Settop box (DVR) freezes even after multiple reboots

Did you do a whole-home reboot?

Unplug everything.

Plug the gateway back in and wait for normal operations.

Plug the WAP back in and wait for normal operations.

Plug the DVR back in and wait for normal operations.

Plug receivers back in. Wait for normal operations on one before moving to another.

You can also try a hard boot on the gateway. This will reset your WiFi name/password to the default, but not delete anything else.

On the back of the gateway, there's a red(?) button. Press it for several seconds until the lights turn off, then release.

It could also be a case of a wire/coupling gone bad, in which case, new equipment wouldn't solve. I'd suggest running cat-6 cable from your gateway to the DVR.

The last time this happened, I did reboot the gateway. I guess I can try again. 

Ok, I tried this again, and the DVR is acting all wonky. I tried 'Performing recovery on the Device' from this post: https://forums.att.com/conversations/uverse-tv-equipment/how-to-troubleshoot-your-dvrreceivers/5defc0c9bad5f2f606bd8568#M59836

but each time I unplugged and replugged in the DVR it behaved in an unpredictable fashion, so I never could unplug and replug three times.

First time, it gave the three dots.

Second time, a gear showed on the screen, but then nothing happened.

Third time, the box didn't even react to being plugged in (no lights came on, no sound from the box).

Fourth time, the 'record' light came on dimly, but a 'No signal' message showed up. Nothing happened after that.

Fifth time, the 'record' and 'link' lights came on dimly, with a 'No signal' message. Nothing else.

Sixth time, the three dots showed up, so I tried unplugging.

Seventh time, nothing happened at all... no noise in the DVR, nothing ever happened.

Eighth time, after leaving the DVR unplugged for more than 2 minutes, the gear and progress bar showed up. Then two gears showed up. Then the three dots. Then a blue screen. Then 'No signal'. The the UVerse logo showed up. Then it started working. My bet is that it'll be temporary.

The DVR is now going only about 1.5 days between episodes of bad behavior.

Meanwhile, the wireless boxes (non-DVR) were all working fine during this circus.

I'm at a loss, and do believe that the DVR is gonzo.

If only there were some more sophisticated way to troubleshoot these things. (FWIW, trying the online troubleshooting did nothing but throw an error.)

Hi wearethephonecompany, we can help you troubleshoot your DVR to get it back to normal.

Thank you, baseballisback, for the helpful information.

Since the troubleshooting options you've tried so far haven't worked, we recommend that you run diagnostics with the Troubleshoot & Resolve Tool. It's more thorough than the reboot and recovery options, and you can even schedule a service call directly from the tool.

Give that a try and let us know if you need further assistance.

Aminah, AT&T Community Specialist

I tried the Troubleshoot & Resolve, but all it did was throw an error message (well, it said "We're sorry - We've encountered a problem") and tell me to call. 

Since the problem has been intermittent, I'll not have an easy way to know if it has been fixed. If the lockups start happening more often, I'm gonna set up a swap.

Thank you for that information, wearethephonecompany!

Don't hesitate to reach back out if you need help setting up the swap, we'd be more than happy to assist with that.

Thank you for visiting the AT&T Community Forums.

CalebP, AT&T Community Specialist