Need Repair Person

[Sammy]

Hello,

Can someone refer me to a "reputable" person who can repair my T60.
(Additional 120mb) (version 2.51) Preferably in California.

It is stuck on the GREEN SCREEN OF DEATH for three days now and I do not have the time, patience or resources to repair/reinstall it.
The person who did the original work is unavailable.


Thank you in advance.

[fixn278]

A green screen is usually drive-related. Check the drive in a PC with the manufacturer tools. If it's bad, get a new one and extreme it. If it's not bad, re-extreme the original drive.

[captain_video]

The person who did the original work is unavailable.

This is exactly why you should learn to hack a DTivo yourself and not rely on others to hack it for you. Now you're stuck with a broken unit and don't know how to fix it and the guy that hacked it is unavailable. Don't take this as a personal assault but just as an example of what can happen when you don't do it yourself. You'd be amazed at how many PM's I get asking me to hack DTivos for other people. I don't do it simply because it's not that hard once you understand how and secondly because I don't want people bitching at me when their DTivo stops working.

The green screen usually indicates that there's a problem with the filesystem or the software on the DTivo. It usually sorts itself out and corrects the problem on its own. In your case, it doesn't appear that this is goiong to happen. As fixn278 suggested, check the drives with the manufacturer's diagnostic tool (usually available for download from their website) to see if the drive itself is defective. If it's a bad drive it may still be under warranty so give them a call and arrange to have a new one sent out.

You'll have to install a backup image of the DTivo OS to get it running again or you can install 2.5Xtreme and one of the upgrades to ensure your locals will return, as applicable. This is not at all difficult to do but it will require some time and effort on your part to get up to speed.

If you don't want to deal with it on your own I'd suggest getting a new DTivo since that's about the only other option you have.

[BubbleLamp]

Cap, while it's admirable of you to try and get everyone to do their own mods, the reality is some folks won't/can't/don't care to do so. Based on a LOT of posts here, it is very clear some of these people are in way over their heads. For them, pointing them towards a reputable repair place would be more helpful than just repeating the "you can do it" mantra.

My 0.02 cents.:eek:

[AlphaWolf]

Originally posted by BubbleLamp
Cap, while it's admirable of you to try and get everyone to do their own mods, the reality is some folks won't/can't/don't care to do so. Based on a LOT of posts here, it is very clear some of these people are in way over their heads. For them, pointing them towards a reputable repair place would be more helpful than just repeating the "you can do it" mantra.

My 0.02 cents.:eek:

Can't fight it, may as well ride it, and earn an extra two cents :D

/me shrugs

Why not?

[David Bought]

Originally posted by fixn278
A green screen is usually drive-related. Check the drive in a PC with the manufacturer tools. If it's bad, get a new one and extreme it. If it's not bad, re-extreme the original drive.

A persistent green screen may also be caused by insufficient swap space, especially on an upgraded drive. If a "professional" upgrader made this mistake the OP should ask for a complete refund and then deck him for the trouble.

The "big drive" sticky in the tivo underground on Adolf Bottler's board has a post or two outlining the exact swap requirements.

[captain_video]

Based on a LOT of posts here, it is very clear some of these people are in way over their heads.

Ain't that the truth. There are some people attempting hacks that have absolutely no business cracking the case on a Tivo. These are the people that should just buy a stock DTivo and leave it the heck alone. I'm just trying to let them know that while it may be convenient to have someone do the hacks for you it puts you in a bad position when the sucker breaks. You end up paying through the nose to get something fixed that is usually not that difficult to do yourself.

Perhaps I do live in a fantasy world but I believe that anyone participating in a hacking forum should be willing to take it upon themselves to learn the tools of the trade. This is, after all, supposed to be a DIY forum and not a forum for the lazy or incompetent looking for someone to hold their hand, which, unfortunately, tends to be the rule more than the exception (not meant as a slur to the original poster, just a passing observation based on many months of participating here).

The problem is newbies come here wanting a quick fix but are unwilling to put forth the time and effort required to learn how to hack their own Tivos. I'm no computer whiz and I don't know squat about Linux other than the few commands I've picked up here, yet I've been able to learn the ropes and can now successfully hack a Tivo with the best of them, short of actually developing any hacks of my own design. I figure if I can do it then they can too.

End of rant. Flame away.

On the flip side, I'm constantly getting PMs asking for personal help from people that have problems hacking their DTivos. I could be a hard ass and tell them to f**k off but instead I usually help them and provide whatever guidance I can. I amaze myself at how much patience and restraint I have with some of the PMs I get but I usually try to help directly or advise them to post in the forum if I don't know the answer.

[captain_video]

A persistent green screen may also be caused by insufficient swap space, especially on an upgraded drive.

Excellent point and one that I completely let slip by me. There's an excellent discussion on swap file size and it's affect on a Tivo over at the Tivo Community Forum (I forget which forum it's in but it's one of the stickys at the top of the forum). If the total capacity of the Tivo is >140GB and the swap file was not increased to 128kb then the green screen will never go away. The swap file needs to be large enough for the Tivo to correct the problem with the filesystem and has to be of the correct size based on the total capacity of the Tivo. If you added a 120GB drive to the original 40GB drive then your swap file needed to be increased in size. Otherwise, perpetual GSOD. You may be able to increase the swap file size after the fact so that your GSOD problem will be cured but I think it will involve transplanting the hard drives to your PC and using a Linux boot CD to access the filesystem. Check out the TCF for instructions on fixing your swap file unless someone here has the Linux commands at their fingertips.

[Sammy]

Thank you all for your posts and advice. :)

I am still looking for someone who wants to make some easy cash and fix this thing for me.


And BubbleLamp is correct, I would prefer it if someone would point me in the right direction...I am fully aware that I should learn this myself, but with a family, two small children, a business to run, etc....I just don't have the patience like I used to any more, not to mention that I am a MAC user and do not have access to a PC.

I would prefer to pay someone and be done with it.


I am still hoping that someone here will be interested.

[AlphaWolf]

By the time I drove to california, I would spend any money I earned on gas.

David Bought: I see you found my friend mr. BeanBagger :D Go look up my other friend on AVS: Dirty Sanchez

[GREEK]

PM me and well discuss this further if you wish