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    "File Type Unknown" Error when i change pi resolution

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    • P
      PhtevenTheSecond
      last edited by PhtevenTheSecond

      About my Pi:

      This is the back of the box. If there is anything else i can provide to help solve the problem, let me know.
      1687879663137.JPEG

      I followed an official guide to install RetroPie but the games and the UI for RetroPie seem a bit slow.

      frame rate seems a bit slower than it could be and the bottom of the screen seems to show cutting lines in graphics.

      im using a Large TCL TV and i heard that changing the resolution to 1080p would help quite alot.

      So i went to the raspi-config and changed the resolution. The default is 720x400. Picking anything else causes an error.

      when i change the resolution and reboot, i get the rainbow screen ( which doesn't appear in successful RetroPie Boots) and the errors appear.
      1687878755372.JPEG

      1687878755578.JPEG

      A few things to note:

      i can still click F4 which sends me to retroPie command line and i can still set the Pi resolution there and reboot. Picking default resolution returns things to normal and i can still boot retroPie successfully.

      even though the default resolution is 720x400, if type tvservice -s in the command line, it says that the resolution is 3840x2160

      1687878755269.JPEG

      1687878755321.JPEG

      So how do i change the resolution without causing an issue?

      i also turned fps on and it shows:

      FPS: 12fps
      ms: 80ms

      is that typical?

      one thing i tried is to change the boot/config.txt to set the resolution . This is the page i followed: https://retropie.org.uk/docs/Pi4/#issues-using-a-4k-tv

      it didn't work. It seems that the pi is ignoring the config file because even though i did a reboot and the file seem to have saved the changes, the resolution is still 4K if i type tvservice -s in the command line.

      this is how the config file looks:
      1687900893878.JPEG

      i hope you can help me with a solution. Thank you all

      1 Reply Last reply Reply Quote 0
      • mituM
        mitu Global Moderator
        last edited by

        Changing the resolution via raspi-config will not work without a restart - though this feature has been removed from recent raspi-config and I'm wondering if it was effective.

        However, the pixel clock limitation options from the docs should have worked, you should remove the hdmi_group/hdmi_mode options from config.txt and boot like this. If that doesn't change anything, then post the output of:

        tvservice -M CEA
tvservice -M DMT

        Please post the output as text surrounded by code blocks (add ``` on separate lines before and after the text) instead of posting pictures. You can use SSH to run the commands, instead of typing them from the keyboard connected to the PI, so you can copy/paste easily.

        Also, which HDMI port are you using to connect your monitor/TV ? What TV model is it ?

        P 1 Reply Last reply Reply Quote 0
        • P
          PhtevenTheSecond @mitu
          last edited by PhtevenTheSecond

          @mitu

          It unfortunately didn't work. this is the config file now after reboot:

          # For more options and information see
# http://rpf.io/configtxt
# Some settings may impact device functionality. See link above for details

# uncomment if you get no picture on HDMI for a default "safe" mode
#hdmi_safe=1

# uncomment this if your display has a black border of unused pixels visible
# and your display can output without overscan
disable_overscan=1

# uncomment the following to adjust overscan. Use positive numbers if console
# goes off screen, and negative if there is too much border
#overscan_left=16
#overscan_right=16
#overscan_top=16
#overscan_bottom=16

# uncomment to force a console size. By default it will be display's size minus
# overscan.
#framebuffer_width=1280
#framebuffer_height=720

# uncomment if hdmi display is not detected and composite is being output
#hdmi_force_hotplug=1

# uncomment to force a specific HDMI mode (this will force VGA)
#hdmi_group=2
#hdmi_mode=82
#hdmi_group=1
#hdmi_mode=16

#hdmi_group:1=1
#hdmi_gmode:1=16

hdmi_max_pixel_freq:0=200000000
hdmi_max_pixel_freq:1=200000000

# uncomment to force a HDMI mode rather than DVI. This can make audio work in
# DMT (computer monitor) modes
#hdmi_drive=2

