# Windows 7 MAK Problems viewing videos or pc transfer



## cdjohnson (Apr 8, 2003)

Ever since upgrading from Vista to Windows 7, I've been having problems and TivoDesktop 2.8 hasn't resolved the problem.

Here's the run-down.

When I install Tivo Desktop 2.7 or 2.8 to my system that was cleaned with TivoCleaner, the installer prompts me for my Media Access Key. I enter it. The install succeeds.

At this point, I can view all my videos that I've transferred to my PC since it was Vista with Windows Media Player (WMP 12). Roxio can also view them.

I try to connect to my 2 tivo's. No go. It complains that the Media Access Key isn't correct. I click on File/Set Media Access Key and it's not set. No red warning text. I set my MAK again. Now I can connect to both my Tivo's (I had to disable my Avast AntiVirus to be able to actually transfer a file though).

But now, I can't view any of my videos using WMP. I get the dreaded C00D11B1 error.

If I uninstall/clean/reinstall and enter the MAK during install, then I can see my vids again, but can't connect to my Tivos.

It seems to me that there is a bug in the way that Tivo is storing the DRM encrytion data... I've called customer support and after 30 minutes, they told me to install a freeware codec (K-LITE2, which is actually a collection of codecs). I knew that this wouldn't help since my Tivo Plus codec works just fine with the installer's MAK applied... but I tried anyway... no change. Same behavior.

Luckily I have an XP box in my basement which still works fine in every aspect... however, this is annoying.

Anyone else seeing this behavior or has any suggestions? I tried exporting/importing the registry settings for the HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\TiVo\SharingKeys keys, but it had no affect.


----------



## Kevin D42 (Nov 7, 2009)

Chris,

I am having similar problems. Based on my review of the transfer logs, i agree that it has something to do with how the MAK is retrieved for tivo to PC transfers. 

I do not beleive there is anything unique about my system; Windows 7 64-bit, i have iTunes and quicktime installed but no other software that is tivo related, other then TF 2.8.

If you find a solution, please post it.


----------



## ggieseke (May 30, 2008)

You can decrypt and read the MAK that's actually stored in the SharingKeys registry key with the codec utility in the sticky at the top of this forum. I don't know if that will help, but at least you could see if there's a difference in what's stored there depending on how you set the MAK.

This is a long shot, but when it's set so that you can see your DVRs and transfer files can you play the new files? There was a post over at TiVo's forums with a similar problem playing MP4 files. It turned out that files dated before Desktop was installed were considered copy protected for some reason. The poster found a Windows port of "touch" and just updated the file dates to fix it.


----------



## cdjohnson (Apr 8, 2003)

I ran the TDCM utility on my working XP machine and 7 machines.

On the XP machine, when the MAK was set by the installer, I got an error 13 when trying to retrieve the key. I set the key using TivoDesktop. Now the TDCM can see the correct MAK. WMP was able to view the .tivo vids before and after setting the MAK.

On the W7 machine, when the MAK was set by the installer, I got an error 234 when trying to retrieve the key. After setting it, then the MAK was visible, but I again can't play .tivo vids.

When I transfer files AFTER setting the MAK on W7 (can't play, but can transfer), the newly transferred files can't be played.

So it appears that the MAK used to transfer the file is fine. But the MAK used to decode by the filter isn't.


----------



## MikeRadio (Jan 6, 2003)

I am having this exact same problem... The miniute you put the MAK in th Tivo Desktop you lose access to all old recorded shows. They play fine before you do it (but you can't transfer anything from your tivos).

Has ANYONE found a workaround or solution to this.. It is VERY frustrating.....

Thanks
Mike


----------



## Kevin D42 (Nov 7, 2009)

Well, we are narrowing down the issue. Anybody from Tivo (TivoJerry?) listening?

I can provide logs if that would help.


----------



## MikeRadio (Jan 6, 2003)

Yes.. something is messing up those old recordings when you put the MAK into the program now!! Please help.


