# Sick of R15 locking up- quick fix



## Mr_Nerd

I am a member of the top level of tech support for dtv. I hear every day all the problems that go on. Here is the best thing you can do to extend the life of your unit. These steps must also be followed in order in order to initiate the hard drive to the newest software version. Although the R15 does auto upgrade, it does not delete the previous software. This process will delete all data on the ird and will copy the newest software out of its eeprom on to the hard drive refreshing any corrupt data, and low level formating the drive to reallocate any bad sectors on the drive. read through the steps first as the last step is time critical and tricky to get just right.

1. Back up anything you ever want to see again!!!!! Everything will be gone- favorites list, shows, and most significantly the problems. (I havn't reset my R15-300 in 8 months)
2. press "Menu" on remote/front panel
3. choose "settings" from the menu and press select
4. choose "setup" from the menu and press select
5. choose "reset" from the menu and press select
6. choose "reset everything" from the menu and press select
7. press the "-" (dash/minus symbol) on the remote until system resets. If you don't have a remote, push the down arrow button on the front panel of ird.
8. when the message "Almost there just a few more minutes" comes onto the screen, on the front panel of the receiver press the down arrow and the record button/light until 15 seconds after the screen turns black/blue/snowy.
9. Verify that the record light is light after you release the buttons. If it is not, repeat steps 1-8 until the record light/button on the front of R15 is light after releasing buttons.

PS. also make sure it is plugged into a surge protector, at least 2 feet from speakers/other magnetic devices, and make sure it is well ventilated- (no stacking of other electronics above or below it, and no putting it in a enclosed cabinet.)


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## Clemsole

It would be easyer to just get a a good D*Tivo unit. Then you would never have to worry about it. The R-15 is a piece of junk.


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## Mr_Nerd

Clemsole said:


> It would be easyer to just get a a good D*Tivo unit. Then you would never have to worry about it. The R-15 is a piece of junk.


If you do those steps you will not have problems to complain about (other than the missing tivo features :lol

USB ports coming in late '07- for more info look into protocol called viiv from intel. HR20 already has its USB ports enabled for this. And coup de grace= portable mp4 players / full breifcase portable integrated satellite dish and lcd tv.


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## carl6

I have been advised by an engineering resource within DirecTV that the "Reset Everything" includes anything that is done by the "reformat", and that the "reformat" (via button pushes on the front panel) is only intended to be done if you are unable to get to the menu to do the "reset everything".

Secondly, having done both (reset everything and reformat), I can assure you that neither of those procedures does a "low level format" of the hard drive.

I do not however, disagree with your recommendations to do both of those. For many people, that will resolve problems with the R15. For some, it won't, and then a replacement is the next step to take.

Carl


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## Jhon69

My R15-500 was installed today.Just a first look I like the receiver functions alot better than my D11-300.I can tell it needs a software upgrade because of the hesitation when you enter commands with the remote.Will treat it gently until then.It had 0x10E8 when installed.It upgraded itself to 0x10FA the same day.I'm looking forward to seeing what quirks this DVR has.This is my first DVR.:eek2:


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## PlanetBill

Mr_Nerd said:


> I am a member of the top level of tech support for dtv. I hear every day all the problems that go on. Here is the best thing you can do to extend the life of your unit. These steps must also be followed in order in order to initiate the hard drive to the newest software version. Although the R15 does auto upgrade, it does not delete the previous software. This process will delete all data on the ird and will copy the newest software out of its eeprom on to the hard drive refreshing any corrupt data, and low level formating the drive to reallocate any bad sectors on the drive. read through the steps first as the last step is time critical and tricky to get just right.
> 
> 1. Back up anything you ever want to see again!!!!! Everything will be gone- favorites list, shows, and most significantly the problems. (I havn't reset my R15-300 in 8 months)


Just how and what do you back up to?:eek2:

BTW, both my R15's have run very well for a long time now.


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## dodge boy

Mr Nerd,
Any idea when all the "pieces" will come together that eill fix Channels I Receive?


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## Jhon69

Decided to do the reformat.It eliminated the first software and did help to eliminate most of the hesitation.So far so good.


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## Jhon69

PlanetBill said:


> Just how and what do you back up to?:eek2:
> 
> BTW, both my R15's have run very well for a long time now.


Would think if you have recordings that you can't live without.You would need to transfer them to DVD if you have a DVD recorder or if you have a VCR to put them on a VHS tape.


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## rlambert7

Jhon69 said:


> Would think if you have recordings that you can't live without.You would need to transfer them to DVD if you have a DVD recorder or if you have a VCR to put them on a VHS tape.


PlanetBill also asked "how". I think he knows, and was just being sarcastic. If you have 50 1-hour shows that you need to save, that's [at least] 50 hours of time to accomplish that. Sure, you can start saving one, and "walk away" for a while, but you have to keep coming back and back and back to start each one. It's quite a pain.


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## Mr_Nerd

carl6 said:


> I have been advised by an engineering resource within DirecTV that the "Reset Everything" includes anything that is done by the "reformat", and that the "reformat" (via button pushes on the front panel) is only intended to be done if you are unable to get to the menu to do the "reset everything".
> 
> Secondly, having done both (reset everything and reformat), I can assure you that neither of those procedures does a "low level format" of the hard drive.
> 
> I do not however, disagree with your recommendations to do both of those. For many people, that will resolve problems with the R15. For some, it won't, and then a replacement is the next step to take.
> 
> Carl


If you check menu- settings- setup- sys info for the software version. you will notice that a reset everything will not delete previous software version #. Only the reformat procedure does this. Trust me, I deal with this stuff everyday. There are things that I can say here that I can't say at work; eg. explaining a long procedure and the how's and why's. And other things that I can't tell you whether I am at work, or not. BTW the only way the above procedure will work is if your origional software version differs from your current version. BTW look into how LLF has evolved over the years. On most drives now it is an internal function- part of the S.M.A.R.T. analasys.


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## rlambert7

Mr_Nerd said:


> If you check menu- settings- setup- sys info for the software version. you will notice that a reset everything will not delete previous software version #. Only the reformat procedure does this...


So, just as a matter of clarification, if one were to do a "Reset Everything", afterwards the R15 would boot up (because the S/W is still there). OTOH, if one were to do a "Reformat", afterwards the R15 would not boot up (because there is no S/W to "boot"). Is that correct? Or, does a "Reformat" force a download? If so, and if one were to try a "Reformat" today, and then check the S/W version, they would still see the same one they already had (because there is no newer version available). What they should see is today's date, though, along with the S/W version number. So, if there is a difference between the two, when one does a "Reset Everyting", and then checks the Sys Info, one should see an old date (the date of the last time they either forced a download or got an automatic update) by the S/W version number, but a current date, if one did a "Reformat".

