We’ve seen some strange customer shipments in the past, but we haven’t seen anything quite like this one. In a nod to recycling zealots worldwide, we got, and then promptly recycled, the packaging material from this TiVo that arrived here at WeaKnees today:

The TiVo is under there, in the bubble-wrap. Below the Huggies box. And the Moist Supreme box. And the Tuna Helper box.

OK, so this one probably isn’t exactly the fault of the customer, but maybe the shipping company? 

I’m pretty sure that with a little work we’ll get this baby up and running in no time.

So the moral of the story isn’t really “pack your TiVo well,” but “don’t let a truck run over your TiVo.”

We get one of these every now and then – but this one is a little more unusual.

In addition to the 80+ stamps on here, (that’s $50) there’s a metered one for $2.50. And it wasn’t put on afterward, because the stamps are placed around it.

A WeaKnees customer really thought this one through . . .

That’s what you’d think, anyway. This monster arrived via Fedex Overnight service – which must have cost a small fortune.

While we stress packing your TiVo safely when shipping it, this is really overkill. Alas, there was but one regular-sized TiVo in the massive box.

We’ve put a WeaKnees shipping box on top for size-comparison purposes.

OK – probably not quite, but it’s pretty bad. And I’m not talk pornography (although we happen to have a good one of those here today also) but straight-up, actual dirt.

See that strange blob on the right that looks like a prop from a ’70s outer space movie? Its smaller sibling is just to the left of the fan.

Here’s another shot from a different angle:

Let us implore you: please, please! consider cleaning out your TiVo. This adds a huge amount of heat to the inside of the unit, both by insulating the heat, and impeding the air flow. In this case, the power supply was blown, likely because it overheated.

If you have a hankering to open up your unit and clean it, just be sure to take the normal precautions:

• Unplug the unit and let it sit for five minutes. This lets the drive spin down, and drains power from the capacitors.
• Take the unit outside, or to a well-ventilated space.
• Carefully remove the cover.
• Clean the interior with compressed air, using short blasts from at least 12 inches away. 
• Never use a vacuum on the unit. Static electricity could cause serious problems.

Think of it as preventative maintenance: an apple a day for your TiVo.

Tags: dirty tivo, tivo cleaning