Cable box display shows green dashes

[ziz]

I have a Scientific Atlanta Explorer 2200 that was installed a few years ago. It's worked fine, until now.
When the HDTV broke we had to move the old cable box and the old TV downstairs, it worked fine. We got a new HDTV for Christmas, so we moved the old TV and cable box back upstairs, but no one bothered to hook it up until now.

When I first hooked up the cable it started doing something really weird, it started 'counting down' with letters and numbers for about five minutes. When it stopped, instead of showing the digital clock, it shows four green dashes in a row. I've tried resetting it ten times. It doesn't do the crazy counting down thing anymore, but it just goes black then after 2 minutes the dashes show up again. All the wires are hooked up properly and I'm pretty sure they all work. (I tried connecting with about five different cables.) The cable inside the wall also is fine. I found some sort of instruction manual for hooking your TV up to the Explorer 2200 and it says that if it shows four green dashes you have to call your service provider to activate it, but shouldn't it already be activated if it worked fine a few months ago? Does anyone know what the deal is?

 

[terryfoster]

Sounds like your box is hosed. Get a new one.

 

[Hall]

The "letters and numbers" indicate that it was taking a software update. Not unlikely if it was out of the stream for a long enough time....

Your cable company might deactivate boxes if they're "inactive" for some period of time. Since the instructions say it needs activated, I think I can guess "what the deal is". It needs activated.

 

[rodin]

That is exactly what it is.
The Countdown = Software Upgrade
The Dashes = Box Disabled by Cable Company

Will need to call the Cable Co to have them add that box to your account.

 

[ziz]

The box started working again on its own. I have no idea why, I just went over to it and noticed the time came back on the clock display and all the channels work now. Talk about weird...

 

[Claude Greiner]

The box probably deactivated on its own since it did not get any signals from the cable company in so many days.

Once hooked up the box communicated with the headend and they automatically sent out a rehit!

 

[Hall]

The box probably deactivated on its own since it did not get any signals from the cable company in so many days.

Now, do you think they stopped charging him the monthly fee once they deactivated it ??

 

[ziz]

Now, do you think they stopped charging him the monthly fee once they deactivated it ??

I'm a girl...but they wouldn't stop charging me since I have two cable boxes, and the one that goes with the HDTV has always been connected and working fine.