Since 6.3e, Tivo's freezing

TivoJD · 09-02-2007, 05:49 AM

Has anyone else run into the problem of their Tivo freezing since they have gotten the 6.3e update? When I turn the TV on, its like the picture is paused and it will not respond to the remote control. I have to reboot to get it to come back. This has happened about 3 times now over the past few weeks. I have two directv tivos that are doing this. One is a Samsung SIR-S4040R the other is a Directv R10. Best friend has 2 Hughes SD-DVR40's and she is having the same problem.

gshumaker · 09-02-2007, 10:44 AM

Same thing at our place - 2 of 3 are rebooting and very slow afterwards each time. Guess I need to wait a while and see if this settles out or call D* and see what is up!!

mjh · 09-02-2007, 12:56 PM

I have an R10 w/6.3e. I haven't experienced the "freezing" problem yet.

However, my TiVo is incredibly non-responsive after the upgrade. Fast-forwarding through commercials is different. With the previous releases, I had a pretty good rhythm to get to the 3-arrow FF. But it doesn't work now. Now it ends up at only 1 arrow, and if I'm lucky 2. I have to slow way down to get to the 3-arrow FF. And then when I push play to go back to normal speed, sometimes it won't take, and I'll just keep on fastforwarding past where I want to be!

I'm not really happy w/6.3e. It doesn't seem to provide me anything, but does seem to make the device less effective.

tbrogan · 09-02-2007, 01:56 PM

I have two (2) Hughes DirecTV Tivo Units (SD-DVR120). One is freezing/pausing every few seconds, the other is fine.

TIVO thinks the hard drive is going out. DirecTV wants me to upgrage to their DVR.

I'd rather keep the Tivo DVR. I have a extra internal hard drive (130GB). Do I just replace the old one with the new one? Or is there more I need to do?

Thanks in advance! Tommy

restart88 · 09-02-2007, 02:47 PM

I just checked and I have the update but everything seems to be working so far.

litzdog911 · 09-02-2007, 02:52 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by tbrogan

I have two (2) Hughes DirecTV Tivo Units (SD-DVR120). One is freezing/pausing every few seconds, the other is fine.

TIVO thinks the hard drive is going out. DirecTV wants me to upgrage to their DVR.

I'd rather keep the Tivo DVR. I have a extra internal hard drive (130GB). Do I just replace the old one with the new one? Or is there more I need to do?

Thanks in advance! Tommy

Check out these resources if you want to replace/upgrade the hard drive ....

http://www.tivocommunity.com/tivo-vb...?s=&forumid=25

http://www.weaknees.com/index.html

http://tivo.upgrade-instructions.com/

http://www.newreleasesvideo.com/hinsdale-how-to/

http://www.dvrupgrade.com/dvr/stores/1/instantcake.cfm

http://www.9thtee.com/

scottjf8 · 09-02-2007, 03:06 PM

I haven't checked to see the version on my HR10 but I'm guessing it's 6.3e... and it reboots probably once a day (I know by the time being gone from the corner of the screen) and the other day it was totally locked up.

It's starting to make me like the HR20 more and more.

TivoJD · 09-02-2007, 07:16 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by mjh

I have an R10 w/6.3e. I haven't experienced the "freezing" problem yet.

However, my TiVo is incredibly non-responsive after the upgrade. Fast-forwarding through commercials is different. With the previous releases, I had a pretty good rhythm to get to the 3-arrow FF. But it doesn't work now. Now it ends up at only 1 arrow, and if I'm lucky 2. I have to slow way down to get to the 3-arrow FF. And then when I push play to go back to normal speed, sometimes it won't take, and I'll just keep on fastforwarding past where I want to be!

I'm not really happy w/6.3e. It doesn't seem to provide me anything, but does seem to make the device less effective.

Yeah, my R10 is the same way with the FF, it bleeps weird too when trying to FF, almost like it skipping. The Samsung isn't doing that. The freezing is not good with all the new shows coming in the fall ...

restart88 · 09-03-2007, 02:08 AM

Today I did notice one thing odd. 2 recorded shows seemed to start recording late. Other than that all seems fine for me.

It's been ages since my SA Tivos did that and I only recently reactivated the Tivo functions on the R10, so I don't know if this is a common complaint or not.

jimbop99 · 09-03-2007, 06:40 PM

I have two Hughes Tivos. The one that got the upgrade has frozen three times and has required a reboot to get it going again.

rock_doctor · 09-05-2007, 06:01 AM

I'm having the same problem with my units. Drop outs, slow to respond and my HDVR2 just crashed on me. The HDVR2 have a new drive in it, so it isn't the drive. Hopefully, DTV will get this worked out I have no plans (what-so-ever) to replace any of my TiVos any time soon.

mark

recon225 · 09-05-2007, 10:10 AM

I have a smiliar problem since two days ago. This is only happening in live TV and recently recorded shows and it doesn't seem to affect older recorded shows. The picture would be fine for a few seconds and then freeze up then repeat this cycle. Tried restarting and it helped for a couple of minutes before the problem came back.

snookuda · 09-05-2007, 12:39 PM

Im having the same issues of freezing up and only a reboot is a fix with my r10, whats up D*, cant you fix this...

cr0100 · 09-06-2007, 08:34 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by TivoJD

Has anyone else run into the problem of their Tivo freezing since they have gotten the 6.3e update? When I turn the TV on, its like the picture is paused and it will not respond to the remote control. I have to reboot to get it to come back.

