Recent WMC stability issues on 3 of my HTPCs. $20 REWARD

[backwards1]

SHORT VERSION::
Starting about a month ago my once very stable media center PC's started crashing under regular DVD playback and then WMC will autorestart back to home screen. Next the once very reliable and stable Bluray movie playback starting the movie within WMC movies area which would autoload directly into TMT5 and then exit back to WMC upon completion stopped working. I click on a BD title from within MOVIES area and it doesn't do anything for about 5secs then back to the movie list. The only thing I could think which would cause all three of these systems to start this issue is Windows updates. I have reloaded the OS on two of them which included latest drivers which I reverted back to old with same issue. ANY KNOWN BUGS OR BREAKS with the latest updates?! I am trying to track this down but can't pinpoint the issue happening across all three. Thanks for your time to read and hopefully help.













Or the long winded version read below


LONG VERSION:: I can't seem to figure out what is going on with my systems. I am trying to figure out the constants between my systems and only thing I can even guess would be a recent Windows update or latest ATI drivers.

-Windows Home Server 2003 - No changes to this system , streams my personally owned DVD and BD collection in standard DVD & BD folder structure over Gigabit lan hardwired to all Win7 64bit systems. Been running this setup for a few years and no changes to the server or network besides adding a WIFI AP that has nothing to do with any of the Media PCs.
-Main-PC - No issues with auto play of BD folders from within WMC
-Media1 - Hardly used and also crashing under DVD playback using default WMC player and no autoplay/launch of BD folders into TMT5
-Media2 - Used daily and decided to reload this system due to this issue. Some success but back to both issues
-Media3 - Recently reloaded due to SSD upgrade, very empty install still also has both issues

I have a total of four W764bit systems and recently in the last month I have started getting issues with 1.) Bluray movies not autolaunching from within MOVIES into TMT5 2.) Under default MC DVD player WMC will crash and auto reopen.

I have had excellent reliability with these systems and out of the blue starting late Feb/early March these two issues have started up. I recently reloaded Media2 and only put on drivers and updates and still am getting the same thing. I noticed my autolaunch to TMT5 while watching BD movies didn't work so I used older ATI drivers (11.12) , uninstalled TMT5 and then reinstalled and it worked. But a few days later 8 netframework updates installed (4/1/12) and I would assume that broke the autoplay functionality. This isn't just a TMT5 player issue since my default DVD playback crashes within 15mins of watching a movie.

I don't want this to confuse the issue at hand but the only things that I have changed last month was HDD to SSD on Media3 with clean install, I added a Linksys E3000 as a WIFI AP and ran the latest drivers on Media2 & 3 due to the clean installs. Media2 has had a SSD installed for the last 6months without these issues. Media1 is hardly used or turned on and it too is experiencing the same issues. My main desktop PC still works though and it is running latest drivers and version of TMT5. Haven't experienced any DVD crashing from within WMC either. Just all of a sudden multiple systems started these two issues and even after clean install I still get them. ANYONE having similar issues this last month, I am at a loss for tracking this down.

Please help this is driving me crazy, all these years of XP,Vista and 7 WMC working pretty much rock solid for basic DVD playback and also various version of TMT,TMT3,TMT5 and now all these systems are acting up on me. What is the link, the common function. I can only guess windows updates or ATI drivers. (ATI6950, 6870, 6570 , 3650)

Sorry for the long post, I hope someone reads it.

[milli260876]

Wish I could help, my core i3 rig just started to go bonkers too with recorded tv making graphics fail... Frustration is not the word. Personally I would avoid ATI for media pcs, my past ones had shocking driver issues. Expensive but possible fix given the number of pcs you're running...
NVIDIA is the way to go IMHO I was all for Intel up until a month or two ago !

[CyberSimian]

The only thing I could think which would cause all three of these systems to start this issue is Windows updates.

This is why I have Windows Update turned off on my HTPC. I do update from time to time, but I ways create a disk image of the C: drive before updating Windows. In that way, if the updated Windows starts misbehaving I can revert to the previous version that I know worked correctly. (Actually, I use a multi-boot manager called Bootit, and create a bootable copy of the current system in another partition on the boot disk; then I can easily boot the old system with nary an interruption to normal service.)

