Not Responding / Black Screen

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awdorrin

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Joined: Fri Mar 08, 2013 11:28 pm
Location: NY

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Not Responding / Black Screen

#1

Post by awdorrin » Thu Sep 14, 2017 9:53 pm

I have been using WMC for several years now, and over the past few months I have started having issues where we turn the TV on, and we are greeted with a black screen.

Using 'Ctrl-Alt-Del' brings up the windows screen, where I can launch task manager, which shows 'Windows Media Center (not responding)'
I can't kill media center, and my only option is to reboot the PC.
Until I reboot, you have to be very careful to navigate through things, because the screen will stop refreshing - for instance it shows the task manager, but if you tab or mouse out, you lose your mouse and have to use 'ctrl-alt-del' to return to the windows screen.

[By the 'windows screen' I mean the screen that gives you the options of 'Lock this computer', 'Switch User' 'Log off', 'Change password' , 'Start Task Manager' and has the red on/off button where you can select reboot or poweroff.]

I haven't seen anything useful in the event viewer, and scanning the disks, etc don't indicate any errors.

Seems to happen randomly. For instance my son was watching tv yesterday evening, and turned off the TV at 7pm. (PC still up and running, it runs 24x7)
At 8pm my wife turned on the TV to find the black screen.

Has anyone else run into this issue?

Using a Ceton 4channel card, with a Time Warner/Spectrum tuning adapter.

Thanks,
-Al

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Crash2009

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Joined: Thu May 17, 2012 12:38 am
Location: Ann Arbor, Michigan

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#2

Post by Crash2009 » Sat Sep 16, 2017 9:56 pm

WMC and TV are pretty hard on hard drives. This is usually the first place to start looking. Go to the manufacturer's website download their utilities and run them.

If it is hard drive consider adding an SSD to be used as only the boot Drive, then and additional Drive to be used as record to and Storage.

There might be some information in Event Viewer/Hardware/ hard drive.

And then there's always the MSIO....I think it's called..... the one that tells you your direct X version. Look in system tools.

nfn06010

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Joined: Tue Dec 20, 2011 3:29 pm
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#3

Post by nfn06010 » Fri Sep 29, 2017 8:28 pm

I have had the same problem. Sometimes I can get it working, sometimes I can't.
I suggest trying the following and see what works best for you, if any:

A) Leave 'Live TV' on/running when you turn the TV off.
or
B) Before turning the TV on, get WMC attention with the remote control (i.e. vol or channel up or down, or prev chan) then turn the TV on.
or
C) if you forget and turn the TV on and get the black screen: turn the TV off and try suggestion 'B'.

I mostly do 'A' then 'B' and I have had pretty good luck.
2-PCIe CETON 4's

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Crash2009

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Joined: Thu May 17, 2012 12:38 am
Location: Ann Arbor, Michigan

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#4

Post by Crash2009 » Sat Sep 30, 2017 2:31 am

@bfn

Sounds like you are describing an HDCP problem.

I assume you are using HDMI?

Try a powered HDMI splitter.....(this will remember the[/b] EDID handshake[/b]) Google that

Or if possible, setup the tv to be turned on/off by the pc

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