Sky+ and Power Cut

[Harrison]

Does anyone else with a Sky+ or SkyHD box ever have trouble getting their box to work again after a power cut?

We had a power cut last night and since then the Sky+ box won't switch on. When I plug it in the red standby light comes on but I can't switch the box on and it doesn't respond to the remote control or buttons on the actual box.

Reading through a few forums I've collected a number of suggested methods to try and force it to start up again.

A, Power Reset

The first method is to try a power reset (I think everyone tries this first).

1. Make sure the box is in standby(red power light)
2. Wait 1 minute.
3. Turn the box off at the mains and wait 1 minute.
4. Turn the box back on. The power light turns red.
5. Wait 30 secs, then press the power button
6. The box comes out of standby and the power light turns green.

B, Forced Software Update

The next is to try a forced software update. To do this:

1. Switch off the unit.
2. Hold the "Back Up" button on the Box down, Then at the same time, Plug the power cable in - But don't release the "Back Up" button.
3. After a short time you should get a message on the TV a screen saying that it is upgrading/updating.
4. After waiting for a short while (10 min) the box should then be updated and if this has worked it you can switch it on and it will be working again.

C, Force Switch on via remote recording

Another method suggested by some for a sky + box stuck in standby mode is to try and make the box remote record.

This will only work if you have already registered your sky + box to allow you to remote record. Otherwise you will just have to wait until a scheduled recording starts that is already in your planner.

1. Sign into the Sky website and go to the TV Guide and then TV Listing section.
2. Select a TV program (any one on any channel you subscribe to and preferably one that is going to start in about 15 mins time) and click on the link to remote record the program.
3. Go back and wait by your sky+ box and you should see the red recording light come on, even though the box is still in standby.
4. When the box is recording, press sky on your remote control and the power on button and the box should come back on.

D, Reinitialize the Sky Plus box

The most drastic one and the last resort is to force a HD reinitialization.

This will format the HD and reinstall the software using a similar forced software update.

1. Unplug box from the mains.
2. Press and hold the two buttons either side of the select button, then plug back in while holding the two buttons in
3. Wait until the lights on the front of the box begin to spin backwards, then press the select button on the box
4. The record light will come on. The box will then perform the reset, and will go back into standby when finished. This procedure will wipe off all recordings.

E, Rebuild the Planner

Another useful tip if the Sky+ box is having issues but you can access it is to rebuilt the planner. TO do this:

1. On your Sky+ remote press: Services -> 4 0 1 Select and then select "Planner Rebuild" from the hidden "Installers Menu".
2. After a planner rebuild your box will turn off automatically. Wait a few minutes, before turning on and you are all done!

[Harrison]

I've so far tried A and B with no luck. I'm going to now try a remote recording to see if that tricks it into starting up. Failing that It will have to be D and lose all of my current recordings. Bit annoying as I have some films on there I wanted to watch, plus last nights Battlestar Galactica episode Although that is repeated tonight so I can still catch it if I can get the box working again so I can set it to be recorded!

[Zetr0]

@H

From what i have read, would it not be better to try method E and then D ?

[Harrison]

It would but my Sky box is stuck in standby mode so I can't switch it on to access the service menu. Therefore the only options I have are the ones that you can force the box to do by holding down combinations of buttons on the front of the box as you power it on from the mains.

Very annoying.

I must say though that until now this Sky+ box has been pretty reliable. Until now it has only locked up once and required a power down to reset it and everything has reported perfectly on there. But as with any harddrive based technology, if the HD is currently being accessed with you get a power cut there is always the danger of corrupted data or a damaged disk.

[Harrison]

Sadly after attempting all the other things I had to go with D and force a reset of the box. I've lost all of my recordings but the box is working again, which is the main thing.

[Bloodwych]

Sky+ boxes can be funny at times - they are by no means bug free, even though your issue was a powercut (still shouldn't cause a deadlock if it had been designed better).

I've had to rebuild the planner twice in the past, when we lost half of the drives capacity or a program wouldn't play correctly. Then it started to have issues on Movie premiers, skipping and stuttering both on normal watching and recording, but not other movie channels???? Very strange. Throw in the occasional lockup and failed recording and you have Sky+. Still the best paid service however compared to others.

Anyway, you didn't miss Battlestar - it wasn't on as Sci-Fi asked Sky to miss one week as we'd managed to creep ahead of the Americans! Last week we had the world premier of a Battlestar episode, which caused a few angry faces across the pond.