# TiVo Desktop 2.8 Released!



## Enrique (May 15, 2006)

http://www.tivo.com/buytivo/tivogear/software/index.html



> TiVo Desktop: New features in version 2.8
> The folders on the PC can now display when viewed from your TiVo DVR.
> You can choose the discovery protocol TiVo Desktop & DVRs use to locate each other on your home network


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## bkdtv (Jan 9, 2003)

Changes to TiVo Desktop Plus (the pay version, but free upgrade):



> Transferring home movies recorded with a Flip camcorder to the DVR is now supported.
> 
> Transferring web videos in the MPEG-4 format to the TiVo HD or Series3 DVR is significantly faster.
> 
> ...


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## daveak (Mar 23, 2009)

Sounds good, maybe I will use my TD+ more - when I upgrade. Though I am thinking I might want to wait a little while and see how well this one works...

I am hopeful some early adopters will share their experiences so I can selfishly let them do my beta testing (I am not a guru when it comes to this area, so cut me some slack, eh?).

And I assume this is the version crafted with Win7 in mind?


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## TriBruin (Dec 10, 2003)

Can you run Tivo Desktop server as a service? I hate having to log in to my desktop to allow shows to be transferred.


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## spocko (Feb 4, 2009)

bkdtv said:


> Changes to TiVo Desktop Plus (the pay version, but free upgrade):


Where did you see the info that you posted? I'm intrigued by the statement about MP4 files transferring faster. On the download page they say the following is new in Desktop Plus:



> * The video quality for PlayStation Portables has been improved.
> * TiVo Desktop Plus can create videos for playback on additional popular portable media players, such as the Apple iPhone, Apple iPod Touch, the Palm Pre and several models of Blackberry phones.
> * The user can now choose to auto-transfer all the contents of a folder


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## bkdtv (Jan 9, 2003)

spocko said:


> Where did you see the info that you posted? I'm intrigued by the statement about MP4 files transferring faster. On the download page they say the following is new in Desktop Plus:


Click on "new features in version 2.8" under the TiVo Desktop Plus section of this page.


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## aaronwt (Jan 31, 2002)

Will 2.8 transfer shows concurrently from multiple TiVos like 2.6 did?
When I tried 2.7 it would only transfer consecutively which increased my transfer times by 4 to 6 times as long depending on how many boxes my transfers were coming from.
So i went back to 2.6


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## txporter (Sep 18, 2006)

aaronwt said:


> Will 2.8 transfer shows concurrently from multiple TiVos like 2.6 did?
> When I tried 2.7 it would only transfer consecutively which increased my transfer times by 4 to 6 times as long depending on how many boxes my transfers were coming from.
> So i went back to 2.6


kmttg will do this if you want to get away from TD.


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## spocko (Feb 4, 2009)

bkdtv said:


> Click on "new features in version 2.8" under the TiVo Desktop Plus section of this page.


That's where I looked, and I don't see the info that you posted. Perhaps they revised it.


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## aaronwt (Jan 31, 2002)

txporter said:


> kmttg will do this if you want to get away from TD.


I like TiVo Desktop. Plus I paid for TD+.


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## bkdtv (Jan 9, 2003)

spocko said:


> That's where I looked, and I don't see the info that you posted. Perhaps they revised it.


You're right. The old version must be cached in Firefox, because I see the text you describe in IE and Chrome.


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## aaronwt (Jan 31, 2002)

I just installed TiVo Desktop 2.8.

It does download the shows concurrently. I'm downloading from five Tivos concurrently right now.

What is the difference between Bonjour for Windows and TiVo Beacon?


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## bkdtv (Jan 9, 2003)

aaronwt said:


> What is the difference between Bonjour for Windows and TiVo Beacon?


It gives the user two different ways to identify their PC to the Tivo.

Some configurations / firewalls may work better with Bonjour and others may work better with TiVo Beacon. Bonjour should work fine for most.


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## morac (Mar 14, 2003)

bkdtv said:


> Changes to TiVo Desktop Plus (the pay version, but free upgrade):


Here's what's new from the readme file that displays when installing:


> TiVo Desktop has the following improvements:
> 
> 
> The folders on your PC can now display when viewed from your TiVo DVR.
> ...


