Please Help! Tivo Keeps Restarting!

[greg_burns]

Originally Posted by Geemer

It has 8.1a TiVo software on it at the moment.

So you are saying you copied your old non functional drive to a different drive. But you are old drive was still at 8.1a?

Why wasn't it runnin 9.3?

[greg_burns]

Originally Posted by Geemer

I had the idea pop into my head this morning that I should use the weaknees iso to copy the TiVo OS from the 80 hour Series 2 that is running the 9 series software onto the replacement drive for the other TiVo. I suppose this would work.

You can't (generally) mix models. What do you have? In other words, you can't use a 240 image on a 540. (140s and 240s are interchangeable IIRC).

[Geemer]

They are both 240's, just one was originally a 40 hour (which is the failing one) and one is an 80 hour. Neither have been modded previously.

I have no idea why that one was running 8.1 software unless of course this issue with the updates failing has been going on for quite some time. This TiVo sits in the game room and just records season pass stuff, no one actually watches TV through it, so it could have been failing the update for a while. As long as it was getting guide information and supported room to room viewing I had no reason to mess with it.

[greg_burns]

Originally Posted by Geemer

I have no idea why that one was running 8.1 software unless of course this issue with the updates failing has been going on for quite some time. This TiVo sits in the game room and just records season pass stuff, no one actually watches TV through it, so it could have been failing the update for a while. As long as it was getting guide information and supported room to room viewing I had no reason to mess with it.

Odd. How were you watching shows off it if no one actually watches TV thorugh it? It had to have been running 9.x to MRV with other 9.x Tivos.

[Geemer]

It has been at least partially on the fritz for quite a long time now. It has been so low on my priority list I haven't cared. Now I do care so I'm trying to resolve the issue now.

Is there a known location on the file system where the downloaded updates are stored so that I could try removing the corrupt download and retry?

Is it safe to copy the TiVo OS from my other model 240?

Are there other options (kickstart or otherwise) I could try that might get this one to download the 9.3 software?

[greg_burns]

Originally Posted by Geemer

Is it safe to copy the TiVo OS from my other model 240?

Yes, do that. I would use WinMFS and do a truncated backup and restore it to you other 240.

Easy as pie.

[richsadams]

Originally Posted by Geemer

It has been at least partially on the fritz for quite a long time now. It has been so low on my priority list I haven't cared. Now I do care so I'm trying to resolve the issue now.

Is there a known location on the file system where the downloaded updates are stored so that I could try removing the corrupt download and retry?

Is it safe to copy the TiVo OS from my other model 240?

Are there other options (kickstart or otherwise) I could try that might get this one to download the 9.3 software?

Greg's given you good advice. I agree, it's likely that one of the OS partitions is damaged on the original drive...hence version 8.x running and it's passed on the issues to your new drive. The network issue would be v8.x Vs v9.x and MRV capability.

If all else fails you might go ahead and wipe a good hard drive and use Instant Cake to image it. That should take care of everything if WinMFS doesn't do it for you.

[wvalencia]

I have a series 2 that was upgraded with InstantCake and a new drive a month or so ago and tonight it has started rebooting randomly.

It's my kids TV and they are about to hurt me if it reboots during one of their shows - what do you suggest I do?

Thanks,
Bill

[richsadams]

Originally Posted by wvalencia

I have a series 2 that was upgraded with InstantCake and a new drive a month or so ago and tonight it has started rebooting randomly.

It's my kids TV and they are about to hurt me if it reboots during one of their shows - what do you suggest I do?

Thanks,
Bill

Rebooting isn't normal of course. You might try running a couple of TiVo's diagnostics called "Kickstarts".

Do you have it connected to the mother ship via a phone line or broadband? If you have a wireless or wired connection, try disconnecting it. A faulty wireless adapter or a problem with the network has been known to cause some trouble.

Check your coax connection(s) as well. Old/bad cables, splitters and other paraphernalia can be troublesome enough to cause reboots sometimes.

Make sure you have a clean power source as well. Surge protectors can be an issue. Best bet is to have it on its own UPS.

Worst case, it could be a failing hard drive. It should still be under warranty so you may need to get the manufacturer to replace it...and then re-image it with Instant Cake again. A bit of a pain, but these things happen sometimes.

Good luck and let us know how it goes. In the meantime, hide all of the sharp objects in the house.

[Geemer]

I didn't want to risk the wrath of the wife if I were to have messed up one of the other TiVo's so I bought the instant cake and used it to re-image the new drive. All our TiVo's are now running the 9.3 OS and we are happily swapping programs.

