How do I make it stop deleting my shows?!?

[OverClock]

I have several favourites set and autodelete turn off on all of them but Sage deletes them all within 24 hours every time!!!! I have over 100 GB of free HD space so space isn't the problem. I also have it set to keep all episodes if that makes any difference.

[Opus4]

You may have 100GB of free space, but how much space is SageTV set to use? If you go to Setup -> System Information, what does it list as the "Available Video Diskspace"?

But, something still sounds strange since you said you have autodelete turned off and they are still getting deleted. Do you still have any shows at all in your SageTV Recordings list?

- Andy

[OverClock]

Available video disk space is 112 GB and no I don't have any recordings, Sage deletes everything. It doesn't matter if I have watched the recording or not it deletes them in under 24 hours. Sage is the only thing running on the box, it's a dedicated PVR.

[Opus4]

I don't remember hearing of this happening before. Are you using 2.0? I would try doing a complete reinstall of SageTV, making sure to delete the entire SageTV directory after uninstalling it. If you've customized your channel logos & such, keep those files. Be sure to at least move wiz.bin, wiz.bak, and all the properties files + backups out of the SageTV dir so that the new install isn't using those data files.

Is there anything else running that would periodically delete all mpg files? Are the mpg files moved anywhere on your disk, or are they completely gone?

What kind of EPG are you using -- the built-in one, or XMLTV?

- Andy

[OverClock]

I'm running Sage v2.0 with the Neilm v1.8 STV and comskip v0.60, I have a scheduled event delete orphaned comskip files every night at 2:30am and a defrag run at 3am. I have checked and neither scheduled events are deleting anything. The MPG files aren't being moved anywhere, there is only 1 HD in the system and the available drive space is the same now as before I did any recordings so there is no space being used up somewhere else. My EPG is the mod on the forums for Zap2It outside of the US (in Canada). I keep Sage in sleep mode most of the time and mainly control it using the PVR350's remote on the TV. I have 29 favourites all of them set to keep all episodes and don't autodelete, originally they were all set to autodelete then I noticed there were all dissappearing so I changed all the favourites to manual delete but it had no effect.

[Opus4]

Do your recordings exist after the show is over? An hour later? Anyone else ever run into such a thing?

I would look into double checking that the scheduled event to delete files isn't deleting more than you want it to... disable it for a while.

- Andy

[OverClock]

Here is the file delete event:
@echo off
for /f "tokens=1 delims=." %%i in ('dir /s/b *-0.txt') do if NOT EXIST "%%i.mpg" (del "%%i.txt")
for /f "tokens=1 delims=." %%i in ('dir /s/b *-0.log') do if NOT EXIST "%%i.mpg" (del "%%i.log")
for /f "tokens=1 delims=." %%i in ('dir /s/b *-0.chp') do if NOT EXIST "%%i.mpg" (del "%%i.chp")
for /f "tokens=1 delims=." %%i in ('dir /s/b *-0.logo.txt') do if NOT EXIST "%%i.mpg" (del "%%i.logo.txt")
for /f "tokens=1 delims=." %%i in ('dir /s/b *-0.csv') do if NOT EXIST "%%i.mpg" (del "%%i.csv")
for /f "tokens=1 delims=." %%i in ('dir /s/b *-0.srt') do if NOT EXIST "%%i.mpg" (del "%%i.srt")
for /f "tokens=1 delims=." %%i in ('dir /s/b *-0.smi') do if NOT EXIST "%%i.mpg" (del "%%i.smi")
for /f "tokens=1 delims=." %%i in ('dir /s/b *-0.cut') do if NOT EXIST "%%i.mpg" (del "%%i.cut")
for /f "tokens=1 delims=." %%i in ('dir /s/b *-0.VPrj') do if NOT EXIST "%%i.mpg" (del "%%i.VPrj")
I have tested it many times and it never deletes what it shouldn't and I believe is being used by many other comskip users. The problem existed before I added the cleanup event anyway.

The programs do exist after recording for several hours, I have one from tonight right now. My recordings occur mainly during primetime hours and dissappear sometime the following day before the next primetime slots come up. I have yet to see 2 days worth of shows on the drive at once.

