Dear Thomas Thank you for your speedy reply. It is much appreciated. I have searched the Internet and MythTV documentation and can't find this feature documented. I also can't find any documentation that would instruct a "newbie" how to disable this "feature". As much as I can determine, this is a new feature as earlier versions of MythTV (which I have demonstrated in circumstances where a network connection was not available), where the backend and frontend were on the same machine, did not require a network connection in order to operate. I suggest therefore that the team review this decision and that this criteria be abolished or at least that the requirement the network IF be up not be the default condition. In the main, newbies will use an all-in-one configuration, ie, the backend and frontend on the same machine. There is no need therefore for this machine to be on a network except if the user wished to either upgrade the system or use net-based TV. Persons who use a separate machine for a backend are on a high plane of expertise and so would/should be capable of working out how to configure a script such that the network has to be present for MythTV to function in those circumstances. I'd be grateful to hear the opinions of others on this matter. Possibly there is something that I do not understand. (I hope by raising this I am not distracting people from more important matters.) Once again thank you. Kevin Loughrey CPEng Owner -----Original Message----- From: Thomas Mashos