Continual and worsening 722 guide and schedule problems

[quarlo]

Ever since the last software update I am having nearly constant "No Info Available" in the Dish program guide and/or freezes that require a POR. For the last three days I have had: to POR, Check Switch Test to reload the guide info followed by POR, Check Switch Test (CST) to reload the schedule info. All procedures are "successful" as far as it goes, but yesterday's reload caused a few dozen "No Info Available" recordings to show as queued recordings.

As you know, these run for hours and hours once started and, even though the shows underneath them were valid Dish Passes that I have had scheduled for years and I did a POR after the CST in the one case, I had to manually delete each one in order to get rid of those entries in order to restore sanity to my schedule. Of course, I then had to manually *add* all of the Dish Passes back in in order not to miss those shows.

Today, after the CST, I am once again faced with a guide that looks like it is valid for the week, but my Dish Pass shows are all marked "No Info Available" in the Schedule display with half-hour shows set to record for up to *four* hours!

Anyone ever hear of weirdness like this? I am guessing I am going to have to call Dish Tech Support, but thought I'd ask the experts first.

ViP722 @ L676
All sats show green and good in sys info
CST screen all green prior to executing the test
All tests, diags and PORs complete normally and successfully
40-80 mile clear line of sight from ESE to NNW

I'm stumped, POed and frustrated - not necessarily in that order! Thanks!!

 

[TheKrell]

The worst I have seen on my 722 since the update is a 2-day guide on sat and no guide on OTA channels. I fixed this with a Check Switch, since right-arrowing on the guide accomplished nothing.

The lack of OTA guide has caused some recordings to be missed. (I don't use Dish Pass.) Agree this is frustrating.

 

[quarlo]

>> Agree this is frustrating.

Thanks for the sympathy! Today it appears that the CST aftermath has resolved itself in a more competent manner as the scheduled shows have morphed back to their real titles (and recording durations!). Having to perform the CST and/or POR on an almost daily basis is quickly becoming a PITA. I don't use OTA so I didn't pay attention to what those channels may have been doing.

 

[m3repair]

>> Agree this is frustrating.

Thanks for the sympathy! Today it appears that the CST aftermath has resolved itself in a more competent manner as the scheduled shows have morphed back to their real titles (and recording durations!). Having to perform the CST and/or POR on an almost daily basis is quickly becoming a PITA. I don't use OTA so I didn't pay attention to what those channels may have been doing.

This is odd, as after the update everything seems to work correctly, the only thing I noticed was sluggish guide and it takes a second or 2 longer for the channel info or guide to come up when the button is pushed, but it isn't as bad as your describing, if you have a switch unplug it for it 10sec and plug it back in and same for your receiver and let everything re-download, had the issue where the switch seemed to be stuck on one satellite and wouldn't correct itself on one of the tuners (just hunch but worth shot a no?)

 

[quarlo]

This is odd, <snip ...) (just hunch but worth shot a no?)

For sure, but I have everything plugged into a surge protector so I am pretty certain the power supply for the switch was de-energized along with the TV and the 722 when performing the PORs. It is certainly worth another shot, though. This is an installation that I had no problems with for nearly two years until the latest SW update. GRRRRRRRRRRRRRR ...

 

[Ziuck]

Mine started to do this yesterday. Had been running fine with the new update for the few days before.

Last night it had recordings set for every 30 minutes with NO INFO AVAILABLE!! Did a reset and also pulled power for 10 minutes. Nothing fixed it.

Finally after 5 reboots it cleaned up a little and got the guide data. When it tried to record Mythbusters it recorded it on TV1 and TV2 at the same time! I killed one recording. It then recorded the replay at 11pm twice again!

I checked it this afternoon and I no longer have No Info, but it is recording shows I never set timers for and show that are replays. I have even deleted some timers and added them back and it did not fix the problem.

 

[quarlo]

Mine started to do this yesterday. <snip ...> I killed one recording. It then recorded the replay at 11pm twice again! I checked it this afternoon and I no longer have No Info, but it is recording shows I never set timers for and show that are replays. I have even deleted some timers and added them back and it did not fix the problem.

Sorry to hear that, but it sounds like we are in a similar L676-induced hole. In my case, the program guide showed six or seven shows in a row being recorded (with proper names), but the Schedule display showed a "No Info Available" episode recording for *three* hours in that same time slot. Frustrating, annoying, ... did I mention frustrating?! Sad, but comforting, to know I am not alone.

