Dead Tivo - Power Supply or HD?

Brian LaRose · 12-10-2007, 05:19 PM

We turned our TV on today to find the Tivo in this loop where it would get to the gray screen about booting up and then it would reboot and go back to the grey booting screen. I removed the power cord for 30 seconds and plugged the unit back in.

I now have a black screen with a white line that starts at the top of the screen and scrolls down. The fan starts up but there are no LEDs in front and the USB wireless network adapter also shows no power.

This is a 240 (8A) series2 Tivo. I have also replaced the HD a little over a year ago.

That covers most of the troubleshooting I have done and any suggestions would be appreciated. I want to make sure I order the right replacement parts from Weaknees.

Thanks,
Brian

classicsat · 12-10-2007, 05:45 PM

If it is getting that fat, It is likely not a PSU problem, but more likely an HDD problem or an mainboard problem.

Brian LaRose · 12-11-2007, 07:45 AM

Is there an easy way for me to test the HD on an XP machine? I know I don't want to have it boot up into XP, but I want to verify which component is the problem.

Thanks,
Brian

classicsat · 12-11-2007, 09:59 AM

You can run the drive diagnostics app for your drive.
It will indicate low-level failure. It won't indicate a data corruption that may prevent booting though. If you have the old drive, you can install it back and see, or apply an image to a new drive and see if it boots.

Brian LaRose · 12-29-2007, 01:49 PM

OK, I bought a new WD 400 GB drive and used InstantCake on it. It copied the image to the drive with no problems. I installed the drive into the Tivo and I am still having the same problem. The rear fan powers up but the screen is black and no LED's on the Tivo. I have a lifetime subscription on this Tivo and would like to get it back up and running. Is this a power issue or a mainboard issue and what are my options? I do not have the original drive for the Tivo because I replaced the drive when it died about 1.5 years ago. Any help would be appreciated.

Thanks,
Brian

greg_burns · 12-29-2007, 02:25 PM

Seems like your only option left is to try replacing the PSU.

http://www.weaknees.com/tivo-power-supply.php

For that price you may be able to just get a cheap S2 (to use for parts) from ebay.

chip_r · 12-29-2007, 02:28 PM

A quick and dirty way to see if it's possibly a PSU issue is to look at the cylindrical shaped devices on it (capacitors). If you see any bulging or leaking at the top, that can indicate a failure. Also look for burn marks.

robomeister · 12-29-2007, 03:03 PM

Try rebooting the TiVo with the USB network adapter removed. There may be a problem with your adapter. I've had that problem in the past myself.

robomeister

Brian LaRose · 01-01-2008, 11:56 AM

OK, I tried booting the Tivo without the network adapter and the same issue still occurred. I also looked at the power board and besides the copious amount of glue around the capacitors, I did not see any leaking, bulging, or burn marks on the power board.
At this point I see two options.
1) Buy a new power board and see if that solves the problem.
2) Call Tivo and pay for a replacement. Does anyone have any experience with trying to get a replacement Tivo if they do not have the original hard drive that came with it?

Thank you,
Brian

greg_burns · 01-01-2008, 12:03 PM

Another option?

3) http://www3.tivo.com/tivo-promo/show...etransfer.html

chip_r · 01-01-2008, 12:04 PM

I would think that Tivo could care less about what hard drive is in the box since upgrades are so common. The motherboard contains real serial number.

How about giving them a call to price out a repair versus a power suppy you can replace yourself?