From what I've seen, in addition to the above the main differences are:

TD 2.8 registers no codecs with Windows except the TiVoDirectShowFilter.dll filter. The TiVoDirectShowFilter.dll filter dynamically loads any filters that are required to play .tivo files and do transcoding. This means TD 2.8 won't interfere with other codecs on your machine and vice-versa, but it also means the MainConcept codecs won't work for playing back .mp2 and .mp4 files (only used for .tivo playback).

It fixed the transfer time not showing when queuing multiple transfers.

One bug I've found is that if the MainConcept codecs are used for .tivo file playback, then the "Audio Boost" feature doesn't work. Looking at a filter graph shows that the "TiVo PCM boost filter" loads, but never attaches. That could because the MainConcept codecs don't appear to downconvert from 5.1 to 2.0.

I've different preferred codec set, so that's not an issue for me, though my preferred codec thinks all TiVo files are 4x3 aspect (including the 16x9 ones). It does hardware decoding though. For software decoding, I've found that ffdshow's mpeg2 codec works fairly well with TiVo files without any of the downsides.


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## aaronwt (Jan 31, 2002)

With 2.7 I didn't have a problem with the transfer time not showing. It showed it but it would be over 24 hours(for a bunch of shows) for the estimated time(which was correct) since it was only transferring one show at a time from multiple TiVos.


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## Breadfan (Jan 7, 2008)

I updated to TD+ 2.8 and now I can autotransfer my podcasts to the TiVo but I still can't play recordings transferred to my Win7 PC and now I am unable to transfer show from the TiVo to the PC. I get an error that says the system cannot find the file specified when it tries to start the transfer!


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## ggieseke (May 30, 2008)

Breadfan said:


> I updated to TD+ 2.8 and now I can autotransfer my podcasts to the TiVo but I still can't play recordings transferred to my Win7 PC and now I am unable to transfer show from the TiVo to the PC. I get an error that says the system cannot find the file specified when it tries to start the transfer!


Have you tried clearing your cache & cookie files? See the "Details Unavailable" section at http://support.tivo.com/app/answers/detail/a_id/196 for instructions.

As far as playing the files on Windows 7, I have no idea.


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## mike212 (Apr 7, 2006)

Anyone have any luck with .mkv files? TiVo desktop recognizes the files for me but the Tivo doesn't see any of the .mkv files so I can't transfer them.


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## Joe01880 (Feb 8, 2009)

Not quite sure what the deal is but shortly after installing Desktop Plus 2.7 it quit running on my computer. When i would try to start it it would stall and freeze my computer up. I went through several useless calls to TiVo support to attempt to fix the isuue and went as far as getting a new key for the software AND trying 2.6, nothing worked. Today I upgraded to 2.8, its working fine. Im listening to music through my TiVo HD via my H/T while uploading a concert from my TiVo to my computer to be burned while the TiVo records two shows, all at the same time, wish i had something to download to the TiVo besides tunes..gotta love it
Till it breaks again...


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## dslunceford (Oct 19, 2000)

Interesting - I was wondering if the iPhone/Pre was supported (and never received a response when @ing TiVo on Twitter a week or so ago). Can buy with confidence now...


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## bkdtv (Jan 9, 2003)

mike212 said:


> Anyone have any luck with .mkv files? TiVo desktop recognizes the files for me but the Tivo doesn't see any of the .mkv files so I can't transfer them.


Do you have the codecs on your computer to play them in Windows Media Player?

If you don't have the codecs installed on your computer to play the videos in Windows Media Player, then you won't be able to transfer them to the TiVo.

Remember TiVo does not support MKV files with DTS audio.


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## ggieseke (May 30, 2008)

bkdtv said:


> Do you have the codecs on your computer to play them in Windows Media Player?
> 
> If you don't have the codecs installed on your computer to play the videos in Windows Media Player, then you won't be able to transfer them to the TiVo.
> 
> Remember TiVo does not support MKV files with DTS audio.


2.8 doesn't install the Matroska demuxer (HaaliSplitter.ax). You have to install it yourself to support .MKV files.


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## profxyz (Aug 3, 2008)

I didn't see anything about any new 64 bit compatability for v2.8?

thankx,

prof.


