TiVo is stuck on "Welcome, Powering Up"

TiVo SYMPTOMS

Your TiVo: Symptoms you may be experiencing

This is probably the easiest symptom to describe. When you plug in your TiVo, you see a screen that says, "Welcome, Powering Up" (or, on older TiVos, "Your Recorder is Starting Up. Please Wait.") and it never changes or disappears. This problem can occur on any TiVo and appears when you first plug the unit in. (Note that in some TiVo models, this screen will not appear if you are connecting from the TiVo to the TV using coaxial cables.)

Fix my TiVo! - Solutions

In the vast majority of cases, a TiVo that is stuck on powering up needs a new hard drive. There is no easy way to verify that this is the problem (other than testing your drive, see the "Expert" section below), but given how likely it is that you have a bad drive, we recommend that you try a replacement hard drive first. In the unlikely even that it is not a hard drive, you have some other options, see below.

1) Replace your TiVo Hard Drive

We recommend that you purchase a preprogrammed, ready-to-install hard drive for your specific TiVo model. To do this, you will first need to find your TiVo model on the back of your TiVo, or see this page, which will tell you what model TiVo you have based on the first three digits of your TiVo's 15-digit TiVo Service Number.

Once you have your TiVo model, you can visit weaKnees, which has preprogrammed hard drives for every TiVo model.

We recommend weaKnees for several reasons: (1) Their customer support is exemplary (offering toll-free phone support, live chat and email support); (2) they will allow returns within 30 days (subject to a restocking fee), in case a drive doesn't solve your problem; and (3) they offer free shipping.

You might also consider Hinsdale's TiVo hard drive kits, although that website is more difficult to navigate.

2) If a replacement drive does not solve your problem, or if you want to send your TiVo in for repair, you might consider the TiVo flat-fee repair service that weaKnees offers. The service covers all standalone standard definition TiVos, and if your model isn't listed, they can usually give you a quote for repairs of other TiVo models.

More Information about this problem

If you want to test your hard drive to see whether it is bad, you will want to download the testing software for your TiVo hard drive's manufacturer. For hard drive testing instructions, see this page.

There are other resources online that have instructions on how to program a new TiVo hard drive, including the TiVo Upgrade Instructions site and the Hinsdale TiVo Upgrade How-To website. Unfortunately, if your TiVo's hard drive is bad, then you will be unable to use these resources because you likely won't be able to extract the TiVo software from your old hard drive.

Why/when/how the "Powering up" screen can appear: Even if you have no drive in your TiVo, you will see this screen (assuming you are connecting with a cable other than coax). After the motherboard does its internal checks and leaves time for the hard drive to spin it, it begins to boot the Linux OS on the hard drive. If the drive is bad, the TiVo may not proceed to the next screen ("Almost There, a Few More Minutes"). In rarer cases, if there is a motherboard short or possibly a bad power supply, you might also experience these symptoms, but if you want to fix your TiVo on your own, we recommend starting with the hard drive.

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