TiVo Desktop is driving me MAD!!!!

[brnscofrnld]

I'm trying to run TiVo Desktop 2.5.1 on my Windows XP pro machine and I am having a hell of a time trying to get it to run smoothly.

I have all the exceptions I could possibly need setup in my firewall and my anti-virus. The service, the beacon, even the folders where the shows are transferred to. I've even put a whole exception on the Tivo folder in the program file directory.

When I go to start TD on my computer it takes so long to get it started. Even then you can't do anything with it once it finally decided to boot up.

If I don't try to start up the TD and just try to view anything from either of my TiVo's nothing happens. You can't see anything. No Music or pictures from my desktop. Nothing in my NP list either.

I recently reformatted and reinstalled Windows, not because of this issue, and still no good.

Any help would be great.

[greg_burns]

I have all the exceptions I could possibly need setup in my firewall and my anti-virus. The service, the beacon, even the folders where the shows are transferred to. I've even put a whole exception on the Tivo folder in the program file directory.

Have you specified specific port numbers?

http://tivosupport2.instancy.com/LaunchContent.aspx?CID=127D5F60-EF84-4790-85AC-8FC6D408B5A7

[brnscofrnld]

I have all the ports on the exception list that are supposed to be added during the install with the Windows firewall in place. I added some of the additional ports to the list and still not opening in a timely manner or being able to be seen on either of my TiVo's...

The AntiVirus program I am running is the CA eTrust.

Is it possible that it is just XP pro having issues with this program?

Thanks for the heads up on the ports tho.

[dlfl]

What happens if you (temporarily) disable AV and firewall? (Don't do this for any longer than it takes to see if it fixes the problem.)

[danpritts]

I'm trying to run TiVo Desktop 2.5.1 on my Windows XP pro machine and I am having a hell of a time trying to get it to run smoothly.

I have all the exceptions I could possibly need setup in my firewall and my anti-virus. The service, the beacon, even the folders where the shows are transferred to. I've even put a whole exception on the Tivo folder in the program file directory.

When I go to start TD on my computer it takes so long to get it started. Even then you can't do anything with it once it finally decided to boot up.

If I don't try to start up the TD and just try to view anything from either of my TiVo's nothing happens. You can't see anything. No Music or pictures from my desktop. Nothing in my NP list either.

I recently reformatted and reinstalled Windows, not because of this issue, and still no good.

Any help would be great.

I had an odd problem, maybe yours is similar.

I use some software that requires a second (software only) "network interface" to be installed in windows (microsoft loopback interface).

I give it an address in the 10.0.0.0 RFC1918 space.

on my home network I use the 192.168.0.0 space.

It seems like tivo desktop was binding ONLY to the loopback interface and not to my ethernet. Once I disabled the loopback interface it worked fine. My experience in these matters suggests that the tivo software got the 10.x address first because it's got the lower-numbered ip address, but i haven't tested that.

You may have something similar, e.g., a wireless card installed when you only use wired at home (or vice versa), or a VPN to talk to your work network, or...lord knows what. Try disabling anything other than the network interface you're actually using to talk to the tivo. You can get to the network interfaces area on XP from the control panel.

Good luck. even once you get this software "working" it seems like it's still awfully flakey.

[danpritts]

I have all the ports on the exception list that are supposed to be added during the install with the Windows firewall in place. I added some of the additional ports to the list and still not opening in a timely manner or being able to be seen on either of my TiVo's...

The AntiVirus program I am running is the CA eTrust.

Is it possible that it is just XP pro having issues with this program?

Thanks for the heads up on the ports tho.

it's not XP pro - i run that.

since you're running more of an "enterprise" av program it sounds like you are using a work machine? if so make sure to look for that vpn.

[DaveBogart]

I'm having the same problem. It just started yesterday. I did nothing with my compter before this issue appeared -- no new programs added; none uninstalled. It was working, then it wasn't. I hope somebody comes up with a solution and can explain it in English and not the geek speak used in previous posts.

[sweetros]

I had a similar issue when running both Norton and McAfee protection software (on separate computers). The issue ahd never been there and then was all of a sudden there (TiVo Desktop would just hang). Anyway, I disabled the protection software firewalls and just activated the Windows firewall (with exceptions for TiVoBeacon, etc.) and it works like a charm. Can't explain it, but that is one possible solution.

