My beloved Tivo is dying... is there a cheap cure?

[jonwalker67]

Hi

My lifetime sub Thomson Tivo is stuck at the dreaded 'Almost there....' screen, after a power surge caused by a broken oven (long story).

I have searched and read loads of threads which indicate that either my 250Gb upgrade drive needs replacing (ouch), or I have fried the modem and I need a cachecard.

Without getting out the violins, basically I have had to pay out so much recently on various things (now a new oven) that I am not really able to spend much to get my Tivo back working.

I don't think I am confident enough to plug the hard drive into my PC and delete file x or rename file y etc either. I have tried the 'pause, 58' thing, but it just returns me to the 'almost there screen'.

Can anyone please tell me if there is an easy, cheap way of diagnosing/repairing before I have to box it up and put it in the loft in its original box as a last resting place (I wouldn't have the heart to throw it away) I do not need to keep my recordings.

Thanks in advance

Jon:(

[blindlemon]

It sounds like a fried modem :(

If the alternative is putting the TiVo in the loft then you don't have a lot to lose by trying the modemtest deletion method. It's fairly straightforward and if you follow these instructions to the letter there's not a lot to go wrong:-


To delete the file without using a network card, unplug your main (boot) drive from your PC to avoid the danger of booting into Windows by accident and install your TiVo "A" drive into the PC on any IDE port except Primary Master. Then boot from a CD that does byteswapping by default - eg. the NIC install CD from SiliconDust (http://download.silicondust.com/tivo/nic_cd_20050218.iso).

Now mount the TiVo system partition by typing

mkdir /mnt/tivo
mount /dev/hdx4 /mnt/tivo

where hdx is hdb, hdc or hdd depending on whether you have installed the drive as Primary Slave, Secondary Master or Secondary Slave. If you get an error from the mkdir command ignore it. If you get an error from the mount command, retry it using a 7 instead of a 4.

You should now have the TiVo system partition mounted at /mnt/tivo so navigate to the /tvbin directory and rename the modemtest file by typing

cd /mnt/tivo/tvbin
mv modemtest modemtest.old

Now close down linux by typing

halt

and put the drive back in your TiVo to see whether it was a modem problem. (If it was then the TiVo will boot OK.)


If the modem is fried then a cachecard/turbonet/terbonet card will cure your problem.

[6022tivo]

Just to add, I feel it may not be the modem.. If it was close lightning or something maybe, but a power surge... Hmmm not sure.

My guess would maybe some drive corruption, especially if the power was switched on/off/on/off a few times during load up??.

What is your location, a lot of members may have a old 40gb from tivo's upgraded that they may give you to try??

Worth trying blindlemons excelent instructions to check if it is the modem in the meantime.

[jonwalker67]

Thanks so far for the quick replies.

Is it possible to put the (possibly) faulty Tivo drive in my HDD backup caddy, connect it to my PC via its USB cable, and then make the changes that way?

I am not too confident disconnecting my PC hdd, or idendifying where to plug the Tivo hdd (slave primary master sounds like something Max Mosley would know more about :eek:)

Cheers

[6022tivo]

Thanks so far for the quick replies.

Is it possible to put the (possibly) faulty Tivo drive in my HDD backup caddy, connect it to my PC via its USB cable, and then make the changes that way?

I am not too confident disconnecting my PC hdd, or idendifying where to plug the Tivo hdd (slave primary master sounds like something Max Mosley would know more about :eek:)

Cheers


No, would have be connected to your IDE cable inside the PC, assuming you have a IDE interface, some (inc mine) pc's don't have IDE ports anymore.

[jonwalker67]

Just opened my PC and you are right, it doesn't have an IDE port :(

[blindlemon]

Is it possible to put the (possibly) faulty Tivo drive in my HDD backup caddy, connect it to my PC via its USB cable, and then make the changes that way?Yes, it might work.

You would need to connect the caddy and witch it on, then boot your PC from the LBA48 boot CD (http://www.tivoheaven.com/download/ptv-mfstools2-large-disk.iso) in byteswapped mode (enter vmlnodma sda=bswap at the "Boot:" prompt) and then proceed as above, but substitute /dev/sda for /dev/hdX.

The SiliconDust CD doesn't understand USB drive caddies AFAI

[jonwalker67]

Thanks again.

I can do the "connect the caddy and switch it on" bit and burn the iso to disc.

