Boxee Patchstick creator for Windows released

[davilla]

Guys,

1 - Which files do I need to put on my Windows PC?

If that is the case, what do I do once they are on my PC, which do I execute. If not

2 - What files go on my USB stick

Maybe I am missing something. I though that if you loaded this software on your PC, a program would run that gives you the choices of how to load up the USB stick.

What do I do with these files I load into my PC, they are just that, doesn't seem to be anything that is a .exe to start some program. You can see I am a real rookie at this!

I think by the comments you are assuming things that I already know, but this is not so, please help!

Mar

I suggest reading the readme.txt file and starting from there.

[mar128a]

These batch file can be used to create AppleTV patchstick disk images.
The minimum USB flash drive supported is 256MB.

Clear and I understand!

USB flash drives can
be restored back to full size using the HP USB Disk Storage Format
Tool from here -> http://files.extremeoverclocking.com/file.php?f=197

Do you mean standard re-formatting back to ms for use on the pc?


There are two disk image versions:

mk_atv-xbmc.bat will create a disk image that will install

1) bintuils
2) SoftwareMenu-0.71
3) XBMCLauncher-0.6

Use this version if you already have ssh on your AppleTV that
was installed by a previous patchstick.

Okay, so it looks like, I won't use this one this time around since I am starting from scratch.


mk_atv-xbmc-ssh.bat will create a disk image that will install

1) ssh
2) bintuils
3) SoftwareMenu-0.71
4) XBMCLauncher-0.6

SoftwareMenu can be used to install other AppleTV Plugins.

Do I load this batch file from the website directly on to the USB Stick, or is it resident on my pc to help create the USB stick?

XBMCLauncher is used to install and launch either XBMC or Boxee.

These batch files should be run from a command prompt.

Start -> Run -> cmd

Do I go to my DOS window on the pc and just type run in the directory where "mk_atv-xbmc-ssh.bat" unzipped resides (PC or Stick)?

On my PC or the USB stick if it has the "mk_atv-xbmc-ssh.bat"?


Run either batch file and it will download, extract and inject boot.efi
into the disk image. Everything will be automatically done so you don't
need to manually extract or download anything.

Once the disk image is created, use "USB Image Tool" to do the actual
copy to USB flash drive. Run "USB Image Tool", switch from "Volume Mode"
to "Device Mode". Select your USB flash drive then select the disk image
using the "Restore" button. This tool does work in Vista but will need to
be run as administrator. To do this right-click on "USB Image Tool.exe"
then select "run as administrator".

Okay, so here it looks like that I created a folder on the PC to store the unzipped batch file, which I think you want me to execute using the DOS Command RUN, than copy the resulting image to the USB stick using this "USB Image Tool", where I think this is a utility provided by XP, and use the Admin mode when in VISTA. Have I used this utility in copying a file to a USB stick or is this differrent? Oviously I have never used this tool before, will it be self explanitory?

It seems so much detail is offered when you get on the ATV side and so little on "How to Create the Patch Stick for Dummies"

Good Luck, Issues can be posted here;

http://code.google.com/p/atvusb-creator/issues/list

Please be complete in describing any problems as we cannot see what has
been done.

Enjoy and please be carefull selecting the desired USB flash drive

Scott "Mr AppleTV" Davilla

Please help to clarify if you can?

[jvreeland]

One suggestion I would make to the notes is that when creating the USB Stick make sure to "Safely Remove the Hardware" from windows.

If you just yank out the stick from your PC it can cause the files to be read only and then not work properly during bootup.

Just a tip from what I did last night...

[mar128a]

Details Count! Can save someone a lot of time!

[mar128a]

These batch file can be used to create AppleTV patchstick disk images.
The minimum USB flash drive supported is 256MB. USB flash drives can
be restored back to full size using the HP USB Disk Storage Format
Tool from here -> http://files.extremeoverclocking.com/file.php?f=197

There are two disk image versions:

mk_atv-xbmc.bat will create a disk image that will install

1) bintuils
2) SoftwareMenu-0.71
3) XBMCLauncher-0.6

Use this version if you already have ssh on your AppleTV that
was installed by a previous patchstick.


mk_atv-xbmc-ssh.bat will create a disk image that will install

1) ssh
2) bintuils
3) SoftwareMenu-0.71
4) XBMCLauncher-0.6

SoftwareMenu can be used to install other AppleTV Plugins.

XBMCLauncher is used to install and launch either XBMC or Boxee.