I have the Hughes DVR40 and have been having a hell of a time lately. Each time it freezes up, my only choice is to pull the power plug from the back and watch the slow reboot process. Last night it did this 3 times within 15 minutes. The first time it happened was when I was ff'ing through a commercial. The next time I'd just hit "play", and the final time before I stormed away from the box and went to read a book, it happened while I was just selecting the "Now Playing" item from the menu.

The last time I ever called DirecTV about issues with my box, all they wanted to do was send me another DVR (certainly not a TiVo box), so I don't hold out any high hopes of getting any satisfaction by calling them this time! Boy, was I mad last night.

rbtravis · 09-06-2007, 10:11 AM

Try clearing the thumbs ratings

to see if the problem goes away. These ratings only affect suggestions. good luck

rock_doctor · 09-06-2007, 01:36 PM

cr0100...

I hate to say it but it crashing that often sounds more like a hard drive problem then a software problem. Calling DTV for help with the TiVo units is a waste of time. Most of the people there are too new to even know they had a TiVo direct tv recorder.... Something to consider.

good luck,
mark

snoop · 09-06-2007, 01:40 PM

On the old series 1's there was a problem with upgrades which may or may not apply to the newer series 2 directivos. Perhaps someone more in tune with how the newer models work could opine.

On the older tivo's, there were two partitions that the operating system used, one for the 'current' software and one for an upgrade version. I believe the intent was that if the upgrade version didnt download or install correctly, the tivo could boot back to its former image. On the next upgrade, the download would go to the 'old' partition and the two partitions would swap who was 'active' on each download.

Problems came about when one of the partitions wasnt used for a long time, then a new s/w image was downloaded to it, no problems were immediately detected, but the new area was a so-so portion of the disk and progressively got worse. You'd get reboots, freezes, slowness and all sorts of similar sounding stuff.

Seems the trouble originated from the manufacturer writing the image to the disk and not testing the unused areas.

The solution then was to try to copy your disk contents to a new, non flakey drive and hope you could get everything off of it, or install a fresh new drive with a clean copy of the tivo s/w.

dtremain · 09-06-2007, 02:19 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by snoop

On the older tivo's, there were two partitions that the operating system used, one for the 'current' software and one for an upgrade version. I believe the intent was that if the upgrade version didnt download or install correctly, the tivo could boot back to its former image. On the next upgrade, the download would go to the 'old' partition and the two partitions would swap who was 'active' on each download.

Problems came about when one of the partitions wasnt used for a long time, then a new s/w image was downloaded to it, no problems were immediately detected, but the new area was a so-so portion of the disk and progressively got worse. You'd get reboots, freezes, slowness and all sorts of similar sounding stuff.

Seems the trouble originated from the manufacturer writing the image to the disk and not testing the unused areas.

Well, I'd agree with everything above except the last sentence. You are correct about the update being written to a different part of the disk. What then happens is if there is damage to that part of the disk, the software now on it starts to give the machine problems. Those problems had not appeared before becuase the damaged area was not affecting the software then.

There's really nothing the manufacturer can test for. It is the result of pre-existing damage to the individual unit's hard drive.

cr0100 · 09-06-2007, 02:51 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by rock_doctor

cr0100...

I hate to say it but it crashing that often sounds more like a hard drive problem then a software problem. Calling DTV for help with the TiVo units is a waste of time. Most of the people there are too new to even know they had a TiVo direct tv recorder.... Something to consider.

good luck,
mark

Sounds like it is time to replace the harddrive, then. Bummer, this one is only about 2 years old!

What is the max size drive that this thing can handle? If I'm going to upgrade I might as well UPGRADE.

Thanks guys. I'm not as upset as I was last night, now that there is a plan of action!

-Charles

rock_doctor · 09-06-2007, 06:00 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by cr0100

Sounds like it is time to replace the harddrive, then. Bummer, this one is only about 2 years old!

What is the max size drive that this thing can handle? If I'm going to upgrade I might as well UPGRADE.

Thanks guys. I'm not as upset as I was last night, now that there is a plan of action!

-Charles

Wait to see what others say but that would be my guess. Rebooting several times a day is what mine did when it went. If your drive is only 2-years old you may be able to return it under warranty. It should have a date of manufacture stamped on it. Most drives have at least a 3-year warranty and Seagate, my favorite, has a 5-yr warranty. Just be sure not to tell them you used it in a tivo. Should not make a difference but you never know. If you can't return the drive you can still use it in a computer, Windows will mark the bad sectors and it will work fine.

good luck,
mark

patrickd88 · 09-06-2007, 06:10 PM

I'm having the same freezing problem the last couple weeks. What can we do? It's obviously something to do with the latest update. Anyone? I don't want DirecTV's piece of junk box. My friend has had hers replaced 3 times in the last year.

chuckg · 09-06-2007, 06:22 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by cr0100

Sounds like it is time to replace the harddrive, then. Bummer, this one is only about 2 years old!

