Print

Please login or register.
1 Hour 1 Day 1 Week 1 Month Forever
Login with username, password and session length

[tzr916]

I have setup MC2XML with non Rovi provider. When I look at "Television" on the MC Server, there is a message at the bottom saying the guide was refreshed 3AM this morning. But the guide listings do not reflect that there is a new day of information. Also if I go look at the xmltv.xml file, it has not been modified at 3AM. The date is yesterday at 3AM, so it did seem to run automatically yesterday. Could it have anything to do with the MC Server Hang/Crashes that I had yesterday afternoon?

I had to hunt around to find out that when the MC does an automatic guide update- the xmltv.xml file gets put into Windows>SysWOW64 directory. But when I do a manual update in MC > Tools > Options > Television > Load Program Guide- the xmltv.xml file gets put on the Desktop ??

Yes, I do have MC MC2XML setup pointing to Windows>SysWOW64 folder. And it did work (at least one time).

[CountryBumkin]

I don't know exactly how you set up Mc2xml but I advise against putting in the System64 folder.
I tried a few things/folders like that a while back but windows had issues with writing to system folders.

What I do now, is just create a new folder under C:\ called "mc2xml"  (so it's C:\mc2xml").

Then I move the mc2xml.exe file to that folder. Run the mc2xml.exe program manually once and it will create a "mc2xml.dat" and a "xmltv.xml" file.

Then in the MC TV settings (Load Program Guide) you use the "Run Executable" and browse/point to the C:\mc2xml\mc2xml.exe file. And in the "Load XMLTV results from this file" box you browse/point to the C:\mc2xml\xmltv.xml file.

[tzr916]

I don't know exactly how you set up Mc2xml but I advise against putting in the System64 folder.
I tried a few things/folders like that a while back but windows had issues with writing to system folders.

What I do now, is just create a new folder under C:\ called "mc2xml"  (so it's C:\mc2xml").

Then I move the mc2xml.exe file to that folder. Run the mc2xml.exe program manually once and it will create a "mc2xml.dat" and a "xmltv.xml" file.

Then in the MC TV settings (Load Program Guide) you use the "Run Executable" and browse/point to the C:\mc2xml\mc2xml.exe file. And in the "Load XMLTV results from this file" box you browse/point to the C:\mc2xml\xmltv.xml file.

That is EXACTLY what I did, but the first time it ran automatically I had to go search around and found that MC had put the xml file in SysWOW64 folder. So I had to go back into MC and change it to point to SysWOW64.

[Yaobing]

That is EXACTLY what I did, but the first time it ran automatically I had to go search around and found that MC had put the xml file in SysWOW64 folder. So I had to go back into MC and change it to point to SysWOW64.

I gather that you are running mc2xml as an external program, using XMLTV option in MC, instead of running the integrated version of mc2xml.

If so, you have control over where the output should be.  If you do not pass any extra parameters to mc2xml, it automatically creates a settings file mc2xml.dat and a data file mc2xml.xml in the same folder as the exe itself.  MC would not have control over it. 

If on the other hand you are using the integrated version of mc2xml inside MC, the output is in MC's program data folder.  I am not sure where that would be for Windows 10, but on Windows 7 it is here:

C:\Users\[user]\AppData\Roaming\J River\Media Center 21\Temp\

[CountryBumkin]

Like Yaobing said, the xmltv file is created in the same folder where the mc2xml program is run.
Are you running mc2xml version 1.5 or 1.6?

Maybe you got a flaky copy of the program.
perhaps try re-downloading it. http://mc2xml.awardspace.info/

Or you can try running the Zap2xml program instead of mc2xml. If you want to try that, see the instructions (near the end) of "USA TV Setup" thread at the top of this forum

[tzr916]

Running v1.6

Think I got it working correctly. It just did an auto update in the background a few minutes ago and the xml file did go to the correct location and file did show correct timestamp. Will see what happens at 3AM...

[RoderickGI]

Yes, I do have MC MC2XML setup pointing to Windows>SysWOW64 folder. And it did work (at least one time).

If I honestly expressed how bad an idea that is, I would be banned from the forum for life.

