Toshiba sd-400

raider68 · 04-26-2006, 03:50 PM

My toshiba Sd-400 shows the message.....POWERING UP and will not leave that screen....I asume that the hard drive is toast.........Can I just go buy a new harddrive and put in? Or do i need to get software to load on it? Also will my lifetime subscription still be active.....? Please help

megatron · 04-26-2006, 09:35 PM

i dunno why, but the same thing happened to me today...sorta. I went to turn on my tv and my tivo wouldnt work. Neither the remote or the buttons on the face would work. So i pulled the plug, gave it a few seconds and reconnected. It rebooted and took much longer than usual to come back to the main menu. Also it intermittently would stop working. I heard the death clicking from the HD so pulled the plug again...I guess i'll try it in a few hours... I wonder if they did some software upgrade or somethgn that isnt compatible if u upgraded the HD in the unit.

raider68 · 04-27-2006, 06:16 AM

i am having the same problem as you............i guess that i need a new hard drive.....

weaknees · 04-27-2006, 06:14 PM

You cannot install a blank drive; you'd need to have the proper operating system loaded on the drive. If you replace the drive with a new one, you will not lose your lifetime TiVo DVR service.

threerabbits · 05-04-2006, 11:10 PM

My Toshiba SD-H400 is stucked at Powering Up screen... I guess this means I have lost all my recordings???

raider68 · 05-05-2006, 06:35 AM

Well, i put a hard drive in from weakness and still the same problem.....My unit will not go past the powering up screen. The Guys at weakness were awsome.....no problem they gave me a Return # and i shipped it back for credit. So then i called toshiba customer service to find a service center. the rep told me that toshiba does not service this unit anymore. WHAT! The rep told me to calm down that he had good news. For the SD-H400 , toshiba offers a exchange program. He gave me a RA# and I had to ship the broken unit to them........They will send me back a new TX-60 DVD Burner/Tivo unit...............That is a deal!
So dont try to fix them , hell call toshiba and get a new one with a DvD burner.....

Steve_Martin · 05-05-2006, 08:41 AM

Yeah, but could you transfer your lifetime subscription to the new unit?

emeril2k1 · 05-05-2006, 09:21 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by raider68

Well, i put a hard drive in from weakness and still the same problem.....My unit will not go past the powering up screen. The Guys at weakness were awsome.....no problem they gave me a Return # and i shipped it back for credit. So then i called toshiba customer service to find a service center. the rep told me that toshiba does not service this unit anymore. WHAT! The rep told me to calm down that he had good news. For the SD-H400 , toshiba offers a exchange program. He gave me a RA# and I had to ship the broken unit to them........They will send me back a new TX-60 DVD Burner/Tivo unit...............That is a deal!
So dont try to fix them , hell call toshiba and get a new one with a DvD burner.....

Was your original unit still under warranty?

My SD-H400 has had a bad DVD player for almost a year now...

Did it cost you anything for the exchange?

PatC · 05-05-2006, 09:55 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by emeril2k1

Was your original unit still under warranty?

My SD-H400 has had a bad DVD player for almost a year now...

Did it cost you anything for the exchange?

Hey I think something is up with the Toshiba SD-H400's! Mine died today too. Two years old. But, like raider68 said, in desperation I called Toshiba and to my surprise they gave me a case number to ship the old unit to them and they will ship me either a RS-TX20 120GB or RS-TX60 160GB as a replacement, depending what they had in stock. Of course I requested the RS-TX60 160GB for a replacement. Shipped my old one back this afternoon, should arrive at the TN depot on Tuesday.

Can't wait for the new (refurb probably) RS-TX60 with DVD burner and firewire port! I would start calling Toshiba at 1-800-631-3811. It took me longer to complete the phone satisfaction survey, than to get the 5 minute return done. FYI, Shipping weight in original box was 16lbs, with manuals, power cord and remote. They told me to keep the other cables, etc. UPS cost about $24 with insurance.

Seriously though, it sound like Toshiba KNOWS about a major problem with this model, like the old IBM DeathStars

Hope that helps, Pat C

profet · 05-06-2006, 01:11 PM

but do you lose your lifetime sub?

PatC · 05-06-2006, 03:33 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by profet

but do you lose your lifetime sub?

I don't think you would, since it was a factory exchange. But, I would call TiVo to check.

gastrof · 05-06-2006, 03:48 PM

From what I've heard, if TiVo replaces the machine, they'll transfer the LIFETIME service to the new one. I'm going to go out on a limb here and say the same would apply with a similar exchange done by Toshiba. TiVo would likely honor that too.

raider68 · 05-06-2006, 06:09 PM

I called tivo before i did this and they said YES.....If the unit cannot be reapaired and Toshiba is swapping it out.......they will move the life time package at no cost...

LEN

Steve_Martin · 05-06-2006, 06:56 PM

Cool, makes me want to have our SD-400 fail mysteriously.

