VLC no longer starts playing

[drizzle]

Great!

One other thing I would like to point out in the messages log I posted back on page two of this thread (besides the zero cpu times)...

Perhaps it is just a language issue, but I thought it odd that the decoder threads "joined" AFTER sitting there 21 minutes and me hitting the Stop button.

You know, I just had a wild thought...

There have been a number of obscure windows related problems associated with the magic number "49.7 days". Turns out that 49.7 days is how long it takes for a 32-bit millisecond counter to overflow...

Nah, probably not related - my xp box hadn't been up that long...

Though it is interesting, given how many people have mentioned '30+days' that I rebooted on 3/14/06, played a movie 4/12/06 (29 days later), but wasn't able to play one on 4/13/06 (30 days later).

hmmm...

[Guest]

And as far as your other questions go (not that I see the relevance to the vlc problem), I infrequently do program updates, and I NEVER do "automatic" updates. When I do decide to apply upgrades/updates, I either (a) try them out in a virtual machine first (I run VMware) or (b) take an image backup first, apply the changes, and then go through a testing period (which has on occasion resulted in rollback).

And no, it isn't some sort of contest, it is a way of working that you apparently do not appreciate, but it should also be apparent that I and a number of other people do.

In any event, the number of people here who have said "me too" should make it clear that vlc has an obscure problem, and I have offered to work with the devos to track it down.

Are they interested?

Excuse me! But I thought VMWare was a virtual machine for Linux programs under Windows? Or at least that's what it was when I read the information. How does this help you prove Windows programs and or Windows updates? Plus you also indicate that you don't do automatic updates, instead you prove them first. Doesn't this take a lot of time, energy and research for each of the updates each month? Even if you went to Microsoft's update website and checked them out (so to speak) and then selected the ones you wanted, downloaded and installed them, means you still need to reboot your machine in order for most of them to take effect? Then there is the issue, considering by your own admission, of being selective that you may not be current. I have considered doing this, but there is no place within Microsoft you can gain sufficient information to know exactly what each update does. Let alone what it contains and means for your machine because of all the variances of Windows and hardware.

So in my mind if you are not current either with VLC or Windows updates and you are against all logical recommendations for its usage, why would this be a good test bed for finding an obscure problem? Plus if ITs are having the same issues and are following the recommendations, are current and in much shorter periods of time experiencing problems that require a reboot and they are complaining to Microsoft because they can not find a resolve for these issues, what makes you believe that all of this is VLC's problem? Or that the developers will be any more successful than the ITs have been?

Or am I missing something here in obscure logic? If my work habits were such that my machine stopped working I would be very upset, but I wouldn't start complaining, I would try to find the problem and adjust my work habits accordingly. But this one seems rather unreasonable perhaps from either side. But, if in fact VLC was the only program to fail under these circumstances then it most certainly would be worth looking into. Which (I think) we all know is not the logical case.

I will watch this one out of curiosity, to see what the Devs say.

[DJ]

I got mail a few moments ago and the official answer is: NO!

I will add to this statement. VLC is a single source code, it is not ported. The source is compiled using the operating system and box it is to be used on and using the services of that operating system. As such when a problem occurs in all operating systems it is assumed to be a VLC problem, however when a problem occurs in only one operating system it is generally a problem associated with that operating system and there is no kind of fix within VLC to correct the problem. Of coarse there are always a few exceptions when it comes to multi media services. But every attempt is made to hold this to a minimum within the source code.

So it appears that if you want to run Windows more than 30 days you must reboot or do what many ITs have done and that is, switch to Linux.

If you wish to pursue this for Windows the source code is available on the main page in the developers section. You can get the tools necessary to compile and debug VLC.

[drizzle]

acknowledged.

Took a quick look at the developers page and the windows build instructions - looks very well organized and documented... I might just give it a whirl, once I get a couple other things off my plate.

till then...

[Chronophaser]

I'm installing the latest DirectX now... and will probably restart in a couple days. If VLC works fine in another month or so, we can probably assume outdated DirectX is the problem. If this thread is still around then, I'll let you all know how it turns out.

