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Satellite receiver Echostar DVR-5000 won't boot.....Help please

The other night I switched my tv input over to my Echostar DVR 5000 HD. The Echostar had been switched on for months though I hadn't viewed it for a while. The picture was very distorted. It was very blocky and totally unwatchable.

I have had the receiver from new without any other problems.

A couple of years ago, I upgraded the software (to EchoNAV 2.0 I believe).

Anyway the standard fix for most things computer-like is to reboot. So I did.

All I got were the rotating dots on the front panel. I disconnected the mains plug, left it 30 mins and then tried rebooting. I still only get the rotating dots.

Since then I have tried to use the serial port to a) upload my personal settings and b) download the latest software (from Echostar's website). Whilst the EchoLoader software says "connected", I don't think it really does connect. I have tried a serial null modem cable and I have also used a USB-serial lead combination. No luck with either cable. [The usb-serial null modem cable combination works perfectly well with my PC to update my Humax Freeview receiver....so I am happy with the cabling. I have also tried to use Hyperterminal but again could get no response from the receiver. No data exchange at all.

OK so nothing works. I looked a little further: With power on (and those rotating dots), the loopthrough (terrestrial) analogue tv is passed through properly but there is no scart video output. There is also no analogue video output added from the Echostar (on any ch :

21-69)on to the loopthrough output. If I disconnect the power cable the loopthrough TV signal disappears into the noise. ie some (unrelated) parts of the "motherboard" appear to work as you would expect.

The 5v and 12 volt power supplies (eg to the hard drive) are OK. I have tried rebooting with the hard drive power and IDE disconnected. Still nothin works.

The cure-all from the manual seems to be a factory reset but of course you need to be able to see the menu on the tv screen....I see nothing of course...:-(

I haven't yet tried another hard disk in the Echostar. Nor have I tried to see if there is life in the hard disk when connected to a PC. I don't understand the boot process. (If the HD fails would I still be unable to communicate via the serial port?)

Does this receiver have any known faults/fixes?

If there is a "boot" eeprom somewhere it is likely to be difficult to change as the chips are SMDs.

Does anyone have any ideas? If not, I will need a way to stream the recordings from the hard drive.....and I do not know how to do that. I expect I shall have to go a bit further up the linux learning curve!!

OK. Over to the experts...... H E L P (Please)

Reply to
Gary Goodchild
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I'm no expert with Echostar but I'm fairly knowledgeable with the DirecTV Plus DVR. If the Echostar uses similar technology it boots primarily from eeprom. If the hard drive is bad there will be a point in time where the boot will stop as it was in my case. If the file system is the same as the DTV unit, you won't be able to read the data without the proper drivers as although the file system is a linux file system, the partition table is odd and your operating system won't recognize it. You can even damage this partition table if you boot your PC with the drive attached and use Windows 2000. My advice is to search the internet for a forum of Echostar users before you attempt to experiment.

Reply to
Meat Plow

Hi, Thanks for your thoughts. Much appeciated. I take note of the partition table issue. I have tried to find any forum info. One of the problems is that the (European) Echostar DVR-5000 was not produced in any great numbers and the manufacturer or distibutor (Echostar.nl....netherlands) has ceased making or supporting their satellite receivers. I haven't managed to find ANY forum support for this receiver....and believe me I have looked.

It seems likely therefore that the fault is either the EEPROM or the hard drive. Even if I could get my hands on a "new" eeprom, it would be alittle rsiky trying to change it since it is SMD (rather than normal DIP).

My best hope is that I find someone else who has had the same problem with the (European) DVR-5000 or its bigger brother, the DVR-7000.....but like I said these were fairly short-lived products. Very good....until they go wrong!

It would be good to determine whether it is the eeprom or the hard drive since the hard drive replacement is probably more soluble than the eeprom replacement.

Any ideas anyone?

Thanks aga>

Reply to
Gary Goodchild

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