Megui - When opening avs file: MeGUI has stopped working

[enchant1]

I recently did a fresh Win7 install and installed my tried and true v0.3.5.0 MeGUI. Everything was running fine. I did a few encodes and life was good. This morning, I tried to do a new encode, and when I opened the AVS file, Megui died with the "MeGUI has stopped working" box. I downloaded the latest MeGUI (2507) and tried it straight out of the box with no modifications and got the same error. The avs file is ultra simple:

DirectShowSource("test2.mkv")

Here is the log file:

Preliminary log file only. During closing of MeGUI the well formed log file will be written.

-[Information] Versions
--[Information] [1/31/2015 8:42:10 AM] MeGUI: 2507
--[Information] [1/31/2015 8:42:11 AM] Operating System: Windows 7 Premium Edition x64 SP1 (6.1.65536.7601)
--[Information] [1/31/2015 8:42:11 AM] .Net Framework: 2.0.50727.5420
--[Information] [1/31/2015 8:42:11 AM] .Net Framework: 4.0.0.0
--[Information] [1/31/2015 8:42:11 AM] AviSynth: 2.5.8.5 (21-12-2008)
--[Information] [1/31/2015 8:42:11 AM] AvisynthWrapper:  (03-01-2009)
--[Information] [1/31/2015 8:42:11 AM] Haali Matroska Splitter: 1.10.348.15 (07-11-2010)
--[Information] [1/31/2015 8:42:11 AM] Haali DSS2:  (07-11-2010)
--[Information] [1/31/2015 8:42:11 AM] ICSharpCode.SharpZipLib: 0.85.5.452 (08-08-2008)
--[Information] [1/31/2015 8:42:11 AM] LinqBridge: 1.0.0.0 (28-05-2009)
--[Information] [1/31/2015 8:42:11 AM] MediaInfo: 0.7.69.0 (24-04-2014)
--[Information] [1/31/2015 8:42:11 AM] MediaInfoWrapper: 0.7.61.0 (06-01-2013)
--[Information] [1/31/2015 8:42:11 AM] MessageBoxExLib: 1.0.2218.28317 (20-12-2008)
--[Information] [1/31/2015 8:42:11 AM] SevenZipSharp: 0.64.3890.29348 (02-01-2011)
--[Information] [1/31/2015 8:42:11 AM] 7z: 9.20 (18-11-2010)
-[Information] Update detection
--[Information] [1/31/2015 8:42:11 AM] Using cached update config and server: http://megui.org/auto/stable/
--[Information] [1/31/2015 8:42:11 AM] No package requires an update

From the Windows "problem details" box:

Problem signature:
  Problem Event Name:	APPCRASH
  Application Name:	MeGUI.exe
  Application Version:	1.0.2507.0
  Application Timestamp:	53aec650
  Fault Module Name:	RemoveGrainS.dll_unloaded
  Fault Module Version:	0.0.0.0
  Fault Module Timestamp:	4274bff6
  Exception Code:	c0000005
  Exception Offset:	06d4a8ed
  OS Version:	6.1.7601.2.1.0.768.3
  Locale ID:	1033
  Additional Information 1:	d41d
  Additional Information 2:	d41d8cd98f00b204e9800998ecf8427e
  Additional Information 3:	5364
  Additional Information 4:	5364a10bc31eda8d2d56309200cf817b

Read our privacy statement online:
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If the online privacy statement is not available, please read our privacy statement offline:
  C:\Windows\system32\en-US\erofflps.txt

I have a laptop on the network and the MeGUI on that machine was able to open and encode using the same files on the same drive.

Edit: Forgot to add that this video file is the same one that I successfully encoded four days ago.

[StainlessS]

Exception Code: c0000005

Looks like memory Access violation in RemoveGrain static linked dll (no runtmes required), as much as I can tell you.

[Overdrive80]

Use RemoveGrainS.dll without S or you can use this https://github.com/tp7/RgTools. Erase removegrainX.dll from avisynth plugins

http://avisynth.nl/index.php/RemoveGrain

[enchant1]

Thanks for the replies. I moved RemoveGran*.dll out of that directory. Megui died again, but this time it gave the same error about RepairS.dll. So I removed RepairS*.dll and then got the crash with SSE3Tools.dll. I removed SS*Tools.dll and the error changed to TDeint.dll. I'm just waving a stick in the dark here, but it seems like the problem might be deeper than this.

[Groucho2004]

Usually in these situations you should remove all plugins from the autoload directory and then add them as needed.
Also, you might try a tool I wrote which points out problems with DLLs in the Avisynth autoload directory.