# uncomment to increase signal to HDMI, if you have interference, blanking, or
# no display
#config_hdmi_boost=4

          this is the output of the commands you mentioned:

          pi@retropie:~ $ tvservice -m CEA
Group CEA has 21 modes:
           mode 1: 640x480 @ 60Hz 4:3, clock:25MHz progressive
           mode 2: 720x480 @ 60Hz 4:3, clock:27MHz progressive
           mode 3: 720x480 @ 60Hz 16:9, clock:27MHz progressive
           mode 4: 1280x720 @ 60Hz 16:9, clock:74MHz progressive
           mode 5: 1920x1080 @ 60Hz 16:9, clock:74MHz interlaced
           mode 7: 720x480 @ 60Hz 16:9, clock:27MHz x2 interlaced
  (native) mode 16: 1920x1080 @ 60Hz 16:9, clock:148MHz progressive
           mode 17: 720x576 @ 50Hz 4:3, clock:27MHz progressive
           mode 18: 720x576 @ 50Hz 16:9, clock:27MHz progressive
           mode 19: 1280x720 @ 50Hz 16:9, clock:74MHz progressive
           mode 20: 1920x1080 @ 50Hz 16:9, clock:74MHz interlaced
           mode 21: 720x576 @ 50Hz 4:3, clock:27MHz x2 interlaced
           mode 22: 720x576 @ 50Hz 16:9, clock:27MHz x2 interlaced
  (native) mode 31: 1920x1080 @ 50Hz 16:9, clock:148MHz progressive
           mode 32: 1920x1080 @ 24Hz 16:9, clock:74MHz progressive
           mode 33: 1920x1080 @ 25Hz 16:9, clock:74MHz progressive
           mode 34: 1920x1080 @ 30Hz 16:9, clock:74MHz progressive
           mode 93: 3840x2160 @ 24Hz 16:9, clock:297MHz progressive
           mode 94: 3840x2160 @ 25Hz 16:9, clock:297MHz progressive
  (prefer) mode 95: 3840x2160 @ 30Hz 16:9, clock:297MHz progressive
           mode 98: 4096x2160 @ 24Hz unknown AR, clock:297MHz progressive


          pi@retropie:~ $ tvservice -m DMT
Group DMT has 8 modes:
           mode 4: 640x480 @ 60Hz 4:3, clock:25MHz progressive
           mode 9: 800x600 @ 60Hz 4:3, clock:40MHz progressive
           mode 16: 1024x768 @ 60Hz 4:3, clock:65MHz progressive
           mode 32: 1280x960 @ 60Hz 4:3, clock:108MHz progressive
           mode 35: 1280x1024 @ 60Hz 5:4, clock:108MHz progressive
           mode 51: 1600x1200 @ 60Hz 4:3, clock:162MHz progressive
           mode 83: 1600x900 @ 60Hz 16:9, clock:108MHz progressive
           mode 85: 1280x720 @ 60Hz 16:9, clock:74MHz progressive

          i believe I'm using hdmi 1. Its the one closest to the USB ports. Its a micro hdmi port

          TV is TCL , 4K Qled. i looked everywhere in the TV's UI and i couldn't find any option to show system specs.

          mituM 1 Reply Last reply Reply Quote 0
          • mituM
            mitu Global Moderator @PhtevenTheSecond
            last edited by mitu

            @PhtevenTheSecond said in "File Type Unknown" Error when i change pi resolution:

            TV is TCL , 4K Qled. i looked everywhere in the TV's UI and i couldn't find any option to show system specs.

            That's not the model number - it should be something like 85C645X1 or TCL C645. Should be printed on the back of the TV or in the manual.

            Try adding this to config.txt:

            hdmi_group=1
hdmi_mode=16
hdmi_ignore_edid=0xa5000080
hdmi_drive=1

            I suspect the EDID sent by the TV is having some errors and the resolution is not properly detected by the RPI.

