# Tivo HD stuck in phantom video transfer



## Peter Miller (Nov 28, 2001)

I have a Tivo HD connected to a WinXP SP3 PC running Tivo Desktop 2.8. Been using it to successfully transfer video from my PC to Tivo for years but today I've hit a snag. The Tivo is stuck, it says it is transferring a video (the blue light on the front panel is on) but nothing appears in the Now Playing list as being currently transferred. If I queue up additional transfers they all get in line behind the invisible transfer.

I've reset my PC, pulled the plug on the Tivo, removed the network connection (pulled the ethernet cable) and reinstalled Tivo Desktop yet when the Tivo is restarted, after a few minutes the blue light will turn on and it gets stuck again trying to transfer a phantom video.

Any ideas?


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## orangeboy (Apr 19, 2004)

Peter Miller said:


> I have a Tivo HD connected to a WinXP SP3 PC running Tivo Desktop 2.8. Been using it to successfully transfer video from my PC to Tivo for years but today I've hit a snag. The Tivo is stuck, it says it is transferring a video (the blue light on the front panel is on) but nothing appears in the Now Playing list as being currently transferred. If I queue up additional transfers they all get in line behind the invisible transfer.
> 
> I've reset my PC, pulled the plug on the Tivo, removed the network connection (pulled the ethernet cable) and reinstalled Tivo Desktop yet when the Tivo is restarted, after a few minutes the blue light will turn on and it gets stuck again trying to transfer a phantom video.
> 
> Any ideas?


Can you navigate back to the "transferring" file name from the TiVo, and select "Cancel Download"?


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## Peter Miller (Nov 28, 2001)

No, that is the problem. There is nothing to cancel. Tivo thinks it is transferring something but there is nothing in now playing or the To Do list that shows as being transferred. If I try to initiate any new transfers the Tivo just sticks them in line behind the phantom transfer.


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## dlfl (Jul 6, 2006)

I can't think of anything other than "Clean and Delete". If you do this not only do you lose your recordings and season passes, but you will also have to reinstall the CableCARD(s) if you use it (them). Be sure to contact TiVo support in case they have a better idea.


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## orangeboy (Apr 19, 2004)

TiVo Desktop 2.8 comes with an application called "Logfinder". Run that, and select all the checkboxes (you may need to restart the TiVo Desktop Server - I don't remember). There may be a clue there as to what is being sent to the TiVo Servers for scheduling...


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## Peter Miller (Nov 28, 2001)

After shutting down the Tivo and leaving it off for 2 hours, it was finally back to normal once it powered up. Thanks for the suggestions tho.


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## dlfl (Jul 6, 2006)

Peter Miller said:


> After shutting down the Tivo and leaving it off for 2 hours, it was finally back to normal once it powered up. Thanks for the suggestions tho.


Good for you! That's weird though. What would be the difference between being off for 2 hrs vs. a few seconds (when you power cycled it before?

Who knows what mysteries lie in the TiVo software?


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## Peter Miller (Nov 28, 2001)

dlfl said:


> Good for you! That's weird though. What would be the difference between being off for 2 hrs vs. a few seconds (when you power cycled it before?
> 
> Who knows what mysteries lie in the TiVo software?


When I just turned it off for only a few seconds, the phantom transfer would return. Leaving it off for a long time seemed to fix the problem.

Unfortunately the phantom transfer problem has now become intermittent. The Tivo HD will be happily transferring video after video from the PC, when in between successful transfers, BOOM, the phantom transfer will return and new transfers will get sent to the queue. If I let it sit and pretend to transfer eventually (a few hours) it will give up and move onto real transfers.

This has become really annoying.


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## KungFuCow (May 6, 2004)

Im also having this problem with a Premiere. Tivo shows a show is transferring but there is nothing in the que. It takes a cold boot to get it to go away.


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## Peter Miller (Nov 28, 2001)

I think the problem might be related to the Tivo Desktop 2.8 software. Once I rebooted my PC the phantom transfer went away a few minutes later. Will have to try that and nothing else to see if that kills the phantom transfer.


