No free card v1.21 (1 Viewer)

Johnnygill

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April 16, 2015
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hi guys
I’ve searched long enough to ask for help on two issues since moving from 1.18 to 1.21.

When powering on my PC, MP loads fine, but I get the no free card message. The easiest and best fix is to load TV server, and immediately I can select a channel back in MP. Can anyone help me with what’s going on?

2nd issue is, my PC is put to sleep using my Logitech harmony “power everything off”, but since going to 1.21, the PC is already awake and running when we get home each day.
I’d rather not have that happen !!
Any ideas ?
Thanks
Johnnny
 

CyberSimian

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    I’ve searched long enough to ask for help on two issues since moving from 1.18 to 1.21.
    I don't know what might be causing your problems, but you are more likely to get help if you add your system specs to your profile page.

    Also, when looking at problems, the developers usually require MP log files set to DEBUG mode (set this log level in both "MP Config" and "TV Server Config"). Reproduce the problem and then use the "MP Watchdog" tool to collect all of the logs into a zip file, and upload the zip file.

    -- from CyberSimian in the UK
     

    wjw

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    Having just come back to this machine after fixing the issues caused by a Windows update last night on my HTPC (this is a fairly regular occurrence) the first place I would look to you second problem would be the Power Options setting. There have been numerous occasions when the update has decided to alter all my choices about when to sleep and so on. I always let Windows (not Powersheduler) put the system to hibernate (sleep never) after 5 mins inactivity - a Windows update will quite often alter these settings to something else that it wants - so I would have a quick look there first.

    The other thing that an update after does to to stop Task Scheduler working - so the daily EPG update from Shedules DIrect stops working.
     

    Owlsroost

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    Owlsroost

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    When powering on my PC, MP loads fine, but I get the no free card message. The easiest and best fix is to load TV server, and immediately I can select a channel back in MP. Can anyone help me with what’s going on?

    Is this a single-seat system (Client and TV server on the same PC)?

    Does 'powering on' mean waking up from sleep, hibernate, or booting up from 'cold'?
     

    Lehmden

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    Hi.
    When powering on my PC, MP loads fine, but I get the no free card message. The easiest and best fix is to load TV server, and immediately I can select a channel back in MP.
    Also it is very long ago since I last used MP1 but this issue sounds very familiar, like something I always had over all the years I've used MP1.
    The main issue for me was, MP1 TV server needs a full database server (MySQL,...) to work. And this database server needs to be up and running before tvserver service can start. Normally the start of tvserver service should be postponed until the database server is running. But sadly this never worked for me, no matter which MP1 version or what database server I used. Tvserver service always was starting too early so the database server was not ready then and the tvserver service did not work.
    I could work around this issue by starting the service manually. A batch file in autostart of Windows that first tries to start MySQL then waits for about one minute and then starts tvserver service. Only this way the tvservice was running reliably after a (re-) start of the system...
    No one ever could find the root cause for this behavior but as in MP2 there is no need for a database server to start before TV is usable I never looked any further on this issue after I changed over to MP2. This was one of the two main reasons why I changed over to MP2 that early.

    Can't guarantee it's the same for you, but as the symptoms are the same at least there is a possibility that your issue is the same...
     

    Johnnygill

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    April 16, 2015
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    Cheers guys.
    Updated details of my setup.
    Dell OptiPlex 780 Duo2 Core Intel E8400 @ 3Ghz, 4gb, nVidia GeForce GT 1030 (HDMI to Samsung 7 LCD), USB 5.1 optical to receiver, with Harmony Hub and touch remote.
    Single-Seat config (Client/Server setup for primary TV only, with rarely/occasionally 2 other clients)

    Powering On = turning the PC on from shutdown (powered off) state.
    Waking Up = waking the PC up from "sleep" state
    *Hibernation is NOT used

    I will need to setup the watchdog stuff, and will repost when I can.
    The 1st issue only occurs when POWERING ON the PC (from shutdown state). Subsequent "sleep" states, always wake up and resume previous working state no problems.
    Full process is: PC is in shutdown/powered off state. Turn PC on. MP client auto loads, but no free card message, load TV server config and close it, return to MP and channels now launch. Can sleep the PC now. Wake up PC, and MP resumes previous state, and channel selection working as expected.
    Can then sleep the PC.
    Come home from work, and PC will be awake and running in previous state. Note - as my entire environment is managed by Harmony Hub, only the PC is turned on, and no other macro has run - otherwise all my other devices would be on.

    Interestingly - found this:
    C:\WINDOWS\system32>powercfg -waketimers
    Timer set by [SERVICE] \Device\HarddiskVolume2\Windows\System32\svchost.exe (SystemEventsBroker) expires at 12:36:16 PM on 3/3/2019.
    Reason: Windows will execute 'NT TASK\Microsoft\Windows\Media Center\mcupdate_scheduled' scheduled task that requested waking the computer.

    EDIT: I have now disabled this. This only started happening after upgrading to 1.21 - so perhaps worth noting as a bug perhaps?
    Appreciate the direction to the Task Scheduler ;-)
     
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