Anyway, I'm not about to try either of those because I am not having any problems that would warrant such.


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## Mr_Nerd

rlambert7 said:


> So, just as a matter of clarification, if one were to do a "Reset Everything", afterwards the R15 would boot up (because the S/W is still there). OTOH, if one were to do a "Reformat", afterwards the R15 would not boot up (because there is no S/W to "boot"). Is that correct? Or, does a "Reformat" force a download? If so, and if one were to try a "Reformat" today, and then check the S/W version, they would still see the same one they already had (because there is no newer version available). What they should see is today's date, though, along with the S/W version number. So, if there is a difference between the two, when one does a "Reset Everyting", and then checks the Sys Info, one should see an old date (the date of the last time they either forced a download or got an automatic update) by the S/W version number, but a current date, if one did a "Reformat".
> 
> Anyway, I'm not about to try either of those because I am not having any problems that would warrant such.


as my origional post stated, it pulls the software image out of eeprom and copies it to the hd. it stors software both in eeprom and the hd. the only way to wipe the copy on the hd is the reformat function, which replaces it with the copy on the eeprom


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## rlambert7

Mr_Nerd said:


> as my origional post stated, it pulls the software image out of eeprom and copies it to the hd. it stors software both in eeprom and the hd. the only way to wipe the copy on the hd is the reformat function, which replaces it with the copy on the eeprom


What function/purpose does the copy on the hard drive serve?


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## Mr_Nerd

rlambert7 said:


> What function/purpose does the copy on the hard drive serve?


as far as i have been able to tell, the hd image is the primary one, and the eeprom is the emergency backup. not for sure on this though. seems reminecent of how award/amibios have used floppys for the same purpose. and as the hd is the more volitile storage medium in this case, it would not be a good place for backup software- rendering only the eeprom a safe emergency storage location


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## techNoodle

There are some factual errors...

My understanding is that the software is stored in flash memory and not the EEPROM. During a download, the new software is stored in DDR memory until it is checked for completeness, then replaces the image in flash. Besides, the EEPROM is not large enough to contain backup software.

If doing a Reset Everything from the front panel, press the UP button to substitute for the dash on the remote.

-- tech


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## zipbags

I was having a ton of problems with my R15-500. Did the forced software upgrade...didn't help. Then did the full reboot. Deleted all of my programs and menus. Worked great for a week or so. Now for the past month. Its been locking up and the screen would go black. This is getting ridiculous. Should I call Direct for a replacement or is their another software upgrade coming soon??

Thanks!


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## Jhon69

zipbags said:


> I was having a ton of problems with my R15-500. Did the forced software upgrade...didn't help. Then did the full reboot. Deleted all of my programs and menus. Worked great for a week or so. Now for the past month. Its been locking up and the screen would go black. This is getting ridiculous. Should I call Direct for a replacement or is their another software upgrade coming soon??
> 
> Thanks!


Did you do a reformat as described in this post?.Reason I'm asking cause you say reboot.If you did a reformat and it's still messing up it may be time for a replacement or what the heck download the CE version for the R15.Good Luck!


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## zipbags

What is this CE version I have been hearing about?


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## Jhon69

zipbags said:


> What is this CE version I have been hearing about?


Go to the Cutting Edge Forum and it will tell you all the information you seek.


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## shal

My experience with the R15-500 (10FA) is anything but positive. 10FA is the version it arrived with (I think) a couple months ago.

Apart from the software bugs and user interface gaffes, it worked fine for the first month. Now it freezes, goes black and reboots itself when trying to watch programs from the Play list. Not every program, but enough of them to be _really_ annoying.

Possibly this latter is a hardware failing. Given that this is a refurb unit D* sent me when my DVR40 died who knows how many hours are on its drive (but it would have been nice for them to send me one that wouldn't die a month later). I'll try Mr_Nerd's quick fix as soon as I unwind the last of the recordings I really don't want to loose.

Or... Would it make more sense to pull the drive and let SpinRite or the SeaTools for DOS have a go at it. My understanding is that either of those can test, reformat and remap the bad sectors non-destructively.

BTW, pardon the noob question, but what does "RBR" stand for? I've prowled around here, even read the R15 FAQ, but haven't been able to find a glossary for some of the jargon used here. That would make a nice sticky thread.


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## Jhon69

shal said:


> My experience with the R15-500 (10FA) is anything but positive. 10FA is the version it arrived with (I think) a couple months ago.
> 
> Apart from the software bugs and user interface gaffes, it worked fine for the first month. Now it freezes, goes black and reboots itself when trying to watch programs from the Play list. Not every program, but enough of them to be _really_ annoying.
> 
> Possibly this latter is a hardware failing. Given that this is a refurb unit D* sent me when my DVR40 died who knows how many hours are on its drive (but it would have been nice for them to send me one that wouldn't die a month later). I'll try Mr_Nerd's quick fix as soon as I unwind the last of the recordings I really don't want to loose.
> 
> Or... Would it make more sense to pull the drive and let SpinRite or the SeaTools for DOS have a go at it. My understanding is that either of those can test, reformat and remap the bad sectors non-destructively.
> 
> BTW, pardon the noob question, but what does "RBR" stand for? I've prowled around here, even read the R15 FAQ, but haven't been able to find a glossary for some of the jargon used here. That would make a nice sticky thread.


I do believe"RBR" is reboot receiver.I also would not mess with any hard drive in a
leased receiver.It could come back on you.Good Luck! :welcome_s

P.S. If you reformat and it doesn't fix it.Exchange it there's a good chance you have a hardware problem.Unless you have it in an entertainment center or have something stacked on top of it and it's overheating.Or if your hard drive is almost full.


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## shal

Jhon69 said:


> I also would not mess with any hard drive in a
> leased receiver.It could come back on you.


Oops. It did not occur to me that this receiver is leased. It replaced one which I bought (I think), but maybe that's why they didn't ask for the dead one as an exchange... 


Jhon69 said:


> Unless you have it in an entertainment center or have something stacked on top of it and it's overheating.


It's in a cabinet, open front, vented rear, alone on its shelf. I checked this evening after a full day's use and it said it was 53 C, so it doesn't seem to be running hot.


Jhon69 said:


> Or if your hard drive is almost full.


Huh? Yes, the drive has become progressively full. I'm not in the habit of deleting programs, I just let them age out. Is that relevant?


