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  • #1

    Overheated HDVR2 -- is it dead?

    I went inside my HDVR2 to clean the fan. I forgot to reconnect the fan to the power supply, so not long after I restarted the Tivo, it overheated and turned off. I've reconnected the fan, but the Tivo won't restart when I reconnect the power cord. It's been a couple hours, so I'll wait a few more, but I'm wondering what to do if it doesn't turn on again.

    -- Do I need a new Tivo, or maybe just a new power supply?
    -- I have another HDRV2 that I don't use -- can I swap either the power supply from the good Tivo or the hard drives from the non-working one?

    Thanks.
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  • #2
    Do you get anything on the screen at all?

    It's probably just still too hot, but if you let it cool down for a while, it's likely to boot. Otherwise, you'd probably need a new power supply.
    Been here a long time . . .

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    • #3
      If it doesn't power up, can I:

      -- Easily swap a power supply from an identical, little used HDVR2?

      -- Easily swap the hard drives from the other HDVR2?

      Thanks.

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      • #4
        Yup - both of those will work for troubleshooting.

        The drives won't allow recording unless fully reset, but they'll boot.
        Been here a long time . . .

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        • #5
          More to report:
          -- I swapped out the power supply from another hdvr2. The new power didn't work in the "bad" machine either, but the old one worked in in the second machine.

          --I tried swapping the hard drives and was able to boot up the tivo and watch programs but got an Error 51 message.

          So, I think:
          -- There's a problem between the power supply and motherboard. When I plug in the power, there's a clicking sound. That sound goes away when I disconnect the little cable from the power supply to the motherboard. Since the power supply works when it's connected to the other motherboard, I'm assuming the problem is the connector on the "bad" machine's motherboard.

          -- I also seem to have failing hard drive(s).

          I don't mind sacrificing one of the machines if I'm able to salvage the recordings from the hard drives. Can you point me to where I might get instructions for doing this?

          Thanks.

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          • #6
            You get an Error 51 whenever you move drives around. After moving the drive from one TiVo to the other, choose 'clear and delete everything' from the system reset menu; that will wipe the drive and get rid of the error.

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            • #7
              I think I've narrowed it down to the motherboard. Both power supplies work in the "good" unit; neither works in the "bad" one. When I plug in the "bad" one using either power supply, I hear a small clicking noise. The fan does not run, nor does the drive start up. When I remove the ribbon connecting the power to the motherboard, the clicking stops. I'm not too technically savvy, but I'm guessing something happened to the motherboard when the tivo overheated.

              Assuming the mother board doesn't work and the hard drives are still operable, is there any way at all to recover the recordings on them? Can I copy them to other drives and insert them into the good tivo?

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              • #8
                Sorry to say, there's no way to get those shows off the drives without that original motherboard.
                Been here a long time . . .

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                • #9
                  OK -- any other suggestions? Is there anything at all I can do to try to repair the motherboard/power supply connection? Is there something I can clean? Replace a part? I know I'm reaching here, but I'm obviously hoping I haven't lost all my recordings and want to do all I can to recover them (OK, I can do without some of my kids' season passes of Full House and Dora the Explorer, but there is some other stuff I'd like to get back )

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                  • #10
                    I would try either power supply connected back to the original motherboard with no drive connected at all. See if you at least get a gray "welcome, powering up" screen.
                    Been here a long time . . .

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                    • #11
                      No luck there. Is there something I can do to clean the contacts?

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                      • #12
                        Also, if I purchased the hard drive from Weaknees, does that mean it has been hacked so I can somehow get the recordings off it?

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                        • #13
                          Nope - we use the stock (and stable) software.
                          Been here a long time . . .

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                          • #14
                            Originally posted by rich47 View Post
                            Also, if I purchased the hard drive from Weaknees, does that mean it has been hacked so I can somehow get the recordings off it?
                            Sorry, but no.

                            No luck there. Is there something I can do to clean the contacts?
                            I really don't think that is going to do anything unfortunately.

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