Can't copy rc.sysinit

[captain_video]

I was mucking about with my DSR6000 DTivo by attempting to add my locals. I installed the main.dat, mvchannels.tcl, and edited channels.dat files to the /var/hack directory and did the chmod +x mvchannels.tcl thing. My locals showed up in the 900's but they all said "To be announced." I uploaded a revised channels.dat file to place the locals in the 0-99 range but then I got multiple channels with the same numbers. I since found out that I needed to set the spending limit to get them to show up but that's not really the issue here.

I also had edited the rc.sysinit file to get the mvchannels.tcl program to loop upon reboot, but not until I backed up the rc.sysinit file. I got tired of seeing the "To be announced" in the program guide so I decided to delete the program files. Unfortunately I neglected to edit out the line I had added in the rc.sysinit file prior to rebooting the DTivo. I ftp'ed into the DTivo and deleted the channels.dat and then tried to delete the mvchannels.tcl file. The DTivo apparently did not like this move and promptly locked up. I unplugged the DTivo, waited for about 10 seconds then plugged it back in. The screen never got past the Welcome - Powering Up screen so I shut it back down.

I removed the drives (a Maxtor 40GB "A" drive and a WD 120GB "B" drive) and placed them in my PC. I made directories 4, 7 and 9 and then mounted them. I navigated to the /4/etc/rc.d directory and copied my rc.sysinit.bak file back to rc.sysinit. I also did a chmod +x and a chattr +i to the rc.sysinit file. When I reinstalled the drives in the Tivo and powered up I got the Green Screen of death. I unplugged the Tivo, even though it said not too (am I bad?) and let it sit until I got home for lunch. I reinstalled the drives in my PC and attempted to copy the rc.sysinit.bak file again I got an error message indicating the request was denied and that I did not have permission to cp the rc.sysinit file. I tried several different commands (e.g. cp, mv) but I kept getting denied permission to do anything to the file.

After doing a search about the green screen, I decided to leave the unit plugged in to see if it would fix itself. Unfortunately, the DTivo seems to be stuck in a rebooting loop and will most likely have to be re-Xtremed. I saved an image of the drive just prior to expanding it with the 2nd drive so I'm hoping I can copy the image back to the drive and rerun DTivoMad to get it up and running again. My main concern is whether or not my recorded programs will survive this ordeal. None of these shows were on the drive when I expanded to two drives so the necessary space for the larger swap file should still be intact. Does anyone know if the existing programs will show up in the Now Showing list after I reinstall the image and run DTivoMad or am I totally screwed?:confused:

[onyx00]

Your programs are going to get wipped. It sucks but deal. It's only TV shows Go grab a beer after, you will feel better. :)

[captain_video]

It looks like this is going to have a happy ending after all. I double-checked my connections inside the DTivo and found that one of the IDE connections became dislodged slightly while I was trying to reposition the drive bracket. I reseated the connector and powered it back up. I still got the green screen of death but I decided to leave it and see what happened. I just got home from work and noticed that the green LED on the DTivo had gone out, indicating that the unit had apparently cleared out the fault and went into standby. I turned it back on and everything came up OK. I had gone back and re-edited the channels.dat file to place my locals in the 0-99 range and commented out the other locals I had previously activated. I am now getting all selected locals in the 0-99 range, albeit multiple listings for the same channels but with updated channel guides. I am able to tune them all in and access the programming. The DTivo does not seem confused by the multiple listings at all.

Now I'm beginning to wonder if I can actually access all locals on the satellites. I initially selected the Baltimore and DC locals as well as the Miami, NY and LA feeds and I'm getting them all.

There is one strange anomaly that I have observed. I also selected MPT (Maryland Public Television) on channel 22. If I scroll up and down in the program guide, the listings end with channel 22 and shows a blank screen beyond it. If I manually select the next channel in the sequence (either 21 or 23 depending on which way I'm scrolling), the guide returns and shows all channels on the opposite side of channel 22 with the preceding side now blank. It's odd because MPT is a standalone listing in the channels.dat file and is not included with either the Baltimore or DC locals.

I checked the rc.sysinit file and the line I had entered for activating and looping the locals is now gone. I am assuming that I was actually able to copy the previously saved rc.sysinit from the backup file after all but was presented with the error message after it had been copied. Welcome to the wonderful world of Linux and DirecTivos!

[BubbleLamp]

Originally posted by captain_video
I am able to tune them all in and access the programming. The DTivo does not seem confused by the multiple listings at all.

Now I'm beginning to wonder if I can actually access all locals on the satellites. I initially selected the Baltimore and DC locals as well as the Miami, NY and LA feeds and I'm getting them all.

There is one strange anomaly that I have observed. I also selected MPT (Maryland Public Television) on channel 22. If I scroll up and down in the program guide, the listings end with channel 22 and shows a blank screen beyond it. If I manually select the next channel in the sequence (either 21 or 23 depending on which way I'm scrolling), the guide returns and shows all channels on the opposite side of channel 22 with the preceding side now blank. It's odd because MPT is a standalone listing in the channels.dat file and is not included with either the Baltimore or DC locals.


The problems you mention here are due to the duplicate channel numbers. You have to adjust channels.dat so each channel has its own number or the problem will not go away.

[captain_video]

I edited the channels.dat file again to place the channels back in the 900's. I did a reload of mvchannels.tcl and uploaded the new channels.dat file to the /var/hack directory. I rebooted the DTivo to get a fresh start and then manually started the mvchannels.tcl program in looping mode. My locals are now showing up in the 900's but I'm also getting the same channels in the 0-99 range. I'm hoping that if I leave it alone they will eventually drop off. I also set the spending limit to $26.00 for the Baltimore locals and now I'm getting the guide info on all of my selected locals. I'm thinking of adding several more locals to the mix so I can cover all time zones in case I miss a show locally. I still get a couple of channels in the 900's that conflict but a simple re-edit of channels.dat should fix it.

I think I figured out why I couldn't copy my rc.sysinit file. I did a chattr +i on the file and I think that's what set it so that any attempt to do anything to the file would be disallowed. I read somewhere to do it so I did. It really does pay to know what commands you're issuing and what they do before you actually do it.

[superzap]

Anytime you make changes to channels.dat it's a good idea to first run mvchannels reset using the main.dat that came with v135 and do a reboot. This should set everything back to normal so that only the local channels in channels.dat would be shown.