DVR Recordings Gone
jctTexas
Newbie

My DVR was frozen so I had to unplug it and then plug it back in.  When the DVR came back all the recordings were gone.  What happened and how can I get the recordings back?

0 Likes
Re: DVR Recordings Gone
prisaz
Legend

If the DVR hard drive is going bad, or having issues, the box may have reset itself. I would contact Verizon directly for troubleshooting this issue. This is a peer to peer community. I would say if they are gone they are gone. Just like when a computer hard drive starts having issues. I would not suspect Verizon to reset the box and wipe your recordings, that is usually a last ditch effort to restore service. Contact tech support. 

http://www22.verizon.com/content/contactus/

0 Likes
Re: DVR Recordings Gone
jctTexas
Newbie

I will check your link out.  The recordings on my attached hard drive are still there, it is just the recordings that were on the DVR that are gone.

0 Likes
Re: DVR Recordings Gone
prisaz
Legend

@jctTexas wrote:

I will check your link out.  The recordings on my attached hard drive are still there, it is just the recordings that were on the DVR that are gone.



Now that is odd. I have been told that when an external drive is attached it retains the DVR recordings and only formats the external drive. Unless the internal drive has come up with issues. I know once the external drive is added, allnew recordings go to that drive. But the existing recordings should still be available. Like I said this is a good one for contacting tech support.

0 Likes
Re: DVR Recordings Gone
jctTexas
Newbie

I've sent Tech Support an email.

When I added the WD HD a month ago the DVR was about 80% full.  The DVR recordings were not deleted.  All new recordings since then have been recorded on the HD.  I'll repost what tech support comes up with...

0 Likes
Re: DVR Recordings Gone
prisaz
Legend

You should be able to access the recordings on the internal and external drives. I have not had mush luck with Email to tech support. I always had some canned answer. I would try live chat if available, next I would call and wait on hold.

0 Likes
Re: DVR Recordings Gone
battleshorts
Newbie

About 3 weeks ago - I installed a 1TB external drive. All was working well. There was about 45% used on  the Internal drive. Then over New Years - I recorded all the original Twilight Zone episodes that were broadcast! They were all recorded on the external drive. It shows that ther is 35% used on the External drive. 94 Twilight Zone episodes!!

Then yesterday - click, blink. click, reboot. All the shows and programs recorded on the Internal drive disappeared. The listing still appears as if the material is available. However, there is 0% now recorded on the Internal drive. When I try to play one of the shows on the Internal drive - I get an Error message that the "program is not viewable, try again later". There is no later at all.

All of my shows on the External drive are intact and viewable. However - the Techs want to swap out the STB/DVR and I know from other postings that the External drive will become unusable until formatted with the new STB/DVR. Is there some way to siphon off the material to a different hard drive - that isn't encrypted?

Even if I get another STB - there's nothing to say that 4 months later it will crap out also. This doesn't seem to be much of a user-friendly technology standard, does it?

0 Likes
Re: DVR Recordings Gone
jctTexas
Newbie

To battleshorts:  You are so correct!

The tech support people told me my DVR internal hard drive must have gone bad (7232 P2).  They sent me a new DVR and sure enough, just as you posted, when I connected my HD to the new DVR I lost everything on the HD.

End result:  Lost all the recordings on the DVR.  Lost all the recordings on the HD.  I am not a very happy camper!

I am wondering if there is a design problem with the 7232 P2.  Which DVR do you have?

0 Likes
Re: DVR Recordings Gone
battleshorts
Newbie

Howdy jctTexas --


Welcome to my world - I have the 7216. It isn't a design problem -- it is the way it was designed. From the manufacturer's viewpoint - it is a selling feature! Your STB/DVR has a unique encryption key - embedded in its hardware. Your external harddrive has its recordings encrypted with your hardware key. So, when your hardware goes away and is replaced with another unit -- the keys don't match and suddenly - your once-viewable programs are no longer viewable. Of course all your setups and series recording information is lost also. You have to start from scratch. Your "new" refurbished DVR may just as well fail 6 months from now - you will be starting over again and again. What do you think happens to your old DVR and my old DVR? It gets "tested", maybe the internal harddrive gets replaced, it is cleaned up, put in a shipping box and awaits its next turn in someone's home system. And thus the cycle of life continues...

<rant>

Hey Verizon & Motorola et al. -- how about tying the DVR recording encryption to the customers account number or something customer unique. Having hardware encryption embedded in a box that will eventually fail and disappear is really & stupendously dumb. Maneuvering to out-fox that < 1% of customers that want to rip you off makes life "uncomfortable" for the rest of your customer base. No wonder people don't trust technology! Technology and the untrustable systems that are designed to be used by the common person - are just that - untrustworthy. This stuff fails and it usually doesn't Fail Safe - it just stops working and we are left with piles of junk...

</rant>

'nuf said - battleshorts

0 Likes
Re: DVR Recordings Gone
Freeway174
Newbie

Since Verizon changed the channel guide all my recorded shows are gone. The DVR says that its 47% full but no recorded programs are available. What happened to my shows?

0 Likes