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View Full Version : Why isn't S3 "seeing" Tivo Desktop

wyzard
10-19-2006, 08:19 PM
Good evening.

I have a Tivo S2 and S3. I have the Tivo Desktop on my PC. The S2 "sees" and plays my Music and Photos fine. The Desktop is not getting an IP address from my S3, although the S3 is connected through my network, connects to the service fine and shows an IP address in the network setting page. If I put the IP address of the S2 in my browser it shows a welcome screen. The IP address of the S3 just gets me a can't display page message.

How can I get the S3 to "see" the Tivo Desktop or vice versa?

Any help would be greatly appreciated.

Thanks.
phox_mulder
10-19-2006, 08:25 PM
How can I get the S3 to "see" the Tivo Desktop or vice versa?

Any help would be greatly appreciated.

Thanks.

Pretty sure that feature isn't available yet, and from the hub-bub, won't be for a while.


phox
Dan203
10-19-2006, 08:33 PM
You should be able to use Music & Photos just fine on a S3 unit. The features which are disabled are the video features. (i.e. TiVoToGo, TiVoToComeBack & Multi-Room Viewing)

The first thing to check would be TiVo Desktop. In the settings menu there is an option where you can select which TiVos are allowed to access your music and photos. Make sure that the S3 is enabled in that list.

The second thing I would try is disabling any firewall software you have running on your PC. Just to be 100% sure that it's not causing a problem.

If that still doesn't work, then it's probably a UDP problem. TiVo's use UDP packets to broadcast their existance to other TiVos, and TiVo Desktop, on the network. Some wireless bridges, and hardware firewalls, actually block these UDP packets and make it so the TiVos, and TiVo Desktop, can't see eachother. Although this would only be a problem if the S3 was connected to a different network segment then your S2.

Dan
greg_burns
10-19-2006, 10:13 PM
The IP address of the S3 just gets me a can't display page message.

FYI, I get the welcome message on my S3.

It is just the https page that is currently not active.
AbMagFab
10-19-2006, 10:24 PM
It took a while for me after registering my S3 for the HMO stuff to show up, then it just did.

Try doing manual Tivo calls a few times over a few hours.

How long ago did you register and set up the S3?
montivette
10-20-2006, 02:27 AM
After changing things on my network the S3 failed to find Tivo Desktop. I restarted the S3 and then it appeared. So if you have not restarted the S3 you may want to try doing so. Also make sure the Windows Firewall is not blocking the application.
wyzard
10-20-2006, 06:59 AM
After changing things on my network the S3 failed to find Tivo Desktop. I restarted the S3 and then it appeared. So if you have not restarted the S3 you may want to try doing so. Also make sure the Windows Firewall is not blocking the application.


Don't know if I want to do a restart. Got the cable cards working great right now. Had a brief power outage last weekend and had to spend a few times on the phone with Comcast to get the signal sent again and get the cards back.
briankasper
10-20-2006, 09:57 AM
My Series3 doesn't see my Windows 2000 PC unless I'm logged in to the computer. And, since I had to install TiVo Desktop as Administrator, I have to be logged in as Administrator in order for my S3 to see my music and photos -- I can't run TiVo Desktop as a normal user.

This makes TiVo Desktop essentially useless for me, as I'm normally not logged in to Windows, and when I am, it's not as Administrator.

Here's the text of a message I posted last night to the "TiVo Home Media Features & TiVoToGo" forum:


Must be logged in to Windows to access published music/photos? (Series3/Desktopv2.3a)

It appears that in order to play music files from my PC, I must be logged in to my Windows 2000 box as a user with Administrator privileges.

I recently connected my Series3 TiVo to my home Ethernet network via the wired Ethernet port. I then downloaded and installed v2.3a of TiVo Desktop on my Windows 2000 box while logged in using my Administrator account. I configured TiVo Desktop to "start when I log in" and published my music and photo folders.

As far as I can tell, if I'm logged in to my Windows box as a user with Administrative privileges, my music and photo folders show up and I can play them on my Series3. If, however, I'm logged in as a non-administrative user (or not logged in at all), no server is detected at the IP address for my Windows box.

