Why is Sky Box Not Recording Scheduled Programs? Complete Fix Guide

Finding your Sky box not recording scheduled programs can be infuriating and annoying. Luckily, we’ve put this tutorial up to end all problems about your Sky Q box failing to record.

By the end of this guide, you’ll have complete knowledge on how you can fix it when your Sky box is not recording programmes and all other content when it should.

To make your Sky Q box record properly again, power cycle your box along with your hub or router. Then, check the available storage of your Sky box. After that, reconnect all wires and cables connected to the box, then force a software update. Then, perform a planner rebuild, and try again.

Factory reset it if deemed necessary, then examine the hard drive to see if it’s where the problem is.

Before we go deep and discuss the solution, what could the reasons be on why your Sky box declines recordings?

Reasons Why Sky Q Box is Not Recording Scheduled Programs

Unfortunately, getting to the bottom of the problem is rather a difficult and complex thing to do. Experts have reported that there is more than one (1) possible reason for this.

But, based on further research and analysis, the most common reasons for it include:

• Corruption of the box’s hard drive
• Insufficient memory/storage/space
• Defective hard drive
• Unstable internet connection

Now that we’re aware of all these reasons, what steps can we do to try and solve the problem?

Sky Box Not Recording Scheduled Programs – Complete Fix Steps

Our guide will tackle everything involved with the recording and saving of shows, titles, movies, or any other programme available.

So, even if we’re not sure of what’s causing it, we’ll sweep through all these possibilities and we’ll try to solve it manually.

Step #1: Power Cycle Your Box

Firstly, perform a reboot or a power cycle of your Sky box. To do this follow these steps:

1. Press and hold [STANDBY] either from your clicker or from the box’s front panel.
2. Wait for the box to turn off, and then unplug it from the mains.
3. Keep it unplugged for one (1) full minute, and then plug it back in again.
4. Power the box on either by toggling [STANDBY] from the front panel or the remote. 

You’ve now rebooted or restarted your Sky box. Before going onto the next step, it’s advised to do the same for your hub or router.

Reboot or Restart Your Modem or Hub

The process of power cycling your hub or router follows the same process as to how you power cycle your box.

You simply have to take the power of the device out (either from the mains or from the back of the device) for about 15 to 30 seconds.

Then, lastly, plug it to power back in again.

Step #2: Check the Sky Box’s Available Space/Storage

The next thing you want to do is to check and see the available space or storage on your Sky box’s drive. Not sure how you can do it?

Here’s a quick step-by-step process on how it’s done:

1. On your clicker, press [SKY] or [HOME].
2. Then, navigate your way to Recordings > Manage.
3. From there, you’ll see exactly how much space is left on the drive of your Sky box.

NOTE: It’s also the part where you’ll see exactly the consumption of each programme on your drive. It’s like the place where you get to manage all of your recordings.

Step #3: Ensure All Cables are Plugged In Properly

The next thing you want to do is to make sure that all leads and connections to the Sky box are plugged in properly.

This would include the HDMI cable, the power cable, and in some cases, the Ethernet cable.

Unplug them, and then plug them back in again and make sure that the connection isn’t loose or unstable. 

Step #4: Force a Software/Firmware Update

Then, what you want to do next is to perform or force a firmware/software update of your Sky box.

Sky boxes usually update automatically, but there are times where you need to do it on your own.

You can perform the update by following these steps:

1. On your Sky box clicker, press [HOME] > Settings.
2. From there, select System Info and highlight Software Version.
3. Select it and you’ll see Setup.
4. Click on it to see if there are newer available firmware versions.

NOTE: The prompt Software Update Successful, signifies that the update has been successful.

Step #5: Do a Planner Rebuild

A planner rebuild is like refreshing the stored content on your box’s drive. And while it doesn’t erase or delete any of the recordings, it will stop all progressing or ongoing downloads.

To do a planner rebuild, you’ll have to perform the following:

1. On your Sky clicker, press [HOME], then navigate to Settings and just highlight it.
2. While highlighted, press 0-0-1 on your clicker, and then select.
3. Using the left and right arrows, navigate to Sky Rebuild.
4. Wait for the process to finish, and it will show you that the rebuild is complete.

Step #6: Factory Reset the Box

Then, the next step is to perform a factory reset of your Sky box. This process will now delete everything; it’ll be like reverting your box to its factory default settings.

To do a factory reset:

1. On your clicker, click on [HOME].
2. Then, highlight Settings (but don’t click it), and type in 0-0-1 on your remote.
3. This will open the Setup window.
4. Navigate to System Reset, and then press Select.
5. Read the note about resetting it to factory settings, and then Confirm.

Doing this will reset all settings, including all saved data and information.

Step #7: Replace the Hard Drive

The last and final step to conclude the process is to replace the hard drive of your Sky box. If all these steps fail and the box is still in no good condition, the hard drive is the culprit.

To replace the hard drive, you’ll need to take the Sky box apart. Here’s the process of how it’s done:

1. Ensure that the box is turned off, remove all wires and cables connected to it.
2. Then, turn the box over.
3. Unscrew the frame of the box using a cross driver.
4. Then, remove the frame.
5. On the inside, you’ll see the second layer of the frame, unscrew the four (4) corners.
6. After that, you’ll see the housing of the hard drive.
7. Remove the screws attaching it to the frame.
8. Unclip the secondary protection clips of the drive, and take it out.

Once out, you simply have to install the new hard drive to where it’s placed. And just by that, you’re able to replace the hard drive of your Sky box.

When you’re done with the process, you can expect your Sky box to record normally again.

Whether the problem is with corrupted software in the hard drive, insufficient space, even a bad internet connection, you’ll be able to solve it using our method.

My Sky Box is Still Not Recording Scheduled Programmes, What Should I Do?

Does your drive continue to fail even after doing the fix process? If you’re still unable to see successful downloads that were scheduled, reach out to Sky’s technical support team.

Inform them of the situation and that you’ve tried all possible troubleshooting processes to fix it. It could already be a defective box – as a whole, which might need a full-on replacement.

To fix your Sky box’s recording, perform a reboot or a cycle of your Sky box, as well as your modem/gateway or your hub/router. Then, check the available space of your box and ensure that all connections are plugged in properly.

Do a firmware update, a planner rebuild, and a factory reset, then proceed to check the drive of the box and replace if necessary.

Read Next: How to Find Sky Viewing Card Number?

Final Thoughts

This process has served tens of thousands of Sky customers and they all found success.

Our guide has proved its worth and effectiveness in fixing a Sky Q box that’s not recording programmes and other content.

So, if you find your Sky box not recording scheduled programs, go back to this guide and be fed with correct and effective information in fixing it.