XMBC and Windows 8

Running XBMC just fine on Windows 8. Only issue I had was that the webservice wouldnt start until I changed the default port but otherwise it looks great. Will play about with that lightbox skin, it looks great.

(2012-04-29 14:31)reksveks Wrote:  I wouldn't expect to see an official Metro version of XBMC that therefore will run on ARM tablets; would love to because the thought of a low-power tablet running XBMC is quite appealing also would look nice. I don't know if it would get pass Microsoft to appear on the app store; they would prefer everyone to use their own Video app which still doesn't like mkv's as do Apple prefer you to use iTunes and its player.

I'm not so sure. "Metro style apps can also include additional decoders (such as FLAC, MKV, OGG, etc.) in their apps package for use within the apps." From Building Windows 8 Blog. It would certainly be great if it could be done.

Also, I'm sure someone will create a Metro remote app. I've played around with it already. I'll try to post some pics of it when I get a chance.

(2012-05-05 04:41)darick_c Wrote:  I'm not so sure. "Metro style apps can also include additional decoders (such as FLAC, MKV, OGG, etc.) in their apps package for use within the apps." From Building Windows 8 Blog. It would certainly be great if it could be done.

Also, I'm sure someone will create a Metro remote app. I've played around with it already. I'll try to post some pics of it when I get a chance.

Does sound promising, Microsoft are confusing me, in one sense backing away from media center with the non-support of dvd which i understand since i haven't played a dvd on my pc/laptop for years and then supporting Dolby digital plus.

I'm finding XBMC with Windows 8 a real pain. I want XBMC to open automatically at startup, or to be lauchable by remote control. This was all simple with Windows 7.

With Windows 8, if I put an XBMC shortcut into the Startup folder, it launches on the Desktop, but it won't switch to the Desktop on its own. If I manually switch to the Desktop, you can see XBMC has started but the Task Bar is on top and you can't get rid of it. If you launch XBMC manually from a shortcut on the Start Screen, this doesn't happen.

If I configure XBMC to run as a "True Full Screen Application", launching via a Startup folder shortcut works as expected. Metro disappears and XBMC appears full screen, but it doesn't have focus. The mouse and keyboard can't operate it unless I open the Task Manager and switch back to XBMC which gives it focus (alt-tab also works, but there has to be another desktop application open to switch to and from), but the mouse still doesn't work correctly. The Windows mouse pointer appears on-screen as well as the XBMC mouse pointer, and control is erratic. Only certain parts of the interface seem to respond to clicks. The XBMC mouse pointer disappears when the mouse is moved over areas that won't respond. It's very strange.

If I use a third party application to launch XBMC via the official XBMC Android app (the application listens for WoL), XBMC launches and behaves the same as above. The remote app can control it, but XBMC doesn't have mouse or keyboard focus, and the Windows mouse pointer is on screen the whole time.

None of this was a problem with Windows 7.

(2012-05-06 10:47)IronChef Wrote:  None of this was a problem with Windows 7.

So point being, switch back to Win7 for now?

(2012-05-06 15:36)natethomas Wrote:  So point being, switch back to Win7 for now?

Windows 8 is nowhere near finished. I don't expect it to behave perfectly, but XBMC might need a few adjustments to get around Microsoft's insistence that Metro is front and center. For the most part it works perfectly, but there are some rough edges. They're not going to get fixed if no one bothers to point them out.

They also are not fixed yet because win8 hasn't been released. So no point in fixing things that you might need to fix again when it's nearing final

@IronChef:
I'm using XBMC on Windows 8 and the startup is working well.

I've created a CMD file which will be stored to the user startup folder, and not to the all user one! The current user startup actions are the latest actions during the login process.
When using the all users startup folder (or Run Key via Registry) XBMC will be started at an earlier point (minimized).

When using a CMD file you are able to force using the "Desktop":

C:\Windows\explorer.exe shell:::{3080F90D-D7AD-11D9-BD98-0000947B0257}
"C:\Program Files (x86)\XBMC\xbmc.exe" shell:::{3080F90D-D7AD-11D9-BD98-0000947B0257}
Exit

It's also possible to use the command "start" to have additional arguments for starting XBMC.
Maybe you have to play with with the command line options of XBMC as well (-p / delay of XBMC startup).

Or using the Task-Scheduler to start XBMC after the user logged on and use the delay switch (It depends on your system performance).

So how to make xbmc run automatically in win 8?

(2012-05-15 11:03)loeffel Wrote:  @IronChef:
I'm using XBMC on Windows 8 and the startup is working well.

That's great info. Thanks!