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## KungFuCow (May 6, 2004)

I dont think so. Its done the same thing to me with PyTivo.


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## msiemsen (Apr 23, 2010)

I had a simillar problem awhile ago. Blue xfer light but nothing being downloaded. Condition survived restart. Turns out a Revision3 video podcast I subscribed to (DL.TV) had a problem. The problem resolved itself in a week or so. At the time people here were suggesting to check podcasts they subscribed to and unsubscribe/resubscribe.

Do you have any podcast subscriptions? or download subscriptions outside regular TV?


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## Peter Miller (Nov 28, 2001)

I seem to get getting closer to figuring this thing out, I'm able to recreate the problem. Whenever it's a m4v file's turn to be auto-transferred, everything stops. If I try to manually initiate the transfer of a m4v file, the phantom transfer problem occurs. If I restart my PC, the transfers start working again including m4v files. Once everything is working, sometime later a new m4v file will be ready for transferring and the cycle will start over again. 

It is as if at some point Tivo Desktop forgets I've upgraded it to Tivo Desktop Plus and the only way to fix that is to restart the PC.


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## orangeboy (Apr 19, 2004)

Peter Miller said:


> I seem to get getting closer to figuring this thing out, I'm able to recreate the problem. Whenever it's a m4v file's turn to be auto-transferred, everything stops. If I try to manually initiate the transfer of a m4v file, the phantom transfer problem occurs. If I restart my PC, the transfers start working again including m4v files. Once everything is working, sometime later a new m4v file will be ready for transferring and the cycle will start over again.
> 
> It is as if at some point Tivo Desktop forgets I've upgraded it to Tivo Desktop Plus and the only way to fix that is to restart the PC.


What do the text files created by Logfinder say when TiVo Desktop encounters one of those m4v files?


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## Peter Miller (Nov 28, 2001)

Looks like it isn't related to m4v files, it occurs whenever I initiate a manual transfer of any file type. Restarting the PC fixes the problem and auto transfers start again but if I initiate a manual transfer everything stops.

I've run Logfinder while the Tivo was stuck in a phantom transfer but I'm not sure what I'm looking for.


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## orangeboy (Apr 19, 2004)

Peter Miller said:


> Looks like it isn't related to m4v files, it occurs whenever I initiate a manual transfer of any file type. Restarting the PC fixes the problem and auto transfers start again but if I initiate a manual transfer everything stops.
> 
> I've run Logfinder while the Tivo was stuck in a phantom transfer but I'm not sure what I'm looking for.


I think you could do a find on "ERROR" in the TiVoTransfer DownloadManager Log...


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## Peter Miller (Nov 28, 2001)

There are plenty of those in TivoTransfer.log:

Info	2010-04-27:16-34-47.500-07:00	0x920	TivoTransfer.cpp, WinMain, 231 | DownloadManager instance created
Error	2010-04-27:19-49-28.921-07:00	0x920	utils.cpp, CollectRuleFilesInDir, 84 | FindFirstFile() failed: err=2
Error	2010-04-27:20-21-52.640-07:00	0x920	utils.cpp, CollectRuleFilesInDir, 84 | FindFirstFile() failed: err=2
Error	2010-04-28:11-20-12.671-07:00	0x920	utils.cpp, CollectRuleFilesInDir, 84 | FindFirstFile() failed: err=2
Error	2010-04-28:11-30-03.453-07:00	0x920	utils.cpp, CollectRuleFilesInDir, 84 | FindFirstFile() failed: err=2
Error	2010-04-28:11-30-32.000-07:00	0x920	utils.cpp, CollectRuleFilesInDir, 84 | FindFirstFile() failed: err=2


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## Peter Miller (Nov 28, 2001)