What is the max size drive that this thing can handle? If I'm going to upgrade I might as well UPGRADE.

Thanks guys. I'm not as upset as I was last night, now that there is a plan of action!

-Charles

If your problems started after the 6.3e upgrade then it is the more likely cause of your problems. I have two S4040Rs purchased in 2004. They almost never gave me any trouble with a very rare restart.

Replaced HDs with brand new Seagate units from weaknees several weeks ago. All was well until 6.3e upgrade. Both units have restarted twice in the last week and a half most recently last night. And one had a video freeze which weaknees describes thus:

PROBLEM / ERROR MESSAGE
VIDEO DROPS OUT BUT AUDIO CONTINUES
CAUSES / SOLUTIONS DIRECTV WITH TIVO (DIRECTIVO)**
In early-model TiVos (SAT T60 and DSR6000), this was a problem caused by a software update in early July 2004 to 3.1.0c. More recently, the HR10-250 had this problem, and a software update (to 6.3b) was released to solve it.

** Hughes GXCEBOT, Philips DSR6000, DSR6000r, SONY SAT T-60 and in some cases, Series 2 TiVo models.

It may be that the power supplies are the problem. See the weaknees repair page.
My guess is that many, perhaps most, of the recent problems are related to 6.3e.

recon225 · 09-06-2007, 07:54 PM

Having changed about a dozen directivo drives for my units and others, I believe I can spot HDD failures. I have a stronge believe my live TV freezing problem is due to the new software because none of my older recordings have any problems playing back.

Mike_TV · 09-07-2007, 11:36 AM

I have two different Series 2 units (HDVR2) one stock 80GB Phillips the other Hughes with a 500 GB drive. I forced a call earlier this week and both rebooted with the new update. Both ran fine for a few days and both locked up at about the same time (a couple days later). one unit was locked up with a frozen image of a program while the other was locked up on a black screen.

Seems like something in the update is messed up. Chances that both units had hard drive problems at the same time seem pretty slim to me.

I did notice that my channel logos came back on both units.

recon225 · 09-07-2007, 11:50 AM

At the same time my problem started, I also received an error 81 activate dvr message almost every hour. My system information shows I have dvr as active and I have no problems recording shows other than this one directivo recording the image freezes. My other directivo is fine. The other hardware difference is that the problem unit has 2 HDDs via a weakness bracket.

rbtravis · 09-07-2007, 08:23 PM

Having two drives could be drawing to much power. Your power supply could be intermittent . When was the last time you cleaned out the interior. Heat is the enemy of all computers, could cause it to draw more power. Try cleaning out the dust first. When you put in the dual drive bracket did you install the fan as recommended. Remember do all work with Tivo unplugged. Safety first!!!

Philo_Beddoe · 09-07-2007, 10:23 PM

I am having the EXACT same problem. However, maybe my scenario will help or shed some light. I haven't used my Phillips DSR704 in nearly a year (i moved). DTV came out yesterday and hooked me back up. As of late last night I get serious lock up and freeze. My remote becomes nearly useless, and I cant do anything. Even when I go to the settings area it is extremely SLOW. Only a reboot is solving the issue.

I don't think it's a hardware issue, but I could be wrong..

patrickd88 · 09-07-2007, 10:33 PM

It's the same problem a lot of us are having. 6.3e IS GARBAGE. Email or call DIRECTV right away!

verchad · 09-08-2007, 05:47 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by patrickd88

It's the same problem a lot of us are having. 6.3e IS GARBAGE. Email or call DIRECTV right away!

I called today after no improvements. The tech, Deborah, suggested a reset.

I told her I tried that.

She suggested a reset that wipes out my recorded programs.

I countered and asked her if they knew if there was any update being worked on for this software, since all my problems have started after the upgrade and it's to the point that you can't watch anything without the stuttering. And also mentioned that I know others ;-) who have Directivos and are having the same problems after the update.

Her response was that even if they were working on an update, it's not like, "it would be ready tomorrow, it would be awhile."

She said that if the total reset didn't work they could replace the system.

Now, I really don't want to do wipe the hard drive, I do have a dvd recorder and can backup my tivoed stuff, but it is stuttering on playback.

So a questions. Has anyone tried the reset that wipes the hard drive and has it actually worked? I don't want to waste time transfering about 10 hours of stuttering stuff to the dvd-r if it's not going to help the DTivo.

Beer Geek · 09-09-2007, 07:33 AM

My HDVR2 has frozen several times since the software change. The other thing it's doing is flashing to a blank, black screen for just a moment each time I move down a level in the Now Playing List, and each time I start playing a recording.

When it freezes up, that blank screen is all you get, and it won't respond to the remote. It's always happened when I wasn't watching (maybe overnight, not sure), so I haven't seen it freeze.