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Crystal - Soft-locking computer, and not showing some collections


iam4uk

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MB Server version:  3.0.5083.27698

MB Classic version:  3.0.96.0

 

Log from MBC attached.  No Event Log generated for Windows Media Center with a similar time as this log or the incidents.

 

Issues:

 

1.  Various collections within MBC randomly become inaccessible.  Clicking on them to enter them does nothing but cause the program to stop responding to typical inputs (direction arrows, OK/Enter, exit).  Can exit back to MCE using mouse pointer on upper-left back-arrow, however.  A solution for those collections has been to delete them in the MB Server configuration utility, then make a new folder for that collection, move the movies to that new folder, share that folder, delete the old collection folder, make a new collection in MB Server configuration utility pointing to that new folder.  That's a significant problem, and the workaround is too much work to consider the program usable for non-computer-savvy persons.

 

2.  MBC sometimes soft-locks the computer (the attached log file was recorded at one of about a dozen such incidents today).  Cannot get back to MCE.  CTRL-ALT-DEL -- Task Manager -- End Program does get the computer back from the problem.

 

I'm also using the Android application (version 1.0.6), and that client has not had the problems with collection accessiblility (even when MBC in 7MC has that problem), nor with lockups.

 

Any thoughts on troubleshooting or possible solutions will be welcomed.  Thanks.

 

MBClassic-9122013facd39be7fb94876965c5f7b93d956d2.log

 

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In limited testing, I have not reproduced the problems in the default theme.  I suppose I could put a link to this thread in the Crystal issues/questions part of the forum; maybe that will lead to some other insights?

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More testing reveals:

I can view all collections and have no lock-ups with MBC using any theme except Crystal.  When using Crystal, these reported behaviors persist.

 

I had provided feedback when I first bought Crystal that its behavior made it unusable.  I got no response, but noticed a new version was out, so I tried it again.  It is still unusable.

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leedavies

More testing reveals:

I can view all collections and have no lock-ups with MBC using any theme except Crystal.  When using Crystal, these reported behaviors persist.

 

I had provided feedback when I first bought Crystal that its behavior made it unusable.  I got no response, but noticed a new version was out, so I tried it again.  It is still unusable.

 

Interesting feedback.  Which themes have you tried that definitely DO NOT have these lockup issues?

 

A more relevant question would be, have you tried the ROC and Breeze trial versions and do they lock up?

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leedavies

More testing reveals:

I can view all collections and have no lock-ups with MBC using any theme except Crystal.  When using Crystal, these reported behaviors persist.

 

I had provided feedback when I first bought Crystal that its behavior made it unusable.  I got no response, but noticed a new version was out, so I tried it again.  It is still unusable.

 

I have seen similar problems when display setting get corrupted.  I don't know why they get corrupted sometimes - bear in mind you're using beta software.

 

Stop your MB3 server, delete the display.db file in your ProgramData\MediaBrowser-Classic\Cache folder, and also the CrystalDisplay folder.

 

Then start your MB3 server again and go into MBC.

 

Still see the hangs?

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Stop your MB3 server, delete the display.db file in your ProgramData\MediaBrowser-Classic\Cache folder

 

Just FYI - that database is not used for anything.

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leedavies

All display preferences are stored on the server.

 

Ok.  On the off-chance they are corrupted somehow, how does one clear them?

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leedavies

@@iam4uk is there anything common between the collections you can't get into?  What view style(s) are they using etc?    All poster, some coverflow, thumb strip?

 

The information you've provided so far gives no clue as to why Crystal appears to hang waiting for data to come back from the server, or whilst processing that data.

 

I'm trying to narrow down the possible cause.

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Thank you for the replies and troubleshooting ideas.

Themes that work: Default, Subdued, Chocolate.

Styles are mostly consistent through collections for movie genres: Thumb strip view for all, no indexing, sort by name on most collections (including those that have stopped being accessible) or sort by year on a few collections (e.g., James Bond).

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Ok.  On the off-chance they are corrupted somehow, how does one clear them?

 

You would have to delete the display db on the server but that would blow away everything for everyone - even MBT.  NOT recommended.

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leedavies

you could just change the display preferences key used by the theme so that nothing else is lost except for the theme's settings. so give the theme a way to add some version info into it's key in the event that breaking changes are made.

 

Nice idea, cheers Luke!

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leedavies

Thank you for the replies and troubleshooting ideas. Themes that work: Default, Subdued, Chocolate. Styles are mostly consistent through collections for movie genres: Thumb strip view for all, no indexing, sort by name on most collections (including those that have stopped being accessible) or sort by year on a few collections (e.g., James Bond).

 

Ok.  Something to try...

 

Switch to default theme

Go into one of the problem collections/folders

Change to a different view style - coverflow or poster maybe

Switch to Crystal

Go back into that collection/folder that you changed the view for

 

Still get the hang?

Edited by leedavies
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leedavies

Lee, I tried the "switch to default theme..." trick.  That did clear the problem with a collection in Crystal.