I know that this is of no help in your current situation; I hope that someone else can suggest remedies.

-- from CyberSimian in the UK

[bobbob]

intel video drivers = best thing ever. i leave auto updates on and i've never had an issue. don't you just use system restore if you want to go back to the position before an update? rarely used it though...

[newfiend]

Have you checked event viewer to see if there are any errors listed for your crashing software etc..?

Sent from my WP7 using Board Express

[backwards1]

Ok two clean installs on Media2 PC.
Both with Windows Updates and without any windows updates(driver only)
Tried ATI 11.8, 11.12 , 12.3 drivers
Nothing. Still not able to auto launch from within WMC to TMT5. Getting similar errors on Media2 and Media1 PC's. Error happens after trying to launch a BD title within Movies/WMC area. "INVALID APPLICATION - Unable to launch "AV-Amp" [] Disable this Application OK on Media 2and similar error with Unable to launch "WHSMediaAccessBackground" on Media1

Found Windows Home Server was reporting one of the seven drives as having issues. Ran the built in repair/check feature from within WHS console.
Tried to launch BD again through WMC and what do you know it launched correctly on Media2. Time will tell if it continues to work. It worked for a few days a few reloads back but after 8 windows updates it stopped working. This time I still have some updates left but turned off auto update.

Funny thing is Media1 still doesn't work. So if the failing HD on the server was the issue for Media2 PC why not Media1 PC? Sounds to me like multiple issues which is a bugger to troubleshoot. No ryhme or reason with these blasted PC's.

So bottom line only one of my three PC's are working with auto launch. Still working on it and thanks for the replies. I have checked Event Viewer but wasn't able to determine if any errors were to blame. It shows the main Media Center exe I think eshell.exe as culprit.

[backwards1]

Just like to mention for anyone else having a similar issue is pretty much my once long time stable Movies playback (that uses standard DVD rip and BD rips) just plain does not work. DVD's that I launch from WMC will crash within 15mins from any of my 5 Windows 7 PC's. BD movies that used to auto launch from the same Movies list but would launch into Total Media Theater 5 also does not launch.

I am at a loss, could this be a my WHS 2003? Network or most likely some update in windows or ATI drivers. I do have ATI cards in all of the systems, SSD's in 4 out of 5.

My only working movie playback option is to not use my remote in WMC but pull out the mouse and launch Total Media Theater 5 and browse to a movie folder that way. That works perfectly and no issues.

Something is still completely broke and would LOVE to find the cause. If anyone can find the solution I would be happy to tip you $20 through Paypal.

[backwards1]

Still cannot launch BluRay movies from within WMC using TMT5 and any patch including todays new one. I have my BD movies ripped in folder format, I have always been able to go under movies in WMC , select the BD movie and it would automatically open TMT5 play the movie and once I am finished it closed TMT5 and is back to WMC.

I STILL cannot launch movies through WMC on any 5 of my W7 PC's. I can use my mouse to open TMT5 and play any folder just fine but if I try to launch movie within WMC it just pauses for 10secs or so and then goes back to movie list screen with the movie I selected. Whatever is causing WMC to not lauch TMT5 also causes regular DVD playback to crash in WMC after about 15mins usually. I checked today to see if TMT5 had any new patch and what do you know they released one today. Hopeful something would shake up the issue and maybe fix the problem I updated with patch and nothing is changed. I even get a error from time to time when trying to launch a BD folder movie. "Invalid Application (UNABLE TO LAUCH AV-AMP) Disable this application option box"

If someone can find the issue and it actually fixes the probem I would be very happy to send you $20 through Paypal. I would be more than happy to send some funds over if I can get a fix(honor system). It's been well over a year that I can't use my remote to launch movies which is kind of lame considering this worked perfectly for years.

I promise to update this post if I find a resolution or if someone does for me and I sent reward already. (5-28-13)

[LATECH]

I have the answer the AV-AMP is part of and AverMedia software driver. Uninstall all avermedia software from system and reinstall latest driver from their site.

It happened using a windows 7 driver on windows 8.

Hope this helps.