Well, it seems to no longer be much of discussion as the devs have stated they won't mess with the problem, but I got my comp up for 30 days or so after the DirectX updates, and it still gets the problem. So we can rule out old DirectX drivers as the cause.

Good luck to anyone who may try to debug this.

[Guest]

I got the same problem, the toolbar opens but not the movie window.. :/
Im wondering if it has anything to do with the webpage i visited yesterday, it poped up a window saying something about my registry is --please stay polite-- or something but i just ignored it... Thought it was a virus or trojan thingy again, but i think its after that the problem started with VLC not playing... but when i close the VLC toolbar the movie window pops up but all black and it just closes again a second later

[Guest]

I got the same problem, the toolbar opens but not the movie window.. :/
Im wondering if it has anything to do with the webpage i visited yesterday, it poped up a window saying something about my registry is --please stay polite-- or something but i just ignored it... Thought it was a virus or trojan thingy again, but i think its after that the problem started with VLC not playing... but when i close the VLC toolbar the movie window pops up but all black and it just closes again a second later

Fixed it! Installed newest Nvidia drivers and it suddenly worked again... strange since it worked before but all of a sudden stoped

[miniondominus]

i'm running XP Pro SP2 and i experienced an unfunctional VLC Player a few weeks ago. at the time it hadn't occured to me to check the VLC forums for help!!! however, after reading all the posts in this forum...i followed all the instructions as they were presented...and here's what i found to be successful:

1. uninstall VLC Plater using Add/Remove Programs
2. delete the directory C:\Documents and Settings\Owner (this is you)\Application Data\vlc
3. delete all instances of vlc.exe from the registry
4. do a chkdsk with /f option
5. shutdown/turn off the computer
6. reinstall VLC Player

if it doesn't work for you...i apologize...this is all i did to correct the deficiency!!! thanks for all the help from previous posters!!!

[Guest]

Hi!

I have the same problem. The VLC Toolbar is displayed but nothing else happens after a long system uptime.
I did some logging with RegMon. You can see that the programm is initializing correct and then I think it is waiting for something.
You can also see that the registry calls regarding the initialization of DirectDraw are executed AFTER I close VLC!!!!!
I also see a short flash of the black video-window when closing VLC.
Is it possible that there is some Mutex/Semaphore used for thread syncronization is initialized with a system time (uptime) value that causes problems if that value is too large?

btw: Long uptimes are important if you use filesharing - its bad to do a reboot for such programs...

hth


Part of the RegMon Log:
System: Win2000 SP4 + all Updates; VLC 0.8.5; NVIDIA Display drivers

