# Please help: DVR has mind of its own!!



## DTVFans (Jul 26, 2008)

It constantly deletes & cancels any show(s) _it_ chooses to. Even after they are _already_ recorded & in the playlist. We have the defaults set at "Until I Delete". Either way, the disc is always a minimum of 90% available.. nowhere near full.

This is the *second* DVR unit in 1 year that has done the exact same thing. And DirecTV is of absolutely no help at all, they keep telling us that "someone in the house must be deleting the programs", but since there are only 2 adults in our house, we _know_ we are not doing anything to prompt this.

Does anyone have any ideas on how to fix this problem? We will be forever grateful! The reason we have to have DirecTV, is because where we live, cable is not available to us, and DishNetwork does not offer all of the channels we want.

Thank you.


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## litzdog911 (Jun 23, 2004)

What model DVR do you have?


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## The Merg (Jun 24, 2007)

Also, look in the History for a show that has been deleted and let us know that the reason it states how/why the show was deleted.

- Merg


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## DTVFans (Jul 26, 2008)

It is an R16-300. When we check in the History, every show says: "Title No Longer Available: No Information Available."


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## RobertE (Jun 10, 2006)

How many episodes of any given show is it keeping? What are your "keep at most" settings set to?


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## carl6 (Nov 16, 2005)

Can you give us some specific examples of shows that have been deleted? Are these pay per views, series links recorded from what channels, etc.? Also, how long have the recordings been saved on the dVR before you are trying to watch them?

The more information you can provide, the better someone will be able to figure out what might be happening and offer help.


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## Shades228 (Mar 18, 2008)

What are your default recording settings?


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## DTVFans (Jul 26, 2008)

RobertE said:


> How many episodes of any given show is it keeping? What are your "keep at most" settings set to?


It is very random. Sometimes, it will keep some shows for up to 2 weeks... then there are other shows, new or re-runs, that it will delete after it recorded them after 2-4 hours.



carl6 said:


> Can you give us some specific examples of shows that have been deleted? Are these pay per views, series links recorded from what channels, etc.? Also, how long have the recordings been saved on the dVR before you are trying to watch them?


Tuesday night, 90210 on CW (local channel) 7-8pm, it recorded the 1 hour program, and it did show up on our Playlist. Then later that same night, at around 11pm, it was gone. When we looked in the History, it always says "Cancelled", with no further information available.

Another example: the Closing Olympic Ceremonies on NBC, it did record, kept it 2 days, then it was gone from the playlist, again with no info, only said "Cancelled".

But it is not just the local channels doing this.

We tape many movies from LMN & Hallmark channels, and the exact same thing happens. We taped "Turner & Hooch" a few days ago on FX, and it kept it for 1 day, then gone.

We also taped "G.I. Jane" on Lifetime, but this one, showed that it was recording during the time frame.. but never did show up in the Playlist.

We do not watch Pay-Per-View, and never have.



Shades228 said:


> What are your default recording settings?


Episode Type: Both
Keep At Most: All Episodes
Keep Until: Disk Is Full
Start: On Time
Stop: On Time

We have also tried the setting "Until I Delete" it, but the same thing happens. We always have at least 90% available space.


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## ThomasM (Jul 20, 2007)

I have several suggestions:

1. Try resetting everything. (Unfortunately, you will lose what recordings the thing has decided not to delete). Go to the SETUP menu choose RESET and then select "RESET EVERYTHING". This will also reset your dish type so you need to know before you do this what kind of dish you have. To determine this, before you do the reset, go to the SETUP menu and choose "INFO and TEST". This will display a list of settings/options and one of them is dish type.

2. After you go through the questions it asks after the complete reset, choose a few shows from the guide to record. DO NOT change any other options or create any series links (prioritizer entries). See if these shows get deleted. After a few days if they are still around, set up a couple series link shows. Again, see if they stick around or get deleted.

3. If everything is fine up to this point, the problem may have been due to data corruption (perhaps from the previous user if the unit is "reconditioned"), or some of your own settings.

4. If the DVR still likes to delete shows on it's own, it has an internal problem which could be either the HDD or the electronics themselves. At this point to avoid further frustration, I'd call DirecTV and tell them all the things you've tried. Then I'd request a replacement unit. Maybe they will even waive the $20 S & H charge if you do not have the protection plan.


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## carl6 (Nov 16, 2005)

At the risk of losing all recordings (which will happen), I would suggest doing a "reset everything" from the reset menu and starting over clean. If the problem persists after that, you need a replacement DVR.

Edit: Oops, I see ThomasM beat me to the advice as I was typing it.


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## Shades228 (Mar 18, 2008)

The only thing that I've seen that can cause this, other than what they told you, is a rampant recording.

Do you record sporting events or live events around the same time you see this happen?


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## DTVFans (Jul 26, 2008)

We will try the Reset option, and see how it gos. Thank you all for your help, it is way more than DirecTV ever offered! 

We'll give it a few days, and let you know how it is working out.


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## Thaedron (Jun 29, 2007)

Did you try the "reset all"? Did it work?


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