[MPlayer-users] Mplayer Skin folder -- Where and Why?

[Benjamin Sher]

Dear friends:

[Using Xandros 2.0/Debian]

I've just installed Mplayer by recompiling the source tarball (1.0pre3). Or 
rather ALMOST. Everything has been a success except for the last stage in 
installing Mplayer. I would really appreciate your help in troubleshooting 
this. I followed my own detailed instructions (see 

http://forums.xandros.com/
viewtopic.php?t=4593&postdays=0&postorder=asc&start=0

, but I have really run into a wall with the Skin issue. Mplayer demands that 
the skin be in one of three directories. It is, as can be seen below. First, 
the error message generated when trying to run Mplayer (i.e. gmplayer) from 
the desktop shortcut:

sher at Dell:~$ gmplayer
MPlayer 1.0pre3-3.3.2 (C) 2000-2003 MPlayer Team

CPU: Intel Pentium 4/Xeon/Celeron Foster 1795 MHz (Family: 8, Stepping: 2)
Detected cache-line size is 64 bytes
CPUflags: MMX: 1 MMX2: 1 3DNow: 0 3DNow2: 0 SSE: 1 SSE2: 1
Compiled for x86 CPU with extensions: MMX MMX2 SSE SSE2

Reading config file /usr/local/etc/mplayer/mplayer.conf: No such file or 
directory
Reading config file /home/sher/.mplayer/config
[cfg] read config file: /home/sher/.mplayer/gui.conf
Reading config file /home/sher/.mplayer/gui.conf: No such file or directory
vo: X11 running at 1024x768 with depth 16 and 16 bpp (":0.0" => local display)
Reading /home/sher/.mplayer/codecs.conf: Can't open '/home/sher/.mplayer/
codecs.conf': No such file or directory
Reading /usr/local/etc/mplayer/codecs.conf: Can't open '/usr/local/etc/
mplayer/codecs.conf': No such file or directory
Using built-in default codecs.conf.
Font /home/sher/.mplayer/font/font.desc loaded successfully! (206 chars)
Failed to open /dev/rtc: Permission denied (mplayer should be setuid root or /
dev/rtc should be readable by the user.)
Using usleep() timing
Can't open input config file /home/sher/.mplayer/input.conf: No such file or 
directory
Can't open input config file /usr/local/etc/mplayer/input.conf: No such file 
or directory
Falling back on default (hardcoded) input config
SKIN dir 1: '/home/sher/.mplayer/Skin'
SKIN dir 2: '/usr/local/share/mplayer/Skin'
[skin] file ( /usr/local/share/mplayer/Skin/default/skin ) not found.
Skin not found (default).
sher at Dell:~$

When I click on the "Mplayer (i.e. gmplayer) shortcut, I can see Mplayer 
trying to launch, i.e. there is a flicker. You can see the dialogue box with 
"Error" at the top. Then, it dies.

Now, here is my home directory with the .mplayer subdirectory:

sher at Dell:~/.mplayer/Skin/default$ ls
about.png barstop.png main-silver.png pos.png subload.png
bareqb.png barzoom.png menu.png prefs.png symbols2.png
barexit.png eqb.png menus.png prev.png symbols.fnt
barffwd.png exit.png minimize.png progres-long2c.png symbolsg.fnt
barfwd.png font.fnt mute.png progres-long2d.png zoom-3.png
barmute.png font-pl.png next.png rev.png
barplay.png forward.png playbar.png skinb.png
barrev.png load.png playlist.png stop.png
barrevv.png main.png play.png subblue.png
sher at Dell:~/.mplayer/Skin/default$

I have tried all sorts of permutations: I've renamed "Skin" "default" and 
"Default", put the "default" folder into "Skin" (as above). Same for /usr/
local/mplayer/Skin, etc, etc. And still Mplayer won't launch.

I have tried everything. It worked before. It worked for many Xandros users 
who used my instructions to successfully install Mplayer and mplayerplug-in. 
So, what's wrong? What am I doing wrong?

Thanks so very much.

Benjamin

-- 
Benjamin Sher
delphi123 at zebra.net