I tried installing TiVo Desktop while logged in as a non-Administrator, and the install failed with a message saying I had insufficient rights to install.

I can understand having to *install* TiVo Desktop as an administrator, but is the software so poorly designed that I have to be *logged in* as an administrator to access my files?

Is it not possible to configure all necessary TiVo software to run at Windows startup with Administrator privileges?

If I have to be logged in to an Administrative-level account to use access my published folders, this feature is useless to me, as I only log on as Administrator when I have to -- all my other accounts have standard user-level permissions -- and normally, I'm not logged in to my Windows computer at all.

The "My DVR Cannot Find My Music or Photos Server (Windows)" page at customersupport.tivo.com says I must verify that "the TiVo icon is showing in the system tray"; this implies I must be logged in to Windows. I've found no other pages on tivo.com or via Google searches that appear to offer any other information.

-B
greg_burns
10-20-2006, 10:14 AM
My Series3 doesn't see my Windows 2000 PC unless I'm logged in to the computer. And, since I had to install TiVo Desktop as Administrator, I have to be logged in as Administrator in order for my S3 to see my music and photos -- I can't run TiVo Desktop as a normal user.

This makes TiVo Desktop essentially useless for me, as I'm normally not logged in to Windows, and when I am, it's not as Administrator.

Here's the text of a message I posted last night to the "TiVo Home Media Features & TiVoToGo" forum:


-B

People have tried tried to configure it to run as a service w/o success. Can you elevate you normal user account to admin for the install, and then remove them from the administrator's group when done?

Edit: I forget, does Galleon run as a service?
http://galleon.tv/
briankasper
10-20-2006, 11:19 AM
People have tried tried to configure it to run as a service w/o success. Can you elevate you normal user account to admin for the install, and then remove them from the administrator's group when done?

Edit: I forget, does Galleon run as a service?
http://galleon.tv/

I see your point, and it's a good idea, but I'd still have to be logged in to my user account; if my wife or son logs in, TiVo Desktop would still stop working.

Another potential partial solution is to copy the TiVo registry entries from the Administrator account to the user-level accounts on the system (someone suggested this on a webpage I found through a Google search). This is also only a partial solution, though, as I'd really prefer TiVo Desktop to Just Work without anyone logged on.

Thanks for the pointer to Galleon; I'll check it out and see if it's well-written, unlike TiVo Desktop. Grr. Sometimes I delude myself into thinking that Windows is actually a decent multiuser operating system. Although to be fair, it's posible that Windows XP handles this more gracefully.

-B
yunlin12
10-20-2006, 11:38 AM
I see your point, and it's a good idea, but I'd still have to be logged in to my user account; if my wife or son logs in, TiVo Desktop would still stop working.

Another potential partial solution is to copy the TiVo registry entries from the Administrator account to the user-level accounts on the system (someone suggested this on a webpage I found through a Google search). This is also only a partial solution, though, as I'd really prefer TiVo Desktop to Just Work without anyone logged on.

Thanks for the pointer to Galleon; I'll check it out and see if it's well-written, unlike TiVo Desktop. Grr. Sometimes I delude myself into thinking that Windows is actually a decent multiuser operating system. Although to be fair, it's posible that Windows XP handles this more gracefully.

-B

On XP, you can stay logged on while other people are working on the machine. I have XP home edition, and I'm always logged on. You go to Control Panel, User Accounts, and click on learn about switching users
briankasper
10-20-2006, 12:18 PM
On XP, you can stay logged on while other people are working on the machine. I have XP home edition, and I'm always logged on. You go to Control Panel, User Accounts, and click on learn about switching users

Thanks for the suggestion.

I'm familiar with the XP user-switching feature (I use it on several XP boxen at work quite regularly), and I agree that would probably be a workaround for this problem, but what I was thinking was that XP might be able to run the Desktop software as a service. I still don't want to have an account with Administrative rights logged on all the time (not a good idea from a security standpoint).

