Learn how to reset a Digital Box that is connected to an Expander (external hard drive) with these tips. If you have an Expander connected to your Digital Box you may find that you occasionally need to reset it. This can occur when there has been a power outage, or if you are experiencing difficulties with your recordings.
How to reset a digital box with an expander
To reset your Digital Box with an external hard drive attached you will need to perform the following steps:
- Unplug the power to both the Expander (external hard drive) and Digital Box
- Unplug the eSATA cable (the cable which connects the expander to the Digital Box) from the Digital Box
- Reconnect eSATA cable to the Digital Box
- Plug in power for only the Expander and wait 1 minute
- Plug in the power for the Digital Box
- Wait 30 seconds while the equipment reboots
- If the Digital Box does not turn on automatically, press POWER directly on your Digital Box
- You may receive a prompt on the screen asking: Do you want to format the external hard drive? Select No if you would like to keep the existing recordings on your hard drive
- Wait approximately 5-10 minutes for the functions to be restored
Additional Tips
Here some additional troubleshooting tips if the Digital Box will not power on after a reset (as per the instructions above):
- Unplug the power to only the Digital Box
- Wait 30 seconds and then plug the power back in
- Press the power button directly on your Digital Box to turn it on
If the issue persists or if the Digital Box displays four dashes on the front panel display and you do not notice a change after waiting a few minutes:
- Disconnect the Expander from the Digital Box by unplugging the eSATA cable from the back of the Digital Box
- Unplug the power to the Digital Box
- Wait 30 seconds, and then plug the power back into the Digital Box
- If the Digital Box boots successfully without the Expander, the Expander may have failed (please contact one of our technical support representatives to further investigate Contact Us)
What does my expander look like?
Here are a couple of examples of what your expander might look like.
Formatting the External Hard Drive with Legacy digital boxes
Do you want to Format the External Hard Drive?
You may receive a prompt on your TV screen asking: “Do you want to format the external hard drive?” By selecting Yes you will erase all of the content already stored on the Expander. If the brand of your digital box is:
Pace Digital Box: the default option to format the external hard drive is Yes, so you will need to press the arrow button to highlight No and press OK if you wish to keep your recordings.
Motorola Digital Box: the default option to format the external hard drive is No; press OK to keep your existing recordings.