Microsoft created a whole new directory structure on the Windows install drive, "<drive>:\ProgramData", for programs to save their working data to, way back in Vista I believe. That is separate to the user data, which is stored in "<drive>:\Users", but it is linked to the "<drive>:\Users\All Users\" directory I believe, if one exists.

Anyway, once installed a program should never save any data into the "<drive>:\ProgramFiles", "<drive>:\ProgramFiles (x86)", or "<drive>:\Windows" directories.

Always use the "-o <filename>" (set output file) parameter with mc2xml, and place the "xmltv.xml" file exactly where you want it to be.

The default location of the integrated mc2xml installation, "C:\Users\[user]\AppData\Roaming\J River\Media Center 21\Temp\" is a good choice.

Because I am using EPG Collector to gather EPG data, I use "C:\Users\htpc\AppData\Local\Geekzone\EPG Collector" to store the output "TVGuide.xml" file.

Sorry but I am going to be blunt, as this is really basic Windows 101 knowledge: If anyone thought writing program or user data to "C:\Windows\SysWOW64" was a good idea, it would be no surprise if lots of things are broken in their Windows implementation. The directory, "C:\Windows\SysWOW64" is actually a Windows protected directory!

Change the output directory for mc2xml before the next run. There are plenty of example commands over at http://mc2xml.awardspace.info/, and CountryBumkin has written heaps to make it easier.

[tzr916]

I did not EVER tell the xml file to be output to the SysWOW64 folder. It happened on it's own. I had it set for Program Files > MC2XML folder but the next time I looked at the timestamp on that file it had not changed, so I had to go hunting for it and found it in SysWOW64. THEN AFTER I found where it got put, in order to try and make MC actually see the xml file, I told MC to look there. And it worked for one night then didn't work.

[RoderickGI]

Okay, then I misunderstood. I thought once you saw it was in that directory that you then set mc2xml to put it there anyway. I see now you just told MC to get it from there, because that is where it was.

Still, it being in that directory should have set off loud alarm bells. It probably got written there as that is where the MC21.exe file is stored. So for some reason the correct directory was not saved with the integrated mc2xml setup. I don't know enough about what changes you can make to the integrated mc2xml setup to know how that would happen. CountryBumkin may have answers there. But you did say that you are using a non-Rovi source, so I guess you have changed something.

However it happened, it should be fixed ASAP, and before the next EPG data collection.

Oh, and as per my post above, you should not be saving user data to the "C:\ProgramFiles\MC2XML" directory either. In fact, Windows may have prevented that from happening, and therefore saved the xml file in the same directory as the calling program, MC21.exe, in the SysWOW64. That makes some sense. Normally, unless you have changed permissions, which you shouldn't, Windows won't allow data to be saved into the  "C:\ProgramFiles\" directory. The sequence of events would be;

• MC (MC21.exe, running in the SysWOW64 directory) calls mcsxml to gather EPG data.
• mc2xml tries to write the output file to the "C:\ProgramFiles\MC2XML" directory.
• Windows prevents mc2xml from writing to the "C:\ProgramFiles\MC2XML" directory.
• Either Windows forces the file write to the same directory as the calling program, MC21.exe, or mc2xml falls back to writing to that directory.

This is why CountryBumkin just sets up mc2xml in the "C:\mc2xml" directory. That simple solution gets around all Windows permission issues, and works with the minimum settings. It isn't really elegant, but it works.

[tzr916]

I dunno. Here is what I did:

- deleted all previous xmltv.xml files and dat files.
- created a dummy xmltv.xml file in Program Files > MC2XML folder.
- MC > Tools > Options > Television > Setup guide > used XMLTV and point to the dummy xml in Program Files > MC2XML folder and set it to run automatically in 2 hours.
- ran through it one time and it correctly wrote new xml and dat file Program Files > MC2XML folder.
- waited 2 hours and ran in the background and wrote a new xml file in Program Files > MC2XML folder.

Maybe Win7 64 admin account doesn't care about permissions you spoke of. I don't know. But it appears to be working perfectly now.

[RoderickGI]

Eh. I still can't work out if you are using the internal version of mc2xml installed with MC, or an external version. Maybe you are using a bit of both. What you wrote is confusing. . . Wait...

