So what is OUR problem?

We have a TIVO 240080, with a lifetime plan (thus we are trying to save it). In recent months, we experienced multiple instances of the video screen stuttering, pixelating, and similar issues. It never locked up or rebooted, and we didn’t ever lose or skip audio, but the video issues continued.

Then, last week, when my kids turned the TV on one morning, they found the “overheating” screen. They turned off the TV, and then when I got home, I unplugged the power to the TIVO box to let it cool for a while, and blew the fan clean. When I plugged it back in, we got the “Welcome Powering Up” screen, which never changed. Based on the former issues with freezing and pixelating, and now this event, we decided that it must be the hard drive. We bought a new 160 GB drive from weakknees, which I installed tonight. Now, several hours after hooking it back up . . . I still have the “Welcome Powering Up” screen.

I have not heard the hard drive spin, or the fan spin. I do have the green light on the front of the TIVO unit, but that and the “welcome powering up” screen seem to be the only signs of life.

From what I have read on your site, it SEEMS like a new power supply might be what we need, but is there any way for me to diagnose that as the problem? I’d hate for it to be a cable (or, please not the motherboard). What is the most likely problem, and what is my best course of action?

Hard to know for sure, but it could be a bad power supply. Can you post your order number here so we can know for sure that you have exactly the right drive that you are attempting to install?

Our order # is #486472. I DID notice that the drive looked a bit different -- the original drive was completely encased in metal, whereas the bottom of the replacement had an exposed black area that was somewhat recessed, and on the bottom 1/4 or so, had some exposed green board. But the installation/switch out did go pretty smoothly -- it fit where it needed to fit, and all cables plugged right in.

OK - well, that is the right drive for your unit. Yes, the drive itself looks pretty different, but that's just because the drive is much newer, and twice the capacity (and also a different brand).

Are you sure the IDE cable's connection to the motherboard is secure?

I will check the cable connection when I get home tonight. However, I have already powered up the unit (in fact, it is powered up right now, still showing the "welcome powering up" screen) -- if the IDE cable is not plugged in correctly, could that powering up process have harmed the cable or some other component?

Nope - not the IDE cable, but it could harm the ribbon cable to the front panel, if that cable isn't in securely.

Tell us what you find.

Okay, pulled the IDE cable from the mother board and plugged it back in. Hooked the TIVO back up -- the fan is definitely running at full speed, but now, we don't even get the green light on the front (And thus, we don't get the "welcome powering up" screen either.

I powered down, and pulled the IDE cable from both the mother board AND the hard drive, then hooked it back in both places. Hooked the TIVO up, and the same result -- no green light on front, no nothing. That is definitely different from before, when we at least got the green light and the powering up screen.

Then it sounds like you have a bad power supply, pretty clearly. You may also have a bad drive, but this is a sign of a bad power supply.

We have replacements here:

http://www.weaknees.com/tivops.php

crackling audio drive related?

Hi there, new to the forum. I've been searching for an answer to my Tivo tcd540140 audio crackling and dropout problem, and will happily install one of your drives if it will help save the machine. Sorry, I haven't tested the drive externally. Thanks for your advice. Does horribly intermittent crackling audio sound like a drive? I can power down for a while and it will work again for awhile, although it really craps out in the evening.

TCD540140
Digital cable box
good audio cables / S-vid

Sorry to say - that really sounds like a bad motherboard, and not a bad power supply.

thanks, Michael. So you think its a motherboard and not a hard drive problem. I was hoping to keep the single tuner Tivo alive because with digital cable the dual tuner won't work, and Austin TX is fraught with cableCARD problems related to switched video. Can I buy a dual tuner and just use it like I've used my single tuner with digital cable? thanks in advance.

Sure - the dual tuner units will work just fine. You just won't get the dual tuner capability out of them.

http://www.weaknees.com/tivo.php

That said, if you're getting a new unit, the CableCARD units really do make life much, much simpler. And most installers can handle them just fine at this point.

Toshiba SD-H400 Hard Drive Failure ?

I read thru this thread and figured I had better try to get diagnosed also...

I have had my Toshiba SD-H400 since mid-2003. A couple months ago, it started "locking up". Never while we were watching anything on it, but sometimes overnight or after not using it for a day or two, when you would try to turn it ON, nothing would happen... A simple unplug and replug of the power cord always fixed the problem (after waiting for the reboot, etc.)
A couple weeks ago though, it got stuck in the "Welcome Powering Up" grey colored screen, re-boot loop that others have talked about here... (displays the "welcome powering up" screen for about 1-1/2 min and then reboots to show the same thing, and just does this over and over and over). None of the buttons on the front work, the remote does nothing...
I opened up the unit (to get out a DVD that was stuck in it because it is a DVD player too) and tried to listen to the hard drive during the power up screen and it "sounds" like the hard drive is booting up, but doesn't sound to be running at full speed or hitting sectors like a normal computer hard drive does during boot up. I unplugged the power cable to the hard drive and tried the reboot and it just sits at the grey "welcome powering up" screen FOREVER...
Does this sound like a FAILED HARD DRIVE problem ?? (I read on this thread a couple other people that had similar problems with different units, and replacing the hard drive did not fix the problem)
Is there ANY way to get my PROGRAMS off of that hard drive ??
My brother has the SAME SD-H400 unit. What would happen if we put his hard drive in MY unit to "test" the problem ? Could it RUIN his hard drive ?
Would it not even boot ?

Thank you for ANY help !!

It sounds very much like a bad drive to me, and given the state of the TiVo (stuck on powering up), I think the chance of recovering programming is basically zero I'm sorry to say.

You can find drives for your unit here, if you're interested:

Hard drive for Toshiba SD-H400

We have a Phillips DVR from DTV. Have had it for about 4 years. Few days ago... It gave us a crappy choppy picture... Then after calling DTV they said it was dead and sent us a new box... Fine and dandy... except we had hours of info on there including my husbands cheesy mug on the tube at a football game.... and our kids on the news riding their dirtbikes... Is this info recoverable??? Please help!!!! We cannot get the unit to power up... It has a USB port in the back.... I am not too computer savy with the inner workings... just how to make them do what I want them too..... Any advice is appreciated.