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How To Run TivoToGo 2.4 on Windows Vista

Reader Shane wrote in with detailed instructions on how to get the newest TiVo Desktop running in Windows Vista (which is unsupported at this time):

As you know, 2.4 came out the other day without *official* support of Windows Vista and Windows Server 2003 (both of which I had 2.3a installed). Well, using Orca and a simple tweak of a setting in the TivoToGo 2.4 .MSI installer, I've got it running on Vista.

Here's how I went about it on Vista

Download and install Orca - http://www.pek.com/projects/msi/orca.zip

Download TivoToGo 2.4 - http://www.tivo.com/4.9.4.1-2_win.asp

Run the TivoToGo installer with administrator privileges

When the installer gets to the point where it says it can't continue due to an invalid operating system, DO NOT click ok.

Point Windows explorer at C:\Users\<YOURUSERID>\AppData\Local\Temp

Sort the view by date so that the latest files appear at the top

Find the file with a .MSI extension with a random name consisting of alphanumerics with the time and date near when you launched the installer.

Right click on the file, copy.

Paste to your Desktop and rename to TivoToGo24.msi

Click OK on the Tivo installer.

Launch Orca.

Open TivoToGo24.msi with Orca.

Left click to select the LaunchCondition row in the left window pane.

Remove all entries from the right window pane.

Save the file, exit Orca.

Launch TivoToGo24.msi, install and enjoy.

by Matt Haughey May 13, 2007 in Hacks, TiVo

Comments

Any chance you have another link to Orca, that page gives a 403 Forbidden......

Posted by: Ryan Clayton at May 14, 2007 8:55:12 AM

try this link to orca http://astebner.sts.winisp.net/Tools/Orca.zip

Posted by: bryan at May 14, 2007 5:01:34 PM

Thank you to the guy with the funny spelled name....who puts a B in front of a perfect good name....=)

Posted by: Ryan Clayton at May 14, 2007 8:46:09 PM

works great, thanks alot!

Posted by: jeremy at May 15, 2007 7:33:26 PM

Got this to work on one of my Vista systems, however, I'm having trouble with a 2nd.

I had previously installed Tivotogo 2.4 on it under WinXP. During an upgrade from XP to Vista, tivotogo was broken. In retrospect, I should have uninstalled it before the upgrade. Now, I can't install, or uninstall any version of tivotogo because it says 2.4 is incompatible. After following the procedure above, I am still unable to get past the 2.4 & Vista warning. Any ideas how I can get tivotogo off my system so I can do a clean re-install? Thanks much!

Posted by: shad at May 16, 2007 3:03:17 PM

I dont get a folder or a file when I try to install tivo. all i get is a msi text document and you cant rename a text documentw with a period in it........any help??

Posted by: dee at May 16, 2007 3:59:12 PM

The desktop is now installed, but the Beacon won't start so the application doesn't really do anything. What did you do to get the Beacon running?

Thanks!
.../Ed

Posted by: Ed at May 16, 2007 6:07:29 PM

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Posted by: Junaid at May 17, 2007 4:15:36 PM

I'm having the same problem getting the Beacon to run - anybody have any ideas since I'ver tried a bunch of blogs to no avail.

thx - k

Posted by: Keith at May 19, 2007 9:55:45 AM

beacon!!
noooooooooo.
help?

Posted by: bwandon at May 20, 2007 4:08:48 AM

Hi,
Its also worth mentioning that by default, Windows Ultimate hides the AppData folder.
To view it go to:

Windows Vista: Click "Organize → Folder and Search Options → Folder Options → View (tab) → Show hidden files and folders"

Regards,

Terry

Posted by: Terry Wilkie at May 22, 2007 2:00:21 PM

Having the same problem.. No Beacon..

Posted by: Meatball at May 22, 2007 2:02:29 PM

No Beacon?

