Edision OS Mio 4k stuck on "boot" and blue screen

[Jim S.]

Today I tried to access my Mio from my PC and found it unresponsive. I went to the TV and selected the Mio's input and found a solid blue screen. At this point, the Mio's front-panel clock was still running. It wouldn't respond to the remote, so I pulled the power. When I reconnected it, it put up "boot" on the front panel, and in a few moments the blue screen returned but the display never changed from "boot" and it didn't respond to the remote buttons or the panel buttons.

Since I had images installed in other slots, I tried pressing the menu button on the remote while connecting power. No change. Next I downloaded a new copy of the TNAP 4.1 image from LegitFTA and unzipped it to a flash drive. When I connect power with the flash drive plugged in, the front panel counts up slowly from 1 to 100, then very fast from 1 to 100, but then I get the blue screen and an unresponsive Mio again. Unplugging the flash drive after it reaches 100 the first time yields the same results.

At this point I've got to wonder if the MIo's flash memory is hopelessly corrupted. I should point out that I had problems with this receiver since Day 1. Specifically, the version of TNAP that it came with never displayed any option to activate WiFi. I stubbornly believed that this was a software problem, even though El Bandido insisted it was impossible, because loading a new copy of TNAP would fix the problem temporarily, and loading any other image to any other slot never ever manifested the problem at all. Also, all versions of TNAP that I tried prior to 4.1 had severe motor aiming issues, but no other image did -- and I think 4.1 was also the first time I tried TNAP in any slot other than the first one. So you can see why I think that maybe the first slot, which presumably also stores the boot code, might have a hardware error.

Before I see if I can send the Mio back for warranty service (I think it has a 1-year warranty, which would give me a few more weeks, but Titanium doesn't even list Mios in stock right now), can anyone think of anything I might be doing wrong, or not doing?

 

[cyberham]

At different times, I've gotten into a situation where I could not boot my Edision and it seemed dead and unresponsive to my remote control commands. But, always, if I inserted a memory stick with valid TNAP software into the side USB port on the Edision with nothing connected to the other USB port on the rear, then powered the Edision, I was able to recover the box's operation. If I recall, there must be an empty file named "force" on the memory stick. The software writes to Slot 1 and forces the Edision to boot from Slot 1. If you can get the Edision running, don't recover any old files. Just allow it to initiate from scratch with default cofiguration.

There's also a "Factory reset" command in the menu which I've never used but if all else fails...

 

[primestar31]

Read this thread: Locked up OS MIO 4K

Or this one might be better: Edison OS MIO 4k Stuck on 'boot'

Basically, pull the power cord on the Edision. Plug it back in, have the remote pointing at the receiver. Rapidly press the MENU button, you have to get the right "rhythm" to it. If you get it right, it'll bring up a BOOT menu. If so, choose another slot with a good image. Hopefully you have loaded a good image in at least one other slot?

 

[Jim S.]

Tried everything everyone suggested. (I guess nobody read past the title. Kind of makes me feel like I'm on the Microsoft support board.)

The only other thing I tried is, there seems to be a difference in opinion as to whether the file is supposed to be named "force" or "force.txt". It comes from El Bandido as just "force". I tried renaming it to "force.txt" and had the receiver boot to the setup wizard ONCE, but then it never booted again after that, with OR without the USB stick inserted.

It's really looking like a hardware fault to me.

 

[primestar31]

(I guess nobody read past the title. Kind of makes me feel like I'm on the Microsoft support board.)

You'd guess wrong. Good luck.

 

[primestar31]

Jim S. Read this thread I posted over at Legit, could be the same issue you are now having:

Trouble with my Os Mio 4k receiver.

I've been running this with the multiboot version 3.2 of TNAP in slot 2 as primary default and it's all been good. I normally leave it in standby, when not using it. Slot 1 has the 3.0 version of TNAP, and slots 3 and 4 have older images (openpli is one) I've never used after trying them out...

legitfta.com

 

[Comptech]

Jim S. Read this thread I posted over at Legit, could be the same issue you are now having:

Trouble with my Os Mio 4k receiver.

I've been running this with the multiboot version 3.2 of TNAP in slot 2 as primary default and it's all been good. I normally leave it in standby, when not using it. Slot 1 has the 3.0 version of TNAP, and slots 3 and 4 have older images (openpli is one) I've never used after trying them out...

legitfta.com

I want to ply with one, but have not justified it yet. I like my TV to Pcie much better

 

[Corrado]

My Mio 4K takes forever to boot if I forget to disconnect the powered external 500 GB hard drive. Even with just a USB flash drive it sometimes takes extra time, but it hangs at the splash screen while it's apparently reading the contents of the drive first.

My first original unit developed a problem with horizontal TPs intermittently and is now used for ATSC recording with a Hauppauge USB tuner. I tried all sorts of E2 images at the time with that one. Still curious if something corrupted it but more likely a hardware issue.

I loaded the current at the time TNAP 4.1 on unit 2 the day I received it and an OpenPLi image in another slot and left it alone. That one operates perfectly. No need to experiment further. I just enjoy it the way it is.

Keep us in the loop.

 

[Jim S.]

Jim S. Read this thread I posted over at Legit, could be the same issue you are now having:

Trouble with my Os Mio 4k receiver.

I've been running this with the multiboot version 3.2 of TNAP in slot 2 as primary default and it's all been good. I normally leave it in standby, when not using it. Slot 1 has the 3.0 version of TNAP, and slots 3 and 4 have older images (openpli is one) I've never used after trying them out...

legitfta.com

Yes, it sounds like the same symptoms, as far as I'm able to test it. Like yours, it was sitting idle at the time it apparently crashed. (I didn't try any network access other than the WebIF prior to attempting to re-flash it, and now that I've [maybe] re-flashed it, it would be inconvenient to do so because my WiFi settings would no longer be present and I have no ethernet in the room where the receiver is.) I'm thinking it's going to have to go back to Titanium.

I'm not in a good mood about this, because it's too close to my experience with the Amiko Alien 3 -- random software failures that, inasmuch as anyone has attempted to explain them at all, appear to in fact be hardware failures. At least I should be able to count on Titanium standing behind their product, unlike the POS that sold the A3 who said they didn't offer a warranty because it was "hobbyist equipment". I've never heard of such a thing in my life, and I'm not sure it's even legal!

 

[Jim S.]

My Mio 4K takes forever to boot if I forget to disconnect the powered external 500 GB hard drive. Even with just a USB flash drive it sometimes takes extra time, but it hangs at the splash screen while it's apparently reading the contents of the drive first.

My first original unit developed a problem with horizontal TPs intermittently

I never had any problem with booting with a drive attached, although I didn't have tons of stuff on the drive. But it doesn't boot without a drive attached either.

Your mention of missing horizontal transponders is interesting! I went through a long period where TNAP wouldn't find ANY horizontal transponders, although ANY other image would be fine. I eventually noticed that the motor was driving past the satellite before stopping -- apparently, the geometry of my location vs. the arc was resulting in horizontal transponders fading out first. It finally started behaving with the latest version of TNAP -- but as I said before, I THINK that that's the first time I tried putting TNAP in anything other than Slot 1. So again I'm leaning toward the flash memory being corrupt -- but I can't figure out for the life of me why, if that was the case, it was running at all instead of crashing spectacularly long before now.

 

[Jim S.]

I ended up sending the unit back to Brian. He wiped it and reloaded it and it worked perfectly for him at first. But luckily he decided to leave it running for a few more days before sending it back to me. It eventually locked up exactly as it initially did for me -- front panel clock running but no video output and no response to inputs. So he sent me a spare unit that he had in the shop. So far it's been running fine.