----------



## ggieseke (May 30, 2008)

cdjohnson said:


> I ran the TDCM utility on my working XP machine and 7 machines.
> 
> On the XP machine, when the MAK was set by the installer, I got an error 13 when trying to retrieve the key. I set the key using TivoDesktop. Now the TDCM can see the correct MAK. WMP was able to view the .tivo vids before and after setting the MAK.
> 
> ...


Weird. When I installed 2.8 on XP it set the MAK perfectly using the installer. It plays old and new files and transfers just fine. TDCM also decodes the MAK with no problems, so they haven't changed the basic encryption method that they use to store it in the registry. I don't have W7 yet so I can't test that end of things.

In your Windows user profile directory, look in the "Local Settings\Temp\TiVoDesktopLogs" subdirectory. They finally started keeping a verbose installation log (yay TiVo). If you zip it up and post it I can run it through a Microsoft analyzer to see if there's any clues.

The only other thing I can think of at the moment is a real PITA method to refresh the security certificates on the TiVo itself. It takes quite a while but it may be worth trying. First, make sure that the MAK on your TiVo matches the one in Desktop and your account online. Relink your TiVo account in Desktop just for good measure, then disable downloads & transfers in your account online. Wait a few hours for their servers to sync up, force a daily call, and reboot the TiVo. When it comes back up the TiVoToGo line in the System Information screen should read "i,i,i". If it doesn't, repeat the wait-call-reboot cycle until it does. At that point re-enable downloads & transfers online and go through the whole sync process again until the TiVoToGo status reads "a,a,a".


----------



## MikeRadio (Jan 6, 2003)

This has nothing to do with all that.. The issue happens when you enbtr the MAK key online... Lose ability to watch older shows (gain ability to xfer whos over however).


----------



## cdjohnson (Apr 8, 2003)

I plan on calling support again, but won't hold my breath. In the mean time I'm trying to get Galleon to work. I hadn't used it for a couple of years since TivoDesktop worked so well.


----------



## MikeRadio (Jan 6, 2003)

Galleon DOES WORK... I can transfer shows with it and then they are watchable WITHOUT putting the MAK Key into tivo desktop (you can put it in Galleon)....

How come not everyone is having this issue? I see other issues similar on here with Win 7 but not a ton of people with this....

Once that MAK code is in, I cant watch anything TIvo.. Media Player error... anyone have a solution??


----------



## steve614 (May 1, 2006)

MikeRadio said:


> How come not everyone is having this issue? I see other issues similar on here with Win 7 but not a ton of people with this....


I have this question too.
I'm using TD 2.8 (free version) on the Windows 7 release candidate and have had no problems*.
I have noticed that a lot of the "I have a problem" threads started up _after_ the official release of Windows 7 that makes me wonder if code was changed/added.
I'd like to see a poll on whether or not users have a problem and what version of Windows 7 they're using.

* I did have problems with 2.8 at first, but it was because I didn't follow the installation instructions.


----------



## got2golf (Oct 21, 2007)

I have the exact same problem. Right now I am transfering programs before I hit the road for work. I will re-install Tivodesktop and watch my shows. 

Hopefully there will be a fix soon. 

I have and RC version of Windows 7.


----------



## MikeRadio (Jan 6, 2003)

I can not figure this out.... SIMPLY enterting the correct MAK DISABLES toe codecs so you can not watch ANY files, either thos already on the computer or new ones xfeerred over.. with NO MAK put in of course you can not xfer new files but can watch old ones (and using Galleon to xfer you CAn watch those so this is something in tivo desktop software that breaks it).

If anyone has ANY ideas please message!!


----------



## Kevin D42 (Nov 7, 2009)

Mike

Pretty sure TD 2.8/Windows 7 has a bug where the MAK is either written or read from the registry incorrectly on some/many systems. 

Not sure there is anything to do but bug tivo.


----------



## pixxels (Nov 16, 2009)

I have Win7 RTM x64 and TD 2.8. I can browse my tivo's but can't transfer or watch any shows.  They transfer find on my Vista machine.

I really want to burn shows to DVD since my wife is traveling and shows are backing up. I just picked up Nero LiquidTV and I'm going to try that.