Running v1.6

So you are using an external version, scheduled to run within MC, and then have the resulting xmltv.xml file loaded by the Guide Load process. Basically you are following the process CountryBumkin documented here, except using an external version of mc2xml instead of zap2xml.

In which case you should definitely be outputting the xmltv.xml file to a better location than the "C:\ProgramFiles\MC2XML" directory.

Maybe Win7 64 admin account doesn't care about permissions you spoke of. I don't know. But it appears to be working perfectly now.

Of course a Win7 64 User account with Admin privileges will be able to write to those directories. That is how software gets installed.

But a background software process running without administrator privileges will not be able to, at least not without UAC popping up, unless you have turned that off.

By all means continue to ignore my advice not to use the "C:\ProgramFiles\MC2XML" directory as the location for the xmltv.xml file. Advice CountryBumkin also mentions in the first paragraph here. No skin off my nose.

[tzr916]

Turning off UAC is the very first thing I do on any computer I touch, even if the computer is not mine.

Something definitely went wrong the first time I setup this method. That mess seems to be fixed now and have verified it does now write the xml to the Program Files directory as a background process. Are there any other reasons, besides the possible write permission issue, why it is such a bad thing to use the Program Files directory?

[RoderickGI]

It is generally just not "Best Practice", or even good practice anymore. That is why Microsoft changed the arrangement back in Vista. I'm not the right person to explain all the issues, but if the User ID that is used by mc2xml to write the file has the permissions to do so, then any malicious software deliberately or accidently run using that User ID can also write to that directory.

Also the process may work fine as long as there is an existing xmltv.xml file in the directory, but may fail if you ever delete that file and a new one needs to be created. Do a little test. Open the directory in Windows Explorer, right click in the open window and highlight "New" with your mouse. Does the option to create new file show, or just the option to create a new directory? If it doesn't show the option to create a new file, then the User ID you are using isn't allowed to create a file in that directory.

However, if you were to put a copy of xmltv.xml in there, and then try to copy a new version over the top of it, you will just get the file exists warning, and have the option to overwrite the file. A background process may just automatically select the option to overwrite. That depends a lot on the process. Since you don't see that message, I have to assume that the mc2xml process can overwrite its own file.

So, if an xmltv.xml file did not already exist in the "C:\ProgramFiles\MC2XML" directory before mc2xml ran again, then mc2xml may fail. Diagnosis of such an issue would be fraught with frustration, and there may be some blame and angst thrown around. All that can be avoided by using a directory where mc2xml has full read/write permissions.

Also, if you wish to open that file and review the XMLTV data, it just isn't good practice to be opening a data file in a subdirectory of the ProgramFiles directory.

It is so easy to do.
Create a directory where you want to store the file. Perhaps "C:\Users\[user]\AppData\Roaming\mc2xml", or even just use the existing "C:\Users\[user]\AppData\Roaming\J River\Media Center 21\Temp\", although that will change when you upgrade to MC22, and so mc2xml will require a little more attention for the upgrade.
Add the -o parameter to the existing mc2xml parameters you have already placed in MC. i.e. "-o C:\Users\[user]\AppData\Roaming\mc2xml\xmltv.xml".
Done. (I think. I'm not testing it.)

Cheers.

[RoderickGI]

Turning off UAC is the very first thing I do on any computer I touch, even if the computer is not mine.

BTW, I read that the wrong way around the first time. You always turn UAC off.

Remind me to never let you use one of my PCs. 

(I know, lots of people do it. I know why. I don't like all the prompts either. I never turn it off. I work out how to make software work without UAC getting in the way.)

[tzr916]

...Do a little test. Open the directory in Windows Explorer, right click in the open window and highlight "New" with your mouse. Does the option to create new file show, or just the option to create a new directory? If it doesn't show the option to create a new file, then the User ID you are using isn't allowed to create a file in that directory.

