SonicStage Error code 00004e2e

[sfbp]

Oh, sorry, one programmer to another - Data Execution Prevention.

[Zoidborg]

Ah gotcha. The DEP setting is already set to the one that turns it on for "essential Windows programs and services only". I can't imagine any of the OMG or SonicStage executables would be under that umbrella. My understanding is that setting means DEP is essentially Off. Is that not correct? Thanks.

[sfbp]

Try turning it off. Also get rid of all antivirus software. Really get rid. Anything that might change the registry or file system behind your back. Check through the Task Scheduler and see what else might be going on.

[Zoidborg]

There isn't a straight "Off" option in Windows. For AV I only run Windows Defender, and if it is going to stop something from executing it generally pops something up so that I know about it. Let me see about turning it all off, perhaps through the BIOS.

It could be something about how SonicStage/OpenMG is verifying that the system information has or has not changed. Which I'm sure has something to do with it making sure it hasn't been copied to another computer or something like that. Could be it's using a weird way of querying system information that used to be consistent but under recent Win10 versions is not anymore.

I had tried setting all SonicStage and OpenMG executables, basically everything put in place by SonicStage, to use compatibility mode and also run as administrator. Unfortunately this had no effect either.

[sfbp]

Fair enough. DEP cannot be the answer. Something is doing something bad behind your back. Either that, or SS database has become read-only. Did you try running the standard MSFT Jet database maintenance tools on it? You'll have to figure out where it is to start with.

Suggest you figure out what registry changes take place (if any) when you exit SS and restart it.

Then figure out what is changing them?

(added) and one more thing.... you really really don't want to store your music files anywhere except in a file of your own creation accessible to all, on a tree starting on the root of the C drive (or D drive if you wish). Not under program files, program data, or the Users tree.

[Zoidborg]

I haven't tried anything on the Jet database front yet, I'll look into that. The closest I ever came to getting it all to work was when I would copy down the icv.dat and the maclist.dat files from the Common Files\Sony Shared\OpenMG\restorables folder down to the OpenMG parent folder. Even with an empty library, I would get the 00004e2e error and that whole mess every second time opening the program. After I copied those files down, assuming I did not have my imported tracks, the errors would stop. Any imported tracks would be unplayable with the same error that happens when you go through the 00004e2e authenticate then system-information-restore thing we've already talked about. Copying those files down is the only way it seems to stop the errors. Until the next time you import MD or Hi-MD tracks.

I think I still have the registry-spy tool somewhere. I'm thinking, though, based on that experience with those .dat files that it has to do with those files or the executable that performs the system information verification and probably uses those files as part of the process. I'd be surprised if anything much changes in the registry, but I'll try it.

Thanks.

[sfbp]

I have a hunch that the entries in Jet (if it's not read-only) may lead you to work out what's wrong. For example if one or more entries are on an unmodifiable medium, or which point to files that don't exist.

[Zoidborg]

If they were read-only wouldn't it have trouble adding and removing items from the library? And I have to wonder why they would get messed up for me installing it but not anyone else (who is saying anything about it at least)? I'll definitely see what I can find out when I get home if it isn't too late.

[sfbp]

You can also check to see if the files will play in Windows Media Player. They should simply play as long as the SonicStage DLLs are installed. If they do but not in SS, then something is wrong with SS installation. If they don't, then you have to look at the OMG library which is I think what we are doing. I wonder if there's some background Windows process that does something searching for media files. Also there's a couple of "invisible" Sony programs which tend to run called SsBeSvc.exe and PACSPTISVR.exe. My guess is they work fixing permissions on the fly or perhaps doing the encryption as a background task on demand. Not sure, though, but they are always there. If you blocked them that might do it.

[Zoidborg]

I've done some tests regarding other media players. If I just import it and play the file in Windows Media Player and VLC both will play it. I can exit SS and both the others will still play it. If I attempt to load SonicStage and get the 00004e2e error, but then I cancel at that point and don't proceed to the system information restore, Windows Media will no longer play the file. However, VLC still plays the file. I can do the restore process, and while SonicStage and Windows Media will not play the file, VLC still does. But if I copy down the icv.dat and maclist.dat files to cure the repeat 00004e2e error, the file no longer plays in VLC and anywhere else. In VLC it is just silent.

Only other SonicStage app I saw running was SsDbConnection which only runs when SonicStage is running. I've seen those others, but I bet if I keep them from running or something like that the whole thing won't work.

