Drive Problem???

[jsysgrj]

I have an old series 1 box that just hangs during the sartup. i.e. gets to the "Almost There" page and never gets all the way there.

Is this a symptom of the Hardrive needing to be reformatted?

Is there a way to format this drive easily - in windows with a firewire external drive or do I have to put the drive on my pc and use the hinsdale method?

Please adivse. Since this box stopped working my tivo fees for my 2nd box doubled because I no longer have a live lifetime subscription box.

Thanks in advance

Gene

[litzdog911]

This could be the classic symptom of hard disk failure, or soon-to-be failure. Can you still get it to restart when you disconnect/reconnect AC power? If so, and you value the recordings on your Tivo, you may want to act fast to replace or upgrade that hard drive. But try these tips first:

*** Note that problems like this can also be caused by AC power spikes or fluctuations. Your Tivo is essentially a computer inside, so you should seriously consider powering it with an uninterruptable power supply (UPS). Good quality 350VA UPS's are available for well below $50 and will power your Tivo for nearly an hour, plus they provide much better powerline isolation and protection than a surge protector.

http://www.staples.com/Catalog/Browse/Sku.asp?PageType=1&Sku=474045


*** Check your Tivo's internal temperature. If it's running too hot you'll sometimes see problems like this. Look in "Messages & Setup" -> "System Information" and scroll down a couple of pages to see the internal temperature. Anything under 50-deg C is usually OK. If it's higher than that, make sure you have good airflow under and around your Tivo. It's a good idea to raise your Tivo up an inch or so for better airflow. Some folks use pop bottle caps under each corner.


*** If your Tivo is a combination DirecTV+Tivo receiver, you should try re-seating your access card. Remove power, remove the access card, wait a few minutes, re-insert the access card, and reconnect power.


*** If you're comfortable opening up your Tivo (which will void your warranty if you still have one), then disconnect and reconnect all the cables leading to the hard drive(s). Sometimes connections can work loose, or tarnish, and re-seating them will help.


*** If these steps don't help, then it's likely a hard drive problem. You can try a "Clear and Delete Everything" (in the Tivo's "Messages & Setup" menu). That might help the drive repair itself, but you will lose your recordings, Season Passes, and other settings.

*** Finally, if all else fails, then you might want to try connecting your Tivo drive(s) to your PC and run the disk manufacturer's DOS-based diagnostic utilities. These are usually available for download from their web site. Unfortunately they don't always detect all of the failures that can disrupt your Tivo. Some folks have reported success using the SpinRite disk repair utility available from Gibson Research at http://www.grc.com/sr/spinrite.htm or HDD Regenerator at http://www.dposoft.net/#b_hddhid

Also check out these sources of information, much of which you'll find in the Tivo Underground Upgrade Center forum:

http://www.tivocommunity.com/tivo-vb/forumdisplay.php?s=&forumid=25

http://www.weaknees.com/index.html

http://tivo.upgrade-instructions.com/

http://www.newreleasesvideo.com/hinsdale-how-to/

http://www.ptvupgrade.com/products/instantcake/

http://www.9thtee.com/

[jsysgrj]

I will give the disk diagnostics a try - I have tried all the other suggestions you made.

I did try to hook the drive up as an extrernal fire wire but cannot "see" it from my PC. (May mean death of the disk :eek: ).

How about a new small disk drive? Is this possible? Where would I get a tivo image?

If you would be so kind I'd appreciate your input.

Thanks agian

gene

[litzdog911]

If your current drive is dead you'll need to replace/upgrade it with a new drive. The easiest approach is to buy a pre-imaged drive from the vendors I linked to in my previous post. PTVUpgrade's InstantCake process makes the process very simple for a novice do-it-yourselfer, and also includes the Tivo Image Files that you'll need.

[Rockmin]

I have a two drive TIVO (a 540 with a 40gig & 300 gig)that is displaying signs of drive failure (freezing, reboots, GSOD). Sometimes it will work for a couple of hours, sometimes only 30 minutes before a reboot. I don't need to keep anything on these drives. Is there a way to tell which drive is failing? Can I just disconnect the 300 and see if the problems stop? Is there an error log somewhere on the TIVO which might tell me which drive is having problems.

Or should I take the 40 out, put my backup kernel on the 300; expand & tpip & initialize as a single drive. And then see if the problems disappear?