Flashing Xtrend ET8500 multiboot

[twol]

I think someone should probably "tart up" my prose, correct any issues with my experiences and raise this as a sticky, as some people will otherwise run into problems with this receiver.
I have had the ET8500 since 1st shipment in Germany (January 2015), and is my all time favourite, although flashing/booting needs more attention than some receivers as the bootloader supports multiple images (OS1 and OS2). (I am assuming that all ET8500's shipped from WoS come with the multiboot bootloader (it should ).

USB Flashing.

I alway remove everything except the usb stick (with the ET8500 image folder) inserted in the side USB port (my preference - see later)

Power up and the red light (on bottom left of LCD) will change to flashing blue light if the USB stick is detected - touch the blue flashing button - LCD display should show 3 lines - at top "Install" then OS1 or OS2 - with the remote (QUICKLY) choose where you want to install (OS1 or OS2) by moving the cursor up or down and then pressing enter on the remote........ Wait for the ET8500 to reboot.
1) If you do not choose it will go with the current selected image - not always what you want if you have a working image and you want to try/test the next image update.
2) Once rebooted, you will go through the normal wizard setup - the LCD is far faster than the TV picture, so I always setup the new image via the LCD.
3) Once the flash has started I always insert my USB stick containing the settings backup's in the rear port so that I can restore everything immediately from the wizard.

I find the multiboot particularly useful, as long as you backup your settings from a working image (say OS1), you can then install the next image on OS2, apply settings and you can test the new image, giving you a way of "rotating" your images safely.

Couch Image flash

Works as per normal, except (and I haven't tested this for a while ), it will only flash image OS1. Applying a couch flash on image OS2 on my boxes has in the past always flashed OS1 - but circumstances may have changed.

Booting

On a reboot/power up the LCD display will indicate "Boot" and give you a chance of selecting OS1 or OS2 with the remote, or if no response the last used.

Enjoy

[Sicilian]

Thanks for your guide, moved to ET8500 section and made a sticky.

[iliko]

touch the blue flashing button - LCD display should show 3 lines - at top "Install" then OS1 or OS2

It does not show any lines on mine which I bought couple of weeks ago. :-(

[twol]

It does not show any lines on mine which I bought couple of weeks ago. :-(

There are 2 ways you flash boot with the ET8500, with Single-Boot or Multi-Boot, I think as default WoS flash Single-Boot.
Even with Multi-Boot, I don,t think you see both images until you try USB flashing a second image, (It's a long time since I first set up my boxes)
If you have flashed once and you have Multi-Boot then when it detect an flash image on a usb, it will then ask you if you want to flash OS1 or OS2
Once flashed it will then go through the normal process when you reboot of asking which image to select.

I have code on my image so that in ImageManager settings I can set Multi-Boot and then I can couch flash either OS1 or OS2, but then I regularly change images and it's nice to keep the last working image just in case I mess up (it does happen)

[iliko]

Thanks twol. Well I tried USB flash it and it did not offer me any choice and overwritten my main image.

[twol]

Thanks twol. Well I tried USB flash it and it did not offer me any choice and overwritten my main image.

So single-boot

[thomaskierom]

If Multiboot is installed, will it erase the image already installed on a singleboot?
Or, will it give the option to add the second image alongside the original image?

For instance, my box has single boot and OpenATV 5.3 installed at the moment.
If I wanted to add OpenVix, would I flash the multiboot and then, when powering with the USB with the Openvix image on it inserted, just select OS2 from the Menu?
Would the original image still be on OS1 or would flashing multiboot delete that original image?


Kieron

[Sicilian]

Yes will erase it. OpenViX image may not be compatible with the multi-boot bootloader, Twol may now, wait for his view. I'd advise taking extreme care flashing bootloaders.

[twol]

OK - interesting
I have never flashed single boot, installed an image and then installed multiboot, so I would 1st do an image backup of OS1 (your Openatv image)and copy it to a usb .......
OS1 is always flashed to the same location whether you have single or multi bootloader.

So assuming you want both images Vix and ATV.

