# HR21 200 Keeps trying to download data



## 28media (Mar 18, 2010)

For the last two weeks my HR21 200 has been trying to download data 5-6 times a day, and when it does, it freezes on the Hello screen. This forces me to press the red button and restart it again. The receiver goes through the process of downloading data, then goes back to normal.

A few hours later it does it again. Then every day I get up and the receiver is stuck on the Hello screen and I have to go through the process all over again. I check the 101 signal strength to see if the data stream is strong and its at 98 pct. The system test says everything is ok. 
The only thing that is strange is that the software version is 0x5d2, last updated 6/29

Any suggestions as to why it's doing this and that it hasn't updated the software since June?


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## jimmie57 (Jun 26, 2010)

Sometimes unplugging a receiver does more than a reset. I would try that next.
Also, have you tried pressing the Exit button when the receiver is on the Hello Screen to see if it will continue to load ?

I am certain there will be others that are more experienced on here that will give some more perspective to a possible solution for you.


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## flaktastic (Oct 13, 2012)

I have the same model and got a firmware update around 10/31 (don't have the exact date), so that may be what yours is trying to download. Mine went without a hitch though - not sure what you'd need to do to fix it.


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## jimmie57 (Jun 26, 2010)

flaktastic said:


> I have the same model and got a firmware update around 10/31 (don't have the exact date), so that may be what yours is trying to download. Mine went without a hitch though - not sure what you'd need to do to fix it.


Press and hold down the Info button on your remote for several seconds.
The system Info screen will pop up with the receiver model , software release number and the date, etc.


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## flaktastic (Oct 13, 2012)

jimmie57 said:


> Press and hold down the Info button on your remote for several seconds.
> The system Info screen will pop up with the receiver model , software release number and the date, etc.


It's version 0x628 - downloaded on 11/8 at 3:30a. Haven't had any issues with it.


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## jimmie57 (Jun 26, 2010)

flaktastic said:


> It's version 0x628 - downloaded on 11/8 at 3:30a. Haven't had any issues with it.


Thanks for the update.


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## 28media (Mar 18, 2010)

jimmie57 said:


> Sometimes unplugging a receiver does more than a reset. I would try that next.
> Also, have you tried pressing the Exit button when the receiver is on the Hello Screen to see if it will continue to load ?
> 
> I am certain there will be others that are more experienced on here that will give some more perspective to a possible solution for you.


Well, I tried the unplugged method and left it unplugged for about an hour with no luck. Here's something else I've noticed during the download, the download percent varies from one restart to another.

For example yesterday the download bar went to 65 pct then a second later, straight to 100 pct. Today it went to 24 pct and then straight to 100 pct. Other times under 20 pct.


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## jimmie57 (Jun 26, 2010)

Call DTV and talk to tech support and see what they tell you to try.

I have read that the new software for the National Release is not always being sent from the satellite at all hours of the day. Most of the people that report that they got a new version of software got it between 2 am and 5 am. I know that mine are always in that time frame also.
If you could do a reset very early one morning it might download the new software.
Some posts I have read that the receiver has to be replaced.

Keep us posted.


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## peds48 (Jan 11, 2008)

Sounds like you have a bad HDDVR. I would call DirecTV and request a replacement. Free with protection plan, otherwise $20.00 for shipping


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## 28media (Mar 18, 2010)

Well, after trying everything the Directv service tech suggested, the problem still happens. He suggested I do a complete reset to factory defaults, thus erasing everything on the DVR, and see what happens. I declined because I didnt want to lose all the Hockey games I'd recorded from last season, and believe that the problem would still be there. I told him since I qualified for a free DVR upgrade, I rather go that route and get the HR24 and return the HR21 later.


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## jimmie57 (Jun 26, 2010)

28media said:


> Well, after trying everything the Directv service tech suggested, the problem still happens. He suggested I do a complete reset to factory defaults, thus erasing everything on the DVR, and see what happens. I declined because I didnt want to lose all the Hockey games I'd recorded from last season, and believe that the problem would still be there. I told him since I qualified for a free DVR upgrade, I rather go that route and get the HR24 and return the HR21 later.


There are 3 software resets.
The first one is basically the same as the red button reset.
The second one resets all defaults ( all settings like Favorites, Hide SD duplicates, Resolutions, etc. ) but does not erase the recordings.
The third one does indeed reset everything.

You might try the second one while you are waiting for the new one.


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## Rich (Feb 22, 2007)

You have already picked the best solution. The 24 will simply blow you away. Watch your shows on the 200 and then send that sucker back. There's not much sense in trying to save it. I had two of them. One started smoking the first night we had it, the other one lasted ~ 4 years and got so slow my son couldn't take it anymore. Sending it back (really have to love D*'s return protocol, I deactivated that 200 a couple months ago and I haven't seen anything resembling a return kit since) is the best thing you can do.

Rich


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## Rich (Feb 22, 2007)

jimmie57 said:


> There are 3 software resets.
> *The first one is basically the same as the red button reset.*
> The second one resets all defaults ( all settings like Favorites, Hide SD duplicates, Resolutions, etc. ) but does not erase the recordings.
> The third one does indeed reset everything.
> ...


I don't think that's correct.

Rich


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## 28media (Mar 18, 2010)

Here's an update. For some reason it finally updated to the most current software last night, and I'm not really sure why. The only two things I did was start deleting programs which brought me to 50% dvr capacity, and also deleted all the programs up to the last software update which was in June. This morning the DVR software was up to date. Very odd.


