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Panasonic DMR-E85H error U99
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soju
Junior Member
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11. April 2007 @ 14:22 |
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After months, maybe even a year already of no problems with TV Guide, etc., I lost the entire guide a couple of night ago. Machine went into a Self-check mode when I inserted a DVD to dub to.....this is does on a not too frequent basis and I am used to it. However this time, after it did it's ritual of self-check two times and return to the TV screen, the entire TV Guide was gone. Two days later, it has still not appeared but I am able to perform all other functions.
Strange......but since I manually set time recorder, it does not matter. Recording all previously timed shows okay so far. So happy that screen with all "timed shows to record" did not get lost. That is a lot of work to input all that data!!!
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cal401
Junior Member
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11. April 2007 @ 15:03 |
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My TVGO listings were down for about a week. I changed my ZIP code to that of the PBS station, after a couple of days I started getting downloads again. I don't know if changing the ZIP helped or if it was just some glitch in the system.
The odd thing is that all of my listings were gone overnight. In the past, when TVGO had problems, I would just stop getting updates. This time I lost everything at once.
Cal 8571x
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wre46
Newbie
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19. April 2007 @ 18:44 |
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OK, I read the last 58 pages of fixes for U99. I have seen the same question asked , but never really answered to the point where I can understand. (may be the Panasonic help desk senerio is catching on)
The unit was reset as the clock is flashing 12:00am
on startup, wheather a soft of hard boot, the unit displays TEST *L1 then goes to U99 and hangs. I cannot even get the unit up long enough to load the new firmware.
What, in simple 1 to 10 steps, fixes the TEST *L1.
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Bigev
Newbie
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22. April 2007 @ 02:28 |
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Hi from Oz,
I bought 2 E85H's about two years ago ( one for a friend ), and they have been one of the best devices ever; but recently mine has started exhibiting problems when powering up. It comes up with "self Check" as if starting up, then blinks off. This then goes on for approx 15-30mins. Once it is going, it works ok, though sometimes when you switch from HDD to DVD and vice versa, it powers down then goes thru the start up sequence again!
This thread talks about firmware updates and reformatting the hard drive. I have downloaded the new firmware but not loaded it yet, as mentioned in this thread, but my question is - will this set the player to Region 1 ( Australia is Region 4 ). I have never had the U99 error as in this thread
I suspected the power supply, but once it is going, it works well.
I also suspect the Hard drive, because if it has gone to sleep, it power cycles when you try and use it. Is it worth losing all the data currently on it, and reformatting or try a new hard drive?
I have tried to get into the Service Mode, but have not been able to due to this start up problem.
Any suggestions would be greatfully received.
Evan
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cal401
Junior Member
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22. April 2007 @ 10:39 |
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wre46 & Bigev,
I have not personally seen the symptoms that either of you have.
Have you tried a power-down and unplug reset? It's a two step process: 1) hold down the front panel power switch until the timer icon disappears, leaving only the time display; 2) unplug the unit for 30 seconds. Plug back in and try to power up. Listen to what the hard drive is doing. I usually wait for the sound of it turning off (goes "wheeeee" and gets quiet) before I push buttons. You might try powering back off as soon as the picture is displayed on the attached TV, before the TVGO guide screen comes up.
Power-down and unplug seems to fix most thing that are not hardware related. You might also try some of the service mode commands and see if they work. Search this thread for "service mode".
Cal
Cal 8571x
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soju
Junior Member
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26. April 2007 @ 17:16 |
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for 2 years now I have used TDK DVD-Rs in the 100 spindle that I buy from COSTCO, most recently the 16x. About 2 weeks ago, a friend gave me some DVDs to burn some shows for her. The Recorder would not even read them...said cannot read disc..no disc....absolutely NOT.
I continued to use the spindle I had (16x made in India) with no problems. Even tried using the 8x (made in Taiwan) I had with no problems. I opened a NEW 100 spindle today (16 x made in Taiwan) and the darn DVD recorder will not recognize NOT 1 single DVD. I have tried from the top, the middle, all over - NOTHING. Ssys, no disc, cannot read disc and even got 1 message saying disc not compatible.
I called Panasonic and they insist I need to get a "DRY cleaner" - not a DVD cleaner but a DVD recorder cleaner. I said last time I tried to clean my VCR, I totally messed it up.
She insists the machne is dirty and must be cleaned. My warranty does not cover cleaning.