These batch files should be run from a command prompt.

Start -> Run -> cmd

In the DOS Command window, I ran the "mk_atv-xbmc-ssh.bat" which resides in my Folder named "atv-win-1.0.b8" I now have additional files in that Folder;

2Z694-5499.dmg
atv-xbmc-ssh.img
SoftwareMenu.tar
2.hfs
boot.efi

And maybe a few more!

Run either batch file and it will download, extract and inject boot.efi
into the disk image. Everything will be automatically done so you don't
need to manually extract or download anything.

How do you extract and inject this?

Once the disk image is created, use "USB Image Tool" to do the actual
copy to USB flash drive. Run "USB Image Tool", switch from "Volume Mode"
to "Device Mode". Select your USB flash drive then select the disk image
using the "Restore" button. This tool does work in Vista but will need to
be run as administrator. To do this right-click on "USB Image Tool.exe"
then select "run as administrator".

I downloaded this tool (HP USB Disc Storage Format Tool, V2.1.8) from PC Downloads. When I run it I do not see a selection from Volume Mode to Device Mode. Do I have the wrong software?

Good Luck, Issues can be posted here;

http://code.google.com/p/atvusb-creator/issues/list

Please be complete in describing any problems as we cannot see what has
been done.

Enjoy and please be carefull selecting the desired USB flash drive

Scott "Mr AppleTV" Davilla

[davilla]

Do you mean standard re-formatting back to ms for use on the pc?
Yes, the HP tool will format back to one fat32 partition using the full size of the USB stick



Do I load this batch file from the website directly on to the USB Stick, or is it resident on my pc to help create the USB stick?
No, All the tools are already in the folder as the readme.txt, the batch file will download anything else it needs. The USB stick is used when you write the created disk image using "USB Image Tool".


Do I go to my DOS window on the pc and just type run in the directory where "mk_atv-xbmc-ssh.bat" unzipped resides (PC or Stick)?
No, open your DOS window, cd to the directory where "mk_atv-xbmc-ssh.bat" unzipped resides and THEN run the batch file. This files need to be on the C: drive and not a USB stick, the expansion of the disk images will take a lot of space.



Okay, so here it looks like that I created a folder on the PC to store the unzipped batch file, which I think you want me to execute using the DOS Command RUN, than copy the resulting image to the USB stick using this "USB Image Tool", where I think this is a utility provided by XP, and use the Admin mode when in VISTA. Have I used this utility in copying a file to a USB stick or is this differrent? Oviously I have never used this tool before, will it be self explanitory?
No, All the tools are already in the folder as the readme.txt, the batch file will download anything else needed including "USB Image Tool"

After you run the batchfile, if it ran without error, atv-xbmc-ssh.img will be created. atv-xbmc-ssh.img is the disk image. Use "USB Image Tool" to write this file to the USB flash drive. It's really pretty simple

[mar128a]

Okay, I have the "atv-xmbc-ssh.img" file. It says it's 250,000 KB in size, created at 12:23 PM 11/23/08.

After you run the batchfile, if it ran without error, atv-xbmc-ssh.img will be created. atv-xbmc-ssh.img is the disk image. Use "USB Image Tool" to write this file to the USB flash drive. It's really pretty simple

1 -I see that the "USB image tool" as an application resides in the same "atv-win-1.0.b8" Folder. How do I run it, if I double click on it, it says, "The Application Failed to Run Properly".
How do I invoke it so I can copy the "atv-xmbc-ssh.img" to the USB Stick.

2 -And do I have to revered back to ATV Release v2.2 from V2.3 to run this file as the other person is asking?

[halswift]

I tried running both bat files in Vista in the regular command line and in with admin privileges and nothing. Is this method not compatible with VISTA. The reason I ask because as soon as I ran them on my wife's XP machine it worked perfectly. Any tips. I hate working on my wife's old Dell. Blah.

Hal

[davilla]

Come on guys, let's pay a little more attention to the instructions in the readme.txt instead of randomly trying things

For Vista, the readme.txt says;

This tool does work in Vista but will need to
be run as administrator. To do this right-click on "USB Image Tool.exe"
then select "run as administrator".

If you don't run as administrator, the device mode selection will NOT enable.

[davilla]

2 -And do I have to revered back to ATV Release v2.2 from V2.3 to run this file as the other person is asking?

The created USB patchstick will work for all AppleTV versions 2.x. The plugins will not function under 1.x but ssh/binutils apps will work.