            P 1 Reply Last reply Reply Quote 0
            • P
              PhtevenTheSecond @mitu
              last edited by

              @mitu

              there is a barcode in the back. It says Model 55C715

              after the config file changes and reboot, the resolution changed but the error i mentioned above appears.

              pi@retropie:~ $ tvservice -s
state 0x6 [DVI CUSTOM RGB full 16:9], 1920x1080 @ 60.00Hz, progressive

              I'm not sure how to make the error appear though the SSH connection. it shows up as retropie attempts to boot right after the rainbow display.

              it toke a photo of it above.

              it says :

              level10  Error - File type unknown!
level10  Error - Could not initialize texture from memory, invalid data! (file path: /home/pi/RetroPie/retropiemenu/icons/audiosettings.png,data ptr:0, reported size:0)
              mituM 1 Reply Last reply Reply Quote 0
              • mituM
                mitu Global Moderator @PhtevenTheSecond
                last edited by

                @PhtevenTheSecond said in "File Type Unknown" Error when i change pi resolution:

                I'm not sure how to make the error appear though the SSH connection. it shows up as retropie attempts to boot right after the rainbow display.

                You can just start EmulationStation from the SSH session by typing emulationstation.
                Try re-installing the retropiemenu package, it's in the core section of the packages - see https://retropie.org.uk/docs/Updating-RetroPie/#manage-core-packages.

                P 1 Reply Last reply Reply Quote 0
                • P
                  PhtevenTheSecond @mitu
                  last edited by

                  @mitu
                  i followed the link and installed the core package and now after the rainbow display, i get a black screen.

                  i waited for 10 minutes without seeing anything. I randomly got a message that one of the games i had installed will run but it never did.

                  it seems that retropie isn't booting its UI.

                  mituM 1 Reply Last reply Reply Quote 0
                  • mituM
                    mitu Global Moderator @PhtevenTheSecond
                    last edited by

                    @PhtevenTheSecond Just as the menu images were corrupted, some other resources used by EmulationStation cannot be properly read. I suggest you re-install with the official image from RPI imager and add the config.txt entries for your display, then boot again for the first time and see if the front-end starts.

                    P 1 Reply Last reply Reply Quote 0
                    • P
                      PhtevenTheSecond @mitu
                      last edited by

                      @mitu
                      done. Not much has changed.
                      I downloaded the official retropie image again and used etcher to copy it into the SD card for the pi.

                      the only thing i did is turn SSH on from the raspi-config and connect to WIFI so that i can remote into the pi.

                      then i copied the lines you mentioned above :

                      hdmi_group=1
hdmi_mode=16
hdmi_ignore_edid=0xa5000080
hdmi_drive=1

                      same problem occurred. Right after the rainbow display, i get a black screen.

                      mituM 1 Reply Last reply Reply Quote 0
                      • mituM
                        mitu Global Moderator @PhtevenTheSecond
                        last edited by

                        @PhtevenTheSecond Can you try without the hdmi_drive=1 in the config.txt ? Take the EmulationStation's log file from \\retropie\configs\all\emulationstation\es_log.txt and post it here (within code tags).

                        P 2 Replies Last reply Reply Quote 0
                        • P
                          PhtevenTheSecond @mitu
                          last edited by

                          @mitu
                          done. No change.
                          The es_log.txt seems to not exist.
                          When i nano into the path provided, i get a new file. its empty.

                          I tried to change directory into one of the parent folders and it seems that they don't exist either:

                          pi@retropie:~ $ cd \\retropie\configs\all
-bash: cd: \retropieconfigsall: No such file or directory
                          S Thorr69T 2 Replies Last reply Reply Quote 0
                          • S
                            sleve_mcdichael @PhtevenTheSecond
                            last edited by

                            @PhtevenTheSecond \\retropie is the network address over samba. On the Pi it will be in /opt/retropie/configs/all/emulationstation/es_log.txt.

                            P 1 Reply Last reply Reply Quote 0
                            • Thorr69T
                              Thorr69 @PhtevenTheSecond
                              last edited by

                              @PhtevenTheSecond said in "File Type Unknown" Error when i change pi resolution:

                              @mitu
                              done. No change.
                              The es_log.txt seems to not exist.
                              When i nano into the path provided, i get a new file. its empty.