Here is the end of the Transcode.log file:


```
04/28/2010 11:25:48.171-07:00	0x000003c8	      TranscodingCore::Scheduler::onThreadMainLoop:  303:	Start...
04/28/2010 11:25:48.187-07:00	0x00001490	           CTranscodingManager::GetTranscodingInfo:  131:	Create transcoding info...
04/28/2010 11:25:48.265-07:00	0x000004c0	                              XmlUtils::checkError:   25:	Xml Error; hr = 0x80004005; error = System error: -2146697211.

04/28/2010 11:25:48.265-07:00	0x00001490	              EncodeProfileManager::findDOMProfile:  118:	Try to find profile: "ttcb hd stream"
04/28/2010 11:25:48.343-07:00	0x00001490	    EncodeProfileManager::enumerateStandardProfile:  182:	Try to enumerate standard profiles
04/28/2010 11:25:48.359-07:00	0x00001490	              EncodeProfileManager::findDOMProfile:  127:	Profile: "ttcb hd stream" is found in Standard Profiles
04/28/2010 11:25:48.406-07:00	0x00001490	                           MediaInfoCheckV2::check:   71:	MediaInfo file: C:\Download\movies\engadget_show_segment_008_hd.mp4
04/28/2010 11:25:48.984-07:00	0x00001490	                              MoovParse::ParseHere:  100:	"moov" not precede "mdat"
04/28/2010 11:25:49.015-07:00	0x00001490	           CTranscodingManager::GetTranscodingInfo:  140:	End invoke...
04/28/2010 11:25:55.125-07:00	0x000003c8	      TranscodingCore::Scheduler::onThreadMainLoop:  354:	Stop...
04/28/2010 11:30:00.750-07:00	0x00001460	    CTranscodingManager::CreateMediaTypeEnumerator:  301:	Create profile enumerator...
04/28/2010 11:30:00.750-07:00	0x00000a74	      TranscodingCore::Scheduler::onThreadMainLoop:  303:	Start...
04/28/2010 11:30:00.796-07:00	0x00001460	                ...CTranscodingMediaTypeEnumerator:   13:	Create TranscodingMediaTypeEnumerator
04/28/2010 11:30:00.875-07:00	0x00001460	    CTranscodingManager::CreateMediaTypeEnumerator:  306:	End invoke...
04/28/2010 11:30:00.906-07:00	0x0000155c	            CTranscodingMediaTypeEnumerator::Reset:   18:	Reset TranscodingMediaTypeEnumerator
04/28/2010 11:30:00.875-07:00	0x0000151c	                              XmlUtils::checkError:   25:	Xml Error; hr = 0x80004005; error = System error: -2146697211.

04/28/2010 11:30:00.921-07:00	0x0000155c	                         MediaTypes::ReadMediaType:  124:	Extension: .mkv  Mime: video/x-matroska
04/28/2010 11:30:00.984-07:00	0x0000155c	               MediaTypes::ReadMediaTypeExtensions:  145:	No more Media Type\Extensions
04/28/2010 11:30:01.015-07:00	0x00001358	             CTranscodingMediaTypeEnumerator::Next:   38:	Next TranscodingMediaTypeInfo
04/28/2010 11:30:01.031-07:00	0x00001460	             CTranscodingMediaTypeEnumerator::Next:   38:	Next TranscodingMediaTypeInfo
04/28/2010 11:30:01.078-07:00	0x00001460	             CTranscodingMediaTypeEnumerator::Next:   44:	No more TranscodingMediaTypeInfo
04/28/2010 11:30:02.218-07:00	0x00001460	           CTranscodingManager::GetTranscodingInfo:  131:	Create transcoding info...
04/28/2010 11:30:02.250-07:00	0x00001460	              EncodeProfileManager::findDOMProfile:  118:	Try to find profile: "ttcb hd stream"
04/28/2010 11:30:02.296-07:00	0x00001460	    EncodeProfileManager::enumerateStandardProfile:  182:	Try to enumerate standard profiles
04/28/2010 11:30:02.328-07:00	0x00001460	              EncodeProfileManager::findDOMProfile:  127:	Profile: "ttcb hd stream" is found in Standard Profiles
04/28/2010 11:30:02.359-07:00	0x00001460	                           MediaInfoCheckV2::check:   71:	MediaInfo file: C:\Download\movies\engadget_show_segment_008_hd.mp4
04/28/2010 11:30:03.062-07:00	0x00001460	                              MoovParse::ParseHere:  100:	"moov" not precede "mdat"
