coax, take photos of the screens with the pairing info, then reconnect the coax. Hopefully if the pairing works it'll unfreeze after it gets the signal.


Gotcha. But I thought they needed the card data on the Tivo screen after they paired it, not before. So, will you plug it back in, have them repair it, then unplug it to get the info they need?


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## Brighton Line (Mar 15, 2006)

Shouldn't they be able to pair the card over the phone? I have cable cards and issues with them have all been handled over the phone. Now getting someone at the cable company that knows the difference between a cable card and a cable box is a whole different issue and I first have to get passed the outsourced 1st level support.


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## ascuser (Oct 16, 2007)

karen g. said:


> Gotcha. But I thought they needed the card data on the Tivo screen after they paired it, not before. So, will you plug it back in, have them repair it, then unplug it to get the info they need?


I don't know - It's been a while since I had to pair it so I could be mistaken and you could be right.


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## dianebrat (Jul 6, 2002)

ascuser said:


> I don't know - It's been a while since I had to pair it so I could be mistaken and you could be right.


The HOST and DATA IDs are from the Tivo, you need to be able to give them those.
As far as I know you need to be on the CC Tivo screens to see them.


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## MattCT (Apr 1, 2016)

garynchilds said:


> I called Cox again and talked to someone on a higher technical tier. They told me to bring in the cable card and channel tuner and exchange them for new ones and then pair the new cable card. From what I've read, they can "decline in efficiency".


Some cable companies will let you re-pair a card, but Cox wants to replace cards. On my older TiVo with 2 cards, they included dire warnings not to remove the cards because they could not be used again if they were taken out of their sockets. On my Premiere with 1 card, I think they've relaxed a bit. But they still would prefer to replace their tuner equipment when something appears to be going wrong, which I think shows a lack of confidence in the equipment.


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## da2ny (Feb 21, 2005)

garynchilds said:


> I have a TiVo Roamio with a Lifetime subscription I bought in 2015. I'm getting an error screen from my cable company that says to contact them. I tried rebooting the TiVo and it goes through the reboot routine, and when it finishes, it shows me my TiVo menu screen for a split second, and then a quick flash of the cable channel that it is tuned to, but then it returns right back to the error screen. The remote control for the TiVo will not take me to the menu or allow me to change channels. I just hear that familiar kettle drum sound (bong, bong), and it won't move away from the error screen from my cable company. The TiVo won't even play shows that are recorded on the drive. It doesn't seem to function at all. Is it dead?


I had a similar problem on my Roamio Pro. I contacted weaknees.com and they told me it was the hard drive. They sold me a replacement 3Tb hard drive programmed for Tivo. Took 15 minutes to swap it out and everything works. I did lose my previously recorded shows and myseason passes. However, it recognizes my lifetime subscription.


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## ascuser (Oct 16, 2007)

dianebrat said:


> The HOST and DATA IDs are from the Tivo, you need to be able to give them those.
> As far as I know you need to be on the CC Tivo screens to see them.


Those #s don't change, do they? In other words, if I copy them down with the cable unplugged so I can access them, I should be able to give those #s to Cox after reconnecting the coax?


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## CranstonKS (Feb 7, 2020)

ascuser said:


> I am having the same issue on a Premiere - and also on Cox in RI.
> 
> Disconnecting the coax coming in lets me use the Tivo.


According to the Cox tech guy who just left my house, Cox is trying to solve this problem that TiVo is currently having in Rhode Island. Shortly after midnight on the evening of Monday, June 27, 2022, both of my TiVo units (A TiVo Bolt and a TiVo Premiere) began displaying a white screen telling me to Please try to change the channel." After several unsuccessful attempts and reboots, I finally had Cox come to the house, but he was told by his managers at Cox not to touch anything while they try to figure out the problem.


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## stosh_livonia (Jul 20, 2012)

Is it possible that Cox switched from their coaxial network to fiber in your community? If so, a Tivo with a cablecard might not decode the internet protocol encrypted data from fiber. I'm on Comcast, and their cablecard was useless for tuning channels on their fiber system. I turned-in the cablecard. I also purchased a Roamio, and it's strictly OTA. Comcast did furnish a DVR capable, fiber-compatible box, which works OK, but it's proprietary to Comcast, and doesn't do single-frame advance or slo-mo, like the Tivo. Bottom line: Comcast disenfranchised Tivo, and there's nothing to be done about it. .


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## gabrielstern (Aug 19, 2017)

garynchilds said:


> It's weird becasue the TiVo is still recording all my shows, but I can't watch them unless I remove the cable card, and I can't watch live TV with the cable card in or out. So, the cable card needs to be in place to tape the shows, and removed to watch them.


That sounds like a cable company issue.

From the screen I am seeing but just to be on the safe side I would download pytivo to your computer and back up all your recordings to a computer even if you are running te4 because it was mentioned you can roll it back to te3.

I will post the link to pytivo


Here is the link to pytivo.


pyTivo Desktop



Also if needed and you are running hydra search how to rollback a romio or mini running hydra.

But I still recomend calling cox cable

But first you need to see once you download pytivo and get it up and running to see if it connects to your romio and can transfer your recordings in.


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## cwoody222 (Nov 13, 1999)

This is absolutely an issue on Cox’s end.

Sound more serious than just needing to repair the cards, seems they FUBAR’ed something on their end and they need to fix.

I‘d call them frequently to keep this issue a high priority. Until they take action, it’s not going to be fixed.


