hansolo77

A nice update there Tom. Good work as always!

Cool I'll have to do some further research and ask around at work to see if any of my tech buddies have tried to use this cable provider and cards. Would be awesome if I could get a setup to work.

Do you just call up the cable company and be like "I want a CableCard", or do you just take out the one that comes in your cablebox? If the latter, I can't do it because our cable box actually has a mini padlock on the card preventing it's removal. Pretty lame. Time Warner in my neck of the woods sucks. They charge extra for everything. If you want to get the 'cablecard box', you need to Subscribe to their HD service. That means you also need to subscribe to their Digital Service. That means you also must subscribe to their DVR service. All those together will get you the cablecard box. Combined, thats $49.99/mo. For 12 Months for new users. We have 2 tv's, Living Room and my Room. Living Room has just a standard CRT tv, so they won't be getting the big box.. but for my room, I would need to get that HD DVR box to get the cablecard. For a second box, it's another $19.99/month. Besides that, it's LOCKED so I couldn't use it anyway. The cost is just rediculous. Right now we just have standard Digital with a DVR box for the Living Room, and I just "steal" cable ready service out of the wall in my room with 4 tuner cards. Would be cool if I could get Digital channels and the HD stuff, since I have an HD tv. Oh well.

I just hope thats what your problem is. I felt so dumb when I realized thats what it was. Once you get everything set right, it shouldn't keep asking.

I wish I could get a Ceton PCIe card. With one cable card you get 4 tuners. Plus you get ALL your subscribed channels. I only use analog tuners which only give you the low end basic cable (like 75 channels, no digital or premiums like HBO). Only problem is my cable provider doesn't offer CableCard options. Oh well.

I'm not sure what to suggest here. If you have the launchers and VPinball both set to run as admin, it should work. Are you sure it's an access/permission dialog and not something like the "If you're authorized to use this ROM, blah blah blah". If it's the ROM one, that launcher should be taking care of it. If it's wanting admin privledges I'm not sure. On my system, I turned off the UAC so it would never prompt me. This is not a recommended procedure (since it opens up abilities for hackers to run programs, etc) but if you have an offline system, you should be safe to do it. I turned it off, and disabled the notifications as well. http://www.petri.co.il/disable-uac-in-windows-7.htm ^--- Has a nice walkthrough. Basically you go into the control panel, search for UAC, and disable it. Then go into your notifications and set it to always hide. That might work for you.

I found the problem when this happened to me was because of a drive letter change. GameEx was installed on one drive, and then I changed the drive letter afterwards before I started installing all my emulators. When it prompted to update, it installed it to back on the first drive again. My shortcut to GameEx stayed the same, since I updated it for the new drive letter, but now I had 2 installations of GameEx. Everytime I loaded GameEx it told me to update, but it kept reinstalling in the old path. The only way I could fix this was by completely uninstalling, and doing a hardcore search in Regedit for all keys. Then I reinstalled on the appropriate drive with a manual install. I had to move the drive letter because I repartitioned the drive so I wouldn't be all installed on C:\ but rather M:\. Every update from then on kept trying to go back to C:\.

Wow another rarity. And you have room on your system for all these? Looks cool.

Just to throw something else in here.. I recently re-setup Visual Pinball and had some trouble too. I went a different route though. Have you tried using Castro's wrapper/launcher? You can download it here: http://dragonking.arcadecontrols.com/simplephp/ccount/click.php?id=57 Its really nice, and works great with GameEx. Here's a support thread I had created: http://www.gameex.info/forums/topic/11063-resolved-visual-pinball-help/page__p__85743#entry85743 and a post on how to configure GameEx to work with it: http://www.gameex.info/forums/topic/11063-resolved-visual-pinball-help/page__view__findpost__p__85901

Looks cool. I still need to setup mugen on my system.