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## Jhon69

shal said:


> Oops. It did not occur to me that this receiver is leased. It replaced one which I bought (I think), but maybe that's why they didn't ask for the dead one as an exchange...
> 
> It's in a cabinet, open front, vented rear, alone on its shelf. I checked this evening after a full day's use and it said it was 53 C, so it doesn't seem to be running hot.
> 
> Huh? Yes, the drive has become progressively full. I'm not in the habit of deleting programs, I just let them age out. Is that relevant?


So there's no shelf close to the top of the case?.Doesn't seem to be warm unless you convert the C to F and see that 53C is over 120F.But that's what mine runs 50-54 with the temperature controlled fan coming on at 54C.Still think they are letting it run too warm.As long as you don't let it run at say 95%.Have you ever ran a computer with the hard drive almost full?.It becomes subject to slow downs
miscues in programs,reboots(ect.)basically letting you know,Hey,I can't run like this.Same with overheating.

The nice thing about leased DVR's is you can try to solve your problems with trial&error and if it still doesn't work right you get to exchange it for another DVR.Which D* normally only charges S&H,but if you have the warranty plan it's Free!.


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## shal

Jhon69 said:


> So there's no shelf close to the top of the case?


Nope, six inches of clear air above.


> _As long as you don't let it run at say 95%.Have you ever ran a computer with the hard drive almost full?.It becomes subject to slow downs miscues in programs,reboots(ect.)basically letting you know,Hey,I can't run like this._


The bar has shown as little as 3% free, currently more like 11% because I'm clearing it out. Slowdowns are one thing, but misbehavior is out of the question unless the disk is actually full and the OS can't write a necessary file. But the DVRs are set up to automatically delete recordings as needed, so that should never happen.


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## paulman182

Jhon69 said:


> I do believe"RBR" is reboot receiver.I also would not mess with any hard drive in a
> leased receiver.It could come back on you.


RBR is Red Button Reset.


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## Jhon69

paulman182 said:


> RBR is Red Button Reset.


Thanks paulman!.


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## Jhon69

shal said:


> Nope, six inches of clear air above.
> 
> The bar has shown as little as 3% free, currently more like 11% because I'm clearing it out. Slowdowns are one thing, but misbehavior is out of the question unless the disk is actually full and the OS can't write a necessary file. But the DVRs are set up to automatically delete recordings as needed, so that should never happen.


Then it's reformat or exchange.


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## DaveTheWave

I was running my R-15 with a nearly full disk (15%) and a lot of 30 minute kids programming. I was having "issue" fairly often. I deleted nearly all of the kids programming and some of the other programs. Performance improved dramatically. Just my $0.02...


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## Jhon69

DaveTheWave said:


> I was running my R-15 with a nearly full disk (15%) and a lot of 30 minute kids programming. I was having "issue" fairly often. I deleted nearly all of the kids programming and some of the other programs. Performance improved dramatically. Just my $0.02...


Thanks for the post Dave!.Not that there isn't hardware problems out there but just maybe while not realizing it DVR users are trying to put more programs on their hard drive and are not giving the DVR"breathing room". Great Post!.:goodjob: :up:


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## walters

Jhon69 said:


> Thanks for the post Dave!.Not that there isn't hardware problems out there but just maybe while not realizing it DVR users are trying to put more programs on their hard drive and are not giving the DVR"breathing room". Great Post!.:goodjob: :up:


To be clear, not all DVRs are like this. In fact, some are designed to always be 100% full (to the point of filling otherwise unused space with suggestions). But I agree (from experience) that this particular DVR apparently does not like to be full. Poor filesystem and/or application design.


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## jwd45244

This thread like many others tend to be filled with sweeping generalizations. There are people that have R15s that have had no problems (i have had one 1 minor issue).  This is not to diminish the problems that others have had and continue to have. The problem is that given the number of variables to deal with it makes it hard to solve. 

People point to the Tivos as the answer yet the same people forget that the early Tivos were just as bad (and in some cases worse).


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## walters

jwd45244 said:


> People point to the Tivos as the answer yet the same people forget that the early Tivos were just as bad (and in some cases worse).


That argument was very flimsy even when the R15 came out. After 1.5 years it's meaningless.

In any case, I was just pointing out that I had a "nothing but problems" R15 when I insisted on using it like my TiVos. Now that I use it like a DirecTV receiver with the capability to record a few things, it works pretty well. It wouldn't fit my lifestyle in my living room, but at least it's mostly stable, now. I know I'm not the only one who has "fixed" their R15 with reduced usage (and expectations).


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## jal

I switched my R15 for a TIVO R10, and have since very much enjoyed the Directv experience. The R15 locked up, missed recordings, and was unreliable. So, if you can find an r10, and that makes your experience better, then that's what you should do.


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## walters

jal said:


> I switched my R15 for a TIVO R10, and have since very much enjoyed the Directv experience. The R15 locked up, missed recordings, and was unreliable. So, if you can find an r10, and that makes your experience better, then that's what you should do.


I have an R10 in the living room, where it matters. I also have an inactive HDVR2 and an inactive DSR6000. I have an R15 in my bedroom to play with because 1) I'm curious, 2) it was free, 3) I want to know when (if) it will ever be an acceptable replacement, and 4) I'd like to help make 3 happen. I don't complain just for the sake of complaining, but rather to point out the shortcomings so they can hopefully be fixed. I never post "this thing is a POS", but rather I try to offer specifics.


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## bto4wd

walters said:


> To be clear, not all DVRs are like this. In fact, some are designed to always be 100% full (to the point of filling otherwise unused space with suggestions). But I agree (from experience) that this particular DVR apparently does not like to be full. Poor filesystem and/or application design.


Yes, my HD and SD DTivos are always 100% full. 25-40% with suggestions. I would hope that when a DVR is advertised with a capacity of "up to xxx hours" that doesn't really mean "up to xxx-30% hours".


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## qwerty

bto4wd said:


> Yes, my HD and SD DTivos are always 100% full. 25-40% with suggestions. I would hope that when a DVR is advertised with a capacity of "up to xxx hours" that doesn't really mean "up to xxx-30% hours".


Amen!


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## Jhon69

bto4wd said:


> Yes, my HD and SD DTivos are always 100% full. 25-40% with suggestions. I would hope that when a DVR is advertised with a capacity of "up to xxx hours" that doesn't really mean "up to xxx-30% hours".


Well I would imagine that that problem will be fixed with software upgrades.


