Music Collection display error

[MrVideo]

Vitals:

Windblows 98SE
dMC-File-Selector.exe
dMC-PowerPack.exe
dBpowerAMP-codec-mp4-aacenc-alter.exe
dBpowerAMP-codec-mp4.exe
dBpowerAMP-codec-mp4-aac-decode.exe
dBpowerAMP-r2.exe
dMC-r10.exe

If I start Music Collection by double-clicking on the desktop icon, the following is displayed:

http://vidiot.com/MusicCollection-bad.gif

If I rip a CD, which ultimately starts Music Collection, when the display is first brought up, it looks like the above image, but shortly thereafter the screen is "flashed" and it is corrected to look like:

http://vidiot.com/MusicCollection-good.gif

OK, what gives and what can I do to correct the problem?

Thanks

[xoas]

Re: Music Collection display error

I know someone has posted about this problem but I can't find the thread right now. I'll keep looking.
What is your display setting?
If you get the "bad" MMC screen, if you minimize it and then restore it does it stay "bad" or does it straighten out?

[MrVideo]

Re: Music Collection display error

I know someone has posted about this problem but I can't find the thread right now. I'll keep looking.

Thanks.

What is your display setting?

1280x1024

If you get the "bad" MMC screen, if you minimize it and then restore it does it stay "bad" or does it straighten out?

Stays bad.

[xoas]

Re: Music Collection display error

I think the problem may lie with your screen resolution. Do you have Large Fonts enabled? If so, you might try turning this off to see if that fixes it (I can't promise it will or that you will actually be able to read anything, this is just a test). The other test you can make is to change your screen resolution to a smalleer size and see if that goes away.
If these confirm that the problem has to do with your resolution and with Large Fonts being enabled, your remedies are to disable large fonts (assuming that works), reducing your screen resolution or try the current beta version of dB Audio Player (which you can download from the Beta section of this forum). This version features improved Large Fonts support.
So try these ideas out and let us know what you find.
Best wishes,
Bill Mikkelsen

[MrVideo]

Re: Music Collection display error

I think the problem may lie with your screen resolution. Do you have Large Fonts enabled?

Small fonts.

The other test you can make is to change your screen resolution to a smalleer size and see if that goes away.

1152x864 didn't fix the problem.

... try the current beta version of dB Audio Player

OK, I'll try and find it. I don't current see a wy of getting to the section you mentioned.

[xoas]

Re: Music Collection display error

The thread to the right part of the beta section is here:

http://forum.dbpoweramp.com/showthread.php?t=2045

Best wishes,
Bill mikkelsen

[MrVideo]

Re: Music Collection display error

The thread to the right part of the beta section is here:
http://forum.dbpoweramp.com/showthread.php?t=2045

Found it, installed it. No difference, other than the background color is no longer black, it is white. The text is still messed up.

It is worse than I thought. Take a look at this image:

http://vidiot.com/MusicCollection-worse.gif

The player controller used to work, i.e., be displayed correctly. As can be seen, the player is useless.

But, here is the kicker. If the player is started after doing a rip, where the font/text problem is corrected, the player is now back to normal as well.

So, we know that both pieces can be made to work, but only after the "refresh" that happens when ripping.

[xoas]

Re: Music Collection display error

Small fonts.

By this I assume you mean Normal Fonts (96 dpi).

1152x864 didn't fix the problem.

I suppose you might try going down another step but I'm not optimistic about this.

Have you downloaded and installed the Windows 98 System Updates (can be found from either the dB Music Converter or dB Audio Player links at the top of the page)?

Other than that, and maybe trying to enable large fonts (just to see if it changes anything), I am at a loss for now. I'll keep you in mind. Perhaps another user has an idea about this. I am perplexed about why this is a problem launching from the screen icon but not when adding tracks from dMC. Have you tried launching MMC from the main skin while playing dAP? Does it show up "bad" too?

Best wishes,
Bill Mikkelsen

[MrVideo]

Re: Music Collection display error

By this I assume you mean Normal Fonts (96 dpi).

Yes. the note under small fonts did say 96 dpi.

I suppose you might try going down another step but I'm not optimistic about this.

I don't really want to do that. Going where I did screwed up my desktop icon placement as it was. Plus, I want the large area anyway.

Have you downloaded and installed the Windows 98 System Updates (can be found from either the dB Music Converter or dB Audio Player links at the top of the page)?

When I was downloading all of the pieces, I read the notes and went looking at those. From what I can tell, those are for 98 users. I am a 98SE user.

Other than that, and maybe trying to enable large fonts (just to see if it changes anything), I am at a loss for now.

