Linux - HOW-TO: Automated efficient XBMC install - Ubuntu 12.10/13.04 mini based

Linux HOW-TO: Automated efficient XBMC install - Ubuntu 12.10/13.04 mini based - Printable Version

+- Kodi Community Forum (https://forum.kodi.tv)
+-- Forum: Support (https://forum.kodi.tv/forumdisplay.php?fid=33)
+--- Forum: Tips, tricks, and step by step guides (https://forum.kodi.tv/forumdisplay.php?fid=110)
+--- Thread: Linux HOW-TO: Automated efficient XBMC install - Ubuntu 12.10/13.04 mini based (/showthread.php?tid=141369)

Pages: 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 27 28 29 30 31 32 33 34 35 36 37 38 39 40 41 42 43 44 45 46 47 48 49 50 51 52 53 54 55 56 57 58 59 60 61 62 63 64 65 66 67 68 69 70 71 72 73 74 75 76 77 78 79 80 81 82 83 84 85 86 87 88 89 90

RE: HOW-TO: Automated efficient (dedicated) XBMC installation on Ubuntu minimal 12.10 - st graveyard - 2012-12-23

Hello all,

Thank you for this wonderfull script and the instructions. I'm a complete Linux NOOB but I was able to install it all perfectly, however, I think I made a mistake. When installing ubuntu minimal, at the screen were you select the components, I placed the cursor on the 'OpenSSH server', but instead of pressing space to select it, I pressed enter. So now I'm wondering if there is a way that I could check if, by doing this, I didn't install all components? But I don't know how to do it (yet) in linux. I just want to make sure I have a minimal install (as minimal as possible).
Apart from this, it all went ok and XBMC boots up nicely.

Thanks for reading, and please understand, I'm a complete LINUX NOOB (for now; -)

Cheers,
Grave

RE: HOW-TO: Automated efficient (dedicated) XBMC installation on Ubuntu minimal 12.10 - st graveyard - 2012-12-23

Also noticed when I 'exit' xbmc, I see a cross sign and than the screen goes black, no linux environment (dos type cursor) and the PC stays on. Only ctrl + alt + del is a solution. Is that normal?

RE: HOW-TO: Automated efficient (dedicated) XBMC installation on Ubuntu minimal 12.10 - un1versal - 2012-12-23

1st to install openssh you just press CTRL+ALT+F2 login and type

Code:
sudo apt-get install openssh

2nd Exit does not shutdown or reboot or do anything other than, you guessed it EXIT xbmc application.

ctrl+alt-delete is a reboot command which if thats what you wat to do, instead of exit, yes you guessed it, you select reboot.

uNi

RE: HOW-TO: Automated efficient (dedicated) XBMC installation on Ubuntu minimal 12.10 - Jameskey10 - 2012-12-24

I just tried to do the installation. There were no issues at all until I got to the reboot. Once the machine rebooted I got a message that stated "OS not found" and then "Disk Boot Failure, Insert System Disk and Press Enter". I have tried restartting and have changed the settings for boot preference to hard disk. I have attempted to reinstall but the USB is not being detected and I just recieve the message "Disk Boot Failure, Insert System Disk and Press Enter". Any help with this would be appreciated as I never seem to have luck with this type of stuff.

BTW I have never used any OS other than windows so I am very new to this.

I have followed the XBMC threads for about a year and a half and I appreciate all the effort you guys make in helping resolve situations. If more information is needed then let me know, however I built this computer a couple years ago and do not remember the exact components I put into it.

Thanks again!!!

RE: HOW-TO: Automated efficient (dedicated) XBMC installation on Ubuntu minimal 12.10 - un1versal - 2012-12-24

clearly you didnt either install anything to HDD and boobzd up somewhere.

You need to install Ubuntu minimal from USB completely and that is not done, pay more attention to the partitioning and grub install.

uNi

RE: HOW-TO: Automated efficient (dedicated) XBMC installation on Ubuntu minimal 12.10 - Jameskey10 - 2012-12-24

(2012-12-24, 02:35)uNiversal Wrote: clearly you didnt either install anything to HDD and boobzd up somewhere.

You need to install Ubuntu minimal from USB completely and that is not done, pay more attention to the partitioning and grub install.

uNi

Ok so I realized that I must have messed up somewhere. I was going to start from scratch. The issue is that I cannot use the USB to restart the install. How do I fix that?

Thanks for the reply!

RE: HOW-TO: Automated efficient (dedicated) XBMC installation on Ubuntu minimal 12.10 - clarknova - 2012-12-24

If you can't boot from the same USB on the same hardware that you did before, then the cause is most likely one or more of:

1) Your USB has become corrupt
2) Your computer is not booting from USB (either your BIOS boot order has been changed or you're not pressing the right key during post to allow changing boot device order)
3) You're confused about something. Either you changed hardware and forgot about it, you're using the wrong USB drive, the computer is unplugged, etc.