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## gabrielstern (Aug 19, 2017)

stosh_livonia said:


> Is it possible that Cox switched from their coaxial network to fiber in your community? If so, a Tivo with a cablecard might not decode the internet protocol encrypted data from fiber. I'm on Comcast, and their cablecard was useless for tuning channels on their fiber system. I turned-in the cablecard. I also purchased a Roamio, and it's strictly OTA. Comcast did furnish a DVR capable, fiber-compatible box, which works OK, but it's proprietary to Comcast, and doesn't do single-frame advance or slo-mo, like the Tivo. Bottom line: Comcast disenfranchised Tivo, and there's nothing to be done about it. .


Yes Comcast is doing the iptv only nonsense in my area too.

You can thank the cable cards no longer need to be supported without coming up with a good adapter or replacement nonsense for that.

And yes the x1 box is junk if you want to view those channels if you have xfinity a roku and the xfinity beta app will let you view those channels but compared to tivo it is slow and junky and you can't record from the roku xfinity app.


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## CranstonKS (Feb 7, 2020)

garynchilds said:


> Here it is, but the other TV with no TiVo is receiving the cable signal just fine.


I got the same message on 6/28/22 in the Providence, RI area. Cox Tech guy came to my house, but was unable to do anything. He said Cox has gotten a number of calls reporting this same problem in Rhode Island. He said that his bosses told him not to touch anything right now because Cox is in communication with TiVo, and they are trying to solve the problem.


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## karen g. (Mar 24, 2006)

CranstonKS said:


> According to the Cox tech guy who just left my house, Cox is trying to solve this problem that TiVo is currently having in Rhode Island. Shortly after midnight on the evening of Monday, June 27, 2022, both of my TiVo units (A TiVo Bolt and a TiVo Premiere) began displaying a white screen telling me to Please try to change the channel." After several unsuccessful attempts and reboots, I finally had Cox come to the house, but he was told by his managers at Cox not to touch anything while they try to figure out the problem.


Are you in RI? Because I am in RI and that is exactly the date and time I started having this issue. I had paused Colbert on Monday night but it would not allow me to unpause. Instead, this white screen came up and has been there ever since until I unplugged the coax per suggestion in a prior post on this thread. Did Cox RI tell you not to touch anything? I was considering running to the Cox store to get a new card, but will hold off if you were told not to do anything. I am so glad we are discussing this! Thanks so much!


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## karen g. (Mar 24, 2006)

ascuser said:


> Those #s don't change, do they? In other words, if I copy them down with the cable unplugged so I can access them, I should be able to give those #s to Cox after reconnecting the coax?


I think the numbers do change when they try to re-pair the card.


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## karen g. (Mar 24, 2006)

karen g. said:


> Are you in RI? Because I am in RI and that is exactly the date and time I started having this issue. I had paused Colbert on Monday night but it would not allow me to unpause. Instead, this white screen came up and has been there ever since until I unplugged the coax per suggestion in a prior post on this thread. Did Cox RI tell you not to touch anything? I was considering running to the Cox store to get a new card, but will hold off if you were told not to do anything. I am so glad we are discussing this! Thanks so much!


I just thought: if you have 2 Tivos and it happened on both, then the chances of it being a Tivo problem are slim.


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## ascuser (Oct 16, 2007)

karen g. said:


> I just thought: if you have 2 Tivos and it happened on both, then the chances of it being a Tivo problem are slim.


@CranstonKS said he has both a premiere and a bolt and both were affected so it's definitely a Cox issue. And presumably the technician that went to his house would have tried to re-pair the cards already so it sounds like we are in a wait-and-see situation


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## gabrielstern (Aug 19, 2017)

karen g. said:


> I think the numbers do change when they try to re-pair the card.


They do change.

Unless you do a straight hard drive copy.

Definitely do not remove the cable card from the slot.

But again whether it becomes unpaired depends on the cable company.

I think cox communications still has an agreement with tivo for the use of their technology unlike Comcast. Which is still in dispute with tivo.

As for fiber optic lines Verizon fios is a fiber optic network and they work fine with tivo.

With no issues that I know of and they have an agreement with tivo I am considering for me switching my TV portion to them from Comcast because of the iptv only nonsense .

But fios has no on demand app for roku thanks to Comcast and I have 2 rokus which I got after the on demand app went away in 2019.

On my tivos.

I am in southeastern pa.


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## timmytrant111987 (7 mo ago)

garynchilds said:


> I have a TiVo Roamio with a Lifetime subscription I bought in 2015. I'm getting an error screen from my cable company that says to contact them. I tried rebooting the TiVo and it goes through the reboot routine, and when it finishes, it shows me my TiVo menu screen for a split second, and then a quick flash of the cable channel that it is tuned to, but then it returns right back to the error screen. The remote control for the TiVo will not take me to the menu or allow me to change channels. I just hear that familiar kettle drum sound (bong, bong), and it won't move away from the error screen from my cable company. The TiVo won't even play shows that are recorded on the drive. It doesn't seem to function at all. Is it dead?


Buy a new drive off Amazon the WD Purple they're meant for surveillance cameras storage so they are constantly are meant to record and delete. I had the same issue bought a drive for $60ish and now my tivo is faster also takes no knowledge at all to install takes a torx size 8 or 10 then take drive out of caddy and replace. Power back on and tivo will install the firmware for you. Also you'll lose your recordings as well as have to Call your cable provider and re pair your card to box


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## gabrielstern (Aug 19, 2017)

ascuser said:


> @CranstonKS said he has both a premiere and a bolt and both were affected
> [/QUOTEPA.
> Definitely and most likely a cox issue but it is still a good idea to replace the hard drives every couple of years in your tivo's including bolts.
> 
> ...


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## ascuser (Oct 16, 2007)

gabrielstern said:


> Definitely and most likely a cox issue but it is still a good idea to replace the hard drives every couple of years in your tivo's including bolts.
> 
> But as another user mentioned the hard drives are becoming more of an issue with laptop and desktop sizes.
> 
> ...