Code: Select all

80.66825867 vlc.exe:3048 OpenKey HKCU\Software\Microsoft\Windows NT\CurrentVersion\Windows SUCCESS Access: 0x80000000 80.66828156 vlc.exe:3048 QueryValue HKCU\Software\Microsoft\Windows NT\CurrentVersion\Windows\ScrollInset NOT FOUND 80.66832733 vlc.exe:3048 QueryKey HKCU\Software\Microsoft\Windows NT\CurrentVersion\Windows BUFFER OVERFLOW 80.66834259 vlc.exe:3048 QueryValue HKCU\Software\Microsoft\Windows NT\CurrentVersion\Windows\DragDelay NOT FOUND 80.66835785 vlc.exe:3048 QueryKey HKCU\Software\Microsoft\Windows NT\CurrentVersion\Windows BUFFER OVERFLOW 80.66837311 vlc.exe:3048 QueryValue HKCU\Software\Microsoft\Windows NT\CurrentVersion\Windows\DragMinDist NOT FOUND 80.66838837 vlc.exe:3048 QueryKey HKCU\Software\Microsoft\Windows NT\CurrentVersion\Windows BUFFER OVERFLOW 80.66840363 vlc.exe:3048 QueryValue HKCU\Software\Microsoft\Windows NT\CurrentVersion\Windows\ScrollDelay NOT FOUND 80.66842651 vlc.exe:3048 QueryKey HKCU\Software\Microsoft\Windows NT\CurrentVersion\Windows BUFFER OVERFLOW 80.66843414 vlc.exe:3048 QueryValue HKCU\Software\Microsoft\Windows NT\CurrentVersion\Windows\ScrollInterval NOT FOUND 80.69778442 vlc.exe:3048 OpenKey HKCU SUCCESS Access: 0x2000000 80.69784546 vlc.exe:3048 OpenKey HKLM\System\CurrentControlSet\Control\Nls\MUILanguages SUCCESS Access: 0x80000000 80.69786835 vlc.exe:3048 CloseKey HKLM\System\CurrentControlSet\Control\Nls\MUILanguages SUCCESS 80.69789124 vlc.exe:3048 OpenKey HKCU\Software\Policies\Microsoft\Control Panel\Desktop NOT FOUND 80.69792175 vlc.exe:3048 OpenKey HKCU\Control Panel\Desktop SUCCESS Access: 0x80000000 80.69795227 vlc.exe:3048 QueryValue HKCU\Control Panel\Desktop\MultiUILanguageId NOT FOUND 80.69796753 vlc.exe:3048 CloseKey HKCU\Control Panel\Desktop SUCCESS 80.69797516 vlc.exe:3048 CloseKey HKCU SUCCESS 93.66449738 vlc.exe:3048 OpenKey HKLM\Software\Microsoft\Windows NT\CurrentVersion\FontSubstitutes SUCCESS Access: 0x20019 93.66453552 vlc.exe:3048 QueryValue HKLM\Software\Microsoft\Windows NT\CurrentVersion\FontSubstitutes\Tahoma NOT FOUND 93.66457367 vlc.exe:3048 CloseKey HKLM\Software\Microsoft\Windows NT\CurrentVersion\FontSubstitutes SUCCESS #### here the toolbar is displayed and nothing happens #### the following happens if I close the VLC-Toolbar 105.99789429 vlc.exe:3048 OpenKey HKCU SUCCESS Access: 0x2000000 105.99794769 vlc.exe:3048 OpenKey HKLM\System\CurrentControlSet\Control\Nls\MUILanguages SUCCESS Access: 0x80000000 105.99796295 vlc.exe:3048 CloseKey HKLM\System\CurrentControlSet\Control\Nls\MUILanguages SUCCESS 105.99799347 vlc.exe:3048 