It's odd long as I don't do the copy-down of the .dat files and tolerate the stupid error, I can still use VLC to play and convert the files. Maybe that's what I'll have to stick to. I've imported my live recordings from the SP MD I have been testing with as PCM ATRAC files, then used VLC to play and convert them to 320kbps MP3 files for archival. It's a totally clumsy procedure, but oh well. I'm so glad Sony has made the whole Net MD and Hi-MD concept near impossible to use. I'm starting to think that if I was able to write an application that talked to the codec (which it would appear does all this database authentication and junk in the background) and talked to the Net MD or Hi MD driver, I bet I could get around the SonicStage mess. But I'd have to have the code for SonicStage at least. Hopefully I wouldn't even have to dig into the OpenMG part. Or if there was source for that, maybe I could even simplify the codec to be less quirky. It's a lot of complicated mess, but since the codec functions for other media players, it is likely just modular enough that it might work... Ah well, a dev can dream...

[sfbp]

I'm wondering if you have a "typical" developer PC, as-it-were.

Could this be a C runtime problem? I have had never experienced this (and I have at least 5 installs currently running here on a wide variety of machines). Something is B*****ing around with your encryption support.

Is it possible to go back to 7? I've even run SS quite nicely on XP-32 hosted as Virtual Machine on a pretty much vanilla copy of 7-64 Pro. You could do the decryption on that machine and then you'd be set for everyday usage for any device you might want to use.

There's one more (weird) possibility. Maybe it coughs if you don't bother to install a real NetMD driver even if the device doesn't actually use NetMD (I assume from everything you're saying that it doesn't).

Wait a sec. I never asked - are you running Win32(x86) or Win64(x64)?
 

[Zoidborg]

I'm running x64, and the dev setup I use isn't for low level stuff. While I used to do more C/C++ nowadays I do mostly cloud based data crunching and business logic. I have installed SQL server dev edition locally and VS 2019 with packages for C++ and C# dev, but nothing super intensive when it comes to the computer. I haven't had to run Windows 7 in a very long time, and I would hate to go through installing a different operating system on this machine because it would disrupt a lot of other things I do. Also note, I've had the same results on my other laptop/tablet which runs Windows 10 Home (this laptop is Professional), and that other computer is not used for dev work. Same results on both computers. I suppose I could dig out my old Core2 Duo laptop that does have Win7 on it, but it hasn't been turned on in ages... Have you run this on Windows 10 yourself? Just curious.

Interesting thought on the C runtime, but I never see any runtime related errors. At least not that get to a level that can be seen. If there's something like that going on, it may be buried in the OpenMG subsystems in the Common Files. I've tried setting those exe files to various compatibility modes as well as running as admin or not in the compatibility settings.

Also, I did this time allow the original drivers to be installed, but then installed the 760 driver. It took up the 760 driver when the MD device was plugged in. I've never had any driver issues with running the Net MD or Hi MD modes, or with actually importing files to the computer. If I convert them within SonicStage to another ATRAC format and remove copy protection from those converted files, those files will always work. But that is not the same as running the File Conversion Tool. Honestly if I could just run the FCT and it worked then I could work around the problem. The problem seems to be centered in SonicStage's rights management routines.

The current workaround may not be pretty, but it works. That is just using VLC to convert the original imported ATRAC files to another format like high-bitrate MP3 or OGG or whatever. Just makes me think twice about continuing to use the MDs for recordings. I love these devices, especially the MZ-M200 I got recently. It's so slick. Maybe I'm just getting old lol. Thought about getting a Sony digital voice recorder, one of the ones they have available now that uses SD cards. They look super easy, and they'd use the same mic I have been using. But I really want the MD stuff to work lol.

Thanks.

[sfbp]

I just installed yet another SS copy onto an almost virgin Windows 10.17434 (1803 edition) fully patched to now. Smooth as silk, no hiccoughs. I uploaded a disk of HiSP to one folder. I uploaded a second disk of LP2 to another. Total of 81 tracks.

In between those two uploads, of necessity I added the NETMD760 driver using Update Driver in Device Manager (and of course option #7 in the pre-boot special options to ignore device driver signing). I then tried and failed to upload on the first HiMD unit I picked, hahaha because I completely forgot about needing the RH1 (M200 to you). Music tracks were play-only, of course. To my surprise and delight I did NOT need to reinstall the same driver when I plugged in the RH1. This is a new improvement I have not seen and I don't think exists in Windows 7.

I stopped and started Sonic Stage multiple times. I ran the FCT which of course converted the uploaded tracks. I then tried stopping and starting Sonic Stage.

No problems whatsoever.

Something's wrong with your setup, or MSFT has done some catastrophic update to Windoze that I am not aware of..... yet.

BTW, you do know that the only reasonable way to run FCT is NOT from the menu (I noticed it popped up on the start button in Metro) but from the Tools option on the menu of SS???? Otherwise weird stuff happens.

Nite

Stephen