                              I tried to change directory into one of the parent folders and it seems that they don't exist either:

                              pi@retropie:~ $ cd \\retropie\configs\all
-bash: cd: \retropieconfigsall: No such file or directory

                              Is that what you typed? Those slashes are Windows slashes. You should be using / slashes.

                              RPi 3b
                              Official PSU
                              Official RetroPie image
                              Pandora's Box 5 controller

                              P 1 Reply Last reply Reply Quote 0
                              • P
                                PhtevenTheSecond @sleve_mcdichael
                                last edited by

                                @sleve_mcdichael
                                thank you. I can see the content of the es_log now. i'll post it in a moment.

                                1 Reply Last reply Reply Quote 0
                                • P
                                  PhtevenTheSecond @Thorr69
                                  last edited by

                                  @Thorr69
                                  im using windows to SSH into raspberry pi. You are right.
                                  Just for reference, This is the path that works for me:

                                  nano /opt/retropie/configs/all/emulationstation/es_log.txt
                                  1 Reply Last reply Reply Quote 0
                                  • P
                                    PhtevenTheSecond @mitu
                                    last edited by

                                    @mitu
                                    Alright! i have removed the hdmi_drive=1 line and rebooted.

                                    this is the contents of the es_log file.

                                    pi@retropie:~ $ cat /opt/retropie/configs/all/emulationstation/es_log.txt
Jun 28 23:15:11 lvl2:   EmulationStation - v2.10.1rp, built Dec 26 2021 - 16:25:37
Jun 28 23:15:11 lvl2:   Parsing XML file "/opt/retropie/supplementary/emulationstation/resources/mamenames.xml"...
Jun 28 23:15:11 lvl2:   Parsing XML file "/opt/retropie/supplementary/emulationstation/resources/mamebioses.xml"...
Jun 28 23:15:11 lvl2:   Parsing XML file "/opt/retropie/supplementary/emulationstation/resources/mamedevices.xml"...
Jun 28 23:15:11 lvl2:   Creating window...
Jun 28 23:15:12 lvl2:   Created window successfully.
Jun 28 23:15:12 lvl2:   GL vendor:   Broadcom
Jun 28 23:15:12 lvl2:   GL renderer: V3D 4.2
Jun 28 23:15:12 lvl2:   GL version:  2.1 Mesa 19.3.2
Jun 28 23:15:12 lvl2:   Checking available OpenGL extensions...
Jun 28 23:15:12 lvl2:    ARB_texture_non_power_of_two: ok
Jun 28 23:15:13 lvl2:   Added known joystick  USB Gamepad           (instance ID: 0, device index: 0)
Jun 28 23:15:13 lvl2:   Loading system config file /etc/emulationstation/es_systems.cfg...
Jun 28 23:15:13 lvl1:   System "amstradcpc" has no games! Ignoring it.
Jun 28 23:15:13 lvl1:   System "arcade" has no games! Ignoring it.
Jun 28 23:15:13 lvl1:   System "atari2600" has no games! Ignoring it.
Jun 28 23:15:13 lvl1:   System "atari5200" has no games! Ignoring it.
Jun 28 23:15:13 lvl1:   System "atari7800" has no games! Ignoring it.
Jun 28 23:15:13 lvl1:   System "atari800" has no games! Ignoring it.
Jun 28 23:15:14 lvl1:   System "atarilynx" has no games! Ignoring it.
Jun 28 23:15:14 lvl1:   System "channelf" has no games! Ignoring it.
Jun 28 23:15:14 lvl1:   System "coleco" has no games! Ignoring it.
Jun 28 23:15:14 lvl1:   System "fba" has no games! Ignoring it.
Jun 28 23:15:14 lvl1:   System "fds" has no games! Ignoring it.
Jun 28 23:15:14 lvl1:   System "gamegear" has no games! Ignoring it.
Jun 28 23:15:14 lvl1:   System "gb" has no games! Ignoring it.
Jun 28 23:15:14 lvl1:   System "gba" has no games! Ignoring it.
Jun 28 23:15:14 lvl1:   System "gbc" has no games! Ignoring it.
Jun 28 23:15:14 lvl1:   System "mame-libretro" has no games! Ignoring it.
Jun 28 23:15:15 lvl1:   System "mastersystem" has no games! Ignoring it.
Jun 28 23:15:15 lvl1:   System "megadrive" has no games! Ignoring it.
Jun 28 23:15:15 lvl1:   System "msx" has no games! Ignoring it.
Jun 28 23:15:15 lvl1:   System "n64" has no games! Ignoring it.
Jun 28 23:15:15 lvl1:   System "neogeo" has no games! Ignoring it.
Jun 28 23:15:15 lvl1:   System "nes" has no games! Ignoring it.
Jun 28 23:15:15 lvl1:   System "ngp" has no games! Ignoring it.
Jun 28 23:15:15 lvl1:   System "ngpc" has no games! Ignoring it.
Jun 28 23:15:15 lvl1:   System "pcengine" has no games! Ignoring it.
Jun 28 23:15:16 lvl1:   System "psx" has no games! Ignoring it.
Jun 28 23:15:16 lvl2:   Parsing XML file "/home/pi/.emulationstation/gamelists/retropie/gamelist.xml"...
Jun 28 23:15:16 lvl1:   System "sega32x" has no games! Ignoring it.
Jun 28 23:15:16 lvl1:   System "segacd" has no games! Ignoring it.
Jun 28 23:15:16 lvl1:   System "sg-1000" has no games! Ignoring it.
Jun 28 23:15:16 lvl1:   System "snes" has no games! Ignoring it.
Jun 28 23:15:16 lvl1:   System "vectrex" has no games! Ignoring it.
Jun 28 23:15:16 lvl1:   System "zxspectrum" has no games! Ignoring it.
Jun 28 23:15:17 lvl2:   Added known joystick  USB Gamepad           (instance ID: 0, device index: 0)
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                                    • mituM
                                      mitu Global Moderator
                                      last edited by