OpenKey HKCU\Software\Policies\Microsoft\Control Panel\Desktop NOT FOUND 105.99801636 vlc.exe:3048 OpenKey HKCU\Control Panel\Desktop SUCCESS Access: 0x80000000 105.99804688 vlc.exe:3048 QueryValue HKCU\Control Panel\Desktop\MultiUILanguageId NOT FOUND 105.99806213 vlc.exe:3048 CloseKey HKCU\Control Panel\Desktop SUCCESS 105.99806976 vlc.exe:3048 CloseKey HKCU SUCCESS 106.00194550 vlc.exe:3048 OpenKey HKLM\Software\Microsoft\DirectDraw SUCCESS Access: 0x2000000 106.00197601 vlc.exe:3048 QueryValue HKLM\Software\Microsoft\DirectDraw\EnumerateAttachedSecondaries NOT FOUND 106.00200653 vlc.exe:3048 CloseKey HKLM\Software\Microsoft\DirectDraw SUCCESS 106.00210571 vlc.exe:3048 OpenKey HKLM\Hardware\DeviceMap\VIDEO SUCCESS Access: 0x82000000 106.00212860 vlc.exe:3048 QueryValue HKLM\Hardware\DeviceMap\VIDEO\MaxObjectNumber SUCCESS 0x2 106.00214386 vlc.exe:3048 CloseKey HKLM\Hardware\DeviceMap\VIDEO SUCCESS 106.00222778 vlc.exe:3048 OpenKey HKLM\SYSTEM\CURRENTCONTROLSET\ENUM SUCCESS Access: 0x20019 106.00225830 vlc.exe:3048 OpenKey HKLM\SYSTEM\CURRENTCONTROLSET\ENUM\PCI\VEN_10DE&DEV_0322&SUBSYS_99801462&REV_A1\4&9aeded5&4&0008 SUCCESS Access: 0x20019 106.00227356 vlc.exe:3048 CloseKey HKLM\SYSTEM\CURRENTCONTROLSET\ENUM SUCCESS 106.00229645 vlc.exe:3048 QueryValue HKLM\SYSTEM\CURRENTCONTROLSET\ENUM\PCI\VEN_10DE&DEV_0322&SUBSYS_99801462&REV_A1\4&9aeded5&4&0008\HardwareID BUFFER TOO SMALL 106.00242615 vlc.exe:3048 QueryValue HKLM\SYSTEM\CURRENTCONTROLSET\ENUM\PCI\VEN_10DE&DEV_0322&SUBSYS_99801462&REV_A1\4&9aeded5&4&0008\HardwareID SUCCESS "PCI\VEN_10DE&DEV_0322&SUBSYS_99801462&REV_A1" 106.00244141 vlc.exe:3048 CloseKey HKLM\SYSTEM\CURRENTCONTROLSET\ENUM\PCI\VEN_10DE&DEV_0322&SUBSYS_99801462&REV_A1\4&9aeded5&4&0008 SUCCESS 106.00247192 vlc.exe:3048 OpenKey HKLM\SYSTEM\CURRENTCONTROLSET\ENUM SUCCESS Access: 0x20019 106.00250244 vlc.exe:3048 OpenKey HKLM\SYSTEM\CURRENTCONTROLSET\ENUM\PCI\VEN_10DE&DEV_0322&SUBSYS_99801462&REV_A1\4&9aeded5&4&0008 SUCCESS Access: 0x20019 106.00251007 vlc.exe:3048 CloseKey HKLM\SYSTEM\CURRENTCONTROLSET\ENUM SUCCESS 106.00252533 vlc.exe:3048 QueryValue HKLM\SYSTEM\CURRENTCONTROLSET\ENUM\PCI\VEN_10DE&DEV_0322&SUBSYS_99801462&REV_A1\4&9aeded5&4&0008\HardwareID BUFFER TOO SMALL 106.00254822 vlc.exe:3048 QueryValue HKLM\SYSTEM\CURRENTCONTROLSET\ENUM\PCI\VEN_10DE&DEV_0322&SUBSYS_99801462&REV_A1\4&9aeded5&4&0008\HardwareID SUCCESS "PCI\VEN_10DE&DEV_0322&SUBSYS_99801462&REV_A1" 106.00255585 vlc.exe:3048 CloseKey HKLM\SYSTEM\CURRENTCONTROLSET\ENUM\PCI\VEN_10DE&DEV_0322&SUBSYS_99801462&REV_A1\4&9aeded5&4&0008 SUCCESS