Tested mobo out of case with cpu, ram, cheapass vga card and keyboard.. all powered up and bios was accessible. Put everything back into the case, then had a snag with boot up. Windows was hanging on the load screen. Tried going in safe mode, and it installed a whole buncha new drivers (expected). Loaded the driver disk that came with the mobo just to make sure I had everything covered. Now Media Center is all screwed up. Because this new mobo uses a different controller for the expansion cards, it re-installed new drivers for all the tuners. So my Media Center Guide had listings for 16 tuners even though I only have 8 (a total of 3 cards, some dual inputs, some hd/sd hybrids, etc). When I tried to watch tv, the channel numbers were all screwed up, and a lot of them had snow. So I have to figure that out tomorrow. I don't wanna run this computer for too long since the clips on the heatsink aren't down real tight.. don't want to risk a burnout. Thanks again guys; especially you Adultery for nailing it.

Just a quick update; Got home from work today and my mobo was waiting for me. Going to try to install it today/tonight/tomorrow. Hope it fixes my problem. I'm pessimistic though, so start thinking of another solution if I can't get it to work. Should work though...

Anyway, here's an update; Swapped power supplies Success! Powersupply seems to have gone bad, yet now pc won't POST. [*]Swapped video cards with 4 others, 1 PCI-E and 3 PCI's fail (monitor remains in standby/no signal) [*]Swapped video cables fail (monitor remains in standby/no signal) [*]Removed all expansion cards, all external cables, all drives fail [*]Removed and reseated all 4 ram sticks individually into each slot individually fail [*]Removed and reseated CPU fail (and broke push pin clips that secure heatsink to mobo) [*]Found a spare mobo speaker in a computer in the basement saved from the fire fail (no sounds come from it all, may be a bad speaker/water damage but Adultery's suggestion of no sound is holding) [*]Found a spare battery from the computer in the basement fail [*]Use the CPU off the server to test processor fail fail (same results so I don't think it's the CPU) [*]Removed Mobo from case to test for grounding issue fail [*]Purchased a used Mobo from Ebay that we hope will fix the problem. Nobody on Newegg, Amazon, Tigerdirect, etc are selling mobos that meet my requirements of expansion slots, sata connectors, coaxial spdif out connection, and are LGA775, so I had to rely on eBay. Found an identical mobo for sale, brand new, in Austrailia for $80 plus $20 shipping. Decided on a cheaper route that was in California and offered express shipping. Different brand, but has the features I need, plus the seller says it comes with the i/o plate (surprised that not alot of sellers offer that) and driver disk. Gonna have to wait and report back the results. http://www.ebay.com/itm/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&_trksid=p4340.l2557&item=130672300768&nma=true&rt=nc&si=4YfD5pPfimo1jJdIFLDZ9uugqSU%253D&sspagename=STRK%3AMEWNX%3AIT&orig_cvip=true&rt=nc For what it's worth... I appreciate the advise given, even though it seems I'm not wanting to listen. My primary reason for the post was to help me come up with ideas I hadn't already thought of. I wasn't ruling anything out. I was just trying to make sure I took care of absolutely everything it could possibly be before I devoted money into a purchase if I didn't have to. Thanks for the help guys. I'll keep you posted.

I'm sorry you feel that way Draco. I don't appreciate the rudeness of your comment though. Perhaps if you didn't have job that paid well, and only worked 15-20 hours a week, and was on food stamps, you'd change your attitude towards me. You have to realize that in my situation, I'm really hoping to resolve the problem without having to spend a lot of money, because I don't have any. I'm trying to figure out what happened, and what single piece of hardware would need replacing. This is how you troubleshoot on a budget. Ask for help; and try everything you can think of. If I have a potential powers supply problem, the chance to try others is a free way of testing it without just going out and buying a new one. I don't have any other spare parts to try and swap, like a CPU, ram, mobo. And I hate the idea of just buying a new set of them when it could be something simple like just the ram, and go and waste all that money I don't have. So yea, if you're getting tired of "helping" me, then just go away and ignore the thread. Don't go shooting your mouth off because you're getting impatient, it's not welcome.

