# Can I backup my timers on a 622?



## kspeters (Aug 12, 2003)

I would like to backup the timers on my 622,,,, is there any way to do this?
I have a zillion timers and it would be a major pain to redo them in case of box going down. I have heard that the 722 will do this?


----------



## Jim5506 (Jun 7, 2004)

Not at this time, possibly in a future software upgrade.

This type of thing was not even envisioned when the 622 was designed, may be difficult to add to older equipment.


----------



## lujan (Feb 10, 2004)

The last tech chat had something about this capability in the new 922.


----------



## phrelin (Jan 18, 2007)

kspeters said:


> I would like to backup the timers on my 622,,,, is there any way to do this?
> I have a zillion timers and it would be a major pain to redo them in case of box going down. I have heard that the 722 will do this?


From another thread:


garypen said:


> The 722k uses the new 21.0 remote with learning capability, so you can teach it the buttons that the "universal" codes miss. It also has memory for backing up your DVR's settings and timers, in case you need to configure a replacement receiver with your old unit's settings and timers.


Right now neither the 622 nor the 722 can do this as far as I know.


----------



## SaltiDawg (Aug 30, 2004)

phrelin said:


> From another thread: Right now neither the 622 nor the 722 can do this as far as I know.


The 722k can, I believe.


----------



## Ron Barry (Dec 10, 2002)

Yes the 722K can. I believe the 622/722 software gives the impression that you can but people have tried it and it appears to be a feature that was added to the 722K but was not removed from the common code base from what I can tell. Some people have tried using the 722K remote with the 722 and use that feature only to find it does not work and from all the posts I have read it is not something I would recommend.


----------



## saiyan (Jul 12, 2006)

Since timers on 622/722 can be configured on Dish Remote Access web site, technically E* could create a new function on the web site to backup timers. May be that's something E* will do in the future.


----------



## Hunter Green (May 8, 2006)

I'd prefer a means to back them up to a USB drive, but I'd settle for anywhere if it works.


----------



## kspeters (Aug 12, 2003)

I wish Dish would do something on these lines. It can't be hard to do and I am guessing a lot of people would see benefit in this feature.


----------



## JSIsabella (Oct 20, 2006)

Since my 722k is about to be replaced, can anyone tell me the procedure to backup the timers?

I specifically asked the tech on the phone about this when they were setting up for the replacement unit, and I was told it was not possible.

It sure would save a lot of time if this can be done.

Thanks.


----------



## SaltiDawg (Aug 30, 2004)

JSIsabella said:


> Since my 722k is about to be replaced, can anyone tell me the procedure to backup the timers?
> 
> ....


IIRC set the remote on a fixed surface 3' - 4' from the receiver and pointed at the receiver. Push and hold the ")" button - which has a label on it that I can't recall. This will start the Wizard.

We thought I had a defective TV2 remote, so Dish sent me a replacement. That replacement came with a small book covering the remote. I don't know why the 622k itself didn't include this book.

I'd call and ask that they send you one.


----------



## JSIsabella (Oct 20, 2006)

Before the old 722k unit went completely berserk, I backed up all the settings to the remote by pressing and holding the zero key. The wizard was clear enough, and it said the backup was completed.

I finally received the replacement 722k unit today.

I hooked it all up and authorized it with Dish. It did all of the downloads.

The I figured I would try to restore the settings from the old unit.

I pressed and held the zero key again on the remote. The wizard showed the backup date and asked if I wanted to restore all the settings. Again, it said it was completed.

I am really quite amazed, but all the timers and custom channel listings were restored. The timers for tonight fired as expected.

I really am happy about this feature!

Now I hope that the third 722k unit will restore my faith in this model of DVR...


----------



## Bogey62 (Dec 1, 2002)

I just asked a tech support rep about a remote that can backup/restore the user's info in case a receiver is replaced (I saw it on Charlie Chat). He knew nothing of the feature and said he had not been trained on such an existing product. He even put me on hold to "ask around". No luck.

I even told him that I thought it may be the remote with the 722k. Again, no luck.

I gather then that I can't perform this function on my 722 receiver? I'd be wiling to buy the new remote to gain this feature alone.

This is outrageous, actually. A simple USB Thumb Drive solution, or over the Internet would suffice. It is a daunting task to reprogram these units if you are a "power user". 

Right now I have 66 timers (mostly Passes and recurring events) and 12 search strings set up, not to mention 4 custom channel guides, and a bunch of unwatched shows that I will lose on the next DVR replacement coming this week if I can't watch everything within the 10 day return time frame. 

I have to remake everything from scratch each time the receiver takes a dump. This will be my third 722 and I can't remeber the 622 replacement count. I also went through 6-7 721s back in the day.


----------



## ChuckA (Feb 7, 2006)

Yes, you can do it with the 722k remotes. It works great. The reports I have seen here of people that have tried using that remote with a 722 or 622 were not successful. So, currently it seems you need the 722k to get this facility.


----------



## BobaBird (Mar 31, 2002)

You don't need to lose your unwatched shows. Get an external hard drive and pay the $39.99 activation fee. I would suggest pleading your case (multiple replacements) to try to get the fee waived.


----------



## Bogey62 (Dec 1, 2002)

BobaBird said:


> You don't need to lose your unwatched shows. Get an external hard drive and pay the $39.99 activation fee. I would suggest pleading your case (multiple replacements) to try to get the fee waived.