 

So the problem is specific to Thumb strip view in Crystal, it seems.  Now bearing in mind you are, currently, the only person reporting this problem (doesn't mean noone else is hitting it - just means you're the only talking about it!  :-) ), I think it's a combination of cover size and Thumb strip.  So...

 

Try increasing (or decreasing - doesn't matter which) the cover size in your "trouble" collection.  Then switch to Thumb strip and Crystal.

 

If you still get the hang, go back to the default theme and repeat the increase or decrease cover size in that collection, so you keep moving in the same direction (e.g. always increasing or always decreasing).

 

I think you'll find it was just rotten luck that you happened to have a cover size that thumb strip didn't like for some reason.  I know the reason and I think Crystal is the only one of my themes affected.

 

But your test results will confirm either way....  good work BTW - this is very helpful data.

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Based on Lee's suggestion, I downloaded trials of ROC and Breeze, and compared functionality with Crystal.

 

Results so far:

 

Collections that are/were inaccessible in Crystal are accessible in ROC or Breeze.

 

ROC has a different issue:  it locks up when configuring collection view styles.  Specifically, changing cover size causes lock-up.  WMC can be exited via mouse/pointer only at that point, or CTRL-ALT-DEL will also work.

 

Breeze has a different issue:  for some themes, no view style will work except "Detail."  If using "Coverflow," for example, only the first item in the collection displays, and there is no cover shown, and there is no way to advance to any other item in the collection.  If using "Poster," the posters are upside down, flattened and distorted, and movement between items jumps multiple items at a time.  This does not happen on all collections; others work properly.  The collections that are troublesome in Breeze are not troublesome in ROC or Crystal or Default Theme or Chocolate or Subdued.

 

Perhaps at this point I should include some hardware info:

Intel Core i5-2500K at stock speed (3.3GHz)

Intel motherboard based on H67 express chipset

8 GB RAM

nvidia GT 430, GeForce 331.93, DirectX 11.0

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So the problem is specific to Thumb strip view in Crystal, it seems.  Now bearing in mind you are, currently, the only person reporting this problem (doesn't mean noone else is hitting it - just means you're the only talking about it!  :-) ), I think it's a combination of cover size and Thumb strip.  So...

[troubleshooting steps\

Thanks, Lee.  I will try these actions and report to you what I can discern from them.  That will have to wait, though... gotta take care of some business for awhile.

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leedavies

Based on Lee's suggestion, I downloaded trials of ROC and Breeze, and compared functionality with Crystal.

 

Results so far:

 

Collections that are/were inaccessible in Crystal are accessible in ROC or Breeze.

 

ROC has a different issue:  it locks up when configuring collection view styles.  Specifically, changing cover size causes lock-up.  WMC can be exited via mouse/pointer only at that point, or CTRL-ALT-DEL will also work.

 

Breeze has a different issue:  for some themes, no view style will work except "Detail."  If using "Coverflow," for example, only the first item in the collection displays, and there is no cover shown, and there is no way to advance to any other item in the collection.  If using "Poster," the posters are upside down, flattened and distorted, and movement between items jumps multiple items at a time.  This does not happen on all collections; others work properly.  The collections that are troublesome in Breeze are not troublesome in ROC or Crystal or Default Theme or Chocolate or Subdued.

 

Perhaps at this point I should include some hardware info:

Intel Core i5-2500K at stock speed (3.3GHz)

Intel motherboard based on H67 express chipset

8 GB RAM

nvidia GT 430, GeForce 331.93, DirectX 11.0

 

What screen resolution are you running at?

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Screen res 1920x1080 @59.94 Hz progressive. Display is Samsung DLP 72" connected via HDMI.

Typical source material is 24p, 30p or 60i, of course, but like many modern displays this one is fixed-pixel progressive.

Edited by iam4uk
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leedavies

Based on Lee's suggestion, I downloaded trials of ROC and Breeze, and compared functionality with Crystal.

 

Results so far:

 

Collections that are/were inaccessible in Crystal are accessible in ROC or Breeze.

 

ROC has a different issue:  it locks up when configuring collection view styles.  Specifically, changing cover size causes lock-up.  WMC can be exited via mouse/pointer only at that point, or CTRL-ALT-DEL will also work.

 

Breeze has a different issue:  for some themes, no view style will work except "Detail."  If using "Coverflow," for example, only the first item in the collection displays, and there is no cover shown, and there is no way to advance to any other item in the collection.  If using "Poster," the posters are upside down, flattened and distorted, and movement between items jumps multiple items at a time.  This does not happen on all collections; others work properly.  The collections that are troublesome in Breeze are not troublesome in ROC or Crystal or Default Theme or Chocolate or Subdued.

 

Perhaps at this point I should include some hardware info:

Intel Core i5-2500K at stock speed (3.3GHz)

Intel motherboard based on H67 express chipset

8 GB RAM

nvidia GT 430, GeForce 331.93, DirectX 11.0

 

Please post a screengrab of these upside down, flattened and distorted posters.

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Sounds like only the reflection is showing.  Again, could very well be an image size thing as MCML simply doesn't display something that won't fit in its container.

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