WMC Blank Screen - Locks HTPC

[Seasmass]

Hi everyone,

If I make any protocol mistakes on account of being a newbie, please let me know and I will gladly correct them.

I've been plagued by an issue with my HTPC for as long as I can remember. I built it in early 2011. The issue: I will be happily watching a TV show and out of nowhere, the screen goes black. No audio and no responsiveness from the PC.

Here are observations I have made:
- High Def sports seems to most consistently cause the problem. Every Blackhawks 2013 playoff game that I've watched has caused the issue at least once.
- I am typically recording the show while watching it. However, I've had an instance of the issue when watching a recording when no tuners were set up in WMC.
- I can typically watch over an hour of the show before the issue occurs.
- I am not performing any actions or operations shortly before the issue occurs. I'm just watching my show.

I always have to hard reset the computer to bypass the issue. Upon start up, WMC never recognizes the tuners. I have to reset/clear the Ceton configurations using the Ceton diagnostics tool, and set the tuners up again in WMC. After taking these steps, the system works fine until the next occurence of the issue.

Here is my system:
OS - Windows 7 x64 Professional
MOBO - MSI AM3 USB 3.0 + SATA 6Gb/s 890GX Chipset AMD Motherboard 890GXM-G65
CPU - Athlon II X4 610E (Stock cooled)
GPU - ZOTAC ZT-40601-20L GT430 1G RT
HD - WD 2 TB Caviar Green WD20EARS
Optical - Lite-On LightScribe 24X IHAS424-98
PSU - SilverStone 400W ATX12V/EPS12
Case - SilverStone Aluminum/Steel Micro ATX GD05B
Tuner - Ceton InfinitiTV 4
RAM - Corsair XMS3 4GB (2x2GB) DDR3 1600 MHz CMX4GX3M2A1600C9
AV Receiver - Marantz NR1601 Audio Video Receiver (connected vis HDMI)

Off the top of my head I can't remember if I have 8GB or 16GB of memory. I can update the post ASAP.

Here are some of the things I've tried:
- Updated every driver on the system
- I've run Prime95 and monitor heat levels; Results: all normal temps and no crashes
- I've run Memtest86+; Results: no issues
- I've removed the GT430 two days ago and attempted to use integrated graphics. This seems to cause a host of new issues: 1) it didn't seem to fix the original issue as it crashed during game 4 of the Stanley Cup; 2) I was watching tV just fine this morning. Then I turn off my Samsung TV and immediately turned it TV back on (as a test), WMC immediately stated that my display driver cannot play protected content. This was a major WTF moment for me. How can the TV influence the HTPC which is passing through the AV receiver?; 3) When the HTPC is turned on, if I change the AV receiver to my XBOX 360, the TV shows the XBOX but flashes a black screen every few seconds.
- Banged head against wall; Results: glares from wife and general discomfort.

I cannot thank you enough for reading my story and sharing your expertise.

[jagrime2]

I used to have an issue with my GPU that caused the screen to go blank and inoperable due to loss of HDMI handshake. I would try bypassing the receiver as it is a possible culprit. I was able to "fix" my issue by connecting my receiver via optic cable to my computer and the HDMI directly to the TV.

[dmagerl]

I recently developed this problem and it was hardware related.

I had two problems.

1. I think its called the northbound chip. It was overheating. Putting a fan on it cured it for a while. Then problem 2 occurred.
2. Reseating each and every PCI card cures the problem for months. Then it comes back and I have to go through the same routine again.

Its time for me to get a new motherboard.

It could be your GPU overheating too.

[Seasmass]

Thank you both. I'll take your suggestions and pull together some tests over the next week. Fingers crossed.

[Seasmass]

I used to have an issue with my GPU that caused the screen to go blank and inoperable due to loss of HDMI handshake. I would try bypassing the receiver as it is a possible culprit. I was able to "fix" my issue by connecting my receiver via optic cable to my computer and the HDMI directly to the TV.

Jagrime2 - I theorized that this could be the issue a while back. Ages ago, I set up a test. After the screen went black, I attempted to remote to the HTPC using standard RDP or LogMeIn. I figured: maybe it was just the picture and audio that went out but not the full system. I am going to re-execute this test because I cannot confidently remember the results.

I am also going to test the HDMI directly to the TV. I am going to try both tests tonight using the integrated graphics.

[Seasmass]

Last night, I watched the Blackhawks game on HD. Previously, HD hockey always crashed the system. I removed the GT430 and used integrated graphics. I left the HTPC connected to the receiver via HDMI. This time, I never turned the TV off or switched the receiver to the XBOX, because I suspected that may cause an unrelated issue.