Certainly seeing this on my Win10 machines but not the Win7 Server. I don't remember ever having an issue creating new files and folders any place on the C drive in Win7 (once I disable UAC). I understand MS thinks it's "better" to lock down permissions but I value full control over "security" on machines that do NOT contain personal information or do web browsing, youtube, email, etc. I'm just not that afraid that malicious software might get deliberately or accidentally run on machines that are full time Tv Clients or Servers. That is what antivirus and firewalls are for. IMO running a firewall/antivirus AND locking down write permissions is overkill.

[CountryBumkin]

It is so easy to do.
Create a directory where you want to store the file. Perhaps "C:\Users\[user]\AppData\Roaming\mc2xml", or even just use the existing "C:\Users\[user]\AppData\Roaming\J River\Media Center 21\Temp\", although that will change when you upgrade to MC22, and so mc2xml will require a little more attention for the upgrade.
Add the -o parameter to the existing mc2xml parameters you have already placed in MC. i.e. "-o C:\Users\[user]\AppData\Roaming\mc2xml\xmltv.xml".
Done. (I think. I'm not testing it.)

Cheers.

I don't see the reason to go through all the extra steps of putting the mc2xml.exe program all the way down in the \AppData\...\JRiver directory. What's wrong with having the mc2xml folder as a subdirectory of "C:" (e.g "C:\mc2xml")?
It's easy to get to (via File Explorer) to see if the xmltv.xml is updating. Win10 and JRiver program have no issues with that location. No "parameters" are needed as the mc2xml program will just create the xmltv.xml in the same folder its run from. UAC doesn't need to be disabled.

Am I missing something about computer security, or is this recommendation just for "Windows Server 10" setup/environment?

[tzr916]

It's funny because it all depends on the usage of the machine.

I don't ever install 3rd party firewall/antivirus... I always disable UAC... I always use Admin login... I've used the same simple wifi password for years... All I really do is keep everything up to date with critical patches, firmware, and run Malware-bytes manual scan once in a while to clean what might get through. And over the years, I've never had an actual virus or been hacked etc.

My dad runs full blown Norton Firewall/Internet Security/Antivirus and several times I've had to "repair" his computer because he clicked on a banner or installed some "cleaner" or "speed up" program that kills his internet or gets pop-ups or makes it boot up super slow or runs crazy scans etc.

[RoderickGI]

I don't see the reason to go through all the extra steps of putting the mc2xml.exe program all the way down in the \AppData\...\JRiver directory. What's wrong with having the mc2xml folder as a subdirectory of "C:" (e.g "C:\mc2xml")?
It's easy to get to (via File Explorer) to see if the xmltv.xml is updating. Win10 and JRiver program have no issues with that location. No "parameters" are needed as the mc2xml program will just create the xmltv.xml in the same folder its run from. UAC doesn't need to be disabled.

There is nothing particularly wrong with your method CountryBumkin, except, what if every application you ever installed created a directory in the root directory of your drive? Every time you went into Windows Explorer you would have to navigate that huge list. That would be a pain. Also, at least in the past, there has been a hard limit to the number of files/folders that can be created in the root directory, due to hard disk construction and file system design. If you reach that limit, no more files can be created on the drive. I think that limit is quite large for Window 10, not sure for Windows 7, but still it is a limit.

Also, you don't put the mc2xml.exe program all the way down in the \AppData\...\JRiver directory. The exe should go somewhere suitable in the ProgramFiles directory structure. Only the DATA goes into the \AppData\...\ structure.

My dad runs full blown Norton Firewall/Internet Security/Antivirus and several times I've had to "repair" his computer because he clicked on a banner or installed some "cleaner" or "speed up" program that kills his internet or gets pop-ups or makes it boot up super slow or runs crazy scans etc.

Your Dad was a victim of social engineering to get access to his PC. This is the most common form of attack, not direct virus or malware infection. You know how to avoid social engineering attacks by the sound of it. Most people don't, and most people want to use their PCs for much more than just running as a backend server, or only playing music and videos. Social engineering is very powerful, as it works on people's natural curiosity, and desire to see stuff that maybe they shouldn't. Plus sometimes once they have hit that banner there seems to be no way to exit a web page without clicking OK, because users don't have the technical knowledge to kill the driving application, or don't think of it at the time.

Hence, there are recommended ways to install software, and security features in Windows to help protect people. If user understand how to turn such features off, there is a chance that they understand the risks. Just a chance...

