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Upgraded from MB2 - catastrophic fail on many levels so far. Please Help!


NJ RadioGuy

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NJ RadioGuy

Hello,

I am continuing a thread from MB Theater, and I am in need of urgent help in getting MB back working the way it was.

 

History: After 2.5 years of rock-solid operation I thought it was time to try MB3 Server and MB Theater. Long story short, MB Theater was an unmitigated disaster on my system. I uninstalled Theater and installed MB Classic, but left MB3 Server in place.

 

Now I'm facing repeated, critical and show-stopping problems even with classic that I never encountered with MB 2.60R.

 

1) I cannot play any ISO files. Period. Any attempt and I get two failures. One on the failed attempt to play the ISO, then a few seconds later, MB crashes with the message "Invalid Application: Unable to launch Media Browser 3."

 

2) TV series videos (not sure what format) start playing fine then stutter and freeze within a minute of playback. No exceptions.

 

3) Underscan that I can't seem to compensate for, and no easy way to correct it while a video is running. Actually, TWO problems here. If I set the under/overscan controls within MB so that the videos play properly then the MB interface overscans in all directions right off the screen. If I set the interface to look good on screen, I will get blue bars on video playback. I never had this in MB2.

 

4) MB Server has only finished a scan once, despite 30 reboots. It freezes randomly.

 

5) More than half my TV titles are missing descriptions, season banners/posters, etc. Movie posters seem to be fine but until I can get ISO playback working I'm not paying much attention to this.

 

This is running under Windows 7/64 Ultimate, i3 processor, 32 GB of RAM. Until yesterday, everything ran smoothly and without any problems except for no Blu-Ray player. I would like to be able to keep MB Classic and MB3 Server, but unless I'm misunderstanding something fundamental and these are simple fixes, I'm afraid I'm going to have to blow everything away and pray my backups are valid. With a family who watches this machine constantly, I cannot underestimate the domestic unrest that I experienced yesterday and am experiencing again today, my home-vacation in tatters. I am not a systems engineer--I just want things working they way they were for the last 30 months or so. Again, please, any help greatly appreciated.

Edited by NJ RadioGuy
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david3663

@@ebr Is going to probably be the most help here regarding the iso issue and overscan in mbc. As for your library missing things and the scan are you sure it is freezing? I ask because for the first run or maybe even more until most of your metadata/images are downloaded it could seem like its froze. Could post some logs from when a scan freezes it will help to figure out the problem? I use mbc myself and have none of these issues but I can't really test the iso issue I have everything converted.

Edited by david3663
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BATTLE DONKEY

Are you sure the initial scan has frozen? The first time a media collection is scanned it takes a long time as it downloads all the info you say is missing and also generates images for chapter selection, as with your other thread it would help the developers a lot if you could provide the proper logs of what is going on so that you can get MB up and running to your liking. Read the sticky or search "How to report a problem" if ur not sure where to find the logs.

 

Did you check through your TV settings first about the overscan issues like I described in the other post? That is the best and first way to fix the issue, at the source of the problem

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Sounds like a lot of these are probably related to configuring the library and access to it.

 

Did you use UNC paths when you defined the library to the server?  Can you please post an MBC log when you play something?

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NJ RadioGuy

I'm afraid I'm going to have to close this request out. After another bout of screaming from the 6YO, I decided to attempt a system restore to before I experimented. It was successful and I've reverted to what I had. Too bad, because I really liked a couple of new features in MB Classic, specifically Chaptering, showing icons and names/etc for unaired episodes. But when one tries to tell a bored toddler he can't watch Cars again (he's seen that more than I've seen Star Wars, which is truly frightening), it's time to cut one's losses and put up with old technology.

 

I would like to try again at some point, but I need to find a way to make this go smoothly. Incidentally, my paths were not UNC, they were mapped Windoze drives. Thus: D:\Movies (local HDD) and Z:\ (mapped to \\NAS\Movies or something like that). Out of curiosity, why would mapped vs UNC make a difference if it points to the same place?

