How to Troubleshoot your DVR/Receivers

If you're having trouble with your receivers, as listed below, scroll down to find steps to resolve them. For Wireless TV Receiver help, check out our Wireless Receiver Solution page. 

• Receiver resets

• Loss of recordings

• Pixilation

• Freezing

• Gear/ Cog, Red X, Client Unprovisioned, or Client Initialization Error

Rebooting the receiver is the quickest way to resolve most service issues:

• Press and hold the power button(located on the left side of the receiver) for 10 seconds.

• Unplugging the power cord from the wall outlet for 10 seconds is another option.

Surge Protectors

Is the receiver plugged into a surge protector? It may be causing: 

• unwanted receiver resets

• loss of recordings

• pixilation

• freezing

• complete failure of the receiver

Plugging the receiver into a wall outlet, in some instances, can resolve most picture disruption issues. If you must use a power strip, use the surge protectors that are designed for high powered electronics.

Receiver Connections

Make sure all connections (wall to receiver, receiver to TV) are placed firmly into the receiver. 

Note: If you are using a 3rd party switch to connect the receivers, remove it and test. Some switches have been known to interfere with the signal.

To avoid losing your saved programs, perform the Non-Disaster Recovery for DVR/Receivers:

1. Unplug the receiver or DVR power cord from the wall or back of the box.

2. Wait 10 seconds.

3. Plug in the receiver and DVR.

4. When three white dots appear on the screen, unplug the receiver/DVR again.

5. Repeat this process two more times.

6. Plug the receiver/DVR back in on the third time and leave in. Three white dots appear followed by a gear with a status bar at the bottom of the screen. If the Recovery screen does not appear, repeat the steps above.

If you are still experiencing issues with your DVR after that, perform a Disaster Recovery on the device.

Disaster Recovery for DVR/Receivers:
WARNING!: Disaster Recovery steps will cause your DVR to lose all pre-existing data such as: Recordings, Parental control settings, and aspect ratio settings.                                                                                                 

1. Using the above image as guidance, hold down the Down arrow key + OK key +Power key outlined in red at the same time to power down the DVR.

2. Continue pressing these keys until a gear appears on the screen and release the Down arrow + OK keys.

3. If the gear on the TV screen appears, wait until completion.

4. If the gear on the TV screen does not appear, repeat the disaster recovery process. 

AT&T Community Specialist