I don't know how to boot my PC from the LBA48 boot CD (do I some how change the boot-up order? would I still need to disconnect my PC hdd first?)

As for the rest "(enter sda=bswap at the "Boot:" prompt) and then proceed as above, but substitute /dev/sda for /dev/hdX." I guess I would have to cross that bridge if I get that far.

Sorry to sound such a dunce, but I have no training or experience in this type of thing

[Tim L]

To boot from the CD, go into your BIOS (your PC should display a message saying which key to press during startup, after it detects your CPU and before it detects your drives. It's usually DEL). In one of the menus in the BIOS - one of the first two usually - there's an option to set the boot order. Change it so that CDROM is first, and exit, saving your changes. Your PC should then reboot, and if the CD is in the drive, load that.

I'd advise you to disconnect your PC's hard disk while doing the Tivo stuff. It's just safer that way.

[blindlemon]

As for the rest "(enter vmlnodma sda=bswap at the "Boot:" prompt) and then proceed as above, but substitute /dev/sda for /dev/hdX." I guess I would have to cross that bridge if I get that far.When your PC boots from the LBA48 CD, it will pause almost immediatley and prompt you with "Boot:"

At that point, enter

vmlnodma sda=bswap

and hit enter.

This will instruct it to boot into linux with /dev/sda (should be the USB caddy) byteswapped so that you can mount and access the partitions.

ps. apologies for my omission in the original post. You need the vmlnodma bit before sda=bswap :o

[martink0646]

No, would have be connected to your IDE cable inside the PC, assuming you have a IDE interface, some (inc mine) pc's don't have IDE ports anymore.

I've just bought a new PC too & inside is a 'lovely' array of SATA sockets. But there is an IDE port for the DVD drive. I just got a two way cable & added my rescued 320GB drive from my old PC. Is there any other way to connect an optical (CD/DVD) drive other than IDE?

If not then it's an easy answer. If there is can someone let me know.

Martin

[6022tivo]

I've just bought a new PC too & inside is a 'lovely' array of SATA sockets. But there is an IDE port for the DVD drive. I just got a two way cable & added my rescued 320GB drive from my old PC. Is there any other way to connect an optical (CD/DVD) drive other than IDE?

If not then it's an easy answer. If there is can someone let me know.

Martin


Mine is a SATA CD Drive, and most PC's are now Sata as the cost is the same as IDE. Have a look at dabs or something, most CD Drives now have the IDE or SATA option, but not both on the same drive.

[martink0646]

Mine is a SATA CD Drive, and most PC's are now Sata as the cost is the same as IDE. Have a look at dabs or something, most CD Drives now have the IDE or SATA option, but not both on the same drive.

Thanks. I didn't realize that CD/DVD drives could be SATA as well. In that case I was really lucky with the PC I bought!!

Martin

[ukcobra]

Sounds to me like a Drive Corruption, and when i went through this process last year it was not possible to save my recordings, so i went from 2 drives to 1 drive.
Today I had to replace the drive, as the Seagate I was using appeared to cause sound stutters.
Building a fresh disk is easy and can be done on your original drive if you still still have confidence in it.
Where are you living ? Perhaps someone closeby can help.
Mark

[jonwalker67]

Thanks to everybody for their advice.

I chose (rightly or wrongly) to buy a 40Gb Tivo on fleabay, which only cost me £20 (no postage as it was a local pickup)

Switched it on to test it and it works fine (apart from a slightly noisy hdd)

Broke the seal and stuck my Seagate 200Gb upgrade drive in it, and it hung at the 'few seconds...' screen.

This confirmed that the Seagate had failed.

So I took the 2 hdd's from the fleabay unit and stuck them in my Tivo, so I don't have to swap my lifetime sub over.

I've decided that the Tivo will be used in the bedroom as a backup, so 40Gb will be big enough. I have BT Vision in the living room, (PQ through its hdmi cable better than Tivo, and the twin tuner is a plus)

Only problem now is the slightly noisy hdd (could be a problem during the night) So if anyone has a really cheap (I mean almost free ;)) 40Gb hdd they want to sell me then please let me know.

After totting up the cost of my Tivo originally from John Lewis (£199?), 3 years of monthly subs, a 200Gb upgrade drive, a lifetime sub and now this fleabay one, I don't really want to spend very much more (even though it feels like one of the family)

Anyone feeling charitable?