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## Fourdogs

Jhon69 said:


> I do believe"RBR" is reboot receiver.I also would not mess with any hard drive in a
> leased receiver.It could come back on you.Good Luck! :welcome_s
> 
> P.S. If you reformat and it doesn't fix it.Exchange it there's a good chance you have a hardware problem.Unless you have it in an entertainment center or have something stacked on top of it and it's overheating.Or if your hard drive is almost full.


What is considered a "leased receiver"? I bought my R-15 500 at Best Buy for $99 in Nov. of 95 and sent in the coupon for a full price rebate. Is this considered a leased receiver, or do I own it?  It was working fairly well until the 10FA "upgrade", now I have no screensaver, screen goes black at times, and no sound after a few minutes rewind. I don't know what my previous software version was because it spontainously rebooted while I was watching it, (started from scratch like a new receiver), and now it shows 10FA for both the previous version and the past upgrade. I don't even call D anymore because I've never gotten any real help from them. Thanks for reading this. Any help appreciated.


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## RobertE

Fourdogs said:


> What is considered a "leased receiver"? I bought my R-15 500 at Best Buy for $99 in Nov. of 95 and sent in the coupon for a full price rebate. Is this considered a leased receiver, or do I own it?  It was working fairly well until the 10FA "upgrade", now I have no screensaver, screen goes black at times, and no sound after a few minutes rewind. I don't know what my previous software version was because it spontainously rebooted while I was watching it, (started from scratch like a new receiver), and now it shows 10FA for both the previous version and the past upgrade. I don't even call D anymore because I've never gotten any real help from them. Thanks for reading this. Any help appreciated.


Any receiver you obtained before March 06 you own. In most cases anything afterwards are leased.


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## Fourdogs

RobertE said:


> Any receiver you obtained before March 06 you own. In most cases anything afterwards are leased.


Thanks for the clarification. As I understand it, the agreement was for two years, but I never thought about the lease/own aspect. I have a HD plasma and am waiting to see what new HD channels they add before I decide to upgrade my DVR. The picture is very good as it is. I appreciate the reply. Have a great weekend.


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## Jhon69

Fourdogs said:


> What is considered a "leased receiver"? I bought my R-15 500 at Best Buy for $99 in Nov. of 95 and sent in the coupon for a full price rebate. Is this considered a leased receiver, or do I own it?  It was working fairly well until the 10FA "upgrade", now I have no screensaver, screen goes black at times, and no sound after a few minutes rewind. I don't know what my previous software version was because it spontainously rebooted while I was watching it, (started from scratch like a new receiver), and now it shows 10FA for both the previous version and the past upgrade. I don't even call D anymore because I've never gotten any real help from them. Thanks for reading this. Any help appreciated.


When it did the reboot are your problems fixed?.If it eliminated the previous software and wiped everything clean it sounds like it did a reformat.If your problems are not fixed try a reformat as described by Mr.Nerd's post.If it doesn't work contact Directv for a replacement.Good Luck!.


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## Fourdogs

Jhon69 said:


> When it did the reboot are your problems fixed?.If it eliminated the previous software and wiped everything clean it sounds like it did a reformat.If your problems are not fixed try a reformat as described by Mr.Nerd's post.If it doesn't work contact Directv for a replacement.Good Luck!.


It did it again today, only the second time that it has done it. I was watching a program while it was being recorded wnen I suddenly got the blue screen, searching for satellite, and then I had to wait while it went through the entire set-up procedure. The guide was gone, but the saved movies that I had not yet watched, were still there. The guide started rebuilding itself immidiately. It has not been long enough to see if the other problems that it has are still there. As far as the screensaver is concerned, there were many posts about it not working properly when the 10FA upgrade was released. I'm sure that that is a software problem. As a work around, when I am watching a previously recorded program and want to pause it, I pause it and jump to the tuner so I will not have a burn-in problem on my 42" plasma. When I'm ready to resume watching, I jump back to the recorded program and it starts at the point where I paused it. This doesn't work when pausing live programs. If I do reformat it, won't I lose all of the programs that I haven't watched yet? I'll do that as a last resort. Thanks again for your reply.


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## Jhon69

Fourdogs said:


> It did it again today, only the second time that it has done it. I was watching a program while it was being recorded wnen I suddenly got the blue screen, searching for satellite, and then I had to wait while it went through the entire set-up procedure. The guide was gone, but the saved movies that I had not yet watched, were still there. The guide started rebuilding itself immidiately. It has not been long enough to see if the other problems that it has are still there. As far as the screensaver is concerned, there were many posts about it not working properly when the 10FA upgrade was released. I'm sure that that is a software problem. As a work around, when I am watching a previously recorded program and want to pause it, I pause it and jump to the tuner so I will not have a burn-in problem on my 42" plasma. When I'm ready to resume watching, I jump back to the recorded program and it starts at the point where I paused it. This doesn't work when pausing live programs. If I do reformat it, won't I lose all of the programs that I haven't watched yet? I'll do that as a last resort. Thanks again for your reply.


Yes to reformat will clear everything.Also make sure there is nothing stacked on top of the DVR as this can cause heat related problems.If when you reformat you
still have problems then it's time to contact Directv to request a replacement because that would show your problems to be hardware not software.Good Luck!

P.S. You can also doublecheck your surge supressor make sure it's still good.


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## Fourdogs

Jhon69 said:


> Yes to reformat will clear everything.Also make sure there is nothing stacked on top of the DVR as this can cause heat related problems.If when you reformat you
> still have problems then it's time to contact Directv to request a replacement because that would show your problems to be hardware not software.Good Luck!
> 
> P.S. You can also doublecheck your surge supressor make sure it's still good.


Thank you for your help. There is nothing on top of it, but it is stacked on top of my DVD recorder which which was never on or generating any heat when the reboot occured. I'll give it one more chance before I reformat, (the three strikes and it's out) rule.  This R-15 is one that I own---purchased in Nov. 2005. Would they replace it, since it is not a leased unit? I have it plugged into a APC UPS which provides far more reserve power than DVR really needs. Thanks again.


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## Jhon69

Fourdogs said:


> Thank you for your help. There is nothing on top of it, but it is stacked on top of my DVD recorder which which was never on or generating any heat when the reboot occured. I'll give it one more chance before I reformat, (the three strikes and it's out) rule.  This R-15 is one that I own---purchased in Nov. 2005. Would they replace it, since it is not a leased unit? I have it plugged into a APC UPS which provides far more reserve power than DVR really needs. Thanks again.


"Owned" units need the warranty plan for replacement.You would need to contact
Directv to see what they could work out for you.Good Luck!.