You can dump existing recordings to the external HD?

Also, I thought the external HD was married to the current receiver. What happens when you switch receivers?


----------



## Bogey62 (Dec 1, 2002)

ChuckA said:


> Yes, you can do it with the 722k remotes. It works great. The reports I have seen here of people that have tried using that remote with a 722 or 622 were not successful. So, currently it seems you need the 722k to get this facility.


Figures!


----------



## ChuckA (Feb 7, 2006)

Yes, you can archive programs recorded on the internal HD to the EHD. That's basically the point of it since you do not record directly to it. You can watch programs directly from it or move them back to the internal drive before watching.

The EHD is useable on any (ViP) receiver on your Dish account. If you get a new receiver, after it is authorized on your account you can use the EHD with the new receiver.


----------



## Bogey62 (Dec 1, 2002)

ChuckA said:


> Yes, you can archive programs recorded on the internal HD to the EHD. That's basically the point of it since you do not record directly to it. You can watch programs directly from it or move them back to the internal drive before watching.
> 
> The EHD is useable on any (ViP) receiver on your Dish account. If you get a new receiver, after it is authorized on your account you can use the EHD with the new receiver.


I never really looked into this, but I thought you could direct your timers to record internally or externally when the EHD is hooked up? It seems not. Basically, it's just an archival tool (an expensive one at that).


----------



## ChuckA (Feb 7, 2006)

No direct recording but direct playback. So, it is not simply archiving since you can store large numbers of recordings, use as many disks as you like and can view from the EHD. It is a one time expense so for all receivers you have on an account and the expanded storage the cost is not all that bad.


----------



## SaltiDawg (Aug 30, 2004)

BobaBird said:


> You don't need to lose your unwatched shows. Get an external hard drive and pay the $39.99 activation fee. I would suggest pleading your case (multiple replacements) to try to get the fee waived.


Boba,

The 722k's backup feature on the remote has absolutely nothing to do with saving recorded shows. It has to do with saving the timers and the remote's settings.

Works great.


----------



## Bogey62 (Dec 1, 2002)

SaltiDawg said:


> Boba,
> 
> The 722k's backup feature on the remote has absolutely nothing to do with saving recorded shows. It has to do with saving the timers and the remote's settings.
> 
> Works great.


He was referring to the other part of my original post concerning losing my recorded shows if I have to swap out the 722.


----------



## Bogey62 (Dec 1, 2002)

ChuckA said:


> No direct recording but direct playback. So, it is not simply archiving since you can store large numbers of recordings, use as many disks as you like and can view from the EHD. It is a one time expense so for all receivers you have on an account and the expanded storage the cost is not all that bad.


What are the guidelines for choosing an EHD? I remember something about not selecting ones that have more than one physical drive inside, etc. I believe there was a size limitation too.


----------



## Ron Barry (Dec 10, 2002)

Your EHD needs to have a USB interface and it needs to have external power cord. As far as disk limitations.. There is a active thread on that.

http://www.dbstalk.com/showthread.php?t=164519

I would suggest going as simple as possible and avoid drives that have special features.


----------



## ChuckA (Feb 7, 2006)

Right. Single LUN devices that have their own power supply. They can be up to 1.5 tb these days. Multiple smaller drives may be better than one big one however, just in case one dies you don't lose everything.


----------



## Bogey62 (Dec 1, 2002)

ChuckA said:


> Right. Single LUN devices that have their own power supply. They can be up to 1.5 tb these days. Multiple smaller drives may be better than one big one however, just in case one dies you don't lose everything.


Cool, thanks.


----------



## Bogey62 (Dec 1, 2002)

Ron Barry said:


> Your EHD needs to have a USB interface and it needs to have external power cord. As far as disk limitations.. There is a active thread on that.
> 
> http://www.dbstalk.com/showthread.php?t=164519
> 
> I would suggest going as simple as possible and avoid drives that have special features.


Thanks, Ron, I'll check that out.


----------



## TulsaOK (Feb 24, 2004)

Western Digital My Book Essential drives seem to have the best compatibility with the ViP receivers.


----------



## Ron Barry (Dec 10, 2002)

I have two My Book Essentials and have had good luck with them.


----------



## Bogey62 (Dec 1, 2002)

Kent Taylor said:


> Western Digital My Book Essential drives seem to have the best compatibility with the ViP receivers.


Yep, I just found a 1 TB for $109. I'm grabbing it...

On second thought... after reading the negative reviews concerning the lifespan of these drives, I'm not so sure now.

I am a WD fan, I use their drives in all my system builds, but I buy the drives that have 3-5 year warranties. The My Book drives seem to only have 1 year.

Is there any technical reason why I can't buy an external USB hard drive enclosure and put a quality WD 1 TB hard drive inside?


----------



## ChuckA (Feb 7, 2006)

Lots of people do it that way.


----------



## Wolfpanther (Apr 29, 2008)

If you want to activate an external hard drive and have a unit on order, you have to go through Tech Support to activate the external hard drive. I scheduled an upgrade to a 722k and then bought an EHD and tried to activate it. It was a nightmare. They kept telling me I couldn't activate it until the current work order was completed. Finally wound up with Tech Support and they activated it, although it took them a couple of tries. It kept saying it was activated and it wasn't.


----------