RE: HOW-TO: Automated efficient (dedicated) XBMC installation on Ubuntu minimal 12.10 - un1versal - 2012-12-24

Remake your usb just in case you installed Ubuntu to your usb instead of hdd, idk

And pay more attention next time to the partitioner part (for full hdd use) use guided mode with separate /home (it will create the partitions automatically for you and wipe everything else from target drive. ANd make sure you install grub to proper partitions.

uNi

RE: HOW-TO: Automated efficient (dedicated) XBMC installation on Ubuntu minimal 12.10 - st graveyard - 2012-12-24

Hey James,

Or you can make a simple boot DVD/CD ... Worked like a charm for me.

Universal, thank you for the help. Made it a bit more clear to me. I have a few more question, hardware and software.

First of all, is there a command in linux I can use to check the diskspace? Like a dir command in dos?
When I'm checking the system info in XBMC now, I'm wondering if this is normal. I have a 120GB SSD. In XBMC it says the following :
- /dev/sda2 size: 107G used:1.3G avail: 100G use%: 2% mounted on: /
- /dev/sda1 size: 94M used: 123k avail:94M use%: 1% mounted on: /boot/efi

I'm wondering why the XBMC says the SD is only 107GB and also, it seems the minimal linux install with XBMC and confluence skin takes up 1.3GB, is that normal? Pretty big. And why is there only 100G available if you only take 1.3G from a total of 107G. IS XBMC wrong, is this Linux behavior?

Another thing that concerns me. I'm running on an intel I7 3770 which runs at 3.4ghz (not overclocked). When I check the hardware stats in confluence, the CPU speed reads 1600 mghz Huh

When I compare to my laptop (an I5 M430 running at 2.4ghz) in xbmc it says 2300 mghz (which seems right).

Any idea about this? I installed the 64bit version of ubuntu.
I just want to create the most kick ass HTPC, and want to start out right from the beginning. Thanks for understanding.

Grave

RE: HOW-TO: Automated efficient (dedicated) XBMC installation on Ubuntu minimal 12.10 - Jameskey10 - 2012-12-24

Thanks guys, I just remade the USB on a different USB stck and got the same results and message. i am going out to buy some DVD-ROMs to tryto make a boot disk and see if I just broke my ability to boot from USB. I don't know what mistake I made but it seems to have been a big one.

RE: HOW-TO: Automated efficient (dedicated) XBMC installation on Ubuntu minimal 12.10 - clarknova - 2012-12-24

(2012-12-24, 14:09)st graveyard Wrote: First of all, is there a command in linux I can use to check the diskspace? Like a dir command in dos?

df

To learn more about any command in linux, use 'man' to read the manual. For example, 'man df' will show you the usage of the df command. I usually use 'df -h' to get human readable output.

Quote:I'm wondering why the XBMC says the SD is only 107GB

Storage is usually sold by the GB (10^9), while XBMC (most OSes, actually) is reporting GiB (2^30). Plus, formatting eats some space. So yes, this is normal. Note too that the 107GB is only one of your partitions. Use parted to see all your partitions, or 'free' to see memory, including swap, usage.

Quote:and also, it seems the minimal linux install with XBMC and confluence skin takes up 1.3GB, is that normal?

Quite normal. While Ubuntu is certainly popular and easy to use, it's not by any measure a tiny distro, despite the fact that you did a basic install. If you want small look into Debian. If you want really small, look into puppy linux, damn small linux, or linux from scratch. I have no idea what XBMC compatibility is with each of these, but I imagine it's doable if you install the required software.

Quote:When I check the hardware stats in confluence, the CPU speed reads 1600 mghz

That's Enanced Intel Speed Step at work for you. The CPU reduces its clock to save power when idle. Not only normal, but desirable.

Quote:I just want to create the most kick ass HTPC, and want to start out right from the beginning.

Sounds like nice hardware to me. My desktop is a 3770. My xbmcbuntu is a 3-year-old Zotac ionitx-a with an Atom 330 Wink

RE: HOW-TO: Automated efficient (dedicated) XBMC installation on Ubuntu minimal 12.10 - Jameskey10 - 2012-12-24

So I got a DVD and burned the mini.iso to it. Got the same Disk Boot Failure error. I also downloaded the OPENELEC install and tried thout route and got the same message. I have never seen this before and have no idea how to fix.

RE: HOW-TO: Automated efficient (dedicated) XBMC installation on Ubuntu minimal 12.10 - clarknova - 2012-12-24

You may want to try resetting your BIOS settings to default. That or look through it for anything that might be messing you up, such as optical and USB boot being disabled, UEFI being forced on, legacy forced off, etc.

RE: HOW-TO: Automated efficient (dedicated) XBMC installation on Ubuntu minimal 12.10 - un1versal - 2012-12-24

Yea @clarknova he probably messed about with bios settings or is not selecting boot from USB or bios is not set to boot from CD as a fallback anymore.

The error is generic when booting from a formatted HDD with no MBR..

uNi

RE: HOW-TO: Automated efficient (dedicated) XBMC installation on Ubuntu minimal 12.10 - Jameskey10 - 2012-12-24

@clarknova

Do you mean select reset to default in bios or remove the battery?

I am currently slaving the main harddrive I want to use on another computer and am installing again fromthe new machine.

Thanks again