[videojanitor]

I've got three HR20s and one of them is acting up -- it is locking up (won't respond to any commands either via the remote or front panel). Gotta do an RBR or pull the plug to get it back -- then it will run for maybe 10 minutes or 10 hours, but it WILL lock up again.

Since this is the machine my wife uses to record all of her stuff (yes, she records so much she needs a separate machine!), she's concerned that she will lose all of her programs if I have to call for a replacement. So, just wondering about a couple of things:

First, what troubleshooting steps can I take BEFORE I make that call? Would it be possible to pull the hard drive out of this HR20 and put it in one of the others for testing purposes, or is the drive tied to the particular unit? Seems like that would be a good test, as if the other unit started locking up, that would pretty much pinpoint the problem. On the other hand, if it worked, she wouldn't lose her shows.

Any hints/tips/advice appreciated!

 

[The Merg]

You cannot move the drive from one receiver to another. One thing to check out is the temperature of the faulty unit. If the temperature starts getting too high it can cause unexpected issues, such as lockups and reboots. Are you using a CE release (I assume not since you are posting the in the general HD DVR forum)? If you are though, you can try reverting to the NR version. If you are not, ignore that previous suggestion.

Have you noticed if the lockups are occuring when watching/recording any specific shows or is it pretty much random? If it always happens when watching a specific recording, it could be a faulty sector on the HD. In that case, you would need to keep that show on your DVR to prevent that spot from being used again or you can try a reformat to mark that sector as bad.

One thing to consider is that if you decide to reformat the receiver, you will lose all of you settings and recordings. Also, if you have a new receiver sent out, you will lose all of your settings and recordings as you cannot transfer that information from one receiver to another.

 

[videojanitor]

Thanks for the speedy reply! I figured moving the drive wouldn't work, but that would have been a good way to narrow this down.

My first thought was heat, so last week I put a small fan on top to cool it down. Didn't help -- locks up just as often now as it did without the fan. Not running a CE on it -- just the latest NR.

I would say it is definitely random. It can happen while viewing a recording (but you wouldn't know it until you try to pause, FFWD or do some other operation), while making a recording, or while it's just sitting there overnight. The last one is actually the most common. It'll be working at bedtime, but when she goes to use it the next day, it's locked up. I don't really see a pattern, and haven't been able to "induce" a lockup. It just happens whenever it feels like it.

Obviously, getting a replacement is the last resort, so if there's a way to figure out what's going on, I'm going down that road first (hence, this thread).

 

[Pauley]

I have the same type of hang and it is strongly correlated to when I have the unit hooked up to the network. Unplugging the ethernet keeps the hangs away.

Pauley

 

[videojanitor]

I've read about the hangs with networked HR20s -- this particular one is not connected to a network. I have one that is, but haven't had any problems with that one (knock on wood).

 

[eileen22]

I had the same problem with my HR20-100, it started last week, about a week after the SW update. I had a lot of recordings on it that I didn't want to lose, but after trying everything, it just became too unstable and we did a factory reset (which wiped out the recordings). That didn't help either. What did seem to help was unplugging it all night, after I did that it didn't reboot at all for the next two days. At that point, my replacement unit arrived, so I didn't leave the old one on past the two days. I don't know if that would have fixed it forever, I kind of doubt it, but it is worth a try to unplug yours for about 8-10 hours and then reboot it. I would be curious to know if that helps.

Mine wasn't networked either, btw.

 

[videojanitor]

The next time it locks up (which likely won't be long from now), I'll give that a try and let you know what happens. I'm not sure why that would work (what happens in 8-10 hours that wouldn't happen in 5 minutes?), but if it does, that would be great.

BTW, when you called to report the problem, did they make you jump through a bunch of hoops before they offered to send a replacement? I'm not really fond of spending an hour on the phone while they have me unplugging/rebooting, etc., when clearly those quick fixes are not going to work.