04/28/2010 11:30:03.093-07:00	0x00001460	           CTranscodingManager::GetTranscodingInfo:  140:	End invoke...
04/28/2010 11:30:09.125-07:00	0x00000a74	      TranscodingCore::Scheduler::onThreadMainLoop:  354:	Stop...
04/28/2010 11:30:19.843-07:00	0x00000b44	      TranscodingCore::Scheduler::onThreadMainLoop:  303:	Start...
04/28/2010 11:30:19.859-07:00	0x000012bc	      CTranscodingManager::CreateProfileEnumerator:  214:	Create profile enumerator...
04/28/2010 11:30:19.921-07:00	0x000012bc	     EncodeProfileManager::enumeratePartnerProfile:  237:	Partner Profiles folder is empty
04/28/2010 11:30:20.000-07:00	0x000012bc	      CTranscodingManager::CreateProfileEnumerator:  219:	End invoke...
04/28/2010 11:30:20.015-07:00	0x0000125c	                              XmlUtils::checkError:   25:	Xml Error; hr = 0x80004005; error = System error: -2146697211.

04/28/2010 11:30:24.140-07:00	0x000002c8	    CTranscodingManager::CreateMediaTypeEnumerator:  301:	Create profile enumerator...
04/28/2010 11:30:24.171-07:00	0x000002c8	                ...CTranscodingMediaTypeEnumerator:   13:	Create TranscodingMediaTypeEnumerator
04/28/2010 11:30:24.218-07:00	0x000002c8	    CTranscodingManager::CreateMediaTypeEnumerator:  306:	End invoke...
04/28/2010 11:30:24.250-07:00	0x000002c8	            CTranscodingMediaTypeEnumerator::Reset:   18:	Reset TranscodingMediaTypeEnumerator
04/28/2010 11:30:24.281-07:00	0x000002c8	                         MediaTypes::ReadMediaType:  124:	Extension: .mkv  Mime: video/x-matroska
04/28/2010 11:30:24.328-07:00	0x000002c8	               MediaTypes::ReadMediaTypeExtensions:  145:	No more Media Type\Extensions
04/28/2010 11:30:24.359-07:00	0x000012bc	             CTranscodingMediaTypeEnumerator::Next:   38:	Next TranscodingMediaTypeInfo
04/28/2010 11:30:24.390-07:00	0x000002c8	             CTranscodingMediaTypeEnumerator::Next:   38:	Next TranscodingMediaTypeInfo
04/28/2010 11:30:24.406-07:00	0x000002c8	             CTranscodingMediaTypeEnumerator::Next:   44:	No more TranscodingMediaTypeInfo
04/28/2010 11:30:25.578-07:00	0x000012bc	           CTranscodingManager::GetTranscodingInfo:  131:	Create transcoding info...
04/28/2010 11:30:25.609-07:00	0x000012bc	              EncodeProfileManager::findDOMProfile:  118:	Try to find profile: "ttcb hd stream"
04/28/2010 11:30:25.640-07:00	0x000012bc	    EncodeProfileManager::enumerateStandardProfile:  182:	Try to enumerate standard profiles
04/28/2010 11:30:25.671-07:00	0x000012bc	              EncodeProfileManager::findDOMProfile:  127:	Profile: "ttcb hd stream" is found in Standard Profiles
04/28/2010 11:30:25.703-07:00	0x000012bc	                           MediaInfoCheckV2::check:   71:	MediaInfo file: C:\Download\movies\engadget_show_segment_008_hd.mp4
04/28/2010 11:30:26.250-07:00	0x000012bc	                              MoovParse::ParseHere:  100:	"moov" not precede "mdat"
04/28/2010 11:30:26.281-07:00	0x000012bc	           CTranscodingManager::GetTranscodingInfo:  140:	End invoke...
04/28/2010 11:30:29.593-07:00	0x000012bc	    CTranscodingManager::CreateMediaTypeEnumerator:  301:	Create profile enumerator...
04/28/2010 11:30:29.687-07:00	0x000012bc	                ...CTranscodingMediaTypeEnumerator:   13:	Create TranscodingMediaTypeEnumerator
04/28/2010 11:30:29.750-07:00	0x000012bc	    CTranscodingManager::CreateMediaTypeEnumerator:  306:	End invoke...
04/28/2010 11:30:29.781-07:00	0x00000f1c	            CTranscodingMediaTypeEnumerator::Reset:   18:	Reset TranscodingMediaTypeEnumerator
04/28/2010 11:30:29.843-07:00	0x00000f1c	                         MediaTypes::ReadMediaType:  124:	Extension: .mkv  Mime: video/x-matroska