[blindlemon]

Is your Seagate drive still under warranty? If so, send it back and use Hooch via the USB caddy to configure the replacement when it arrives.

Total cost: probably less than £25.

[jonwalker67]

Unfortunately the Seagate drive is out of warranty

[6022tivo]

Does sound like drive corruption.. You are right about the ebay unit, especially as you have 2 old drives... Very loud.. It will be a 20gb and a 15gb.

Have you tried a reload on your 200g??.

Are you local??? Where about are you located, would give it ago if I was?.

[jonwalker67]

I have tried the Seagate 200GB but it hangs at 'almost there etc....'

Also tried it in my caddy via USB to my PC, it spins up and the drivers installed but is doesn't seem to be discoverable.

I live between Milton Keynes and Oxford

I slept in the lounge to watch the boxing last night, but my wife said the replacement Tivo in the bedroom was too noisy all night, so my £20 gamble doesnt seem to have paid off

[blindlemon]

Unfortunately the Seagate drive is out of warrantyHave you checked via the Seagate website? The 'warranty' you got from the vendor might only have been a year, but Seagate have been supplying drives with a 5 year warranty for a couple of years now.

Also tried it in my caddy via USB to my PC, it spins up and the drivers installed but is doesn't seem to be discoverable.What do you mean? What drivers?

Did you boot the PC from the LBA48 boot CD and check the startup messages for references to '/dev/sda' ?

[jonwalker67]

Thanks for the quick reply

I hadnt checked the Seagate website til now, but when I enter the model number and serial/part number I get an error message;

"Communication Error With Warranty Database The warranty database did not return valid data."

I think the drive was bought (pre-configured for Tivo) in 2006, but I don't have the paperwork to hand. I could try emailing Seagate.

When I put the drive in my caddy, my vista pc seemed to detect it and the system tray showed 'installing drivers'? briefly

Sorry, havent been brave enough to boot the PC from the LBA48 boot CD, think its pushing my limited skills/experience. I just stuck it in the caddy to see if my PC read it as 'healthy'

[blindlemon]

Seagate's warranty checker appears to be temporarily broken. It normally works though, so I would try again later or tomorrow.

If you are resigned to the possibility of losing whatever was on your Seagate drive, then you could try using the Seagate diagnostic tool for Windows to check the drive. This allegedly works with USB drives but I haven't tried it.

Seagate also supply a bootable diagnostics CD, but I don't know if that works with a USB caddy, and I don't have one here to try it either. However, I have used it on IDE-attached drives and can safely say it will NOT cause your drive any damage as you don't have to boot into Windows to use it.

Seagate Diagnostic tools are here (http://www.seagate.com/www/en-us/support/downloads/seatools/)

[jonwalker67]

I have tried the diagnostic tool and when the program opens it scans for supported drives then throws up an error message along the lines of ' unhandled exception has occurred, if you click continue the app will ignore this error and attempt to continue..... then under details I get;


See the end of this message for details on invoking
just-in-time (JIT) debugging instead of this dialog box.

************** Exception Text **************
System.ArgumentException: Parameter is not valid.
at System.Drawing.Image.get_RawFormat()
at System.Drawing.Graphics.IgnoreMetafileErrors(Image image, Int32& errorStatus)
at System.Drawing.Graphics.DrawImage(Image image, Int32 x, Int32 y, Int32 width, Int32 height)
at System.Drawing.Graphics.DrawImage(Image image, Rectangle rect)
at System.Windows.Forms.PictureBox.OnPaint(PaintEventArgs pe)
at System.Windows.Forms.Control.PaintWithErrorHandling(PaintEve ntArgs e, Int16 layer, Boolean disposeEventArgs)
at System.Windows.Forms.Control.WmPaint(Message& m)
at System.Windows.Forms.Control.WndProc(Message& m)
at System.Windows.Forms.Control.ControlNativeWindow.OnMessage(M essage& m)
at System.Windows.Forms.Control.ControlNativeWindow.WndProc(Mes sage& m)
at System.Windows.Forms.NativeWindow.Callback(IntPtr hWnd, Int32 msg, IntPtr wparam, IntPtr lparam)


