VLC 1.1.0 don't unload when closed under XP

[SoBugMeNot]

Downgraded to 1.0.5 Goldeneye, not going to complain, it's free after all, great program, thanks to the developers, will wait patiently for fix.

[solazy]

Downgraded to 1.0.5 Goldeneye, not going to complain, it's free after all, great program, thanks to the developers, will wait patiently for fix.

Just did same as you (downgraded from 1.1.2 to 1.0.5) for the same reason.

[Jean-Baptiste Kempf]

Could you guys try this one?
http://www.jbkempf.com/~jb/libqt4_plugin.dll


This is a plugin to replace the original one for testing purposes.

How to proceed:

- First exit and close VLC. Make sure in Task Manager there is no hidden instance running anymore.

- Go to the Plugins folder of your VLC installation folder ( usually C:\Program Files\VideoLAN\VLC\plugins ) and backup the original libqt4_plugin.dll (e.g. copy the DLL to another safe location). So in case of troubles you can restore the original DLL at any moment.

- Replace the original DLL with the test one.

- Now you can test VLC under different states: while VLC is not playing, while VLC is playing audio only files, while VLC is playing different formats video files (H.264/AVC, MPEG-2, etc...).

- Please report the results of your tests in this thread.

[solazy]

Hello j-b
Didn't know you also placed the link here.
I tried it carefully (back to 1.1.2), no change : the bug is still there.
(explanations of installation and try already sent to you, before I answer here)

[Jean-Baptiste Kempf]

I updated it. Can you retry?

[solazy]

Problem remains on my computer (XP SP2) : the "X" button doesn't close Vlc 1.1.2, even with that very last dll (note it's exactly the same size as the nightly test dll, i.e. 10 911 744 bytes, but their content is different, as indicates a file compare tool)

I wonder if this problem would have happened with the unreleased 1.0.6 version.
If the issue would have started with 1.0.6 and if all update logs are present to know what changes were exactly done between 1.05 and 1.0.6, maybe it would be possible to check what was the code change that made this issue appear ? (or even check between 1.0.5 and 1.1.0 but I'm pretty sure j-b checked this already)

Or is it a Microsoft XP update that created the problem ? Who knows...
I'm sure many persons at Microsoft use Vlc, maybe asking for their assistance would help to solve the issue ?

[VLC_help]

Microsoft will help if they are paid =)

[solazy]

Microsoft will help if they are paid =)

Well Vlc_help, I see your "smiling smiley" at the end of your answer
Maybe I'm naive, but honestly I believe in people free help on certain occasions.

I'm pretty sure nearly ALL guys at Microsoft have Vlc installed on their PC's (even Bill !)
If there was a public poll, we'd all be surprised to see how many users installed Vlc throughout the world (Microsoft guy's included)

I read in a magazine that when Windows 7 started, tests were made and showed some vids couldn't be played natively on Windows 7...but Vlc could play them !
That's why I believe they could help you for free, because they use Vlc too.
The only commercial reason that could stop them would be : "great, Vlc has problems with XP only, we won't do anything so a few users will maybe migrate to Windows 7"

If a part of their staff would think that way (without saying it openly of course) while they use Vlc on a daily basis, then it would be very unfair from their part not to give you a little help.
But well...I'm writing a whole scenario now. If you think it's worthwhile to TRY, then let them read all this thread.
Maybe we all would be surprised with their positive reaction, even if it's not Christmas time...

Have a great week-end, all of you Vlc users

[Jean-Baptiste Kempf]

The second dll has exactly the same code for Ctrl+Q and X

So, seriously, I bet a video driver is at fault.

Try direct3D output module.

[wraythex]

I noticed something before (and after) updating the dll. I think this problem may have to do with threading in vlc. Let me describe two tests that I ran that always come out the same on my system. (I used Process Explorer from SysIntenals to see how many threads vlc had)

Test 1:
start blank vlc, gives 7 threads
while vlc has focus, click X, still shows 7 threads (start timer here)
at 1:30, vlc goes from 7 to 6 threads
at 5:00, vlc goes from 6 to 5 threads
at 6:00, vlc closes

Test 2:
start blank vlc, gives 7 threads
while vlc has focus, click X, still shows 7 threads (start timer here)
open a new folder, vlc closes immediately

I don't know why opening a new folder would cause vlc to close, but it does. If you navigate to a different folder inside an already open folder, you will see no change in vlc. It is only when you open a new folder that vlc will close. For example, when double-clicking "My Computer", or when double-clicking a folder shortcut, or when you right-click on the Start button and select Explore, all of these actions will close the phantom vlc process.

I am running version 1.1.2 of vlc (with the new dll it reports itself as 1.1.3).

With either the new or the old dll, I have never seen vlc close completely when I just opened up vlc by itself (no media files), and then clicked X.

With the old dll, I never saw it close immediately after closing vlc that was playing media (mp3, mpeg4, xvid, h264).
With the new dll, I'm getting mixed results (with either the default or Direct3D video output module). Sometimes it will close immediately, sometimes it will still hang around.

I have an ATI FireGL V3400. I did have some old video drivers, but I updated them today. I am still seeing the same behavior mentioned above. I don't think it is a video driver issue as I am seeing the vlc process hang around even after the file opened was an mp3.