Posted by: jeagles5 at May 22, 2007 7:52:26 PM

Worked like a charm. Cheers

Posted by: Steve at May 22, 2007 8:30:38 PM

The TivoBeacon is a Windows service that runs automatically each time you reboot Windows, and is responsible for finding and communicating with your networked TiVo's. While I didn't have any trouble with the steps I above, it may be that this service doesn't start automatically after installation in all cases. If Windows reports an issue with the TiVo beacon after following the steps above, try this while logged in with an account with administrator priveleges:

1. Right click on Computer
2. Select Manage
3. Expand Services and Applications
4. Click Services
5. Locate the TiVo Beacon service
6. Right click, properties
7. Make sure that Startup type is set to Automatic.
9. Click the Log On tab
10. Make sure that Log on as: is set to Local System account and the "Allow service to interact with desktop" is checked.
11. If you made a change, click Apply.
12. Click OK.
13. Right click on the TiVo Beacon service.
14. Select Restart (if it's already running) or Start (if it is not)

Posted by: Shane at May 23, 2007 9:46:48 AM

If for some reason this service doesn't exist, or if everything looks fine with it, try this:

1. Open a command prompt, running it as Administrator
2. Type the following commands from the drive that you installed Tivo on:

cd \program files\common files\tivo\Beacon
tivobeacon /install /start

cd ..\transfer
tivotransfer /install /start

cd \program files\tivo\desktop
tivoserver /install /start

3. If any of the above commands result in a message alerting you to the fact that they are already installed, just run that command again, sans the /install switch.

Posted by: Shane at May 23, 2007 10:10:39 AM

I still cannot get mine to work. When I enter cd \program files\common files\tivo\Beacon
tivobeacon /install /start it says system cannot find path specified. Then when I enter the next command it says 'Tivobeacon' is not recognized as an internal or external command, operable program or batch file.

Posted by: Zac at May 24, 2007 6:27:14 AM

If you are running a 64bit version of Vista, you'll need to be in c:\program files (x86)\... instead of plain c:\program files

Posted by: Neil at May 25, 2007 5:47:21 PM

I'm having the same problem with Beacon. I don't see any of the Beacon directory under \program files\common files\tivo\Beacon. The only file folder I see is \Desktop

Posted by: Simon at May 26, 2007 10:56:54 AM

Hi, thanks for the potential Vista fix for tivotogo---

However, I still can't get access to the Orca zip file: http://astebner.sts.winisp.net/Tools/Orca.zip

It is not recognized in the browser---is there yet another place to get it?

Again, thanks

Posted by: Mark B at May 26, 2007 1:16:05 PM

I got it to work using Shane's suggestions with a twist. First I couldn't access the folders that I needed through the command prompt (it didn't like the spaces in the folder names.) I got around that by using explorer to get to the folder then held shift while I right clicked on the folder. When I did shift+right click on the folder an option came up to open the folder in the command window. From there I was able to run the /install /start commands

By the way, it's \tivo shared\ instead of \tivo\ on my machine.

ONe other thing before you start use explorer to go to the tivobeacon and tivotransfer right click on each of them and then change compatibility to xp sp2 and check the run as administrator box.

Once I did that, it all worked fine.

Posted by: sledge at May 26, 2007 4:13:20 PM

freakin superb. It all worked. I love that you guys are sharing this info. I had to do the the goodies suggested by sledge. Marvelous.

Posted by: ian at May 28, 2007 8:03:58 PM

thxs
you all managed to answer every problem I encountered! cheers for sharing.

Posted by: Chrys at May 29, 2007 6:28:40 PM

Goto

http://astebner.sts.winisp.net/Tools/Forms/AllItems.aspx

for the orca.zip file

Posted by: tivorocks at May 30, 2007 12:33:44 PM

I keep getting an "Access Denied" error, but I am running in Admin mode so I don't know what the deal is. Anyone got any suggestions?

Posted by: jeremy at May 31, 2007 9:32:07 PM

Nevermind, I got it.

Posted by: jeremy at Jun 1, 2007 10:25:39 AM

When my vista pc boots it notifies me that tivo transfer is blocked. How can I prmenantly give it permission to run on startup? Also I can't get the tivo to see my pc (for viewing pics, music, etc.). This function worked fine on my xp machine. Anyone else?
Thanks

Posted by: ian at Jun 1, 2007 12:22:59 PM

I cannot shake off the "Access is Denied" error from TivoBeacon. I tried running it as administrator, i was logged in as administrator, etc. i tried just the install option and just the start option but none would work.

it will be good if someone can explain the rootcause for this error.