No diff.

I'll keep you in mind. Perhaps another user has an idea about this. I am perplexed about why this is a problem launching from the screen icon but not when adding tracks from dMC. Have you tried launching MMC from the main skin while playing dAP? Does it show up "bad" too?

I'm not qute sure what you are asking me to do here. I am new to the programs. If I double-click the player desktop icon, the audio player comes up without the distortion problem, but it automatically brought up MMC and the text was still wrong.

Maybe I should install the programs on the W2K box. I have both 98SE and W2K boxes. The reason is that newer versions of MicroCrap Windblows caused older versions of programs to no longer work. Those programs were made obsolete, or not updated, by the original manufacturer. Unfortunately, I still need them in order to do certain A/V things for my web site.

Both of the boxes are behind my Linux firewall, so there are no virus scanner programs to get in the way. All my e-mail comes directly to my Linus server.

I must be the only 93SE user left on the planet. :D

[MrVideo]

Re: Music Collection display error

Maybe I should install the programs on the W2K box.

Well, I installed the software on the W2K box and the problems starting MMC from the MMC desktop icon is gone. Since all of the music files are on the Linux box, I didn't have to move the music to the W2K box.

If you find anything while coding in the future that you want me to try on the 98SE box, let me know.

Looks like I'll stick with the W2K box. Plus that frees up the 98SE box to do firewire A/V transfers from the DVCAm deck.

BTW, congrats of the software. An excellent batch of tools and applications.

[xoas]

Re: Music Collection display error

Well at least something's working right.
One more idea occurs to me regarding the Windows 98SE issue. Have you tried adjusting column width on your MMC screen?
Best wishes,
Bill Mikkelsen

[MrVideo]

Re: Music Collection display error

Well at least something's working right.
One more idea occurs to me regarding the Windows 98SE issue. Have you tried adjusting column width on your MMC screen?

MMC only works correctly full screen. If you have it any other size, the info on the screen is just cropped (starting from the lower right).

So, the only mode I use it in is full screen.

[xoas]

Re: Music Collection display error

Well normally the MMC window does not fit into your monitor's screen and normally you have to scan to the right to pick up additional information from the MMC window. My strong suspicion is that this is true even at 1280 resolution. So what I am suggesting is seeing if adjusting the column width within the MMC window will make a difference. My reason for suggesting that is that I sometimes have this problem with information on the dMC Audio CD Input screen when I am ripping and that is what I do to correct the situation when it occurs.
You don't happen to have some setting on your display asking it to fit all the contents of a window within the monitor's screen, do you? If so you might turn that off.
Since going to the dAP beta didn't work and made things worse, uninstall it and reinstall dAP r2.
Perhaps Spoon or another user has an idea that migth help.
Best wishes,
Bill Mikkelsen

[MrVideo]

Re: Music Collection display error

Well normally the MMC window does not fit into your monitor's screen and normally you have to scan to the right to pick up additional information from the MMC window. My strong suspicion is that this is true even at 1280 resolution. So what I am suggesting is seeing if adjusting the column width within the MMC window will make a difference. My reason for suggesting that is that I sometimes have this problem with information on the dMC Audio CD Input screen when I am ripping and that is what I do to correct the situation when it occurs.

Sorry, didn't mean to misunderstand what you were getting at.

You are quite correct that even at 1280x1024, the width doesn't fit on the screen and that a horizontal scrollbar appears. That can be seen in the images that I've posted. Using the scrollbar only results in the bad text characters to be scrolled left and right. Even clicking on the buttons to go between full screen and not full screen doesn't cause a rerender to fix the problem.

You don't happen to have some setting on your display asking it to fit all the contents of a window within the monitor's screen, do you? If so you might turn that off.

Nope, did not get such a GUI at all, ever. I've never seen such a thing.

Since going to the dAP beta didn't work and made things worse, uninstall it and reinstall dAP r2.

I'll probably leave it, since I won't be playing anything from there (until there is a cure). There will be times I will have to convert wave files to MP4, but once I go that route, the problem goes away, for that session.

[xoas]

Re: Music Collection display error

A couple of other suggestions for you to check out whenever the mood strikes you:

1.If you open MMC through the Audio Player (dAP) and it shows messed up, does it clear up when you click on the taskbar at the bottom of the screen? (suggested by Craze, a talented skin designer who happens to be a Windows 998 user himself).

2. Open MMC through dAP. On the top menu bar is a button that says Collection. Click on it and click on the menu item that says Preferences. Click on the button that reads Default Columns. If necessary, close and re-open MMC. Does that correct it?

Best wishes,
Bill Mikkelsen