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## mike212 (Apr 7, 2006)

bkdtv said:


> Do you have the codecs on your computer to play them in Windows Media Player?
> 
> If you don't have the codecs installed on your computer to play the videos in Windows Media Player, then you won't be able to transfer them to the TiVo.
> 
> Remember TiVo does not support MKV files with DTS audio.


Yeah I installed codecs and I can watch the videos on Windows Media Player. Maybe the problem is it has DTS audio so the Tivo doesn't recognize it.


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## aaronwt (Jan 31, 2002)

profxyz said:


> I didn't see anything about any new 64 bit compatability for v2.8?
> 
> thankx,
> 
> prof.


Mine is working great on a Win7 64bit install.

I'll try TD 2.8 on a Win7 32bit install this weekend.


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## Breadfan (Jan 7, 2008)

ggieseke said:


> Have you tried clearing your cache & cookie files? See the "Details Unavailable" section at http://support.tivo.com/app/answers/detail/a_id/196 for instructions.
> 
> As far as playing the files on Windows 7, I have no idea.


I tried clearing the cache with the method described and it still won't transfer shows from my TiVo to my PC.


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## bkdtv (Jan 9, 2003)

Breadfan said:


> I tried clearing the cache with the method described and it still won't transfer shows from my TiVo to my PC.


First, I would try rebooting the TiVo under Messages & Settings -> Restart or Reset TiVo.

If that doesn't fix the problem, I think I might uninstall TD 2.8, run the cleaner utility, reboot your computer, and then reinstall 2.8.

Leave the default TiVo Recordings folder so you can be sure you have the correct folder permissions to download.


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## RichieL (Nov 6, 2009)

I have tryed many different things to try and correct the issue with WM and Windows 7. This problem is growing, Get with the program TIVO, Its seems to me that it shouldn't be so, transfer worked great and play back worked great with the previous versions, whats the problem?


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## NJ_HB (Mar 21, 2007)

bkdtv said:


> First, I would try rebooting the TiVo under Messages & Settings -> Restart or Reset TiVo.
> 
> If that doesn't fix the problem, I think I might uninstall TD 2.8, run the cleaner utility, reboot your computer, and then reinstall 2.8.
> 
> Leave the default TiVo Recordings folder so you can be sure you have the correct folder permissions to download.


You could also try to re-link to your TiVo account and re-inputting your MAK.


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## RichieL (Nov 6, 2009)

NJ_HB said:


> You could also try to re-link to your TiVo account and re-inputting your MAK.


Been their done that, theirs something missing thats real simple, I will keep hunting until I track the problem down, but in the mean time, If anyone comes up with a solution PLEASE share that information. TY


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## steve614 (May 1, 2006)

I initially had problems with TD 2.8 and Windows 7 when I tried to install on top of TD 2.6.2.
I could pick programs to transfer, but they would immediately fail.

I went to add/remove programs to uninstall and was presented with 3 options:








I first tried the partial remove, but it didn't work.
After using the remove all option, I had to re-enter my MAK upon re-installation, but now everything works. 
Could the TD cleaning utility be incorporated with the regular uninstaller now?


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## MediaLivingRoom (Dec 10, 2002)

I want to have DVD ripped folders like:

DVD
-Moby Dick
--Audio_TS
--Video_TS
-Superman
--Audio_TS
--Video_TS


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## aaronwt (Jan 31, 2002)

steve614 said:


> I initially had problems with TD 2.8 and Windows 7 when I tried to install on top of TD 2.6.2.
> I could pick programs to transfer, but they would immediately fail.
> 
> I went to add/remove programs to uninstall and was presented with 3 options:
> ...


The instructions say to use the cleaner when going from 2.6 to 2.8. That is the only reason I used the cleaner and it worked like the instrcutions said.


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## qz3fwd (Jul 6, 2007)

MediaLivingRoom said:


> I want to have DVD ripped folders like:
> 
> DVD
> -Moby Dick
> ...


Wouldnt it be cool to just select the ifo file & the tivo would playbak the dvd w/full menu support over the LAN like many other CE devices have for years?


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## audiodane (Oct 28, 2009)

If I wanted to suggest/request a feature to TD+, how would I go about doing so?

