TiVo is stuck on "Welcome, Powering Up"

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," "Welcome, Starting Up" or a similar opening message 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 older 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. With certain TiVo models, you might consider a replacement power supply as well, as power supplies in some models are more likely to fail than others.

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 a number of 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; (3) they offer free shipping; and (4) they have been in business since 2001.

2) Replace your TiVo Power Supply

In some model TiVos, a failed power supply can cause the DVR to stick on the Welcome, Powering Up screen. When a power supply fails, it can also damage your hard drive, so it's hard to know whether a drive is also bad. If you have one of these TiVo models, we recommend that you consider a replacement power supply as well.

TCD240040/4A
TCD240080/8A
TCD240140
TCD648250 (TCD648250B)
TCD652160
TCD658000

In the TCD648250, TCD652160, and TCD65800 models especially (but also other TiVo models), it is often possible to visually inspect your power supply and determine whether it is bad. When inspecting a power supply, you are looking for a capacitor that is bulging at the top. See: TiVo Power Supply Problems.

To order a new TiVo power supply, visit weaKnees.

Note that even if your power supply *looks* fine, it might still be bad, so this visual test only really helps if you are able to see a problem.

3) If a replacement drive (and/or power supply) 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. For high definition TiVos, consider the TiVo repair and diagnostic service. Unfortunately, DVRupgrade is no longer in business and we are not aware of another reputable company that repairs TiVos.

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