                                      @PhtevenTheSecond said in "File Type Unknown" Error when i change pi resolution:

                                      this is the contents of the es_log file.

                                      The log file shows that EmulationStation starts correctly and the display is detected and initialized. If nothing shows up on the screen, then it's not a Pi issue.

                                      Do you have another TV/monitor to try and see if it shows an image ? Or another HDMI cable to try ?

                                      P 1 Reply Last reply Reply Quote 0
                                      • P
                                        PhtevenTheSecond @mitu
                                        last edited by PhtevenTheSecond

                                        @mitu
                                        i don't have another cable unfortunately.

                                        i did try another monitor with the same issue.
                                        Monitor is UltraGear 27GR75Q.

                                        one thing to note is the warning given to me by the monitor.
                                        It seems to detect a PC with 4K even though the pi still says that
                                        tvservice -s is 1080p

                                        pi@retropie:~ $ tvservice -s
state 0xa [HDMI CUSTOM RGB lim 16:9], 1920x1080 @ 60.00Hz, progressive

                                        1688147846160.JPEG

                                        1 Reply Last reply Reply Quote 0
                                        • mituM
                                          mitu Global Moderator
                                          last edited by

                                          That's really strange and it makes me think even more that is a cable issue. A few of thing you could try:

                                          • swap the HDMI port on the Pi and see if that changes anything
                                          • disable the Wi-Fi by adding dtoverlay=disable-wifi to config.txt
                                          • force a smaller or a different resolution. Adding hdmi_safe=1 to config.txt will force 640x480 - which should be accepted by most TVs/monitors. If that works, then use a different hdmi_group and instead of 1080p force another resolution (720p maybe?).
                                          P 1 Reply Last reply Reply Quote 0
                                          • P
                                            PhtevenTheSecond @mitu
                                            last edited by

                                            @mitu
                                            Thank you for your excellent support.
                                            I was under the impression that both HDMI's mimic each other. It seems not to be the case.

                                            I plugged the wire from one HDMI port to the other and it worked perfectly.
                                            correction resolution and UI is 10 times faster along with the games and the input delay.

                                            Thank you so much.

                                            1 Reply Last reply Reply Quote 0
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