[Opus4]

Does the time of deletion correspond to your EPG update time?

- Andy

[Whiskeyjack]

Ok, so I'm not alone

This just happened to me the other day. Set Sage to record two manual recordings and left home, came back some 2 hours after the final recording was done, no recording. First thought that Sage missed the recordings but it had changed the channel on the STB so did some checking and found the comskip-files in my video directory, but no mpg file.

This might have something to do with Comskip or Nielms stv, because I'm also running them. Was running Nielm stv 1.6 and Comskip 0.4x (don't remember exactly) with background processing of Comskip. Have since upgraded both to current versions and turned off background processing. No problem yet, just two recordings later.

Got plenty of space for SageTV to use, some 90 GB free at the time.

Any clues??
Whiskeyjack

[mls]

I really suspect it's either a bug or misconfiguration somewhere with Comskip. The interesting thing here is that both OverClock and Whiskeyjack are using comskip and nielm STV. However, they are using different versions of each, yet having the same file deletion problem. Since I've never had this problem happen when using nielm's STV by itself, I'd have to guess something is not configured correctly for comskip.

[mlbdude]

During troubleshooting when you are running the OrigionalV2 STV do you still notice this behavior?

[nielm]

I don't use comskip, and I have never had Sage delete something unexpectedly...

[mls]

Originally Posted by nielm

I don't use comskip, and I have never had Sage delete something unexpectedly...

I have had v2.0 "unexpectedly" delete a couple files, but that was from the bug with hitting Record while watching something (fixed in v2.1). But, that only occured if you were watching a show. Apparently these guys have the files deleting before they even get to start watching them, so this is something completely different. Still think it's something to do with how comskip is configured somewhere.

[mightyt]

Originally Posted by mls

I have had v2.0 "unexpectedly" delete a couple files, but that was from the bug with hitting Record while watching something (fixed in v2.1). But, that only occured if you were watching a show. Apparently these guys have the files deleting before they even get to start watching them, so this is something completely different. Still think it's something to do with how comskip is configured somewhere.

I had this as well but took care of it through the properties file ...

T.

[Whiskeyjack]

More info;

Never had sageTV delete anything on its own previously, it started (actually only happened that one time, bad for WAF if it would happen on a Chicago Hope show ) when I turned on background processing of comskip.

I've checked the comskip.ini file and there is nothing in there to "misconfigure", especially to have it delete mpg files. Didn't have any problems when I ran it manually.

[mlbdude]

I had problems on my HTPC when running a DivX compressor in the background while Sage was recording. The CPU was high enough that the encoder was constantly resetting and when the show was done recording because it was so mangled Sage removed it.

I was able to confirm this by looking in the recording directory when it was recording. The recording was broken into many files.

[Opus4]

I know these things have already been said, but I thought this should be repeated....

Originally Posted by mlbdude

During troubleshooting when you are running the OrigionalV2 STV do you still notice this behavior?

And, along with what mlbdude just said in the post directly above this one, stop using comskip automatically for a while.

- Andy

[OverClock]

Originally Posted by Opus4

Does the time of deletion correspond to your EPG update time?

- Andy

I just tested it and yes the deletes happen whenever the EPG updates.

[Opus4]

As was mentioned above, does it happen while using originalv2.stv?

Are the recordings broken up into several pieces, as mlbdude mentioned?

If you go backwards in the LiveTV Guide after an EPG update, does it continue to list shows for the past day & do they correspond to the actual shows that were recorded?

- Andy

[OverClock]

Originally Posted by Opus4

As was mentioned above, does it happen while using originalv2.stv?

Are the recordings broken up into several pieces, as mlbdude mentioned?

If you go backwards in the LiveTV Guide after an EPG update, does it continue to list shows for the past day & do they correspond to the actual shows that were recorded?

- Andy

I am just switching back to originalv2.stv right now. The recordings are always in one piece, I've never seen one broken up. When I go back to yesterday the listings are still there and still accurate but the white border for favourites is gone. In case it matters all my favourites are first run only.