04/28/2010 11:30:29.890-07:00	0x00000f1c	               MediaTypes::ReadMediaTypeExtensions:  145:	No more Media Type\Extensions
04/28/2010 11:30:29.953-07:00	0x000012bc	             CTranscodingMediaTypeEnumerator::Next:   38:	Next TranscodingMediaTypeInfo
04/28/2010 11:30:30.000-07:00	0x000002c8	             CTranscodingMediaTypeEnumerator::Next:   38:	Next TranscodingMediaTypeInfo
04/28/2010 11:30:30.046-07:00	0x000002c8	             CTranscodingMediaTypeEnumerator::Next:   44:	No more TranscodingMediaTypeInfo
04/28/2010 11:30:31.203-07:00	0x000002c8	           CTranscodingManager::GetTranscodingInfo:  131:	Create transcoding info...
04/28/2010 11:30:31.234-07:00	0x000002c8	              EncodeProfileManager::findDOMProfile:  118:	Try to find profile: "ttcb hd stream"
04/28/2010 11:30:31.265-07:00	0x000002c8	    EncodeProfileManager::enumerateStandardProfile:  182:	Try to enumerate standard profiles
04/28/2010 11:30:31.312-07:00	0x000002c8	              EncodeProfileManager::findDOMProfile:  127:	Profile: "ttcb hd stream" is found in Standard Profiles
04/28/2010 11:30:31.343-07:00	0x000002c8	                           MediaInfoCheckV2::check:   71:	MediaInfo file: C:\Download\movies\engadget_show_segment_008_hd.mp4
04/28/2010 11:30:31.687-07:00	0x000002c8	                              MoovParse::ParseHere:  100:	"moov" not precede "mdat"
04/28/2010 11:30:31.734-07:00	0x000002c8	           CTranscodingManager::GetTranscodingInfo:  140:	End invoke...
04/28/2010 11:30:37.765-07:00	0x00000b44	      TranscodingCore::Scheduler::onThreadMainLoop:  354:	Stop...
```
Tail end of DownloadManager.log:


```
04/28/2010 11:22:34.703-07:00	0x000012e0	       ...SmartDownloaderManager::onThreadMainLoop:  475:	Start...
04/28/2010 11:22:34.718-07:00	0x000002dc	                  HME::createCustomDownloadManager:   28:	DownloadManager was created:C:\Documents and Settings\Peter Miller\Local Settings\Application Data\TiVo Desktop\DownloadQueue.xml
04/28/2010 11:22:34.750-07:00	0x000002dc	            HME::initializeRSSPollingManagerModule:   25:	Module initialization was completed...
04/28/2010 11:22:34.781-07:00	0x000002dc	   HME::DownloadManagerImpl::setDownloaderCallback:   56:	Trying invoke...; clientId: {24ccafd9-a852-4725-8a7a-d83180c1e386}
04/28/2010 11:22:34.796-07:00	0x000012e0	    ...SmartDownloaderManager::setListenerInternal:  363:	Update listener for clientId: {24ccafd9-a852-4725-8a7a-d83180c1e386}
04/28/2010 11:22:34.812-07:00	0x000012e0	    ...SmartDownloaderManager::setListenerInternal:  381:	Listener for clientId: {24ccafd9-a852-4725-8a7a-d83180c1e386} was set or updated...
04/28/2010 11:22:34.828-07:00	0x000002dc	   HME::DownloadManagerImpl::setDownloaderCallback:   62:	Invocation was completed...; clientId: {24ccafd9-a852-4725-8a7a-d83180c1e386}
04/28/2010 11:22:34.843-07:00	0x000002dc	                               HME::setRSSCallback:   49:	Trying invoke...
04/28/2010 11:22:34.859-07:00	0x00000ae8	         RSS::PollingManagerImpl::onThreadMainLoop:  324:	Start...
04/28/2010 11:22:34.890-07:00	0x000002dc	                               HME::setRSSCallback:   51:	Invocation was completed...
04/28/2010 11:22:35.890-07:00	0x00000ae8	               RSS::PollingManagerImpl::pollingAll:  218:	Start Polling...
04/28/2010 11:30:22.609-07:00	0x000002dc	   HME::DownloadManagerImpl::setDownloaderCallback:   56:	Trying invoke...; clientId: {24ccafd9-a852-4725-8a7a-d83180c1e386}
04/28/2010 11:30:22.625-07:00	0x000012e0	    ...SmartDownloaderManager::setListenerInternal:  363:	Update listener for clientId: {24ccafd9-a852-4725-8a7a-d83180c1e386}
