Media Center Stuff
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I will keep the troubleshooting information in one page for now, but it may split into multiple pages as it accumulates...
There are several things to keep in mind when building a Media Center system. The first one is: Is all of my hardware on the Microsoft-approved list? If not, it may still work, but it may not. In either case, you may be asking for headaches if you don't use certified hardware.
Second issue: Do I have all the necessary software? In most cases, the drivers that come with any piece of hardware may be current when the hardware is assembled and boxed, but that could have been months ago. You should always have a copy of the latest drivers from the manufacturers web site. In addition, you might want to also download a down-level driver or two in case the most-current one has a bug or two (remember, there are always bugs). I've found the tiny USB flash drives are a great way to move drivers from your current system (presumably connected to the Internet already) to your system under construction.
Third issue: Do you really have all the necessary software? In the case of Media Center, you may not. If you are building your own system, you will not have one very important piece - the DVD decoder. For whatever reason, Microsoft decided not to write their own decoder, forcing you to purchase one of the approved ones (again, listed on The List). Many system builders don't realize this important software is missing until they get their system assembled and then find they cannot watch TV or DVDs.
Finally, there's the other necessary software. This includes software you would need on any Windows system, such as a good antivirus, a firewall, and something to detect and remove spyware. There are many choices available, including the free ones: AVG and Avast for antivirus protection, Zone Alarm for a firewall, and Microsoft's own AntiSpyWare program (currently in beta). Microsoft's entry currently does not work on Media Center if you have an Extender, but the final release version will. I can recommend all of these because they work for me. Your mileage may vary, of course.
Video is a large subject that may deserve its own page. There are so many possibilities... For now, I'll assume you have a computer monitor of some kind, and that it will connect to your video card using the standard VGA adapter. While you may be able to get rid of it once you're connected to a TV, it will be invaluable during the construction phase.
There are many ways to connect your Media Center to a TV. All of them depend on one thing - what types of inputs your TV has. Most all TVs have a composite input jack - this connector looks like the kind you use to connect stereo components and is called an RCA jack. It is also the same jack you use to connect video games to your TV, which is why all TVs have one. Many TVs even have two - one on the back and one on the front of the TV. Right next to this jack will be two more identical jacks - these are for your left and right stereo sound.
Your sound card will have a 1/8" mini stereo plug output (like a headphone jack), typically labeled Line Out. You will need a cable, available at any electronics or computer store, that can plug into the sound card and split the signal into the two channels. This will allow you to get the sound from your Media Center into your TV.
Generally, your video card will not have a composite output jack. What it will have is an sVideo jack. This small circular jack with several pins looks similar to a keyboard or mouse port. It can be used to send the sVideo signal to a composite input jack, and again you'll need a special sVideo to Composite cable. Or, if your TV is fairly new, it may have an sVideo input jack.
A composite signal is the worst possible video signal - you should only use it if your TV doesn't have anything better. sVideo is slightly better than composite.
The next highest on the food chain is a DVI connection - almost all video boards now have a DVI connector. It's a little larger than a VGA jack, and has three rows of 8 pins, plus the possibility of additional pins at one end. This is a good signal choice if your TV has a DVI input jack. Finally, there is a new jack called HDMI. I haven't seen a video board with one of these, but it is possible to get a cable that converts from DVI to HDMI.
Video problems take all forms and may include problems with one or more parts of the video subsystem. Hardware-based problems could include the tuner card, video display card, or cables. Software-based problems could include drivers for any hardware component, or the DVD decoder or Media Center software. And of course there's Human-based problems, which could include things like misconfiguration or miscabling.
It's extremely easy to misconfigure video display driver settings - the dialogs are often not intuitive, and some of the more esoteric but necessary options may not be labeled in the common vernacular. Some drivers have non-standard user interface controls for things like checkboxes and selections. In most cases, the items are explained adequately well in the manual, but the manual must often be downloaded separately and viewed in a PDF viewer.
Driver software itself can often be the culprit. It always helps to know the current version number, and to check the web site frequently to see if there are newer drivers. Please note that newer drivers are not always better drivers. Sometimes the best driver is one several versons old. It would help sometimes to try an older or newer driver to see if it helps or not. In my case, for instance, I'm currently running ATI Catalyst 5.4 drivers because they work for me. I will upgrade to the 5.9 version eventually.
Tuner drivers can also be an issue, so know where to go for newer versions. Often with both tuners and display adapters, a probelm can be fixed by just reinstalling the same version of the existing drivers.
Some problems can be resolved by moving the board in auestion to a different slot. It seems that all PCI slots are not created equal.
Copyright © 2007 by Dana Cline
Last Updated On 5/1/2007
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