Archive:Install XBMC on ZBOXHD-ID11
Difficulty: (Beginner to Intermediate)
Hardware: Zotac ZBOXHD-ID11-U
XBMCFreak Version: 10.0 Beta 1
XBMC SVN Version: 33324
Hardware Installation Prep Platform: Ubuntu Lucid
Author: wiz561
Last Updated: Sep 11, 2010 Started this endeavor.
Introduction
First, hats off to rodercot who I'm borrowing the format of his howto page for the zotac box.
The reason why I'm doing this is because there's a ton of good information out there on using the ZBOXHD-ID11 (id11 for short, for now on), but there's not a good repository of information out there on how to get this started. I'm also doing this for myself so when I go to upgrade, I can look back at my notes here and get it back up and running without much fuss.
Parts List
I picked all the parts up at the local Fry's. I am not endorsing or telling you to go to Fry's, I just picked it because it was local and they had everything in stock. Feel free to use whatever place you want.
| Fry's Part Number | Manufacturer's Number | Description | Quantity | Price |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 6334091 | ZBOXHD-ID11-U | ZOTAC ZBOX ZBOXHD-ID11-U Intel Atom D510 1.66 GHz Dual Core All-in-One Mini-PC Barebone | 1 | 229.99 |
| 6206320 | WD1200BEVT | WESTERN DIGITAL 120GB SERIAL ATA/300 5400RPM 8MB BUFFER NOTEBOOK HARD DRIVE - WD1200BEVT | 1 | 39.99 |
| 5175606 | VS2GSDS667D2 | 2GB DDR2 PC5300 SO-DIMM / 200-PIN (single) / CORSAIR / VS2GSDS667D2 | 1 | 49.99 |
| 5390958 | CE-000022-S1 | SIIG Vista MCE Remote Controller | 1 | 39.99 |
| Subtotal: | 359.96 |
Other things you might need...
- USB Thumb Drive
- HDMI Cable
- Keyboard
Step 1: Install Hardware
I'm not going to detail this step because the Zotac manual does a good job at doing this. Basically, put the hard drive in, the memory in, connect the HDMI cable to your TV, and a keyboard to a USB port.
Step 2: Update Bios
It's probably a good idea to flash the BIOS before you get started. Some may advise against it because you risk bricking the box. I like it because it fixes many problems.
- Download 'unetbootin' from sourceforge. unetbootin
- Download BIOS flash files from Zotac Zotac ID11 Downloads
- Start unetbootin and choose "FreeDos" for the distribution.
- Copy "AFUDOS" and the BIOS from the Zotac flash bios download to the usb thumb drive.
- Restart
- Load FreeDOS LiveCD with HiMEM + EMM386
- Change the drive to B: or C:. Basically, you want to find the AFUDOS directory. Some say it's on B:, I found it on C:.
- Read the readme.txt file for instructions to flash the BIOS!!! I had to add a couple of switches to the command so it flashes everything!
- Flash the bios.
- Reboot and hopefully things will work.
Step 3: Change some BIOS Options
After the flash, I went in and made a few changes in the bios. To get into the BIOS, hold the "DEL" key down on the keyboard while the machine is booting. The Zotac splash screen will change to "Please Wait.." You will then be in the BIOS. Here are the changes I made...
- Load optimal settings
- Change IDE SATA drive from IDE to AHCI.
- Changed power saving to S3
- Enabled the video to repost on resume.
I already disconnected my keyboard and put it in storage, so I don't know the exact locations for the above. But if you hunt around the BIOS, you will find them.
Step 4: Download xbmcfreak and 'burn' it to usb
I chose xbmcfreak for the livecd distribution. I usually like installing Ubuntu, then configuring xbmc and doing everything else, such as sound, video, remote, etc. As I get older, I'm getting lazier and don't feel like going through all the hassles of it. I was a little leery at first on using this distribution, but I'll take my chances. While I haven't used it extensively yet, I like it so far.
I also used the SVN version of xbmcfreak livecd. I guess it's still in me to tinker with things a little bit. ;) You can also use unetbootin. Your mileage may vary with it. I didn't like it because it installed a generic boot menu/loader instead of grub. This prevented me from choosing if I want xbmc live or xbmc install. The instructions below are to do it by hand.
- Download xbmcfreak live cd from here. This is the link to the version I used. I'm guessing in the future, you will have to find the latest svn. You can get to the xbmcfreak download section here and search for the release version or the 'svn' version.
- Once downloaded, extract the zip file to an ISO file.
- Make a temp directory. You will copy the contents of the ISO to this directory.
mkdir ~/xbmcfreak-temp/
sudo mkdir /mnt/tmpiso/ * Mount the ISO and copy the contents to a temp directory <pre> sudo mount -o loop ~/Downloads/xbmcfreak-10.00-svn33324.iso /mnt/tempiso/
cp -a /mnt/tmpiso/* ~/xbmcfreak-temp/
- Change into that directory and remove the 'boot' subdirectory.
cd ~/xbmcfreak-temp/
sudo rm -rf ~/xbmcfreak-temp/boot/
- Create a fat32 partition and format it. I'm a geek, but I'm too lazy to explain how to use fdisk with mkfs.vfat here. I'm going to cheat and ask you to use "Gparted" to create a partition on your thumb drive and format it.
- Mount the thumbdrive
sudo mkdir /mnt/thumbdrive
sudo mount /dev/sdX# /mnt/thumbdrive
- Install grub. The below command and above command need a little work from you. You hve to figure out what 'X' is. It's usually sda sda1, sda2, sdb sdb1, sdb2, etc. You mount the device above with (sda1), but install grub below with just the device (sda).
sudo grub-install --root-directory=/mnt/thumbdrive /dev/sdX
- Copy the boot files to the thumb drive from the xbmcfreak cd. This will give you some pretty pictures and a nice boot menu.
sudo cp -R /mnt/tempiso/boot/* /mnt/thumbdrive/
- Insert USB thumb drive into your Zotac box and hopefully it will boot up from it. You *may* have to hit "F-12" to get a boot menu and choose the usb storage device.
- still more to come. ****