04/28/2010 11:30:22.640-07:00	0x000012e0	    ...SmartDownloaderManager::setListenerInternal:  383:	Listener for clientId: {24ccafd9-a852-4725-8a7a-d83180c1e386} was removed...
04/28/2010 11:30:22.656-07:00	0x000002dc	   HME::DownloadManagerImpl::setDownloaderCallback:   62:	Invocation was completed...; clientId: {24ccafd9-a852-4725-8a7a-d83180c1e386}
04/28/2010 11:30:22.671-07:00	0x000002dc	                               HME::setRSSCallback:   49:	Trying invoke...
04/28/2010 11:30:22.703-07:00	0x00000ae8	         RSS::PollingManagerImpl::onThreadMainLoop:  373:	Stop...
04/28/2010 11:30:22.718-07:00	0x000002dc	                               HME::setRSSCallback:   51:	Invocation was completed...
04/28/2010 11:30:22.750-07:00	0x000002dc	                       HME::destroyDownloadManager:   49:	Trying destroy DownloadManager...
04/28/2010 11:30:22.765-07:00	0x00000ca8	     ...CurlExeDownloaderManager::onThreadMainLoop:  310:	Stop...
04/28/2010 11:30:22.796-07:00	0x000012e0	       ...SmartDownloaderManager::onThreadMainLoop:  529:	Stop...
04/28/2010 11:30:22.828-07:00	0x000002dc	                       HME::destroyDownloadManager:   53:	DownloadManager was destroyed...
04/28/2010 11:30:22.843-07:00	0x000002dc	            HME::deinitializeDownloadManagerModule:   76:	Finalization module...
04/28/2010 11:30:22.859-07:00	0x000002dc	          HME::deinitializeRSSPollingManagerModule:   30:	Finalization module...
04/28/2010 11:30:29.406-07:00	0x000013dc	              HME::initializeDownloadManagerModule:   71:	Module initialization was completed...
04/28/2010 11:30:29.453-07:00	0x000013dc	                  HME::createCustomDownloadManager:   24:	Trying create DownloadManager...C:\Documents and Settings\Peter Miller\Local Settings\Application Data\TiVo Desktop\DownloadQueue.xml
04/28/2010 11:30:29.515-07:00	0x00000900	     ...CurlExeDownloaderManager::onThreadMainLoop:  222:	Start...
04/28/2010 11:30:29.593-07:00	0x000013dc	                              XmlUtils::checkError:   25:	Xml Error; hr = 0x80004005; error = System error: -2146697211.

04/28/2010 11:30:29.671-07:00	0x000005fc	       ...SmartDownloaderManager::onThreadMainLoop:  475:	Start...
04/28/2010 11:30:29.703-07:00	0x000013dc	                  HME::createCustomDownloadManager:   28:	DownloadManager was created:C:\Documents and Settings\Peter Miller\Local Settings\Application Data\TiVo Desktop\DownloadQueue.xml
04/28/2010 11:30:29.750-07:00	0x000013dc	            HME::initializeRSSPollingManagerModule:   25:	Module initialization was completed...
04/28/2010 11:30:29.796-07:00	0x000013dc	   HME::DownloadManagerImpl::setDownloaderCallback:   56:	Trying invoke...; clientId: {24ccafd9-a852-4725-8a7a-d83180c1e386}
04/28/2010 11:30:29.843-07:00	0x000005fc	    ...SmartDownloaderManager::setListenerInternal:  363:	Update listener for clientId: {24ccafd9-a852-4725-8a7a-d83180c1e386}
04/28/2010 11:30:29.875-07:00	0x000005fc	    ...SmartDownloaderManager::setListenerInternal:  381:	Listener for clientId: {24ccafd9-a852-4725-8a7a-d83180c1e386} was set or updated...
04/28/2010 11:30:29.890-07:00	0x000013dc	   HME::DownloadManagerImpl::setDownloaderCallback:   62:	Invocation was completed...; clientId: {24ccafd9-a852-4725-8a7a-d83180c1e386}
04/28/2010 11:30:29.921-07:00	0x000013dc	                               HME::setRSSCallback:   49:	Trying invoke...
04/28/2010 11:30:29.953-07:00	0x00000e60	         RSS::PollingManagerImpl::onThreadMainLoop:  324:	Start...
04/28/2010 11:30:29.984-07:00	0x000013dc	                               HME::setRSSCallback:   51:	Invocation was completed...
04/28/2010 11:30:30.984-07:00	0x00000e60	               RSS::PollingManagerImpl::pollingAll:  218:	Start Polling...
```