************** Loaded Assemblies **************
mscorlib
Assembly Version: 2.0.0.0
Win32 Version: 2.0.50727.312 (rtmLHS.050727-3100)
CodeBase: file:///C:/Windows/Microsoft.NET/Framework/v2.0.50727/mscorlib.dll
----------------------------------------
SeaToolsforWindows
Assembly Version: 1.1.0.14
Win32 Version: 1.1.0.14
CodeBase: file:///C:/Program%20Files/Seagate/SeaTools%20for%20Windows/SeaToolsforWindows.exe
----------------------------------------
Microsoft.VisualBasic
Assembly Version: 8.0.0.0
Win32 Version: 8.0.50727.312 (rtmLHS.050727-3100)
CodeBase: file:///C:/Windows/assembly/GAC_MSIL/Microsoft.VisualBasic/8.0.0.0__b03f5f7f11d50a3a/Microsoft.VisualBasic.dll
----------------------------------------
System
Assembly Version: 2.0.0.0
Win32 Version: 2.0.50727.312 (rtmLHS.050727-3100)
CodeBase: file:///C:/Windows/assembly/GAC_MSIL/System/2.0.0.0__b77a5c561934e089/System.dll
----------------------------------------
System.Windows.Forms
Assembly Version: 2.0.0.0
Win32 Version: 2.0.50727.312 (rtmLHS.050727-3100)
CodeBase: file:///C:/Windows/assembly/GAC_MSIL/System.Windows.Forms/2.0.0.0__b77a5c561934e089/System.Windows.Forms.dll
----------------------------------------
System.Drawing
Assembly Version: 2.0.0.0
Win32 Version: 2.0.50727.312 (rtmLHS.050727-3100)
CodeBase: file:///C:/Windows/assembly/GAC_MSIL/System.Drawing/2.0.0.0__b03f5f7f11d50a3a/System.Drawing.dll
----------------------------------------
System.Runtime.Remoting
Assembly Version: 2.0.0.0
Win32 Version: 2.0.50727.312 (rtmLHS.050727-3100)
CodeBase: file:///C:/Windows/assembly/GAC_MSIL/System.Runtime.Remoting/2.0.0.0__b77a5c561934e089/System.Runtime.Remoting.dll
----------------------------------------
System.Xml
Assembly Version: 2.0.0.0
Win32 Version: 2.0.50727.312 (rtmLHS.050727-3100)
CodeBase: file:///C:/Windows/assembly/GAC_MSIL/System.Xml/2.0.0.0__b77a5c561934e089/System.Xml.dll
----------------------------------------
SeagateDriveControls
Assembly Version: 1.0.0.0
Win32 Version: 1.0.0.0
CodeBase: file:///C:/Program%20Files/Seagate/SeaTools%20for%20Windows/SeagateDriveControls.DLL
----------------------------------------
SpawnCLR
Assembly Version: 1.0.2810.19181
Win32 Version:
CodeBase: file:///C:/Program%20Files/Seagate/SeaTools%20for%20Windows/SpawnCLR.DLL
----------------------------------------
msvcm80
Assembly Version: 8.0.50727.762
Win32 Version: 8.00.50727.762
CodeBase: file:///C:/Windows/WinSxS/x86_microsoft.vc80.crt_1fc8b3b9a1e18e3b_8.0.50727.762_none_1 0b2f55f9bffb8f8/msvcm80.dll
----------------------------------------

************** JIT Debugging **************
To enable just-in-time (JIT) debugging, the .config file for this
application or computer (machine.config) must have the
jitDebugging value set in the system.windows.forms section.
The application must also be compiled with debugging
enabled.

For example:

<configuration>
<system.windows.forms jitDebugging="true" />
</configuration>

When JIT debugging is enabled, any unhandled exception
will be sent to the JIT debugger registered on the computer
rather than be handled by this dialog box.

____________________________________________________________ __
and only the short and long generic tests work. The others all say 'test not available'

Thanks for your patience

[blindlemon]

Hehe - sounds like Seagate's program isn't exactly Vista-compatible yet :)

Edit: I just tried it on my Windows 2000 machine and got a similar error! :eek:

So, what happens when you run the tests?

[jonwalker67]

Only ones available are;
short generic - pass
long generic - in progress as we speak

[blindlemon]

Cool :)

[jonwalker67]

When its done, I'll try running the tests on my xp lappy

[jonwalker67]

Have tried the diagnostic with my XP laptop, same problem/result.

I've emailed Seagate, and will try the Seagate warrant checker tomorrow.