My Premiere is on 12 years old with the original HD


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## gabrielstern (Aug 19, 2017)

timmytrant111987 said:


> Buy a new drive off Amazon the WD Purple they're meant for surveillance cameras storage so they are constantly are meant to record and delete. I had the same issue bought a drive for $60ish and now my tivo is faster also takes no knowledge at all to install takes a torx size 8 or 10 then take drive out of caddy and replace. Power back on and tivo will install the firmware for you. Also you'll lose your recordings as well as have to Call your cable provider and re pair your card to box


The purples are fine up to 4tbs but over 4tbs they are an issue as they are now 7200 rpm drives same with the red plus drives and pro drives now.

I heat tested them last year.

So unless you want to put a computer case fan on top of the drive to keep it cool to the touch and not so hot it burns your hand.

It is only good up to 4tbs.

And with a romio or older dvr it's not practical if you go over 4tbs.

But at up to 4tbs it's fine.

As I think red plus drives are still okay at 4tbs and under just make sure you heat test the drive before using in a tivo by plugging first into a computer via USB and see if the drive gets hot.

If it stays cool to the touch without burning you hand with no fan blowing air on it it is okay for a romio or older model.


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## dianebrat (Jul 6, 2002)

timmytrant111987 said:


> Buy a new drive off Amazon the WD Purple they're meant for surveillance cameras storage so they are constantly are meant to record and delete. I had the same issue bought a drive for $60ish and now my tivo is faster also takes no knowledge at all to install takes a torx size 8 or 10 then take drive out of caddy and replace. Power back on and tivo will install the firmware for you. Also you'll lose your recordings as well as have to Call your cable provider and re pair your card to box


This is not the posters issue, Cox in RI has apparently messed up their CableCARD infrastructure.


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## gabrielstern (Aug 19, 2017)

ascuser said:


> My Premiere is on 12 years old with the original HD


I still have my original premier 500 gig drive but there is sector wear on it so it is just an imaging drive now.

But since I have a saved image on my computer I copied it over to a 500 gig laptop drive.

Which I only use for imaging for copies or expansions.

On romios that is not necessary as the software is built into the motherboard.

Making copies and expansions a lot easier the issue now is everything is going solid state and tivos do not like solid state or 7200 rpm drives.

With bolts you can put a bigger purple drive on it such as a 6 or 8tb drive as in those sizes the only choices with western digital now are 7200 rpm drives. And that's because with a bolt you can mount the drive externally and affix with book shelf brackets a computer case fan on top of it to keep the hard drive cool easily. 

But with a romio it's not practical for most people to do that.

As for the original hard drives for romios and series 4s they were western digital green drives but they were discontinued in 2016.


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## CranstonKS (Feb 7, 2020)

karen g. said:


> Are you in RI? Because I am in RI and that is exactly the date and time I started having this issue. I had paused Colbert on Monday night but it would not allow me to unpause. Instead, this white screen came up and has been there ever since until I unplugged the coax per suggestion in a prior post on this thread. Did Cox RI tell you not to touch anything? I was considering running to the Cox store to get a new card, but will hold off if you were told not to do anything. I am so glad we are discussing this! Thanks so much!


Yes, I'm in Cranston, RI. What city are you in? I asked the Cox repair guy if I should change the Cable Card, and he said no. He advised waiting while they try to figure out the problem. My TiVo Bolt has four tuners. I can get one channel to work on three of the tuners. I don't dare try to change the channel on those 3 tuners, because if I land on one of those white screens with the "Please try to change the channel" message, I might lose the three channels I've still got. But the fourth tuner is still stuck on that white screen with the "Please try to change the channel" message. 
SIDE NOTE: the Cox tech guy said that I would still be able to use the INPUT button to switch to my DVD player or my ROKU stick and either stream or watch DVDs. We tried it, and it worked OK.


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## gabrielstern (Aug 19, 2017)

dianebrat said:


> This is not the posters issue, Cox in RI has apparently messed up their CableCARD infrastructure.


Thanks the hard drive discussion came up because the user posted that he ordered a new hard drive and it had not been pinpointed that it was a cox issue another well known user early in the discussion brought up in case it was a tivo issue that tivo will no longer activate romio dvrs only bolts and newer.

Never the less it is a good idea every 4 to 5 years to do hard drive maintanace and do back ups of recordings and settings other users want to keep in case something goes wrong with a hard drive or a tivo stops working.


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## ascuser (Oct 16, 2007)

gabrielstern said:


> Thanks the hard drive discussion came up because the user posted that he ordered a new hard drive and it had not been pinpointed that it was a cox issue another well known user early in the discussion brought up in case it was a tivo issue that tivo will no longer activate romio dvrs only bolts and newer.
> 
> Never the less it is a good idea every 4 to 5 years to do hard drive maintanace and do back ups of recordings and settings other users want to keep in case something goes wrong with a hard drive or a tivo stops working.


Based on your recommendation, I'd be on my 4th hard drive now


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## Lesley Sterling (Jul 3, 2020)

garynchilds said:


> I have a TiVo Roamio with a Lifetime subscription I bought in 2015. I'm getting an error screen from my cable company that says to contact them. I tried rebooting the TiVo and it goes through the reboot routine, and when it finishes, it shows me my TiVo menu screen for a split second, and then a quick flash of the cable channel that it is tuned to, but then it returns right back to the error screen. The remote control for the TiVo will not take me to the menu or allow me to change channels. I just hear that familiar kettle drum sound (bong, bong), and it won't move away from the error screen from my cable company. The TiVo won't even play shows that are recorded on the drive. It doesn't seem to function at all. Is it dead?


I read many of the replies below and here’s a different thought:

My cable company is Spectrum and I’ve been bombarded with communications about how I need to contact them about getting rid of my cable cards and go full streaming.

