Guide Plus Problem (Gemstar)

[DA1745]

Last week Guide plus (in one of my older systems) began "going crazy". The screen began to flicker, the windows error chime kept going off and CPU util. wen to 100%. Time did not fix this, the program was unresponsive, I could see the Guide Plus program flickering very fast... Would not X close out. So I went into task manager and manually stopped the program.

I tried to start it up again, same thing happened.

I restarted the system, then tried to restart the Guide Plus (version 1.0.0.50) same thing happened. It had a few days to find itself everytime i tried same thing...alas no luck. So once again I set out on an ATI adventure.

I should have tried a Repair first, but instead I did a un-install REMOVE, restarted, shut of my AV, and then reloaded it from the same CD I had originally installed it on. This time it started Guide plus with no error, BUT TV did not start, and after filling in my name & area code information it asked if I wanted to update listings. I said YES, but it stalls out. I get the familar box popping up like it's going to update but ...it times out and I get this message: "Message
Failed to connect to the server.
Please check the internet connection and try to download again"

I tried doing the system update wizard as well and it never connects. (HOWEVER, the computer does have internet access, i am typing on it right now and am able to get updates etc. ...

I said screw it and un-installed everything ATI related. The Display drivers, DAO, Guide Plus, MMC, Titan TV...everything. Then I ran Driver Cleaner Pro, restarted ran it again in Safe mode. REbooted and began the installation process back to what I had installed before 5.01 Catalyst (non-CCC version), WDM rebooting, MMC DAO, Decoder, MMC 9.08 (couple of reboots in there). Checked out and made sure everything was working fine. Then installed Guide Plus again. SAME PROBLEM as after I un-installed and re-installed it prior. Guide Plus starts up, but when it gets to the part of updating the listings it times out ...gives the same error.

I have tried the REPAIR feature from Add or Remove programs but it does not fix anything.

I'M STUCK I don't want to have to and re-install windows xp. It's a fairly NEW installation of XP. I don't know what caused the guide plus issue, but it's not the first time. I currently run several A-I-W and TV tuner PC's still using it. I've NEVER not been able to get it to work after a couple of re-installs.

Driver Cleaner Pro 1.5 Build 14 is what I was using, it DOES NOT have a specific setting for GEMSTAR or Guide Plus so I'm guessing that it isn't able to remove any of the Guide plus software/registry entries.
I need some suggstions, I've NEVER EVER had good luck using the majority of registry cleaners like PC T00ls, or the three or four other versions i've bought along the years. They all seem to fark up the system so I don't use them, but is that the only way i'm going to get rid of whatever is wrong? I used REGEDIT but there are more than 15 Registry entries for GemStar Guide Plus. I don't wanna go deleting b/c i'm chicken....I know i can back it up but i'm not sure if ALL the entries in the registry folder belong to Guide Plus, some have ~6 items that come up, others just two...so not sure if the other keys....anyway just a bit out of my comfort zone....not the actual registry manipulation (if someone knows which ones should / need to go to get it repaired i'm fine) but i'm just not sure about a few of the entries...whether they are part of Guide plus or other?

Ok, if there's something else out there that someone has had success with (given all that I've tried already. Uninstalling all of ATI's software, using Driver Cleaner Pro (also in Safe mode), ????

The system i'm running it on is a P4 2.8Ghz, ATI 9550 AGP, HDTV Wonder PCI card, ...Catalyst 5.01, MMC 9.08. Up until this issue i've had it working just fine and even a few months back did some tinkering with what version of Catalyst and MMC to run so at that time Guide Plus was also re-installed with no issues.
thank you

[DA1745]

hope this is ok to post here like this. There is a good bit more data on this problem over at this site:
http://www.rage3d.com/board/showthre...post1335765316
Hopefully it will be solved soon.