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TiVo Lovers - my tivo broke :(
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08:56 am October 4th, 2006
[info]tivolovers
[info]sinsofdesire
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my tivo broke :(
My tivo broke last night.  It is a unit I had purchased from someone on the community here about 9 months ago.  It's a series 2 40 hour with a upgraded hard drive so it was around 120 hours total.  It worked perfectly when I got it.  I'm not really sure what happened to it.  I was in the middle of watching a program and it froze up on me.  The whole unit did.  I couldn't push the tivo menu button nothing worked.  I didn't know what to do so I pushed the down thumbs 3 times and then enter because I remembered that was to restart it.  Well it tried to restart and gave me this green screen that said there was something seriously wrong with my tivo and that it would try to repair itself and that it might take up to 3 hours to do it.  So that all happened last night and when I woke up this morning it was still on the tivo is loading page.  So I tried to get tivo to restart again but it gave me the same green page that said there was a serious error or something.

I just really don't know what to do.  I am rather pissed about this because I had purchased a lifetime membership on this unit.  I have one other unit which I pay on monthly that I've had longer then this unit I purchased that is now broken.  I really don't know what tivo is going to do.  If there is going to be anyone that the problem can be fixed.  I am curious if anyone has any suggestions or had any similar problems happen.  I do not have the money to buy a new unit and I don't care to have one of the new hd units because I don't have hd tv.

* I thought I should add that we did have a thunderstorm last night. It didn't seem like any lights flickered and the power didn't go out. But I thought I should add that after reading "Weakness Powering Up." I'm not sure if that is relevant tho. The two other tivo units in the house are working fine.

** If it is going to cost me around 100 dollars to get a new hard drive wouldn't it make sense to get a new tivo box? Like the 180 hour dual tuner? That box is only $130. Would tivo transfer my lifetime membership to it?

*** I do have a spare hard drive from when I upgraded to a larger hard drive for my computer. It is a Western Digital WD Caviar IDE Hard Drive 40 GB. Would that work if I get the software to program it?

Current Mood: frustrated
23 comments or Leave a comment
Comments
Comment by Phil Gagner
shadoh From: [info]shadoh Date: October 4th, 2006 02:16 pm (UTC) (Permalink)
Sounds like a hard drive problem. You can get a replacement hard drive here:

http://www.weaknees.com/

Note that your lifetime subscription is tied to the circuitry/motherboard, and NOT to the hard drive. You can replace the hard drive and your lifetime subscription remains intact.
(Reply) (Thread)
Thread started by travisd
travisd From: [info]travisd Date: October 4th, 2006 02:17 pm (UTC) (Permalink)
Given that it does show some video, it would seem that the motherboard and power supply are fine. That basically leaved the Hard Drive. Since the Lifetime is tied to the hardware, not the HDD, this would not affect your Lifetime subscription.

That leaves you two choices basically -- Buy a new HDD and find someone to image it for you, from an IDENTICAL unit. At one time you could find people to give or sell you the images - not sure if that's still going on or not. If your other unit is identical hardware, you might even be able to use it to make a new HDD for the broken unit.

Or go to someplace like Weaknees and guy a pre-imaged replacement HDD from them. They also have a pretty good FAQ on problems like this: http://www.weaknees.com/tivo-powering-up.php

They may also have used drives for sale which might save a few $$.

Finally, did you try a "hard" restart on it, or just a "soft"? If not, unplug it for 30 seconds from the wall and then plug it back in and restart. Sometimes that helps.
(Reply) (Thread)
From: [info]sinsofdesire Date: October 4th, 2006 02:22 pm (UTC) (Permalink)
i haven't tried to unplug it from the wall. i will try that first.
(Reply) (Parent) (Thread)
radparker From: [info]radparker Date: October 4th, 2006 02:33 pm (UTC) (Permalink)
I'll bet you $20 that doesn't do anything.

Mine died similarly a few months ago. Last week I brushed the dust off of it and ordered a replacement drive upgrade from PTVUpgrade.com. It wasn't too hard to swap the drives out, just involves removing screws and switching the drives themselves. Might be worth trying.

I've never used Weeknees.com before, but I hear lots of people say they're good.
(Reply) (Parent) (Thread)
From: [info]sinsofdesire Date: October 4th, 2006 02:44 pm (UTC) (Permalink)
i got further along in the start up process and got to the screen that says just a few minutes longer.. but then i got the green screen again :( i really don't have the money to replace a hard drive on it.
(Reply) (Parent) (Thread)
radparker From: [info]radparker Date: October 4th, 2006 02:52 pm (UTC) (Permalink)
It looks like you can get a replacement drive for $99. Outside of that, I think your next best bet is to try to find a geek friend who could properly format a salvaged drive and drop it in for you.
(Reply) (Parent) (Thread)
From: [info]sinsofdesire Date: October 4th, 2006 02:42 pm (UTC) (Permalink)
I tried the hard reboot and it seemed like it was going to load up fine and got the screen that said a just a few minutes longer and then I got the evil green screen. So I'm gonna let it sit for another 3 hours like it says and see what happens after that point. Will tivo do anything? Will they try to help me or replace the unit? I just feel that it is really crappy that when you buy a lifetime membership and you are just shit up a river and they leave it up to you to buy a new one or swap the hard drives. I don't have the money for a hard drive.

