EPG123 Bug Reports

[garyan2]

Could you rename the file c:\programdata\garyan2\epg123\images\imagecache.json to imagecache_old.json and start the service again? This is the second time I've seen this reported and would be helpful to know if it in the json or trying to read an image file.

If it still doesn't start/work, just change or delete the images folder.

[Pixelz]

Thanks again, Gary.

I'm pleased to report renaming imagecache.json with a .old extension allowed the service to start successfully, and images are starting to appear in the guide listings again.

Let me know if I can provide any additional diagnostics to help crack this issue.

[Pixelz]

In case it helps, when I try to parse the old images json file with Firefox, it reports --
SyntaxError: JSON.parse: unexpected character at line 1 column 1 of the JSON data

[Hi-Def_PCs]

RE: sfc system file integrity violations

I just re-installed Win 7 Pro 64 on my DVR that had not been rebuilt since 2018. To isolate any sfc error causes, I ran sfc /scannow and created a restore point after every step before proceeding to the next. I made it all the way to a complete windows install, all updates plus my anti-malware and maintenance utilities leaving WMC setup and EPG123 for last. Then I received my first sfc scan error after tweaking WMC from the EPG client GUI. So I restored back and then paid very close attention to each tweak option’s scan results, my findings are below.

Both the EPG configuration and main EPG client were benign, but any WMC Tweak options in the left column (those that require clicking the update button) will trigger a change in the ownership and modification date of C:\Windows\ehome\Microsoft.MediaCenter.Shell.dll. All the right column options do not, as long as you don’t click update, they save on their own, except Set Recordings Filename Pattern that has its own set button. Since Microsoft.MediaCenter.Shell.dll is a system file that is not to be modified, it will now cause a sfc scan error. Apparently unavoidable, because WMC really needs to be tweaked! Recorded TV HD and Media Center Studio also modify Microsoft.MediaCenter.Shell.dll. This trio is necessary to the quality of my WMC experience!

Being clever, I tried changing the system clock to the original file’s date down to the minute and restored the ownership back to NT Service\TrustedInstaller, but to no avail. SFC compares the whole file to the one in its store, not just those details. I tried swapping a virgin Microsoft.MediaCenter.Shell.dll file in before a sfc scan, but still returned a hash mismatch! So I must live with the sfc scan errors, but how to sort that out should one not be related to Microsoft.MediaCenter.Shell.dll? In my research I discovered that you can open and clear the CBS.log found in C:\Windows\Logs\CBS by adding your login profile name to its security permissions with full control. That way you will have far less data to muck through after a sfc scan. There is also a data filter command that will mine down to just what you need to see. I created a bat file to do that and named it, “Open sfc scan details.bat”. Copy the following in a txt file and rename its file extension to .bat and run it as administrator.

findstr /c:"[SR]" %windir%\logs\cbs\cbs.log >sfcdetails.txt
CD C:\Windows\System32
"sfcdetails.txt"

So if I want to run sfc /scannow, I clear CBS.log before the scan, then run Open sfc scan details.bat and click Ctrl+F and type “Cannot” to flag just the stuff sfc could not fix. Any corrupt files not related to Microsoft.MediaCenter.Shell.dll are now your focus to be repaired or whatever, and a “corrupted” Microsoft.MediaCenter.Shell.dll is as it should be for a better WMC experience!

I hope someone will find this information useful.

Cheers!

[cadprofessor]

Question: Any issues with daylight savings time? I thought I ran into a problem with DST several years ago. My channel guide listings are mixed up. Station numbers not the same as what they were. Do I need to post a log? Thank you.

[garyan2]

No issues with DST... everything in guide listings is GMT. Not sure about your station numbers. Too many possibilities, like downloading the correct lineup, having multiple lineups and the wrong one being matched to the guide, lineup is wrong (check https://tvlistings.zap2it.com/).

Your first place to look is the client to see what lineup channels are being mapped to your tuner channels.