----------



## steve614 (May 1, 2006)

I just wanted to post my recent experience with a phantom transfer to further the knowledge.

I believe my phantom transfer was caused by a bad mpeg video. 
This video transferred fine from the PC to TivoHD B. I watched about half and stopped. 
Later, I wanted to watch the rest on TivoHD A, so I initiated an MRV from paused point, but it immediately stopped. 
History said it was due to a server error and to try again. 
Upon doing so, I get the blue light, but the "will transfer later" screen comes up. 
Go to the ToDo list, nothing there, same with history. (wtf?)

I tried several things including rebooting the Tivos and PC/router, but what seemed to work for me was this. 
I initiated an MRV so I got the "will transfer later" message and had a video in queue. 
I then pulled the plug on both Tivos and let them sit for a good minute. 
I restarted the "good" Tivo first, let it get to the few minutes more screen, then started the Tivo with the problem. 

Success! The newly requested MRV started transferring as soon as the intro video started playing. 
As of now, I just started another transfer so it seems my phantom transfer has been flushed out. :up:


----------



## yelloiroc (Aug 3, 2008)

This is the worst. Ive tried just about everything sort of complete reset of Tivos. i also belive the issue starts as a result of a bad mpeg. All so on my PC ffmpeg is using 100% of the CPUs cycles until i force close tivodesktop.


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## Iustus (Mar 16, 2011)

I have the same issue today.

I have two tivo HDs and a tivo premier. One of the tivo HDs is stuck blue light, with nothing visible anywhere to cancel. I have reset all three tivos, repeated guided setup on the stuck tivo, everything short of "Clear program information & To Do List". 

At the moment I have disconnected the stuck TiVo from the network, but this does not stop the blue light.

Note, I am not using a PC (or a Mac) at this time to transfer programming, only between TiVos.

Any ideas?


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## orangeboy (Apr 19, 2004)

Try looking in Recording History on the blue light TiVo to see what recording is attempting to be transferred.


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## steve614 (May 1, 2006)

You could also try disabling download and transfer privileges on your Tivo.com account for the affected Tivo.
Go to your Tivo account and under DVR preferences, uncheck the boxes that allow for downloads and transfers.
Wait a few hours and let the Tivo connect to the service.
Check the status in System info for TivoToGo. When it shows i,i,i , go back to your Tivo.com account and re-enable downloads and transfers.


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## Iustus (Mar 16, 2011)

Obviously, as posted above, the phantom transfer does not show up on any list (either in To Dos or in Now Playing) so there seems no way to cancel it individually.

