Topic: Startup Screen shows only Black (Read 936 times)

akhunaton · « **on:** April 10, 2025, 09:20:11 pm »

No matter what setting I choose under Options > Startup > Startup Interface/Location, every time I launch Media Center, the area next to the menu column always appears completely black. MacOS Sequoia 15.4

EnglishTiger · « **Reply #1 on:** April 11, 2025, 01:00:20 am »

What skin are you using and can you please supply a screen shot showing the problem.

If by menu column you are referring to the top line of the MC Main UI then it is probably because the Menus you see on the top line of the Main UI under windows get hijacked by the AppleOS and are on the Apple MenuBar and not the MC Main UI.

akhunaton · « **Reply #2 on:** April 11, 2025, 01:49:18 am »

Skin: modern cards grey

Awesome Donkey · « **Reply #3 on:** April 11, 2025, 02:23:04 am »

Check and make sure Media Center 33 has the proper permissions allowed.

https://yabb.jriver.com/interact/index.php/topic,139479.0.html

akhunaton · « **Reply #4 on:** April 11, 2025, 12:36:58 pm »

Yes all of the proper permissions are allowed already. I just tried uninstalling and reinstalling the latest version and when launched the same issue is there.

akhunaton · « **Reply #5 on:** April 12, 2025, 04:05:10 pm »

Even though I have all the correct permissions set, something must have gone wrong with the inital installation. I am having other issues like:

1. I have Media Center server to launch at startup but I don't have it set to also launch Media Center. But when bootup, MC shows up on the screen.
2. I have General/ Advanced/ Media Key set to disable but my blutooth headphones still causes MC to start playback when I disconnect headphones.
3. Black Screen at startup
4. No right click on thumbnail and "Locate inside MC" option like On Windows.

Maybe I should try to start over with the installation. How do I Completely unistall MC to do a fresh install? I will backup my Library and restore it after. Thanks so much for your help.

JimH · « **Reply #6 on:** April 12, 2025, 04:11:51 pm »

An install error is unlikely. If you were on Windows, I'd suggest looking at antivirus. Are you using any special security software?

akhunaton · « **Reply #7 on:** April 12, 2025, 04:52:23 pm »

This is a fresh new Mac. There is no antivirus on it that I know of. I'm not sure what you mean by looking into that. MC was the first thing that I installed on the MAC. The black screen issue was there before I restored my library from the Windows MC. I'm not sure if the other stuff was caused by the restore.

Awesome Donkey · « **Reply #8 on:** April 12, 2025, 06:53:09 pm »

Try using an app like AppCleaner to fully remove Media Center and start over from scratch again, making sure to allow permissions it asks for. What you describe sounds like one of the permissions (e.g. screen recording one) isn't being granted.

akhunaton · « **Reply #9 on:** April 12, 2025, 10:21:41 pm »

Ok. I just used AppCleaner to fully remove MC. When I reinstalled after reboot, It did not ask for permission because all of the appropriate permissions were already granted. I did this 3 times. Still the Black screen issue persists.

akhunaton · « **Reply #10 on:** April 13, 2025, 01:04:22 am »

Finally. I fixed the issue by restoring the library without settings this time. Maybe something to do with Windows to Mac translation?
Now to see if it also fixed the other issues...

Awesome Donkey · « **Reply #11 on:** April 13, 2025, 06:37:27 am »

It's possible, maybe it's related to the browser engine used in Windows or something, not sure. Glad it's working now!

EnglishTiger · « **Reply #12 on:** April 13, 2025, 07:05:28 am »

AD - I can think of another reason why that full height black panel was there originally and it could explain why it vanished when akhunaton restored the library but not the settings - A Detached Display Panel/Window which would have been recorded in the MC Settings if the Library Backup was created on a Windows Installation when the display panel/window was detached.

akhunaton · « **Reply #13 on:** April 13, 2025, 12:13:06 pm »

Edit: I was able to get the black screen to go away and then come back again by toggling the Startup setting . When I choose Startup as Media Server, the black screen is there . when I choose Run on MAC startup: Nothing or Media Center and Media Server, there is no black screen.

Unfortunately the Black Screen is back ? The only thing I have done since was add auto-import folders for music. which 2 of the 3 folders I added were erased automatically after import. I then recreated them and after import, all of them were erased. All my permissions are allowed in the system. I doubled checked.

