Sky+: SYSTEM FAULT: Recording.playback unavalable

JBoyle4eva

Ok, we were minding our own business watching a recorded Eastenders when it just stops, box goes on standby and after a minute it switches back on with the message

SYSTEM FAULT

Sky+ Playback and Recording unavailable
Call Sky for Assistance.

Checked my Sky+ planer and it says "no progrramess....." and I've tried a forced upgrade and that didn't do anything spectacular.

Rang Sky and they said "Our Sky+ centre is open from 8:30 in the morning :mad:

Would anyone reccomend any options?

Skyuser

This happened a while back to me. Press Services - 4 - 0 - 1 - Select - 8. It will reset your box. Are you having any playback problems before this happened? your hard drive may be acting up. I have got a new box since this happened to me.

JBoyle4eva

Well, I came home today and I rang Sky. The guy said he wanted to try a one in a thousand thing and power down and up my box but without the viewing card. I was told to wait a minute and then power up. Once I had the Sky Welcome channel he said put the card in and go to Sky One. He then said to try and set up a recording. System Fault was still coming out so I had to do a Full System Reset (As Skyuser above) so I did but it is still saying system fault. the guy explained that the hard drive probably gave in or something to that length.

Anyway, (I personally think this is very fast, altough the operator apologised) that a technician will be coming to my house on Tuesday.

So, hopefully, I'll have it back on tuesday.

Skyuser

Yep, my engineer was out in 2 days. Must be different from installers cause there waiting list is weeks. Anyway mate, try and get the new PVR3 box. They'll try and give you a refurb PVR2, but I just asked my engineer about the third one and he said he had one on the van and gave it to me, brand new. I have 80GB now...

JBoyle4eva

Will they do this for free?

JBoyle4eva

Ok, woke up htis morning to find that my box is working perfectly again, but all my picture/sound settings were reset.

I'm wondering should I cancel the technician or still let him come around to have a look?

ffocused

You might just need a new viewing card. I had similar problems and was told the viewing card was faulty. Thought i was being fobbed off because the Tech support in Sky said the card could not cause the problems, but it did.

JBoyle4eva

JBoyle4eva wrote:

Ok, woke up htis morning to find that my box is working perfectly again, but all my picture/sound settings were reset.

I'm wondering should I cancel the technician or still let him come around to have a look?

It is a hard drive problem.
It happened to me over a year ago.Like you the box worked for a while recording etc and then it stopped again.
I would advise not stopping the technician.
In fact if its in guarantee , ask him to replace the unit as its not reliable.

Whats the point in recording if you may not be able to watch due to another flare up of the problem-it will happen.

Dilbert75

My father's Sky+ experienced this same issue last weekend. Tried going through the stuff suggested by the Sky automated phone message (didn't work), tried speaking to a Sky tech (didn't work) and got on the phone to the guy who installed it.

He reckons the same problem is rife - he has several other customers with the same hard drive failures and he reckons the only importer of the set top boxes in Ireland doesn't carry spares, that he'd have to source a drive from NI. These apparently carry a price tag of STG£97 + carriage, + installation. Seems like a lot of dosh for a repair of a two year old unit.

He's going to try contacting Sky directly but in the mean time has no Sky+ (just as well he's not paying for it, on account of getting the Sports channels). Any thoughts on an approach to solving this?

JBoyle4eva

Skyuser wrote:

Yep, my engineer was out in 2 days. Must be different from installers cause there waiting list is weeks. Anyway mate, try and get the new PVR3 box. They'll try and give you a refurb PVR2, but I just asked my engineer about the third one and he said he had one on the van and gave it to me, brand new. I have 80GB now...

Ok, If I ask the guy tomorrow when he comes for PVR3 should he be able to give it tom me? I'd really prefer that one.

Sparky

my box is acting up also, got same message etc done full system reset etc etc and it worked but now after 2 weeks its back, now its a pvr2, but im out of my warranty so do i assume ill have to pay for the call out and a new box?

Michael Collins

Also happened to my box there a while back - just got it repaired under warranty and it's arrived back today. Lets hope it doesn't happen again - seems to be quite common.

Skyuser

Sparky_S wrote:

my box is acting up also, got same message etc done full system reset etc etc and it worked but now after 2 weeks its back, now its a pvr2, but im out of my warranty so do i assume ill have to pay for the call out and a new box?

NO, never pay them for it. When I rang up they said it was €105 for an engineer call out. I just said no way that's ridiculousbecause a new box is €149. She said she could do nothing, so I told her that I wanted to close my account.
She put me through to cancelation office and he said straight away would you consider staying if we payed for half :rolleyes: . I told him I'll only stay if it's free and if not, I'll happily move to NTL. He said please hold.
He comes back after 5mins talking to manager and said ok, we'll give it for free because you have sky+ and sky world.

So the moral of my huge story. STICK YOUR GROUND. Never Pay.

Sparky

Skyuser wrote:

NO, never pay them for it. When I rang up they said it was €105 for an engineer call out. I just said no way that's ridiculousbecause a new box is €149. She said she could do nothing, so I told her that I wanted to close my account.
She put me through to cancelation office and he said straight away would you consider staying if we payed for half :rolleyes: . I told him I'll only stay if it's free and if not, I'll happily move to NTL. He said please hold.
He comes back after 5mins talking to manager and said ok, we'll give it for free because you have sky+ and sky world.

So the moral of my huge story. STICK YOUR GROUND. Never Pay.

good man, will do
Ive had the sky plus for two years and a multiroom for just over a year now, so if i threaten to cancel they will lose nearly 75 a month off me.

JBoyle4eva

Ok, the tech guy came today and he couldn't give me the box because he said it's for new customers only. Even said he dosen't have one himself. He told me to ring Sky and complain to them about it.

Sparky

JBoyle4eva wrote:

Ok, the tech guy came today and he couldn't give me the box because he said it's for new customers only. Even said he dosen't have one himself. He told me to ring Sky and complain to them about it.

well according to other sources sky are phasing out the v2 box, and implementing the v3 (160 lookalike box), so why wouldnt they supply the tech men with new boxes?

Do ring sky and threaten to cancel like what Skyuser done, i was going to ring up today and complain about my system fault problem but now since the new epg upgrade its grand

JBoyle4eva

I know what you mean. after alll, they did call out very fastly and he was very apologetic about the V3 box.

BTW sparky, he did have the V3 boxes but he was only to give them to new customers.

Sparky

JBoyle4eva wrote:

I know what you mean. after alll, they did call out very fastly and he was very apologetic about the V3 box.

BTW sparky, he did have the V3 boxes but he was only to give them to new customers.

but sure thats crap, im sure any decent tech man would say ill have to give a v3 box.

so say you had the old v1 box does he now have to source a v1 box to replace it, i think not, if sky a phasing out the v2 box they should at least start with replacing the broken v2 boxes afterall sky would be nothing with out the're subscribers