Defective Hard Drive
In our experience, the most likely problem is a dead hard drive. While there are other problems that cause the symptoms described above, the hard drive is still the most likely culprit. If you have not had a thunderstorm, electrical storm, power surge or other event that immediately preceded the problem, then this increases the chance that the problem is hard-drive related. If you have a standalone TiVo (Philips HDR112, HDR312, HDR612, Sony SVR2000), then the chances are very good that the problem is hard-drive related.

Some TiVo units can perform some tests on hard drives themselves. See our TiVo kickstart page for more info.

Suggested Solutions:

• TiVo Flat-Fee Repair Service. Once price and we fix any problem with just about any TiVo model.
  
• A Weaknees.com REPLACE kit for your TiVo will completely replace your hard drive(s). If the problem was drive-related, then the REPLACE kit will solve it. If the problem was not drive-related, then you can return the drive kit for a refund (less a 15% restocking fee for returns received in original packaging and in working order).
  
• Testing for a bad drive: If you are willing and able to open your TiVo, there are several ways to test for a bad drive. For more assistance, see this TiVo Drive Testing Help.

Defective Power Supply
If you recently had a severe electrical storm, thunderstorm or other power surge, then your TiVo problem could be a blown power supply.

Generally, a complete lack of video out on power-up is a symptom of a bad power supply. Sometimes, fans will spin, but usually hard drives wont power up.

There is a known problem with some TCD140060 and TCD130040 TiVo DVRs as they get older. If you have this problem, when you plug in your unit, all of the front lights will be on, but you will see nothing on the TV--you will instead see a black screen, blue screen, or no video at all. The solution to this problem is to replace the power supply. See our power supply page for a replacement part.

Suggested Solutions:

• Replace power supply. Weaknees.com has power supplies for most TiVo DVRs here. We can diagnose the problem and replace your power supply. Email us for details; power supply installation services are available.
  
• TiVo Flat-Fee Repair Service. Once price and we fix any problem with just about any TiVo model.
  

Bad/Defective Cable
In some cases, the problems described above can be attributed to a defective internal cable or a bad cable connection. There are three possibilities: (1) A bad drive power cable; (2) a bad IDE cable; (3) a bad power-motherboard connection (DirecTV/TiVo units only).

Suggested Solutions:
• If you have a DirecTV/TiVo unit (Hughes GXCEBOT; Philips DSR6000; Sony SAT T60), and if you are willing to open your unit, then the first thing to try is the cable connecting the power supply to the motherboard. Over time, the connection to the motherboard can become loose, which will cause the problems described. This cable is located underneath the hard drive bay. If you have questions, please email us or see our TiVo Upgrade Installation instructions, which describe how to open the TiVo and remove the hard drive bay.

• If you are willing to open your TiVo unit, you can also replace the gray IDE cable with another cable. Any 80-wire, 40-pin cable will do. Do not purchase a cable with a blocked 40th pin. Also note that many 18" cables will not fit in two-drive TiVos.

• There is a cable in Series 1 DirecTiVos that can become oxidized and can lose its connection. Removing, gently wiping, and reinserting this cable carefully can often fix problems. The cable is marked "Parlex" and runs from the motherboard to the power supply - Hughes GXCEBOT, Sony SAT T-60, and DSR6000 only. For situations where cleaning the cable fixes problems only temporarily, or the cable is permanently damaged, we now sell new cables in our Parts Bin.

Motherboard Problem
In some models (Hughes GXCEBOT, Sony SAT T-60, and DSR6000), units that hang on the screen "Almost There, A Few More Seconds . . ." often have a blown modem. This is usually the result of a surge on the telephone line, often due to thunderstorms. (We recommend wireless modem jacks to prevent this situation in the first place.)

In some situations, being stuck on powering up can indicate a motherboard problem. While this is the least likely cause of this problem, it is still a possibility.