Cheers

[richsadams]

Originally Posted by Geemer

I didn't want to risk the wrath of the wife if I were to have messed up one of the other TiVo's so I bought the instant cake and used it to re-image the new drive. All our TiVo's are now running the 9.3 OS and we are happily swapping programs.

Cheers

Good to hear all is well in TiVoland...'cause if momma ain't happy, ain't nobody happy!

[diverjose]

About a week ago my Tivo started rebooting itself about every 15 to 45 mins. So I read this thread and did a KickStart 57. Since then it has been rebooting getting to the Almost there screen then ending up on the The DVR has detected a serious problem and is now attempting to fix it screen. Then in a few mins it reboots and does the whole thing again. This has been going on for the last hour. What have I done. Is there someting I need to know? Or do I just let it go on for a few more hours?

[greg_burns]

Originally Posted by diverjose

About a week ago my Tivo started rebooting itself about every 15 to 45 mins. So I read this thread and did a KickStart 57. Since then it has been rebooting getting to the Almost there screen then ending up on the The DVR has detected a serious problem and is now attempting to fix it screen. Then in a few mins it reboots and does the whole thing again. This has been going on for the last hour. What have I done. Is there someting I need to know? Or do I just let it go on for a few more hours?

Pretty safe bet that you will at the very least need to reimage at this point using InstantCake. Most likely a new hard drive will be required as well.

I would pull the drive and connect it to a PC to run a manufacturer's disc check on it (like Hitachi's or Western Digital's)

You could try backing up using WinMFS and restoring to a new disc. That may save your settings. (But it may also not work at all.)

[diverjose]

Originally Posted by greg_burns

Pretty safe bet that you will at the very least need to reimage at this point using InstantCake. Most likely a new hard drive will be required as well.

I would pull the drive and connect it to a PC to run a manufacturer's disc check on it (like Hitachi's or Western Digital's)

You could try backing up using WinMFS and restoring to a new disc. That may save your settings. (But it may also not work at all.)

I do not have InstatCake, but do have Image I created about a year ago. Useing tools that I still have. I am going to test both my drives, starting with master drive. Then reload my image. I know I will loose all recordings, but that is not a problem with me. Will this work.

[greg_burns]

Originally Posted by diverjose

I do not have InstatCake, but do have Image I created about a year ago. Useing tools that I still have. I am going to test both my drives, starting with master drive. Then reload my image. I know I will loose all recordings, but that is not a problem with me. Will this work.

You will have to reload your image using the old methods (MFSTools). I don't WinMFS will recognize your old backup. Anybody know?

[newarrior]

Hello, I've been having a number of problems with my Tivo recently. Hopefully someone can help!

A few days ago, our Tivo Series 2 DT froze during playback, and then rebooted on it's own a minute or two later. Nothing happened after that for a day or so, but then it froze and rebooted again during playback. The next day, all the shows we recorded the previous night after we went to sleep were all cut very short, only a few minutes recorded, which leads me to assume our Tivo was constantly rebooting during recording.

I read this thread, and attempted to do the three "kickstarts". Kickstart 57 stayed on the GSOD overnight, which I assume means it froze. I power-cycled it in the morning, and it went to GSOD for just a few minutes before rebooting. Unfortunately, Tivo rebooted randomly a few minutes later during a playback.

I attempted both Kickstart #58 and #52, and both times it said "Installing a Service Update" before rebooting. About 30 minutes later both times, during recording and playback, Tivo rebooted.

Tech support was fairly unhelpful, offering nothing other than the product would have to be returned. I asked them if Tivo kept any sort of internal system log, and the tech guy didn't think it did, however it seems like something it should.

Any support at this point would be helpful! Please help me save my Tivo!

[diverjose]

Originally Posted by greg_burns

You will have to reload your image using the old methods (MFSTools). I don't WinMFS will recognize your old backup. Anybody know?

I have a two drive Tivo. A 200 gig Drive A and the original 40 gig as Drive B. I first used SeaTools for DOS on the 40 gig drive. It found 4 bad blocks, so I had them fixed by SeaTools. Tried it on my Tivo but still same problem was there. I then did the same to the 200 gig drive A, SeaTools found one bad sector, again I had it fixed. (very low amount of bad blocks. Might mean that the drive is still a good drive). I installed it back into Tivo. It went to the green sceen as befor but this time it did not reboot. It started to fix the problem and Tivo came to life and has been solid since. I hope this helps someone.

