Simply cannot start the HDD installation

Help and Support Apple TV
15

ADVANCED USERS ONLY !!!

Extra Equipment needed:

  • Computer connected to your network, running Linux (or OSX)
    (A bootable Linux “Live” would work for this)
  • Experience with running commands via Command Line/Terminal

How to debug installer problem via netcat:

  1. Create the usb stick configured for HDD Installation
  2. Safely eject the USB stick (this critical since a unclean filesystem won’t allow the install to complete)
  3. Using Linux, as root user or using sudo edit the com.apple.Boot.plist and add debugip=xx.xx.xx.xx using the ip address of the computer you are using for debugging.

(Make make sure you cleanly unmount installer the stick at all times !)

Example of com.apple.boot.plist for HDD install. Using a computer on the same network, at 192.168.65.101 to run netcat for debugging:

`<?xml version="1.0" encoding="UTF-8"?>

Background Color 0 Boot Fail Logo Boot Logo BootLogo.png Kernel Flags console=tty1 root=/dev/ram0 quiet init=/init loglevel=2 osmcdev=atv video=vesafb intel_idle.max_cstate=1 processor.max_cstate=2 nohpet debugip= 192.168.65.101 atvinst Kernel mach_kernel `
  1. Launch a netcat shell LINUX: netcat -lvp 9999 OSX: nc -l 9999
    (Advanced users can also use ncat on OSX if they have it installed)

Example of terminal command and resulting output using ncat. Netcat output on Linux would be similar, but not 100% the same

`laptop ~ $ ncat -lvp 9999
Ncat: Version 7.00 ( Ncat - Netcat for the 21st Century )
Ncat: Listening on :::9999
Ncat: Listening on 0.0.0.0:9999

  1. With the ATV1 powered off, and connected to your network with an ethernet cable, insert the USB stick, and power up the ATV1

  2. The ATV1 should get an IP address via DHCP, and then establish a netcat connection to your computer.

Example output from ncat… (netcat will be slightly different, and nc will display no info at all when it connects)

Ncat: Connection from 192.168.65.104.
Ncat: Connection from 192.168.65.104:56392

Important note:
On OSX you won’t get any notice that it connected, because the v option doesn’t work.
All you can do is wait until the ATV has booted, gets an IP address, and tries to connect to your PC.

  1. On your computer in netcat shell, run the the command /usr/bin/qt_target_installer -qws

  2. The OSMC installer should start, and log it’s activity to your command line.

  3. Cut and paste the output into a support thread.