Maybe, and this is sneaky, maybe your cable company has artificially blocked cable cards, tricking Tivo users into calling and thinking they have to switch to full streaming option?

Just a thought…


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## ThAbtO (Apr 6, 2000)

gabrielstern said:


> same with the red plus drives and pro drives now.


Red Plus drives are CMR, but Red and Red Pro (7200 RPM) are SMR.


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## cwoody222 (Nov 13, 1999)

Lesley Sterling said:


> I read many of the replies below and here’s a different thought:
> 
> My cable company is Spectrum and I’ve been bombarded with communications about how I need to contact them about getting rid of my cable cards and go full streaming.
> 
> ...


So basically violate your service agreement to purposely disable your service to “trick” you into changing plans?

Cable companies are jerks but this would be illegal.

It’s a mistake.

Cox is guilty here of being ignorant, nothing more.


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## gabrielstern (Aug 19, 2017)

ascuser said:


> Based on your recommendation, I'd be on my 4th hard drive now


It depends I just like to insure I don't have any hard drive failures and like I also posted western digital green drives are not made anymore they were great drives and lasted for years.

But we're discontinued in 2017.

And the types of hard drives that will work with tivo is getting smaller and smaller.
.that's why I have been testing different types of drives.

But I would prefer that companies like western digital be more clear for example with the purple drives up to 4tbs they are still 5400 rpm drives.

But the 6 and 8tb drives are 7200 rpm drives but they don't come right out and say that.

Same with red plus drives. The 8tb drive is a 7200 rpm drive generates too much heat inside of a tivo.

The red pro drives are all 7200 rpm drives.

The iron wolf drives and barracuda drives by Seagate are more clear and upfront about what type of drive it is and the rpm speeds.

The 6tb is for an iron wolf a 5900 rpm drive but thar is still okay.

The iron wolf pro drives are 7200 rpm drives and use the newer technology. Although not a solid state drive.

Again think of it this way hard drives eventually go and wear out with a lot of usage.

Do you want to be the person who wakes up one day and the hard drive just stops working completely and not be able to use their tivo at all.

Or would you rather spend 60 to 100 dollars every 4 to 5 years and change out the hard drive and use programs like pytivo or kttmg to back up everything you want to save or your recordings periodically. 

To your computer.

Like you would maintain a car or a computer.

Hope this gives more clarity. To my recommendation and honestly a hard drive change in a romio is easy. And there are other forums in the tivo comunity that offer programs if you want to go to a hard drive bigger than 3tbs.

Also think of it this way you can't get a 500 gig desktop size drive anymore the smallest is a 1tb drive for a desktop size drive and that might change too.

I know 3tb drives are becoming harder to find also now.

Just a thought although now apparently it's Bern clarified for this forum that it is a cable company issue and not a tivo issue.


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## garynchilds (7 mo ago)

dwiller said:


> My friend is having this exact issue. Also with Cox cable and that same message on the screen. She can’t access the tivo menu and can’t watch live tv. I will suggest to her pulling the cable card and see if that allows her to watch recorded shows. She called Cox and they told her it’s a TiVo problem. She called TiVo and doesn’t sound like they support her unit (premiere perhaps) anymore. She tried rebooting approx 4 times but nothing changed.
> 
> For what it’s worth she’s in Rhode Island. Let me know if swapping out the cable card or TA helped.
> 
> ...


Yup, it happened to me during The Colbert Show too. Same time of night. Swapping out the cable card or channel tuner DOES NOT HELP.


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## garynchilds (7 mo ago)

da2ny said:


> I had a similar problem on my Roamio Pro. I contacted weaknees.com and they told me it was the hard drive. They sold me a replacement 3Tb hard drive programmed for Tivo. Took 15 minutes to swap it out and everything works. I did lose my previously recorded shows and myseason passes. However, it recognizes my lifetime subscription.


My hard drive is fine because when I unplug my cable card, all the shows I subscribe to and recorded there for me, but I can't watch live TV, and having to plug in and unplug the cable card is a real pain.


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## charlesjbiller (7 mo ago)

stosh_livonia said:


> ... Bottom line: Comcast disenfranchised Tivo, and there's nothing to be done about it. .


A class action lawsuit?


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## krkaufman (Nov 25, 2003)

garynchilds said:


> when I unplug my cable card, all the shows I subscribe to and recorded there for me, but I can't watch live TV, and having to plug in and unplug the cable card is a real pain.


Heh, I’ve found a new purpose for my old A/B coax switch.


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## ascuser (Oct 16, 2007)

krkaufman said:


> Heh, I’ve found a new purpose for my old A/B coax switch.


lmao! I think I still have one of those in a box somewhere!! I'm finally going to get to say to my wife "See? I told you I'd need one of these pieces of crap someday!!"


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## charlesjbiller (7 mo ago)

garynchilds said:


> My hard drive is fine because when I unplug my cable card, all the shows I subscribe to and recorded there for me, but I can't watch live TV, and having to plug in and unplug the cable card is a real pain.


Remove the coax cable, not the card; much easier with same result from what I am reading here.


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## krkaufman (Nov 25, 2003)

Not a Cox user but I’m curious… how does this issue affect TiVo Mini’s? With the DVR unusable but seemingly still able to tune and record content, can a Mini still stream previously recorded shows? Tune live content?


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## karen g. (Mar 24, 2006)

CranstonKS said:


> Yes, I'm in Cranston, RI. What city are you in? I asked the Cox repair guy if I should change the Cable Card, and he said no. He advised waiting while they try to figure out the problem. My TiVo Bolt has four tuners. I can get one channel to work on three of the tuners. I don't dare try to change the channel on those 3 tuners, because if I land on one of those white screens with the "Please try to change the channel" message, I might lose the three channels I've still got. But the fourth tuner is still stuck on that white screen with the "Please try to change the channel" message.
> SIDE NOTE: the Cox tech guy said that I would still be able to use the INPUT button to switch to my DVD player or my ROKU stick and either stream or watch DVDs. We tried it, and it worked OK.