P.S. Your welcome just hope this information helps.


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## bto4wd

Jhon69 said:


> "Owned" units need the warranty plan for replacement.You would need to contact
> Directv to see what they could work out for you.Good Luck!.
> 
> P.S. Your welcome just hope this information helps.


Don't leased units also follow the warranty plan? I thought I've read here that after your 90 days, even with a leased unit they charge you for a replacement. But I could be wrong on this. Please someone correct me if I'm wrong but I thought there was another thread were it was recommended you get the protection plan even for leased units.


----------



## Jhon69

bto4wd said:


> Don't leased units also follow the warranty plan? I thought I've read here that after your 90 days, even with a leased unit they charge you for a replacement. But I could be wrong on this. Please someone correct me if I'm wrong but I thought there was another thread were it was recommended you get the protection plan even for leased units.


After 90 days is "if"you own.If you lease they will send you another receiver,but the only thing they can try to charge you is S&H.If you have the protection plan it's
Free.You get the protection plan to cover dish alignments/coax/LNBs/switches and
labor.If you "own" the protection plan covers the receivers.Also when you have a new install you have 90 days to contact the installer for any problems.


----------



## shal

Ok, I followed Mr_Nerd's instructions but I noticed that the record light only stayed on a few seconds (more than 5, less than 30) after I released the record and down buttons. Doesn't seem long enough for an operation that would scan and map-out all the bad sectors.

Should I have expected the light to stay on longer (minutes)? Should I re-do the procedure before setting up all my series links and loading up the drive with recordings again?

This R15-500 (10FA) was a re-furb unit and arrived with 10FA on it. So I'd hope that it wouldn't have a stack-up of old software releases on it. 

Also, after the procedure it looks like everything was reset, except the Parental Controls passcode. All the parental controls themselves were reset to factory settings, but the passcode it must have remembered elsewhere than on the hard drive. Unless that's a clue that I didn't actually activate the reformat.


----------



## Jhon69

shal said:


> Ok, I followed Mr_Nerd's instructions but I noticed that the record light only stayed on a few seconds (more than 5, less than 30) after I released the record and down buttons. Doesn't seem long enough for an operation that would scan and map-out all the bad sectors.
> 
> Should I have expected the light to stay on longer (minutes)? Should I re-do the procedure before setting up all my series links and loading up the drive with recordings again?
> 
> This R15-500 (10FA) was a re-furb unit and arrived with 10FA on it. So I'd hope that it wouldn't have a stack-up of old software releases on it.
> 
> Also, after the procedure it looks like everything was reset, except the Parental Controls passcode. All the parental controls themselves were reset to factory settings, but the passcode it must have remembered elsewhere than on the hard drive. Unless that's a clue that I didn't actually activate the reformat.


Sounds good.As long as it says that the original software is 10FA.Now that you know what to do your all set.If that one keeps screwing up,call Directv they should
replace it.Don't get frustrated either when I was replacing my standard receiver.I
went thru 4 refurbs before I found a good one.I wonder if they check them sometimes,but I made sure on the bad ones to send alittle note along with it describing the problem I had with it.


----------



## shal

Jhon69 said:


> Sounds good.As long as it says that the original software is 10FA.


 It has always said that.


> Don't get frustrated either, when I was replacing my standard receiver I
> went thru 4 refurbs before I found a good one.


You've _gotta_ be kidding. This unit is in the family room -- my spouse and kids will not tolerate another dead machine. They've already been yelling at me to buy a new one rather than put up with missing all their programs while I mess around trying to fix this one.

Those DirecTiVo units over at Weaknees are starting to look rather tempting.


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## Jhon69

shal said:


> It has always said that.
> You've _gotta_ be kidding. This unit is in the family room -- my spouse and kids will not tolerate another dead machine. They've already been yelling at me to buy a new one rather than put up with missing all their programs while I mess around trying to fix this one.
> 
> Those DirecTiVo units over at Weaknees are starting to look rather tempting.


It's your nickel.

Actually with the reformat you should be fine.

P.S. Did you check out weaknees comparison review on the R10&R15?.


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## shal

Jhon69 said:


> Actually with the reformat you should be fine.


Fingers crossed.



> P.S. Did you check out weaknees comparison review on the R10&R15?.


I saw the link a few days ago. Just took a look and it seems a fair treatment. I'm not willing to slam the R15 simply because it isn't a TiVo, but now that I've lived with it several weeks I think I've given it a fair test. Yes, there are things the R15 does right, but the things it does wrong it does _so_ wrong that I can scarcely believe its developers have ever actually used it on a day-to-day basis.

If it really is true that you must manually maintain a pile of free space just to keep the unit from crashing, as others in this thread have suggested, that qualifies in my mind as a show-stopper: DirecTV should fire everyone who thinks it is acceptable to ship a product with this flaw to the general public.

I suppose if I were feeling helpful I'd go scour the appropriate threads to track the outstanding issues and see if my notes contain anything not already listed.


----------



## LameLefty

I scanned the thread but didn't see this addressed:



> USB ports coming in late '07- for more info look into protocol called viiv from intel. HR20 already has its USB ports enabled for this.


That's not correct. The USB ports are not enabled for anything on the HR20, except they do provide current (for an external fan, for instance). ViiV and media sharing is enabled through the ethernet port only. The eSATA port is also enabled to replace the capacity of the internal drive with a larger external one - you cannot record using both drives, and drives cannot be shared between units.


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## shal

Jhon69 said:


> Actually with the reformat you should be fine.


No such luck.

The R15-500 (10FA) blacked out and rebooted playing a program from the list again today. It had only gotten up to about 40% of the disk's capacity after the reformat. I guess I'm in the market for a replacement, but first I'll call D* and see if they want to offer me an upgrade to an R10...

I'd like to think they owe me some consideration for sending me a defective DVR, and all the time and missed programs it has caused. Not that I expect anything...


----------



## Jhon69

shal said:


> No such luck.
> 
> The R15-500 (10FA) blacked out and rebooted playing a program from the list again today. It had only gotten up to about 40% of the disk's capacity after the reformat. I guess I'm in the market for a replacement, but first I'll call D* and see if they want to offer me an upgrade to an R10...
> 
> I'd like to think they owe me some consideration for sending me a defective DVR, and all the time and missed programs it has caused. Not that I expect anything...


Sorry to hear.Might be a good time to go to the HR20?.


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## bto4wd

Jhon69 said:


> Sorry to hear.Might be a good time to go to the HR20?.