Certainly seeing this on my Win10 machines but not the Win7 Server.

Then you have already change permissions on your Win7 Server, as on my Win7 64bit workstation I cannot directly create a file in a subdirectory of the ProgramFiles directory, using the method I described.

[tzr916]

Still not working every 24 hours (fails on 48 hour refresh).

1. Set this up (again) Saturday 1/30. For testing, set it to run every 2 hours and verified it worked in the background 4 times (verified XMLTV time stamp).
2. Then went into MC and changed it back to 24 hours @ 3AM. It ran in the background Sun 1/31 3AM (verified the XMLTV file had correct time stamp).
3. Got up this morning and MC said "Program guide last refreshed 2/1 @3AM", but the time stamp on the XMLTV file was still 1/31 3AM and actual listings did not have the extra day.
4. Told MC to "Run selected profile now" in "Schedule Guide Reloading". It ran, MC2XML said it finished writing the XMLTV file. MC said it loaded the new guide data. MC says "Program guide last refreshed 2/1 @7AM", but the time stamp on the XMLTV file is still 1/31 3AM and actual listings still do not have the extra day.
5. So right now I can "Run selected profile now" in MC as many times as I want- MC2XML finishes and MC claims it refreshed, but the time stamp on XMLTV file does not change and actual listings don't have the extra day.

Where is MC2XML writing the XMLTV file?? Screen shots:










I've done this whole run around two or three times- If I start from step one again, with a NEW setup it works the first night and fails the second night  


Is there a way to run a Windows scheduled task and have MC NOT run MC2XML but refresh from the XMLTV file that the Windows scheduled task created?

[Yaobing]

MC passes the parameters that you entered to mc2xml.

So if you entered "-o C:\...\...\Desktop\xmltv.xml" as part of the parameter, mc2xml should output the result on your desktop.  To be safe, you should also use -D option to give mc2xml the location of the settings file that it uses, for example "-D C:\...\...\Desttop\cm2xml.dat".

If you do not use -o option, then mc2xml uses its default.  That is usually the same location as the mc2xml.exe file itself.

[tzr916]

I will certainly add the -o and -D options but...

I just cannot figure out why does it work (writes XMLTV to desktop) 4 times in a row (every 2 hours) and then works the first night at 3AM (writes XMLTV to desktop), then fails on the second night (does NOT write XMLTV to desktop) and then fails multiple times if I tell MC to run profile now ??

[imeric]

Happy to see someone else is having this issue.  I have the exact same issue as tzr916.  I use XMLTV+mc2xml 1.6 and my xmltv.xml files don't get updated automatically.

(Just checked and they haven't changed since Jan 21...)

I have 2: one for STB and one for ATSC.  The only way to get a fresh xmltv.xml file is by running it manually under load program guide.

I also run a -d 504 to get 21 days worth of data

[imeric]

And as an FYI my mc2xml folder (which contains all files required ie .dat .exe and .xml) are located on my media drive M:\mc2xml\
see snapshot

[Yaobing]

Could it be that mc2xml just determined that there is no new data?

[imeric]

No.  If I run it manually it will update but I haven't done it yet wanting to see if MC would auto-update.  I't's been 7 days in my case.

Usually when I run it manually it won't update within 24 hours. If >24 then it will download a new xmltv.xml.  Something is wrong...

I could re-enable existing scheduler tasks for this but wanted to see if MC would do it on its own.  And even if I did...If it is not running the .exe maybe it wouldn't even look at the xmltv file automatically?
(Not sure on this one I didn't test it...)
BTW MC is running as a server.

Maybe CountryBumkin could chime in but I think he has scheduler tasks for this...

Thx

[tzr916]

Could it be that mc2xml just determined that there is no new data?

During testing, it ran in the background and wrote NEW xml and dat files every 2 hours, 4 times, then again that night at 3AM. Then FAILED on the second night and any runs after.

[tzr916]

Testing with scheduled task only on Win10 laptop. ONLY way I can get it to work is put mc2xml.exe in

C:\Users\Mike\AppData\Local\VirtualStore\Windows\SysWOW64\

and add -D C:\Users\Mike\AppData\Local\VirtualStore\Windows\SysWOW64\mc2xml.dat

Both files update and get written to this directory when running the scheduled task.