I am in Woonsocket! I did check my input button last night and it was fine. I was watching some off-air and could also see my Roku main page. But for regular cable tv, I have to sit on my bed and watch live tv from the Contour box in there. Really annoying. When the tech I was talking to last night asked if I had called Tivo yet, I said no. I told him any problems I have are usually with the cable company and not with my Tivo. LOL. So, I won't touch anything tonight. But did the tech say they will call you when they figure it out? Or do you have to call them back? Just wondering how long I wait before I call them back and complain about this. LOL


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## karen g. (Mar 24, 2006)

krkaufman said:


> Not a Cox user but I’m curious… how does this issue affect TiVo Mini’s? With the DVR unusable but seemingly still able to tune and record content, can a Mini still stream previously recorded shows? Tune live content?


I don't have a mini so I am unable to shed light on that one.


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## karen g. (Mar 24, 2006)

garynchilds said:


> Yup, it happened to me during The Colbert Show too. Same time of night. Swapping out the cable card or channel tuner DOES NOT HELP.


Are you in RI, too? With Cox Cable?


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## pmsullivan (Dec 5, 2008)

karen g. said:


> Are you in RI, too? With Cox Cable?


im in RI, with Cox. Have Bolt, Premiere, and HD. All stopped working (@ white Cox support screen) yesterday, early morning (~12:45 am).
Swapped out a tuning adapter yesterday, no change. Local office is unaware , but said there have been several (3+ In addition to my 3) issues yesterday. They were saying there might have been a Tivo update; I said there might have been a Cox update!


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## pmsullivan (Dec 5, 2008)

pmsullivan said:


> im in RI, with Cox. Have Bolt, Premiere, and HD. All stopped working (@ white Cox support screen) yesterday, early morning (~12:45 am).
> Swapped out a tuning adapter yesterday, no change. Local office is unaware , but said there have been several (3+ In addition to my 3) issues yesterday. They were saying there might have been a Tivo update; I said there might have been a Cox update!


Just found this thread and jumped to the end. Now will read my way through the 4 pages to see if there is a solution…

meanwhile, my Bolt seems to have developed a power issue during my reboots/troubleshooting….


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## pmsullivan (Dec 5, 2008)

cwoody222 said:


> Cable cards don’t “go bad”. They become unpaired. You’re going to have to call Cox again.


while I agree that this isn’t a CableCard issue, they can go bad. Had one fail 3 years ago in my Bolt. Was extremely warm/hot. Replaced and new one and it has been good since.


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## ascuser (Oct 16, 2007)

pmsullivan said:


> Just found this thread and jumped to the end. Now will read my way through the 4 pages to see if there is a solution…


Don't bother - there isn't (yet)


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## pmsullivan (Dec 5, 2008)

ascuser said:


> They suggested sending a tech out but then wanted $75 to do so since I don't pay for a "service contract" - I declined


I think the $75/hr is if it is a problem you caused…. But I am also reluctant to schedule.


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## pmsullivan (Dec 5, 2008)

ascuser said:


> Don't bother - there isn't (yet)


Sad face… re no solution.


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## ascuser (Oct 16, 2007)

pmsullivan said:


> I think the $75/hr is if it is a problem you caused…. But I am also reluctant to schedule.


They did say "may" charge so you are probably right. But I also suspected it would have been a complete waste of my time. Thankfully, @CranstonKS took one for the team and wasted his time instead.


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## pmsullivan (Dec 5, 2008)

pmsullivan said:


> Sad face… re no solution.


Sad part is that until Cox recognizes that there is a problem, and that it might be their issue, they can’t fix it…


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## pmsullivan (Dec 5, 2008)

ascuser said:


> They did say "may" charge so you are probably right. But I also suspected it would have been a complete waste of my time. Thankfully, @CranstonKS took one for the team and wasted his time instead.


I have a backup appt Friday afternoon. Hopefully (fingers crossed) it’ll be fixed by then?


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## ascuser (Oct 16, 2007)

pmsullivan said:


> I have a backup appt Friday afternoon. Hopefully (fingers crossed) it’ll be fixed by then?


Miracles have happened....


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## cwoody222 (Nov 13, 1999)

pmsullivan said:


> while I agree that this isn’t a CableCard issue, they can go bad. Had one fail 3 years ago in my Bolt. Was extremely warm/hot. Replaced and new one and it has been good since.


Well yes, anything is possible but it’s much more common for the pairing to just become mucked up in the cable company’s systems.

And when a “new“ card fixes the problem it doesn’t always mean the original card went bad, just that the rep didn’t know how to fix the issue but did know how to “start over” with a new card.


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## karen g. (Mar 24, 2006)

pmsullivan said:


> im in RI, with Cox. Have Bolt, Premiere, and HD. All stopped working (@ white Cox support screen) yesterday, early morning (~12:45 am).
> Swapped out a tuning adapter yesterday, no change. Local office is unaware , but said there have been several (3+ In addition to my 3) issues yesterday. They were saying there might have been a Tivo update; I said there might have been a Cox update!


Lol. good one. every time there is an issue with my Tivo, it is Cox's fault though. The tech I spoke with said they don't have a cable card dept anymore, which they did about a year ago when I had a problem.