Any advice re either the discs not being recognized ot the use of such a cleaner. Much thanks.......rather disgusted cause I think I have 4 of these 100 DVD spindles from Taiwan! YIKES!
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vulcanusa
Member
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27. April 2007 @ 06:30 |
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soju,
There was a discussion of DVD problems well back in the thread. I recall there was something about the DVDs made in Taiwan versus Japan (or some other country). I believe the Taiwan manufactured DVDs were not recommended, but I could be mistaken. Happy searching.
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luvshisex
Junior Member
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27. April 2007 @ 12:07 |
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Tayo Yuden DVD-R: Usually Great+++ (Rarely Great- to Good) - Have to drive 73 miles to purchase
Most Verbatim DVD-R: Great - always available @ SAMS Club
Junk No-Name White Printable: Sometimes Good (Sometimes Sh*tty, flip the coin you saved by buying 'em to see if they are any good) - CircuitCity
Memorex: Usually Sh*tty (Occasionally Ok) - Not worth crossing the street to purchase
Sony: Usually Sh*tty (Occasionally Ok) - See Memorex
4/04 date, purchased open box return 6/04; one lockup first day, upgraded Japanese firmware next day. 1,174 disc burns and counting (knocks on wood). Love my DMR-E85H!
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vulcanusa
Member
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27. April 2007 @ 12:21 |
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I have used 50 or so 16x Verbatim DVD-R's and have not had a problem. I bought a spindle of 50 Verbatim DVD-R's at OfficeMax in San Antonio last week for $0.756 each (i.e. $35 + tax). I have used the same two Panasonic DVD-RAM's at least 50 times each and never had a problem.
I imagine most of us posting to this thread never treat a DVD like your average Blockbuster customer. I really get tired of having to clean them when I rent them. Grrrr....
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violetfi
Newbie
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27. April 2007 @ 15:22 |
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Dear luvshisex,
you wrote Quote:
... upgraded Japanese firmware next day ...
Are you saying that you downloaded the firmware from the japanese website? And your menus are still in English?? If so then I will give it a try too!
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soju
Junior Member
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27. April 2007 @ 15:27 |
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thanks to those who posted info. on different brands of DVDs. Someone else told me that the Verbatims at Sam's Club are good. Just confusing since the TDKs always worked best before.
Vulcanusa, I will also go look for the earlier posts here about DVDs.
Has anyone ever "cleaned" their Panasonic recorder like how Panasonic is telling me to do now? I am really leery of this. Need to know if anyone had problems AFTER they cleaned the machine.
I am the only one using my machine and I don't rent DVDs too often. Just dub and burn a lot!!
Thanks again.
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luvshisex
Junior Member
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27. April 2007 @ 20:56 |
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Quote:
Dear luvshisex,
you wrote [quote] ... upgraded Japanese firmware next day ...
Are you saying that you downloaded the firmware from the japanese website? And your menus are still in English?? If so then I will give it a try too![/quote]
You mean everyone who's ever viewed this page hasn't found their way to the page about the Great DMR-E85H Snafu page and downloaded the firmware that was on Panny's Japanese (domestic) page way back before Panny USA ever even admitted there was a problem? <DUMB-LOOK> Ok, check it out, I do not have the link any more, computers don't seem to hold up like DVRs <GRIN> but it is referenced in this thread somewhere near the beginning.
Menus are still in english, region code is either still region 1 or "unblocked" - I have read reports both ways, not sure any more what I decided way back when.
That plus carefully testing out & changing the settings it came with to give me quality over absolute recording time on disc have made me very happy.
Just wish it recorded to that last little bit (outer ring) but am guessing that they had their reasons...
I later read that there was an update on Panny's USA site "to handle faster rated media" but I never tried it as I'm unsure if I could go "back" to the fw that I have in it now. Have used 8x and 16x rated media with no problem and if the time comes when they become scarce I'll lay in a stockpile.
L
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luvshisex
Junior Member
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27. April 2007 @ 21:10 |
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Originally posted by soju:
thanks to those who posted info. on different brands of DVDs. Someone else told me that the Verbatims at Sam's Club are good. Just confusing since the TDKs always worked best before.
Vulcanusa, I will also go look for the earlier posts here about DVDs.
Has anyone ever "cleaned" their Panasonic recorder like how Panasonic is telling me to do now? I am really leery of this. Need to know if anyone had problems AFTER they cleaned the machine.
I am the only one using my machine and I don't rent DVDs too often. Just dub and burn a lot!!
Thanks again.