EnglishTiger · « **Reply #14 on:** April 13, 2025, 01:10:46 pm »

akhunton - change that start up option to Media center and Media Server or don't start Media Server and only use Media Center until somebody can work out what's going on

Thanks to something that's probably one of those well known Apple Bad habits of Fixing one thing and breaking a Random number of other things Media Server appears to be preventing the MC Client from opening.

Why Auto-Import is deleting folders is beyond me because that's not an ability it has and even though I switched media Server on to successfully recreate that full size black panel when Media Server opens and then spotting that when I opened the MC Client I was still seeing the MC Server UI and not the MC Client One. But, given the importance of what I am currently working on NO WAY was I going to risk checking to see what would happen if I ran Auto-Import on what to me appeared to be the server and not the Client

akhunaton · « **Reply #15 on:** April 13, 2025, 03:23:55 pm »

Now there is a more serious issue. when I came back to the computer after a couple of hours, all my autoimports and previous settings were erased again (setting up remote network and turning off mediakeys) I then closed and reopened media center but up popped these black dialogs . that's it. MC won't launch anymore at all.

Awesome Donkey · « **Reply #16 on:** April 13, 2025, 04:09:02 pm »

What's the model and specs of your Mac? Is it running the latest macOS 15.4 Sequoia? Are you using any apps that change the visuals and/or appearance of other apps? Or any skin effects in MC? Because your screenshot above shows the grey edition skin with a pinkish hue, which is not normal. On macOS, the grey edition skin should always appear grey and it won't be able to change to any colors the system uses (as it uses its own skinning system) so maybe some other app that changes visuals may be incompatible here.

akhunaton · « **Reply #17 on:** April 13, 2025, 04:20:37 pm »

Apple m4 Max Studio. 1 GB drive, 64 GB ram, Sequoia 15.4

I reinstalled recently with no settings so the rest is default. the hue was before that but maybe it was just the MAC nighttime mode making it look warmer.

I have not installed any special apps that change appearance from what I know. this thing is brand new.

EnglishTiger · « **Reply #18 on:** April 13, 2025, 10:34:11 pm »

akhunaton - is there any particular reason/purpose why you purchased an upgraded M4 Max Studio because even the entry level model of the M4 Mac Studio with 36Gb of unified memory and a 512Gb SD is a lot more powerful than most domestic PC users would need. Or, as often happens with windows users, dd you base your Mac requirements on the spec for the Windows PC it is replacing.

akhunaton · « **Reply #19 on:** April 13, 2025, 11:05:20 pm »

English tiger, I am a music and video producer. I need all the power I can afford. Future proofing a new system is a must as well.

akhunaton · « **Reply #20 on:** April 14, 2025, 12:37:27 am »

more weird stuff going on:
I uninstalled everything and deleted library folder. After reinstall and restore and creating an autoimport with "rebuild thumbnails" MC fills up my entire system drive with a Thumbnails (large).jmd file that is 3.92GB but is 531.44 GB on disk

EnglishTiger · « **Reply #21 on:** April 14, 2025, 03:42:09 am »

That's probably the most valid reason anyone could give for doing the equivalent of replacing a Horse and Cart with a Formula 1 Racing Car

Try closing the mac down for 5 minutes, restarting it and then check the size of that file again, if it's still showing up as oversized the only thing I can suggest is go into Tools > Options > Tree & View Thumbnails and use the erase all thumbnails option, then close MC down wait a couple of minutes then reopen MC Click on Files in the Audio section of the tree - select all the files and tell MC to rebuild the thumbnails, when its done that wait a minute or 2 and then check the size of that Thumbnails File. if after doing that it is reporting a more correct file size if you have any videos or images in the library repeat the build thumbnails operation for them.

Personally I never use Auto-Import on my Windows or Mac PC's, I always know if and when there are some new Discs, Images or Videos I want to add to the Library so I use the Single Folder Import Option instead so that MC isn't wasting time by running Auto-Import in the background on a system where there is nothing new for it to find.

akhunaton · « **Reply #22 on:** April 14, 2025, 11:14:32 am »

The file size resolved itself.

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Author Topic: Startup Screen shows only Black (Read 936 times)