Power Outage and now HomeTroller-SEL missing

[ericksar]

We had a 7 hour power outage and now i cannot see my HomeTroller on the network. It and other things are behind a Tripp-lite Isobar, everything else is fine.
A dim blue light is on the power button, instructions don't say what it should be, bright, dim, red, blue, etc. Swapped network cables, connected it directly to router.
Restarted several times. Running latest HSPRO software. Neither PC nor IOS can find it, does not show in router listing anymore. HomeTroller is a couple of years old. Of course, no one in the family is happy when all our automation fails, and it is presumed to be your fault and responsibility and to get it going again immediately.
Before I do any resets and create new problems, any suggestions?

[drhtmal]

Hook up a monitor and keyboard. This will allow you to see the boot sequence and help troubleshoot.

[ericksar]

Thanks, i will try that. Have an old monitor, just spent some time looking for RGB connector, no luck, Amazon order now. Hopefully, software issue.

[Rupp]

You can connect it to a newer TV as well using an HDMI cable.

[andyf]

Sometimes happens to me when power goes out. The BIOS reports file system problems, press F to attempt fix or I to Ignore. I usually press F. This does mean I have to connect to the TV and a keyboard but I'm used to it now. No more heart palpitations 😀.

Would love to know a good command to do a disk integrity check (fsck?). There doesn't seem to be a GUI app as part of the image.

[ericksar]

Thanks for the HDMI tip, I did not notice it. Good news, it boots. I first did an F and then I did a system reset (probably a mistake). I am at the PC, seeing the Hometroller, and not sure of my HS4Pro license number and password, so I am waiting for tech support to respond.
Maybe, just maybe, we will get back to normal.

[drhtmal]

How old is the computer that your system is running on? Perhaps it has a dead CMOS battery.

[randy]

Thanks for the HDMI tip, I did not notice it. Good news, it boots. I first did an F and then I did a system reset (probably a mistake). I am at the PC, seeing the Hometroller, and not sure of my HS4Pro license number and password, so I am waiting for tech support to respond.
Maybe, just maybe, we will get back to normal.

You can go to shop.HomeSeer.com, sign in and look at your purchase history. The serial number should be there, unless it was purchased on the old store software.

[ericksar]

As a first step I did install a new 2032 battery. I did not know about seeing the purchase history, that is great. I have the correct ID and password and still cannot upgrade to HSPRO4 like it was before. I recall when i set up our other system in another location, after the same problem, tech support had to reset something to authorize me to go from 3 to 4 pro. i sent an email and have not heard back yet. I keep getting rejected in trying to upgrade.

[ericksar]

Still fumbling.

[ericksar]

Tech support gave me the missing piece to the puzzle. After getting HS3 running, i needed to follow the upgrade procedure to re-install HS4 Pro. On my way now. Thank you to all.

[ericksar]

Now SEL crashing all by itself. SEL log-in does not fix it, hard off/on is required to restart. The SEL is going offline. HS is working when connected. Tells me it is a Linux/operating system problem. I am running test with simple night-time routines and it crashes mid-day, randomly. (Don't think Insteon is the problem) I just installed the HS4 Pro beta tonight to see if that helps, maybe digging myself in deeper. Have done all the HS and SEL recovery stuff. Cleaned out the Insteon Hub, still unreliable. The definition of insanity, doing same thing over and over and getting same result. I am there. Don't know if the Linux operating system is the problem since I am Linux illiterate.

[Rupp]

Have you considered testing on a Windows PC as a replacement to this ageing SEL hardware?

[ericksar]

That's where I started, using a PC many years ago. I was tired of constant Windows updates on the box that I used only for Homeseer. My world today is a wonderful Dell laptop plus lots of Apple stuff and SELs. Even turning Windows updates off (or forgetting to) it was a task to be concerned about it, so I went with the SEL and it has worked perfectly. I bought a second SEL for another house last year. I have always viewed HS as a consolidator, like Microsoft did with printers, that is why I have been able to transition from X10, to Insteon, and add Z Wave. It was interesting that you used the term ageing SEL's. From my limited knowledge these boxes, if appropriately sized, should be a good long-term solution. I know HS has a great challenge in a rapidly changing world. I see a need for troubleshooting tools and more automatic recovery systems to resolve problems. I am sure that I am no different than others who spend hours reading in the forum looking for answers. The new generation will not put up with what I am going through right now.

[drhtmal]

...It was interesting that you used the term ageing SEL's. From my limited knowledge these boxes, if appropriately sized, should be a good long-term solution...

Any PC (and the SEL is just a PC) will eventually fail from age. Parts will fail. Hard drives will fail eventually. There are two types of hard drives, those that have failed and those that will fail.