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## jimmie57 (Jun 26, 2010)

Rich said:


> I don't think that's correct.
> 
> Rich


That is what it says in the manual. That is all I have to go by.


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## jimmie57 (Jun 26, 2010)

28media said:


> Here's an update. For some reason it finally updated to the most current software last night, and I'm not really sure why. The only two things I did was start deleting programs which brought me to 50% dvr capacity, and also deleted all the programs up to the last software update which was in June. This morning the DVR software was up to date. Very odd.


What version of the software did it load ?


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## 28media (Mar 18, 2010)

jimmie57 said:


> What version of the software did it load ?


0x628 at 2:33 am


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## jimmie57 (Jun 26, 2010)

28media said:


> 0x628 at 2:33 am


That was the new one.
There is one rolling out now that posters are saying it is better, 0x62c is the version number.
I am still running 0x5d2.


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## trh (Nov 3, 2007)

28media said:


> Here's an update. For some reason it finally updated to the most current software last night, and I'm not really sure why. The only two things I did was start deleting programs which brought me to 50% dvr capacity, and also deleted all the programs up to the last software update which was in June. This morning the DVR software was up to date. Very odd.


So is it running ok now?



28media said:


> Well, after trying everything the Directv service tech suggested, the problem still happens. He suggested I do a complete reset to factory defaults, thus erasing everything on the DVR, and see what happens. I declined because I didnt want to lose all the Hockey games I'd recorded from last season, and believe that the problem would still be there. I told him since I qualified for a free DVR upgrade, I rather go that route and get the HR24 and return the HR21 later.


Two observation:
If you get a new DVR, you lose all your recordings and,
The DVR upgrade from DirecTV isn't necessarily a 24 model. You'll get what they have available.


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## Rich (Feb 22, 2007)

jimmie57 said:


> That is what it says in the manual. That is all I have to go by.


I've never read the manual. When I got my first 20-700s in late '06, I think the manuals were copies stapled together and were no help at all. Then, I found this forum and never had a reason to look at a manual again.

I do know we were warned by a Mod about using the red button. Was a man I had come to trust and I took that warning to heart and have very rarely used the red button for anything.

If that manual is the basis for the scripts the CSRs use, I wouldn't trust it at all.

When I do a restart it's usually from the Menu.

Rich


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## Rich (Feb 22, 2007)

jimmie57 said:


> That was the new one.
> There is one rolling out now that posters are saying it is better, 0x62c is the version number.
> I am still running 0x5d2.


That's the good thing about living on the East Coast, we get the downloads last, as a rule, and they make fixes as the NR travels from west to east.

Rich


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## jimmie57 (Jun 26, 2010)

Rich said:


> I've never read the manual. When I got my first 20-700s in late '06, I think the manuals were copies stapled together and were no help at all. Then, I found this forum and never had a reason to look at a manual again.
> 
> I do know we were warned by a Mod about using the red button. Was a man I had come to trust and I took that warning to heart and have very rarely used the red button for anything.
> 
> ...


I posted to use the Menu reset in my post and said it is basically the same as the RBR.

I noted when I came from the DirecTV forum that the Menu Reset was the preferred method to tell people to use. Seems reasonable since you do a shut down / restart of a PC and these are basically a PC with a different purpose.
Over on the DTV forum they reccomed the RBR exclusively.
They say they had too many people that chose the wrong Menu Reset and erased all of their setting and even some that erased their recordings.

From the manual:

The Reset screen lets you restart the receiver, reset to factory
defaults, or reset everything.
"Restart Receiver" is the same function as pressing the red
reset button behind the access card door on the front of the
receiver. This option does not affect your settings and scheduled
autotunes.
"Reset Defaults" erases all of your personal preference items,
such as parental controls, favorites, language and scheduled
autotunes, and restores the receiver configuration to how it was
set at the factory.
"Reset Everything" Completely erases everything from system
memory and starts over like a new receiver, starting over with
Guided Setup.


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## Rich (Feb 22, 2007)

jimmie57 said:


> I posted to use the Menu reset in my post and said it is basically the same as the RBR.
> 
> I noted when I came from the DirecTV forum that the Menu Reset was the preferred method to tell people to use. Seems reasonable since you do a shut down / restart of a PC and these are basically a PC with a different purpose.
> Over on the DTV forum they reccomed the RBR exclusively.
> ...


That's the part I don't agree with. The D* forum and this forum shouldn't be compared, I think.

Rich


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## Diana C (Mar 30, 2007)

Pressing the red button is like pressing the reset button on a PC...it forces a reboot with out shutting ANYTHING down - this is only slightly better than pulling the power cord.

A menu reset takes several seconds to execute because it does an orderly shutdown (i.e. it stops writing to the hard drive before executing the system reset).

Nine times out of ten, a RBR will be fine. But every once in a while you'll end up with a corrupted hard drive (it has happened to me). Sometimes, a RBR is your only option, but if possible, a menu reset is always safer.


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## Rich (Feb 22, 2007)

Diana C said:


> Pressing the red button is like pressing the reset button on a PC...it forces a reboot with out shutting ANYTHING down - this is only slightly better than pulling the power cord.
> 
> A menu reset takes several seconds to execute because it does an orderly shutdown (i.e. it stops writing to the hard drive before executing the system reset).
> 
> Nine times out of ten, a RBR will be fine. But every once in a while you'll end up with a corrupted hard drive (it has happened to me). Sometimes, a RBR is your only option, but if possible, a menu reset is always safer.


Thanx, I couldn't remember what the difference was, I just knew there was a difference.

Rich


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