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Blank gray screen, green light, TCD65800 Tivo XL

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  • #1

    Blank gray screen, green light, TCD65800 Tivo XL

    After menus were wonky and not responding to remote button clicks, I unplugged to reboot. Repeated unplug power and replug after short or long while. Nothing different than the following.

    Sadly, all I now get is yellow Welcome Powering Up screen for about 15 secs, brief flash of gray blank screen, second or so of a black screen, then nothing more than unchanging blank gray screen. Green light is on and fan is running. No other display lights. Format button does nothing. No easily audible hard drive activity noises, but I did not listen too closely.

    I would so much like to hear back, "probably just change the button battery, live long and prosper....."

    If a drive replacement is needed - which. Also can I salvage recordings from the old drive using a hard drive file rescue program like Restore2000Pro ? I am comfortable with R&R computer components.

    TCD65800 Tivo XL is 9 years old, with 24/7 use. I've been wondering what a failure would look like. I guess now I know.

    Thanks for a reply that breaks the despair.
    Tags: None
  • #2
    I'd guess you need a new drive with a fresh OS, and no, I don't think you'll be able to salvage any data off the old one.

    Drive replacements are here:

    https://www.weaknees.com/s3xl.php

    You should also check your power supply:

    https://www.weaknees.com/bps
    Been here a long time . . .

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    • #3
      OK found a similar new? Tivo unit, switched drives. Got encouraging functionality, but unable to record - error 51. Following recommendation to run the Clear and Delete Everything from Settings. Now seems hopelessly stuck "almost There. Just a few more minutes..." Well, an hour later, I unplugged and restarted. Stuck on the screen again. Sob.

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      • #4
        Sounds like another bad drive. Any of these drives, if original, could easily be 10 years old.
        Been here a long time . . .

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        • #5
          Happy ending (fingers crossed). The new drive is probably actually new - the box of the newly obtained Tivo seemed never unpacked. (A Tivo Rip Van Winkle!!)

          So, out of idle despair, I put the new drive back in the Tivo it came from. Bingo. It fired up, ready to set up.

          Hope springs eternal. I put that new drive back in my existing Tivo. Bingo! This time passed the "Almost There. Just a few more minutes..." and I was able to continue set up again. AND - the best news - this time I've been able to record a program from antenna instead of again getting error 51. AND the nine minute test I recorded, was in the Now Playing List AND it played back!!!!

          I am one happy camper. Perhaps not out of the woods yet - still have to set up the cable card, and do more recording to be more sure of success.

          Plus, I now have a spare power supply if ever needed - and I got a new peanut remote, which will replace the original which has a flaky Cahn/Page button.

          So happy ending. If not, I'll add whatever happens next.

          I hope this gives some inspiration to someone else in the same position.

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          • #6
            You might want to test the drive to get an idea if it's beginning to fail, given its earlier behavior.

            See the options here:

            https://www.weaknees.com/54
            Been here a long time . . .

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