Common Problems

Common Problems

Problem:

EOF hangs intermittently.
Solution:
Disable the "Use software cursor" option in File > Display > Display.

Problem:

The mouse doesn't appear very responsive, especially to small movements, and changing the "Use Software Cursor" setting doesn't help.
Solution:
Some high-end mice (e.g., Logitech G500) may have compatibility issues with Allegro. Try the following:

• Use the mouse's management utility to lower the polling rate.
• Disable the "Enhance pointer precision" option in Windows mouse settings.
• If these steps don't work, consider using a basic mouse.

Problem:

EOF doesn't play any sound and shows no errors.
Solution:
Some sound driver settings might not work with Allegro. For example:

• If your sound card uses EAX emulation (e.g., "GX Mode" on Xonar cards), disable the feature.
  Thanks to fatdog for this fix.

Problem:

Notes are out of sync when playing the song in Frets On Fire (FOF).
Solution:
Set up the AV delay properly:

1. Open the "AV Delay" song.
2. Start the song and observe if notes light up before or after the sound. Adjust using - or + keys.
3. Ensure your AV delay is also configured in FOF. Test with a perfectly synced song and adjust the AV delay until it matches.

Problem:

Music playback stutters or cracks.
Solution:
Adjust the buffer size:

1. Go to File > Settings.
2. Increase the buffer size (e.g., from 4096 to 8192 or higher).
3. If the issue improves but persists, increase the size further.
4. Note: After adjusting the buffer size, you must reset the AV delay.

Problem:

During playback, the position marker moves too fast initially before slowing to normal speed.
Solution:
This occurs due to the way OGG files are played. Rewind slightly further to ensure the marker syncs correctly when reaching the notes or beats.

Problem:

Key presses don't work in EOF, even though they work in other programs.
Solution:
Key inputs might be intercepted by other software, such as:

• "Microsoft eHome Infrared Transceiver" driver.
• Synergy (mouse/keyboard sharing software).
  Disable or uninstall the conflicting software.

Problem:

Notes should play as HOPOs but don't in FOF/Phase Shift.
Solution:
This could happen if the notes are too far apart due to rounding errors. Fix this by:

1. Select the notes.
2. Use a high grid snap value (e.g., 1/48).
3. Use Note > Resnap to re-align notes.
   Avoid resnapping notes that are intentionally not grid-snapped.

Problem:

FOF/FoFiX/Magma doesn't work with the notes.mid file created by EOF.
Solution:
FOF/FoFiX has a bug with MIDI files containing Sysex events. These events mark features like pro guitar slides, open strum notes, etc. To work around this:

• Avoid using features requiring Sysex events.
• Enable the "Save Separate RBN MIDI files" preference and use notes_rbn.mid (rename it to notes.mid).

Problem:

EOF gives errors when trying to save a chart.
Solution:
Possible causes:

1. Files are locked by other programs (e.g., FOF/Phase Shift). Exit those programs.
2. You don't have write permission to the save directory. Save to a location with unrestricted access (e.g., Desktop).
3. Files/folders are marked as hidden or ready to archive. Remove these attributes in file properties.

Problem:

Accented characters are replaced with ^ during lyric import.
Solution:
EOF's lyric import may not handle some text file encodings (e.g., Windows 1252). To fix this:

1. Open the lyric file in a text editor that supports encoding selection (e.g., EditPad Lite).
2. Change the encoding to UTF-8 (without BOM).
3. Save the file and re-import it into EOF.

Problem:

The mouse pointer doesn't work reliably in EOF but works in other programs.
Solution:
High-resolution mice may not work well with Allegro. Reduce the mouse's DPI settings using its configuration utility (e.g., SetPoint for Logitech mice).

Problem:

Features like adding leading silence or exporting lyrics don't work when using EOF in a virtual Windows environment (e.g., Parallels on Mac).
Solution:
Ensure EOF and project files are on the Windows installation's file system, not the Mac file system.

Problem:

In Windows 8, EOF takes up the full screen, and the mouse doesn't work.
Solution:
Windows 8 may allow EOF to set a window size larger than the screen resolution. To fix this:

1. Set EOF's resolution to 640x480 using keyboard controls.
2. If that fails, edit eof.cfg in EOF's folder and delete the display_mode and eof_screen_width lines under [display]. Alternatively, delete the entire eof.cfg file to reset settings.

Problem:

EOF is laggy, and input is missed.
Solution:
Programs like nVidia's GSync may interfere with non-games. Configure GSync to only apply to full-screen programs to avoid issues with EOF.