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[rjm]

I am running 12.0.470 and podcasts have been working perfectly for me until this week.

Now when I download a podcast it partially downloads and then stalls. MC eventually reports an error (10) and cancels the download.

- I do not think the problem is MC because it worked perfectly until this week.
- I do not think the problem is with the podcast servers because I get the same bad behavior for a variety of different podcasts.
- I do not think the problem is my internet connection because everything else is working fine.

The only thing I can think of that changed is that Microsoft released a bunch of Vista patches earlier this week which I installed.

Is anyone else experiencing podcast problems after updating Windows this week?

Does anyone have any ideas on how I can diagnose the cause of the problem?

Thanks.

[John Gateley]

Try downloading the podcast through a web browser instead of MC. If it happens there too, you've eliminated MC as the cause.

j

[rjm]

excellent tip, thanks

Confirming that the download also stalls with my web browser, so we know it is not an MC problem.

I have seen the odd podcast server problem in the past but they usually clear up after a day or so. The problems I am seeing now have been consistent for several days across multiple podcast servers.

Very strange. Must be something wrong with my system or ISP, yet all other internet activity is working fine.

Anyone got any other ideas?

[John Gateley]

It could be a relatively rare sporadic problem, then it would only show up on long term connections, such as podcast downloads.

Most TCP connections are brief, a few moments, perhaps 20 or 30 seconds for a web page image. Podcasts take longer, giving more time for a sporadic error to show up.

One test you can do is to open a login session to a remote system (if you have a remote system you can log in to). I suggest ssh. Leave it sit for a couple of days and see if it is still alive.

I'd investigate local components: what's your network topology? Your DSL router or wireless AP could be going flaky....

j

[rjm]

Thanks.

I'll try a long session and also reset my wireless router to see if that helps.

[rjm]

Just closing the loop to let you know the outcome.

The problem was caused by a bug in my Linksys WRT54G wireless router. There is a known problem that occurs after a prolonged period of bittorrent activity. The intuitive solution would be to upgrade the router firmware to the latest version (4.21.1) however many users report this actually makes it worse. The best solution (short of moving to 3rd party firmware) is to reset the router to factory settings and then reload your configuration settings. Note that a simple power cycle or normal hardware reset is not sufficient. You must do a full reset to factory settings.

[JimH]

The problem was caused by a bug in my Linksys WRT54G wireless router. There is a known problem that occurs after a prolonged period of bittorrent activity.

Thanks for reporting this.  I would expect that it isn't just bittorrent that triggers the problem.  It's possible it affects other network activity.  It could explain a lot of unexplained problems.

[John Gateley]

Nice job finding this... -- j

[JimH]

I think the problem is described on this page:
http://www.utorrent.com/faq.php

... about 1/4 of the way down -- search for "54G".

[BartMan01]

Just closing the loop to let you know the outcome.

The problem was caused by a bug in my Linksys WRT54G wireless router. There is a known problem that occurs after a prolonged period of bittorrent activity. The intuitive solution would be to upgrade the router firmware to the latest version (4.21.1) however many users report this actually makes it worse. The best solution (short of moving to 3rd party firmware) is to reset the router to factory settings and then reload your configuration settings. Note that a simple power cycle or normal hardware reset is not sufficient. You must do a full reset to factory settings.

You are MUCH better off moving to a 3rd party firmware.  Lots more options and stability.

[JimH]

You are MUCH better off moving to a 3rd party firmware.  Lots more options and stability.

Who's doing firmware for routers?  A link or name, please.

[BartMan01]

The two most popular that I know of are:
DD-WRT - http://www.dd-wrt.com/dd-wrtv3/index.php
Tomato - http://www.polarcloud.com/tomato

I personally have been running DD-WRT on my WRT54G for a couple of years.

[JimH]

Thanks, Bart.

[rjm]

Thanks for the vote of confidence in DD-WRT. I've thought about using it in the past but was scared that I might brick my router. I'll have a second look.

[BartMan01]

Thanks for the vote of confidence in DD-WRT. I've thought about using it in the past but was scared that I might brick my router. I'll have a second look.

Just be careful to download the correct version for your router and follow the directions for install.  Also make a note of any special settings before you start since you will be resetting everything in the process.  While it is POSSIBLE to brick it if you do the wrong thing, it isn't likely unless you are messing around with non-standard stuff (like trying to run scripts to enable extra ram if your device doesn't have it).  The process is pretty straight forward.