Troubleshooting: Difference between revisions

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Before starting troubleshooting it's always a good idea to enable [[HOW-TO_Submit_a_Proper_Bug_Report#Useful_info_for_bug_reports.2C_for_use_on_the_forum_.28debug_log.2C_screenshot.2C_codec.29|Debug-Mode for Debug-Logging]] in XBMC.
{{mininav}}
This debug-mode provides more detailed info on what's going on, and it can be enabled like [[HOW-TO_Submit_a_Proper_Bug_Report#Useful_info_for_bug_reports.2C_for_use_on_the_forum_.28debug_log.2C_screenshot.2C_codec.29|this]].
<br>


==Lost control==
===Why did my XBMC freeze? There is a new item on the rightside of the top of the screen and my controller isn't working===
That is the volume control or seekbar popup menu. It is assigned to the right thumbstick on the controller (up and down for volume, left and right for seeking). Try recalibrating your analog sticks by moving them in full circles several times. If this does not fix the problem, your controller may simply be more sensitive than others. Increase the value of <controllerdeadzone> in ''Advancedsettings.xml''.
<br>


==Audio related issues==
<section being="intro" />Experiencing difficulties with {{kodi}}? Then this page will guide you to information that may assist. Use this page as a jumping off point and if you cannot find a solution, there is always the forum to fallback to.<section end="intro" />
===The volume level in XBMC is down really, really low – I can't hear anything!===
The right thumb stick (push up or down) alters the volume level. Sometimes a second controller is tucked away and could be lowering the volume.


===Help! My Music visualization doesn't change!===
Milkdrop and Vortex support a locked mode where presets don't change automatically. This is toggled using controller and the [[The_On_Screen_Display_.28OSD.29|OSD (On Screen Display)]] menu button. Notice that little padlock ?


===Why can't XBMC play music files purchased online-music stores like iTunes?===
XBMC can currently not play any audio/video files protected/encrypted with [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Digital_Rights_Management DRM (Digital Right Management)], such as music purchased from [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/ITunes_Music_Store ITunes Music Store], [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/MSN_Music MSN Music] or [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Audible.com Audible.com]. Workaround: If possible removed that DRM protection/encryption with some third-party software before you try to play it, like: [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/JHymn hymn (for iTunes DRM files)], do not ask for help on how to do so or how to use such softwares.


==Video output issues / issues with video playback==
= First Time User =
===I changed to another skin, and the screen went black. Now, whenever I boot XBMC it stays black and I can't do anything!===
If you are a first time user of {{kodi}} and are just generally lost and not sure how to operate {{kodi}}, then start with the '''''[[First time user]]''''' pages. Also check out the '''''[[FAQs]]''''' page.
Hold down both thumbsticks (clicked) when launching or booting XBMC. This will cause a screen to pop up asking you if you want to reset your settings (including the active skin) to the defaults. The only settings not reset by this method is the Master lock code, and the advanced settings only accessible via manual edit of XML-files, (such as AdvancedSettings.xml, Keymap.xml, LCD.xml, RssFeeds.xml and PartyMode.xml).


===I use XBMC in 1080i, and when I try and watch videos it fails. What can I do?===
Most likely you are running out of available [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Random_access_memory RAM (Random Access Memory)]. The Xbox hardware only comes equipped with 64MB of unified RAM, which means that system and graphics memory are shared (unlike a standard PC where they are separate and usally much larger). 64MB of total RAM is not a lot and is especially limiting at high-resolutions. This means that when you use 1080i you have to be mindful of things that can take up memory:
*Cache sizes
*Skin used
*Enabled servers/services (WebServer, FTP-server, Python)
:Due to the shortage of RAM, it may be a wise idea to turn off all of the listed servers/services at first until you know what can be sustained.  Also lowering the video cache size to 1MB, (which is more than enough for playback over a wired local network). If you use wireless, then you may need it slightly higher, (though expect other problems with streaming video over wireless, see [[Troubleshooting#Wireless_specific_tips|Wireless Specific Tips]] for more information).


