Dish 501 DP501 Hard Disk Drive Failure error code 0457 or 311
Does your Dish 501 display this hard drive error?
If you have a Dish 501 receiver that reports a hard drive error you may be able to get it running again with the following procedure, note this is not a fix.
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Turn your Dish 501 off and unplug the power cord for a minute or two.
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Plug the unit back in and hold the power button on the Dish DP501 receiver for 10 seconds.
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Pull out the Dish Smart Card and then put it back in your Dish 501
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Turn on your Dish 501 receiver and hopefully it will start normally and give you access to your DVR programs. I don't know how many times this will work but it will get us through until we get our refurbished Dish 501 receiver.
Why the Dish Network technical support person couldn't suggest this same procedure is beyond me. I would also like to note that the fact that we called several times during the year for corrupt PVR programs on our Dish 501 made no difference. I wish I had found this tip on the internet as any google search of Dish 501 Hard Drive Failure prompts many tips like this to get your Dish 501 going again.
I could have saved the hassle and $14.95 Others paid up to $80.00 for refurbished Dish Network DP501 Receivers. Sorry for them I guess
Our Dish DP501 had this hard drive error and we called Dish Network and got the run around. In the end we got a refurbished Dish 501 receiver for $14.95 but read on and you'll see that you may not need to have your Dish 501 replaced. I should start by stating that I've been a Dish Network customer for five years paying $80.00 per month for ALL the channels including local. This to me should represent a steady stream of revenue for Dish Network. A year ago our old Dish Network receiver died so I called Dish Network to see if they would send me a new receiver. No luck but they did sell me the Dish DP501 for $200.00 which seemed reasonable. We've enjoyed the Dish 501 but have had several problems with corrupt programs on the hard drive and the usual Dish Network problem where you have to pull the smart card out and put it back in. Many calls to Dish Network support and no help, just the usual delete the programs or pull the smart card etc. Finally a year and a month later we see the error A serious problem has been detected with your hard disk drive, error code: 0457 Great I figure, finally something that will cause Dish Network to replace this defective DP501 receiver. My wife calls Dish Network technical support and is told our unit is five years old. She informs them we got our Dish 501 last year and the rep says well you should have gotten the service plan because your out of warranty. First we were never told about a service plan and second for $5.99 per month if you add it up its not worth the cost of the unit.
I pay Dish Network $80.00 per month for their service. They really should not be requiring purchase of their units at all. When I bought my Dish 501 I had no option of cable TV with a hard drive. Now I do and guess what CABLE TV IS CHEAPER THAN DISH! My wife calls me upset at work about the situation. I call Dish Network technical support. I immediately ask for a supervisor and the rep asks why. I inform her of the situation she says she'll be right back. She comes back, informs me no manager is available to talk but I can either buy the warranty at $5.99 per month or else pay $39.99 for a refurbished Dish DP501 receiver. I tell her I can get both Cable TV and Direct TV cheaper and she goes to talk to another manager. Finally she says they'll send out a refurbished Dish 501 if I pay shipping of $14.95 I agree. We decide we'll use the replacement Dish 501 receiver until we have problems. and then drop Dish Network and get cable TV. Hopefully by then we'll have a HDTV and can get some sort of new cable box. While waiting for the replacement I got my Dish 501 receiver to work using the steps below. Hopefully it works for you.
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