Posted by: murali dharan at Jun 2, 2007 3:13:34 PM

I can't find the MSI file in the appdata files.
Instead, my computer is making this when I start the TIVO install:

MSI82323.log

No *.msi file created.

Help!

Posted by: Chris at Jun 3, 2007 9:25:47 AM

I've tried the steps as explained here with version 2.4a but I'm having some issues.

1) Orca won't let me save the .msi file after I change it

and

2) There doesn't seem to be any other data in the MSI file.

Has anyone noticed anything similar?

Thanks!

Posted by: Rob at Jun 3, 2007 1:13:09 PM

I cannot get any of the supplied links for Orca to work. Are there any other locations to download the file?

Posted by: KevinD at Jun 3, 2007 2:11:51 PM

Thanks Shane! The install commands for the command prompt solved my issues after using orca to bypass the launch conditions!

Posted by: Joe at Jun 8, 2007 7:51:25 PM

I'm having the same "access is denied" problem. I'm definitely an admin...Can anyone help?

Posted by: Nate at Jun 10, 2007 4:31:10 PM

Help! Ive tried and been successful on all of the above except no matter what I do, I cant get the beacon service running. Ive done it as admin, tried starting manually, automatically, thru services, cmd window, with xp compatability, and Im still getting an error of
"error 1539: an internal error occurred" I looked and notify and transfer ARE running. But I cant get past that error. I have a feeling Im missing something simple..Help anyone??

Posted by: KA at Jun 12, 2007 1:17:12 AM

Disregard! I figured it out! Needed to go into config and checkbox all the DVRs on my network. DUH! Knew it was something simple!

Posted by: KA at Jun 12, 2007 7:42:21 AM

Ok..if anyone is still reading this queue..
I STILL cant get the beacon to run. Ive done it manually, automatically, Ive changed everything to run as admin/in XP config...EVERYTHING! But I can get the server showing active..but when I check TTG, I still have the dreaded "The tivo beacon is not available"
Anyone have any ideas??? Im beginning to get my hard drive ready to dual boot to XP! Vista is driving me crazy! (At least, with TTG!)
Thanks in advance!

Posted by: KA at Jun 13, 2007 7:58:46 PM

The msg "The tivo beacon is not available" doesn't go away. Ignore it. Check your Task Mgr, Services tab. You should see TivoBeacon 2 . Also be careful with Window Defender and any Firewalls you have running.

Posted by: helpful at Jun 14, 2007 8:40:25 PM

guys, please make sure you are using version Tivo Desktop 2.3a that is the only one currently working for Vista. I didn't even have to use Orca, the installation just worked. If you cant find it here is the link:
http://rs37.rapidshare.com/files/31512736/TiVoDesktop2.3a.exe
it is not my upload so enjoy as long as you can.

Posted by: RF_GUY at Jun 14, 2007 9:28:20 PM

Hi Helpful! Thanks for your response...Yeah, the TivoBeacon2 is running. Ive opened up all the ports listed in the above and on the tivo website.. Ive tried to manually add a server with this laptops IP (on the lan) but it says no server. (even after manually, automatically, etc etc starting it..and it shows running on the laptop!) Neither of the DVRs can see this machine! My other one running XPP/MCE is fine. And my old laptop running XPP was fine.. just no matter what I do, I cant get this one recognized on the DVRs for pix and music. Driving me crazy! I even tried to uninstall or disable Defender (can it really be done??? Im beginning to think not!) Ive added those services to be passed thru..but it just wont go! If anything, I would bet its Defender, but I thought Ive tried everything with it! Any other ideas? Thanks for reading and answering!
KA

Posted by: KA at Jun 14, 2007 11:14:18 PM

I finally got it!!! I found a blog elsewhere that gave a good bunch of info on getting Defender to STAY turned off and freezing some of the features, and lo and behold, now its being recognized! Hooray! And sho' nuff you were right about "beacon" not changing in the Desktop..Thanks for your assistance! I think it got me motivated to dig down further on Defender..UGH! Vista! UGH!
Cheers!