I do have an extra hard drive when I upgraded to a larger hard drive in my pc. Will any type work?
(Reply) (Parent) (Thread)
mhaithaca From: [info]mhaithaca Date: October 4th, 2006 03:22 pm (UTC) (Permalink)

I can understand that you're frustrated and want to blame someone, but please understand that a lifetime subscription is NOT a lifetime warranty, and it is NOT a guarantee that your second-hand equipment will last forever, or that they will fix or replace it for you if it stops working.

Your TiVo is a computer, and sometimes, computers or their components stop working. You may find that the hard drive inside your TiVo, if that's the problem, has a longer warranty than the TiVo warranty, if you go directly to the drive manufacturer.

This is why stores like Best Buy sell extended warranties... so you can pay a little extra up front and not have to worry about hardware problems that will crop up after a couple of years. If you weren't the original purchaser, you didn't have that opportunity with this TiVo... but you always had the option to buy a brand new product and get extended warranty coverage for it if you wanted to.

TiVo is usually very good about letting customers transfer lifetime subscriptions from failed hardware to new hardware, even though they are not required to do that by the terms of the subscription. In other words, they go out of their way and do more than they have to.

Just about any typical computer hard drive is likely to work in the TiVo, if you install the software that others are pointing you to. This sounds like an easy and even free solution.

Meantime, I would urge you to get a serious surge protector, or even better, a UPS (uninterruptible power supply), for your TiVo units. You mentioned lightning, and yes, if your TiVo was unprotected from power surges or spikes, that could easily be the cause of your hard drive problems.
(Reply) (Parent) (Thread)
From: [info]sinsofdesire Date: October 5th, 2006 03:26 am (UTC) (Permalink)
I was more so frustrated with the fact that I myself had only had the unit for less than a year. I have no idea how long the guy that sold it to me had it for before me. I'm glad that the issue is resolved now. It just seems kind of strange that everyone on here was so adamant that there was no way that tivo would replace it free of charge. Everyone was telling me to go buy a new hard drive. But all I had to do was call tivo and they offered to send me a replacement free of charge and I didn't even have to ask. Maybe I got lucky.. I dunno.
(Reply) (Parent) (Thread)
stile99 From: [info]stile99 Date: October 5th, 2006 10:58 am (UTC) (Permalink)
Very lucky indeed. Even moreso than you think if they transfer lifetime to the replacement considering it is:

1> Out of warranty
2> Wasn't bought by you
3> Not available now except in specific circumstances

With the current specials on boxes, they're almost giving them away anyway so a 'replacement' at no charge doesn't really surprise me. Transferring lifetime to the new box (assuming that happens)...THAT surprises me.
(Reply) (Parent) (Thread)
howief From: [info]howief Date: October 6th, 2006 06:16 am (UTC) (Permalink)
I'm not 100% sure of this, but, from what I remember, if you have to replace the unit because it breaks, they can transfer your account to the new box (no service on the old one). You can always call Tivo and ask. I think it would be easiest to buy a drive and have it imaged. They sell CD's if you are a do-it-yourself person or have someone nearby who is handy. Replacing your hard drive will not affect your lifetime. Give weaknees a call and they can probably explain your options and approximate costs.

Howie
(Reply) (Parent) (Thread)
Comment by Mryn
From: [info]mryn Date: October 4th, 2006 02:51 pm (UTC) (Permalink)
Another HDD replacement option not yet mentioned is to buy the InstantCake software ($20) from PTVupgrade, which will automate preparing a new hard drive (of any size you want, but not SATA) for your TiVo. If you own a PC and feel comfortable opening up the case, this is very easy and quick but still much cheaper than buying a pre-imaged drive. Also, because the program (which you can download and burn to CD yourself, or wait for them to send you a CD) does everything for you, you can disconnect your computer's HDD while doing this to feel absolutely certain it won't be affected in any way.
And, as everyone else has said, your lifetime subscription will still be active once you get a new HDD in there.
(Reply) (Thread)
Comment by Mryn
From: [info]mryn Date: October 4th, 2006 03:21 pm (UTC) (Permalink)
That 40GB Western Digital drive will definitely work.
Lifetime subscriptions are only transferable if the unit is replaced under warranty (either TiVo's 1-year warranty or a retailer's extended warranty). Well, and currently there's an offer to transfer Lifetime from a S1/S2 to an S3, but the transfer isn't free ($200) and you don't want an S3 anyway.
If money is really tight, you can find the image and instructions online (just Google) and do everything yourself for free. InstantCake is just an easier, quicker solution, and you could always reuse the software on a bigger drive later if you find one for a good price.
(Reply) (Thread)
Thread started by Jennifer
buran From: [info]buran Date: October 4th, 2006 03:31 pm (UTC) (Permalink)
Here's the link to instructions on how to use that hard drive to fix your Tivo:

Hinsdale How-to TiVo upgrade
(Reply) (Thread)
From: [info]sinsofdesire Date: October 5th, 2006 03:07 am (UTC) (Permalink)
Thank you!
(Reply) (Parent) (Thread)
Thread started by Angie
From: [info]sinsofdesire Date: October 4th, 2006 04:26 pm (UTC) (Permalink)
Well I decided to give Tivo a call and see if they could help me at all. I am very satisfied by the assistance they gave me. They helped me troubleshoot it and then discovered that the unit was broken. Which is what I assumed. They told me that since I had a lifetime membership that they would replace my unit and send me out a replacement. I am suprised by the answer I got and I'm sure they don't do this all of the time and in every instance. But it helps me out a lot since I can not afford to buy a new hard drive and try to fix it on my own.

My question now is once I get the new unit can I add another hard drive to it to make it have more recording space? I'm assuming that once I get the new unit I will have to ship this one back. Does it matter that there are 2 hard drives in it?
(Reply) (Thread)
pheltzer From: [info]pheltzer Date: October 4th, 2006 04:36 pm (UTC) (Permalink)
You probably want to reove the second hard drive before you send it back to Tivo. As far as they're concerned there should only be one drive in there and that's really all you should send them back. You can then drop the second drive into the new machine. This of course assumes that the HD isn't the problem.

As far as I know anything you have recorded on there will be lost because of the way the indexing works if you have two drives part of the data is on one drive and part is on the other and they can't retain information independently.
(Reply) (Parent) (Thread)
From: [info]sinsofdesire Date: October 5th, 2006 03:04 am (UTC) (Permalink)
Do you know what type of tools I need to open the box? Is it something I can find at a hardware or computer store or is it something I'd have to purchase from one of the websites mentioned above?..
(Reply) (Parent) (Thread)
pheltzer From: [info]pheltzer Date: October 5th, 2006 12:42 pm (UTC) (Permalink)
You'll need a phillips head screwdriver and a torx head screwdriver. For the sake of argument I'm going to assume you already have or can come up relatively easily with the phillips screwdrivr. The torx can be bought at pretty much any hardware store. If you dig through the weakness site somewhere on there they tell you what size torx you will need.

Once you have the old box open. When you remove the additional drive, in theory there should be some sort of mounting bracket that is holding the second drive in place. You want to take that out too so you can reuse it in the new box.
(Reply) (Parent) (Thread)
howief From: [info]howief Date: October 6th, 2006 06:19 am (UTC) (Permalink)
DON'T OPEN THE BOX!!! That will void the warranty, if you have one. Besides, if it an 80-hour unit and you send them one with only a 40 gb drive, they will no something is up.

If you are having this done under a warranty you do NOT want to break the seal on the unit.
(Reply) (Parent) (Thread)
zonereyrie From: [info]zonereyrie Date: October 4th, 2006 11:41 pm (UTC) (Permalink)
You can add a second drive - but you need a mounting bracket (I think WeaKnees.com, PTVUpgrade.com, and 9thtee.com all sell them) and you'll have to pull the existing drive, connect both drives to a PC, and then 'marry' the two drives.

It is much easier to just replace the one drive - pull the drive, copy the software over, and expand the image to fill the larger drive.

I am pretty surprised that they're replacing it for free. Normally there is like a $150 fee for out-of-warranty repair/swaps.
(Reply) (Parent) (Thread)
From: [info]sinsofdesire Date: October 5th, 2006 03:01 am (UTC) (Permalink)
It surprised me as well. I am glad that I took the time to call them. I didn't even have to ask for a replacement the girl offered. From what I have read in this community over the past month or so it seems the tivo issue I had (screen freeze & unable to boot up) a lot of people other people had the same issue. Maybe it is more wide spread then people think and that is why they were so quick to offer me an exchange..

Once I get some money saved up I will probably get a larger hard drive. I am just grateful that I had such great customer service today and got my problem solved.

I did notice from reading all of the posts that the screen freeze issue when the tivo unit was hard rebooted by pulling the plug first that people were able to fix it without any further issues. I however tried a soft reboot. I don't really know if it would have made a difference. But I wish I had read the community when it happened and not tried to fix it myself by soft rebooting.
(Reply) (Parent) (Thread)
zonereyrie From: [info]zonereyrie Date: October 5th, 2006 05:25 am (UTC) (Permalink)
I really don't think it would have mattered if you pulled the power. The fact that you got the green screen indicates the drive failed so even if you had the results would've been the same.

TiVo is like most computers, it can have bugs. It is possible for a bug to lock up the unit and a reboot will fix that. And sometimes something can be corrupted and the unit can green screen and recover itself. But if the drive has a hard failure, that's it.
(Reply) (Parent) (Thread)
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