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## jim schrader (Mar 29, 2020)

garynchilds said:


> I have a TiVo Roamio with a Lifetime subscription I bought in 2015. I'm getting an error screen from my cable company that says to contact them. I tried rebooting the TiVo and it goes through the reboot routine, and when it finishes, it shows me my TiVo menu screen for a split second, and then a quick flash of the cable channel that it is tuned to, but then it returns right back to the error screen. The remote control for the TiVo will not take me to the menu or allow me to change channels. I just hear that familiar kettle drum sound (bong, bong), and it won't move away from the error screen from my cable company. The TiVo won't even play shows that are recorded on the drive. It doesn't seem to function at all. Is it dead?


You may have to pair your cable card or replace it


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## outlanderNC (Feb 5, 2020)

garynchilds said:


> I have a TiVo Roamio with a Lifetime subscription I bought in 2015. I'm getting an error screen from my cable company that says to contact them. I tried rebooting the TiVo and it goes through the reboot routine, and when it finishes, it shows me my TiVo menu screen for a split second, and then a quick flash of the cable channel that it is tuned to, but then it returns right back to the error screen. The remote control for the TiVo will not take me to the menu or allow me to change channels. I just hear that familiar kettle drum sound (bong, bong), and it won't move away from the error screen from my cable company. The TiVo won't even play shows that are recorded on the drive. It doesn't seem to function at all. Is it dead?


The picture you posted shows a message from the cable company. To me that indicates there is an issue with the cable card. Get a new card from the cable company and see how that works. It should be a free exchange. I have also seen recently that some cable companies are dropping the use of cards altogether.


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## bsbd (Mar 1, 2015)

gabrielstern said:


> But I would prefer that companies like western digital be more clear for example with the purple drives up to 4tbs they are still 5400 rpm drives.
> 
> But the 6 and 8tb drives are 7200 rpm drives but they don't come right out and say that.


Check that, I'm getting ready to install an 8TB Western Digital WD84PURZ drive in my Roamio Pro and it operates at 5640 rpm. This spec is given on some online retailer's websites, but I confirmed it myself on my new drive earlier today with CrystalDiskInfo.


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## bsbd (Mar 1, 2015)

karen g. said:


> The tech I spoke with said they don't have a cable card dept anymore, which they did about a year ago when I had a problem.


I sure hope this isn't true. I learned long ago to never bother with local Cox tech support for any cablecard/TA issues, I've always dealt with their digital tech support out of Phoenix. However, the last time I was speaking to someone there they working from home because it was during peak covid.


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## karen g. (Mar 24, 2006)

pmsullivan said:


> I have a backup appt Friday afternoon. Hopefully (fingers crossed) it’ll be fixed by then?


If it isn't, please share what the tech said at his visit.


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## tommeboy23 (8 mo ago)

Yep .. this is a cable card issue .. seen many times at my Dads house when cable co unpairs
I swear they are doing this on purpose to switch customers to their equipment instead
Good Luck


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## garynchilds (7 mo ago)

outlanderNC said:


> The picture you posted shows a message from the cable company. To me that indicates there is an issue with the cable card. Get a new card from the cable company and see how that works. It should be a free exchange. I have also seen recently that some cable companies are dropping the use of cards altogether.


I replaced the cable card and channel tuner to no avail. A tech from Cox came by today and told me it's a firmware issue and they are working on it. So, that is the answer.


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## garynchilds (7 mo ago)

pmsullivan said:


> Sad part is that until Cox recognizes that there is a problem, and that it might be their issue, they can’t fix it…


Cox old me it's a firmware issue that they are working to fix.


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## garynchilds (7 mo ago)

karen g. said:


> If it isn't, please share what the tech said at his visit.


My tech just left and it turns out it's a firmware issue.


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## garynchilds (7 mo ago)

ThAbtO said:


> This is not a Tivo error screen. Its from your CableCo. There is nothing you can do on the Tivo to resolve it.


You nailed it. It's a firmware issue. Cox is currently working on it.


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## garynchilds (7 mo ago)

cwoody222 said:


> This is absolutely an issue on Cox’s end.
> 
> Sound more serious than just needing to repair the cards, seems they FUBAR’ed something on their end and they need to fix.
> 
> I‘d call them frequently to keep this issue a high priority. Until they take action, it’s not going to be fixed.


It's Cox. They screwed up a firmware update. They are working on it.


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## garynchilds (7 mo ago)

karen g. said:


> Are you in RI, too? With Cox Cable?


I'm in Warwick. It turns out this is a firmware issue. Cox is working on the problem.


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## ascuser (Oct 16, 2007)

garynchilds said:


> Cox is working on the problem.


And the check is in the mail, I'm sure


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## krkaufman (Nov 25, 2003)

karen g. said:


> I don't have a mini so I am unable to shed light on that one.
> 
> 
> krkaufman said:
> ...


Anybody else?


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## garynchilds (7 mo ago)

ascuser said:


> And the check is in the mail, I'm sure


They fixed it.


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## jim.murphy (8 mo ago)

gabrielstern said:


> Thanks the hard drive discussion came up because the user posted that he ordered a new hard drive and it had not been pinpointed that it was a cox issue another well known user early in the discussion brought up in case it was a tivo issue that tivo will no longer activate romio dvrs only bolts and newer.
> 
> Never the less it is a good idea every 4 to 5 years to do hard drive maintanace and do back ups of recordings and settings other users want to keep in case something goes wrong with a hard drive or a tivo stops working.


Mine was actually the internet; once I disconnected it from the Internet Cable or WIFI it would boot up and stay up. I then waited a couple of days and plugged the internet cable back in,


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## gabrielstern (Aug 19, 2017)

bsbd said:


> Check that, I'm getting ready to install an 8TB Western Digital WD84PURZ drive in my Roamio Pro and it operates at 5640 rpm. This spec is given on some online retailer's websites, but I confirmed it myself on my new drive earlier today with CrystalDiskInfo.


That's what I am running on top of my romio right now.