[hello_hello]

Have you tried switching from the installed Avisynth to the portable version supplied with MeGUI? Any plugins in the "installed" AVIsynth plugins folder will still auto-load. It also might be an idea to upgrade the "installed" AVIsynth to version 2.6 (and if there's any Avisynth 2.5.8 specific plugins replace them with the 2.6 versions).

I don't fully understand how MeGUI interacts with Avisynth as such, but when you load an AVS file it verifies it in some way so any plugins in the AVIsynth plugins folder would be loaded each time. I don't know why that'd cause MeGUI to crash.

You could try updating MeGUI to the latest version on the development update server. It's version 2513. Although as you've already tried two different versions it probably won't make a difference.

If you open the same script using a different program (ie MPC-HC) does it work correctly?

MeGUI tells me I have Haali Matroska Splitter: 1.13.138.14 (14-04-2013) installed. Given it's an MKV and DirectShowSource it might be worth updating the version you have installed. Speaking of which, what happens if you open the same file with the file indexer and get MeGUI to index it rather than use DirectShowsource?

[enchant1]

I removed everything from the avisynth plugins folder except for DirectShowSource.dll and got the same result with this as the error:

Problem signature:
  Problem Event Name:	APPCRASH
  Application Name:	MeGUI.exe
  Application Version:	1.0.2507.0
  Application Timestamp:	53aec650
  Fault Module Name:	StackHash_2264
  Fault Module Version:	0.0.0.0
  Fault Module Timestamp:	00000000
  Exception Code:	c0000005
  Exception Offset:	06f8a8ed
  OS Version:	6.1.7601.2.1.0.768.3
  Locale ID:	1033
  Additional Information 1:	2264
  Additional Information 2:	2264db07e74365624c50317d7b856ae9
  Additional Information 3:	875f
  Additional Information 4:	875fa2ef9d2bdca96466e8af55d1ae6e

Read our privacy statement online:
  http://go.microsoft.com/fwlink/?linkid=104288&clcid=0x0409

If the online privacy statement is not available, please read our privacy statement offline:
  C:\Windows\system32\en-US\erofflps.txt

Originally Posted by hello_hello

Have you tried switching from the installed Avisynth to the portable version supplied with MeGUI?

Pardon my ignorance, but how do I do that? Is this a Megui option? I didn't see any obvious way to switch.

Any plugins in the "installed" AVIsynth plugins folder will still auto-load. It also might be an idea to upgrade the "installed" AVIsynth to version 2.6 (and if there's any Avisynth 2.5.8 specific plugins replace them with the 2.6 versions).

I uninstalled the existing avisynth and installed 2.6. No change.

If you open the same script using a different program (ie MPC-HC) does it work correctly?

I can open an avs file with a video player? I tried using MPC-HC on my test2.avs and it simply said "Can't render file." However, I ran it on the video file that it references with no trouble.

Speaking of which, what happens if you open the same file with the file indexer and get MeGUI to index it rather than use DirectShowsource?

By the same "file", you're referring to the .mkv video file, right?

I've never done it that way, but it *does* create a .ffindex file. Can I encode using it, rather than an .avs file?

[hello_hello]

Originally Posted by enchant1

Pardon my ignorance, but how do I do that? Is this a Megui option? I didn't see any obvious way to switch.

Options/Settings and under the Main Configuration tab there's a check-box labelled "always use the included Avisynth". I assume from your log file you're using the installed Avisynth, unless I'm reading it wrong.

Originally Posted by enchant1

I can open an avs file with a video player? I tried using MPC-HC on my test2.avs and it simply said "Can't render file." However, I ran it on the video file that it references with no trouble.

You can definitely open AVS scripts with MPC-HC. The "can't render file" error might mean there's no codec installed to decode the vide in question. I'm not really sure, but maybe it's pointing to where the problem might be, only I'm not clever enough to know what it means myself.

Originally Posted by enchant1

By the same "file", you're referring to the .mkv video file, right?

I've never done it that way, but it *does* create a .ffindex file. Can I encode using it, rather than an .avs file?

The index file isn't used instead of an AVS file, it's used to help decode the video. When you open an MKV with DirectShowSource, MeGUI will use DirectShowSource() in the script to open the video. After indexing, in the case of FFMS2, it'll use FFVideoSource() in the script instead. The script creator should automatically open after indexing, but if not, open it and select the index file as the input video.

The indexing methods are generally preferable to DirectShowSource as they don't rely on having the appropriate DirectShow codecs installed and they're mostly "frame accurate". Ever tried to navigate through a preview and odd things happen like the video stutters or seems to start in the wrong place etc? That'd be DirectShow. It's mostly fine when encoding from start to finish though.

