Boot problem - opinion requested

[stevec611]

Since the thunderstorm early on Monday morning my Tivo (thomson uk model) doesn't get through its boot sequence.

I don't get the initial "Powering up" screen. The green light comes on, the drives spin up, the light flashes orange, then back to green.

After about a minute, I *do* get the "Almost there. A few more seconds please ..." message (that's the first thing to appear on the tv screen), but then nothing further: this message is displayed for hours, overnight even, until I get bored and disconnect the power.

I've tried swapping the original drives back in, but the symptoms are the same, so I guess that rules out a drive problem or disk corruption?

I tried the kickstart 57 sequence, and I did get the Green Screen telling me it was trying to repair itself, and to leave it for 24 hours. After less than an hour, it restarted and behaved just the same, getting as far as the "Almost there ..." taunt, but no further.

I'm trying to persuade myself that a thunderstorm is most likely to damage the PSU, but the symptoms make me very fearful of a mainboard problem.

So the question is, given these symptoms, is it worth buying & trying a new PSU (suprisingly inexpensive), or do I go straight for a mainboard replacement (depressingly expensive)?

The box has a lifetime subscription, and the owner has a serious tivo addiction.

Thanks,
Steve.

[blindlemon]

It sounds like you have a blown modem.

If you have access to a PC you can disable the modem test (http://archive2.tivocommunity.com/tivo-vb/showthread.php?p=2821347&&#post2821347) at startup and allow the TiVo to boot. You will also then need a network card (and preferably broadband) to get the guide data updates via the internet.

[Ian_m]

stevec611 feel sorry for you if this is your "primary" TiVo, but Mr blindlemon is right, sounds like a blown modem.

I was given a TiVo with lifetime subscription as a "backup" that stopped working after a lightning strike (owner moving to Japan, so didn't get it repaired).

I restored the image from the "image thread" onto an old 80GB disk, it booted as far as "Almost there....", I then renamed the modemtest executable and TiVo booted OK. Added my cachecard from my "primary" TiVo and it connected and got programme data, recorded OK etc etc OK, so bust modem.

[stevec611]

Yes, that seems to be it. I moved the modemtest file, and now the tivo boots.

Thanks very much for your help!

Looks like I'll be ordering a cachecard as soon as I'm back from my holidays.

[Ian_m]

Other hint for people is use a cordless phone extender. My TiVo was only plugged directly into the phone socket for a couple of month in early 2001 before SWMBO complained of cables being visible so ever sinc e then, until I got a cachecard, my TiVo was never directly connected to the phone line.

[AMc]

Or a UPS with a phone line protector (from about £35). Prevents your PSU getting fried by most lightning strikes and prevents the modem getting blown too.
Finally allows Tivo to keep running if you get a short power cut or brown out. If you plug your source in you won't lose a recording and if you add your TV in you could even keep watching for a few minutes.

EDF cut the power on Saturday morning for emergency work - my Belkin UPS kept the cordless phone running (my projector wasn't on) - must get another for Tivo etc.

[stevec611]

Other hint for people is use a cordless phone extender. My TiVo was only plugged directly into the phone socket for a couple of month in early 2001 before SWMBO complained of cables being visible so ever sinc e then, until I got a cachecard, my TiVo was never directly connected to the phone line.

Hmmm ... I was using a One4All (Phonex) phone extender (the one that runs a phone line through the mains), and a Belkin surge protector strip which was supposedly protecting both the phone line (between Phonex extension and Tivo) and the mains connection for both Tivo and the Phonex extension station.

I thought I was pretty safe!

The Phonex base station was plugged in elsewhere, not surge-protected, and that is also now dead.

My Telewest STB (plugged into the same surge protector strip), has problems with the return path since the same storm, and is scheduled for repair after my hols.

[Ian_m]

....a Belkin surge protector strip which was supposedly protecting both the phone line (between Phonex extension and Tivo)....
The chocolate teapot of surge protectors strikes again......certainly at that price point it won't protect you against lightning or even surges. All it does is just empty your wallet a bit more than necessary and give you a warm feeling all is well...

We use things like this at work to protect our overhead ADSL line from taking out our modem.
http://rswww.com/cgi-bin/bv/rswww/searchBrowseAction.do?N=0&Ntk=I18NAll&Ntt=206-8008

Also the modem has a lightning surge arrester on its PSU (to stop surges getting back into the mains if ADSL line breached) and the ethernet out goes via yet another lighning arrester, all bolted to the wall away from all other equipment. Must work as before fitting all this we used to regularly lose a modem a year during storms and other random events.

[stevec611]

The chocolate teapot of surge protectors strikes again......certainly at that price point it won't protect you against lightning or even surges. All it does is just empty your wallet a bit more than necessary and give you a warm feeling all is well...


Also, with hindsight, I wonder if using the Phonex device was actually greatly increasing the chances of a surge passing from the mains into the phone line into the Tivo ...

It's too late now, but I think if my Tivo modem was still okay, I would rapidly replace the Phonex device with a cordless phone extender.

[iankb]

The chocolate teapot of surge protectors strikes again......certainly at that price point it won't protect you against lightning or even surges. All it does is just empty your wallet a bit more than necessary and give you a warm feeling all is well...Not necessarily. They usually come with insurance that pays for your destroyed devices up to quite a large amount. However, I do believe that they use this insurance as a way of not having to make sure that the devices actually do the job that they were intended for.

It's still worth trying to claim if they came with insurance, since it's not as if you have any no-claims or increased insurance payments to worry about.

[Ian_m]

Not necessarily. They usually come with insurance that pays for your destroyed devices up to quite a large amount. However, I do believe that they use this insurance as a way of not having to make sure that the devices actually do the job that they were intended for.
And have you tried claiming and got anywhere ?

A mate of mine had is US Robotics Courier modem (£200) and PC serial port zapped on a machine acting as a fax server all plugged into a surge protector a couple of years ago. Up to £1000 cover it quoted.

Ended up with £30 (I think) in the end as the policy was not new for old and they valued the modem worth £5 and PC worth £25 as it was so old (Pentium 90MHz) and really only covered surges not lighnting !!! He was not the happiest chappy.......