===When I play videos, they display using the wrong aspect ratio, what can I do to fix this?===
= Audio Troubleshooting =
XBMC has built-in aspect ratio control, as well as zoom control. This can be changed by use of the "Y" button on the controller or the "Select" button on the DVD-Remote during video playback. When you press  "Y" button on the controller or the "Select" button on the DVD-Remote you will also see which resolution it is using. If you find your 4x3 movies play on your 16x9 screen stretched out, instead of with black bars either side of the image, it may be that you have selected "Auto" as the video output resolution in the Video Player settings, and your TV does not auto-switch to it's 4x3 mode.  Set it to 16x9 in this case.  See Movie Playback & OSD for more information.
{{list|Audio troubleshooting}}


===I can't seem to be able to select Widescreen/HDTV modes. How can I fix this?===
You must enable Widescreen/HDTV Modes in the Microsoft original Xbox Dashboard. Once this is done, the options will appear in XBMC.<br>'''Note: For HDTV modes you need two things. The Xbox must be in NTSC mode and you also need a suitable AV cable.''' So if you have a PAL Xbox you need first to convert it to NTSC, you can do this with softwares like "Enigmah Video Selector".


==XBMC will not start/load==
===I try to launch XBMC from a dashboard and it does not start (freeze or black screen), why?===
If you have a very old BIOS in your modchip, make sure that XBMC's XBE (executable) is patched from DEBUG to RETAIL, as old BIOS's can't run DEBUG executeables. You can patch it with xbepatch or deXBE. If you get same problem again try another build of XBMC, if still same issue follow EvoX FAQ.
<br>


==XBMC will not play a file==
= Video Library Troubleshooting =
===I got one or several AVI files that plays choppy and/or ends in the middle of playback, what could be the cause?===
{{list|Incorrect and missing videos}}
There's basically two types of AVI files, AVI 1.0 (also called RIFF AVI) and AVI 2.0 (also called OpenDML AVI). If your file is encoded with XviD (or another MPEG-4 Codec) video and MP3 audio (use GSPOT to findout) this is almost certainly the cause to the playback problems. The issue can be resolved by RE-MUXING the video to old AVI format using a tool like AVIMux-GUI. If the file is a '''.MP4''' file, it could be streamripped or just created as a Stream. Then you need to enable ''No Cache'' in Video OSD Settings.


===Why can't Xbox Media Center read/play files larger than 1GB from a UDF DVD-R/RW media?===
This is due to a Xbox™ limitation reading UDF128 (this is not a XBMC failure or our fault).


===Why can't Xbox Media Center read/play files larger than 4GB from the Xbox™ harddrive?===
This is due to a Xbox™ limitation in the FAT-X format (not a XBMC issue that can be fixed).


===Why can't XBMC read/play AVI video files after 2GB or play/read a 2GB+ AVI video file?===
= Debug Logs =
All AVI files over 2GB in size are OpenDML AVI's and XBMC does not yet support OpenDML. '''PS! We know that XBMC also has other problems with OpenDML AVI's that are under 2GB in size. A couple of such problems are that XBMC cannot FF/RW in OpenDML, and/or video distortions. Note! Reason for this is that MPlayer which XBMC is based upon do not yet support OpenDML'''.
{{list|Log file}}




==Network performance issues (wired or wireless)==
'''Do you experince slow throughput/load-times when streaming video or audio over a wired or wireless-network?''' Here are some hints and tips that can aid wired and wireless performance issues:


===General (both wired and wireless) tips:===
= Test files and samples =
*If your computers operating-system is windows based (like 95/98/ME/XP/2000/2003) then follow/perform this tweaks:
{{See|Samples}}
**Tweak the DNS errors caching in windows by following the first in [http://www.speedguide.net/read_articles.php?id=158 this url (link)] to speedup/fix failed dns lookups.
Various samples that are useful for testing or trying to reproduce possible issues.
**Follow this [http://www.tweakxp.com/article37107.aspx tweakxp.com (link)] register tweak to change the dir commad's buffer from 14000 to 65000 to raise the cache.
** Uninstalled or reconfigure the "qos packet scheduler" service from the tcp/ip stack under properties in local area connection;
***(Alernative 1: in windows => control panel => network connections => local area connection => properties => uninstall).
***(Alernative 2: lower or disable the amount of bandwith reserved for qos, do this by following the last article [http://www.speedguide.net/read_articles.php?id=158 in this link]).