That's the answer. If you can't get the R15 to work try your luck at forking out $200-$300 and see if a HR20 will work any better.


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## shal

Jhon69 said:


> Might be a good time to go to the HR20?.


I'd like to upgrade to HD, but with HD DirecTiVos going away (which I'm sure thrills all the HR10 owners), I'm going to wait a while and see what else is available. Maybe FIOS with two cards plugged into a cable-ready TiVo, if they get that all worked out before too long. Verizon is doing a lot of advertising for FIOS around here, and since they're already my phone and DSL provider that bundle sounds attractive.

BTW: good one, bto4wd 

I called D* last night to get a replacement for the R15, and left the request for a TiVo unit (not holding my breath), since it is a no-cost exchange.

Meanwhile, I popped the drive out of the dead DVR40 and set Spinrite to work on it. Wow! In a "quick" scan it has so far turned up over 600 bad sectors, over 60 of which it couldn't repair. And it hasn't quite made it halfway through the drive yet. No wonder the unit stopped working. 
http://www.grc.com/sr/faq.htm

If what I get from D* is another R15, a replacement drive for the DVR40 may do the trick.


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## shal

But in fairness, bto4wd, if the problem is with the drive then upgrading to an HR20 will probably work a lot better than taking another R15 in exchange -- at least with a new HR20 there'd be some chance that its drive is ok, unlike a refurb R15. 

From jhon69's experience I suspect that the people doing the refurbs haven't heard of drive diagnostics, like SpinRite, and are just recycling bad drives until something else fails or the customer gives up.


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## Jhon69

bto4wd said:


> That's the answer. If you can't get the R15 to work try your luck at forking out $200-$300 and see if a HR20 will work any better.


It all depends if that's not the way people want to go they can go to www.weaknees.com and get a R10.

If it was me hey it's D*'s nickel.I'll go thru their entire inventory first.


----------



## Jhon69

shal said:


> But in fairness, bto4wd, if the problem is with the drive then upgrading to an HR20 will probably work a lot better than taking another R15 in exchange -- at least with a new HR20 there'd be some chance that its drive is ok, unlike a refurb R15.
> 
> From jhon69's experience I suspect that the people doing the refurbs haven't heard of drive diagnostics, like SpinRite, and are just recycling bad drives until something else fails or the customer gives up.


Why would I want to fix D*'s leased DVR when they can just replace it?.Let's try to
see what you think.You run a program that D* doesn't use on their hard drives and they find it.Now who do you think they might put the blame on for their hard drive going down?.Interesting thought wouldn't you think?.


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## shal

Jhon69 said:


> Why would I want to fix D*'s leased DVR when they can just replace it?.


Who said anything about fixing a leased DVR? The R15 they sent me is going back unopened, just as soon as its replacement arrives with the self-mailer.



> Let's try to see what you think.You run a program that D* doesn't use on their hard drives and they find it.


Even if I did that, there's nothing to find. In the setup I'm using to test my DVR40's drive SpinRite is booted from a CD-RW; nothing is installed on the drive under test. But it doesn't matter. That drive, is going into a eWaste can, not to DirecTV. The rest of the DVR40's fate is TBD, but it won't be going to DirecTV.

By "people doing refurbs" I meant the techs at DirecTV, the folks that managed to send you a bunch of bad ones. That wouldn't have happened if they'd bothered to run a proper diagnostic on the drive before shipping it out to the next unsuspecting customer.


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## Jhon69

Let me tell you an interesting story.When I was able to get a free R15 I also told my daughter how to get one also.They were both R15-500s.Mine had the old software 10E8?I think and it upgraded to 10FA over the satellite the same day it was installed.Her's came with 10FA already on it.Mine had a slow guide so I reformatted it,she said her's was not slow so I advised against it.I turn mine off every nite they are used to leaving it on.

They are the typical DVR family they record alot of things movies,series,children's programs(ect.).They also have a R10 which they leave on all the time,no problems.
I only record movies off the premium channels,no series or children's programs.
She called me tonight to tell me the record light has been on,on the R15 and they can't turn the DVR on with the power button.She said she already called Directv and without examination or hesitation they said they are sending her another one.

Mine is still working fine but for how long?.We shall see.I believe that Directv is sitting on a mountain that can turn into a volcano should they ever decide to totally eliminate TIVO.This question will only be answered when they decide to and how they handle the loss of subscribers directly related to this reason.When Rupert leaves Directv will they tell him to take the R15 with him?.We can only hope
the right decisions will be made in the future.For the future of a company whose
programming we enjoy.


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## Jhon69

shal said:


> Who said anything about fixing a leased DVR? The R15 they sent me is going back unopened, just as soon as its replacement arrives with the self-mailer.
> 
> Even if I did that, there's nothing to find. In the setup I'm using to test my DVR40's drive SpinRite is booted from a CD-RW; nothing is installed on the drive under test. But it doesn't matter. That drive, is going into a eWaste can, not to DirecTV. The rest of the DVR40's fate is TBD, but it won't be going to DirecTV.
> 
> By "people doing refurbs" I meant the techs at DirecTV, the folks that managed to send you a bunch of bad ones. That wouldn't have happened if they'd bothered to run a proper diagnostic on the drive before shipping it out to the next unsuspecting customer.


Well I would like to think my testimony about going though 4 standard receivers would put a end to any speculation about that.Like I said it's D*'s nickel and it seems turn arounds are more important than testing.So that puts D*'s nickel up to a quarter.We shall confirm that theory when my daughter receives her refurb.


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## shal

Jhon69 said:


> Let me tell you an interesting story. ...


My family room is like your daughter's usage, except we do turn it off (standby, really) at night. On the DVR40 we had over 50 season pass entries, the ToDo list as long as your arm, and the disk was always full. We hadn't gotten up to more than half that level with the R15 before it started showing problems.

Left to myself I'd also let DirecTV spend its nickels on postage, but with the family clamoring for their TV... It gets uncomfortable. It also offends my sensibilities to see a company doing such irrational things.



> I believe that Directv is sitting on a mountain that can turn into a volcano should they ever decide to totally eliminate TIVO.


The handwriting seems pretty much on the wall. Later this year they will switch all HD programming to MPEG4 encoding, which the HR10 units cannot handle. So the vigorous early-adopter crowd will be forced to switch. The question is: to what?

DirecTV is taking a big gamble on the HR20, and with it the R15. From what I've seen of that software, and the glacial pace of its improvement, it is a gamble they may well lose. Replacements for both models are supposed to be in the works, maybe they'll be wildly better. I think they'd do well to go about-face and strike a new deal with TiVo, and with a competent development staff, to provide machines people actually enjoy using. I've spent the last 30 years writing software, including user interfaces, for embedded computer systems. I know they could do far better than they have.

