Need a new EPG in Canada...

[CoolSteve]

New here, desperate for some help.

I've been using ATI Multimedia Center and Gemstar Guide Plus since 2001; used to run it on Windows '98 where it would crash alot but I'm currently running it on XPSP2. I forget what exact card I had in my old computer. I bought my current card, an ATI Wonder Pro in 2005 for my then new computer. Date on the box is copyrighted '03, so its old. I've used this product for years (and its an old product nowadays) with no issues until late last year. I recently came across this thread from Wiki (didn't want to bump it):

http://www.rage3d.com/board/showthread.php?t=33939093

I am so glad I found this, I went through the exact same drama. It started in mid 2008 when I downloaded local listings (Kitchener, Ontario) and all my channels got messed up and were all in "hundreds). I used to download lisitings every Sunday for many years, but then I got sidetracked and never did anything for four months. After that I guess something changed, most likely something to do with the digital transition happening in the US (Canada won't be coverted until 2011). I had to rename so much stuff.

I got a virus in Dec 08 and had to reformat and reinstall everything. Par for the coruse from what I read, Gemstar Guide Plus never downloaded new listings after that. I can run TV fine, but no listings. I was so ticked. I am absoluetly lost without this program. I used it for keeping track of what exact episodes of my fav shows were airing on what network on what time to know when to record them. It was so handy. Now I've been lost in my TV viewing for months and just recently decided to find a new EPG.

I can't get a hit on anything for Canada. I did find TV-Browser 2.7.2 and thought it was what I needed, it looked good from the screenshots. It has alot of countries listed, but not Canada. I need help in looking for something that will download cable lisitngs in my area like my old Guide Plus used to. I still run on analog cable, basic plus specality channels. Still use a VCR for alot of things, too

Thanks in advance.

[DA1745]

http://www.rage3d.com/board/showthread.php?t=33939093 ...

See back at the original thread...

[DA1745]

I'll repeat.... Follow the instructions in the original thread.
The Gemstar Guide Plus is still very much working.

Two possibilities: You didn't follow/read carefully and made an error, -OR- they shut the EPG off for all of Canada? Since it's very much still working in the U.S. Which is more likely?

It REQUIRES you to manually enter (REGEDIT) the registry AND if you (since you obviously have) attempted to download the NEW listings without FIRST changing the URL in the registry then it requires a few fast changes in the program to "trick" it into getting the correct information. See the original thread. and this time POST THE STEPS you have already tried b/c it works

To be sure that you've done the steps I listed correctly I STRONGLY SUGGEST THAT YOU: try using a U.S. postal 5 digit code first. Once you know that you have followed the steps correctly and gotten the lineup for any random U.S. city you will simply go back into Gemstar's Guide Plus and change the Zipcode to your Canadian one. IF HOWEVER, you dont' get it working for a U.S. City following the steps I have laid out way above, then you are doing something wrong! Once you get it to work for the U.S. zips and get a line up downloaded then change it over to a Canadian postal code...If at that point, you get nothing (no line up) then you know two things. One, you finally have set it up correctly (b/c you will have gotten a random U.S. city lineup to show, and two Canada is shut down....(but seriously i doubt it).

Otherwise you'll have your listing back!

[CoolSteve]

Look, while I appreciate the help, I'm not going through all this trouble for this old, dated software. I also don't feel comfortable editing my registry. I would really like to know alternatives there are and what people are using for EPG's these days. I signed up here for help and a new EPG where I live.

[kn00tcn]

i gotta say, there's nothing dangerous about opening regedit & going to a very specific location where whatever this url is for the app

just dont go elsewhere & start hitting the delete key, that's all

[DA1745]

Look, while I appreciate the help, I'm not going through all this trouble for this old, dated software. I also don't feel comfortable editing my registry. I would really like to know alternatives there are and what people are using for EPG's these days. I signed up here for help and a new EPG where I live.

OK, but you could have said that about not wanting to do the registry thing. Hell I could have called you on the phone in need be and walked you through it step by step as I clicked each link with you. SEE THE MAIN THREAD FOR FOLLOW UP, BTW, It very much does still work for Canada, I just tried it. ===> original thread.

