DVR-540HX-S Typical Pioneer DVR HDD Repair Instructions
- June 4, 2024
- Pioneer
Table of Contents
Typical Pioneer DVR HDD Repair Instructions
DVR-540HX-S Typical Pioneer DVR HDD Repair
You do not need to have the exact model match of the hard drive to match the
one in your Pioneer DVR: any hard drive will work. Pioneer DVD/HDD models made
prior to 2007 can accept your new hard drive (after 2007, the HDD connection
changed from EIDE to SATA). HOWEVER: Do be aware that you will need a Pioneer-
Sony Service Remote and Service I.D. Data Disc to “mate” your new hard drive
to the new recorder (even another Pioneer VR). Genuine service remotes are
impossible to find, but generic clones are available from remote control
dealers, eBay, and Amazon. Clones of the Sony version (model J6090203A) are
less expensive and easier to find than clones of the Pioneer version (model
GGF1381). You can also use a programmable Harmony Remote.
The service DVD is available from the site PioneerFaq website, contact Hakan
via the email link and he can provide a download option after a small donation
for site expenses.
There are three different service discs ( or more! ), so you’ll need the
correct one for your model.( Pioneers sold between 2002 – 2005 use the GGV1302
Type 1 disc, the 2006 and later models like 540 and 550H need the GGV1305 Type
2 disc, and the older models use the GGV 1175 / 1279 disk).
- Remove the HDD from your Pioneer DVR and set it aside.
- Install your new hard drive in your Pioneer DVR.
- Power up your Pioneer DVR, and it will flash “HDD ERR” or “CPRM ERR” on the front panel as well as your TV screen. This means you need to reset the CPRM code on the HDD from the current code to the code the Pioneer DVR unit expects. Look on the rear panel for a secondary small white label with a nine-digit code number, it’s located near the fan or the AC socket. Write down the nine digits.
- On your service remote, press ESC and then STEREO. Service mode will activate and a service display will appear on your TV. Enter the nine-digit number you wrote down using the service remote number keys, then press STOP.
- Press ESC and STEREO again, enter the nine-digit number again and press SEARCH. **** During steps 4 and 5, you MAY need to enter the CPRM number twice. A lot of people don’t realize this and get stuck. You hit ESC+STEREO, enter your ID code number, then press STOP, then ESC+STER a second time, then enter the same number a second time, then press SEARCH (instead of STOP).
- The recorder will ask for the ID Data Service Disc. Load the service disc and close the tray. After a moment, your TV should display “Rom Write OK!”
- Press CLEAR on the service remote. The recorder will exit service mode. Remove the service disc BUT DO NOT CLOSE THE TRAY. Turn the recorder off by the front button, and the disk ray will close itself. Wait a moment, and turn the power back on. Your Pioneer DVR should load the hard drive contents and work normally with no ERR alerts from this point on. When you press the HDD Nav button on the normal remote, it should display the contents of the hard drive normally and let you burn DVDs from it.
**** In step 7, be careful NOT TO CLOSE THE DISC TRAY after removing the
service disc.
Just take out the disc and turn off the power, the recorder will close the
tray by itself. If you close the tray by hand before turning off the power,
the entire CPRM process can get corrupted resulting in HDD ERR, meaning you
have to start the whole thing over. (If your TV displays Rom Write NG! instead
of Rom Write OK! in step 6, don’t panic. Sometimes the recorder trips over
itself, or you enter the nine digits in the wrong order and have to start the
CPRM process over again. It nearly always “takes” the second time around.)
You can also clone 2 hard drives and put back the original hard drive that
came in your Pioneer DVR. Returning the original HDD does not involve using
the service tools. When you power up after the swap, the new hard drive should
be recognized as the original hard drive as if it had never been removed.
This doc is much more complicated to describe in words than it is to actually
do, it only takes about 2 minutes to reprogram your Pioneer DVR to work in
another Pioneer DVR or rescue a failing hard drive.
You can always keep one of the two HDDs as a spare for emergencies.
@ParkerBros
References
Read User Manual Online (PDF format)
Read User Manual Online (PDF format) >>