I heat tested it. When I had bought it at microcenter near me was listed as the rpm drive but when I checked on Amazon said 7200 rpm.

Was mislabeled.

But this is a bit off topic.

Since the issue turns out to be a cable issue.

The way I can tell if a hard drive can go inside of any romio and earlier model tivo is by touching the hard drive if it gets hot to the touch when I test it first connected to my computer via USB then I know it is too hot to go inside my romio or series 4. With bolts it's different because I can compensate with cooling it externally.

That issue I have found more with drives over 4tbs.

In both the red plus drives and purple drives.

I tested a Seagate iron wolf non pro model 6tb and it passed my heat test. And was fine in testing in my series 4 briefly 

I also tested a Seagate barracuda green drive 3tb desktop drive and passed both tests in my series 4.

I need to do an Amazon check for the 8tb iron wolf drive and see again what the rpm rating is and check the type sometimes I mix up smr and cmr.

Because 6 years ago it was not an issue.

As green drives were still made. Which is what romios and earlier models use

Like a certain well known user said who helped develop mffs tools 3 2

I test the crap of any hard drive before it goes inside any tivo.

And I find myself doing the same nowadays after I started getting all kinds of errors in my tivos.

Just for a heads up if on a screen you get any kind of message like searching for signal or channel not available contact your cable company it is most likely a cable company issue.

Or channel not available contact your cable company it's most likely not your tivo.


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## gabrielstern (Aug 19, 2017)

garynchilds said:


> You nailed it. It's a firmware issue. Cox is currently working on it.


Exactly a cable company issue.

Although tivo themselves would be clueless and say its the cable company. And the cable company would say it's a tivo issue

For some reason when I try to reply to a certain member it keeps going to the end of the thread unlike before.

Even if I hit reply under the person who I am trying to respond too.

But good to see that a certain user said it exactly right it's the cable company and there is nothing you can do about it.


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## misterclick (Oct 24, 2012)

pmsullivan said:


> im in RI, with Cox. Have Bolt, Premiere, and HD. All stopped working (@ white Cox support screen) yesterday, early morning (~12:45 am).
> Swapped out a tuning adapter yesterday, no change. Local office is unaware , but said there have been several (3+ In addition to my 3) issues yesterday. They were saying there might have been a Tivo update; I said there might have been a Cox update!


I had a similar problem one day on a Friday night with my Bolt. I called(Comcast) and could not get anyone. All I got was a recording that they were working on the area. However the Comcast box was working fine and I could see all the channels. 
I went to Comcast the next day(Saturday) and as soon as I mentioned TiVo, the guy looked at me funny and said "we NO longer support TiVo, or cable cards"
I was in shock! I said since when? He said it has been over a year. I said that's impossible, the TiVo was working fine yesterday morning. Could you at least give me another card? He said "cable cards are obsolete and we don't have any" I left in disgust!
I kept trying various things and nothing. I went to work Monday morning and when I got home I called and I no longer heard the recording. I turned the TiVo on and it was working fine. 
CONCLUSION: I figured that whatever they were working on during the weekend affected the card validation or something. But the fib about cable cards and TiVos being obsolete, I think the guy was just either misinformed or a total jerk!


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## misterclick (Oct 24, 2012)

garynchilds said:


> I have a TiVo Roamio with a Lifetime subscription I bought in 2015. I'm getting an error screen from my cable company that says to contact them. I tried rebooting the TiVo and it goes through the reboot routine, and when it finishes, it shows me my TiVo menu screen for a split second, and then a quick flash of the cable channel that it is tuned to, but then it returns right back to the error screen. The remote control for the TiVo will not take me to the menu or allow me to change channels. I just hear that familiar kettle drum sound (bong, bong), and it won't move away from the error screen from my cable company. The TiVo won't even play shows that are recorded on the drive. It doesn't seem to function at all. Is it dead?


Have you tried the CLEAR key?


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## dianebrat (Jul 6, 2002)

misterclick said:


> Have you tried the CLEAR key?


The issue was that Cox in RI screwed up their entire CableCARD infrastructure and it took several days to resolve, it's now resolved.


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## gabrielstern (Aug 19, 2017)

misterclick said:


> I had a similar problem one day on a Friday night with my Bolt. I called(Comcast) and could not get anyone. All I got was a recording that they were working on the area. However the Comcast box was working fine and I could see all the channels.
> I went to Comcast the next day(Saturday) and as soon as I mentioned TiVo, the guy looked at me funny and said "we NO longer support TiVo, or cable cards"
> I was in shock! I said since when? He said it has been over a year. I said that's impossible, the TiVo was working fine yesterday morning. Could you at least give me another card? He said "cable cards are obsolete and we don't have any" I left in disgust!
> I kept trying various things and nothing. I went to work Monday morning and when I got home I called and I no longer heard the recording. I turned the TiVo on and it was working fine.
> CONCLUSION: I figured that whatever they were working on during the weekend affected the card validation or something. But the fib about cable cards and TiVos being obsolete, I think the guy was just either misinformed or a total jerk!


I have Comcast. They still offer support for cable cards. But it may be that now they let you bring your own.

But yes they are obsolete.

Also Comcast has been slowly switching over to iptv only channels. Depending on the area.

For example channels like newsy or TV land or Newsmax can not be viewed in HD any longer in my area on my tivos.

My roku box they are viewable via the xfinity stream app. But you can't record off of them.

Honestly when my contract is up.

I am considering a switch to Verizon.

As I have extra cable cards I ordered 3 years ago.

Off of the internet.

I am in the Philadelphia area.

The federal government needs to mandate a proper cable card adapter replacement.

This started in 2019 when the trump administration decided cable companies no longer were mandated to support cable cards.

