Vista media centre crashes when going into video folder in vista media centre..

Forums › Home Theatre (including HTPC and EPG Collector) › Vista media centre crashes when going into video folder in vista media centre..

waynezy

11 posts

Geek

#22683 5-Jun-2008 10:02

I have setup media centre in vista, I have my video collection on my main system.. I have mapped shared drives with video files it and added folders to be watched through media center.. when i go to video library on media center it crashes and says media center must restart.. I can play the files no problem using media player but not with media centre I think it may have something to do with media centre rendering the thunb nail images.. Anyone had this problem? I have build over 80 media PC's with vista home premium and never had this problem..

sbiddle

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Biddle Corp

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#135624 5-Jun-2008 10:06

What format are the files in and what other codecs do you have on the machine?

I know that earlier 6.x versions of DivX would crash Vista MCE if you tried to browse the video directory.

waynezy

11 posts

Geek

#135628 5-Jun-2008 10:24

I have a mix of Xvid and divx amd mpg.. there are hundreds off movies but the same files worked fine on any other vista media centres..

I installed cole2k codec pack, could it be that? vista is SP1..

stubacca

7 posts

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#135839 6-Jun-2008 02:15

maybe try uninstalling that codec pack and try ffdshow
Ive go it running on my media center works fine with vista sp1.

gehenna

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#135849 6-Jun-2008 07:58

start by removing codecs one at a time and then each time go back into the videos folder, that's the best way to isolate the problem codec. but, with something like cole2k just get rid of it completely. try ffdshow on it's own, if that doesn't cover all the files you use try adding a single codec for each other file (like quicktime, realalternative, haal etc.

I use vista codec pack but only after a few weeks of testing different codec combinations on my htpc. turns out that in my case the codec pack was the right way to go but for a lot of people it's not.

codecs are the most frustrating part of building the htpc but once you get the right combination you get some pretty powerful control over what you get to see in your htpc.

FreddyK

84 posts

Master Geek

#136050 6-Jun-2008 19:37

If it were me, I'd try a slightly different approach and remove the troubled folder from VMC and browse to an empty one instead. Then start dumping video files into it a few at a time until you break it. It could be a single file causing the problem.

pi3141

2 posts

Wannabe Geek

#138599 17-Jun-2008 05:16

Don't know if this will be of help but I too have the same problem. However, I originally installed Vista Ultimate without SP1 before it was released and dual booted between my existing XP MCE 2005 installation. Vista had no problem with shared folders on network drives, but XP did - it kept crashing when browsing. When Vista SP1 came out I decided, as Vista had been more stable as a media centre and di not crash when browsing network drives - and this feature was pushed in Microsofts blurb that Vista had improved network drive support, that I would install Vista to my C drive and give up the dual boot as we were not using XP at all. Since doing this, and installing SP1 just as I had before (it wasn't long after SP1 came out that I reinstalled) I cannot browse my network drives in Vista media centre, it crashes every time with out fail. My network drives are on a PCI radi card (not used as raid) with 2 x 500Gb Maxtors and 2 x 320Gb Seagates. 1 drive for Movies, 1 for HDTV, 1 for MP3. This config has not changed, my machine has not changed, my network has not changed, my files have not changed (much)

I have tried removing codec pack and nVidia drivers and I have tried using the 2nd LAN port on the motherboard. I'm using Network over Mains, not wireless.

I only post this because unlike yourself having the problem appear after so many installs on different machines, the problem has appeared on a machine that previously worked flawlessly in theis manner.

Could it be something in SP1, or something in updated drivers (nVidia in my case) I only have the Hauppage PVR software and drivers and Power DVD installed apart from a codec pack (now removed) and drivers - nothing else not even messenger at this point. I cannot understand it. I have even moved my hard drives around on the PCI card to see if that helps. Its getting to the point wher I will have to go back to XP MCE so I can use my PC to at least watch some videos (in between the crashes)

Finally, why does this problem not manifest when browsing my music library - only happens when browsing shared folders containing video using Media Centre.

I think there is something in SP1 which has introduced this issue. My next stop is to reinstall, not update to SP1 and test it again.

Hope this helps.

gehenna

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#138616 17-Jun-2008 08:28

I still think this is a codec issue. Perhaps check Windows Media Player - go to the options screen and see if the Automatically Download Codecs box is ticked or not - if it's ticked - untick it!

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pi3141

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#138834 17-Jun-2008 21:28

Yes, I now agree it is a codec issue. Last night I uninstalled my Vista Codec pack, but the problem remained. This morning I uninstalled all updates, but the problem still remained. Then I uninstalled all security updates, but the problem still remained.
I noticed, and had forgotten, that Nero 7 Ultimate was installed. I uninstalled it, and the problem was FIXED!!!!

Then I reapplied all the updates, and its still ok, no crashing, I browsed every file and folder, played a few files, no crashes whatsoever. However, I could not play all files, re-installed codec pack, no issues. Then I installed DVB Portal HDTV pump codec, tried playing a HD file - and it crashed! Uninstalled DVB Pump codec and the same file played without issue.

Now, my Media Centre does not crash when browsing any of my files, although I am missing a few codecs, certainly a HD Xvid file will not play and windows complains it does not have the right codec for the file. But it does not crash.

I'm aware that Nero installs its own codecs, so given that when I install the DVB Portal HD pump codec I get a crash I firmly believe this to be a codec issue, Nero 7 just confuses the issue but probably it is installing codecs that then introduce the problem - so probably not the program itself, but something to do with the way Vista handles the codecs or the codecs themselves.

Hope this helps other people, but for now, my system is ok, although there are 1 or 2 HD files I cannot play at present.

I'll live with that because there are hundreds of other files I can play and I'm sure I will be able to resolve that in time.

I suppose, in hindsight, the giveaway was the fact that Media Centre had no issues browsing MP3 folders, only folders containing video.

Good luck all.

usmausma

1 post

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#141017 28-Jun-2008 00:36

Thanks alot pi3141!! I have uninstalled Xvid codec and now my Windows Media Center is not crashing whenver I go to the Video Library. I can view all of the videos without any problem, I assume they are all working on the other codes which I kept.

thanks again for the solution :)