Replace? Refurb? What to do?

[Melissa]

Ok, part of this is a repost from my question in the help center forum, but I got no answer there and this is a D*tivo issue, so I apologize ahead of time for the double post, but I have a "direct number" to D* tech support with a passcode that is only good for 5 days so i'd like to be able to use that to call them back if needed (i don't know how to post the link to the other post either sorry!)
Unhacked 35 hour Hughes (series 2?) Dtivo running 6.2. having freezing issues like you are pausing the show. to the point I can't take it anymore. but it is intermittent and some days are fine. No pixilation. Signal strength >90
Spoke with D* and they said:
Swap out my receivers to see if the freezing one(living room) would do it up in the bedroom also. if it does- it's the receiver. If the good bedroom one starts doing it downstairs- its the cables (not that she specified what cables..)
if it is the receiver- she told me I could start paying the $5.99 protection plan and then after 30 days when the plan fully kicks in, return my reciever for a refurbished one. I told her there was no way I wanted an R15- I am a TiVo ONLY girl. She said it showed on my account I had the option to pick between the Directtv one or tivo. But I can't pick which tivo one i get.
so: 1) is it really worth switching out the receivers to see if thats the problem?
2) should i start paying the $5.99 and get a refurbished unit?
3) should i buy a refurb from somewhere online?
And lastly 4) even if i get a different Dtivo, if lots of people are having this problem- it's obviously not just my unit (according to the post that i don't know how to link)- what is going on??
-M

[mr.unnatural]

Chances are you have a hard drive that's starting to fail. I don't know how computer literate you are but if you have some basic skills there is something you can try.

Unplug the DTivo and remove the top cover. You'll need a Torx screwdriver to do this. Get a small screwdriver set from Home Depot or Lowe's and it should have the Torx bits you need. Better yet, get your boyfriend to do it for you. After all, that's what we're good for, isn't it? ;) Remove the screws and slide the cover back about an inch and then lift it straight up. Be careful not to force it when reinstalling the cover as there are tabs along the sides that can get bent out of shape quite easily and will prevent the cover from fitting properly.

Check the make of hard drive in the DTivo and get the manufacturer's diagnostic program from their website. The stock drives in the S2 models are usually Maxtors or Western Digitals, depending on the model. Burn the diagnostic software to a CD or make a bootable floppy per the manufacturer's instructions. Test it in your PC to make sure it boots into the diagnostic program. You may have to change the BIOS settings to get it to boot from the CD-ROM drive or floppy, as applicable.

Remove the Tivo's hard drive and install it in your PC (turn the PC off first), making sure you have the jumper on the drive set to the correct configuration based on where you install it. Power up the PC and boot from the diagnostic disc. Run the non-destructive diagnostic tests (i.e., the ones that don't write anything to the drive). There's usually a short test and a more extensive one to pick from. Try the short one first as it will usually indicate any major problems right away. If the short one passes then try the more detailed diagnostic.

If the drive fails then you'll probably need to get a replacement drive. There are pre-configured drives available from Weaknees.com or PtvUpgrade.com or you can buy your own drive (it has to be the same size or larger) and install the image using an InstantCake CD from PtvUpgrade.

If the drive passes the diagnostic then you've got a problem with the Tivo hardware and should consider replacing the entire unit. You can buy used ones on ebay pretty cheap and you should be able to find the same model with no problem. DTV will probably send you an R10 if you request a Tivo model.

[Dirac]

Be careful if you try this in a WinXP or Win2000 box in case it boots to the OS and changes the MBR of the TiVo drive. Make sure it boots to the diagnostics disk.

[Melissa]

Chances are you have a hard drive that's starting to fail. I don't know how computer literate you are but if you have some basic skills there is something you can try.

Unplug the DTivo and remove the top cover. You'll need a Torx screwdriver to do this. Get a small screwdriver set from Home Depot or Lowe's and it should have the Torx bits you need. Better yet, get your boyfriend to do it for you. After all, that's what we're good for, isn't it? ;) Remove the screws and slide the cover back about an inch and then lift it straight up. Be careful not to force it when reinstalling the cover as there are tabs along the sides that can get bent out of shape quite easily and will prevent the cover from fitting properly.