But I'm not holding my breath. Nor am I placing my bets yet. I can wait for HD until a few more players have shown their hands.


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## Jhon69

shal said:


> My family room is like your daughter's usage, except we do turn it off (standby, really) at night. On the DVR40 we had over 50 season pass entries, the ToDo list as long as your arm, and the disk was always full. We hadn't gotten up to more than half that level with the R15 before it started showing problems.
> 
> Left to myself I'd also let DirecTV spend its nickels on postage, but with the family clamoring for their TV... It gets uncomfortable. It also offends my sensibilities to see a company doing such irrational things.
> 
> The handwriting seems pretty much on the wall. Later this year they will switch all HD programming to MPEG4 encoding, which the HR10 units cannot handle. So the vigorous early-adopter crowd will be forced to switch. The question is: to what?
> 
> DirecTV is taking a big gamble on the HR20, and with it the R15. From what I've seen of that software, and the glacial pace of its improvement, it is a gamble they may well lose. Replacements for both models are supposed to be in the works, maybe they'll be wildly better. I think they'd do well to go about-face and strike a new deal with TiVo, and with a competent development staff, to provide machines people actually enjoy using. I've spent the last 30 years writing software, including user interfaces, for embedded computer systems. I know they could do far better than they have.
> 
> But I'm not holding my breath. Nor am I placing my bets yet. I can wait for HD until a few more players have shown their hands.


Well by what I have red the HR20 is the Directv platform and the R15 is the NDS platform.So there is 2 different platforms to contend with.I also red where Directv signed a deal with TIVO to continue with the TIVO platform for 3 more years,but doesn't say anything concerning where they might consider TIVO for Directv's HD
platform.So who would really know,but you would think with continued problems
the idea might be worthy of consideration.

It's also possible that with the change to Liberty Media,better ideas may come into
view.I am also like you with any HD conversion at least 5 years away.Prices are just too inflated for me to even consider it.But then again like I said"Who Knows"?


----------



## Jhon69

Update: Well I'm still happy with my R15.Had a little"Burp"the other day watched 2
recorded movies in a row and then had trouble bringing up my playlist.I could gradually bring it up by playing with the up&down arrows on the remote.So I decided to watch satellite programming for awhile.After 2 hours tried to bring up my playlists and everything came up normal.Must have been a "burp". 

My daughter received a R15-500 refurb the other day.I told her how to reformat it.
So far it's ok,but she told me if it goes out as long as it's D*'s nickel bring on the refurbs.I think maybe I trained her right.


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## mrwood

I used Mr Nerd's procedure and it worked perfect. I was told that R15-300 software latest release was 1093. I could not get a force download to work and was stuck at 106C. After using his method not onlt did I get a sucessful download but I got version 1095 and even CSR's at DTV don't know about this version existing.
Thanks Mr Nerd, you are GREAT!
Michael


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## dombey

this is the best thing that ever happened to me! I've been trying to figure out why my damn receiver is SOOOOO slow for months; finally I found this thread. The response time is literally 1/10 of what it was previously, maybe even faster than that. 
Highly recommended for anyone that is experiencing 5 second delays every time you press a button.


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## mkstretch

How long does the record light stay on for after you let go of the buttons? It only stays on for about 10 sec's or so then goes off. Thanks


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## ronw41

Jhon69 said:


> I do believe"RBR" is reboot receiver.I also would not mess with any hard drive in a
> leased receiver.It could come back on you.Good Luck! :welcome_s
> 
> P.S. If you reformat and it doesn't fix it.Exchange it there's a good chance you have a hardware problem.Unless you have it in an entertainment center or have something stacked on top of it and it's overheating.Or if your hard drive is almost full.


As I understand it, RBR stands for "Red Button Reset". Inside the little access door on the right of the front panel. The button is next to your Access Card. Just press the "red " button and it will do a reset.

Ron


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## ronw41

I called D* about this and the CSR said they would have to send a "tech" out to my house (first time that's ever happened. The last time I had a problem with my 500 they sent me a refurb. My machine is owned, not leased) and that there would be a charge of $7.50 since I don't have the "monthly maintenance fee". I told the CSR that the last time this happened was after a software download that rendered my machine unusable. That time, D* sent me a replacement in the form of a "refurb". The CSR said they don't send out replacements anymore, they send the "tech" out to fix the problem. Gave me a 4 hour window which meant my wife or myself would have to loose a half day of work to get this problem corrected.

So, the "tech" comes out, does a force download of the latest software, which had downloaded on it's own just that very morning. Tech also said maybe I needed to delete some of the shows on the hard drive as it might be too full (I had 20% free space on the disk). That was the extent of the service call. 
That evening I deleted some of my "older" shows to get the "free space" up to 41%. Once I did this, I tried recording a show. When the show had been recorded, I went back later to view the show. Got approximately 5 minutes into the show and the same black screen, lockup thing happened again. NO change. I am just so fed up with D* at this point I just don't have the energy to try and call back and get this worked out right now. It seems that D* "tech support" is getting as bad or worse than HP's has become.

Does anyone here have any suggestions? Will the reformat work? I hate to loose my saved movies and shows, but I can't watch them now the way the machine is acting. Would replacing the hard drive be in order? Any and all help is appreciated.

Thanks Folks.

Ron


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## Jhon69

ronw41 said:


> I called D* about this and the CSR said they would have to send a "tech" out to my house (first time that's ever happened. The last time I had a problem with my 500 they sent me a refurb. My machine is owned, not leased) and that there would be a charge of $7.50 since I don't have the "monthly maintenance fee". I told the CSR that the last time this happened was after a software download that rendered my machine unusable. That time, D* sent me a replacement in the form of a "refurb". The CSR said they don't send out replacements anymore, they send the "tech" out to fix the problem. Gave me a 4 hour window which meant my wife or myself would have to loose a half day of work to get this problem corrected.
> 
> So, the "tech" comes out, does a force download of the latest software, which had downloaded on it's own just that very morning. Tech also said maybe I needed to delete some of the shows on the hard drive as it might be too full (I had 20% free space on the disk). That was the extent of the service call.
> That evening I deleted some of my "older" shows to get the "free space" up to 41%. Once I did this, I tried recording a show. When the show had been recorded, I went back later to view the show. Got approximately 5 minutes into the show and the same black screen, lockup thing happened again. NO change. I am just so fed up with D* at this point I just don't have the energy to try and call back and get this worked out right now. It seems that D* "tech support" is getting as bad or worse than HP's has become.
> 
> Does anyone here have any suggestions? Will the reformat work? I hate to loose my saved movies and shows, but I can't watch them now the way the machine is acting. Would replacing the hard drive be in order? Any and all help is appreciated.
> 
> Thanks Folks.
> 
> Ron


If your worried about losing movies and shows you could get a DVD burner or transfer to VHS tape.I think that a reformat has worked for everyone that has done it and when it doesn't work you have a hard drive that is going bad.Good Luck!