Take a TDK that worked and one of the newer ones to your computer and check the media information on them, maybe they just changed manufacturers. It happens, hopefully that is your problem.
Yes, I get my Verbatims at SAMS Club. I was skeptic hundreds of discs ago - last time I used their media was 20+ years ago when I was notching 5 1/4" single-sided floppy discs so I could format the other side and found them to be wanting. But of course different media, different manufacturer.
There are wet and dry cleaning discs. I have used both but never on my Panny. I guess I probably should - I regularly have to clean nicotine off of everything else around here, we've got long-hair cats shedding for all they're worth, and two years in a row there was a 24,000 btu kerosine heater running within six feet of it all the time for most of the winters. I am somewhat surprised that it even powers up but it works like a charm. Maybe your environment is worse than mine. If so I would be more concerned with your lungs than with your DVR.
To be honest with you I've been afraid to take a chance on scratching or otherwise hurting the lenses/laser. I've had friends who had good and bad experiences and the ones with problems bought new $59 dvd players but I couldn't get another DMR-E85HS for that and they are getting very scarce at any price, all I see are refurbs and used ones on fleabay.
L
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jtornone
Newbie
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18. May 2007 @ 20:29 |
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I went to download the firmware from Panasonics website for my E85H. When i go to download it it says the name of the file is dmr-e55.exe I'm fairly sure this is the wrong file. Is there someplace else i can download the correct firmware from panasonic?
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patrickaw
Newbie
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21. May 2007 @ 00:36 |
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Originally posted by violetfi:
I have to share with you my excitement about my great success. I'm finally able to switch hard disks back and forth on my Panasonic DMR-E80H and DMR-HS2!!!
I'm glad violetfi had this good fortune as posted well over a month ago. Just wanted to say I couldn't work the hard disk interchange on my DMR-E95H, though I tried to trick it. I only use the two drives in the one E95 unit (or was planning to) so didn't embark on the hard disk editing, apparently not applicable to my situation.
If anyone does have a solution for the E95H on switching disks without losing data and having to reformat (as I ended up doing), would love to know.
Patrick
DMR-E95HP (S/N KU4EAxxxxxx, Manu: May 2004)
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soju
Junior Member
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21. May 2007 @ 11:31 |
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Well with all the problems of my E95 rejecting/self-checking on almost every DVD I was inserting (made in India and Taiwan TDKs), I went on a "dvd recorder w/ hard drive" hunt about 2 weeks ago. Located a reasonable EH 75E on-line at Circuit City that I could pick up here where I live. Finally took it out of the box today and so far it seems good although only connected to cable with No cable box! Remote is a bit different so called into Tech Support this morning to ask a question.
In the process, mentioned the concern with DVDs being rejected by the E95. So told me that they would send me the Firmware upgrade that will enable the recorder to accept 16-x DVDs. Tried to tell her that I was using 16x before and they worked but.....she said I need the firmware upgrade. So I hope it comes and works after I install it.
In the meantime, I continue to go through the same process of watching the E95 self-check on almost every DVD I insert, reject some, accept some, yada, yada. Tried to locate the firmware on line to no avail so hopefully the CD arrives and I can install the upgrade.
After I bought the EH75V, I thought I must be crazy to get another Panasonic, but I am hopeful this one will be okay, esp. since it is so difficult to find these with hard drives now and I can't live without one!
BTW, I never did use the dry cleaner as one of the Panasonic tech support people told me I had to.....figured she did not know what she was talking about. Thanks again to those who shared info with me on this problem.
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keatonbri
Newbie
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22. May 2007 @ 07:28 |
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I recently came into possession of an E85H, and I'm having issues getting TV Guide set up and was hoping someone may have some insight. I have Insight digital cable in Columbus, Ohio, and from my cable box I hooked upboth the AV cables (to L1) and the coaxial cable to the E85H. When I received the used E85H, it was missing the IR blaster, and while the manual said to only use the Panasonic IR blaster I tried the one from my JVC VCR,and it appears to work. The cable box search established code 083 as the one that changed the channel to 09, but I can't get any data to load. WhenI turn off the E85H it seems to be searching for the proper channel, as it changes the channel every minute or two, but when I check the next day nothing has loaded. Also, the next day the E85H is still changing the channel every minute or two, which is a little irritating while watching TV. I thought the issue was with my cable provider, so I gave up and set it up like I had cable with no box, and set a couple manual channels to disable the Guide function. A couple days later I was going to do a timer recording, and I saw promotions and a channel listing with no data. I went through the Guide set up again and tried a couple other variations, which only caused the promotions to disappear, and I gave up again. Several days later, the promotions are back, and I was given several channel listings to choose from. Knowing it wouldn't work with my cable box but curious as to what would happen, I selected a channel listing that looked similar to the local channels, but this morning I had no promotions again and no data.