I know a little bit about programming, but not much about threaded programs. I noticed the following comment in the source code: in /src/win32/thread.c at line 388:
/* SRW (Slim Read Write) locks are available in Vista+ only */
Could this have any bearing on this issue? I tried to go through the code to see what might be causing this, but I can't seem to track it down. Might it be possible to create a version that writes information to a file as threads open and/or close? I'd be willing to run a special version if that could help track this down. Thank you for working on this and helping us try to fix this issue.

[solazy]

With the new dll, I'm getting mixed results (with either the default or Direct3D video output module). Sometimes it will close immediately, sometimes it will still hang around

Hello,
Same for me : Direct3D video output module doesn't close Vlc each time (with original dll or new dll)

By the way, i notice this : if you don't allow one instance (which is the default i guess : don't allow), then you can start as many blanks vlc as you wish : each time you close one with "X" , it stays in systray (and in Task manager)
You can have 10 Vlc icons in Systray after having opened blank Vlc's and closing them with "X"
But if you open one movie with Vlc and quit with "X" (vlc icon stays in systray) then you can't open another movie unless you close vlc icon first : that's the problem noticed by many XP users.
Blank Vlc openings are definitely very different from movie Vlc openings.

Also I second wraythex's words : clicking on "My computer" (or "Control Panel" or "Printers" or "Search") closes Vlc icon !
This is really strange : why all these external actions force Vlc to close ?

[MullerMan]

Update

I tried version 1.1.2 on Vista for a few days, and it seems that no problem occurs on it.

[Jean-Baptiste Kempf]

And what about Direct3D module all the time?

[Cobaltvlc]

Could you guys try this one?
http://www.jbkempf.com/~jb/libqt4_plugin.dll

- Please report the results of your tests in this thread.

Don't works for me. I also changed the output to directx, direct3d, opengl, with the same result.

[Xeon2X]

Could you guys try this one?
http://www.jbkempf.com/~jb/libqt4_plugin.dll


This is a plugin to replace the original one for testing purposes.

I rolled back to the 1.1.0-rc for the past week since it doesn't seem to have this particular 'no terminate' quirk on my system. This week I reinstalled 1.1.2 and tried the above suggestion with the new libqt4_plugin.dll to no avail same problem, but it gave me the idea of trying the 1.1.0-rc version of the libqt4_plugin.dll file in the 1.1.2 install and I don't seem to have the problem anymore. At least the problem hasn't shown up in the 20 or videos I've played. Of course when you click Help-About it shows the older version number.

[Kash_champ]

I'm having the same problem with VLC 1.1.2 on XP Professional SP2.

I rolled back to the 1.1.0-rc for the past week since it doesn't seem to have this particular 'no terminate' quirk on my system.

Where can I download v1.1.0-rc from?

[solazy]

@ Xeon2X
I tried it your way but it didn't give good results all the time, at least for me : sometimes it closed and sometimes not.
Well...if it works for you that's great, though I'm not sure that mixing a 1.1.0 dll with all others 1.1.2 dll's will be the best way to avoid future problems, but as we don't have many choices to solve this, everything is allowed !
(I even tried the 1.1.1 libqt4_plugin.dll in 1.1.2 but same poor results)
Only 1.0.5 closes nicely each and every time when using the "X" button on our XP systems.

[Xeon2X]

Nothing I'm doing is meant as a long term solution and I'm fully aware that mixing different version can have some adverse effects. I'm just trying different thing to try and isolate the problem. If the problem can be isolated to a single file then so much the better.

[solazy]

Ok, i understand your position.
By the way, version 1.1.3 has been officially released, but the problem is still there.

[Reinhart]

Ok, i understand your position.
By the way, version 1.1.3 has been officially released, but the problem is still there.

Still can't use any of the 1.1.x versions of VLC. Very unfortunate.

Do all the Windows XP users who report this problem here, have got ATI video cards installed in their PCs, by the way?
I've got one.

[bugwriter]

Do all the Windows XP users who report this problem here, have got ATI video cards installed in their PCs, by the way?
I've got one.

Nope. I've got the problem also, but I've got an NVIDIA 8500 GT card.

[VLC_help]

It shouldn't be video related since AFAIK people have this issue with audio files and with just opening and closing VLC.

[Reinhart]

It shouldn't be video related since AFAIK people have this issue with audio files and with just opening and closing VLC.

OK, I see.

But what has changed in the "Click X"-closing mechanism of VLC version 1.1.0 and above (doesn't work) compared to version 1.0.5 and below (worked fine "since ever") which Windows-XP doesn't like at all?

Most Windows XP users, and XP users being the the majority of Windows users, can't use the "all new" VLC 1.1.x which is bad for VLC's reputation.
(Because there are many Windows people who try a new program, and if it won't work, they just kick it... That's a pity since VLC surely is one of the very best media players on any platform.)

[solazy]

But what has changed in the "Click X"-closing mechanism of VLC version 1.1.0 and above (doesn't work) compared to version 1.0.5 and below (worked fine "since ever") which Windows-XP doesn't like at all?

A couple of days ago, I asked j-b the same question and his answer was : "Program code between 1.0.x and 1.1.x is extremely different" , also he wanted to try another approach, let's cross fingers...

[posicat]

I've had the bug on my machine too, sometimes it won't close, sometimes it will. I know it's frustrating to people, and it was anoying to me as well. I know several people have asked for it, but I just thought I'd post the link here to the older 1.0.5 version http://download.videolan.org/pub/videol ... 0.5/win32/ so people annoyed with the issue can go back to that version until it's fixed.