 

[ZachS@DISH]

[FONT=&quot]To me it seems like this could be a possible hard drive failure that is just starting to show its face. I would keep an eye on it if it gets worse, I would recommend replacing the DVR.[/FONT]

 

[quarlo]

[FONT=&quot]To me it seems like this could be a possible hard drive failure that is just starting to show its face. I would keep an eye on it if it gets worse, I would recommend replacing the DVR.[/FONT]

Well, that does make some sense. Data checks/bad sectors/bad ECC/etc. could easily disrupt/corrupt a downloaded guide and mess with the internal s/w timer algorithms. It is absolutely getting worse over time. Is there any way to clone the HDD or is dumping to another external drive (the extant 1 TB I have there is full!) the only way to save recorded programming? I am not sure of the size of the internal drive on an original 722. Any idea what I need by way of documentation (if any) for Dish in order to get a replacement DVR?

 

[navychop]

Dump to EHD. Easiest fastest cheapest. And do it now.

 

[ZachS@DISH]

You won't need any documentation, just will need to either PM one of us DIRT members or contact customer support. As for hard drives

• • USB 2.0
  • External power source (not powered by the receiver’s USB port)
  • Minimum size of 50GB
  • Maximum size of 2TB for DVR receivers/1TB for non-DVR receivers

 

[TheKrell]

To me it seems like this could be a possible hard drive failure that is just starting to show its face.

Forgive me, but I am skeptical of that assessment. Agree with everybody that it's prudent to back up everything just in case.

But the major changes (that I appreciate!) in L676 have to do with the guide and masking off SD channels when HD exists. I think guide-related anomalies will cause all these symptoms. Why would these anomalies be happening to Ziuck, quarlo, and myself, all of a sudden post L676 after years of no such behavior? I do not think these anomalies are unrelated.

 

[Tampa8]

Forgive me, but I am skeptical of that assessment. Agree with everybody that it's prudent to back up everything just in case.

But the major changes (that I appreciate!) in L676 have to do with the guide and masking off SD channels when HD exists. I think guide-related anomalies will cause all these symptoms. Why would these anomalies be happening to Ziuck, quarlo, and myself, all of a sudden post L676 after years of no such behavior? I do not think these anomalies are unrelated.

Absolutely. The increase in guide problems seems to be directly related to the recent SW update.

 

[LostBoyinVA]

Add another person to list of problems having this issue with the 722 Update. This is the wife's DVR and she is not happy that her timers are not recording. She has stuff recording right now, but I'll try a few more reboots and PORs when the timers are done at 11PM.

 

[ZachS@DISH]

Forgive me, but I am skeptical of that assessment. Agree with everybody that it's prudent to back up everything just in case.

But the major changes (that I appreciate!) in L676 have to do with the guide and masking off SD channels when HD exists. I think guide-related anomalies will cause all these symptoms. Why would these anomalies be happening to Ziuck, quarlo, and myself, all of a sudden post L676 after years of no such behavior? I do not think these anomalies are unrelated.

I understand that and it could very well be. But from my years at DISH and having a 722 and 722k of my own this looks to me to be the start of a hard drive failure (The No Info Available). I haven't seen this issue on the EPG on my personal 722 and the one here a work (both are current with L676). If you want to send me your account number I will submit a Technical Problem Report about this issue.

 

[Tampa8]

But the major changes (that I appreciate!) in L676 have to do with the guide and masking off SD channels when HD exists. I think guide-related anomalies will cause all these symptoms.

Zach, of course you could be correct, and if it was one or two people I would agree it is a symptom of a hard drive failure. But TheKrell hit on the head. All are coming after the SW update and the update specifically affects the guide. Why not even more people I am not sure, but it is always that way, some are affected, some are not. Guide issues are way up from normal in the posts.

 

[ZachS@DISH]

Yeah totally agree, and have noticed the posts are up from what they are normally. For the OP after talking with him a little further I think his issue was a hard drive. I have submitted a Technical Problem Report and will try to see if I can find out if they have seen a lot of reports of similar things since the SW release.

 

[LostBoyinVA]

I appeared to have cleared my issue last night. I will have to verify after I can check the items we had scheduled to record today, but I was able to get the schedule for today and going forward to appear correctly last night. It cleared up after I set the duplicate "no info available" scheduled tasks to skipped.

 

[TheKrell]

Likewise I have seen no recurrence of these guide anomalies or missed recordings.

 

[ZachS@DISH]

Likewise I have seen no recurrence of these guide anomalies or missed recordings.

Great good to hear, if you do let us know so we can pass it up the chain.