[britdiver]

OK let me try and describe my problem. I have a TivoHD running 9.3a. I was a frequent poster about the GSOD problem and the release of 9.3 seems to have solved it. On Saturday I had to turn the power off to do some electrical work. Once I turned the power back on Tivo didn't start up successfully and then basically restarted itself numerous (over 5 times) that afternoon. In fact some unplug and plug back in never even got started. Some end in a static screen. So basically lots of restarts and even the ones that "worked" only last at max 2 hours then another. Sunday was similar but not as frequent and so I was ready to call Tivo and get a RMA to exchange the unit (only six months old). However, it stayed up and running perfectly (including recordings over Sunday night and all day Monday) so I decided to hold off calling Tivo. It was up all day today until about 1 hour ago when it restarted again. Now I have digital channels (channel 100+) and HD but no analog channels (channels <100) and this happened before during Saturdays numerous restarts. I have tried restarting without the cablecard (I have 1 M card). I have tried without the Tivo wireless adapter plugged in. Restarts still occurred. I know the most common source is "hard drive problems". But why would it get "better" for over a day? I have lost end number channels before but never only the analog ones - why? Could Charters signal be causing this - if so why can't Tivo handle signal problems?

Help please! Do I call Tivo? Do I exchange the unit? Do I call Charter and ask if they are doing something to the signal? Do I call Charter and get them to exchange the cablecard?

Thanks.

P.S. I have run KS57 (of course you can't tell if it found anything). I tried running KS58 but it didn't run. In fact it took a couple of tries to get it to run KS57. But this may have just been my button pressing.

P.P.S Also on one of its restarts it said "Installing service update" even though I couldn't tell it had done anything.

P.P.P.S Just tried running a KS58 again. Didn't get the green screen but it does say "Installing a service update". Is that what it's supposed to do for a KS58?

P.P.P.P.S KS57 and KS58 both didn't take too long to run. Meaning less than 10 minutes for sure. I think this is a good sign. Correct?

P.P.P.P.P.S I just got Charter to "hit" my cable card from their end. They said it looked fine but did "hit" it.

[richsadams]

So...where's the P.P.P.P.P.P.S to let us know how it's going after the cableco re-hit your cards?

Honestly, if it keeps rebooting my money says something happened to the hard drive when you were doing the electrical work. It doesn't take much to cause data corruption, temporary or permanent. There may be bad sectors on your hard drive now. It would run normally until it hits those sectors.

You could pull the drive, connect it to your computer and run a test program like WD's Lifeguard Diagnostic. There's no guarantee that it will find the problem either, but if it does indicate a problem you're then left with a couple of choices. One is to replace the hard drive yourself using WinMFS or image a new drive with Instant Cake . That might be an opportunity to upgrade the hard drive to something larger if you're up for it. You could buy a replacement drive from DVRUpgrade or Weaknees. Or you can return it to TiVo for an exchange ($49).

If it's a cableco problem, having a tech come out and test everything might not hurt. If it's something wrong with TiVo other than the hard drive, returning it to TiVo is about the only option.

Best of luck and let us know how it goes.

[britdiver]

Is Tivo that fragile that a cable card and/or signal issue can cause this? If so it's going to happen again at some point. Also if Tivo can't handle signal issues without restart that's a big problem. I used to work in the computer industry (and lets face it Tivo is just a computer) and if I had written code that crashed that easily I would have been fired. For the money we are paying for the machine and the service the machine should never (well nearly never) crash. If there is a problem with the signal and/or cable card we should just lose the channel(s) but the machine should stay up and running. I guess if it restarts again in the next couple of days I will return it for a new unit. I'm sure it won't be a "new" unit but a refurb unit, but what is the turn around time?

Thanks for the help.

[richsadams]

I dunno...my Linux based computer crashes once in a while and my X based PC's seem to get paid for crashing if a program or some peripheral gives them a good reason to. My digital camera made my PC freeze just today. Who knows why...never happened before and it's running fine now. Our TiVo's have yet to crash or reboot for no good reason. That's not to say that they never will but when it comes to stability I'll put my money on TiVo.

I agree that those experiencing problems with their TiVo's shouldn't have to fight with TiVo or their local cableco's to have a reliable machine. I'd just hate to be in TiVo's R&D department trying to account and/or compensate for every A/V peripheral and cableco configuration possibility known to man.

I have one refurb S2 that I bought years ago...still works like a champ. All of the refurbs would/should have been bench tested whereas the QC of new units only calls for testing a certain percentage. Seems that the odds of having a problem with a refurb should be lower than a new unit.

Based on various posts over the years, TiVo is usually able to get a replacement unit out and in the owner's hands in a few days.

In any case, best of luck. Fingers crossed on this end.

[britdiver]

Well my machine was up for a couple of days now. No restart BUT I did get a frozen screen on an analog channel and when I tested the other analog channels I had the gray screen. My digital and HD channels were ok and the menus worked ok. So it was more like the "old" GSOD problem, but only some channels, and a restart fixed it. Would you agree that it seems very unlikely (but not impossible I know) that this is NOT a drive problem as it affected a very specific grouping of channels? And perhaps the GSOD problem wasn't completely fixed by 9.3?