There is no such directory on my Win 7 64 machine (MC Server). Maybe mc2xml is not actually writing the files because that directory does not exist. Off to test on Win7 machine.

[CountryBumkin]

I have been running mc2xml (ver 1.6) on my laptop and home Server and have tested many configurations.

I found the best way (at least for me) is run Windows Task Scheduler to run mc2xml.exe then let JRiver MC import the "xmltv.xml" file.

Note that when MC says it "Program Guide last refreshed on mm/dd/yyyy", that doesn't mean the mc2xml program ran, it just means that MC imported the xmltv.xml file. So it could be importing the same file over and over, in the event mc2xml doesn't run.

So my advice, is to start clean. Create a "mc2xml" folder somewhere, put the program "mc2xml.exe" in it (stay away from any system folders).
Run the program manually from within the folder once to create the dat file and the xmltv.xml file.
Then open Windows task Manager, and create a new task. Don't have MC run the mc2xml program. Let Windows Task Scheduler run it.

Let me know if you want some help (and/or screen shots) of setting up Windows Task Scheduler.

[imeric]

Yes this works great I agree as I used it with MC20 and thanks for confirming CountryBumkin but I think running the mc2xml.exe within MC21 with the XMLTV option is broken (running daily in the background option that is...).

At some point I saw something strange happening and I think it got confused with the *.dat file of the internal mc2xml for Rovi in appdata but I couldn't really reproduce....(I wouldn't pay too much attention to this comment as I'm not sure what really happened but if it can help Yaobbing troubleshoot...)

[Yaobing]

There is one possibility why it failed.  In MC we have a 20 minutes time-out for running the external program.  Maybe that is too short.  I have long wanted to make an option to let user increase the time-out.  Maybe it is now time for me to act.  

[imeric]

I don't think that is it.... I just tried to load it manually from the load program data and I confirm it is not using the mc2xml.dat file located in the mc2xml folder...It should.

AND I saw a "no new data available" in the DOS prompt which would explain why we don't see new data being loaded automatically.

The reason I know is that it didn't have a .dat file in my mc2xml folder so I didn't get the MC2XML config prompt.  So something is going on...  Like I said earlier based on earlier tests I think it's using another dat file in a temp folder somehere and it should not.  Is it actually running the ROVI mc2xml? Maybe it is!

It should use the dat file located in the MC2XML folder and nothing else.

I'll keep testing and post back.

[imeric]

I just re-ran both mc2xml profiles outside MC21 to get refreshed XMLTV.xml files. (using the cmd line)

I then reran the load program guide and the one thing it did correctly was to fetch the refreshed xmltv.xml file so that part is working. (as I went with data until Feb 21 vs Feb 14)

So until this is fixed I will tell MC21 to just read the xmltv file and will re-enable my mc2xml tasks in the scheduler...

[Yaobing]

If mc2xml can not find its .dat file, it would show config. popups.  If it does find the .dat, it would not show the popups.  I think this is how it works.

[CountryBumkin]

Yes, that's what I've seen too. You must have a dat file or you will continue to get the popup. If the mc2xml program is the standalone (ver 1.5 or 1.6) the .dat file will be in the folder where mc2xml.exe is located.

I have run the executable mc2xml from within MC many times and it worked, then there would be a couple of days/times that it didn't run from within MC. So I switched to Task Scheduler. But if you can fix it by adjusting the timeout as you mentioned please do so, I'd rather have everything controlled by MC.

Also, to anyone running mc2xml via Task Scheduler, be sure to schedule mc2xml (Task Scheduler) to run before MC is scheduled to import the xmltv.xml file.

[imeric]

Yaobbing what I'm saying is when XMLTV is ran inside MC21 It does not use the .dat file in the MC2XML folder we specify. (By inside I don't mean the mc2xml/ROVI option but the XMLTV option)
In other words you don't get the popup and you should get it if there's no dat file in that folder when it runs either automatically or by forcing a load program......I think MC21 is not referencing to the correct MC2XML folder for the dat file therefore my assumption about the internal ROVI internal .dat file for the MC2XML native option being used...
I tested this SEVERAL times.

