SAT-T60 Trouble

[TheCommish]

I have 2 SAT-T60s. The one in the living room, I've had forever (I recently upgraded the hard drive). The living room unit's software is up to date (3.5d-01-1-011), and the unit works fine.

I purchased another SAT-T60 from Craigslist--and had to go through hell to get DirecTV to activate it (I was even on the news (http://cbs13.com/consumer/call.kurtis.kurtis.2.790600.html)). It has been working for a month, but has been running software 2.5.2-01-1-011. I have made many repeated successful calls trying to get the software to update, without success. Two nights ago, the unit provided a message stating that the TIVO service was inactive. I confirmed that the TIVO service was inactive using the system information screen.

I've called DirecTV several times. I've rebooted my receiver, had DirecTV remove and reinstall programming, etc. and the result is the same (TIVO service inactive). I called TIVO and they confirm the unit is inactive (using the unit's TIVO number). TIVO states that they need DirecTV to activate it; DirecTV says they have done everything they can to activate it (the status on my primary unit is fine). According to DirectTV (office of the president), I must have a hardware issue. Does this make sense to you experts? It seem more like a communication issue between DirecTV and TIVO to me.

Thanks in advance.

[JimSpence]

The first thing I'd do is get the latest software version using InstantCake.
Then you might be able to get it reactivated.

[TheCommish]

Thanks for the response, JimSpence!

Based on your response, I gather that you do not think that I have a hardware issue, nor do you think that I have an issue with DirectTV communicating with TIVO (or visa versa). You think that the issue is with my box's software.

I am hesitant to purchase InstantCake and a hard drive to see if that is the issue. Should I just swap the drives from two SAT-T60s to see if that is the issue? Do you know if the 2.5 sofware will update to 3.5 if I stick the drive in my functioning unit?

[Jonathan_S]

Thanks for the response, JimSpence!

Based on your response, I gather that you do not think that I have a hardware issue, nor do you think that I have an issue with DirectTV communicating with TIVO (or visa versa). You think that the issue is with my box's software.

I am hesitant to purchase InstantCake and a hard drive to see if that is the issue. Should I just swap the drives from two SAT-T60s to see if that is the issue? Do you know if the 2.5 sofware will update to 3.5 if I stick the drive in my functioning unit?You could swap the drives, since the they're both T60s*. However, unless you did a 'Clear and Delete Everything' after the drive swap the TiVos wouldn't work. (And if you did do that you'd lose all the shows from the 3.5 T60's hard drive)
So I'd recommend against doing that.

You could just purchase InstantCake and reinstall onto the existing stock drive on your 2.5 T60. That would at least save you the cost of a new hard disk, and if it didn't fix your problem I don't think you'd be any worse off that you are now.

Heck I'd give you my copy of InstantCake for the T60, but I'm pretty sure it's older than software version 3.5.

*Swapping hard drives between dissimilar units is a Type II "Moron" (http://archive.tivocommunity.com/tivo-vb/showthread.php?threadid=32011) mistake

[stevel]

If you swap the drives, you'll get "Error #51" until you do a "Clear and Delete Everything". But you could see if it will update.

Is the drive on the problem box "hacked" in any way? One popular thing to do is to disable software updates. If you bought it used, that's probably what happened.

You would not have to purchase a hard drive - you can use InstantCake on the existing drive - but it's perhaps easiest to use the free MFSlive CD (or the Windows app) to copy the 3.5 disk to the 2.5.2 disk and then do the Clear and Delete Everything. That should take care of it.

[TheCommish]

Is the drive on the problem box "hacked" in any way?

I don't think so, but I guess it is possible.

it's perhaps easiest to use the free MFSlive CD (or the Windows app) to copy the 3.5 disk to the 2.5.2 disk and then do the Clear and Delete Everything. That should take care of it.

