Hack 16 Activating the Node Navigator

Surf through all TiVo's menus—even a few you can't usually see—via this backdoor menu system.

Perhaps you want fine-grained control of overshoot protection [Hack #12]. Or maybe you want to access the advanced functionality in the WishLists [Hack #17]. To get to either of these means poking about into menus where the sun doesn't usually shine.

This is the ultimate rabbit hole through the system; this is TiVo's internal representation of where everything is. Every menu screen in the system, whether standard or otherwise hidden, is represented by a menu node. Each one of the menu nodes you see in Figure 1-6 will zip you straight to its respective menu screen on the system. What makes this particularly difficult is that the nodes are numbered, not named, which may cause you to end up in the wrong node. More than just a nuisance, this can actually make alterations to the way your TiVo software works.

Figure 1-6. The powerful—and potentially dangerous—Node Navigator

For example, if you found the menu to set your ZIP code, but left without setting it, your programming lineup would be decimated during the next daily calling, causing your TiVo to reboot every time you tried to watch Live TV. If you do find yourself somewhere you dare not tread, hit the button to back out.

I'll say it again. The Node Navigator can be dangerous to play with. Simply wandering into the wrong numbered nodes on the screen could alter the TiVo software, leaving it in an unusable state and requiring a restore from backup [Hack #25].

Fine-tuning these values actually requires a little bit of bravado and some fine remote-control-handling skills, so don't slip. To bring up the Node Navigator menu, enable backdoors [Hack #8], then enter the following sequence on your remote control:

Clear Enter Clear 6