What you'll notice
The decoder boots part-way, shows the start-up screen, then restarts — over and over, never reaching live TV.
Why it happens
A failing power supply that cannot hold voltage under load, a software update that did not complete cleanly, or a failing hard drive that stalls the boot sequence.
A boot loop is one of the more alarming faults to watch and one of the more mechanical to diagnose. There are three realistic causes and they can be separated fairly quickly.
Power supply — the most common
Boot is when a decoder draws its heaviest current: drive spinning up, tuner powering, processor initialising. A supply degraded by years of surges can idle happily but collapse under that load, dropping voltage, resetting the processor, and starting the cycle again. This is why a box can loop forever yet show a healthy standby light.
Interrupted software update
If the loop started right after an update — or after load shedding hit mid-update — the firmware is likely incomplete. Some models support a forced re-download from the satellite feed, which requires good signal and patience, and it is worth trying before writing the box off.
Hard drive stalling the boot
On recording decoders, a drive that cannot be read can hang the start-up sequence. If you had been seeing failed recordings or stuttering playback in the weeks before, this is the likely culprit and the drive was telling you so beforehand.
What we recommend
We will tell you which of the three it is and what each path costs, including when the honest answer is that the box is not worth spending money on. Replacing a decoder you did not need to replace is a bad outcome, and so is paying twice to keep a dying one alive.
How we fix it
We test the supply under load, attempt a clean software recovery where the model supports it, and identify whether the box is recoverable or genuinely at end of life — before you spend money on it.
Still not working?
If the checks above haven't restored your decoder (explora / hd), this usually needs a technician. Our Decoder Installation & Setup service covers exactly this fault — from R350, quoted upfront.