I keep all of my recorded TV on a separate server from the main MCE.  Shows get recorded to the local drive, then moved overnight to the server.  The server is a regular "network place" not a mapped drive.

Every now and then the MCE will lose access to the files on the network.  The shows are all still on the list but when you try to play them it will bring up a disk error.  Restarting the MCE will usually fix the problem, sometimes it seems I have to restart the server as well.

Has anyone run into this, or have any idea what would cause it?  It is an intermittant problem and restarting fixes it,  but it keeps my MCE experience from being completely reliable.

One thing that I think would help with stability is an automated nightly reboot.  Is there a way to set the MCE to restart, login to a user account that has no password and launch MCE so that in the morning the main screen is waiting?


Ian

To schedule a restart, fire up the Task Scheduler (in Control Panel), and create a new scheduled task.  Name it whatever (but, descriptive is good.)  In the Run field, type
C:\WINDOWS\\system32\\shutdown.exe -r -t 01 
The number at the end is up to you - this is the time-delay value (in minutes) between when the task 'starts', and the computer reboots; must be 2-digit (i.e. 01=1 minute.)

To auto-lauch Media Center on boot, select 'lauch Media Center when Windows starts" in Media Center > settings > general > startup and window behavior."

To autologon an account:  start > run > control userpasswords2, and uncheck 'users must enter a username and password to use this computer.'  Hit Apply, and Windows will ask you to select the account to use, and to enter a password (if any exists.)

 

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~Chris
'nearly every day of my life is some kind of computer hell'

Desktop: Shuttle SN41 (AthlonXP 2700+), AIW, T550, PVR-USB2, HDHR; server: Intel E6400 on I965P mobo, 2GB RAM, 2x 500GB WD, PVR500, NV DualTV, Saber2020, 2xHDHR; Xbox MCX, Xbox360

So the shutdown works fine, except now that there is an extender, it stops on the "Do you want to log off the extender?" dialog.

Is there a way to bypass this or answer it automatically during a scheduled task shutdown?


Ian

No, but if anybody does know I'd like to disable this retarded option.
It shuts down everything on your PC, then asks if you want to shut down because of an extender. What sense does that make? You can't hit "no, do not shut down" because all programs on your PC are already closed!

Try adding the -f (force) switch to the batch file, after the -r
(so,  shutdown.exe -r -f -t 01 )

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~Chris
'nearly every day of my life is some kind of computer hell'

Desktop: Shuttle SN41 (AthlonXP 2700+), AIW, T550, PVR-USB2, HDHR; server: Intel E6400 on I965P mobo, 2GB RAM, 2x 500GB WD, PVR500, NV DualTV, Saber2020, 2xHDHR; Xbox MCX, Xbox360

The -f switched worked to bypass that dialog.  It would be nice to be able to disable that all the time, so you can hit restart and leave the room.


Ian

You could always copy the batch file to your desktop..... 

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~Chris
'nearly every day of my life is some kind of computer hell'

Desktop: Shuttle SN41 (AthlonXP 2700+), AIW, T550, PVR-USB2, HDHR; server: Intel E6400 on I965P mobo, 2GB RAM, 2x 500GB WD, PVR500, NV DualTV, Saber2020, 2xHDHR; Xbox MCX, Xbox360