I'd LOVE for TD+ to be able to set the "recorded-on" date, so that media published to a customized folder sort by the proper date, not the date the media was pushed....

How do I get this request to TIvo? And has there been past success in making such requests? I wouldn't imagine this one to be a particularly troublesome one....

thanks!
..dane


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## steve614 (May 1, 2006)

aaronwt said:


> The instructions say to use the cleaner when going from 2.6 to 2.8. That is the only reason I used the cleaner and it worked like the instrcutions said.


In other words, RTFM! 

Why should I start now?


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## ggieseke (May 30, 2008)

steve614 said:


> Could the TD cleaning utility be incorporated with the regular uninstaller now?


The Remove All option has been there since 2.7, but there are still a few thing that the cleaner may get that the uninstall misses. My best advice - do Remove All and then run the cleaner to be sure.


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## LADYBUGBLUE2002 (Sep 7, 2003)

I have upgraded with no problems on one computer, but I get an install error on another. Not sure what the problem is. Anyone else get a message after saying yes to Install 2.8 over 2.7?


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## bakerja (Sep 3, 2008)

i bought TD+ a couple of years ago and have had problems with 2.7 and up. When I go to "Now Playing on my server" it just sits there forever never bringing up the folders that are setup to share. If I uninstall and install 2.6, the folders pop up instantly. This has been an ongoing frustration for me as I have never gotten the use out of TD that I want. I have a NAS with 4tb of video that I would love to access via the tivo but have never been able to. My PS3 accesses everything fine but would prefer to have it available on TIVO like it is supposed to work. Has anyone else ever had this problem and do you have any idea how to fix it? It is a windows xp sp2 media center laptop that the software is running on. I have thought about putting it on another computer but really do not have another one strong enough to go to that much trouble.

Any help will be greatly appreciated.
thanks


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## morac (Mar 14, 2003)

bakerja said:


> i bought TD+ a couple of years ago and have had problems with 2.7 and up. When I go to "Now Playing on my server" it just sits there forever never bringing up the folders that are setup to share. If I uninstall and install 2.6, the folders pop up instantly. This has been an ongoing frustration for me as I have never gotten the use out of TD that I want. I have a NAS with 4tb of video that I would love to access via the tivo but have never been able to. My PS3 accesses everything fine but would prefer to have it available on TIVO like it is supposed to work. Has anyone else ever had this problem and do you have any idea how to fix it? It is a windows xp sp2 media center laptop that the software is running on. I have thought about putting it on another computer but really do not have another one strong enough to go to that much trouble.
> 
> Any help will be greatly appreciated.
> thanks


Have you tried setting TiVo Desktop 2.8 to use TiVo Beacon instead of Bonjour? You can change that in the server settings under the Network tab.

You can also try going through the steps on the troubleshooting page.


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## bakerja (Sep 3, 2008)

morac said:


> Have you tried setting TiVo Desktop 2.8 to use TiVo Beacon instead of Bonjour? You can change that in the server settings under the Network tab.
> 
> You can also try going through the steps on the troubleshooting page.


Switched to TIVO Beacon, it works now! Thanks so much.


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## stubarrett (Oct 31, 2003)

I upgraded to TD+ 2.8 from 2.7 on my XP box that I just use for a Trivo media server. Two weird items:

- TD will not let me use a network folder for My Tivo Recordings. I can publish network folders, I just can't target My Tivo Recordings to a network folder (i.e. my RAID box).
- While I really love being able to see my folder organization using my Tivo box, the individual files are sorted by date, rather than name so my 200+ movie files are displayed as a jumble.

Any way to configure TD to use a network folder for My TiVo Recordings and any way to change the sort option on how published files are displayed on my Tivo box?

Thanks, Stu


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## stubarrett (Oct 31, 2003)

stubarrett said:


> - While I really love being able to see my folder organization using my Tivo box, the individual files are sorted by date, rather than name so my 200+ movie files are displayed as a jumble.


Interesting, while my movie folder is a jumble due to the date sort, that is the way I want my TV programs folder sorted.

Other than putting each movie file in it's own folder, is there a way to have a specific folder sorted by date or alphabetic?