*If your computers operating-system is unix based like linux or freebsd then [http://www.dd.iij4u.or.jp/~okuyamak/Documents/tuning.english.html follow/perform this tip to change transmission area window (link)].


*In windows make you you 'unmount' (or disable) all virtual cd/dvd-rom drives (ex. from daemon-tools, alcohol 120%, clonedvd/clonecd, etc.).


*During smb streaming troubleshooting you should of course also (temporarly) try disabling any antivirus and firewall softwares on your computer.
= Video levels and color space =
{{See|Video levels and color space}}
Information about video levels, color space, and calibration, for video.


===Wired specific tips:===
*Force from "auto-detect speed" to "100mbps/full-duplex" becuase it disables auto-negotiation which can sometimes slow network connections, (in windows xp => control panel => network connections => local area connection properties => configure... => advanced => link speed...).


===Wireless specific tips:===
Wireless equipment very rarely runs at its advertised speed, often it runs significantly slower;


* If your wireless access-point/router/adapters are 802.11b then upgrade (buy!) all to [[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/802.11g 802.11g, 802.11g+, 802.11n or 802.11a] equipment with [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Multiple-input_multiple-output_communications MIMO] support instead. Know that in practice the maximum 802.11b throughput that an application can achieve is about 5.9Mbit/s (for burst transmission) and the average throughput is usually bellow 1Mb/second which is too slow to stream video in real-time. The average throughput for 802.11g is 25Mbit/s, and 50Mbit/s for 802.11g+ with [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Multiple-input_multiple-output_communications MIMO] so even that might have problems streaming [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/DVD#DVD-Video DVD-Video movies] over wireless. 802.11n on the other hand (which all support [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Multiple-input_multiple-output_communications MIMO] as standard) has an average throughput of 200Mbit/s, and that is fast enough for all audio/video streams.  
= Effective Troubleshooting =
Steps that should be used to try and rectify issues.


* Disable WEP/WPA encryption (as it increases overhead which lowers throughput), enable MAC-address filtering as security instead.
;Isolate the Problem
:Before writing a bug report or asking questions in the forum, it is advisable to try and find the source of the bug. There are two good ways to do this depending on the problem:
:# Temporarily remove user data (Fresh Start)
:# Temporarily uninstall an add-on
:Now test if the problem remains.


* Move your wireless router/access-point and network-adapters closer to each other as the data-rates decreases significantly the longer the signal have to travel, also remove all possible obsticals if possible (as the data-rates slows down significantly if the signal have to travel through thick walls, floors/ceelings or furnature, etc.). In addition try to place your wireless router/access-point at the same hight as your network-adapters, preferably on the middle of the wall instead of on the floor or close to the ceeling.
:Windows users have the benefit of being able to install multiple copies of {{kodi}} using '''''[[HOW-TO:Install_Kodi_for_Windows#Portable_Mode|Portable Mode]]'''''. Install a fresh copy and see if the issue persists.


* Do not mix formats, the presence of an 802.11b participant significantly reduces the speed of an 802.11g/802.11g+ networks. Same with 802.11g and 802.11n. Also non-network wireless products, or other products that are operating in the 2.4GHz band (as 802.11b/802.11g/802.11g+ do), like microwave ovens, bluetooth devices, and cordless telephones
; Update and Upgrade
:Before writing a bug report, make sure that the add-on you are using, or {{Kodi}} itself, is fully updated to the latest official version. It is entirely possible that the problem is fixed in the most recent versions of the add-on and/or {{Kodi}}. The add-on support section of the forum contains information and help with {{Kodi}} add-ons. There may be beta versions of add-ons that are not officially added to the repository that fix the problem.


