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[calculadoru]

Hi,
I know this is a long shot, and it probably has nothing to do with JRiver, but I am out of ideas and thought I'd ask someone here for pointers. This is a bit of a long read...
I set up a Windows 7 box as an HTPC, and installed JRiver 17 - it boots straight into Theater View, and works great. I've had the occasional YouTube not working hiccup but the latest build solved it - as far as media playing is concerned, all is exceedingly well. Fine piece of software, well worth paying for.
I was also very happy to discover that an old Media Center remote that came with the wife's laptop worked perfectly with the machine, it's a NEC remote that looks like this:
http://121ware.com/navigate/products/pc/093q/10/lavie/lvl/interface/images/lvl770_option_tv.jpg
(I live in Japan). The dongle you see on the right plugs into a USB port, and the remote works fine - navigational directions, playback etc. The power button also turns the machine completely off (if only I could map it to turn it to sleep...), and as far as the unrelated buttons go, I just never use them.
The problem is that I also have an ftp server on that box, and I also stream music while on the go, and so need to be able to wake the box via LAN (or WAN) - it would be a waste to have it on at all times, and so I set it to go to sleep when not in use. This is where I run into the weirdest of problems: with the remote dongle unplugged, and the box gone to sleep normally (Windows power settings, sleep after 30 min, never hibernate), I can always wake it from WAN/LAN, either from my phone or from another PC; it then proceeds to boot straight into JRiver, theater view, the FTP server works fine, so does streaming etc. If however the USB dongle is plugged in, and so the remote is able to control the box, all works well until the box goes to sleep (either normally or when instructed via the JRiver interface, exit - sleep) - once in that state, I can only wake it with the remote (or the keyboard/mouse), but never from WAN/LAN.
I have tried all possible combinations - power settings, remote dongle/mouse/keyboard on/off, actually have a spreadsheet with all the combinations I tried one by one (it pisses me off THAT badly), but the result is consistently the same: if the remote is plugged in, the Wake on USB functions appears to mysteriously take precedence over Wake on LAN, and I can no longer wake the box from the outside. Rigorous scientific testing was performed for all combinations, the ports are open on the router etc etc - still, no cigar. My last untested option will be to disable USB legacy under BIOS, for whatever good that will do, but I am not hopeful.
I realise the combination of unknown (and unmappable) Japanese remote and otherwise perfectly fine JRiver install is a tricky one, but if anyone has any idea why this might be happening, I could really use some advice (just as long as it isn't of the 'unplug the remote when you leave the house' variety...not nearly elegant enough).
Thanks in advance,
Doru
Hiroshima

[JimH]

Wake on Lan can be difficult sometimes.  It sounds like it works partially, so I'm guessing it's a BIOS setting or a setting for the network hardware that is missing.

Our wiki has an article on it.  Google may be helpful.

I don't think that the remote has anything to do with it.

Concerning your need to put it into sleep instead of power off, try changing the settings in Windows Control Panel for Power.  Change the behavior of the power button to sleep.

[calculadoru]

Thanks Jim,
The behaviour is exceedingly odd in that WOL works perfectly until that remote is plugged in - it also resumes working after I unplug it, so it's got to have something to do with the Wake on USB settings, I just can't  figure it out.
But you're right, it's worth a shot looking at the BIOS settings, I'll do that and see what gives.
As for power settings - the machine is hidden in a place where the kids can't get to it, so I never turn it off/put it to sleep with the power button, I either set it to go to sleep after xx min or choose sleep from the JRiver menu.
Doru

[Scolex]

This is a long shot but the IRQ/IRQLs (Interrupt ReQuest/Level) system on a computer has a precedence hierarchy, so it is possible that the IRQ of your USB controller is higher up the ladder in reference to the network controller.
What is the brand and model of the motherboard? Do you have any data on what devices use which IRQs and if they are shared with any other devices.
If your computer happens to have both USB 1.1/2.0 and 3.0 ports try a different USB 3.0 port. You will need a different cable to use a USB 1.1/2.0 device on a 3.0 port