Check the make of hard drive in the DTivo and get the manufacturer's diagnostic program from their website. The stock drives in the S2 models are usually Maxtors or Western Digitals, depending on the model. Burn the diagnostic software to a CD or make a bootable floppy per the manufacturer's instructions. Test it in your PC to make sure it boots into the diagnostic program. You may have to change the BIOS settings to get it to boot from the CD-ROM drive or floppy, as applicable.

Remove the Tivo's hard drive and install it in your PC (turn the PC off first), making sure you have the jumper on the drive set to the correct configuration based on where you install it. Power up the PC and boot from the diagnostic disc. Run the non-destructive diagnostic tests (i.e., the ones that don't write anything to the drive). There's usually a short test and a more extensive one to pick from. Try the short one first as it will usually indicate any major problems right away. If the short one passes then try the more detailed diagnostic.

If the drive fails then you'll probably need to get a replacement drive. There are pre-configured drives available from Weaknees.com or PtvUpgrade.com or you can buy your own drive (it has to be the same size or larger) and install the image using an InstantCake CD from PtvUpgrade.

If the drive passes the diagnostic then you've got a problem with the Tivo hardware and should consider replacing the entire unit. You can buy used ones on ebay pretty cheap and you should be able to find the same model with no problem. DTV will probably send you an R10 if you request a Tivo model.
Ok, the boyfriend (hubby actually) wont go near the thing- he just wants it fixed by D*- so it's on me. and as for being computer literate.... not really :( (But I did just fix our toilet today, I was pretty proud of myself :D )
I suppose I could just get a replacement drive... but I probably need to be able to burn diagnostic stuff (I only burn toast), boot up stuff (I only wear boots) and reimage crap (I can't think of something cute to write here)
Plus the thread in the help center has the freezing thing happening to a bunch of people, so is it really my hard drive (although if I followed your directions, I would know huh!)??
What I really want is a free one from D*, this ones only 3 years old. :rolleyes:

[Dkerr24]

Most likely it is a failing hard drive. Tivo units are extremely tough on hard drives as they are on 24/7 and writing to the drive constantly. Most PC drives were not designed for this type of abuse. I've gotten as little as 12 months from a Maxtor 160gb drive while in my DTivo unit.

[goony]

Be careful if you try this in a WinXP or Win2000 box in case it boots to the OS and changes the MBR of the TiVo drive. Make sure it boots to the diagnostics disk.For safety, always disconnect the PC hard drive containing the Windoze (with the machine powered off, of course) - that way it cannot boot up and hose the Tivo drive. With the utility CD there's no need for the Windoze drive to be connected anyway.

[Melissa]

Ok, if I buy a new (bigger :) might as well) hard drive from say weaknees and I replace mine... I don't have to do anything computer wise right? I can handle the mechanical aspect of taking apart something and putting it back together but all that earlier talk of diagnostic stuff just confused me.
Then if it turns out it wasn't my hard drive and it is the tivo unit itself- if i get a new one, can i take out the new upgraded hard drive and put it into a new unit?(it would need to be a SD-DVR40 i'm assuming and it couldn't be an R-10 right?)
Thanks! -M

[wscannell]

Running diagnostics just helps to prove whether the hard disk is bad. You can just get a hard drive from weaknees and install it. It should work because the hard drive is the most likely problem. The same hard drive will work in most (standard definition) Series 2 DirectV TiVos. Not sure about the R10, which will probably be what Directv will supply.

[cowboys2002]

Running diagnostics just helps to prove whether the hard disk is bad. You can just get a hard drive from weaknees and install it. It should work because the hard drive is the most likely problem. The same hard drive will work in most (standard definition) Series 2 DirectV TiVos. Not sure about the R10, which will probably be what Directv will supply.


Yes , the replacement drives from weeknees are plug and play. You just need to call dtv to re-send the programming infor to the box. Should take less than 15 minutes (replace drive) and 15 minutes to restart/setup ypur box.

Make sure you specify you are replceing the originlal drive and not adding a second drive. ;)