Results: No crash!! And the Blackhawks won the Cup. A good day!

I moved on to test the connection between the integrated graphics and the receiver. I was readily able to recreate two issues: 1) if I switched the receiver from the HTPC to XBOX while the HTPC was on, the screen shows the XBOX and flashes blank every few seconds; and 2) if I set the receiver to the HTPC and simple turn the Samsung TV off and back on, WMC gives an error about the display driver.

Obviously, my receiver and integrated graphics do not get along. I added a Sapphire Radeon HD 6570 1GB. I added this GPU to a different PCI slot than the GT430 used to be in, because the GT430 had size constraints. I reseated the Ceton for good measure.

I restarted and opened WMC. I attempted to watch cable TV but WMC said no tuners found. I ran TV signal setup. The setup steps got to "Downloading TV Setup Data" and the progress bar frozen on the first little notch. I attempted a recommended solution to execute C:\Windows\ehome\mcupdate.exe -manual -nogc -p. But the issue recurred.

I went to Control Panel > Programs ... > Turn Windows features on and off. I unchecked WMC and remove it, rebooted, navigated back to the features, and reinstalled WMC. After another reboot, I setup the TV signal successfully!

For now, things seem to be running smoothly.

My theory on the root cause issues:
1. I think my GT430 was overheating, and I think I have an airflow issue.
2. I think my WMC installation was corrupt. Supporting this theory is a relatively small observation; before my uninstall/reinstall the Recorded TV icons were nothing but blank rectangles. Now they have a stillshot image of the recording on them. Longshot, but I may have corrupted WMC years ago when I created registry entries to allow WMC to recognize .avi, .mov, .mp4, and .ts files in the video menu.

CPUID HW Monitor is reporting my MoBo temps at 48 C and the Radeon HD 6570 at 76 C. I've been watching HD TV for 1 hour at this point.

Are these temps anything to worry about? Thanks so much for your help!

[Crash2009]

Are these temps anything to worry about? Thanks so much for your help!

I don't have the same case, but the temps seem a little high to me. Do your case fans have filters that might need cleaning?

I use a free software named Speccy http://www.piriform.com/blog/2012/3/2/speccy-v116 , reads a bunch of sensors.

My Radeon HD 6770 is only 45C right now.

[Seasmass]

I installed and ran Speccy. Cool tool; thanks Crash. It is showing the same temps as hwmonitor and GPU-z. Since 76 C sounds high, I will take your suggestion and check for junk in the fans.

I noticed new *potential* issue. After a restart, WMC doesn't recognize the tuners nearly as fast as it used to. Since adding the new GPU and reinstalling WMC days ago, I noticed this issue. After logging into Windows after a reboot, I give the system a minute or two to initialize, and I open WMC. Then I receive a "turner not found" message or "tuner conflict" message; it seems to vary. When I first received these message, I may have been impatient, because I assumed that the tuner config was once again borked. In my impatient state, I quickly ran Ceton diag and cleared everything then re-setup the tuners in WMC. Yesterday, I gave the system several extra minutes (maybe 7-10 min. total after login) to initialize and WMC eventually found the tuners. Prior to my recent system changes, I never had to wait for WMC to "find" the turners.

Has anyone else had this issue with WMC and their tuner? Is a service starting up slower than usual?

[Crash2009]

The power supply can cause all kinds of weird symptoms. Here is a link to a Howto I used recently. http://pcsupport.about.com/od/toolsofth ... imeter.htm

[Seasmass]

Thanks for the tip, Crash. I'll definitely check that PSU doc out. I opened the case and found that all of the fans were caked with dust, so I used compressed air and cleaned all three. Hopefully, that will improve the heat problems.

I am still having issues with WMC losing the tuners. Yesterday, WMC lost the tuners in the middle of the day while the machine was left on; no reboot caused the issue. I couldn't just set the tuners up again in WMC because the Set Up was freezing. I cleared the Ceton config and restarted the PC. Upon reopening WMC and attempting to set up the tuners, I am once again hit by the issue in which the "Downloading TV Setup Data" progress bar froze on the first little notch.

I performed another uninstall/reinstall of WMC and WMP, and set up the tuner fine. So - I'm up and running.....for now. Since my original issue (i.e. hard lock ups) has been resolved, I'll probably start additional internet research and a new forum thread. But if anyone has any experience with this lost tuner issue, please share.