-scott


----------



## MikeRadio (Jan 6, 2003)

I have it working now...

Here is what I did...

1 - Uninstall Tivo Desktop

2 - Right click PROPERTIES on the Tivo Desktop INSTALLER exe and select Run as Administrator.

3 - It will install. Enter MAK code as asked.

4 - Right click the Tivo program Icon and also go to properties and select run as administrator....

If you now run the programn and look at set MAK key you will see it is safely in there... (Hit cancel.. its all there and working)...

Make sure to run BOTH as Admin or you get a version incorrect error....

Obviously, this is a PERMISSIONS issue with Tivo Desktop.. this solves it...

Hope this helped someone.. I took a half dozen suggestions, played with it awhile and this made it work fine.. all xfers fine.. past shows able to watch...

:up:
Mike


----------



## Kevin D42 (Nov 7, 2009)

Mike

Your procedure worked for me.

Thanks


----------



## ozdoc (Feb 20, 2009)

Mike,
When you had the issues did you have the User Access Control in Win7 enabled or disabled? I'm wondering if the same thing can be achieved by globally disabling the UAC?


----------



## jes91504 (Jun 24, 2004)

MikeRadio said:


> I have it working now...
> 
> Hope this helped someone.. I took a half dozen suggestions, played with it awhile and this made it work fine.. all xfers fine.. past shows able to watch...
> 
> ...


This procedure worked for me as well, after having tried several other things the past few days.

After going through it, the Tivo didn't see the PC in "Now Playing" (but did for photos and music), so I restarted the Tivo, and then it didn't see the PC at all. But restarting the Tivo server on the PC again made everything right.

Now I just hope it stays that way!

Thanks again,
John S.


----------



## markhall (Dec 30, 2003)

MikeRadio said:


> I have it working now...
> 
> Here is what I did...
> 
> ...


So far, so good. Thanks, Mike.
A guy in the "TiVo not working in Windows 7, WMP 11, NOT A CODEC ISSUE" thread used XP compatibility mode on installation which seemed to work for him.

Win7 Home Premium 64 bit (commercial release; clean install from Vista 32 bit running 2.7 with no problems).
Unistalled 2.8 without running the cleaner; followed Mike's instructions.

I had upgraded to Plus trying to get this thing to work earlier. The only thing I still can't do that I had working in Vista is play the files in Media Center, TV Recordings.


----------



## AlanH220 (Aug 20, 2006)

I have Windows 7 Professional (64 bit) running via a clean, from scratch install. I have an S3 box, and am using Desktop Plus. Interestingly, have not had any problems using Desktop 2.7, as others have reported having.

I had the exact problem as originally reported by Chris. 

Tried MikeRadio's suggestions - and all was working well, on the S3 and on the PC, but only for a few hours. Then this morning, the S3 couldn't see any recordings on the PC, and when I used Desktop to try to transfer recording over, Desktop reported a mismatch between the MAK on the PC and the MAK on the S3. So I re-entered the MAK on Desktop, and got the "Transfer Server Wrong Version" error.

At this point I have removed Desktop 2.8, run the Cleaner, rebooted and re-installed about 8 times. It always ends in tears. There is clearly some bug in how the PC and the S3 compare MAKs with each other.

So for now, I am just continuing to use 2.7 - which works fine for me even in a 64-bit OS. Shame - because I liked a number of the 2.8 features.

Hope TiVo can figure this out and post a fix before very long.

Alan in Houston


----------



## jes91504 (Jun 24, 2004)

Now that it's been a few days since I implemented MikeRadio's suggestions, I can still play previous recordings and transfer new ones from the Tivo to PC without problems.

However, intermittently the Tivo can not see the PC for transferred recordings, photos, or music. Often pausing/resuming the Tivo server on the PC will clear this up, but not always. I've long had this problem with earlier versions of Tivo Desktop, but it seemed to have cleared up with 2.6 on the old XP machine. Now I'm running 2.8 on Win7 64-bit, and it's back again...

Sigh,
John S.


