What is your complete software version?

Thanks for the email.

You ordered the correct drive.

Have you tried just rebooting the TiVo? Have you tried redoing Guided Setup?

Stuck in Channel Setup

Thanks for the quick replies. More info:

Yes, I have tried rebooting, multiple times in fact. I have gone through Guided Setup no less than three times now. No change.

A post in the tivocommunity.com forums suggested that I resubmit my Tivo for the 8.1 upgrade. At some point I forced a connection to the Tivo service and received the upgrade from 7.3.1 (my current version) to 8.1. I got a message saying the upgrade was successful, as well as a message saying there had been a lineup change and that every single Dish Network (my provider) channel had been added. Exciting, but...

Sadly, this did nothing to change my situation. I'm still stuck with no channels available. To summarize:

1) No channels appear in the on-screen Guide. Only a message that "Your channel list has not been configured. Go to Setup->Channels->Channel List to configure".

2) Going to the Channel List menu brings up "This will require rerunning parts of Guided Setup. Press thumbs down three times, then enter"

3) After doing this, I go through confirming my zip code, my satellite provider, my tuning box manufacturer and then about 10 screens of Tivo telling me it is going to change a channel and then asking me if it changed the channel, changed to the wrong channel, or nothing happened.

4) After completing the channel changing exercise, I get the Changing Channels screen that says "You can use your Tivo remote control to change channels on your satellite box. Press Select"

5) After pressing Select, the Tivo hangs for about 10 minutes. Finally, it comes back with "Error tuning Live TV - Tivo was unable to find any valid channels in your channel lineup. Press Select"

6) Pressing Select returning me to #4 above.

At that point, I am stuck in an endless loop going between steps #4 and #5, just alternating between those two screens. The only way out is to pull the plug. Which, if I do, reboots the Tivo into the "Please enter your Zip code" screen. Odd......

-Mike

So do you, in fact, see the channel changing in the background at that step during setup? What model of set top box is it? Is it connected to the TiVo via IR, home control, or serial cable?

Yes, the channels change just fine during setup. The set top box is branded Philips (although, via experimentation, I seem to have better luck calling it a Dish Network branded box). It is connected to the TiVo via the IR blasters.

Can you give us the exact model of the set top box?

The front of the set top box says Philips, there is no other model number (just a serial number on the back). According to Dish Network, it is equivalent to a Dish Network set top box model 4900.

I need HELP as well!

I have the EXACT same issue after installing a 250GB upgrade in a TiVo branded Series 2 box (the orgional model, not the A or B) and I have tried all the same things as the OP including a full 'delete everything' restart.

My issues are 100% the same as the OP. My system was working fine prior to replacing the HD.

Please HELP! Life without TiVo is not very happy

FYI, I also just sent an email to WK.

If you just installed the new drive, the TiVo needs time to both download the new guide data, and then index it. Until then, the on-screen guide likely won't be complete.

The guide isn't just incomplete, it is totally empty. As far as I can tell, it will never complete. I've been working on this for a week, now - plenty of time for TiVo to have downloaded the new guide data and index it.

Checking the system info, I can see that TiVo is connecting nightly to the TiVo service successfully. Yet the guide remains empty, stating only "The channel list is not setup. Go to Settings->Channels->Channel List." And, as stated previously, doing this forces me to repeat part of the guided setup which always ends with the "Error tuning Live TV" screen.

• What does "Error tuning Live TV" mean?
• Why do I always have to go through Guided Setup when I go to Setup->Channels->Channel List?
• Why can't I tell TiVo what channels I actually receive via checkboxes, like I used to?

While I wouldn't wish it on anyone, it's nice to know that I'm not the only one seeing this issue.

Same issue here.

Here is what I have done so far...

Installed new drive and did guided setup and indexed to 100%
-Ch guide is empty
Re-did ch setup, ***TiVo locked up after the final screen on the ch changing configuration requiring me to remove the power from the TiVo to restart it at which point it went back to Guided Setup*** I did leave it for about 5 hours to make sure it was not just thinking.

Restarted TiVo, same issue
Cleared/deleted everything option and repeated guided setup, indexed to 100%, same issue

Allowed TiVo to sit overnight and connect, connection normal, same issue

Forced a connection, DLed ok, same issue.

Everything else seems normal but the Ch. guide is EMPTY meaning you can't record anything and you can't change the ch. at all.

HELP! Should we be sending our HDs back? If so, can we cross ship to reduce downtime?

Working now...

I have no idea what the problem was or why it is now fixed but it is and my TiVo is working 100% with its new drive.

Thanks to WK for their support and if you are ever thinking of calling TiVo technical support don't. Not only do they have very little knowledge of their products but three people I talked to (all native English speakers) were simply rude when I asked simple questions about their 'advice'. One hung up on me and the others had no intention of doing anything other than reading their script.

Anyway, I am a happy TiVo user again but I have to believe there is something really wrong with the company given the general 'feel' of there customer support group. Job cuts? Buy outs? Who knows but something is not right.

Glad to hear things started working for you. I just requested a Return Authorization number and was packing my drive up for a return when I saw your message.

I'm going to hold off mailing the drive back and will give it one more shot. Hopefully things will work out. I'll post my results (it'll be a week or so, as I'm out of town right now).

Solution Found

I was finally able to find a solution to this problem - TiVo seems to have issues with my particular ZIP code. Based partly on the suggestion of another TiVo user, I decided to rerun Guided Setup from the beginning using a nearby ZIP code (close enough that it would have the same Dish Network lineup as where I live).

And wouldn't you know it, everything started working beautifully. Thanks to everyone who offered suggestions. I really appreciate it.