My current plan is to investigate moving to Galleon and not using TiVo Desktop at all.

-B
greg_burns
10-20-2006, 12:52 PM
I've tried the TivoDesktop as a service myself on XP. No go.

http://archive2.tivocommunity.com/tivo-vb/showthread.php?t=257977
briankasper
10-20-2006, 01:48 PM
I've tried the TivoDesktop as a service myself on XP. No go.

http://archive2.tivocommunity.com/tivo-vb/showthread.php?t=257977

Thanks for the pointer to that discussion. It's looking vastly likely that going with Galleon is the proper solution to this problem.

-B
jrock
10-20-2006, 11:59 PM
I have a problem with my S3, every time I use Music or Pictures and Exit they disappear off my list and never come back until I remove the server IP and re add the IP. Then I can use it once again but have to do it all over again next time I want to use it.

-Joe
wyzard
10-21-2006, 05:28 AM
I do have a Dlink DSM-520, so I guess I'll just keep using that for Music and Photo streaming. Would really like to use the S3 for that too, but I don't know if I want to do a restart. That would probably force me to make another call to Comcast as it seems like I need a push everytime that happens.

Any other thoughts on getting this to work.

Thanks.
snathanb
10-21-2006, 07:39 AM
Have you tried pinging the S3 from your computer to test your connectivity between the computer and the S3?
wyzard
10-21-2006, 07:48 AM
Have you tried pinging the S3 from your computer to test your connectivity between the computer and the S3?
Yeah.

I put in the IP address of the S3 and I dont' get a welcome screen. When I do it for my S2, I do get a welcome screen.

Any other thoughts?
snathanb
10-21-2006, 07:52 AM
Yeah.

I put in the IP address of the S3 and I dont' get a welcome screen. When I do it for my S2, I do get a welcome screen.

Any other thoughts?

That's not a ping.

Open a command prompt in XP, and type "ping xxx.xxx.xxx.xxx" replacing the "x"s with your S3s IP address.

The results should look like the picture I attached.
wyzard
10-21-2006, 11:26 AM
That's not a ping.

Open a command prompt in XP, and type "ping xxx.xxx.xxx.xxx" replacing the "x"s with your S3s IP address.

The results should look like the picture I attached.

Yup. I'm able to ping it.

Any other thoughts?
wyzard
10-22-2006, 06:35 AM
bump
snathanb
10-22-2006, 08:56 AM
Yup. I'm able to ping it.

Any other thoughts?

Short of restarting it, I'm not sure there is that much more you could do. Since you can ping it, it is not a connectivity issue. Since you can't point your browser to it as you should be able to, then it would seem to be on the TIVO side.
wyzard
10-22-2006, 09:27 AM
Short of restarting it, I'm not sure there is that much more you could do. Since you can ping it, it is not a connectivity issue. Since you can't point your browser to it as you should be able to, then it would seem to be on the TIVO side.

Will I loose my channels on the cable cards if I do a restart... Unplugged the Tivo to move it last week and had to go through "he**" on phone with comcast to finally get everything back and working... Three phones calls, a few hours and several pushes...
greg_burns
10-22-2006, 09:33 AM
Will I loose my channels on the cable cards if I do a restart... Unplugged the Tivo to move it last week and had to go through "he**" on phone with comcast to finally get everything back and working... Three phones calls, a few hours and several pushes...

If you do, then there is something eriously wrong and should be dealt with while your Tivo is under warranty. (If it is even a problem with the Tivo).

I feel your pain. Comcast has been jerking me around w/ these cable cards for the past week.
wyzard
10-22-2006, 11:55 AM
If you do, then there is something eriously wrong and should be dealt with while your Tivo is under warranty. (If it is even a problem with the Tivo).

I feel your pain. Comcast has been jerking me around w/ these cable cards for the past week.

Thanks Greg.

Finally bit the bullet and did a restart. All my channels are there and the Tivo desktop now "sees" the S3. I can scroll through my photos and music on the S3!

Thanks for all the help and prodding. I was really a little scared to restart, but it seems like everything worked fine.

Thanks again.