My Xbox friend says he still thinks its the power supply since im using one that I know is already dying. I'm just going to have to wait it out until I get some money together. This sux.

UUUHGGG!!! Nobody I know (dad, brother, server) has a speaker in their computer for me to borrow. My brother threw his away, and remembers doing it. My dad's computer has a permanent speaker soldered the mobo (it's a small little chip speaker, not a large one that attaches with a wire). My server doesn't have one either. So I'm still hung out to dry with no computer and no way to watch tv or play games. Gotta rely on my dad's computer or my iPod. I'm so depressed. My thought processes are no gearing towards replacing the mobo, as suggested. Only problem with that, I'd need a new processor too since they don't make mobo's anymore that are compatible. So with that in mind, I'll probably also need to get new RAM too, since these are old DDR2's. Such an expense. I know if I were to just look for the cheapest available motherboard/processor combo sale, it's still gonna be a lot better than my current one. I just have to get something that's compatible with my tuner cards, or else it's a waste of money. On top of that, I'm only working part time at a grocery store; this week I'm working 19 hours. I can't afford a new computer now. I could probably get by with a really cheap pre-made one and take out all the parts, but again I'd be limited on expandability. I have 3 tuner cards, 2 of which are PCI-E slots, and a PCI-E x16 video card. I hate my life.

LOL Cool! You're making screens for emulators I don't have, and you're making me want them! I never even heard of the the Pokemon Mini, and I didn't know the PocketStation had games.. I thought it was just a storage drive.

Well, I'm getting closer now. I swapped out the power supply with the one from my server that was 'flaky'. Now the system can turn on, fans spin, hard drives spin up, etc. Only problem now is the system won't POST. No display on the screen. I have a number of possibilities. One is that the video card requires the special PCI-E 6-pin power cable, and this power supply doesn't have one. I found a splitter cable that gives me that plug, and you use a standard Molex plug. I tried it, but it didn't work. So to eliminate that problem all together, I swapped out the card for a really old 32mb VGA card that doesn't require any special extra power sources. It didn't work either. But until I figure out what's wrong, I'm gonna keep that card in there just incase I still end up having trouble with the other one. The next thing that might be giving me trouble is the battery. I may have done something to it when I removed it. It's a standard CR2032 button battery, and to remove it you need to use a screwdriver to pop it out of the holder. I might have drained it or something with the screwdriver. It's not a magnetized driver, but you never know... Another thing that could be giving me trouble is the RAM. I removed all the sticks and tried to boot up with no luck; I also tried just 1 stick, and then 2, still nothing. So it might be the RAM. The only other thing I can think of would be the processor, since I -KNOW- I broke the clips holding down the fan. The computer is horizontal, so it's not like it's standing up and the fan can't just be resting on top. Still, if the processor got hosed, there's no way to tell without replacing it. My biggest hurdle right now is the fact that I don't have a PC buzzer/speaker in the case; so I can't do any kind of diagnostics based on the beeps. If it was crapping out because of RAM, or processor, I'd know because of the beeps. I might have to just go and buy a cheap speaker if I can't find one. Something else that's happening... the keyboard lights blink when I first power on, but then they go out. Usually the NUMLOCK light stays on. So I don't know if maybe it's having a keyboard failure. I think its unlikely, because if there was a keyboard failure, at least the POST would start and there would be a display that says "Keyboard Failure, press F1 to continue" or whatever.

This sucks. My computer store here doesn't have ANY motherboards that meet my requirements. Its gotta have the right slots for my tuner cards. Ugh. Plus I now need to get a new processor too. Maybe I can just get an after market heatsink/fan if I can just get this thing to power on.

Well I totally fcked up now. I started taking everything out so I could try to start it up with bare minimum. The last thing I tried to take out was the heatsink/fan on the processor, and I broke the clips on the heatsink.. So now even if I was able to get it to power on, it'll die right away because the CPU isn't being properly cooled.

