Haven't touched Apple TV in months, now it's not working.

[mrat93]

So I started to unhook my Apple TV from my home theater closet so I can sell it. I haven't used it in months.

After everything is unhooked, I realized that I should restore it, update the firmware, etc...

Since it would take forever to hook everything back up in my home theater closet, I hooked it up in my bedroom. It used to be connected via component cables, now i hooked it up via HDMI.

Now, the Apple TV shows a blinking amber light, with nothing on the screen. I followed Apple's directions to reset and restore, but it seems impossible because I can't see anything on the screen. Has anybody else had this issue? Thanks.

 

[mrat93]

Sorry to post again, but I want to try to sell my Apple TV before the September 1 event. Does ANYBODY have any suggestions on what I could do? Is it possible to restore it by directly plugging into a computer? Thanks.

 

[neonmd]

Just came home tonight to find mine in the same condition. I use it frequently. Best I can tell after working with it for a while the hard drive is shot. Don't know there is much you can do. Mine is still under warranty but I may wait to see what happens Tuesday before I return it.

 

[HobeSoundDarryl]

This problem usually means that the hard drive has conked out. I've been there a few times myself. Remember the TV is an "always on" device- just because you don't use it for months doesn't mean photos are not streaming by continuously 365/24/7, unless you go to the extra step to put it in "standby" mode.

A good solution is to go on ebay and buy one of the TV hard drive replacement. There's a guy there that sells 320gb replacement drives for around $120, and that works good. I've done it a few times with my own TVs. They come ready to go (software on board). You just replace the bad drive and you end up with a fresh toy.

Else, you can try to sell it "as is", but I doubt you'll get much for what appears to the buyer to be a broken TV.

Yes, I know that $120 is more than $99- the rumored price of a new iTV- but if you do get the TV working again, it can always be used elsewhere in the home (as mine will be used).