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Flair 7 Fails to Start — startup.json Corruption

CONFIRMED FLAIR 7

Summary

Flair 7 refuses to open and returns a startup JSON file load error. The startup.json configuration file is corrupted or contains invalid syntax. Replace it from a default installation or a known-good backup.

Symptoms

  • Flair 7 does not open; error message on launch about a startup JSON file load error
  • Flair 7 was working previously with no changes to hardware

Systems Affected

  • Flair 7 only (Flair Classic uses different configuration files)

Cause

startup.json has become corrupted or contains invalid JSON syntax. This can happen after:

  • A failed or interrupted Flair 7 update
  • Manual editing of the file (missing commas, mismatched brackets, incomplete lines)
  • A partial write caused by power loss during shutdown
  • File system corruption

File Location

C:\Flair\Flair7\startup.json

Fix

Check syntax before replacing

Open the file in Notepad and look for obvious problems — a truncated last line, a missing closing bracket, or a trailing comma. If you can spot and fix the error, you may not need to replace the whole file.

Option A — Replace from a default installation

  1. Locate startup.json from another working Flair 7 installation or the Flair 7 installer package.
  2. Copy the good file to C:\Flair\Flair7\ and overwrite the corrupted one.
  3. Re-launch Flair 7.

Custom settings will be reset

The default startup.json will reset any custom paths, including the GStreamerBinFolder path for live video feeds. After replacement, check your live feed — see GStreamer Path Broken After Update if it stops working.

Option B — Re-run the Flair 7 installer

  1. Run the Flair 7 installer and choose Upgrade existing installation.
  2. The installer will replace startup.json with a clean default.
  3. Re-launch Flair 7.

Option C — Restore from backup

If you have a previously saved startup.json from before the corruption occurred, restore that copy.

Source: talk.mrmoco.com — Startup JSON file load error — Post by Gordon (MRMC), 2023-09-29

"If Flair 7 does not start and returns this error — This means your startup.json file is corrupted or has an invalid syntax. You can replace this file from another from a default installation or Flair 7 backup. The file is normally located in C:\Flair\Flair7\" — Gordon (MRMC)

Revision History

Date Change Editor
2026-05-29 Initial extraction from forum topic 1408 Tom D / Claude Code