Note! If above don't help then test the alternative [[XBMSP]]/[[XBMS]] or [[UPnP Sharing|UPnP]] protocols, instead of [[SMB]]/[[SAMBA]]/[[CIFS]] as they have much less overhead.
; Test on Multiple Devices
<br>
:Reproducing the bug on multiple devices will determine whether or not the source of the bug is the user’s hardware or {{Kodi}} itself.  Testing the bug on multiple devices before submitting the bug report can isolate the source of the problem and help determine whether or not the developers can fix it.  This tactic also greatly reduces the confusion that can occur when others try to reproduce the bug.




==Annoyances==
===Where did the Record Button for SHOUTcast go?===
It's in My Music OSD now


===When I start the XBOX and XBMC there is a startup music that plays every restart or when I enter xbmc. How can I disable this music?===
= Reporting bugs and errors =
There is a script running on startup (scripts\autoexec.py) that is loading another script and causing playback to start. Remove the autoexec.py script (or rename it) to stop this. It was put there by whoever created your build. Furthermore, there is also a startup sound that can be played (a file named media\start.wav) which is normally played when the splash screen is displayed. Remove this file if you don't like it.
{{See|HOW-TO:Submit a bug report}}


===After I deleted some albums from my harddisk, they are still visible when in My Music Libary. How can I delete these empty albums?===
Go to Settings->My Music and choose '''"Clean the music database"'''.


===I'm using XBMSP or SMB to share my music to XBMC, and whenever I go to browse the shared folders it takes a while and presents me with the message scanning media info...what is it doing and is there anyway to remove this scanning?===
It is scanning the media files for tag information, so that it can display artist, title, year, genre, album information, as well as any embedded thumbnails. This takes a while over a network connection. You can turn this off completely by disabling ID3 tag reading in Settings->My Music. A better thing to do is to perform a Scan on the folders from My Music. This will store the retreived tag information in the database, allowing you to take advantage of the database views (using the Switch View button). See My Music for more information.


===I get an error message '''Error: Out of memory loading picture''' when running slideshows===
= Getting more help =
Running slideshows uses a large amount of memory, in particularly when loading images. You could try freeing up memory by turning off any music you have running. See here under the section "How it works" for more information.
* [https://forum.kodi.tv/ Help and Support forums]
* [irc://irc.freenode.org/kodi #kodi] - [[w:IRC|IRC]] chat channel on irc.freenode.org


===I upgraded XBMC and now I can no longer access my '''F''' partition?===
You possibly upgraded from a build prior to 19th of March 2005, to a build made after this date. You also use an old BIOS. A possible fix to this issue is to disable '''<AutodetectFG>''' (set to no) in ''Advancedsettings.xml''.


===Why can't I access X, Y or Z partition using eg. My Files or by FTP?===
Early on a decision was made to make it a little 'harder' for new unknowing users to access '''X''', '''Y''' or '''Z''' due to the fact that these are "cache partitions" and no data put there stays there. You can make a bookmark yourself for ''My Files'' or edit ''Filezilla Server.xml'' yourself and add these!


== Asking questions in a smart way ==
<section begin="how to ask a question"/>[http://catb.org/~esr/faqs/smart-questions.html How to ask questions in a smart way?]:
* '''When you ask:'''
** Use meaningful Titles on posts. Don't ask the question in the post title.
** If English is a second language for you, then clearly state that in the post.
** Be clear, precise and informative about your question and problem
** Provide the link to your '''''[[Log_file|Debug Log]]''''' uploaded to a public Pastebin type site. We recommend to use http://paste.kodi.tv
** Include screenshots to aid in problem description.
** Write clearly, with correct use of punctuation and paragraphs. Too much text will put people off reading it. Too little and people won't bother.
** Don't ask people to reply by private e-mail or private message.
** Courtesy never hurts, and sometimes helps.
** Follow up with a brief note on the solution if you find one <section end="how to ask a question"/>


