WMC fails to load manually after a recording

[Ray9999]

Hello,

I was hoping someone could help me out. I've made numerous Windows Media Centers before without any major issues. However, I've finally encountered one on my latest machine build.

After a schedule recording has taken place (i.e. HTPC wakes up, records, HTPC goes back to sleep), I'll later decided to manually power on the WMC to watch a recorded TV show by pressing the power-on button from the WMC remote. The HTPC powers on, but does not load Windows. As a result, I end up having a blank/black screen. The only option I have is to power down the HTPC at the box (hold down on/off). I then power it back on and Windows states it was not powered down properly (e.g. 30 second count down). So in summary, after a recording, WMC does load properly and I have to do a hard shutdown to get the WMC running again.

I suspect it's something to do with the power management settings in the BIOS of the motherboard (which is a Gigabyte GA H81M HD3). Unfortunately, going into BIOS, there are no options to change it to S3, S4, RTR, etc. It's very quite limited? (I am running the latest F2 BIOS).

Additional information; if I press the power-on button from the WMC remote, then press it again, the WMC does sleep. It's only the issue of waking up after a recording.

HTPC details:
* Gigabyte H81M HD3 (using the integrated graphics) - HDMI for video/audio. [NB: I've tried a VGA cable and still have grief]
* Windows 7 32-Bit Home Premium SP1 with latest updates as at 27/12/2013.
* M.C.E Tool 0.9.102 (S3 mode)

Any advice would be appreciated.

[mdavej]

I see this now and then. But in my case WMC is actually running, only the screen is black and unresponsive. If I grab a keyboard and alt-tab to the desktop and pick WMC again, it starts working. I tend to think a Windows update is the culprit since I didn't have this issue for years, and it only started recently.

[CyberSimian]

After a schedule recording has taken place (i.e. HTPC wakes up, records, HTPC goes back to sleep), I'll later decided to manually power on the WMC to watch a recorded TV show by pressing the power-on button from the WMC remote. The HTPC powers on, but does not load Windows. As a result, I end up having a blank/black screen.

When you have finished watching live/recorded TV, do you leave your HTPC with Media Center showing full screen? If you do, when it wakes up to perform an unattended recording, it will try to wake up with Media Center in full screen mode, but without a TV connected. This may cause a problem with the HDMI negotiation.

As an experiment, I would suggest exiting from Media Center before you press the POWER button on your remote control. This means that when your HTPC wakes up to perform an unattended recording, it will be in desktop mode, which does not require an HDMI negotiation.

-- from CyberSimian in the UK

[Ray9999]

Hi everyone,

Thanks for your replies. This is an update. I modified some settings in the M.C.E tool - making it so eHome forces a restart each time it starts regardless. I also selected the USB settings under the USB tab (from memory it was the FastUSB settings (something along those lines)).

I also disconnected a USB card reader that was connected to the HTPC. I also disabled the Ethernet connection completely - I noticed I was getting a media center update error (trying to update over the internet was failing) [this HTPC is not connected to the Internet - which is one of the major differences to my previous HTPC builds].

Since then the device is sleeping and waking normally with numerous programmed recording tests. Without jinxing it, it looks like this appears to have resolved the problem.

Thanks for your replies.

[Mike88]

[this HTPC is not connected to the Internet - which is one of the major differences to my previous HTPC builds].

How are you setting up your recordings if you are not connected to the Internet? IOW how are accessing the EPG?

[adam1991]

ah, squanchy USB devices. The constant scourge.

Always, always, always disconnect USB devices when troubleshooting. That $1.99 card reader (shipped!) off Ebay, that came from China, is not your friend.

[martinbaines]

I see this now and then. But in my case WMC is actually running, only the screen is black and unresponsive. If I grab a keyboard and alt-tab to the desktop and pick WMC again, it starts working. I tend to think a Windows update is the culprit since I didn't have this issue for years, and it only started recently.

Did you ever get to the bottom of this? I just rebuilt my WMC after a disk crash and now I get this effect. It seems to happen when the display is turned off overnight but WMC left running. The screen is black and it does not seem to respond to the remote (I suspect it might still be working but since the screen is blank I can only guess based on watching disk activity) but a remote connection to the PC kicks the screen back to life, then when WMC is restarted (it stops of course once a remote session starts) it is all ok.

I suspect drivers (ATI) but I am pretty sure the old system was completely up to date too so am perplexed as to what is going on.

And before anyone asks, the system is on high performance power plan set to never blank screen or power off the system so it happens while the system is alive apart from the screen. I am wondering if it somehow detects the screen gone via HDMI and blanks this and then does not wake up when the screen comes back - although the effect does not happen if I just turn off the screen and then turn it back on again after a few minutes.