Error 3253

Is Comcast your ISP, by any chance?

Please read this whole message before doing anything.

This procedure is a test, not a solution. Don’t be disappointed when you find that nothing has changed after you complete it.

Step 1

The purpose of this step is to determine whether the problem is localized to your user account.

Enable guest logins* and log in as Guest. Don't use the Safari-only “Guest User” login created by “Find My Mac.”

While logged in as Guest, you won’t have access to any of your personal files or settings. Applications will behave as if you were running them for the first time. Don’t be alarmed by this; it’s normal. If you need any passwords or other personal data in order to complete the test, memorize, print, or write them down before you begin.

Test while logged in as Guest. Same problem?

After testing, log out of the guest account and, in your own account, disable it if you wish. Any files you created in the guest account will be deleted automatically when you log out of it.

*Note: If you’ve activated “Find My Mac” or FileVault, then you can’t enable the Guest account. The “Guest User” login created by “Find My Mac” is not the same. Create a new account in which to test, and delete it, including its home folder, after testing.

Step 2

The purpose of this step is to determine whether the problem is caused by third-party system modifications that load automatically at startup or login, by a peripheral device, by a font conflict, or by corruption of the file system or of certain system caches.

Disconnect all wired peripherals except those needed for the test, and remove all aftermarket expansion cards, if applicable. Start up in safe mode and log in to the account with the problem. You must hold down the shift key twice: once when you turn on the computer, and again when you log in.

Note: If FileVault is enabled, or if a firmware password is set, or if the startup volume is a Fusion Drive or a software RAID, you can’t do this. Ask for further instructions.

Safe mode is much slower to start up and run than normal, with limited graphics performance, and some things won’t work at all, including sound output and Wi-Fi on certain models. The next normal startup may also be somewhat slow.

The login screen appears even if you usually log in automatically. You must know your login password in order to log in. If you’ve forgotten the password, you will need to reset it before you begin.

Test while in safe mode. Same problem?

After testing, restart as usual (not in safe mode) and verify that you still have the problem. Post the results of Steps 1 and 2.

I'm getting the same problem on iTunes. It started a couple of days ago. I get it on different computers using my home network. My provider is Comcast. I don't have multiple downloads enabled.

What it tells me is that "network connection reset" or sometimes "connection reset by host." It happens about once every three minutes when I'm downloading a movie or TV show. Haven't tried to download music lately. Based on the interval I sort of assume that Comcast's load balancing protocols (shifting IP addresses and such) are confusing the iTunes security protocols. Possibly it's due to poor updating arising from the heartbleed patches. In any event, I'm assuming it's a problem with Comcast or with iTunes. Probably, iTunes, becuase they update things more often than Comcast.

Either way, I'd like it fixed.

I'm receiving the same error as well. I have changed the DNS as well as turning off my firewall. I have no issues downloading the movies but it is the Movie Extras that I can't seem to download. I'm not quite sure what the issue is but it seems like it is an iTunes issue.

Same here,

downloading the movies had some minor problems with stops, but the extras do not download correctly.

I have done everything what was listed on the help sites, but nothing helped.

- firewall on/off

- other router

- no WLan, but Lan

- ....... much much more

and nothing helped.

I believe it is iTunes or the Apple-servers which are causing the problem.

What I found out is that the downloads are split in many files and as soon as there are problems it switches to the next file and so on. Once through all the files with problems it starts a new folder with new files and mixes up the folders and files like mad.

I contacted iTunes support and they kept telling me that it was my internet connection that was faulty. Odd since I have the movies and not the extras. They kept saying I needed to remove and then re-download the movies. However, once I removed the movie from my library and went back to itunes it wasn't in my past purchases, therefore making me purchase again. Luckily my movie was in the trash bin and I restored it. They refuse to admit that it is the Apple servers, but let's be realistic there's so many people experiencing these issues there's no way it can be everyone's faulty internet connection. I hope they fix this problem soon because this is pretty ridiculous and poor support on iTunes' end. I expected better customer support.

Ditto here. owner of MBP, running Itunes 11.1.5 on OSX 10.8.5.

I have tried the following

- changing DNS

- changing connection (including a 3rd party KANEX USB to Ethernet adaptor)

- Logging out and logging back into Itunes

- rentering credit card details

etc

Nothing helps!

has anybody found a concrete reason as to what is going on and how to fix this?

I am having the same issue. There are other threads popping up on this so I believe this is an Apple issue and their support staff isn't up to speed on the issue. Time Warner Cable for me, I have rebooted everything on my network and this is happening on multiple machines out of the blue.

I know the Linc Davis reply is his standard steps for this issues but this is NOT a local machine issue I am seeing. I also make VOIP calls and if my ISP was dropping, I would likely get some other indicators but my network seems solid plus the fact that others are reporting this on more than one ISP leads me to believe it's further upstream somewhere.

well, the plot thickens. Decided last night to check if this will pop up through my ipad cellular connection. To my amazement, once I disabled simultaneous downloads and connected through the LTE Sim of the ipad air, the issue did not appear. The download was indeed slower, as expected through a hotspot connection, but was going smoothly.

That sort of led me to believe that it might be the ISP throttling somehow the connection - so I disabled homesharing on itunes and switched off my secondary network as well as other clients on the network (which to be fair were inactive anyway).

Downloads went smooth for quite a while! But when I got on a SKYPE conf call - back to the same issue.

Obviously something has changed in how Itunes allows downloads to be executed, to the point where an ISP interprets these downloads as some form of behaviour that is abnormal and resets the connection to the packet source (just a thought...).

I am having the same issues... but Apple told me it was my Seagate Central that was causing the issues... they would not admit it is an iTunes problem. I have multiple macs and iTunes has the same issues whether or not I am using my external for streaming or have the library on the actual computer itself.

The problem started for me about a week or so ago. I have Comcast Blast Internet... when tested on the phone with Apple it pinged at 19... downloads 99mbps and 25mbps uploads..

They did the screen share and looked at my network and all my settings on my Time Capsul are fine.

It tells me like 18 hours to download a single movie. I do not have simultaneous downloads checked.

If anyone ever figures this out please help!

I am having these same issues as well. I am having to download these movies on my iPad and sync these to my MBP in order to get them saved on my external hard drive.

This is becoming a BIG pain. I have tried a ton of fixes with no help. Obvously this is an issue with iTunes on the mac since we are able to download these movies with no hiccups on the ipad/iphone side of things.

I've been having these issues also over the last 4 days or so. I can download fine from the app store using my iPhone and iPad but downloading on my mac I keep getting this error message several times and then eventually after about the fifth attempt the file will download.

I'm using Sky broadband in the UK, so it can't be anything to do with different isp's or anything and I didn't have this problem previously.