iTunes for Windows and home networks

[afrederi]

I am having a minor but annoying problem with iTunes. Whenever I have iTunes running, the rest of the computers on my home network cannot browse the web. As soon as I turn iTunes off, everything is ok. The computer I am running is the gateway for our home network.

If I am on another computer while iTunes is running on the gateway and I type "ping www.apple.com", the pings fail. If I type "ping 17.112.152.32", the pings work. That means that iTunes is somehow messing up the DNS request forwarding that my gateway computer does. I suspect it may have something to do with iTunes music sharing capability, but I have that turned off.

One obvious workaround is to run iTunes on a different computer, but I don't want to!

Here is my setup on my gateway computer:

Latest version of iTunes for Windows (4.1.1)
Windows 2000 (latest service pack)
Winroute Pro NAT routing software
512 Mb mem
600 Mhz CPU

Thanks for any help!

Alan

[PaulMc]

Having exactly the same problem on a shared net conenction.

It's driving me nuts because the gateway machine now can't run iTunes or it stops everything, not just web, Messenger, MIRC whatever.

It's a rubbish bug.

Any help anybody?

[Fundex]

Try going in to prefrences int he edit menu and under the general tab, is a check box, "Connect to the internet when needed" try turning that off it is already on, or try turning it on if it is off, that is my only solution?

sorry for no absolute fix.

[afrederi]

Thanks, but your suggestion didn't work. I unchecked the box and restarted iTunes...problem still there.

I will try rebooting later, but I doubt it will make any difference.

Is there a way we can report this to Apple?

Thanks

Alan

(Happy Thanksgiving!)

[SpideyPod]

Interesting problem. There are a number of things to try/check to correct this issue. Besides what was already suggested, un-checking the "check for internet" box try turning off the Music Store in preferences.

Not saying this is the answer but the idea that iTunes can interfere or halt a PC's ability to continue being a gateway is pretty disturbing.

[afrederi]

Good idea spidey...but it didn't work either.

Intresting thing though...I can still use the Internet at my gateway computer, it is just everyone else on my subnet can't. (while iTunes is active)

Thanks

Alan

[bakert]

Ack! I ALSO have this exact same problem and I also can't find a fix. Did any of you get it sorted? Please post it here!

Or if anyone has any ideas? I really want to use iTunes not ephPod/WinAmp but this is a blocker!

Thanks,

Tom

[SpideyPod]

Hmmmm..... ok next lets try services.
iTunes by default installs some services that run in the background at all times. One, iPodservice.exe, was present under the iPod manager so assuming all worked well back then that shouldn't have a problem, but kill it anyway just for good measure. Next we have gearsec.exe which is necessary for iTunes to burn CD's. Then we have iTuneshelper.exe. Next check to see if qttask.exe is running and whack that one as well.
Now remember you want to narrow it down to one service, if that is in fact the cause, so disable one at a time and check after each one if your PC can successfully act as a gateway for your other machines. Obviously certain functions of iTunes may not work properly during this test but at this point I believe that is a secondary concern. Right now your priority should be identifying the problem so at the very least you can go to Apple with the SPECIFIC cause of the issue which I am sure they will be much more likely to address rather than a general "iTunes breaks my gateway". Know what I mean?
Good luck guys, hopefully an answer is only a few clicks away.

[bakert]

Some great advice there. Thanks very much. Very useful to have the names of the services.

However, as I went to try out which of the services is the problem I decided to delete all my recent firewall rules. I think I've now isolated the problem (ish, maybe).

When I start iTunes I get some requests at the firewall (apart from whatever iTunes itself does, all of which is allowed). The requests are:

---

Application: 'Tcpip Kernel Driver'; protocol: [2]; Remote address ALL-ROUTERS.MCAST.NET [224.0.0.2]: Unknown event

---

Application: 'Tcpip Kernel Driver'; protocol: [2]; Remote address 224.0.0.251: Unknown event

---

Application: 'Tcpip Kernel Driver'; protocol: [2]; Remote address rook1 [192.168.0.1]: Unknown event

---

Those addresses (224.*.*.*) are class E (?) addresses which means they are not remote hosts but a specially reserved set of addresses for doing "multicast" which I think is someway of sending messages to the whole LAN.

I've allowed these connections. As they were not requests from iTunes but from "tcpip kernel driver" any application can now send multicasts on my LAN. I don't _think_ that's any kind of security risk. But does anyone here know about that kind of thing and can tell me one way or the other?

[Thomas Davie]

I've got a P4 directly connected to a wireless router, and two other computers (a laptop and a desktop) connected wirelessly. When I run ITunes on the P4, I have no trouble accessing the net or the other computers.

Just my 2 cents.

Tom

(SMC2804WBR router)
Windows XP Pro w/SP 1

[bakert]

Probably because your wireless router is allowing (or never even seeing) these multicast messages.

Anyway it seems I spoke to soon - now appear to be having trouble with "some" sites. Might give up anyway as improve iPod transfer not worth the slowness of iTunes (gateway machine is a PII-400 and also the main machine for playing music through my stereo - big apps not welcome!)

[afrederi]

Spidey,

I tried stoping the service...didn't help. That also made the ituneshelper.exe disappear. Still broken.

I stopped the gearsec service...didn't help either.

It isn't until I stop iTunes itself that the problem disappears.

Alan

[afrederi]

Oh, and qttask wasn't running

[MOCKBA]

I have complex home network combining wired and wireless connection, OSes from Windows ME to Linux, and 2-3 iTunes running for listening Internet radio stations. I have no described problem. I guess you have problem with routing software.

[PaulMc]

Well, only Internet Connection sharing set-up that comes with XP.

So it's no third party problem. Also totally uninstalled Norton Internet Security and tried with no firewall, disabled Windows firewall too, doesn't make any difference. If iTunes is running other machines on the network can't access the net.

Showstopping bug this one for me personally.