iSpy keeps restarting

stevei

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After adding VLC to add a camera, iSpy keeps closing and opening by itself. This cycle happens every 30 seconds. I have tried uninstalling and re-installing but when I open it, it does the same thing. When I open it after the re-install all the cameras are still there.

What I need is a clean uninstall that will remove all the cameras.

I hope that this is clear.
 

halftone

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An old messsage but I've just been through this looping restarts problem myself, with a little Revotech camera via VLC plugin.

You don't need to reinstall iSpy, and it won't help :)

Since it might be useful to others, here is how to stop the endless reboots.
iSpy runs a background program called iSpymonitor. This watches out for abnormal terminations of iSpy and restarts the program.
This is somewhat helpful if you're relying on iSpy running after a crash, but not helpful at all if the result is another crash, in a loop.

1. Download the attached file iSpyStopLoop.txt onto your desktop
(the forum doesn't allow me to attach a .bat file because it could be harmful)

This is all it says:

rem Batch file to start iSpy with all cameras turned off so you can debug
rem the settings and prevent iSpy automatic restarts if it crashes
c:\Program Files\iSpy\iSpy.exe commands "ALLOFF"
Taskkill /F /IM iSpyMonitor.exe


2. Rename ISpyStopLoop.txt to iSpyStopLoop.bat
Windows will complain that if you change the file extension bad things may happen
Tell it to just do it.

3. Right Mouse Button click on iSpyStopLoop.bat on your desktop and select 'run as administrator'.
That should result in iSpy starting with no cameras active and no crash.

4. Turn each on each camera in turn, to find out which is causing iSpy to crash.
If it does, it will not automatically restart as we have stopped the iSpyMonitor service.
If it crashes just remember which camera was the problem and do step 3. again

5. Once you know which camera is the problem, adjust the settings to prevent the problem.
Just keep using this batch file to start iSpy until you have settings that work, then shutdown and restart iSpy in the normal way.

Notes:
I have seen a recurrent issue where different stream settings on the FFMEG tab and VLC tab cause a conflict and crash.
I've no idea how this occurred - it seems iSpy did it during editing camera settings - but it caught me a few times by putting a different camera's rtsp: stream address on the FFMPEG tab.
That's OK (you get the wrong camera display) until you try to use the VLC plugin instead, then <crash>. So look for that.

If you are using a VLC plugin, make sure the camera works directly in VLC (run VLC, Open media stream, enter the rtsp: access settings you are using).
If VLC doesn't work, you may need to reset the camera itself. BTDT...
Get it working first in VLC, only then try in iSpy VLC Plugin settings.

Good luck :)

I have also figured out batch files to switch between running iSpy normally and running headless (web only), and vice versa.
I generally run headless, except when adding cameras and making configuration changes. Headless is more robust , uses less resources, and I don't waste time mucking about with layout issues.

Also I have figured out (the Holy Grail!) how to run iSpy (headless) at startup, after boot, whether or not a user is logged in.
Combined with a Smartplug on the iSpy PC and 'start the machine after power loss' set in the BIOS. this makes it possible to reboot the server from anywhere, from mobile phone. and have iSpy running and working with the iSpy connect server.
If anyone wants me to, I'll post a new topic on this.

Regards / Tony
 

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