# UPC box reset itself and deleted all recordings!



## sadie (28 Jul 2011)

Earlier this evening, our UPC box suddenly went off, then came back on again but showed the Set up screen, Ireland, then asked for the Activation code. All looked okay then but when we checked the DVR, all our recordings had been deleted!!
Is there anyway to retrieve these? It's a right pain. My kids had some very 'important' stuff on it. Not to mention my own stuff. 
I thought these Digital+ boxes were like mini-computers and stored stuff on a hard drive? Is that not the case?
So like any time there would be a power cut or the like, all your recordings are just wiped it would seem...


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## sadie (29 Jul 2011)

Rang UPC this morning to complain about all my recordings deleting themselves out, but have been told their 'system is down' so they can't do anything with my account at the moment, so can I call back in an hour. 
I asked could they call me back when the system is up, but they said they are an 'incoming call only callcentre'...


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## sadie (29 Jul 2011)

Well, looks like the UPC digital+ box for a variety of reasons, including a power outage will sometimes go into 'safe mode' and reset itself, as happened to us. UPC say it is 'rare' that all the recordings are lost (including protected ones), but it does happen and No there is no way to retrieve them. 
So bear that in mind. If there is something you really really want to watch record it onto a DVD recorder.


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## SparkRite (29 Jul 2011)

sadie said:


> Well, looks like the UPC digital+ box for a variety of reasons, including a power outage will sometimes go into 'safe mode' and reset itself, as happened to us. UPC say it is 'rare' that all the recordings are lost (including protected ones), but it does happen and No there is no way to retrieve them.
> So bear that in mind. If there is something you really really want to watch record it onto a DVD recorder.



A lesson learnt, I have heard of this happening to quite a few people in the past.


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## sadie (6 Jan 2012)

Well, it just happened again this evening around 8.40pm. For no reason, UPC box goes blank, then the initialisation screen appears and you have to enter Activation code and ALL my DVR recordings are gone. Not so 'rare' an occurrence as UPC would have me believe.


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## markpb (7 Jan 2012)

sadie said:


> Well, it just happened again this evening around 8.40pm. For no reason, UPC box goes blank, then the initialisation screen appears and you have to enter Activation code and ALL my DVR recordings are gone. Not so 'rare' an occurrence as UPC would have me believe.



Is it the same box that you had the initial problem with? Did anything else happen at the same time, lights flickering or any fuses tripped?


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## huskerdu (7 Jan 2012)

sadie said:


> Well, it just happened again this evening around 8.40pm. For no reason, UPC box goes blank, then the initialisation screen appears and you have to enter Activation code and ALL my DVR recordings are gone. Not so 'rare' an occurrence as UPC would have me believe.



It probably is a rare occurance, but you have a dodgy box. 

You need to demand a new box from them.


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## Mommah (7 Jan 2012)

My UPC box is acting up also.
Not recording as programmed...well it says it has recorded "Mamma Mia" for example and then to my daughters consternation there is just a blank screen...


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## Sue Ellen (7 Jan 2012)

Mommah said:


> My UPC box is acting up also.
> Not recording as programmed...well it says it has recorded "Mamma Mia" for example and then to my daughters consternation there is just a blank screen...



She's not the only one. 

I find if I turn it on and off a few times and generally just play around with it, it eventually appears on screen.  I wouldn't mind but they're new episodes (which are rare these days) of Homes under the Hammer


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## AlbacoreA (8 Jan 2012)

huskerdu said:


> It probably is a rare occurance, but you have a dodgy box.
> 
> You need to demand a new box from them.



I dunno I heard a lot of people I know complaining about the same thing. Seems very unreliable.


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## sadie (8 Jan 2012)

UPC told me yesterday when I complained, that because I never actually switch off the power supply to the UPC box, that 'upgrades build up' and the box will then reset itself to receive the upgrades. 
I'm not sure how true this is - is this not UPC just doing upgrades and they have set some sort of timer to automatically upgrade the box if the upgrade hasn't been done? 
They said I needed to switch off the power to the box every couple of weeks to stop this happening (the box resetting and deleting everything). But it doesn't say this anywhere on the documentation. Just switching it to standby isn't enough apparently. 

Again - with UPC, the customer is always wrong...


