EPG Collector Problem

[jcjefferies]

I run “EPG Collector” from UpdateEPG.bat to generate the EPG XML file then do some processing of the file before loading it into NextPVR. Ever since I did a clean install of Windows on my server several weeks ago the scheduled overnight EPG update has not run correctly so have had to do regular manual updates.

I had been looking at it as some sort of permissions problem. I eventually isolated the problem when running “Nextpvr.exe –updateepgonly” from Task Scheduler and noticed that the UpdateEPG.bat commands do not run if “Run with higher privileges” is selected.

EPG Collector wont now run with admin privileges such as when run from the NextPVR EPG scheduler. Earlier versions when installed for “All Users” stored the config files under \ProgramData so all users shared the config file. However a clean "All Users" install of the latest or later versions now use \Users so when run as admin EPG Collector cannot find any config files so refuses to run.

The work around is to run “Nextpvr.exe –updateepgonly” from Task Scheduler without higher privileges!

[Reddwarf]

Have you tried running the recording service as your own account?

[jcjefferies]

Thanks, I will try that on the test server I installed to investigate the problem. However the first thing is to check if this "feature" of EPG Collector" is how it is supposed to work but didn't have time yesterday.

Chris

[MCEabused]

Hi I too use EPG Collector called from Nextpvr UpdateEPG.bat with the npvr "as a service" option
I hope you and maybe others might find this info useful.
When you do this the UpdateEPG.bat and EPG Collector are run under the local system account.
"EPG Collector" when run from UpdateEPG.bat will "by default" look for EPG Collector.ini in the "C:\ProgramData\Geekzone\EPG Collector" directory and the same for collection logs and images. ( you will have to folder views to show hidden files and folders)
you could specify the ini directory via "EPGCollector.exe /ini=path and name of parameter file" but I as remember this still didn't work until you ran it "interactively" as "local system". This also applied to other programs like videoredo etc called from the various Npvr *.bat files

The Solution for me to the UpdateEPG.bat /local system account problem was to use the MS tool PsExec.exe to run epg collector, videoredo etc as "local system" interactively and just bash through the 1st time run files and security dialog prompts. Afterwards epg collecter just works from updateepg.bat
I found it to be really handy for troubleshooting Npvr script problems

you can get the MS psexec tool
https://technet.microsoft.com/en-us/sysi...97553.aspx
create and "run as" administrator the below cmd file to "run as" local system
=====Run as local system psexec.bat file=
cd c:\scripts
psexec -s -i c:\scripts\EPGgui.cmd
exit
==============================

in this case it calls epgcollector's gui to set up/change the ini, and view logs, but you could change it to updateepg.bat or the problem batch or application

=====EPGgui.cmd==Note 64 bit paths===
cd "C:\Program Files (x86)\Geekzone\EPG Collector"
"C:\Program Files (x86)\Geekzone\EPG Collector\EPGCentre.exe"
exit
================================

[jcjefferies]

I checked with the writer of EPG Collector and it depends on the login account permissions with which EPG Collector is run where the data such as the ini files are stored.

Administrator Vista/W7 C:\ProgramData\Geekzone\EPG Collector

User Vista/W7 C:\Users\%user%\AppData\Local\Geekzone\EPG Collector

With a default install you would usually edit EPG Collector configuration using the user account but NextPVR EPG update runs EPG Collector using the System account so wont find the config file!!

I have now run the previous Windows disk and found that it ran with UAC disabled. This means that the default user account runs as Administrator so when EPG Collector is edited the files are stored in \ProgramData so the EPG update can now find the config files. This must have been my solution to the problem when I started using EPG Collector over two years ago.

On the new Windows install I am currently starting the EPG update using the user account from Task Scheduler so no problem finding the config files. However if I want to go back to using the NextPVR EPG Scheduler I will have to either disable UAC so user login will be as admin or as was been suggested start the Record Service with the user account instead of the default "System".

Chris