Is your Sky Box stuck on initialising? It is not unusual for your TV to display the “your Sky box is still initialising…” message. Hence, there is no cause for alarm.
This guide sheds more light on the steps to take when you see this message on your TV screen.
Since 1988 when the first Sky Digibox was distributed to Sky UK users, its fundamental hardware reference design has been pretty much the same.
However, several generations of Sky Q and Sky+ HD boxes have been launched afterward. The introduction of Sky HD revolutionized the consumer market and made high-definition television more accessible.
The Sky box may have evolved, but users still experience a delay when using their device.
You may have encountered a situation where you are trying to watch/record your favorite show on Sky box and suddenly, you get this FYI notification that reads, “Your box is initialising”.
Please return in a short time to use this feature”. This annoying message may freeze your Sky box, thereby depriving you of precious TV time.
Sky Box Initialising
The Sky box displays the initialising message “Your Sky Box Is Still Initialising” when it is getting ready to function. During this temporal process, users will have to wait for some minutes before they can continue using the device.
The source of the delay can be traced to the viewing card, TV guide, and planner.
The message differs depending on the source. When the delay is from the TV guide and planner, the message reads, “Your box is still initialising, please return in a short time to use this feature.
Sky box frozen issue arises when the TV guide and planner are updating.
When the delay is from the viewing card, the message reads, “initialising a new viewing card, please wait”.
Sky box initializes when a new or replacement viewing card is inserted; if the device has been inactive for a long period; or when the card is removed and reinserted into the Sky box.
Another potential reason your Sky box is stuck on initialising mode could be your satellite dish. You may need to call the Sky box team to book an engineer if your satellite dish is the cause.
Why Is My Sky Box Frozen?
As we’ve stated earlier, the message, “Your box is still initialising…” is a good indicator that your Sky box is updating itself. So, is the reason behind your frozen box!
However, if the message on your screen is different, the steps below may be of no use. Don’t panic!
You can always search for official guides or comments on a particular error message using the error message lookup tool. Click on the link and you will be redirected to another page.
On that page, you can type the message on your screen into the “Please enter the on-screen message” box. Restrain from typing personal messages, as the tool is meant to help you find solutions to error messages.
If your Sky box is still initialising when you are trying to record, watch a show, or live pause, use the steps below.
How To Fix Sky Box Initialising
You can fix the ‘Sky box stuck on initialising’ issue with a restart or front panel reset.
Sky Box Restart
- Grab your Sky box remote control and tap ‘standby’. Then, put off or disconnect your Sky box at the mains socket.
- Ensure the Sky box is totally off and no light is visible on the front of the Sky box.
- Reconnect and put on your Sky box at the mains socket. Ensure the power light is on.
- After 4 minutes, tap ‘Sky’ to put on the Sky box.
Usually, this method solves the ‘Sky box initialising for ages’ problem and every feature should start working fine.
Since the TV Guide and Planner are the major cause of the initial problem, give them a few minutes before using the features.
To know if this method has resolved the ‘Sky box still initialising’ issue, please check whether you can:
- Access channels and Catch Up TV in line with your subscription plan.
- Pause a live channel.
- Play, pause, fast forward, and rewind a program.
- Record and download a program on your Sky box.
If the normal features are taking time to load, you may want to try the second method, the front panel reset.
Front Panel Reset
Unlike the simple restart, the front panel reset automatically and permanently wipes off your recordings, series links, downloads, and personalized data on completion.
Follow the steps below to perform the front panel reset.
- Put off the Sky box at the mains socket and ensure the power light is totally off.
- If you connected other devices like televisions, please put them on standby, and then put them off as well at the mains socket.
- There are two left and right buttons on the top of your Sky box. Press and hold both buttons.
- While holding down the buttons, put on the Sky box at the mains socket.
- Do not leave the buttons until you see the Sky panel LED flash. Then, tap the ‘select’ button on the Sky box.
You cannot use the Sky Q box when the front panel reset is not yet completed. It may take a few minutes to complete.
On completion, try to check if you can perform all the normal functions such as recording, viewing, live pause, fast-forwarding, and so on.
If you are still getting the “Your Sky+ HD box initialising please wait” message after performing the front panel reset, you should check the next section.
Reset Sky Viewing Card
When your Sky box is stuck on initialising after performing the front panel reset, your viewing card may be the major cause. The way forward is to reset your viewing card.
Let us now learn how to reset your viewing card to fix the initialising issue. The steps are as follows:
Step 1. Put off the Sky box by tapping ‘standby’ on the Sky remote control and disconnect the Sky box at the mains socket.
Step 2. Ensure the Sky box power light is no longer visible.
Step 3. Take out your viewing card from its space and check to see if there’s any physical damage or scratch. You should replace the card if it’s broken.
However, it is not unusual for a viewing card to have brown or yellow marks. The yellow or brown color does not call for replacement.
Step 4. After removing the viewing card, turn on the Sky box at the mains socket and wait for the power lights to come on.
Let the box be on standby for three minutes, then tap ‘Sky’ on the Sky remote. And select a Sky channel.
Step 5. Upon request, insert the viewing card into its slot and ensure the card chip is facing down. It may take a few minutes before you can use every Sky feature.
Conclusion
Sky box stuck on initialising can lead to frustrations. But it doesn’t mean that the issue can’t be resolved, and you need immediate Engineer support.
Apply the fix methods as mentioned above and you can fix this issue easily.
Read Next: Learn how to connect Sky Box to Wifi without the use of WPS button.
Finn Wheatley holds a Master’s Degree in Computer Science from UCL, London. He helped small data science consultancy firms, helping large corporations to grow their data capabilities, deploy advanced machine learning-based analytics and troubleshoot tech-related issues. Check out more about him here.