PatC · 05-09-2006, 02:30 PM

Hey raider68, How long did it take to get the replacement unit? Mine shipped late Friday from Atlantic City and arrived in TN this morning. I keep trying to hit the skip back on my TV remote and hate it when it does nothing

Also, did they send you a RS-TX20 or 60 as a replacement and how do you like it?

Thanks, PatC

phbigred · 05-09-2006, 10:36 PM

My SD-H400 is outside the extended warranty and not malfunctioning. If I encounter a problem would it be able to be exchanged as well even if it is no longer covered? My drive has started getting noisy and have experienced intermittent problems but have been able to restart and recover it each time.

scottykempf · 05-10-2006, 09:25 AM

Yes, everyone please post how old their SD-H400's are if they have a problem with them. Mine is about a year and a half old and I found this thread because mine has been restarting more than usual and this morning was stuck on one channel. I like my Toshiba but would not think twice about sending it in for a DVD Burner unit if it is covered. Thanks.

PatC · 05-10-2006, 07:14 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by scottykempf

Yes, everyone please post how old their SD-H400's are if they have a problem with them. Mine is about a year and a half old and I found this thread because mine has been restarting more than usual and this morning was stuck on one channel. I like my Toshiba but would not think twice about sending it in for a DVD Burner unit if it is covered. Thanks.

Scotty, Mine was just about two-years and two months old, when it died on May 5, 2006. I would make a backup and/or restore the current drive to a larger HD ASAP. There is no Instant Cake for the SD-H400, so without a backup or original drive to restore from you would have to get a new drive from PTV or weaKnees.

I don't know if this is a blanket policy by Toshiba on this model or not, that's why you need a backup just in case. Unfortunately, I see the replacement RS-TX20 and TX60's are now discontinued, although they still appear on the Toshiba web site. I hope they last longer than two-years.

HTH, PatC

phbigred · 05-10-2006, 08:42 PM

Pat was yours covered under warranty by an extended warranty by chance?

PatC · 05-10-2006, 09:02 PM

Nope, just the standard warranty. That's what makes me think that Toshiba KNOWS there is a problem with these units. CS put me right through to a SD-H400 TiVo "specialist". She asked a couple questions about why I thought the HD died, did I unplug, reboot, etc. Yes only to get a fuzzy gray constant Powering Up... screen. She then said she would send me an exchange unit.

My unit constantly ran at about 49C, which is hot compared to my S2 at 35-39C. I think that's a major problem with these particular units.
HTH, Pat

comber · 05-15-2006, 12:40 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by raider68

Well, i put a hard drive in from weakness and still the same problem.....My unit will not go past the powering up screen. The Guys at weakness were awsome.....no problem they gave me a Return # and i shipped it back for credit. So then i called toshiba customer service to find a service center. the rep told me that toshiba does not service this unit anymore. WHAT! The rep told me to calm down that he had good news. For the SD-H400 , toshiba offers a exchange program. He gave me a RA# and I had to ship the broken unit to them........They will send me back a new TX-60 DVD Burner/Tivo unit...............That is a deal!
So dont try to fix them , hell call toshiba and get a new one with a DvD burner.....

Thank you so much for posting that! I came back from ireland to find the DVD not working and I have to pull the plug out and do a power start every time I use the TiVo or just leave it on all the time. Called Toshiba, they put me through to the department they have set up especially to deal with the SD-H400, which tells you something, and I also am getting a TX-60, double the hard drive plus a DVD recorder. It's a refurbished model but it is under warranty and the TiVo lifetime subscription transfers. What a deal. And I was this close to binning it and buying a new one! Thanks again.

gastrof · 05-15-2006, 03:03 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by threerabbits

My Toshiba SD-H400 is stucked at Powering Up screen... I guess this means I have lost all my recordings???

The recordings are in DVD format...

If someone you know is computer saavy, they might be able to rescue the files.

PatC · 05-17-2006, 03:13 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by comber

Thank you so much for posting that! I came back from ireland to find the DVD not working and I have to pull the plug out and do a power start every time I use the TiVo or just leave it on all the time. Called Toshiba, they put me through to the department they have set up especially to deal with the SD-H400, which tells you something, and I also am getting a TX-60, double the hard drive plus a DVD recorder. It's a refurbished model but it is under warranty and the TiVo lifetime subscription transfers. What a deal. And I was this close to binning it and buying a new one! Thanks again.

Just got my refurbished TX60 on Monday, about a nine-day turnaround. Unit looks like new, a small stain on the remote, but who cares. Nice unit, just burned my first DVD this morning in about 15 minutes. Pretty quick. I hated going into the jungle of wires behind the entertainment center, but I did manage to reduce them to a more manageable number.

FYI, the TX60 won't record TiVo's transferred from another unit with MRV, it says the recording is incompatable. Why, I don't know. Maybe to do with copy protections, DRM, etc. Only burns DVD's from shows recorded on the TX60 in the Now Showing Playlist and some of those may be flagged too.

