Apple TV freezing immediately after startup

Question

Apple TV freezing immediately after startup

Hi, I've been away for a fortnight and suddenly my Apple TV no longer works. It starts up as normal and shows the startup video clip, then it displays the menu with "Top Movies" selected, however it doesn't display any movie thumbnails above the menu like it used to. The remote won't do anything at this stage (except the white light on the Apple TV flashes when a button is pressed).

Then after 4 minutes 20 secs (same time every time) the Apple TV restarts by itself and comes up with the language choice and then the recovery screen. I ran the diagnostics check and it said it's working correctly. The remote works at this point.

If I then choose to restart the startup clip displays and then it freezes exactly as before.

Using "IP Scanner" I can see that it's on the network and I can ping it. However it doesn't show up as a device in iTunes and I can't connect to it with Remote app on my iPhone.

It's running the latest Apple TV OS, though at the moment I have no way of finding out what that version is right now as it freezes!

I live in the UK - could it be possible that it's trying to display a movie thumbnail that's causing it too freeze? I've had this problem with a video in My Movies that I encoded using VisualHub.

I'd rather not do a factory restore at this stage because I've changed the original 40GB HD to 120GB and had problems doing a factory restore when I last had problems with it over a year ago.

Many thanks in advance for any suggestions

Tim

iBook G4, Mac OS X (10.5.8)

Posted on Jun 14, 2010 3:32 PM

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Answer 1

capaho

Level 4

3,677 points

Jun 14, 2010 4:51 PM in response to Tim Pentreath

The problem you describe may be the result of hardware failure, particularly since it seems to follow a specific pattern. I doubt that it's related to movie thumbnails, and I don't believe the ATV diagnostics report is particularly accurate.

About the only thing you can do to rule out hardware failure is a factory restore, which you've expressed reluctance about. If there are any system file errors that resulted from your DIY hard drive replacement and OS reinstall, that would be about the only way to resolve them.

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Answer 2

Aug 3, 2010 9:30 AM in response to Tim Pentreath

Tim

Word for word you describe the same trouble I'm having, so I wondered if you came to any conclusion.

I have restored the ATV again but if it freezes one more time I'm going to have to replace it.

Joe

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Answer 3

Aug 3, 2010 9:37 AM in response to Tim Pentreath

Since you say it doesn't show up in iTunes, you might want to try re-pairing it with your library.

In terms of the freezing issue, I'd be inclined to pull all the cables for 30 seconds, restart the router and if you have the opportunity try it with component cables,

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Answer 4

Aug 3, 2010 9:58 AM in response to Winston Churchill

Winston

No, it doesn't show up in iTunes when it freezes. To rectify I have had to do a factory restore (restart option doesn't correct the problem and diagnostics says it's working normally), re-connect to iTunes and re-sync everything, just like it's a new unit.

Rebooting by reconnecting the power supply also does not unfreeze it either. Not sure what you mean by this:

...try it with component cables.

At the moment it's working ok, but I'm thinking it's frozen three times now so it's likely to happen again, and I would like not to have to replace it until and if a newer version comes out.

Joe

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Answer 5

Aug 3, 2010 10:31 AM in response to Joe Cowley

Joe, my response was made in respect of the OP's issue which doesn't appear to be the same as yours. Your tv might be overheating, it may be exhibiting early signs of failure or it may freeze as a result of its connection to another device. The suggestion to try using the tv with component cables was to eliminate possible connection problem areas such as HDMI.

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Answer 6

Aug 3, 2010 11:07 AM in response to Winston Churchill

Sorry about that Win, but thanks for replying anyway.

It IS hot, but looking through other posts it would seem to be normal for ATV. (AaMoI, where did you get the avatar from and can it be stored in Fonts? - just curious).

By component do you mean a cable with three different coloured plug-ins?

I was leaning towards early sign of hardware failure, but because it works normally for awhile after a factory restore, perhaps as you suggest there's a faulty cable or a software glitch.

Joe

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Answer 7

Aug 3, 2010 1:25 PM in response to Joe Cowley

It IS hot, but looking through other posts it would seem to be normal for ATV.

It does get hotter than you might expect without it being a problem, heat is dissipated through the casing, the bit you need to watch for is the ambient air temperature, if the heat is unable to escape because it is an excessively warm environment or it is placed in a cabinet, problems can occur. However in such circumstances it seems that the unit doesn't restart properly straight away, ie it seems to need to cool, and it also seems that this doesn't necessitate a restore.

(AaMoI, where did you get the avatar from and can it be stored in Fonts? - just curious).

, this one. (shift + alt + K)

By component do you mean a cable with three different coloured plug-ins?

Yes

I was leaning towards early sign of hardware failure, but because it works normally for awhile after a factory restore, perhaps as you suggest there's a faulty cable or a software glitch.

May or may not be, but it's possible, so I'd tend to try it myself.

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Answer 8

capaho

Level 4

3,677 points

Aug 3, 2010 6:18 PM in response to Joe Cowley

I was leaning towards early sign of hardware failure, but because it works normally for awhile after a factory restore....

If the system freezes frequently, like once a day or more often, it probably is a symptom of hardware failure, possibly the hard drive. If it's still under warranty, take it to an Apple store or call AppleCare.

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Answer 9

Aug 10, 2010 5:57 AM in response to capaho

My tv froze again last night after being perfectly ok for a week. It froze when I moved from Standby to Movies.
I have restored it again but am still puzzled by it's behaviour.

Joe

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Answer 10

capaho

Level 4

3,677 points

Aug 10, 2010 7:18 AM in response to Joe Cowley

As I mentioned previously, a common cause of frequent system freeze is a failing hard drive. If your ATV is still under warranty, you should take it to an Apple store or contact AppleCare about having it replaced.

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Answer 11

Aug 10, 2010 9:35 AM in response to capaho

Unfortunately the warranty has expired so I was trying to explore any other reasons for freezing before I replaced it. Looks like the only eventual option!

Thank you for your interest and replies.

Joe

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Answer 12

capaho

Level 4

3,677 points

Aug 10, 2010 6:13 PM in response to Joe Cowley

A failing hard drive is a likely cause, but it could also be the result of a problem on the logic board. Some authorized Apple resellers will repair out-of-warranty products for a fee. If there is one near you, you might contact them regarding an estimate.

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Answer 13

Aug 15, 2010 1:54 AM in response to capaho

Horrors, Horrors!!!!

I decided to buy a new tv and low and behold it too has frozen!

So, I'm thinking that maybe by transferring media from iTunes there is something in there causing it to freeze.

I have restored the tv and will only stream content for the time being.

Joe

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Answer 14

Aug 31, 2010 11:24 AM in response to Joe Cowley

Forgot to watch this thread and have just come back to it after my Apple TV froze again...
I copied the original HD image to my 120GB drive (a factory restore failed) and it worked fine until another period of inactivity, probably about a week. Now it's doing exactly the same thing as before - ie. the same symptoms as Joe has.

Time to try a factory restore / reinstall again 😟

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Answer 15

Aug 31, 2010 11:53 AM in response to Tim Pentreath

At least this time the factory restore worked fine (back to v2.0 mind!) so this time I'm syncing everything except movies since it seemed to freeze whilst try to display my movie thumbnails...

Fingers crossed!

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