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## Jhon69

ronw41 said:


> As I understand it, RBR stands for "Red Button Reset". Inside the little access door on the right of the front panel. The button is next to your Access Card. Just press the "red " button and it will do a reset.
> 
> Ron


Thanks for a clarification.A Red Button Reset is a last resort.First try to do a Menu Reset.


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## ronw41

Jhon69 said:


> If your worried about losing movies and shows you could get a DVD burner or transfer to VHS tape.I think that a reformat has worked for everyone that has done it and when it doesn't work you have a hard drive that is going bad.Good Luck!


I would copy to VHS or DVD but as I understand the process of copying to these media you have to actually be able to play the show all the way through as you are recording. Is that correct? Since it freezes up while I am trying to watch it I don't know how I would be able to record it. I was just thinking that since I can't watch anything all the way through without it locking up then I might as well do a full format.

Ron


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## Jhon69

ronw41 said:


> I would copy to VHS or DVD but as I understand the process of copying to these media you have to actually be able to play the show all the way through as you are recording. Is that correct? Since it freezes up while I am trying to watch it I don't know how I would be able to record it. I was just thinking that since I can't watch anything all the way through without it locking up then I might as well do a full format.
> 
> Ron


You are correct,also if you need to replace the R15's hard drive there are threads about that too.Good Luck!.


----------



## qwerty

ronw41 said:


> Does anyone here have any suggestions? Will the reformat work? I hate to loose my saved movies and shows, but I can't watch them now the way the machine is acting. Would replacing the hard drive be in order? Any and all help is appreciated.
> 
> Thanks Folks.
> 
> Ron


If your shows are unwatchable, the biggest downside to a reformat is losing your SL's. If it were me, I'd certainly try it.


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## ronw41

qwerty said:


> If your shows are unwatchable, the biggest downside to a reformat is losing your SL's. If it were me, I'd certainly try it.


I did the reset/reformat and it seems to have straightened out the problem but I will reserve final judgement for a few days to make sure everything is okay. Makes me think that, yet again, the last download had something in there that corrupted something on the hard drive that made a reformat and re-download of the software necessary.

Ron


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## Jhon69

ronw41 said:


> I did the reset/reformat and it seems to have straightened out the problem but I will reserve final judgement for a few days to make sure everything is okay. Makes me think that, yet again, the last download had something in there that corrupted something on the hard drive that made a reformat and re-download of the software necessary.
> 
> Ron


The Reformat is not a redownload of software,it's a unload.It cleans up the hard drive and makes your recent software download the original software.I have never had any other DVR but the R15.But the R15 to me is impressive with all the little things you can do,like reformat,change the bandwith stacker,download software either automatically or operator download and several other features in the different menus you can activate if you need to.


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## ronw41

Jhon69 said:


> The Reformat is not a redownload of software,it's a unload.It cleans up the hard drive and makes your recent software download the original software.I have never had any other DVR but the R15.But the R15 to me is impressive with all the little things you can do,like reformat,change the bandwith stacker,download software either automatically or operator download and several other features in the different menus you can activate if you need to.


I stand corrected. It is not a redownload of the software. I still wish they wouldn't screw up my setup just when I get it like I want it.

Ron


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## Jhon69

ronw41 said:


> I stand corrected. It is not a redownload of the software. I still wish they wouldn't screw up my setup just when I get it like I want it.
> 
> Ron


I totally understand how you feel,but when you think about it that this is DirecTV's first in house DVR.There is a definate need for software upgrades and the faster the better to bring the R15 up to the same reliability as other DVRs.That's where the CE program comes in.Of course there will be times you will probably have to reformat because of this,but the end product will be well worth it.


----------



## qwerty

Jhon69 said:


> There is a definate need for software upgrades and the faster the better to bring the R15 up to the same reliability as other DVRs.


There shouldn't be. That's where it should have been 26 months ago.


----------



## ronw41

Jhon69 said:


> I totally understand how you feel,but when you think about it that this is DirecTV's first in house DVR.There is a definate need for software upgrades and the faster the better to bring the R15 up to the same reliability as other DVRs.That's where the CE program comes in.Of course there will be times you will probably have to reformat because of this,but the end product will be well worth it.


That's what R & D is for. The R15 should have been "up to par" with the other currently available DVR's when D* put it on the market to it's customers instead of putting all of us throught the trials and tribulations of being their "free" beta testers.

Ron:nono:


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## ronw41

qwerty said:


> There shouldn't be. That's where it should have been 26 months ago.


Absolutely. Well put.

Ron:hurah:


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## Jhon69

ronw41 said:


> That's what R & D is for. The R15 should have been "up to par" with the other currently available DVR's when D* put it on the market to it's customers instead of putting all of us throught the trials and tribulations of being their "free" beta testers.
> 
> Ron:nono:


Well look on the bright side at least we're not waiting as long for upgrades as we would be if we had Dish!.


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## The Merg

I just wish the R15-300 would get updated a little more often. Twice in almost 4 months is definitely not enough for my CE cravings...

- Merg


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## Jhon69

The Merg said:


> I just wish the R15-300 would get updated a little more often. Twice in almost 4 months is definitely not enough for my CE cravings...
> 
> - Merg


I can understand.The upgrades for the R15 is from NDS.It also seems they were having problems with the upgrades for the 300,as say compared to the 500.


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## ronw41

I put a new hard drive in my 500 yesterday and it seemed to have fixed the pixelation, lock-up, black screen thing when watching recorded programs, at least for the time being. I am still keeping an eye on it. I hope D* doesn't "corrupt" this new drive.

Ron


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## Jhon69

ronw41 said:


> I put a new hard drive in my 500 yesterday and it seemed to have fixed the pixelation, lock-up, black screen thing when watching recorded programs, at least for the time being. I am still keeping an eye on it. I hope D* doesn't "corrupt" this new drive.
> 
> Ron


You know when you put a new hard drive in and it goes out it's just possibly a bad hard drive.


----------