==Limitations==
*XBMC can currently not play any audio/video files protected/encrypted with Digital Rights Management (DRM), such as music purchased from [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/ITunes_Music_Store ITunes Music Store], [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/MSN_Music MSN Music] or [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Audible.com Audible.com]. Workaround: Removed that DRM protection/encryption with some third-party software before you try to play it, like: [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/JHymn hymn (for iTunes DRM files)].
*XBMC only support [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Universal_Disk_Format Universal Disk Format (UDF CD/DVD file-system)] version 1.02 (which was designed for [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/DVD-Video´DVD-Video] media), and that early version has a maximum file of 1GB (meaning if you burn a DVD-media in a newer UDF version with a video that is larger than 1GB then XBMC will not be able to play that file), same goes for UDF/ISO hybrid formats (a.k.a. UDF Bridge format). Workaround: Burn all your CD/DVD-media in ISO 9660 format which is the largest is standard anyway, (though ISO9660 has a 2GB file-size limitation that there is no workaround for).
*The Xbox built-in harddrive is formated in [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/FATX FATX] which has a 4GB file-size limitation, and only supports file/folder-names up to 42 characters, a maximum of 255 in total file-structure character-deept and a maximum number of 4096 files/folders in a single subfolder, plus in the root of each partition the maximum number of files/folders is 256. FATX does not either support all ACSII characters in file/folder names (like for example < > = ? : ; " * + , / \ | ¤ &). XBMC will automaticly rename any files/folders you transfer to the Xbox by these limitations. (None of these are XBMC issues that can be fixed as the limitation is in the Xbox itself). Workaround: Store your files/folders on your computer or a [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Network-attached_storage Network-Attached Storage (NAS)] device/box and share them over a [[smb|local-area-network]] instead.
*With its 733Mhz Intel Pentium III and 64MB shared memory, the Xbox game-console does not have enough hardware-resources (not fast enough CPU nor large enough RAM-memory) to play 720p/1080i resolution-native HDTV video (at 1280x720 and 1920x1080 pixels), (like 720p/1080i [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/WMVHD WMV HD] or MPEG-2). Workaround: XBMC can however upconvert all 480p/576p standard-resolution movies and output them to 720p or 1080i HDTV resolutions in better quality than most (if not all) HDTV's native function to upconvert video.
* Again with its 733Mhz Intel Pentium III and 64MB shared memory, the Xbox does not have enough hardware-resources (not fast enough CPU nor large enough RAM-memory) to play [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/H264 MPEG-4 AVC (H.264)] encododed videos with [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/H.264#Profiles Cabac and Deblocking] if the video-resolution is higher than 352x288 pixels. Workaround: If you encode your MPEG-4 AVC (H.264) videos without Cabac and Deblocking then the Xbox hardware can handle up to 480x576 pixels video-resolution. Though best is to encode your videos to [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/MPEG-4 MPEG-4 ASP] (like [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/DivX DivX] or [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/XviD XviD]) instead, then the videos native-resolution can be up to 960x540 pixels (a.k.a. [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Half_Resolution_High_Definition HRHD] resolution).




<br><br><br><br><br><br>
== No Response ==
It is important to remember that {{kodi}} is entirely a '''Volunteer''' project and nobody works on this as a full time job. This project is merely a very successful hobby for the developers. The forum is not a paid help service and the Moderators are also volunteers.
 
While the Team tries to provide assistance, it is not always possible to respond to every post personally. For that we rely on the devoted community of users. If you find that neither a Team-Member nor a Community Member has responded to your post, then there may be something wrong with your post. Some common errors include:
* The question was too vague with little or no information provided
* The question was too off-topic and is not a {{kodi}} problem
* The question has been answered so many times previously, that members are annoyed you have not done a basic search for the answer
* The post may come across as rude, demanding, insulting or just generally unappreciative
 
Ensure you don't fall into any of the above categories.
 
 
 
= See also =
* [[Development builds]]
* [[Log file|Debug Log]]
* [[Bug tracker]]
 
 
 
 
 
{{Top}}
{{updated|20}}
 
[[Category:FAQ]]
[[Category:Karellen]]
[[Category:First time user]]
[[Category:Troubleshooting]]

Latest revision as of 21:09, 19 February 2023

Home icon grey.png   ▶ Troubleshooting


Experiencing difficulties with Kodi? Then this page will guide you to information that may assist. Use this page as a jumping off point and if you cannot find a solution, there is always the forum to fallback to.