[DJ]

Up times of longer than 29 days are discouraged, even by Microsoft. Expect to have problems. Every one else does! If you are unhappy with this switch to another operating system. Or if you really feel you can resolve the issue the source code is available. The developers have stated there will be no movement in this area. But of coarse additions and or patches are always welcomed.

[komondorok]

Up times of longer than 29 days are discouraged, even by Microsoft. Expect to have problems. Every one else does! If you are unhappy with this switch to another operating system. Or if you really feel you can resolve the issue the source code is available. The developers have stated there will be no movement in this area. But of coarse additions and or patches are always welcomed. :lol:

I don't "expect to have problems" with long uptimes, and in fact the only app that gives a problem is VLC. So that's a spurious argument.

In this case it's clear what's going on as seen by the warnings "early picture skipped" and "received buffer in the future": wraparound problems with mdate(). In other words, it is returning a negative value and the synchronization code in VLC is waiting to try to "catch up" to when it thinks the next frame should play, which is offset by the wrap period of the counter (something like 59 days in the future). This is a bug in VLC.

Once enough time has elapsed for the counter to wrap completely around, things will work fine again. So, expect VLC to work for the first 29 days of uptime, then not work for the next 29, then work again for the next 29, then not work, etc.

[DJ]

I would suggest you take this up with Microsoft. VLC is one source code that is compiled on the box and operating system for which it was intended. The Developers have assured me that Windows is the only platform that this problem exists within. Because of this fact the Developers have stated that, nothing will be done to try to change VLC in this regard (at least by them). This is a known issue with Microsoft and even talked about in their knowledge data base.

Many ITs are also aware of the problem and these people are not talking about VLC. So really this has little to do with VLC and everything to do with Microsoft. Please go tell them about the problem and how you demand that it be fixed. I wish you the best of luck!

As for VLC, the source code is available and contributions are always welcomed.

[komondorok]

I would suggest you take this up with Microsoft. VLC is one source code that is compiled on the box and operating system for which it was intended. The Developers have assured me that Windows is the only platform that this problem exists within. Because of this fact the Developers have stated that, nothing will be done to try to change VLC in this regard (at least by them). This is a known issue with Microsoft and even talked about in their knowledge data base.

Many ITs are also aware of the problem and these people are not talking about VLC. So really this has little to do with VLC and everything to do with Microsoft. Please go tell them about the problem and how you demand that it be fixed. I wish you the best of luck! :)

As for VLC, the source code is available and contributions are always welcomed.

This isn't Microsoft's problem, although you are correct: it only happens on Microsoft platforms, because the time function being used is QueryPerformanceCounter(). In fact, I found this by using a Google code search on the VLC source, inside a #ifdef WIN32 section of mtime.c:

Code: Select all

if( freq != 0 ) { /* Microsecond resolution */ QueryPerformanceCounter( (LARGE_INTEGER *)&usec_time ); return ( usec_time * 1000000 ) / freq; }

This is the bug I was referring to:

Code: Select all

return ( usec_time * 1000000 ) / freq;

The problem here is that since all the calculation is being done with 64-bit integers, the subexpression (usec_time * 1000000) overflows 63 bits and sets the high bit, becoming a negative value. This happens when usec_time reaches 9223372036855, which on Windows XP happens after the uptime reaches 29 days 19:44:49. This is then divided by the frequency, but sign extension means that the value remains negative.

Possible solutions would be:

Code: Select all

return (mtime_t)(usec_time * (1000000.0 / freq));

although this uses floating point arithmetic, which may be undesirable as doubles only have about 53 bits of precision.

An alternate possibility would be to create a new static variable base_time which gets initalized on the first call of the function, and subsequent calls subtract it from usec_time. Taking this route would just shift the problem, but it would then not appear unless the application had been running for 29 days, a perhaps more acceptable situation.

(The actual range of the value does not overflow 63 bits for many thousands of years.)

[DJ]

https://trac.videolan.org/vlc/ticket/814

[tfwey]

Only two things really stand out to me:
First, the type of file does matter. A good example is that .mkv files won't play if there are a lot of other .mkv files in the same directory.

Interesting, Looks like I poped too many mkv's thx!

[DJ]

This one has come up before and it really would be nice to know HOW MANY and if the call is being done with a playlist or the call is internal or external to VLC.

[zhamdi]

Hi VLC team, I discovered your product lately because I'm not a real video consumer but I subscribed to an internet provider who gives acces to television through video streams bundled in a m3u list.

I had exactly the problem of my VLC that stopped working without any "logically related reason", but the probleme disappeard when I've installed the new one. All ok for now, until my VLC started to break with a standard windows XP (SP2) notifier: "send error report". I send it, but doesn't seem it travels to you. So my question was, can't we just artisanally take your log file and send its content? I'm a java developer, I'm not very comfortable with C code, and the principle is saying "if I find the info, it doesn't mean anyone will find it" so can't you just say us in your help where we can find your log files (the only log file I've found is the uninstall one)

Thank you for doing what you do, I hope you'll have with this done, the ability of catching more easily your exceptions... See you higher

[Rémi Denis-Courmont]

Ticket 814 has been addressed. The 29-days overflow should be fixed in version 0.8.6 starting with tomorrow's nightly build.

[Saribro]

Huray :).
And good find there, komondorok.