[DaveBogart]

I had a similar issue when running both Norton and McAfee protection software (on separate computers). The issue ahd never been there and then was all of a sudden there (TiVo Desktop would just hang). Anyway, I disabled the protection software firewalls and just activated the Windows firewall (with exceptions for TiVoBeacon, etc.) and it works like a charm. Can't explain it, but that is one possible solution.
I not only disabled my virus protection, I uninstalled it. The TiVo Desktop piece of bowell movement matter still won't start. Note to TiVo: Please refund my 25 bucks.

[brnscofrnld]

I had a similar issue when running both Norton and McAfee protection software (on separate computers). The issue ahd never been there and then was all of a sudden there (TiVo Desktop would just hang). Anyway, I disabled the protection software firewalls and just activated the Windows firewall (with exceptions for TiVoBeacon, etc.) and it works like a charm. Can't explain it, but that is one possible solution.

Possible solution that doesn't work for me. I gave the whole tivo program and everything that has t do with tivo an exception and still can't get anything to work.

Once in a blue moon, i can get the thing to load for me once. After that nothing. Even if I reboot and try again, I can go weeks without it working. Tivo and windows need to work this one out.

[lrhorer]

I not only disabled my virus protection, I uninstalled it. The TiVo Desktop piece of bowell movement matter still won't start. Note to TiVo: Please refund my 25 bucks.
Actually, I suspect it's Windows which is causing the problem. I have one Windows machine on which nothing which does any transcoding or other video manipulation will work: Nero, TiVo Desktop, pyTiVo, Video Redo, even Galleon all fail. I loaded TiVo Desktop on another workstation, and it works to the extent TD works in the first place. I avoid using it.

Actually, my best personal suggestions are to use neither Windows nor TiVo Desktop. I'm running Galleon and sometimes pyTiVo on a 4 Terrabyte RAID server under Linux (the Etch release of the Debian distro), and it purrs along like a kitten who's just had a plate of cream.

Barring that, try another Windows machine, but you'll need to give us more data if you want us to help you troubleshoot. Have you sniffed the LAN? Is the Windows workstation sending out packets to the TiVo? Is the TiVo replying with a valid IP address?

As to being slow, TiVo Desktop certainly is that. I don't know if it is slower than normal on your system, or not. How fact is your CPU? How much memory? How big is your swap file? How many seconds does it take for TiVo Desktop to load and come up if the server is inactive? How much when it's active?

[lrhorer]

Tivo and windows need to work this one out.
Frankly, IMO and excepting the fact TD does bring in some revenue, I think TiVo wopuld be better served to abandon TD altogether and instead streamline their efforts into supporting 3rd party HMO and HME applications. The 3rd party apps are already much better than TD, and if TiVo would make some positive efforts to further publish and support the HMO and HME APIs, it would encourage further development of those applications. As it is, most of the 3rd party developers feel abandoned by Tivo and left out in the cold.

[lrhorer]

it's not XP pro - i run that.
So what? I have a couple of workstations runnning XP Pro, too. One can run TD, the other can't. As frail and unstable as Windows is, it's often just about impossible to tell what is and isn't Windows' fault.

[danschn]

Problem solved - but you won't like the solution.

I was having many of the same problems with TiVo Desktop. It would occasionally do what I want - which was basically act as auxiliary storage for my TiVo - but it was far from reliable. I would generally let the TiVo Server run 24x7 even though it would periodically cripple my PC's processor, but rarely start the Desktop because it stopped being able to populate the list of TiVo recordings - if I had the patience waiting for it to start.

Then I got a new PC. The old one was a high-end offering from late-2004, that I had bumped up it's memory (to 1GB) and storage. But it labored. The new one is a current high-end offering with 3GB/1TB and AMD Dual-core (and since I didn't replace the screen, total cost was just over one-third of the last purchase). I'm running Vista now instead of XP/SP2.

As far as TiVo Server and Desktop is concerned, the new PC has apparently made all the difference in the world. I don't know if it's the increased memory or processor speed, but the applications have performed almost flawlessly.

The only problem if had is when copying several files (i.e. a large amount of data - several hours of HD shows) it appears that Desktop will forever say it's almost done copying (97%) when copying is in fact all done.

The other part of the solution is I now have two TiVo's: my old Pioneer DVD TiVo S2 and my new Series 3. I still have my old PC running in the basement, and it works fine with the relatively small number of programs on the new S3, but still can't handle the large number on the old S2 with it's 500GB hard drive.

That's my findings: a more robust PC and the larger the Now Playing List, the more trouble TiVo Desktop and Server have.