www.makemkv.com

I've been following this topic for a few weeks now as I too have had trouble with MakeMKV. It started with v1.17.6. That is when the "Automatic HK downloading is disabled or failed" starting happening. I've tried all the suggestions mentioned here and no joy. I uninstalled v1.17.6 and installed v1.17.4. Using both of these versions I still couldn't rip .mkv files of The Transformers 5 Movie 4K UHD Collection. I'm using a VPN and that hasn't helped that I can see.

A couple days ago I did a system restore from a backup drive for other reasons. The backup had v1.17.5 installed. When I inserted a Transformers disk I still got the "Automatic HK downloading is disabled or failed" error BUT MakeMKV still open the disk and I was able to rip the movie. I successfully completed the whole set last night. This morning I tried my Oppenheimer 4K disk and no joy.

I have 3 snapshots to add but the system won't let me add them. They total 110 kb + 186 kb +105 kb = 411 kb. Is there a file size limit? Thank you for your help.

Snapshots would not do any good, in any case. Yes, there is a size limit for messages of about 65K, so each of those files exceed what a message contains.

However, the key is getting around your system's blocking the download. It really only has to happen when you are ripping a disk that isn't in your already-downloaded copy of the HK database. It doesn't matter which version of MakeMKV you're using, the download comes from the same place.

Ritzter13 wrote: Thu Apr 11, 2024 3:24 pm I'm using a VPN and that hasn't helped that I can see.

You might have to try different exit points for your VPN before you find one that isn't blocking your access to MakeMKV's key server.

dcoke22 wrote: Sat Apr 13, 2024 1:07 am

Ritzter13 wrote: Thu Apr 11, 2024 3:24 pm I'm using a VPN and that hasn't helped that I can see.

You might have to try different exit points for your VPN before you find one that isn't blocking your access to MakeMKV's key server.

I'm a noob at using a VPN. Does "exit points" mean the server location I choose?

Ritzter13 wrote: Sat Apr 13, 2024 2:25 pm I'm a noob at using a VPN. Does "exit points" mean the server location I choose?

Yes. The same way you might use a VPN so Netflix (or whatever) thinks you're in a different country.

dcoke22 wrote: Sat Apr 13, 2024 9:10 pm Yes. The same way you might use a VPN so Netflix (or whatever) thinks you're in a different country.

My VPN has no servers within the Russian borders. It has some servers close by. I may be out of luck. I've read that the Russian Federation has placed heavy restrictions of information access since the conflict with the Ukraine started. Can the automatic HK download be moved to another server outside the Russian border?

Ritzter13 wrote: Mon Apr 15, 2024 1:08 pm My VPN has no servers within the Russian borders. It has some servers close by. I may be out of luck. I've read that the Russian Federation has placed heavy restrictions of information access since the conflict with the Ukraine started. Can the automatic HK download be moved to another server outside the Russian border?

I live in the USA and don't need a VPN to connect to the key server. You don't necessarily need to use an exit point in Russia either.

Ritzter13 wrote: Mon Apr 15, 2024 1:08 pm

dcoke22 wrote: Sat Apr 13, 2024 9:10 pm Yes. The same way you might use a VPN so Netflix (or whatever) thinks you're in a different country.

My VPN has no servers within the Russian borders. It has some servers close by. I may be out of luck. I've read that the Russian Federation has placed heavy restrictions of information access since the conflict with the Ukraine started. Can the automatic HK download be moved to another server outside the Russian border?

Out of curiosity, what DNS servers does your VPN use? Their own? You ISP's (~defeats the purpose of VPN)? Have you tried alternatives?

dcoke22 wrote: Mon Apr 15, 2024 2:46 pm I live in the USA and don't need a VPN to connect to the key server. You don't necessarily need to use an exit point in Russia either.

Interesting! I'm here to learn how to get rid of the HK issue.

d00zah wrote: Mon Apr 15, 2024 2:51 pm

d00zah wrote: Mon Apr 15, 2024 2:51 pm Out of curiosity, what DNS servers does your VPN use? Their own? You ISP's (~defeats the purpose of VPN)? Have you tried alternatives?

I'm using Express and their server network.

Google Fiber can't do it, but T-Mobile can.

If you wanna use your phone as a mobile hotspot or a VPN provider to bypass your ISP's restrictions, you don't have to change anything crazy, all you need to do is tell Windows to send that one IP address to the gateway you're connected to.

The IP you care about is `185.84.108.20`. You need to add a route that says "if you want this IP, go through this gateway" like this: A gateway is a router. In the case of a mobile hotspot, that's your phone's IP. In the case if a VPN, that's the VPN server's IP. It'll say it in Windows as "Default Gateway". The `-p` in that command means persistent. If you add it like my example, it'll be there across restarts. The benefit is you only need to load up that VPN or mobile hotspot when downloading the file. Since you already can't access that file over your ISP, it won't be a problem to send that traffic to a place that's only temporarily going to be around.

If you wanna remove this custom route, just do: The benefit of doing it this way is you don't have to send any traffic to another network except getting the SDF file. If you're on a VPN, this also means you don't have to send all your traffic across a VPN to download one file.

I had the same issue. Turns out my router was blocking traffic to/from Russia. Temporarily allowing this traffic allowed the HK to download successfully.