Scenario 1. OS1 is ViX, OS2 is ATV (maybe not what you want but the best option)
So lets assume that you run with standard ViX imagemanager code (Sicilian see later for an alternative)
I would install the multibootloader.
Then place your Vix of choice on a usb stick, and flash the image .... at this stage you probably will not be given a choice of OS1 or OS2 so it will flash OS1 as default.
It will automatically boot up and you can go through the normal ViX wizard scenario.
Then flash from the Openatv image previously backed up and you will (if running multiboot) be given a choice of flashing OS1 or OS2) - blue button flashes when usb image detected, press and up pops choose OS1 or OS2
Choose OS2 for OpenATV and flash it.
So now you have ViX on OS1 and your existing OpenATV image on OS2, which means that you can use ImageManager couch flash to flash a new ViX version to OS1 without disturbing the OpenATV image on OS2.

Standard ViX imagemanager couch flash ONLY flashes OS1 regardless of single or multiboot.

In this scenario you can keep both ViX on OS1 and ATV on OS2, keep all the Vix benefits like couch flash but must flash OpenATV from usb to OS2. Beware if you don,t act fast and respond to OS1/OS2 message it will always flash the last used OS.

Scenario 2 (Sicilian note )
I have code in imagemanager that checks to see whether you have manually indicated single or multibootloader (its set in the imagemanager menu), as I don,t know any other method of dynamically knowing which bootloader is flashed.
In Imagemanager, I check which bootloader and if multiboot and ET8500, give the option of flashing OS1 or OS2 - code change is minimal (I just repeat the existing code to flash OS2)

Benefits? If running just ViX, you can always have the last working image available on reboot by flip flopping which OS you flash. With ViX and ATV, by copying an ATV image to the ViX imagemanager image library (forget what its called -sorry on holiday ) you should be able to flash the ATV image to either OS (1 or 2) - obviously I need to test this, but Imagemanager should flash any saved image you select unless the changes in 4.1 have stopped this.

Hope that helps, if not let me know if I have confused everyone

For most people Scenario 1 is the safest option, I just like to use the full facilities of the receiver which give me a great test box for new images.

[twol]

Thinking overnight, at various times I have run ViX,ATV and OpenPli in various combinations which is why I by default save my settings backups, image backups and epg.dat (when I use crossepg) on a usb stick that is tied to the appropiate image eg ViX.
Although ViX and ATV use similar tools, they are different as is certainly OpenPli.

So it is better to NOT restore settings or plugins on a clean flash, but exit the wizard and then setting up in the image where the backups are saved and restore from there.
If you use the wizard option of restoring settings you get a very confusing list of backups from multiple images and it can be difficult to select the correct one

[Shaggy]

Thanks for doing this it really helps out, 1 thing I have just received my ET8500 ready flashed by W of S, will this be flashed just to the OS1 or will it be just done generally to the box, meaning I would have to reflash it to OS1 and OS2 if I want to multiboot,,,, If that is right , give me a break I am new lol,,

[twol]

Thanks for doing this it really helps out, 1 thing I have just received my ET8500 ready flashed by W of S, will this be flashed just to the OS1 or will it be just done generally to the box, meaning I would have to reflash it to OS1 and OS2 if I want to multiboot,,,, If that is right , give me a break I am new lol,,

As far as I am aware, the ET8500 is normally flashed with the single boot loader which mean's that only OS1 is available on the box.
If (?) you want to be able to multi-boot you will have to flash the multi-bootloader, but you will not normally see any difference until you flash a 2nd image.
Also you can only flash OS2 from usb, couch flash only flashes OS1.

[Shaggy]

Thanks twol for your reply, I was not sure to be honest, being new to this thought I had better ask before going head on into it lol

[sundancer]

I know this is an old thread but it seems to tag onto the information i require.

Is there any special procedure for changing the bootloader from single boot to multiboot?

I have 2 ET8500 units, one running the single bootloader and the other running the multiboot bootloader. What is the best way to change the bootloader from single to multi?

Thanks

[twol]

I have never done this, (only the other way round), but I would imagine that the single boot flash will mean that you will have to fresh flash afterward.
So take a settings backup, re install the single bootloader (make sure its the latest ... there were 2 versions) and then flash the image and reinstall backup settings.