Anyway, if you index an MKV, create a script and save it, the script should use FFVideoSource() to open the video and MPC-HC should also be able to open the script.

[enchant1]

Originally Posted by hello_hello

You can definitely open AVS scripts with MPC-HC. The "can't render file" error might mean there's no codec installed to decode the vide in question. I'm not really sure, but maybe it's pointing to where the problem might be, only I'm not clever enough to know what it means myself.

I did some digging, and it turns out that MPC-HC 64-bit has a problem with avs files. I installed the 32-bit and got past that error, BUT...

Then it crashed with the exact same error as MeGIU.

Problem signature:
  Problem Event Name:	APPCRASH
  Application Name:	mpc-hc.exe
  Application Version:	1.7.8.0
  Application Timestamp:	54c4ee22
  Fault Module Name:	StackHash_2264
  Fault Module Version:	0.0.0.0
  Fault Module Timestamp:	00000000
  Exception Code:	c0000005
  Exception Offset:	0656a8ed
  OS Version:	6.1.7601.2.1.0.768.3
  Locale ID:	1033
  Additional Information 1:	2264
  Additional Information 2:	2264db07e74365624c50317d7b856ae9
  Additional Information 3:	875f
  Additional Information 4:	875fa2ef9d2bdca96466e8af55d1ae6e

So this is apparently not a MeGUI problem. Now I just need to figure out what is causing failures with AVS files and directshowsource.

BTW - My MeGUI didn't have an option to "always use the included Avisynth". Using a newer version, I saw it was there. Didn't make a difference but this might all be moot, given what I've just learned.

Thanks for all your help, btw.

[enchant1]

This may be a red herring, but I just don't know. If I remove directshowsource.dll from the avisynth plugin directory, it doesn't seem to make any difference in the problem. Shouldn't there be an error saying that it isn't there? Could these programs getting directshowsource() from another location?

[stax76]

For 32-Bit AviSynth and DirectShowSource you need a 32-Bit DirectShow player and 32-Bit DirectShow filters. I use MPC, LAV, Haali, Codec Tweak Tool and GraphStudio.

[enchant1]

I'm back in business. I've given up on directshowsource and load the video with FFVideoSource. Thanks everyone for all the help.

[hello_hello]

Originally Posted by enchant1

BTW - My MeGUI didn't have an option to "always use the included Avisynth". Using a newer version, I saw it was there. Didn't make a difference but this might all be moot, given what I've just learned.

That's odd, because according to the changelog (Help/Changelog) the option was added some time between versions 2419 and 2500, and your log file says you were using 2307.

Originally Posted by enchant1

This may be a red herring, but I just don't know. If I remove directshowsource.dll from the avisynth plugin directory, it doesn't seem to make any difference in the problem. Shouldn't there be an error saying that it isn't there? Could these programs getting directshowsource() from another location?

Which Avisynth plugin folder, the "installed" avisynth or MeGUI's one?
If MeGUI creates a script and it's using the included avisynth, it loads directshowsource.dll from it's own plugin folder, so removing the one in the Avisynth plugin folder won't make a difference. The script would look something like this:

LoadPlugin("C:\Program Files\MeGUI\tools\avs\plugins\directshowsource.dll")
DirectShowSource("D:\video.mkv")

Without the one in MeGUI's plugin folder being loaded in a script, then removing the one in the avisynth plugins folder should produce an error.

I don't have any clever suggestions for fixing the DirectShow problem aside from maybe updating the Haali Media Splitter. The one you have installed appears to be pretty old.

[enchant1]

I must have done something wrong with my initial testing, because when I retried it with Avisynth's directshowsource.dll missing AND unchecked the box to use Megui's internal avisynth, I did get a "not found" error. But retesting using the internal and not using it, loading in the dll as you illustrated, the problem doesn't change. I updated Haali and still no change. But I'm encoding without directshowsource, so I'm not going to waste people's time further. I have to believe that there is something else totally unrelated to all these utilities that is interfering somehow. I toyed with the idea of restarting from scratch with a fresh Win7 install and keep installing things until it breaks again, but I don't know if I have that kind of stamina.

Thanks again for all your help!

[enchant1]

I was able to encode again making some changes and using FFVideoSource(). A few days later, Microsoft Expression Encoder, which was working just fine earlier, started crashing with the same stackhash error that MeGUI was getting. After a lot of research and unable to find a solution, I finally adopted a scorched earth policy and restored the PC to its factory defaults. I then loaded in everything that was installed before the factory defaults restoration, and after the entire system has been restored, both MeGUI with directshowsource() and MS Expression Encoder are working fine.

Which proves that there could only be one scientific explanation for all of this.

Gremlins.