I still need to have My Tivo Recordings to be on a network drive. I know I have permissions to create, write to that folder, why does TD+ not allow me to use a network folder for My Tivo Recordings?


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## mearlus (Nov 1, 2004)

stubarrett said:


> I upgraded to TD+ 2.8 from 2.7 on my XP box that I just use for a Trivo media server. Two weird items:
> 
> - TD will not let me use a network folder for My Tivo Recordings. I can publish network folders, I just can't target My Tivo Recordings to a network folder (i.e. my RAID box).
> - While I really love being able to see my folder organization using my Tivo box, the individual files are sorted by date, rather than name so my 200+ movie files are displayed as a jumble.
> ...


I've always had to edit the registry to have the path to my mapped network drive. I'll be installing 2.8 tonight and see if that solution works as well.

Happy to see the ability to use folders now


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## mearlus (Nov 1, 2004)

mearlus said:


> I've always had to edit the registry to have the path to my mapped network drive. I'll be installing 2.8 tonight and see if that solution works as well.
> 
> Happy to see the ability to use folders now


Updated mine last night from within the Tivo Desktop. After it installed it still had my mapped network drive set as the Tivo Recordings folder.

I did note that the Desktop application seemed to open much faster than the previous version I was on.


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## stubarrett (Oct 31, 2003)

mearlus, what registry setting did you change? I tried changing: HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\TiVo\Desktop\VideoPublishFolder

Rebooted, but TiVo Desktop still used the old location.

Thanks, Stu


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## mearlus (Nov 1, 2004)

stubarrett said:


> mearlus, what registry setting did you change? I tried changing: HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\TiVo\Desktop\VideoPublishFolder
> 
> Rebooted, but TiVo Desktop still used the old location.
> 
> Thanks, Stu


[HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\TiVo\Desktop\Modules\TivoNowPlaying\config]

LocalRootPath is the REG_SZ that is modified.

Not promising anything here either, don't blame me for breaking your software if it doesn't work  lol


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## stubarrett (Oct 31, 2003)

Found it: HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\TiVo\Desktop\Modules\TivoNowPlaying\Config

Hope this helps, Stu


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## davemcs (Nov 18, 2003)

bakerja said:


> Switched to TIVO Beacon, it works now! Thanks so much.


My Series 2 just seemed to drop off the network a few days ago..restarting the router, THD, S2 and PC and Tivo Desktop2.8 made no difference. I switched from Bonjour back to TiVo Beacon and everything is right as rain again. Not sure why Bonjour dropped the S2 after getting along with it for so long..but problem solved (for now)


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## DPF (Mar 20, 2003)

Does 2.8 fix the old auto-transfer memory leak? I had to give up on TD because 2.7 still did not fix this problem. I'm one of the few that are stricken by it. If auto-transfers are on, after one hour the computer is useless.

Did I miss a solution or is this still lingering? And if so, did 2.8 help at all? I did a quick search, but all it turned up was the old 2.7 thread on the issue, with no resolution.

Thanks,
-DPF


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## aaronwt (Jan 31, 2002)

I've not had any problems with 2.8 and a memory leak. It can be up for weeks and have transferred dozens of hours of HD shows and I have no issues.


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## DPF (Mar 20, 2003)

So far it seems to be holding, though it's only been a couple hours. I set up an auto-transfer right away and the first batch is almost complete. If that completes and there's no sign of the memory leak by morning, I'll be a happy camper.

Finally. I've had this problem since 2.6 or maybe earlier so it's been a while.

The issue is still listed in the "Known Issues" list, so we'll see in the morning if it's there or not.

-DPF


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## steve614 (May 1, 2006)

I only have 1 show in auto transfer, and AFAIK, no problems.
I have to admit though, that I've been wary of adding any more because of past problems.


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## DPF (Mar 20, 2003)

Well, it made it thru the night without eating itself. So that's good so far. Only using 50M memory after running thru an auto-transfer test last night.

If I remember right, that was more than enough to render the machine unusable in previous installations. It would be at 700M by now in those attempts.

Assuming this holds, I can't say if it was 2.8 or just a better install this time somehow. I uninstalled 2.7 using the cleaner directly. Then installed 2.8. That may have been the difference. Can't remember what my process was in previous attempts.

/crosses fingers
-DPF


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