Media Portal seems to reset itself everytime (1 Viewer)

[Paul_Baylis]

MediaPortal Version: 1.01
MediaPortal Skin: Streamed MP-0[1].8.448
Windows Version: WinXP SP3
CPU Type: Phenom X4 9650 2.3 GHz
HDD: 1.5TB Seagate
Memory: Corsair 3gb DDR2 800
Motherboard: Gigabyte GA MA78
Video Card: Sapphire 4870 1GB DDR5
Video Card Driver: latest catalyst
Sound Card: Onboard (SPDIF out)
MPEG2 Video Codec: FFDShow
MPEG2 Audio Codec: FFDShow
h.264 Video Codec: FFDShow / Haali
HTPC Case: Silverstone LC17-B
Power Supply: Corsair HX 650w
Remote: Cyberlink
TV: Samsung 42"
TV - HTPC Connection: HDMI (via dvi-hdmi dongle)


Hi,

My friends Media Portal 1.01 install with Streamed MP (TV Series & Moving Pictures included) was working fine after I set it up for him last week.

Today when he opened Media Portal something has gone wrong and I cannot work out what.

Firstly, he opened up the Media Portal exe shortcut on the desktop and it took him to config, asking whether he wanted to enter Basic or Advanced settings. I know this happens the very first time you set up MP but it happens EVERYTIME with his. It has also done the following...

When you enter the settings it has reset the options and reverted to Blue 3 wide. The plug ins set to homescreen have all reverted back to original settings.

It has deleted his fan art folder and moving pictures backgrounds and wiped his moving pictures and TV Series databases clean from c:\docs&sets\all users\application data\Team Media Portal.

After changing the configs he can then exit and go into media portal but it has changed all his icons to the hover_ones in the Streamed MP media directory rather than the animations in the Streamed MP directory that I had set up for him.

Once he turns the machine off and back on again loading Media Portal will AGAIN take him to a reset config screen asking if he wants basic or advanced settings regardless of him ticking for them not to ask him again.

Is there a reason/problem that could cause his Media Portal to reset itself and act as if it is the first time of opening everytime he resets the machine?

He lives a few hours away from me so I ideally want to resolve this without him having to wait until next time I pass that way to re-install the whole Media Portal again.

Any help or advice would be greatly appreciated guys.

Thanks

 

[Paranoid Delusion]

Type of account used for setting up MP, run as administrator, or was that the first thing you tried

What other software is running on that pc, if any, anything that could be ghosting\restoring the drive on reboot.

 

[Paul_Baylis]

When Windows XP was set up there was only the initial username which logs straight in when the system is turned on. There isn't an Administrator AND a HTPC 1 log in screen unless I log into safe mode.

As Media Portal had reset its settings then going into Administrator is showing the reset settings as well.

I fixed the problem temporarily by helping him upgrade from Media Portal 1.01 to 1.02 over the phone on weds. He used it for 24 hours, and then by thursday evening it reset itself again.

He assures me he hasnt installed or run anything since we upgraded... he had just been using Moving Pictures to re-install his movies. And yet it STILL reset itself and reverted to Blue3Wide and is asking whether to log into configs via beginner or Advanced.

Please help guys! This is driving me nuts!

oh and to answer your other question. The software on the drive is fairly basic... Office, codecs & Filters like FFDShow, Power DVD and Anydvd HD, a few dvd ripping programs... little that I would think may cause this behaviour.

He has an external DAS direct access storage drive linked to the system via esata cable, but it isnt a NAS Network drive and should operate as if it were an external drive so I dont think that woul do anything to make Media Portal think it was running on a different network or reset itself.

 

[Paranoid Delusion]

I would see where the link to user files top of open MP config is taking him too, make sure it is "his" correct username location

ie XP = C:\Documents and Settings\All Users\Appdata\Team MediaPortal\MediaPortal, if anything else showing, then would seem to be a permission problem

 

[donzella]

Same Problem

Did you ever get this resolved as I have the exact same issue. I have a machine dedicated to MediaPortal and do not have any other software running on that machine. I have lost the config twice now. Everything gets reset including all databases of movies and tv series in Moving Pictures and My TV Series. Please help.

 

[Paul_Baylis]

Sorry but we never managed to resolve the problem.

In the end we uninstalled Media Portal, Moving Pictures and Streamed MP after backing up the thumb and database folders.

Then we reinstalled them all using latest versions and added the 'thumbs and databases'.

Then we configured the settings the same as on another machine which was working fine and it has been ok since.

But I still have no idea what caused it!!