The questions I was hoping someone would have answers to are the following:
1. Is there a listing of cable box codes anywhere so I can confirm that 083 is really the proper code for my box?
2. Does anyone know, or know where I might be able to find out, if Insight is passing through the TV Guide data, or if they are blocking parts or all of it?
3. Does the IR blaster really have to be the Panasonic blaster? I can order one, but I hate to waste the money if it won't make a difference.
4. If the IR blaster and TV Guide functionality are working, how long
should it take for the E85H to stop changing channels every couple minutes? Do I need to let it run this process for more than 12 to 16 hours I have tried? I know it may take longer for data to download, but the constant channel changing the next day makes watching TV unbearable.
Thanks in advance.
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mrbill2
Newbie
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25. May 2007 @ 01:52 |
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my unit e85h decided to go u99 on me... this is the 2nd time. 1st time unit would crash when trying to burn a dvd. I felt that was ok, HDD still worked so I can live with it. But today it looks really messed up.
I tried the open/close, <<back and time slip to reset the defaults.
Unit will reset. clock flashes 12:00
Power on the unit I hear the HDD unpark, the dvd drive runs for a second (No disc in drive) and then it says "test * L1" on the lcd screen. It sits there for about 20 seconds and then it goes to u99.
This really hurts as the HD has the last 3 episodes of 24 on it...
I have not tried to do a firmware upgrade. I have been hesitant to do that beacuse I bought this unit from best buy and I bought the 4 year extended warranty.
Since best buy does not cary anything close, I think if I take it to them, they will just refund my money and toss my unit. I really like the panasonics edit features! I would hate to loose it.
Any Ideas what my problem might be. Any ideas on how to get it back to working?
I am pretty sure there are no good replacement options. I recently purchased a toshiba rd-xs35. Its an intersting unit, but I don't think it has the edit features that panasonic has.
This message has been edited since posting. Last time this message was edited on 25. May 2007 @ 01:55
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wre46
Newbie
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25. May 2007 @ 05:55 |
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I have the exact same problem. I actually drop my unit off with my local TV guru and am waiting for his response. When I get the verdict, I'll post the results.
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RX7Fan
Member
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25. May 2007 @ 10:52 |
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Mr Bill2
firmware upgrade should not hurt the stuff on the drive(24 episodes), and shouldn't hurt the warranty (not 100% positive on that though)
RX7 Fan
Rotary Power, ... it just makes sense!
The greatest car ever built!!! IMHO
hey, ... is this thing on? ..... anybody out there?
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luvshisex
Junior Member
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25. May 2007 @ 20:45 |
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Originally posted by jtornone:
I went to download the firmware from Panasonics website for my E85H. When i go to download it it says the name of the file is dmr-e55.exe I'm fairly sure this is the wrong file. Is there someplace else i can download the correct firmware from panasonic?
Try googling "The Great DMR-E85H Snafu" and read on that page for the firmware from the Japanese site. Works like a charm with NO issues. There have been at least one fw updates posted on Panny's NA site since I burned the J firmware to a cd and stuck it in. I have not tried them b/c I was afraid I would be unable to go back to the J firmware, and becuase I have not had any reason to change (knock on wood).
For the lazy ones out there, I even hunted the link to the most-excellent "SNAFU" page for ya! The Japanese firmware is on it but don't just kype the file and run, it is an interesting read and the author went to some trouble to create the page. FW is a couple(?) years old but is what I would recommend, at least for all North American boxes.
[url=http://www.dxcc.com/dmr-e85h.htm][/url]
Use mostly Verbatim & the HP Lightscribe type discs now, no bad burns, no problems with 16x media. <SMILES>
This message has been edited since posting. Last time this message was edited on 25. May 2007 @ 21:02
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luvshisex
Junior Member
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25. May 2007 @ 20:58 |
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Here you go KeatonBri, hope this helps ya out...
The questions I was hoping someone would have answers to are the following:
1. Is there a listing of cable box codes anywhere so I can confirm that 083 is really the proper code for my box?
Dunno about a separate listing but you should still be able to download the manual in .pdf format from Panasonic. It will have them.
