Sky + Box Broken
Discussion
It's been freezing for ages and recording hasn't worked I've just ignored it but now it won't power on and even after a "hold down backup and power on" rebuild the power light just flashes but stays orange.
It must be about 10 years old so it's done OK.
Seems to be a DRX890.
Is it as simple as buying another from somewhere like Chigwell Satellite? Plug in and go it doesn't need Sky to do anything?
It must be about 10 years old so it's done OK.
Seems to be a DRX890.
Is it as simple as buying another from somewhere like Chigwell Satellite? Plug in and go it doesn't need Sky to do anything?
From experience with my old Sky+ box - yes, just plug another one in. Transfer the viewing card if you have one. Sometimes freezing can be due to a poor satellite signal - I had one like that, that was fine once the dish was aligned properly. Your old one just sounds like it’s broken though!
There are loads of Sky HD boxes kicking around as they are swapped for Sky Q. Ask friends or look on Gumtree etc. Is it an old Sky+ or is it an HD? DRX890 is a Sky HD box. How is the current box connected? Does it run a second room?
If you have a Sky sub then they will upgrade you to a Q box for next to nothing, they are phasing out old boxes.
If you have a Sky sub then they will upgrade you to a Q box for next to nothing, they are phasing out old boxes.
Edited by megaphone on Wednesday 2nd February 08:24
Edited by megaphone on Wednesday 2nd February 08:25
If going down the gumtree route (which imo is the way to go)
Oldest boxes have the magic eye bit built in
Then there's an era where the rf out / magic eye connector is on a dongle, which is easy to buy as an accessory. Wireless is also on a dongle.
Then the newest ones have wifi built in.
Have a quick look at yours before gumtreeing - if your current one has wifi built in, might as well get a new one also with wifi built in. All boxes sem to be 5-25 quid but having to buy an adaptor makes that 10 quid bargain suddenly not a bargain! Lots of people will.simply give you one for free though, if its been in a cupboard / loft for ages no-one can be arsed to plug it in to test for the sake of a tenner!
Other than that its all plug and play.
Caveat i am not a sky engineer, just a sky+ user that has been through 4 sky plus boxes in the last ,6 years because they've gone kaput / wanted one both a bigger hard drive.
Oldest boxes have the magic eye bit built in
Then there's an era where the rf out / magic eye connector is on a dongle, which is easy to buy as an accessory. Wireless is also on a dongle.
Then the newest ones have wifi built in.
Have a quick look at yours before gumtreeing - if your current one has wifi built in, might as well get a new one also with wifi built in. All boxes sem to be 5-25 quid but having to buy an adaptor makes that 10 quid bargain suddenly not a bargain! Lots of people will.simply give you one for free though, if its been in a cupboard / loft for ages no-one can be arsed to plug it in to test for the sake of a tenner!
Other than that its all plug and play.
Caveat i am not a sky engineer, just a sky+ user that has been through 4 sky plus boxes in the last ,6 years because they've gone kaput / wanted one both a bigger hard drive.
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hstewie said:
hstewie said:Bizarrely about 20 minutes later it started working
I'm sure it'll start to freeze again but I keep promising to wean myself off Sky so however cheap I really don't want to buy a box until I feel I have absolutely no choice.
BIB: dying capacitors in the box power supply. If they get warm enough then they can be coaxed back to life temporarily if they're not too far gone, but it's only a stay of execution. Sooner or later they'll tip over the edge where there's no rescuing them. At that point the options are to either replace the box or have the caps replaced. I'm sure it'll start to freeze again but I keep promising to wean myself off Sky so however cheap I really don't want to buy a box until I feel I have absolutely no choice.
Getting a cheap s/h box isn't too difficult, and nor is the physical swap. The viewing card will need moving over and then Sky customer services contacting to pair the card with the box. That'll get you back up and running with whatever channel package you subscribe to. The only caveat is that the recordings (if you have any) are still on the hard disc drive of the old box. Sky can't help you with this. They're marooned. It may be possible to swap the drive, but it's no simple task to get to it. This isn't like a PC where a couple of screws will open the side panel. Think of it more in terms of changing a clutch compared to changing a tyre; do-able, but not a 5-minute job.
The other catch with swapping a drive is the new box may not like the old drive until it is reformatted. The risk there is erasing all the recordings.
The alternative is copying the files from one drive to another. However, they're not in a format that Windows recognises, and so even if you have a couple of hard drive caddies spare then you're still a bit stuffed. Some of us in the aerials and sat trade have the gear and the experience to move the files, but it's not a quick task and so not a cheap solution either. However, if some recording is unique - say someone you know appeared on the news and there's virtually no chance this will ever be repeated - then it may be worth having a transfer done. For ordinary films or TV programmes though I wouldn't bother trying to keep them. They're likely to be repeated at some point.
bhstewie said:
hstewie said: Bizarrely about 20 minutes later it started working
I'm sure it'll start to freeze again but I keep promising to wean myself off Sky so however cheap I really don't want to buy a box until I feel I have absolutely no choice.
It's on its way out and will eventually die. I'm sure it'll start to freeze again but I keep promising to wean myself off Sky so however cheap I really don't want to buy a box until I feel I have absolutely no choice.
I had to get a replacement a short while ago. Got one via Ebay. You will have to pair your card with the box and then can be done via the Sky website. You may need to first establish a online account if you don't already have one though.
I love the 'period correct' recommendations for trying Gumtree 
Just look on Facebook Marketplace. People usually give the old boxes away. Failing that, if your local household waste site (tip) has a shop, there's usually a pile of them for sale for a few quid each.
Failing that...chances are it's just a dry capacitor in the power supply. If you're handy with a soldering iron they're usually easy to fix.
Just look on Facebook Marketplace. People usually give the old boxes away. Failing that, if your local household waste site (tip) has a shop, there's usually a pile of them for sale for a few quid each.
Failing that...chances are it's just a dry capacitor in the power supply. If you're handy with a soldering iron they're usually easy to fix.
I got two Sky+HD boxes over the years from Gumtree and Facebook local marketplace. Paid £20 max.
As said above check whether you'll need the little adaptor to get Magic eye working if you use it and IIRC the first time you put your viewing card in it needs some input from you to confirm new hardware against the account (or something like that).
In other words, just get a cheapo used one for a tenner and when it dies just shrug and find another one (or upgrade eventually).
I binned Sky after 23 years continuous subscription last year - you should have heard the deals they were suddenly rolling out and offering me - and listening to them trying to convince me that giving up my Ultimate Badass Mega Head Honcho Numero Uno Sky VIP membership level would be tantamount to a crime because it was SO valuable to me was laughable
As said above check whether you'll need the little adaptor to get Magic eye working if you use it and IIRC the first time you put your viewing card in it needs some input from you to confirm new hardware against the account (or something like that).
In other words, just get a cheapo used one for a tenner and when it dies just shrug and find another one (or upgrade eventually).
I binned Sky after 23 years continuous subscription last year - you should have heard the deals they were suddenly rolling out and offering me - and listening to them trying to convince me that giving up my Ultimate Badass Mega Head Honcho Numero Uno Sky VIP membership level would be tantamount to a crime because it was SO valuable to me was laughable
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