Whatever it is it's not working as it should.  It doesn't have anything to do with the timeout (which I agree may be increased but won't fix this.).

[tzr916]

Looking more and more like a bug with MC2XML program. I've got a Windows task working great on Win10 laptop, but when I try the same task on my Win7 machine it does not write the XML file to the "same directory" (when run from task), goes back to writing in Windows>SysWOW64.

After XML file is created with Windows task, MC has no problem importing the data, at least doing a "run selected profile". Shall see if windows task and MC import works at 3AM (more than one night in a row).

[Yaobing]

it does not write the XML file to the "same directory" (when run from task), goes back to writing in Windows>SysWOW64.

Just to make sure, your mc2xml.exe is not in C:\Program Files\ folder anymore, right?  mc2xml or any other program would not write data file in Program Files and its subfolders.

[imeric]

And it'not mc2xml either... It works great on its own and will put the xmltv.xml file in its default directory (if nothing specified in the command line)

The bug is with mc21

[tzr916]

Not anymore. It's in C>MC2XML> folder. Task does the same thing if point to mc2xml on desktop. I know, I know... everyone will say - it's "bad" to write to the Windows>SysWOW64 folder, but right now I have no choice. Maybe when I upgrade this machine to Win10, I will try doing it "right".

[Yaobing]

Make sure your EPG loading profile is setup properly.  Go through profile editing to make sure.

It is not possible for MC to use mix up options for "XMLTV" and "mc2xml", even if you use mc2xml.exe in "XMLTV" mode.

To use "XMLTV" mode by running the external program inside MC, make sure:

1) Under "Run this executable:", type the correct path of the mc2xml program.

E.g.: C:\mc2xml\mc2xml.exe"

2) Under "Pass these command line arguments to the executable:", type correct arguments.

E.g. -c us -g 60422 -o C:\mc2xml\mc2xml.xml -D c:\mc2xml\mc2xml.dat


3) Under "Load XMLTV results from this file:", type the correct location.

You may be able to get away with not specifying some arguments in 2) above, and let mc2xml use its default.  However, you must make sure your specified location in 3) matches what is expected of the output file from mc2xml.  If you do specify -o options in 2), make sure the path you specified in 3) is the same as what you put in -o option.  If you do not use -o option in 2), then you should specify the default location (c:\mc2xml\mc2xml.xml for example) in 3).

[imeric]

Yaobbing this works like a charm thank you!!! your 2) above resolved the issue.
Glad to hear my assumption was accurate...

My command line is similar to Yaobing's suggestion except for this addition: -C M:\mc2xml\mc2xml.chl
xmltv.chl is to trim down the list of channels downloaded (see the mc2xml website for more info on this). Very usefull and also makes channel mapping easier..

Yaobing just a few notes:  You will indeed need to make that timeout longer as downloading the xmltv file for my STB can sometimes go beyond 30 seconds and I had a crash when that happened minutes ago (without the channel filter xmltv.chl...).
When configuring the profiles duplicates will get created everytime you make a change.  You then have to go delete the extra entries.  See snapshot attached.  The one in the middle shouldn't be there. Unless this is there for a reason?

[imeric]

I turned the scheduler off and will see in the morning if this worked automatically in the background..Wouldn't see why not...

[imeric]

It is not possible for MC to use mix up options for "XMLTV" and "mc2xml", even if you use mc2xml.exe in "XMLTV" mode.

Yaobbing I just re-read your post and just to clarify, I was not using both the MC2XML and XMLTV option..MC got confused no matter what, and that even after a clean setup.

[RoderickGI]

There is one possibility why it failed.  In MC we have a 30 seconds time-out for running the external program.  Maybe that is too short.  I have long wanted to make an option to let user increase the time-out.  Maybe it is now time for me to act.  

Last time we talked about this issue Yaobing, you said you had a 20 minute time-out on running an external program, and I confirmed this with logs from my EPG Collector installation. In fact it was originally 10 minutes, and you increased it to 20 minutes for me. See http://yabb.jriver.com/interact/index.php?topic=92073.0

I think you might mean that there is a 30 second timeout for loading the xmltv file into MC, rather than for running an external program.