 

[eileen22]

The next time it locks up (which likely won't be long from now), I'll give that a try and let you know what happens. I'm not sure why that would work (what happens in 8-10 hours that wouldn't happen in 5 minutes?), but if it does, that would be great.

BTW, when you called to report the problem, did they make you jump through a bunch of hoops before they offered to send a replacement? I'm not really fond of spending an hour on the phone while they have me unplugging/rebooting, etc., when clearly those quick fixes are not going to work.

Yes, I did call two nights in a row and spoke to CSR's who took me through the whole rebooting process. The first night the guy told me to always have the unit plugged directly into the wall not a power strip b/c there wasn't enough current in the power strip to fully reboot the unit.

The second night the guy had me do a factory reboot (hold record and down arrow when screen is black), which wiped out my recordings and didn't fix the problem. He then told me that he was sending a tech to swap out the box, but when the tech came on Sunday morning he said he didn't have a box on his truck and his work order said to try to fix the unit. He forced a download of the software update, and when he left the unit was working (but it was working when he arrived also).

The next day the reboots started again and when I called and raised hell, they told me that my case was being moved to "case management," and they transferred me there. When that CSR came on, she immediately ordered a box to be shipped to me. This was Monday night. She told me it would be 3-5 business days, which I complained about and asked that it be sent overnight. She said that she couldn't do that, but that some people were getting them very quickly. My replacement (a HR20-700) arrived the next day via FedEx Ground. It was shipped from PA and I live in PA (she told me it would ship from VA). Actually, as I am typing this, I just received a call from her to confirm that the unit was still working. I confirmed that it is, but I asked that she not close the case yet, I want to give it a few more days to be sure. The worst part about this whole thing was the tech that came out, he was clueless, but kept telling us what an expert he was. I would much rather avoid the tech and do the swap myself, and I requested that initially, but the first level CSR said that he was not authorized to do that, and that only at the case management level can they do that. Good luck, I would try to get to a case management CSR if possible!

 

[videojanitor]

Wow. I really was hoping it would NOT be that complicated. I just hate getting into those kinds of thing -- I don't need the hassle. I would like to make a call, tell them it's defective, and have them send me a replacement -- then I send the bad one back. If it's going to be that much of an ordeal, I'll just buy an HR21 in a store, authorize it, then de-authorize the bad one and return it. I'd rather pay money than deal with that.

I just checked the HR20, and it's locked up again, so I believe that's exactly what I am going to do ...

"Not enough current in the power strip to fully reboot the unit." Oh boy.

 

[Stuart Sweet]

That last line makes me think that it's locking up because of bad power. What do you mean by that?

 

[videojanitor]

That line was a reference to the message I was responding to -- it was something that a CSR told "eileen22" might be causing her problems.

The unit I'm dealing with is plugged into a UPS, but perhaps there is something funky with it? I guess I should try going right into the wall and see if that makes a difference.

 

[videojanitor]

I guess I should try going right into the wall and see if that makes a difference.

OK, no difference there. Total number of lock-ups today (so far) = 8.

 

[harsh]

Have you tried swapping the errant unit to one of the other HD DVR locations? (perhaps it is a cabling or multiswitch related problem).

 

[videojanitor]

Oddly enough, trying that right now. Results to follow ...

 

[videojanitor]

And the answer is: no difference. Moved it to another room with different cables and even a different DISH. No multiswitch. With BBCs and without. Locked up no matter what configuration within an hour. This thing is hosed.

Question: If I buy a new one and do a "swap," will I be hit with any kind of penalty for de-activating the old one? It's still in the "commitment" period, though since I am not trying to cancel service, I would think I would be OK.

 

[videojanitor]

OK, problem solved. I picked up an HR21 at Costco and deactivated the troublesome HR20. They are sending a box with pre-paid shipping to return the defective unit.

Interesting side note: At Costco, they had stacks of HR21s, but many of them were in plain brown boxes. I thought brown box = refurb? Seemed kinda weird that they would be leasing refurbs at a retail store. Maybe they weren't, but I took one in a regular box.