Yeah I'm really hoping it's not a matter of hardware needing replaced. I was sick all week last week and only worked 1 day; my paycheck was only like $40. I have other bills to pay. Whats so odd about all this is that it just started happening like 3 days ago, and since then its been a DAILY thing. But then once I rebooted it the 2nd time, it would work perfectly like it always had. I remember having this sort of problem years ago when I had Windows XP running on a Gigabyte motherboard. The system would get 'stuck' in standby, and even rebooting didn't wake it up. Back then, it only happened 3 times, but after the first time I learned how to make it work again. It was a simple matter of clearing the CMOS and then the computer would magically start working again. So of course that was my first thing to try this time, but it hasn't worked, and it's still not powering up. If it would just turn on, I'd be happy cause I could figure something else out (like if the drive wasn't working, or the monitor wasn't coming on). But right now, its like it's not getting any power at all. But it IS getting power, or else the 'sb_pwr' light wouldn't be blinking at me. I just don't know what to do. A replacement board for my requirements would probably be a bit pricey. I need something that allows resume via USB. It would also need to have 1 PCI-Ex16 slot for the video card, 3 PCI-Ex8 slots for my tuner cards, and at least 1 PCIx16 slot for the other tuner card. The video card takes up 2 slots on the back of the case too. Plus I have 8gb Ram in 4x2gb slots. The processor is kinda old too, just a Core2Duo. Hopefully this will resolve itself soon.

I'm not even sure if anybody is willing to help me or not, but I have to try... So my server that was having all kinds of trouble with failing hard drives and whatnot seems to be up and running smoothly again. Now I'm having trouble with my main HTPC/Media Center. For the last few days, I've been having a lot of trouble with it failing to suspend/resume in StandBy. Let me explain what I have it doing, and then what it's not. RIght now, I have the computer setup to go into standby when it's not in use. This is no big deal. I have it set to suspend, and then allow it to wake up when it needs to do a backup. It also wakes up when it's time to record a tv show. These are the only automated resumes I have. If I'm wanting to use the computer, or watch tv, etc; the computer can be awoken by either the keyboard, a mouse click, or pressing the power button on my remote control. This has always worked flawlessly until the last couple of days. Lately, when I come home from work, the computer will be ON and not in standby as usual. When I look at the case, the power light is solid on, and the HD activity light blinks occasionaly as if it's doing it's normal thing. What's NOT normal is the TV/Monitor has no display, and the keyboard lights are off. What I think is happening is that the computer is attempting to go into standby but is getting hung up somewhere. The only thing I can do at this point is force the computer to power off by holding the power button in for a few seconds. When I reboot the first time, no display is given, so I turn it off and back on again. The 2nd time it's rebooted Windows throws up an error that it was unable to RESUME, and asks me if I want it to continue to try, or just load Windows normally. I tell it to just load Windows normally, and then it does. Everything from that point on works like it should. I can even tell it go into standby with my remote's power button, and it resumes when I press it again, just like it should. Then I go to bed and work the next day. I come home, and the computer is 'stuck' again, needing to go through the whole reboot process again. I don't know what the problem is, and I've not made any changes to the system (install new software/drivers, change the power settings, etc). So today I came home from work to find the computer stuck again. I tried to force it to reboot as before by holding down the power button, but it didn't do anything for over a minute. I reached behind the case and switched off the power supply directly. That got the power off, but now I can't get it to come back on again! This is why I'm asking for help. According to various resources on the net, I've tried a number of different approaches to fix this problem. I've switched off the power and held down the power button to drain the capacitors. I've unplugged the power for 30+ minutes. I've removed the CMOS battery. I've jumpered the pins to clear the CMOS. I've removed all external devices, like the monitor cable, audio cables, keyboard/mouse, network, usb devices, etc. I've even gone as far as to unplug the powersupply from the motherboard and used a paperclip to force close the circuit to trip the power supply on (and it DID switch on when I did that). Nothing seems to work. Then I remembered theres a light on the motherboard, identified as "sb_pwr". This light indicates there is StandBy Power. The light is usually on solid green, but its blinking very faintly. The manufacture's forum suggests this means one of two things; either the motherboard is in standby, or there is insufficient power on the +5v rail. Since I know I've been having trouble with the standby/resume, I assume this blinking light is related. So what I think is happening, the motherboard has switched into standby mode and won't wake up until the appropriate trigger is received. Trouble is, I don't know what that trigger might be. If it's a command from Windows, it's not going to get it since I can't power the computer up. If it's a switch like the power button, I'm pressing it like crazy. I hoped resetting the CMOS/battery would clear the standby lockout but it's not working. I just don't know what else to try. I'm really desperate for some help here because it's the only thing I have that I use for watching TV, playing games, surfing the net, etc. If anybody has had any kinda of similar situation, and remembers how to get out of it, PLEASE let me know!

