TiVo to Go: Target Machine Actively Refused Connection error

[w2jo]

I see some threads from 2006 where there was discussion of Tivo-to-Go failing to do transfers and giving the error message "There was an error while attempting to retrieve data from the selected DVR. No connection could be made because the target machine actively refused it."

Lots of "guesses" were passed around in the threads I read, but no solutions.

Configuration and things I have tried:
a) I turned off my windows XP firewall. No improvement.
b) I have a WiFi 54g connection from my laptop (Dell 6400 duoCore) to my LAN and the Tivo Series 3 has a fixed IP wired connection to a 100mbps LAN.
c) The problem seems a bit worse when I browse from the laptop while Tivo is downloading but it "locks up" every few hours of downloading even if the laptop is idle.
d) Rebooting the laptop has no corrective effect.
e) Rebooting the Tivo fixes the problem for the moment and transfers can continue.
f) While the failures seem to appear randomly, I can usually get several hours of downloads before the "lockup" except when I am simultaneouly browsing and then the "lockups" appear maybe every half hour or so.
g) I am thinking that likely the drivers in the TiVo that are handling the Tivo-to-go traffic do not handle data timeouts well and that when the traffic gets heavy and delays on the LAN mount, the drivers in TiVo fail to do the right things when errors happen (sometimes).

I have no history with Tivo-To-Go and prior software editions. The normal TiVo functions keep working and I am generally able to PING the TiVo fixed IP address even when the Tivo is "locked up" as far as Tivo-to-go downloads are concerned.

Is this a new problem or one that just is ongoing and not solved yet?

Does anyone have any fixes? things to try?

I have attached a *.jpg file showing the error on the Tivo Desktop screen. Notice that one download has "2 minutes to go" and it is "hung" and cannot proceed.

Thanks

[windracer]

What version of TiVo Desktop?

[w2jo]

Tivo Desktop is version 2.61.

Another problem noticed is that I sometimes try to start Tivo Desktop and I get an error message something like: "tivo service not running". It asks if I want to retry or cancel. In either case, it takes rebooting the computer and reloading Tivo Desktop to make the Desktop start working again.

[windracer]

Are you able to connect to the web interface of your TiVo? Point your browser at https://{your TiVo's IP address} and sign in with a username of 'tivo' and your MAK (media access key) as the password. You can try to download recordings right through the browser and see if that works. That will at least help identify if TiVo Desktop is the cause of the problem.

Do you have any anti-virus software installed like Norton or Kaspersky? I seem to remember people having conflict problems with some AV packages.

[GarKar]

Windracer, that is so cool! I had no idea tivos could be accessed this way. After all the computer problems I've fought today, now I'm ending on a high note.

[w2jo]

Windracer.. When I execute the https://IP/MAK, I get "resource not found" when the TiVo system is NOT able to download a recording. However, if I enter http://IP, then the Tivo gives me the Tivo/Congratuations screen. I will reboot the Tivo and see if I can get something different when the Tivo is able to accept connections from the Tivo Desktop. However, I believe this does confirm that the problem is in the TiVo firmware and not in the desktop code.

Thanks for your help!

[windracer]

Windracer.. When I execute the https://IP/MAK, I get "resource not found" when the TiVo system is NOT able to download a recording.
Yeah, I've seen that before occasionally and usually a reboot of the TiVo fixes it. Not sure why it's happening to you more often.

[w2jo]

As I mentioned, the Tivo seems to have the "lock up" problem more frequently when I am using the laptop browsing than when I am moving Tivo files at night when the computer is idle. I think that the Tivo "locks up" when the data transfer encounters (excessive?) time out problems on the packet data stream between the Tivo and the Tivo software in the laptop. But of course, that is only speculation.

I am disappointed that this problem has been around for at least 2 years in Tivo equipment and (so far) apparently Tivo engineering has not identified the defect. HOPEFULLY, some one can find the time to look at it now.

I like the Tivo-to-go feature. I hope I will be able to use it someday without having to reboot the Tivo perhaps every 2 to 3 hours of downloading.