MP turns upside down - help please (1 Viewer)

[bjogul]

Area: Media Portal Program
MediaPortal Version: 0.2.1.0 (2006-10-21)
MediaPortal Skin: BlueTwo
Windows Version: Windows XP (SP2)
.NET CLR Version: 2.0.50727
DirectX Version: 4.09.00.0904 (9.0c)
Audio Codec: DScaler Audio Decoder
Video Codec: DScaler Mpeg2 Video Decoder
CPU Type: Genuine Intel - T2400 @ 1.83GHz
Memory: 2 GB
Motherboard: iL-90MV(Intel i945GT-ICH7m-DH)
TV Card Model: FireDTV
TV Card Type: DVB-T
TV Card Driver: FireDTV BDA 4.2.0.0
Video Card Model: Mobile Intel(r) 945gm Express Chipset Family (128 MB)
Video Card Driver: -
Video Card Resolution: 800x600
Video Render Type: -
Audio Card Model: Realtek High Definition Audio
Audio Card Driver: -
Synopsis::

I installed Mediaportal for the first time about a week ago. This since Win MCE seemt to have problems with my encrypted channels after S3 standby. Almost everything works fine in MP, and I'm really impressed with the app - being free and all. Wow!!

My biggest problem. After a while the entire MediaPortal application turns upside down, ie. not just movies that I read of in some post. This happens every day. When I'm in MP:s starting view (where I can choose My TV and so on) and I press [Back] on my Win MCE keyboard, this happens. It has also happened once when I left the machine running.

When this happens and I shut down MP, Windows XP also is upside down. For instance "Start" is in the upper right corner. I have to reboot to get things back to normal.

I have no idea what causes this or what I should do to fix it. Any suggestions are welcome!

Another problem is that when I start MP I have to use a mouse or alt/tab to make MP come on top. At least the MCE remote doesn't respond (up/down/select) until I've clicked somewhere in the MP-skin, or used alt/tab and chosen MP.
I have selected "always on top" in General settings under Media Portal setup, but this didn't help either... What else is there to do?

/Bjogul

 

[Marcusb]

Hi Bjogul,

First of all, welcome. For the upside down issue, I have never heard of anything like that in MP. You can get "joke" applications that do this to play tricks on people, so I don't suppose any one is doing that to you?

Can you try starting Windows and closing MP immediately then leave the PC running to see if the problem is a windows problem or a MP one? My money is on some weird sort of windows behaviour. This could also be linked to your second issue of the non focus at start up.
Try going to start/run/MSCONFIG and check what is running at startup in the last tab on the right.

Sorry I can't be much more help, but this is very strange...

 

[Paranoid Delusion]

I read this and thought strange also, never seen this one before, but found a link to the MS website, and it say's a Graphics driver issue with DirectX.

So might just be a case of see if there is a newer driver for the onboard graphics.
Or see if anyone you know can lend you a card (preferably DX9 compatible) to test with.

 

[chenks]

Dell PCs also have this function built in to them.
you press a key command to flip it.
can't remember what it is though.

 

[bjogul]

Thanks for quick responses.

But no, I'm sure it's not a joke-program, it's a pretty fresh install and no such things has passed this setup. I have had the PC up and running with no problems like this using XP MCE 2005 off and on for nearly 2 months, and nothing like this ever happened before. Last night it was running an all-nighter with Media-portal shut down and no gravity problems.... So I am dead sure it's not an XP/hardware problem. It has always started in Media-portal, and never occured before I installed Media-portal.

It's the same graphics-drivers as I used with no problems in MCE, and no new drivers have been published on the MB manufacturers web-site... The drivers are from march this year.

I reckon the mobo should be up for everything I've thrown at it so far. It's intended for HTPC use (though with MCE not Mediaportal I guess). It's supports hdcp with an onboard HDMI, and all I've done is watch some DVD:s/divx and standard-definition TV.

Another line of thought: Can I exclude codecs as the probable cause for this, since everything is turned upside down when the problem occurs? I mean, if it were just a codec-issue, then I understand why a movie would be twisted but why should the OS and for instance word-pad be upside down? And I have the PC setup to an old 15" CRT-screen until everything is running, so it's not a pivot screen gone crazy either....

Or could it be some conflict between MCE 2005/Intel VIIV - and Mediaportal? Are they not compatible?

Keep posting ideas

 

[Leon_Gjerland]

Check the advanced settings of your videodrivers and see if there are keyboard shortcuts to rotate the picture. If there are, try change/disable them.

 

[bjogul]

Leon and Chenks - I think you're on to something. I found on the net that my Intel graphics support turning the screen by keyboard shorts [ctrl]+[alt]+[arow up/down/left/right] and that shortcuts for this were enabled. There was also some other combinations for this feature.

I guess some of the remote commands must have been interpreted as "turn upside down" by the graphics, at least this seems logical. I have therefore disabled the shortcuts for this as you suggested, and will now wait and see if the problem reoccurs.

I guess this wont fix my other problem though: that I have to click with the mouse somewhere in MP to make it the active window (on top) in order to make the remote work. Any ideas on this are welcome.
Great for input sofar!!

/bjogul

 

[OleJ]

in media portal setup under "general" you can choose "always on top". Give that a try.

 

[Marcusb]

in media portal setup under "general" you can choose "always on top". Give that a try.

He said he's already tried that, but it can't hurt to check. Maybe even remove, save and then reset it just to make sure, but I doubt that would help.

It reallydoes sound like something else is loading after MP though, since even without this setting, the last thing you loaded should be in focus.

 

[bjogul]

Yeah, It's really odd that it isn't enough to select always on top in General setup, as I noted in my first post.
Now I've also tried de-selecting this option, restart and selecting it ("on top") again and stilll the same. I have to click somewhere for the Media-portal window to become in focus/on top.

Any other ideas?
/bjogul