I tried "Clear program information & To Do List" and after over an hour of setup, the blue light came on again. (Note, that some other transfers were also in the To List after this 'clear', so it seems this function does not reset transfers from the ToDo list.)

I tried turning off allow transfers on the tivo site and reconnecting and rebooting. 

I tried rebooting while not connected to the network, the blue light still turns on. I thought about trying to disconnect the other TiVos from the network, but obviously this one is getting the transfer list from itself, since it still found it when not connected to the network.

I am not sure what to try now, short of a complete reset of the system.

Any ideas?


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## orangeboy (Apr 19, 2004)

Iustus said:


> I tried rebooting while not connected to the network, the blue light still turns on...


Nothing can transfer when you're not connected to the network. Maybe your blue LED switch is defective?


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## Iustus (Mar 16, 2011)

orangeboy said:


> Nothing can transfer when you're not connected to the network. Maybe your blue LED switch is defective?


Like I said, it's not really transferring, it just thinks it is. The blue light is not defective, trying to transfer more shows just queues them up waiting for the phantom transfer to finish.

This is what you would call a bug, but I was hoping someone had a workaround. The next step is a full reset of my system after I finish watching what is currently recorded, which will take a few days, unless someone else has another suggestion.


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## steve614 (May 1, 2006)

Obviously if you haven't already, cancel all pending transfers so there are none queued up.

Do you subscribe to any web videos? Those will also cause the blue light to come on. The Tivo could be stuck trying to get a web video.
If you subscribe to any web videos, cancel their 'season passes'.

Another thing you could try is to go to Music, Photos & Showcases and disable home network applications at the bottom of the menu.


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## orangeboy (Apr 19, 2004)

Iustus said:


> Like I said, it's not really transferring, it just thinks it is. The blue light is not defective, trying to transfer more shows just queues them up waiting for the phantom transfer to finish.


I guess it's unclear if you are _leaving the network cable unplugged_ after restarting and the blue light illuminates.


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## Iustus (Mar 16, 2011)

orangeboy said:


> I guess it's unclear if you are _leaving the network cable unplugged_ after restarting and the blue light illuminates.


Yes, of course I am leaving it unplugged. And yes, it still lights up.

Now, if you look at it from a simplistic level, then you are correct, it cannot be transferring anything if the network is not connected.

But if you think of things at a deeper level, then obviously there is some flag in the system which is set when it starts transferring and cleared when it is done. This flag must be the gate which prevents the tivo from starting a new transfer until the old one has finished. Furthermore, the blue light must be tied to this flag.

There seems to be some bug where you can set this flag when no file is actually being transferred. Worse, the flag seems to be persistent across reboots, which at the face of it seems to be some poor programming, but perhaps makes sense with a deeper understanding of the code.

-----

Back to the original issue, I seem to have made some progress. I once again went to the TiVo site and set DVR preferences to disallow transfers to that Tivo (lets call it TiVo3). I then made sure all three TiVos connected to the website to get the updated information. I then reset todos using "Clear program information & To Do List" which causes a reconnect to the TiVo site.

One hour later, the blue light is still not on. Of course I cannot transfer anything. When I look at TiVo1 and TiVo2 in the Now Playing list, it says (as expected) nothing available to transfer.

I have re-enabled transfers to TiVo3 and reconnected. Once I do the same with TiVo1 and TiVo2, we will see if the phantom light returns or if things are back to normal.


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## Iustus (Mar 16, 2011)

Success. The steps I took above (plus perhaps the passage of time) resolved the issue.


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## Phantom Gremlin (Jun 20, 2002)

Iustus said:


> Success. The steps I took above (plus perhaps the passage of time) resolved the issue.


Thanks for getting back to us and confirming the steps needed.

It's voodoo like this which has kept me from doing much with the more advanced features of the TiVo. I don't do Netflix, I don't push files from my PC to my TiVo (unless experimenting), etc.

The TiVo works great as a DVR. But it's obvious that TiVo Inc doesn't care about chasing down and squashing bugs. So I stay away from the more advanced features. It's sad how inept TiVo Inc is.


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