----------



## ggieseke (May 30, 2008)

jes91504 said:


> Now that it's been a few days since I implemented MikeRadio's suggestions, I can still play previous recordings and transfer new ones from the Tivo to PC without problems.
> 
> However, intermittently the Tivo can not see the PC for transferred recordings, photos, or music. Often pausing/resuming the Tivo server on the PC will clear this up, but not always. I've long had this problem with earlier versions of Tivo Desktop, but it seemed to have cleared up with 2.6 on the old XP machine. Now I'm running 2.8 on Win7 64-bit, and it's back again...
> 
> ...


In that case, I'd recommend switching it from Bonjour to TiVo Beacon. I saw a lot more "intermittent" connections once 2.7 came out, and that was when they changed to Bonjour. It's under the TiVo Server Properties dialog.


----------



## bobian (Jun 8, 2009)

Thanks so much Mike. Support didn't have a clue. The procedure worked fine and I can transfer and view files.


----------



## volsfan (Mar 1, 2005)

I, like Alan H2O had success for a brief shining moment using RadioMike's suggestions. Unfortunately, however, my MAK also once again mysteriously disappeared. So, I punted.

I uninstalled V2.8 and reverted back to V2.6.2. Even there, I lost my MAK after installation, but I re-entered it, at which point I lost the ability to use WMP to play the Tivo files on my PC, but unlike V2.8, I'm now able to transfer files again, and can convert to IPod format. I downloaded GOM per the suggestion of someone else on these forums, and it plays the Tivo files just fine. Ridiculous, I know, but at least for now, I have a workable solution until Tivo gets their act together on this software, assuming they ever do. I've found no good way to get data to the developers unless they scour these forums. The CSR's are clueless about everything but the most BASIC issues. This Tivo Desktop software is such a screwed up effort from the folks who brought us the best DVR's in the world...


----------



## markhall (Dec 30, 2003)

markhall said:


> So far, so good. Thanks, Mike.
> A guy in the "TiVo not working in Windows 7, WMP 11, NOT A CODEC ISSUE" thread used XP compatibility mode on installation which seemed to work for him.
> 
> Win7 Home Premium 64 bit (commercial release; clean install from Vista 32 bit running 2.7 with no problems).
> ...


Mine stopped working again after a reboot so I uninstalled 2.8 again and ran the installer as Administrator with the compatibility mode set to 'XP SP2' as mentioned in the other thread I referenced. I did the same on the program file - select 'XP SP2' compatibility mode and also check 'Run as Administrator'.


----------



## carpe_diem (Nov 17, 2009)

MikeRadio said:


> I have it working now...
> 
> Here is what I did...
> 
> ...


So far this is working for me. Let you know if it stops.


----------



## jes91504 (Jun 24, 2004)

ggieseke said:


> In that case, I'd recommend switching it from Bonjour to TiVo Beacon. I saw a lot more "intermittent" connections once 2.7 came out, and that was when they changed to Bonjour. It's under the TiVo Server Properties dialog.


Thanks for the suggestion -- I'd seen this choice, but not tried it since it said Bonjour is "recommended".

However, when I got home to try it yesterday, I got the "Transfer Server Wrong Version" error, which prevents the desktop from starting up. So I tried killing the transfer process, but then the desktop starts up and hangs. After three uninstall/clean/reinstall cycles, it finally worked. I searched the forums, but found no definitive answers.

So what happens today? Same thing. I think it is triggered when the system restarts, since it crashed yesterday and restarted overnight, thanks to Windows updates. I haven't today tried reinstalling, so that's where things are.

Sigh again,
John S.


----------



## ggieseke (May 30, 2008)

jes91504 said:


> Thanks for the suggestion -- I'd seen this choice, but not tried it since it said Bonjour is "recommended".
> 
> However, when I got home to try it yesterday, I got the "Transfer Server Wrong Version" error, which prevents the desktop from starting up. So I tried killing the transfer process, but then the desktop starts up and hangs. After three uninstall/clean/reinstall cycles, it finally worked. I searched the forums, but found no definitive answers.
> 
> ...