Thanks.

[richsadams]

Hmmmm...to me it's starting to sound more and more like a signal, possibly cable card issue IMHO. What you're seeing is quite similar to stories I see posted on AVS discussing cable card problems people are seeing.

Not sure what you mean by the old/new GSOD "problem". The GSOD (or green screen of death) is a program that TiVo will run called MFS assert which marks the file system as being damaged. The repair process detects and repairs inode/data problems, and then runs MFS check to clean up database and directory problems.

In any case, I'm leaning more toward something going on with the signal than a bad hard drive based on your descriptions. It's become abundantly clear that TiVo Series3's and seemingly more so TiVo HD's have a difficult time with signal issues.

[britdiver]

Oops. I was talking about the "gray screen / lock up" problem rather than the green screen you get when you run KS57. Sorry for the confusion.

I agree the losing a set of channels sounds more like a signal / cable card issue rather than hard drive problems, so I'm hoping the restarts last weekend were also a reaction to signal issues. We will see. I really don't want to send it off as I have read many posts about all kinds of issues where people have sent it back and the new one does the same.

I really hope Tivo get on top of this signal issue sooner rather than later. It's hard to recommend them to others when at least the crappy cable company DVRs keep running.

Thanks.

P.S. It just did it again. Froze on an analog channel, all other analog channels gray, digital and HD and menus fine. Very odd. Very annoying!

[richsadams]

Originally Posted by britdiver

P.S. It just did it again. Froze on an analog channel, all other analog channels gray, digital and HD and menus fine. Very odd. Very annoying!

You may want to start watching the SNR as well as corrected and uncorrected errors in the diagnostic screens to see if you can narrow down a set of channels that are problematic.

[britdiver]

Well it started the restart looping again. Sometimes not even the green power light stayed on. Anyway I have just called Tivo and did an exchange. They agreed that restarts like that sound like more than a software issue. I did the "hold on credit card" to get the new unit shipped asap and they credit me back when they get the old machine back. Net result is $49 + tax.

Interestingly she mentioned the lockup software fix they are working on. Although I mentioned the older lockup problem, she mentioned the new fix that is being worked on. She said it is going out to selected Beta testers right now and hopefully will be released in a few weeks. She even admitted that it was a problem caused by the signal/cablecard and in fact her own personal machine locked up all the time and so she was waiting for this fix too. Very informative customer service.

P.S. Connected my tv via coax and put my cable card in the tv. See if the tv "crashes"!

[richsadams]

Originally Posted by britdiver

Well it started the restart looping again. Sometimes not even the green power light stayed on. Anyway I have just called Tivo and did an exchange. They agreed that restarts like that sound like more than a software issue. I did the "hold on credit card" to get the new unit shipped asap and they credit me back when they get the old machine back. Net result is $49 + tax.

Interestingly she mentioned the lockup software fix they are working on. Although I mentioned the older lockup problem, she mentioned the new fix that is being worked on. She said it is going out to selected Beta testers right now and hopefully will be released in a few weeks. She even admitted that it was a problem caused by the signal/cablecard and in fact her own personal machine locked up all the time and so she was waiting for this fix too. Very informative customer service.

P.S. Connected my tv via coax and put my cable card in the tv. See if the tv "crashes"!

Well...hopefully the new unit won't have the same issues. Fingers crossed.

It's pretty apparent that a lot of the problems associated with v9.3 are signal related...TiVo just isn't as stable as it has been/should be when it comes to dealing with certain incoming data be it related to cable cards or whatever.

Let's hope the beta test goes fast and well and that they get this next software version to market quickly.

[darylag]

How did you do the kick start on you pioneer 810H?

[jy3]

Has this issue been resolved by the 9.4 update?

I have an HD box with a fresh Instantcake install (9.2) on a brand new WD5000CSRTL drive that continues to freeze and or just reboot to 'installing updates' screen without any updates being installed. Additionally, it sometimes doesn't even power back up after a reboot, but hangs with the green LED on the front panel blinking, which I think someone on the forum posted as being a 'pending reboot'. Might this be a power supply issue or something else?
Has the 9.4 update fixed this for anyone?

BTW:It displayed the same symptoms with the original drive.

[greg_burns]

Originally Posted by jy3

Has this issue been resolved by the 9.4 update?

That is not a software issue. I would test that drive in a PC using Hitachi's or WD's tools.

Since you have a copy of IC, I would try reimaging again as well.

Originally Posted by jy3

BTW:It displayed the same symptoms with the original drive.

That is not a good sign.