Simple-OpenNI for Processing fatal errors with the Kinect - kinect

Question

I have been using SimpleOpenNI, a wrapper for Processing, all summer now. I use it for the Kinect to make games and demos. Last week, I have been getting a fatal error in my processing window and none of the SimpleOpenNI projects will work. Here is the error:
SimpleOpenNI Version 0.20
A fatal error has been detected by the Java Runtime Environment:
EXCEPTION_ACCESS_VIOLATION (0xc0000005) at pc=0x72e8f955, pid=4596, tid=4624
JRE version: 6.0_24-b07
Java VM: Java HotSpot(TM) Client VM (19.1-b02 mixed mode windows-x86 )
Problematic frame:
C [OpenNI.dll+0xf955]
An error report file with more information is saved as:
C:\Users\mss042\Desktop\processing-1.5.1\hs_err_pid4596.log
If you would like to submit a bug report, please visit:
http://java.sun.com/webapps/bugreport/crash.jsp
The crash happened outside the Java Virtual Machine in native code.
See problematic frame for where to report the bug.
It appears as if the new OpenNI/NITE/SensorKinect drivers do not work with the SimpleOpenNI wrapper. I have tried it with people using the old drivers and everything still works. Problem is, you cannot download the old drivers off of the websites so I cannot test if it's that or not. You can see everything I've downloaded from the simpleopenni site: http://code.google.com/p/simple-openni/
Any help with this error would be appreciated. Thanks.
Mike

Answer 1

It looks like there's a problem with OpenNI.dll. Make sure that:
You have the dll (It should be in Program Files where you've installed OpenNI)
Make sure you've got the Environment Variables for the Open NI paths and that the paths are correct, otherwise, you might have the .dll file, but the .jnilib wouldn't know where it is.
Had a Kinect Workshop in Uni, and my colleagues using Windows all had issues with the drivers,
so I'm just passing on what they did:
Even though they had 64-bit versions of Windows they used the 32-bit version, and used Brekel OpenNI Kinect Auto Installer - Developer Edition v1.3.2.3.exe(direct link via developkinect.com) after reading this message:
Comment 4 by tijmenva...#gmail.com, Oct 21, 2011 Hey all I have Solved
the unsatisfied link dll error on windows 7 64 bits by installing java
runtime (jre-7u1-windows-i586.exe)and (Brekel OpenNI Kinect Auto
Installer - Developer Edition v1.3.2.3.exe) I uninstalled everything
and than it worked :)
hope this helpes
in Issue#17 on the SimpleOpenNI project issues page.
Another colleague used Synapse and OSC in Processing instead of SimpleOpenNI, but she had loads of errors with the drivers (basically spent a few good hours uninstalling/installing different versions). In her case, uninstalling any previous partial or complete drivers from the machine and deleting any registry entries related to PrimeSense(Sensor, Nite) and OpenNI, then using the installers from the links on the Synapse page, worked for her.
HTH

Answer 2

This is a long shot, but that exact error is also given if the Kinect USB and/or power supply simply becomes unplugged. Thought it was worth mentioning as it is not obvious from the error message itself and it may help someone out if they kicked their power supply and started searching for the above exception :)