Do you plan on adding any of the other V4 theme features like Weather and the rss ticker?

Celly is right, you need to have it working outside of GameEx first. It sounds like you're completely and utterly new; you want to play games, but don't know where to start. GameEx is just a frontend program that provides an easy to use interface for SELECTING the game you want to play. It doesn't actually COME with any games. The idea of GameEx is so you don't have to use your mouse and go into the game folders and manually launch an emulator and load the rom into it to play it.. it just does it all automatically for you. The part it sounds like you're getting hung up on is where to START.... The first thing you need to do, is ask yourself what you want to play. MAME is an emulator program that allows you to play classic Arcade games. If you want to play something else, like the Nintendo NES, or Sega Genesis, you need to find an emulator for those systems. Since you've mentioned MAME, I'll assume you want to get that working first. So after you decided what you want, you need to GET it. You can download MAME from lots of different places, but GameEx people only support direct official versions available here: http://mamedev.org/ You can get unofficial versions, like custom builds, but you kinda have to support it yourself since we can't really see the same program you are. The thing about MAME though, is that you download MAME the 'emulator' but thats it. The next thing you need to do is get yourself some ROMs. Since talking about locating ROMs is frowned upon (emulation talk itself is a tricky matter, nobody wants to go to jail). Don't ask, nobody will tell you where to get them, all I can say is MAMEDEV does offer links to other websites that do HOST them here: http://mamedev.org/links.html Once you've got MAME installed, and your ROMS are in the ROM path (\mame\roms\) then you're good to go and try a test run. You must always work with your emulator first, get it setup the way you want. When you have the game running, press the [TAB] key on your keyboard to bring up the ingame settings dialog. You can then configure all the keys you want to use. If you've gotten this far, you're almost there! You now have MAME installed, some ROMS, and have actually been able to play a few. Way to go! Now you need to setup GameEx to work with it so you don't have to go through all the manual loading of the rom you want to play. This is where the GameEx community shines in it's helpfullness. There are lots of settings, but they're all pretty straight forward. You basically are telling GameEx all the paths to the locations it's looking for. For MAME, that would be the 'install path' for MAME (Like C:\Mame) then they want the command line to LAUNCH MAME (ie; mame.exe) then they want to know where your ROMS are (ie; C:\Mame\Roms). That's the basics, and all you really need. The extra stuff you can add later, like screenshots, cabinet artwork, movies, etc. Just get to the point where GameEx can launch the ROM you want, and go from there. So it's really not 'that' hard. It just seems like a lot at first. The thing to remember is GameEx doesn't come with anything other than the interface. You must supply all the other stuff like the emulator and the roms. Get them to work well outside of GameEx first, then worry about setting them up inside GameEx. Hope this help you out, and welcome to the forums!

Its kinda like an easter egg. I love finding and hearing about those things in Games and Systems. I never knew about the one for the Sega Master System that the built in CMOS rom had that gave you an extra free "game". I even had an SMS, but sold it long before I knew about it and could test it out. Still, the idea of hidden things like this is always really cool. There was another one for Grand Theft Auto 3 for PC that when you enabled it, it allowed you to have full on sex mini-games with your dates. It was all there, but hidden away before release until somebody figured out how to unlock with special hacks and stuff.