First Time User

If you are a first time user of Kodi and are just generally lost and not sure how to operate Kodi, then start with the First time user pages. Also check out the FAQs page.


Audio Troubleshooting

Audio troubleshooting
This page describes some of the steps you can take to troubleshoot audio problem and gives background information on audio concepts as a foundation for understand why some things work as they do.


Video Library Troubleshooting

Incorrect and missing videos
No scraper is 100% accurate. Errors arise from either mistakes by the user, inherent limitations of the scraper, and/or errors at the site of the information provider. If you have followed the guide, the errors you encounter will be minimal. For those errors that do occur, this page will help correct them. Sorry, but we cannot fix stubborness or laziness for those that refuse to fix their file naming problems.


Debug Logs

Log file
The Debug Log is Kodi's most basic diagnostic tool that assists in fault finding and troubleshooting. Kodi records a process and error log at all times, but this may not be sufficent and more detail is required. The Debug Log records additional data that may assist in resolving issues experienced by the user. The Easy and Advanced methods are the two options to create the Debug Log. The method you choose will depend on your requirements.


Test files and samples

See: Samples

Various samples that are useful for testing or trying to reproduce possible issues.


Video levels and color space

See: Video levels and color space

Information about video levels, color space, and calibration, for video.


Effective Troubleshooting

Steps that should be used to try and rectify issues.

Isolate the Problem
Before writing a bug report or asking questions in the forum, it is advisable to try and find the source of the bug. There are two good ways to do this depending on the problem:
  1. Temporarily remove user data (Fresh Start)
  2. Temporarily uninstall an add-on
Now test if the problem remains.
Windows users have the benefit of being able to install multiple copies of Kodi using Portable Mode. Install a fresh copy and see if the issue persists.
Update and Upgrade
Before writing a bug report, make sure that the add-on you are using, or Kodi itself, is fully updated to the latest official version. It is entirely possible that the problem is fixed in the most recent versions of the add-on and/or Kodi. The add-on support section of the forum contains information and help with Kodi add-ons. There may be beta versions of add-ons that are not officially added to the repository that fix the problem.
Test on Multiple Devices
Reproducing the bug on multiple devices will determine whether or not the source of the bug is the user’s hardware or Kodi itself. Testing the bug on multiple devices before submitting the bug report can isolate the source of the problem and help determine whether or not the developers can fix it. This tactic also greatly reduces the confusion that can occur when others try to reproduce the bug.


Reporting bugs and errors

See: HOW-TO:Submit a bug report


Getting more help


Asking questions in a smart way

How to ask questions in a smart way?:

  • When you ask:
    • Use meaningful Titles on posts. Don't ask the question in the post title.
    • If English is a second language for you, then clearly state that in the post.
    • Be clear, precise and informative about your question and problem
    • Provide the link to your Debug Log uploaded to a public Pastebin type site. We recommend to use http://paste.kodi.tv
    • Include screenshots to aid in problem description.
    • Write clearly, with correct use of punctuation and paragraphs. Too much text will put people off reading it. Too little and people won't bother.
    • Don't ask people to reply by private e-mail or private message.
    • Courtesy never hurts, and sometimes helps.
    • Follow up with a brief note on the solution if you find one


No Response

It is important to remember that Kodi is entirely a Volunteer project and nobody works on this as a full time job. This project is merely a very successful hobby for the developers. The forum is not a paid help service and the Moderators are also volunteers.

While the Team tries to provide assistance, it is not always possible to respond to every post personally. For that we rely on the devoted community of users. If you find that neither a Team-Member nor a Community Member has responded to your post, then there may be something wrong with your post. Some common errors include:

  • The question was too vague with little or no information provided
  • The question was too off-topic and is not a Kodi problem
  • The question has been answered so many times previously, that members are annoyed you have not done a basic search for the answer
  • The post may come across as rude, demanding, insulting or just generally unappreciative

Ensure you don't fall into any of the above categories.


See also



Return to top