 

I noted that after I reverted to 2.whatever (2.6.4R??) there were no "advanced" settings for under/overscan and the image worked just nicely. ISO files played first-go, TV episodes were likewise good and all my cover art was present.

 

If I ever attempt this again, is there any SIMPLE upgrade path to MB Classic that does not involve a wholesale uninstallation and new installation?

Edited by NJ RadioGuy
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legallink

I would install server as a service first....you can run that along side MB2 without conflict I believe.

 

Once you have the server setup and running the way you want...tinker away as you like....then you could uninstall MB2 and install MBC...but I wouldn't do that til you have everything running the way you want.  It sounds like you have a veyr impatient crowd.  You could also do a dev server, but that seems like a little overkill for a family setup.

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NJ RadioGuy

Doesn't 2.6.whatever run as a service too? Sounds like a potential conflict in the making, no? Incidentally, in the current MB Service, all the paths are mapped Windows drives, not UNC paths--although if the consensus is that UNC works better, that's an easy change that I can do overnight.

 

I will be able to get a few hours here and there to tinker but a week of hopping about the house like a slightly deranged baboon is not in the cards, I shouldn't think. At the moment my config is MB 2.6.4R (or something like that, the machine is in use for another few hours) with Media Center Master running in parallel to fetch artwork and metadata, grab new TV shows and so forth.

 

If I'm to try this again, given the software I'm currently running, what precisely should I do, and in what order? This time it will be "one thing at a time, test it out the wazoo and make sure it's bulletproof before moving on," but there are so many variables I wouldn't know what to test, or even where to start. All my metadata is in good shape, posters/etc look good and so on.

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breezytm

I helped a friend transition over to MB3 from MB2 without any issues. It didn't take long and he has a huge library. 

 

1. MB3 plays iso just fine but you must set it up correctly and also add the software you'll use to mount the drive. I usually use Virtual Clone Drive from Slysoft. Very simple an easy to setup. 

 

2. I never setup my libraries with mapped drives. I don't know why. The concept of them not reconnecting if there is a connection lost worries me. So i use UNC path like //192.168.1.2/MyMovies/

 

3. I've came across underscan/overscan issues before with both MB2 - 3. The reason I've noticed usually causes is the monitor setting in Windows Media Center itself not being configured properly. Some people don't take the time to go setup their proper monitors and speakers. Like my friend has a HDMI LCD monitor but in his Windows Media Center it was setup as a regular screen. Now media browser classic has the option to manual configure your underscan. I personally never used it. I just make sure I setup my monitor correctly. 

 

4. As everyone already mentioned, the first library scan usually takes a long time. If you don't want to wait, you can do what I did. I added one library at a time and then scanned it. Also unchecked the feature to extract chapter images. You can run that through the schedule task at a later time when you asleep. I set mine to 3:00 AM.  

 

When I setup my MB3 it took me about 5 hours. Keep in my I had never used MB before. Not even 2. I had a friend, the one I mentioned above, who used to have MB2 setup. Always saying great things about it. So I decided to give it a try. It should be easier for you since you've already used it before so you know what to expect. 

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Mapped drives are very unreliable and won't be accessible from remote machines.

 

UNC paths are a much better route all around.

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For most people the upgrade is very simple. If you had kept at it longer I'm sure we could have gotten to the bottom of those issues. So let us know if you try again.

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I would install server as a service first....you can run that along side MB2 without conflict I believe.

 

Once you have the server setup and running the way you want...tinker away as you like....then you could uninstall MB2 and install MBC...but I wouldn't do that til you have everything running the way you want.  It sounds like you have a veyr impatient crowd.  You could also do a dev server, but that seems like a little overkill for a family setup.

 

Yes that is a good point. The server is separate so it can be used in conjunction with mb2. 

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