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Launcher4Kodi + win 10 = small disaster :)

5K views 13 replies 5 participants last post by  Ken.F 
#1 ·
Wanted my PC to load Kodi screen on Start. Without losing access to my Win 10 shell, of course. The resulting mess cost me all afternoon to clean. I'll try again, creating a Restore Point and watching closely what boxes in Launcher I check-uncheck.

Problems after Launcher:

1) Before Launcher, to load Win 10 from complete shutdown was taking 7-10 seconds, to click on Kodi icon and load it - few more seconds. With Launcher - few times longer.

2) Media control keys on my remote stopped working or changed the behavior.

3) After first few tries PC didn't want to shut down anymore. Black flickering screen with only mouse pointer on it. With TREMENDOUS difficulty I managed to bring on Task Manager window, and from there uninstalled the Launcher. Still nothing. Black flickering screen. Stopped all the apps from the Task Manager and pulled the PC power cable out.
Success.

PC is old but not too bad - Intel Core 2 Duo 3 Ghz, 4 GB RAM. Runs Win 10 fine.
 
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#3 ·
Placing Kodi in Startup won't make Kodi start on boot-up. I will still need that Launcher.

Re-installed the Launcher, all works, but...

1) It boots slowly. Starting normally Win 10 shell and clicking on Kodi icon is faster.

2) I use a standalone app LM Remote to program my remote - easy to use, works like a charm with VLC player that I made a default for all videos. All the keymaps are stored in LM - not in Kodi. So LM has to start with Launcher, shows for a few seconds on top of Kodi until Kodi focuses. Not too esthetic but tolerable. After I exit Kodi, it returns to Win 10 shell, with LM window hanging right there again - this time it becomes annoying.

I'm not aware of any app that would automatically write me Kodi keymap XML for what I want - assign certain buttons on remote to certain functions that are not necessarily what is written on the button, use VLC as default, close VLC and return to Kodi when I stop the player.

Between slow boot, and LM window showing up at the beginning (briefly) and at the end (permanently until I close it), and all the Win 10 boot screens that I still see with Launcher - it's easier to just boot into Win 10 and click on Kodi icon.

Good-bye Launcher.
 
#4 ·
It works for me but i'm using Windows 8.1. You do see the desktop right before Kodi launches but that's fine with me. I put the pc to sleep when it's not in use so Kodi is always visible.

I just use the Kodi's built in player for video playback. What you want to accomplish is possible but you would need to use something like autohotkey.
 
#5 · (Edited)
VLC default was easy. I wrote about this in another post. Mapping software "LM Remote" works flawlessly, closing VLC window and returning me back to Kodi when I hit media Stop button on remote.

The difficult part was making Kodi boot without seeing a desktop.
Kodi Wiki has an article on this subject, they recommend SilentLaunch (with or without EventGhost). I tried this method and it was worse than Launcher4Kodi.

Launcher4Kodi resulted in a black screen but on the 2nd attempt I've managed to make it work - slow boot, LM window shows up, but it works.

SilentLaunch + InstantSheller resulted in a black screen that persisted even after I've uninstalled both Silent and Instant apps. Had to restore the system to earlier point. With Launcher4Kodi I at least didn't have to restore the system.

Could be incompatibility with Win 10, the Kodi Wiki doesn't say that Silent+Instant work in Win 10.

My Win 10 is set to Hybernate - not to sleep - when I hit the Power button. Don't feel comfortable running any equipment when I'm asleep or not home - and there is no need to run it. Hybernate is a power-off but it saves "image" in temporary files to turn the system on faster.
Oddly, Kodi occasionally opens up by itself after I turn power On after Hybernate.
 
#6 ·
Puzzle resolved:
Why my PC "occasionally" opens Kodi when I turn it on?
Because I "occasionally" hit the PC Power button to turn it off :)

Explanation:
When I hit Power button on PC (with Kodi screen on), it goes to Hybernate, and after boot-up it returns to Kodi if there was Kodi screen earlier. All works as it should.

Hybernate is practically the same as Sleep. In Sleep the power is running. In Hybernate the power is not running, but system image is saved on HDD and upon boot-up PC returns to the exact state where it was - if it was Kodi screen, than Kodi it is again. Yes, desktop shows for a few seconds, and then Kodi starts - I don't have to click on Kodi icon.

BUT...
When I hit Power button on my RF remote, it initiates PC Shut Down. Not Hybernate. So PC doesn't save image of the previous state, and upon boot-up it opens the desktop screen. Power button on this remote is the only button that can't be re-programmed (this is probably common in many remotes).
 
#8 ·
I DON'T want it to sleep, dammit :)... Don't want any power in any hardware when I'm not using it.

Win 10 Control Panel is already set to Hibernate when I hit the Power button on PC. The problem is - when I hit Power button on remote, it goes to Shut Down instead of Hibernate.

Will check BIOS, will see if this can be helped.
 
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