The only thing I know of that can cause that error is an incomplete removal of an older version. Before 2.8, the transfer server was in a subdirectory below "\Program Files\Common Files". The latest version keeps everything under the main TiVo Desktop program directory. I'd take a look for anything TiVo related under Common Files, and delete it manually if you find anything.


----------



## carpe_diem (Nov 17, 2009)

carpe_diem said:


> So far this is working for me. Let you know if it stops.


Does not work any more since rebooting system. Same errors.

I am really starting to get frustrated.


----------



## TiVoRB (Jan 8, 2005)

Thanks so much Mike. I originally had problems installing to a USB hard Drive (Installing to the Root Drive solved it) and then problems transferring files. Your solution worked perfectly. Thanks again for many lost hours of my life.


----------



## Kevin D42 (Nov 7, 2009)

Unfortunately, the problem has returned. No software changes. Possibly due to a reboot?


----------



## Nunya_Binnez (Dec 1, 2009)

I JUST NOW solved this problem. I thought I had it fixed by following the instructions (install as admin, run as admin), but after a reboot, no workie. 

I located "TiVoDesktop.exe", "TiVoNotify.exe", "TiVoServer.exe", and "TiVoTransfer.exe" in the installation folder (ie. C:\Program Files (x86)\Tivo\Desktop), and set them to "Run as Administrator" on the "Compatibility" tab of the "Properties" menu. 

Hope this helps.


----------



## jes91504 (Jun 24, 2004)

Nunya_Binnez said:


> I JUST NOW solved this problem. I thought I had it fixed by following the instructions (install as admin, run as admin), but after a reboot, no workie.
> 
> I located "TiVoDesktop.exe", "TiVoNotify.exe", "TiVoServer.exe", and "TiVoTransfer.exe" in the installation folder (ie. C:\Program Files (x86)\Tivo\Desktop), and set them to "Run as Administrator" on the "Compatibility" tab of the "Properties" menu.
> 
> Hope this helps.


Mine had been stuck since my last post of 11/26, but when I saw Nunya's post, I decided to give it a try. In addition to those executables I already specified, and those he specified, I also added "run as administrator" to the rest of the executables in the installation directory, even those that were hidden.

I rebooted to restart all the processes, and it worked! We'll see how long this lasts...

John S.


----------



## bcoxva (Feb 11, 2008)

Just to chime in and say setting ALL programs in Tivo directory on compatibility page to Run As Administrator (after installing from setup .exe by right click Run As Administrator) has worked for me as well for several days/numerous reboots.

It is definitely a permissions issue (Windows 7 introduces new issues there, believe me I am software developer so I have to deal with it).


----------



## FadeToBlack (Apr 25, 2009)

Worked for me as well. A blunt and disturbing hammer, though. Hope a proper fix can be made soon, in a servicing update.


----------



## mojonx (Dec 28, 2009)

I upgraded my desktop from Vista to Windows 7 and had the same problem as above. My laptop was a clean install and didn't have these issues. This solution worked for me after I found it online while working on an unrelated problem. It fixed my TiVo Desktop problem without using the "run as administrator" for "TiVoDesktop.exe", "TiVoNotify.exe", "TiVoServer.exe", and "TiVoTransfer.exe" solution (which works as a Band-Aid&#174.

Follow the instructions (carefully to avoid losing emails etc.) at:

windows.microsoft.com/en-US/Windows7/Fix-a-corrupted-user-profile

Then do a re-install of TiVo Desktop 2.8 (which I did do as Administrator). 

Hope it works for everyone else!


----------



## coreybryant (Mar 1, 2003)

Sorry to this threads but this just started happening - when Windows would starts, the TiVo (paid) server worked. Then is started adding my Programs to the Queue to be downloaded.

I would have to double click the server to make it start, but still *a lot* of files in the queue.

Now I am getting then for past two days, I am starting to get the TiVo Transfer Server is wrong.

Reinstalling the program in Admin Mode could help and I am guessing my shows would still be there after the installation (as long as I point to the same TiVo folder for the videos?


----------