[ViCatz]

I too am in Canada and am having issues.
I know about and have updated the url in registry.
as mentioned it is VERY EZ if you follow the simple steps outlined to change the URL to download.
That is not my problem.
On ALL my ATI machines with Gemstar during this past week when I download program in usual manner it at some point in the update tells me that the updater error occurred and can not continue.
Then gos to update favourites and stays that way till I reboot.
Once it does this update error the guide will no longer open.
Surely others are having this issue and I wonder if its because I am using MMC 9.08 with the 3.02 RW software.
When the Gemstar guide software update is selected from program list it tells me is incompatible with older MMC and RW software.
Now I despise the AVIVO codec.
What crap!
After 9.08 ATI began using the AVIVO codex which are blurry at best.
The picture quality drops dramatically after 9.08MMC.
So I've stayed back in 2005 or so editted the registry to allow downloads from new server and after months of working absolutely fine now it errs on all my ATI MMC machines.
Re-ghosting my OS image back to its partition fixes the guide so it will open but once I DL TV week program files it errs.
Anyone else?

[ViCatz]

Look, while I appreciate the help, I'm not going through all this trouble for this old, dated software. I also don't feel comfortable editing my registry. I would really like to know alternatives there are and what people are using for EPG's these days. I signed up here for help and a new EPG where I live.

CS
I too have looked for an updated program in Canada, nothin'.
But let me help you get the url fixed.
if XP go to START>Run> type "regedit" into Run bar press enter.
Registry will open.
Clik on HKLOCAL MACHINE then clik on SOFTWARE >Gemstar > then highlight (clik) URL.
On RH upper pane will appear three urls clik on each one at a time
Paste http://144.198.100.134/gtidl/gdnget2.asp into each respective bar
Close.
Restart and you will have successfully updated your registry.
It is that EZ.

[DA1745]

When the Gemstar guide software update is selected from program list it tells me is incompatible with older MMC and RW software.
Wow, that's a new one for me... (I am also running MMC 9.08 but with RW 3.04) instead of 3.02.
In all the time i've used these, trying to update the actual Gemstar Guide has never "done" anything. For whatever reason the option was there, but it never did anything - not sure if that was Gemstar or ATI's doing? It sounds like you are reporting that now pressing that upgrade the program option actually did something / messed up your system(s) for the worse!

The picture quality drops dramatically after 9.08MMC.
So I've stayed back in 2005 or so editted the registry to allow downloads from new server and after months of working absolutely fine now it errs on all my ATI MMC machines.
Re-ghosting my OS image back to its partition fixes the guide so it will open but once I DL TV week program files it errs.
Anyone else?

Just to try and clarify< do you mean that you have multiple systems running mmc9.08 and that you have the same problems/errors in all of them with GuidePlus & you did the upgrade the program thing on each of them? Or are we just talking about one system?

Again, it's been forever since I clicked on & tried to update the actual guidestar program, and mainly it's been that long because it never ever did anything in the past so I was just wasting my time clicking on it. However, I have some interest in testing this out, but it maybe some time before i can install guide plus on something that doesn't matter if I fark it up & see if It happens to me as well.

What version of Guide Plus is it happening in?

As a fix:
Is it possible that you could just un-install Via Windows Add/remove (guide plus) and then use Driver Cleaner Pro to carefully only remove Guide plus... then restart, run it again to be sure and when you boot back up re-install guide plus? This time w/o trying to update the program itself, just the registry & then downloading the line-ups.
Did you ghost an image after you tried the upgrade the program option or why/how do you think it is still having issues despite reverting to an older copy, it would make sense if the copy was from after you attempted to upgrade the Guide Plus.

[CoolSteve]

CS
I too have looked for an updated program in Canada, nothin'.
But let me help you get the url fixed.
if XP go to START>Run> type "regedit" into Run bar press enter.
Registry will open.
Clik on HKLOCAL MACHINE then clik on SOFTWARE >Gemstar > then highlight (clik) URL.
On RH upper pane will appear three urls clik on each one at a time
Paste http://144.198.100.134/gtidl/gdnget2.asp into each respective bar
Close.
Restart and you will have successfully updated your registry.
It is that EZ.

And it will download new listings to my computer for my town? When I get to the Gemstar folder it has two folders 'ETV' and 'Guide Plus for Windows'. I went into 'ETV' and found a folder called "URL'. I put in these three urls. I will reboot now...

[CoolSteve]

omfg, it works! After a year of not working, it works!