Tivo locking up

[WK-Michael]

Every UPS I've ever seen, APCs included, can run with no software. Moreover, I've never used the software on a PC when I could have.

200 VA should be fine, as long as the TiVo is the only thing on it.

If the UPS doesn't do it, post back. Then maybe we should swap out the drive.

[dshehane]

Thanks, I will go back tomorrow and pick up the 200 watt model and repost results.

Dave
West Linn, Oregon

[dshehane]

This morning I had a green screen, apparently at 4:10 am, since that was when the clock stopped. I rebooted and left the system on. The screen froze in about an hour, first time I have had a freeze with it running.

I bought the 200 watt APC UPS, model BE350G and set it up around 2:30 pm this afternoon. Still running. So we will see if this does the trick. I will post results as they occur, or hopefully do not occur.

It is interesting to speculate why a UPS would solve this issue. Is it an underlying weakness in the power supply in the TiVo that is bypassed by using a UPS? Also interesting, after the second freeze this morning I unplugged the TiVo from the AV surge control power strip and into a nearby empty wall socket. It ran fine with no freeze or green screen until I unplugged it to plug it into the UPS. Is it related to the surge protector?

Anyway, we will see what happens....

Dave Shehane
West Linn, Oregon

[WK-Jeff]

The concern isn't the power supply in the TiVo. The concern is the quality of the power going to the TiVo. Dirty power can wreak havoc on drives, especially those in DVRs, which spin 24/7.

[Sean643]

I never completely resolved my issue and did not purchase a UPS. The new hard drive froze maybe two times shortly after installation but I have not had any problems for several months now. I'm crossing my fingers that it doesn't resurface again.

[dshehane]

Jeff - I don't disagree with you - a 24/7 hard drive needs good clean power! I am a retired IT guy with 4 computers running in the house, including a Linux server running 24/7 in the garage. I am speculating that maybe those heavier duty power supplies in the computer "towers" do filter/condition the power better than the little power supply in the TiVo. Hey, its the next day and no freeze/green screen yet! I am hopeful!

[dshehane]

Just to complete the loop - It is a week and a day with UPS installed. No freezes, no green screens. Like the old joke says about the optimist failling off the 100 story building - passing the 50th floor and "so far, so good..." It may still be too soon to declare "issue solved", but I am feeling good for now. I will only post back to this thread if the solution falls apart....

Dave Shehane
West Linn, Oregon

[WK-Michael]

It certainly sounds good . . .

[dshehane]

Well, not so good....
Turned on TV to a TiVo green screen of death (GSOD) yesterday evening. I had turned on TV earlier in the day (9:00am) to check and all was well. The GSOD occurred sometime between then and 8:30 PM so I missed my early evening scheduled recordings. Unplugged and restarted.

I am really bummed - I thought the problem was solved.

Short history recap -
Series 3 HD TiVo, just over a year old - starts green screening/freezing - TiVo techs say sounds like hard drive.
Replace with upgraded HD from Weaknees - seems to fix problem.
Problem comes back....GSOD and Freezing. Forum suggests UPS.
Install UPS. Problem goes away for nearly two weeks, then the GSOD yesterday.

Suggestions? Was this one just a random occurrence and wait to see if it happens again, or is something fundamentally wacko with my Series 3?

Dave Shehane
West Linn, Oregon

[WK-Michael]

Occasionally, we motherboards that kill drives, and this sounds like it might be one of those situations. It would be hard to believe that two drives would otherwise produce the same exact problem.

[dshehane]

Hmm, can you elaborate? Do you think the new drive has been killed? It seems to work just fine between incidents. No problems now since Friday evening. So, what should I be doing? Replace the Series 3? Reboot once a week?

A bit pricey to replace as it is just a little over one year old and operated fine for that time up until the last month.

Suggestions?

Dave Shehane
West Linn, Oregon

[WK-Jeff]

We have seen situations in which a short in a unit--on the motherboard or otherwise--results in hard drives failing repeatedly. If your unit is out of warranty, it might be worth talking to TiVo to what they can do.

[dshehane]

Unfortunately I was told by TiVo if I replaced the hard drive with one from Weakneesthey would no longer repair it, only replace at full retail price. So, I guess I will see how long this will last. It has not failed again since last Friday evening....very strange behavior. If I only could anticipate it, or notice it as soon as it happens, I could just restart. What I have to do now is check the clock on the face of the TiVo - if it is stopped, then I need to unplug and start.

I am still a little confused on "hard drive failing". Does that mean if I buy a new TiVo, this hard drive I bought could not be used in the new TiVo? So therefore I am out not only the Series Three, but the upgraded drive also? That was not a good repair investment.........

Dave

[WK-Jeff]

Unfortunately I was told by TiVo if I replaced the hard drive with one from Weakneesthey would no longer repair it, only replace at full retail price. So, I guess I will see how long this will last. It has not failed again since last Friday evening....very strange behavior. If I only could anticipate it, or notice it as soon as it happens, I could just restart. What I have to do now is check the clock on the face of the TiVo - if it is stopped, then I need to unplug and start.

I am still a little confused on "hard drive failing". Does that mean if I buy a new TiVo, this hard drive I bought could not be used in the new TiVo? So therefore I am out not only the Series Three, but the upgraded drive also? That was not a good repair investment.........

Dave

This is news to us...you would not be seeking a warranty repair from TiVo, simply an out-of-warranty repair. Regardless, if you get a replacement Series3, the drive could be moved to the replacement unit. You would lose all that you had stored on the drive, however.

[dshehane]

The word I got was they will repair your TiVo after Warranty for $149 flat fee, regardless of the fault, unless you have opened it. Once you have opened it, the only option is to replace at full retail price. That was the dilemma I faced at the time - pay $149 and have TiVo repair it, and have the same size drive, or get an upgrade drive from Weaknees and do it myself. Since the prevailing opinion was drive was bad, seemed like a no-brainer. Now that it appears that the hard drive is not the cause, seems like a very poor decision. But it was my decision - and I have to live with it. So I am going to limp as long as I can - normally everything I record on TiVo is in the evening, so if I make sure it is not "locked up" or "green screened" each evening, things will work OK, or at least if the problem stays infrequent like it appears to be so far.

If you know for a fact that I was misled by the TiVo Tech's on TiVo's post warranty repair policy, then please let me know!