That's why it is a mess


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## charlesjbiller (7 mo ago)

jim.murphy said:


> Mine was actually the internet; once I disconnected it from the Internet Cable or WIFI it would boot up and stay up. I then waited a couple of days and plugged the internet cable back in,


And? Did it work?


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## charlesjbiller (7 mo ago)

dianebrat said:


> The issue was that Cox in RI screwed up their entire CableCARD infrastructure and it took several days to resolve, it's now resolved.


It's just interesting how fingers get pointed everyway by the culprit then is fixed by the culprit


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## gabrielstern (Aug 19, 2017)

charlesjbiller said:


> It's just interesting how fingers get pointed everyway by the culprit then is fixed by the culprit


Yep I went through this with Comcast already and tivo in late 2017 with tivo saying it was Comcast back in 2017 when the guide data would not load for 3 days and my tivo said show info ran out.

I had to rerun guided setup just to get the guide data reloaded until tivo fixed it 3 days later.

After trying to force a connection several times.
It was tivos servers. At the time

But they tried to say it was Comcast.

And Comcast keeps pulling the iptv only crap trying to force me to use their junky x1 box.

Honestly I am beginning to look at alternatives to my tivos.

And Comcast.

I wish the government would just mandate the encryption signals be built in to all dvrs and tvs like the old days and even work with satellite this cable only Ota only crap just and cable card crap just is to confusing.

When microchip technology like Sim cards for cellphones do the same thing and better.
Why is this not mandated for cable and the satellite industry.


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## charlesjbiller (7 mo ago)

gabrielstern said:


> .....
> Why is this not mandated for cable and the satellite industry.


Somebody gets lots of $$$$ from interested lobbyists.  😀


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## gabrielstern (Aug 19, 2017)

charlesjbiller said:


> Somebody gets lots of $$$$ from interested lobbyists.  😀



Yep the truth is Cable cards are outdated.

And the cable industry proposed this back in 2004 but was shot down by the government.

It all started with digital cable and dtv back in the mid 1990s. Now it's all about kill competition and any innovation and free for all for lobbyists.

And do it under the guise of encryption and ***** and complain you are stealing my technology.

And try and especially with Comcast try and force you to use their technology and charge outrageous leasing fees.

And then wonder why people don't want their services anymore.

Same with tivo now come up with new technologies and interfaces that don't work.

And start with Ota only nonsense when tivo always had previosely at least one model that worked with either Cable or antenna or the junky interface like hydra ui it's junk same with the Edge dvr it's junk.

People complain about the bolt but at least with modifications you can make it work as well if not better than a romio. These days. And roll them back to te3 ui or quatro. 

With me it's simple if I can find a way to make it work and customize it to fit my needs great.

But I can't find a way to make it work as well as the old or better than it's just junk.

Including changing hard drives.

And that principle applies to my romio and series 4 too. 

And others can complain and ***** but I don't care especially after in another forum today a guys green drive in his romio just died and he replaced it 6 years ago. 

With another green drive wonder if he upgraded his romio to hydra ui.

So that's why every 4 to 5 years I do maintanance and replacements on all hard drives on all my Tivos even if mentioning that is a bit off topic.

For this forum.

Yet regardless of the forum I am in hard drives always keep coming up without me bringing it up first whether it's about a bolt or I just ordered a new hard drive off of amazon.

Or whatever.


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## misterclick (Oct 24, 2012)

gabrielstern said:


> I have Comcast. They still offer support for cable cards. But it may be that now they let you bring your own.
> 
> But yes they are obsolete.
> 
> ...


So if they are obsolete, if I go and buy a new device from TiVo, would it come with a card slot? 
If the cable company does not supply cards, will they program mine if I supply one?🤔


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## gabrielstern (Aug 19, 2017)

misterclick said:


> So if they are obsolete, if I go and buy a new device from TiVo, would it come with a card slot?
> If the cable company does not supply cards, will they program mine if I supply one?🤔


Yes the new tivos come with cable card slots if configured for cable and if you have a cable card already keep it just understand that cable companies are no longer mandated to keep supporting cable cards.

If you are unsure about cable cards and if the cable company will let you use your own cable card please contact your local cable company.


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## dianebrat (Jul 6, 2002)

misterclick said:


> So if they are obsolete, if I go and buy a new device from TiVo, would it come with a card slot?
> If the cable company does not supply cards, will they program mine if I supply one?🤔


The poster you're replying to is not giving you accurate information, while CableCARDs are no longer mandated, and certainly not new or current technology, they are not "obsolete" and the majority of Cable companies still supply them.
That will probably change over time, you still need to decide if you want a Tivo with Cable, OTA, or in the case of models before the edge, both.

If a Cable system is no longer supporting or providing CableCARDs then they literally are not supporting them and since they are not a consumer product, you will not be able to use a Tivo without them on that cable system since they provide the channel mapping list to the guide. (there are rare exceptions to this, but they are very rare)

When a cable system stops providing CableCARD support a Tivo is no longer usable on that system.


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## gabrielstern (Aug 19, 2017)

dianebrat said:


> The poster you're replying to is not giving you accurate information, while CableCARDs are no longer mandated, and certainly not new or current technology, they are not "obsolete" and the majority of Cable companies still supply them.
> That will probably change over time, you still need to decide if you want a Tivo with Cable, OTA, or in the case of models before the edge, both.
> 
> If a Cable system is no longer supporting or providing CableCARDs then they literally are not supporting them and since they are not a consumer product, you will not be able to use a Tivo without them on that cable system since they provide the channel mapping list to the guide. (there are rare exceptions to this, but they are very rare)
> ...


It is optional for cable companies to support cable cards. 

Period that started in 2019.

If you read what I said. I also stated that if the user has questions he needs to reach out to his cable company.


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