Posted by: KA at Jun 15, 2007 1:03:50 AM

foget about Tivo Desktop, I installed Galleon 2.4.0 alpha on Vista (as admin and with windows defender off, not sure if that's important). it does everything Tivo desktop does and more. works like a charm. just take your time to set it up.
download from here
http://sourceforge.net/project/showfiles.php?group_id=126291

to learn more go to: http://galleon.tv/

Posted by: RF_GUY at Jun 15, 2007 9:52:22 PM

I'm having a similar problem. When I try to launch Tivo Desktop, the program wont launch and I get a message that says "Beacon Service Not Running". I have no service in my list and no process running. I successfully entered the command prompt data above and when i enter the second command it says 'Tivobeacon' is not recognized as an internal or external command, operable program or batch file." Basically, no matter what i do, I get a popup window that says "Beacon not running". Arghh.. Am I missing something simple?

I wonder if Tivo is spending as much time on this issue as its users are???

Posted by: Jen at Jun 19, 2007 11:15:57 PM

Thanks For The Help!!! I got 2.4a to work with both Shanes and Sledges suggestions above. Again Thanks for the help.

Posted by: Jeff at Jun 26, 2007 3:26:40 PM

I did exactly whatt was said to do and I now get the installation ended prematurely, any ideas?

Posted by: Mitchell at Jun 27, 2007 10:33:54 AM

On my pc, Instead of:
cd \program files\common files\tivo\Beacon
tivobeacon /install /start

I had to use:
cd \program files\common files\tivo shared\Beacon
tivobeacon /install /start

In other words, the shared tivo files are in a folder called "tivo shared", not "tivo".

Ken

Posted by: Ken at Jun 29, 2007 10:13:16 PM

Ken,

I still get access denied when I tried to implement your command. Any suggestions? I have administrator rights.

Steve

Posted by: Steve C. at Jul 4, 2007 7:00:22 PM

Here's what I found that works with minimum BS.

Modify the msi file as mentioned earlier.

Open a command line as administrator (right click and select run as administrator)

change directory until you are in the same directory as the msi file you created.

type in msiexec /i tivotogo.msi

Proceed with the install and all services start up like normal.

Posted by: jb at Jul 9, 2007 2:41:16 PM

You all ROCK!!! After weeks of frustrating "ding" after "ding", TiVo desktop is working again! Using Orca and running CMD as admin did the trick. It was a little scary messing with an O/S as unpredictable as Vista but all worth it. THANK YOU!

Posted by: Ookie at Jul 10, 2007 7:06:18 PM

I couldn't get 2.4 to run, even with Orca, but thanks for the great tips.

I did find 2.3 out on the web: http://www.mininova.org/tor/789637

ran as XP, SP2 compatible w/ administrative privileges. Still had to manually start the transfer service but works great.

cheers,
B

Posted by: B at Jul 12, 2007 2:59:45 PM

Thanks Matt and Shane. It works great. I can't believe TIVO still hasn't gotten this basic idea done.

Posted by: Carl at Jul 20, 2007 11:40:21 AM

must be nice, I can't get shit to work and getting so fed up with this. i have vista home premium 32 bit, i tried downloading the new tivo2go 2.5 but i cannot get beacon anywhere.. if i try to start it in services i get an error

http://i15.photobucket.com/albums/a379/jeannie411/beacon.jpg

i can only get half of galleon to work as an alternative.. i still can pass no video from my tv to my laptop which is my main need..

this is ridiculous that tivo doesn't upgrade their products or that MS didn't bother to make sure this crappy vista works with everything windows xp does.

as for the orig directions given above, well to some of us that might as well have been spoken in chinese as 2/3 of it was not clear enough for some of us what you are talking about.

Posted by: BJ at Oct 18, 2007 8:13:11 PM

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