After 2yrs HS2 Speaker has problems - Fixed!

[ATEngineer]

I have a HS2 system that has been running for almost 2 years and now for unknown reasons the speaker client appears to not be responding to the startup script call to execute. However, the speaker client can be launched manually with a double click on the desktop icon.

No errors appear in the HS log and none in the Windows logs.

Nothing has changed in the HS2 or Speaker client configuration. No hardware changes. The only thing I know of that changed was a large number of updates to Win7.

I have read several HS3 posts that talk about speaker problems caused by .NET version issues. Does a similar issue exists with HS2?

[Pete]

@Daniel,

I have no issues today running speaker dot exe on Homeseer 2 or Homeseer 3.

Using the same startup script for Homeseer 2 as I did 10 years ago.

You can just auto start speaker dot exe outside of the HS start up script if you want.

[Rupp]

Check out the event viewer on the system for any errors that may exist as well.

[Pete]

BTW too I would copy over the start script to a blank file using notepad then save it as the start up script.

Way back for whatever reasons I would trash files editing them with the IE browser.

[ATEngineer]

after 2 years HS2 speaker problems

Check out the event viewer on the system for any errors that may exist as well.

I don't have a lot of Win troubleshooting experience, what is the difference between an "event" as seen in the event viewer and what would appear in the "windows log?"

[Rupp]

What OS are you running? On Win7, you can right click on my Computer and select manage. Then look under the event viewer. Errors are typically listed under the Windows logs > Application

[Uncle Michael]

You might also use Task Manager to check to see if Windows thinks speaker.exe is still running before launching HS. There's a check in the startup script that will cause HS to skip the launch command.

    if not hs.IsApplicationRunning("Speaker") then
        hs.Launch hs.GetAppPath & "\Speaker.exe","","",0
    end if

[ATEngineer]

What OS are you running? On Win7, you can right click on my Computer and select manage. Then look under the event viewer. Errors are typically listed under the Windows logs > Application

I am running Win7 on a Dell desktop box. No error in Windows log file.

I need to understand what changed in this system after 2 years to create this problem.

Question: Has HS2 always run as a service? I had a stroke about a year ago and my memory/cognition are still recovering.

[Pete]

Question: Has HS2 always run as a service?

By default installation no.

I personally did run HS2 as a service in the early days of HS2.

The default starting of Homeseer speaker in the startup script was as mentioned above.

It checks first to see it it is running then starts it if it is not running. It is simple.

The start up script only runs when you run Homeseer dot exe.

My start up script running in HS2 is this...just a bit different than the above example and it runs fine today as I never have touched it over the years. I am only posting the beginning of the old start-up script.

It should only run once when you load Homeseer.

Do a copy and paste of your startup script here and let us have look at what you are doing.

' this is the startup script
' it is run once when HomeSeer starts up
' 
' this is a good place to default status on some devices
'
sub main()
	
	hs.WriteLog "Startup","Scripting is OK"
	hs.Waitsecs(5)

' speaker application
' if speaker client is not running, start it

	if not hs.IsApplicationRunning("Speaker") then
	hs.Launch("Speaker.exe")
	end if

[Rupp]

I am running Win7 on a Dell desktop box. No error in Windows log file.

I need to understand what changed in this system after 2 years to create this problem.

Question: Has HS2 always run as a service? I had a stroke about a year ago and my memory/cognition are still recovering.

Are you running HS2 as a service? If so this could be an issue as the service account may not have the permissions to start the speaker app. Try running the exe and see if that works.

[ATEngineer]

Thank you for your input, my StartUp script has the lines you have described and it hasn't changed in two years.

Focusing on what has changed, HS2 is now starting in "service" mode which it never did in the past. You said in the past you ran HS2 in service. My question then is how does one control whether or not HS2 runs in "service" mode. Given that info maybe I can understand how it was changed.


Thanks,

[ATEngineer]

Are you running HS2 as a service? If so this could be an issue as the service account may not have the permissions to start the speaker app. Try running the exe and see if that works.

I can see now where the Speaker client is being "shutdown" where it never did in the past. So I'm thinking it's not a speaker startup issue but an unintended shutdown. I've discovered that I have a Jon00 script that is now not working correctly and subsequently the speaker client is shutdown

It will be interesting to understand why these changes have occurred in an undisturbed system that's been running for 2 years.

I'll try running the .exe after dinner

Thanks,

[Pete]

You must have installed the Homeseer service mode. It is on the top of the old HS2 GUI and labeled service.

Go to wintel administration of the services, stop the service and disable it from running.

Personally here when running HS2 as a service I utilized an external service management program called Fire Daemon.

I still use it today on an Wintel Server box (not running Homeseer). Its been over 10 years now and runs great.

I do not see a setting for services in the hs2 INI file.

That said disabling service should work for you. Baby steps here.

You cannot break your computer (it is just a machine) and it can wait until after you eat dinner.




So I'm thinking it's not a speaker startup issue but an unintended shutdown.

Yes.

I've discovered that I have a Jon00 script that is now not working correctly and subsequently the speaker client is shutdown

Which script is that?

[ATEngineer]

Are you running HS2 as a service? If so this could be an issue as the service account may not have the permissions to start the speaker app. Try running the exe and see if that works.

All is now as it once was !

After a bit(?) of experimenting I was able to get HS out of "service mode." Easier to get in then get out :-) Rupp was correct in his earlier comment, there is even a warning when entering service mode that there will be speaker client problems. Also the failing script problem disappeared

I have no idea how HS got installed as a "service." I'm guessing that a new caregiver in the home was messing with the system

I need to investigate some way of locking out the keyboard/mouse.

Thank you, thank you one and all!

Daniel

[Pete]

Good news Daniel!

You can if you want just disconnect the keyboard, mouse and monitor from the Homeseer computer and just access it via another computer on your network easy peasy like.