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## huskerdu (9 Jan 2012)

sadie said:


> UPC told me yesterday when I complained, that because I never actually switch off the power supply to the UPC box, that 'upgrades build up' and the box will then reset itself to receive the upgrades.
> I'm not sure how true this is - is this not UPC just doing upgrades and they have set some sort of timer to automatically upgrade the box if the upgrade hasn't been done?
> They said I needed to switch off the power to the box every couple of weeks to stop this happening (the box resetting and deleting everything). But it doesn't say this anywhere on the documentation. Just switching it to standby isn't enough apparently.
> 
> Again - with UPC, the customer is always wrong...



That is rubbish. 

Resetting a STB does not delete the recordings. 
It is a pretty serious fault with the box that the recordings have been deleted. 

As you said in your original Post, the recordings are held on a hard drive just like the one on your computer. Multiple power on and off and resets in normal operation do not delete the recordings. 

You have a faulty box. I wish I could help you convince UPC of that, but I am not magic


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## csirl (9 Jan 2012)

I switched on my box this morning and it asked for the code and said it is initializing. I put in the code and the initialization failed - could not detect channels.

Will it right itself (I assume this is due to the cable being 'down' or something on their end)? Or do I face the prospect of losing all recordings?


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## csirl (10 Jan 2012)

csirl said:


> I switched on my box this morning and it asked for the code and said it is initializing. I put in the code and the initialization failed - could not detect channels.
> 
> Will it right itself (I assume this is due to the cable being 'down' or something on their end)? Or do I face the prospect of losing all recordings?


 
Tried it again last night. The box did a full initialization, but thankfully all the recordings were still there.


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## Sue Ellen (10 Jan 2012)

Our box told me last night that there was a problem with the hard drive, I  could not view any recordings and to contact provider.  Tried it a few times and same message.  Ours was already replaced a few months back because of problems then.

Worked perfectly this morning


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## huskerdu (17 Jan 2012)

I eat my words about it being a rare occurance - It just happened to me. 

Last night, the DVR went dead and when we reset it, the recordings were all gone, but it was claiming that there was 0% free. We couldn't record anything.

I rang UPC today and they reset the box remotely and luckily the recordings are available again. The UPC guy on the phone sounded amazed that they were back. 

Obviously the HDD itself was not corrupted but there was a problem with the access system. 

I dont believe in hassling poorly paid call centre staff when they are only implementing company policy but I did say that I knew that lots of people had the same problem and I threw in a few technical industry phrases so he knew he couldn't fob me off. 

He admitted that it is happening to customers and often the recordings do not come back after reset and they have a policy of not replacing boxes if it has only happened once. 

However, it has happened twice in 6 months to the OP. If that happened me, I would
be demanding a new STB from UPC and not giving in until I got one.


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## AlbacoreA (17 Jan 2012)

It probably happens on Sky boxes too, but perhaps not as often as you don't see people complaining about it as much as you do UPC.


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## ang1170 (17 Jan 2012)

sadie said:


> Well, it just happened again this evening around 8.40pm. For no reason, UPC box goes blank, then the initialisation screen appears and you have to enter Activation code and ALL my DVR recordings are gone. Not so 'rare' an occurrence as UPC would have me believe.


 
This happened to me, too.

Have you tried disconnecting it completely from the power for a few minutes, and then plugging it in again?

This worked for me. 

Before anyone mentions it, I'm well aware it "shouldn't" have lost recordings on a hard disk, and equally removing it from the power and then re-plugging it in "shouldn't" restore them, but that's what happened.

From what I've observed, these are flakey devices to say the least: I also have problems wuth the HDMI connection to the TV.


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## huskerdu (26 Jan 2012)

an update from my situation.

One week after the DVR went bust and was revived by a remote reset by UPC, the same thing happened again but the remote reset did not work.  I predicted that it would happen again. 

UPC replaced the box, immediately and without question. 

I would urge anyone that this happens to, not to allow UPC to fob you off. 
The poorly paid call centre staff are working from a script and are probably trying to convince you that your STB is fine. Its not. It needs to be replaced.


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## Sue Ellen (26 Jan 2012)

huskerdu said:


> It needs to be replaced.



Ours was and its still acting up.  If I have to look at that black screen much longer I'll put my boot through it and then himself will get upset


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