2. Does anyone know, or know where I might be able to find out, if Insight is passing through the TV Guide data, or if they are blocking parts or all of it?
Call them and speak to a tech (not customer service).
3. Does the IR blaster really have to be the Panasonic blaster? I can order one, but I hate to waste the money if it won't make a difference.
IR-Blasters are almost universally a generic dumb device. If the plug fits and it seems to work, it works.
4. If the IR blaster and TV Guide functionality are working, how long
should it take for the E85H to stop changing channels every couple minutes? Do I need to let it run this process for more than 12 to 16 hours I have tried? I know it may take longer for data to download, but the constant channel changing the next day makes watching TV unbearable.
It'll never stop ol' bud. Your options are to live with it <YUCK!>, run coax directly into the Panny from a splitter, or do what most of us do and just turn the thing on when watching tv. You can change the settings for auto-off to six or eight hours (forget which) so it doesn't annoy you by shutting of while you are watching. BTW, sometimes you can run a separate coax feed to the Panny and it will still pick up the digital channels (in the TVGoS I mean, you can't watch 'em that way but if you have the cable box running into the S-video (etc.) ports it might not matter). That would p'raps be an option to leaving the Panny on all the time, although mine has been on whenever I've watched tv since the day I brought it home. Just seems easier to have it running in case I want to quick-record or set up a future recording or something.
This message has been edited since posting. Last time this message was edited on 25. May 2007 @ 21:05
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mrbill2
Newbie
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25. May 2007 @ 21:41 |
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thanks for all the info. I will next look into updating the firmware.
Luckily, I was able to get it out of the test * L1 = u99 loop!!
Not exactly sure how I did it, but I think it went like this:
1: unplugged the unit for a few minutes.
2: plugged it back in and it flashes 12:00
3: hit the power on on the unit.
4: when it said test * L1 on the screen, I held down the channel up and channel down to force it it to shutdown.
here is where I am not sure what else I did..
I either unplugged it again and then used the open/close +time slip+ <<back.
Or I simply powered on the unit.
the unit came up showing channel 1 in the status box.(On a previous occasion I left it there and it eventually went to u99)
This time I hit direct navigation as soon I got the status box and went to the stored shows. I was able to watch them, but erase/edit would not work (I wanted increase free space it was at about 75% used). At that point I powered down the unit. I might have unplugged it again(not sure).
I powered it up again and this time I let it sit on channel 1 on the status box. But it did not go u99 on me. I think it went into setup mode. I set the zip and cable info. I was able to change channels and delete shows. I shut the unit down and it found the correct time. About 18 hours later I turned it back and It allowed me to pick the channel lineup for my area. Lets see if the tv guide populates now. If I feel really brave, I will see if the dvd wants to burn again.(putting a blank in made it go u99)
Hopefully this might help someone.
I had a thought and maybe a moderator or one of the original posters might be able to help.. I think it might be a good idea for someone to modify the 1st messages in this thread to add pointers to important posts like see xyz's message on page xx on downloading firmware. 58 pages is an awful lot to look through. Especially when you not sure if the hint posted in 2005 on page 2 should be superseded my the hint on page 55 posted in 2007.
Maybe someone could post a FAQ on what to try 1st before you do something really stupid on the u99 problem...
This message has been edited since posting. Last time this message was edited on 25. May 2007 @ 21:45
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cal401
Junior Member
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26. May 2007 @ 09:04 |
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mrbill2,
Are you familiar with VideoBob's "power down and unplug" proceedure? If not have a look at page 42. You can frequently get out of trouble and not loose your setup information by using it. Do you know about the "753159852 screens"?
I had a U99 loop similar to yours and was eventually able to break out of it by "power down and unplug". The thing that seemed to be key to breaking the loop was to power off the machine as soon as the TV picture showed up on the TV and BEFORE the guide screen tried to display. I posted a long message about it on page 52.
It's too bad that the old timers have moved on. VideoBob was a great resource.
A friend of mine recently purchased a DMR-E75. So far I guess he's happy with it. I'll have to get an update from him.
Cal
Cal 8571x
This message has been edited since posting. Last time this message was edited on 26. May 2007 @ 09:08
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handyguy2
Junior Member
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26. May 2007 @ 09:18 |
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Has anyone figured out how to mark your program point on a Panasonic HD recorder?
You're watching a film & you want to mark that spot so that you can return to it. I can't figure it out. It was easy on my non Hd recorder.
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