Thanks for this. I hate to admit it, but I have a new computer and have yet to crack the case, so I am hesitant to go that route. I think I'll stick the drive from the 'bad' SAT-T60 into my 'good' SAT-T60 and let it do its thing, including the 'clear and delete everything'. If it works then I'll switch the drives back.

Can someone confirm that I won't have to 'clear and delete everything' when I return my (software version 3.5) drive back into its original 'good' unit?

[stevel]

With the "WinMFS" program and USB-IDE adaptors there is no need to "crack the case".

I predict that moving the bad disk to the "good" T60 will accomplish nothing. You'll be fine replacing the 3.5 disk to its original box.

[TheCommish]

Thanks! Good Karma to you all! I'll do my best to 'Pay it forward'.

[mr.unnatural]

I believe you're going to need to upgrade to OS version 3.1 at the very least in order to get it to take an upgrade. Version 2.5.2 is too old for it to update normally. Get a current version of InstantCake from DVRUpgrade and you should be good to go.

If you swap the drives and do a C&DE and then swap the drives back you'll still get the error #51 message and have to do the C&DE all over again. However, you could initiate the C&DE in the good DTivo and pull the plug when it reboots. Swap the drives and let it finish the C&DE in the other DTivo and you should be able to avoid the error #51 issue.

[stevel]

I do not agree that "2.5.2 is too old". I've never seen a case where a TiVo update cared how much older the current version is.

I see no point in half-doing the C&DE - you're going to have to do it one way or another to use a drive in a different box. It hardly matters whether you see the error 51 or not.

[mr.unnatural]

I do not agree that "2.5.2 is too old". I've never seen a case where a TiVo update cared how much older the current version is.

I see no point in half-doing the C&DE - you're going to have to do it one way or another to use a drive in a different box. It hardly matters whether you see the error 51 or not.
There was a definite issue when trying to upgrade from the 2.5.2 or older version OS to 3.5 a while back, regardless of whether you saw it or not. The only way you could get to 3.5 was if you had 3.1 as a starting point. I had several S1 DTivos that were at 2.5.2 and they simply would not update to 3.5 until I had updated them to 3.1 first. Once 3.1 was installed the update went without a hitch on all of my DTivos. The transition between 2.5.2 and 3.1 had to do with the access card swap between the older cards and the next generation being distributed by DirecTV, IIRC.

The C&DE doesn't take place until the Tivo restarts and boots into the OS. By pulling the plug just when it starts (i.e., you initially just see the Powering up screen) you are catching it just prior to starting the actual C&DE and allowing the process to complete on the "bad" Tivo whereby it will incorporate the data from that unit and avoid the error #51. If you do the C&DE on the "good" Tivo it will acquire the data from that unit, resulting in an error #51 when transferring the drive back to the original DTivo because you have now created a mismatch between the drive and the rest of the hardware. You'd have to perform the C&DE all over again to get rid of the error and waste another hour in the process. This way you only need to do the C&DE once. It does matter if you see the error #51 because you won't be able to use any Tivo features until you get rid of it.

[TheCommish]

Update: FYI all. I ended up purchasing a new drive from WeaKnees. I installed it last night and everything is A-OK.

Why did I buy a new drive?
I felt like I had a bunch of bad choices (buy a cable or open my computer and/or dismantle two stereo cabinets to get to both TIVOs). All of the choices were designed to allow me to limp along with the same 40 meg drive, that was actually pretty noisy (and the noise was bothering me more and more each day). A new drive solved the noise issue and provided more space.

I hate that DirecTV told me that it was a hardware issue. It seems very clear that Mr. Unnatural was right on. You'd think that (at minimum) DirecTV would have been able to tell me that a SAT-T60 running software 2.5 would not update to 3.5. The $40 used SAT-T60 not only cost me a ton of effort in DirectTV hell (here's the story my local CBS station did on my DirecTV issue: http://cbs13.com/consumer/call.kurtis.kurtis.2.790600.html), but it also cost me $100 for the upgrade.

Oh well...at least DirecTV refunded $100 to my account for the R15 that we hated....