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Motorola DCT3416

4126 Views 5 Replies 3 Participants Last post by bd1, Dec 30, 2008

Crazyjake

Discussion Starter · Dec 29, 2008

I have a Motorola DCT 3416 (it was a used box I purchased). The reception was fine for the last year, but the PVR never worked. Recently my cable company reset the box, and since then it does not work at all. I have tried a "full factory reset" as well as a "hard drive reset/reformat", but when it restarts all I see is a "0" in the display. The cable company says the box will not accept a signal from them, and that it is a hardware issue.

Has anyone else experienced this? Would it be hard drive related? Can the hard drive be replaced, and if so can I go bigger than 160 GB? Where can I find the tool to open the back of the box (specialized screws of some sort)?

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bfdtv

· #2 · Dec 30, 2008

Motorola does not sell these STBs or DVRs to consumers in the United States. They sell those boxes exclusively to cable companies.

If you purchased a DCT3416, then in all likelhood, you purchased a stolen box. Virtually all the boxes sold on ebay and craiglist are stolen. With rare exception, cable companies will not support or activate stolen equipment.

Without a subscription, these Motorola DCT boxes are basically doorstops. To function, they have to download the appropriate software from the cable company. If you aren't renting the box from the cable company, then it may not be able to download that software.

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Crazyjake

Discussion Starter · #3 · Dec 30, 2008

The box has been set up on the system by my cable company (I'm in Canada), and was working fine for a year (although the PVR never worked). When it was recently reset by my cable company it will not come back on line, and they are saying it won't accept their download so it must be a hardware problem.

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bfdtv

· #4 · Dec 30, 2008

Quote:
Originally Posted by Crazyjake /forum/post/15409253

The box has been set up on the system by my cable company (I'm in Canada), and was working fine for a year (although the PVR never worked). When it was recently reset by my cable company it will not come back on line, and they are saying it won't accept their download so it must be a hardware problem.

Ok, that makes sense. Some cable providers in Canada do allow you to buy and use your own equipment.

I suppose it is possible the drive in the box is bad. You can replace the drive, but the DCT3416 is "hardwired" to support a maximum of 160GB. Even if you install a 500GB drive, it will only use 160GB.

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Crazyjake

Discussion Starter · #5 · Dec 30, 2008

Any idea what the bit is called to take the box apart, and where I could possibly find one? Do you think it could be something else other than hard drive failure? I still have power so am unsure what else it could be if it isn't software. Do they just use a standard SATA 3.5 hard drive?

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bd1

· #6 · Dec 30, 2008

0 on box display is usually just authentication failure, box not recognized by the cableco. they may need to recheck service codes on their end to match subscribed services on your account. dvr failure could also be related - mismatched codes (unless you got explicit msg stating drive failure.) if all that fails then could be bad firmware/hardware on box BUT very unlikely that it could be fixed by user so i'd hold off on taking it apart - drive also NOT expandable for Moto boxes, 3416 limited to 160gb.

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