While there is a lot of noise in this thread about where the mx2xml.dat and mx2xml.xml files should be/are saved/how to set the location, I think the two gentlemen could be having the same issue I was in the thread I linked to above, particularly when collecting EPG data for ~500 channels over 14 to 21 days, which would take some time. At least that seems to be the issue in this post: http://yabb.jriver.com/interact/index.php?topic=102892.msg714768#msg714768

That is:

• MC automatically (silently) runs mc2xml as per schedule to collect EPG data.
• MC hits the hard coded 20 minutes limit for running an external program, and kills that program. No warning is issued, and the easiest way to tell what happened is in the logs of the program that got killed, if it writes the logs progressively and includes time stamps on all log entries. My first post in the linked thread also shows the log entry MC makes when it kills the program, where it records the message "General: RunProgram: Timeout".
• As mc2xml hasn't completed correctly, it hasn't had a chance to overwrite the existing mc2xml.xml file with the EPG data it had collected as far, and had stored in a temporary file. The new data is lost.
• MC finds and loads the existing mc2xml.xml file from an earlier run, and reports that the Guide has been refreshed.

Note that in my testing, the hard coded 20 minute limit only applies when MC runs the external process automatically. See point 3e in my thread linked above. So if anyone tests for this problem by running the process manually inside MC, the problem won't occur. Also, if the collection process sometimes takes less than 20 minutes, such as when not much extra data needs to be loaded, and sometimes take more than 20 minutes, mc2xml will appear to sometimes work and sometimes not work.

This is why I run EPG Collector outside MC using the Windows Task Scheduler, and just use the MC load process well after EPG Collector has completed, to load the xmltv.xml file it creates into MC.

[Yaobing]

Last time we talked about this issue Yaobing, you said you had a 20 minute time-out on running an external program, and I confirmed this with logs from my EPG Collector installation. In fact it was originally 10 minutes, and you increased it to 20 minutes for me. See http://yabb.jriver.com/interact/index.php?topic=92073.0

I think you might mean that there is a 30 second timeout for loading the xmltv file into MC, rather than for running an external program.

Oops, I misspoke.  You are right.  The current time-out is 20 minutes.

[tzr916]

...make sure:

1) Under "Run this executable:", type the correct path of the mc2xml program.

E.g.: C:\mc2xml\mc2xml.exe"

2) Under "Pass these command line arguments to the executable:", type correct arguments.

E.g. -c us -g 60422 -o C:\mc2xml\mc2xml.xml -D c:\mc2xml\mc2xml.dat


3) Under "Load XMLTV results from this file:", type the correct location.

I see. Gonna try this maybe tomorrow.

FYI, my guide info takes less than 3 minutes to download and write xml file.

[imeric]

Mine takes about 30-45 seconds or so for the STB with no channel filters. About 10 seconds with the filter. Same for OTA.  Not sure why I had the crash...Let's blame it on fiddling with the config...

I just checked and I confirm that with the extra command lines for my 2 profiles the automatic program loading in the background works perfectly within MC!!!

Thx Yaobbing!!!

[imeric]

Is it just me or it's not loading automatically with 21.0.50? All 3 PCs with capture cards didn't update in the last few days.  Was OK as per posts below with 21.0.48...

I'll pay more attention to this and post back if I find anything but nothing was changed from my end so...

I think it has to do with how you enter the command line for mc2xml with the XMLTV option...Let me do more tests and see if it runs automatically..I'll post back if I find something...

[imeric]

If you don't specify command lines using the XMLTV options and have more than one profile it will always use the same XMLTV profile.

[Yaobing]

If you don't specify command lines using the XMLTV options and have more than one profile it will always use the same XMLTV profile.

Are you using "Run an executable to retrieve XMLTV data" option?  If so, you must specify command line options to mc2xml, in order to run multiple profiles.

Initially I thought you were not using the option, and thus was puzzled by the problem you faced. 

Using the option (i.e. letting MC execute the mc2xml.exe) without specifying any command line options, you tell mc2xml to run in default mode.  It therefore does not know the difference between your two profiles.