Should you find your favourite Sky recordings not working, don’t fret! Because, in this tutorial, we’ll be walking you through the steps of solving it!
So, before you contract Sky and threaten them with all retribution, try our guide out first!
We’ll give you a complete breakdown of what’s causing this to happen, what you can do to fix it permanently, as well as tips to avoid it in the future!
To solve the problem of your Sky recordings not loading, first check with Sky if the programmes you’ve saved are still available. Then, perform a power cycle of the Sky box. After that, double-check if what you’ve saved is either SD or HD content and if your box is on the latest firmware. Conclude the process by performing a complete reset of the drive.
Before we dive right into the topic, let us first try to figure out what’s causing this to happen in the first place.
Why Are My Sky Recordings Not Showing?
There’s a heap of reasons as to why you see blank tiles/content when you try accessing your recordings. Luckily for you, we’ve been able to get to the root of this!
The most common reasons why you aren’t finding anything when you access your recordings include:
- Sky problems (network outage)
- The programme you saved have been removed (licensing rights)
- You’re accessing downloaded HD content without an HD package
- Overloaded hard drive
- Corrupted content on the drive
It seems a lot to take in, yes, but don’t worry – we’ll guide you through this! By the end of this guide, you’ll no longer have to worry about getting this error again in the future!
Sky Recordings Not Working – Complete Fix
We’ll try to sweep through every possible cause of this problem. This is so you don’t need to go back in case one thing works and the following doesn’t.
Step #1: Check if the Programme is Still Available
There are certain shows and programmes available on Sky that change and modify their licensing rights.
What this means is, if you’ve recorded a programme or a LIVE show and the rights were changed, it can be removed from the system, and therefore, it wouldn’t work or it wouldn’t appear on your recordings.
NOTE: This can happen even randomly or if you don’t delete your recordings.
To check this, contact Sky’s customer service department and ask about your recording.
It would be helpful to give them the information about the programme or show such as:
- What show or programme it is
- Date of when you recorded it
Step #2: Power Cycle or Restart the Sky Box
After that, what you want to do next is to perform a power cycle or a restart of the Sky box. As we all know, power cycling has done wonders in the world of technology.
So, to power cycle your Sky box, follow these steps:
- Press [STANDBY] on your clicker.
- When it’s turned off, go to your Sky box and turn it off.
- Unplug it from power.
- You can unplug it either from the wall outlet or at the back of the box.
- Wait for two (2) to three (3) minutes.
- Plug it back in again and turn it on.
NOTE: if it’s happening to multiple boxes, do the same for all units. When you plug the cable back in again, ensure that it’s plugged in tightly/securely.
Step #3: Ensure That You Have an HD Package if You’re Accessing HD Content
Now that you’ve turned it back on, check under what subscription you are in. A lot of times, people forget what subscription they have, which adds to the problem/dilemma.
If you have recorded or saved HD shows, LIVE content, or programmes and you don’t have a Q HD subscription, it really would not work for Sky Signature HD content.
But, if you’ve recorded over-the-air (OTA) shows and programmes, it will load up and work.
Should this be the case, you want to change your download preferences from HD to SD.
You can do that by following these steps:
- Click [HOME] on your Sky controller.
- From there, select Settings > Setup.
- Once inside Setup, you want to click and select Preferences.
- Locate the option that asks you for the definition/quality of the download and change it to SD.
Doing this will let the system know that you just want to download SD or standard quality for all the shows you are going to record (OTA or signature).
Step #4: Update Your Sky Box’s Firmware
Once done, we now have to ensure that your Sky box’s firmware is up to date.
Most users reported that an outdated firmware/software of their Sky box was the reason behind many errors – including not being able to load recordings.
So, update the firmware of your Sky box by following these steps:
- Access your Sky box and go to Settings > System Info.
- Once there, highlight Software Version and then choose Setup.
- If your firmware is outdated, you should see Software Download as an option.
- Click on it and wait for the box to fully update.
- When it gives you the confirmation, press [STANDBY] on your clicker and restart the box.
NOTE: The firmware update for Sky boxes happens automatically most of the time. The only time it wouldn’t update is when the box has been disconnected for a long time.
Step #5: Reset the Box’s Hard Drive
Last, but most definitely not least is to perform a reset of your Sky box’s hard drive.
The issue could be because the box had interrupted downloading sessions, causing the file to be corrupted.
Moreover, a problem with a particular content could have transpired, which makes the error come up/appear.
How to Hard Reset Your Sky Box’s Hard Drive?
The Reset setting on the box refers to resetting the unit as a whole. However, resetting only the hard drive requires a different process.
Here’s how to do it:
- On your Sky clicker, press [HOME].
- Then, highlight Settings and press 0-0-1 on your remote; press Select.
- A prompt should appear, asking you if you want to push the reset.
- Choose Reset > Reset Settings > Confirm.
- Wait for further instructions, which you’ll be shown on the screen.
What Happens When the Drive is Reset?
When you reset your hard drive, it will clear out all remote pairings setup.
In addition to that, it will also reset audio and visual settings, preferences, customized settings, accessibility, settings, and, of course – all saved recordings.
Once you’re finished with this 5-step process, all the future recordings you’ll do shall never have problems ever again!
How to Avoid Sky Recordings Not Working Problem in the Future?
To ensure that this doesn’t happen to you in the future, make sure that you’re accessing content that’s part of what your package is.
If it’s free over-the-air (OTA) content, make sure that the drive isn’t corrupted and that it’s working perfectly.
Also, make it a habit to reboot your box once (1) at least every two (2) weeks. This refreshes the drive and releases all congested data in the network.
Read Next: How to Fix Sky Q Error MR104 in Easy Steps?
Bottom Line
If your Sky recordings aren’t loading, ensure that your recordings are still available. Then, reboot or restart the Sky box/boxes. Also, check if you’re accessing HD content on an SD package, it wouldn’t work, unless the recordings are free OTA. Lastly, perform a reset of the hard drive.
Never have problems watching your favourite programmes, shows, and titles ever again!
The next time you find your Sky recordings not working, you can go back to this guide and have it fixed in a jiffy!
Don’t be afraid if you’re not technically well versed, we made our tutorial comprehensive so that it befits all Sky users who are bothered by this problem!
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.