One setup note, if you have a cable box you need to use the RCA composite connections into the TX60. I used the coax at first and got no signal in setup. We don't need no stinkin manual! Setup took about four hours after the initial download, pretty long compared to my S2 at an hour. The service update to the 7.2.2b? software installed on my first forced call. This unit does run a lot cooler at 35-39C, than my SD-H400 at 49-50C, even though the fan doesn't seem to put out more airflow.

Good luck with the new *refurb* unit. I still wonder what caused the "Magic May Day" for the SD-H400's.

Pat

jon96cobra · 05-24-2006, 01:40 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by raider68

My toshiba Sd-400 shows the message.....POWERING UP and will not leave that screen....I asume that the hard drive is toast.........Can I just go buy a new harddrive and put in? Or do i need to get software to load on it? Also will my lifetime subscription still be active.....? Please help

I have the same problem. I have installed a new drive and followed the instructions on Weaknees site but still not working. I'm not sure if its the size of the drive or something wrong with the board in the tivo.

I installed a Maxtor 300gb drive.

I still have the factory drive but out of warranty.

PatC · 05-26-2006, 07:46 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by jon96cobra

I have the same problem. I have installed a new drive and followed the instructions on Weaknees site but still not working. I'm not sure if its the size of the drive or something wrong with the board in the tivo.

I installed a Maxtor 300gb drive.

I still have the factory drive but out of warranty.

Jon, It's probably the HD that died, like many other SD-H400's around the two-year old mark. If the HD is toast, a backup to a new HD won't work. You needed to backup the old drive Before it died. Call Toshiba CS, they have been replacing them with refurbished RS-TX20 or TX60 models, even if your out of warranty. I got the TX60 and love it. I'm waiting for my 90-day refurb warranty to expire, then pull the drive and make a backup to a larger Seagate 250GB w/16MB cache.

HTH, Pat

stacigr · 05-26-2006, 08:26 PM

I think my Toshiba SD H400 died on me today also. Lately, it had been freezing up once in a while and I would have to unplug and power up again, but today the screen stays at Welcome... Powering Up. The screen has not changed for hours, so I assume it died. I am so glad that I found this thread and see that this is a common and known issue. By the way, I received it as a gift about 3 years ago.

tom1002 · 05-26-2006, 09:21 PM

to my dismass...

toshiba changed their policy last friday
from exchange to repair only.....

my sd-h400 died (stuck at the grey screen) also
loved it......

called and B$%^$ and B&$%@& and to no avail....
no tx20 or 60 for me....

they told me send it in with 140 bucks and we'll
see what we can do.....

said no thanks.....

fyi
i had the 7.2.2 update for about 2 weeks before
the grey death....
was using a netgear wireless G adapt.
h400 never opend or upgraded
prob ran at 58-59 degrees (me thinks) i chked it like 1 yr before (not recently)
bought a best buy about 2yrs ago

hope this info helps our case against Toshiba

ashu · 05-26-2006, 10:13 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by tom1002

to my dismass...

toshiba changed their policy last friday
from exchange to repair only.....

(I'm not saying you did, but ...) I bet a lot of people tried to abuse their policy over the last few days!

Quote:

Originally Posted by tom1002

hope this info helps our case against Toshiba

See entitlement

Harsh as this sounds, it outlasted its warranty. When you bought it, did Toshiba promise it would continue to work flawlessly after two years of ownership?

If mine (also around 2 years old) died today, I'd be p***ed off too ... but wouldn't feel entitled to a replacement (or a free upgrade).

ArcticZ · 05-26-2006, 10:22 PM

wow then i got in under the wire! I called last week about my sdh400 that died this past february. I thought it was toast, even ordered a new hd from weaknees. But after reading this thread i called and they told me to send it in. I called weaknees and told this they told me to send the hd back. I didn't even open the box that the hd came it, just turned around and sent it back. I sent in the sdh400 and they got it last friday. There sending me out a TX60 model that was shipped out wednesday. So i'm glad i did that! and getting a dvd burner now. hehe But they sent out my unit to the wrong place. I'm in michigan they sent it to oregon. I think i got that taken care of today, just have to wait a little bit longer now till i get it. :-))

I bought two sdh400 units from qvc two years ago, just hope my brothers unit dosen't die now since i told him if it dose he can get a better one free like me. grrr i wonder why they just stoped!!

greggt007 · 05-27-2006, 04:18 PM

i gave my sister an sdh400 about 2 yrs ago. it died on her about almost a yr ago. she finally drove it up to me 3 weeks ago and i go to look up how to replace the hd and find this out just too late! just called the number from above and yup they want $125 to repair it. so is there no way to repair this POS other than buying a drive from weaknees? or does the unit need to be sent to weaknees?
i have another sdh400 still working (hopefully wont die before the week is over!). can i get the image from that working sdh400 and use it to make a copy to another hd?

also, i have a ton of 40gb drives. so is it possible to put a single 40gb drive in the toshiba (ie. take the image of the working 80gb drive minus the shows recorded, to transfer to the new 40gb drive via weaknees instructions)? she doesnt need the space...