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+--- Thread: Got my foxconn nt 330i, now what? (/showthread.php?tid=83173)
Got my foxconn nt 330i, now what? - numbly953 - 2010-10-14
I just got my barebones Foxconn in the mail today. But I am kinda lost as to what to do next. Well not lost, but just looking for people who have the experience to guide me.
I did alot of research in past few months on ION systems and what not, was about to buy a Acer Revo 1600 a few months back for around $200 but was in process of moving and all, so instead took my extra computer and added a $20 ION card and have been happy ever since. Now I have that "ich" to upgrade. Started my putting the pieces together for a unRaid server which minus the memory and parity drive is ready to go. But then I saw the deal on the Foxconn and had to get it. I am going to move the other PC to my room.
The Foxconn is perfect IMO for what I want to do with it. I dont need space since everything is shared over the network, so was just going to install XMBC Live on a flash drive and run it off there. Dont need the hard drive right now, maybe if right deal on a cheap SSD comes along, I will consider moving over.
I ONLY have xvids and divx movies and tv shows, I have such a huge collection I would need like $1000 to upgrade the TBs to upgrade all to HD stuff, and frankly I do care that much, DVD quality is good enough for me.
So the Foxconn should be able to stream all that just fine.
Anyway what do you guys think?
I know there are issues with Wifi on this system and xmbc live, so I will have to pull my hair out of that, I dont have much if any linux experience.
Also I usually run Aeon Showmix.....would like to run newest Dharma, but dont know if that is avail for live yet.....
Input? Thoughts? Suggestions? Open to anything.....
Thanks alot.
- Ninjahblu - 2010-10-14
This step by step guide seemed to be useful for other people who had the 300i: http://joel.thegoodmanblog.com/2010/04/08/getting-xbmc-onto-a-foxconn-nt330i/
The only drawback is that the guide was created in April, and doesn't have any instructions about how to update the BIOs that was released earlier this month. I think hannes the hun applied it to his machine and it made his fan much quieter during playback.
I'll receive mine any day now, so I'll be in the same boat as well. Keep us posted!
- xbmcevo - 2010-10-14
Same here I hope I get mine tomorrow. I am anxiously waiting
. Just couldn't pass up the deal. I went ahead and bought a hard drive and ram as well. Got everything for $226. Going to dual boot windows 7 and xbmc live
- Hannes The Hun - 2010-10-14
honestly I don't know how to update the BIOS other than with windows running
other than that, I really don't know what dipnfalls wants to know. either go the XBMCbuntu route (use server iso instead of minimal so that at least LAN works) or try dharma beta3 live. I hope they integrated atheros LAN as well as WLAN in the meantime, was a strong suggestion by me. and finally, enjoy your nice little box!
- numbly953 - 2010-10-15
Yeah just wanted to kinda get recommends on which verison of live to use...But if I cant upgrade the BIOS and fix the fan problem now I am alittle confused.
I want to just make sure the wifi and fan are working and/or fixed and want the box to run as fast as possible, so thats what drew me to Live....
Thanks for that tutorial Ninja, sure I will be using that!
- Ninjahblu - 2010-10-20
Just received it and got around to assembling it today!
Impressions so far:
Installation was actually simpler than I thought it would be. XBMC live was easily installed using a USB thumb drive and UNetbootin. Getting the NIC to work is as easy as adding two lines of text from the tutorial site above. There's a thread on how to add wireless as well, but I haven't found a need for it yet.
The fan is on the loud side. No screeches or whirring sounds, but it does sound like a big blowing noise. I'm still trying to figure out how to install the BIOS update in Linux as I don't have any Windows licenses.
Playback was smooth with all the media I tested, including 1080p files.
I networked my 330i to my Windows box using Samba. I'm using this since I don't have a fileserver or NAS: http://www.mini-itx.com/projects/xbmc-ion/module/7
My goals/questions for the machine:
1. Get a responsive remote, ASAP! Using a keyboard gets obnoxious unless you need it for streaming media. Any suggestions? I heard HP receivers with a Logitech remote are very responsive.
2. Quiet down the fan by finding a way to install the updated BIOS in XBMC Live. Will this be possible without using Windows?
3. Get an SSD? Is there a significant difference between this and my 7200rpm notebook drive?
4. Manage my media using Ember and get fan art.
Overall, I would say the Revo is still the best system to install XBMC out of the box. This machine would be worth the $150 if I can keep the heat and fan noise down.
I do want to express my appreciation for the community. There's an extensive amount of information out there, and I wouldn't have made it this far without all these resources.
- Ninjahblu - 2010-10-20
[Deleted]
- Hannes The Hun - 2010-10-20
for the BIOS update try this http://www.biosflash.com/e/bios-boot-usb-stick.htm
an SSD is always a nice addition especially for an appliance-like XBMC live box; you get improved loading times, a more responsive performance overall, and *maybe* also less heat compared to the 7.2k drive.
remote-wise I've tried the combination HP MCE IR receiver (VERY compatible!) and harmony one but found that the responsiveness of the harmony is somewhat sluggish. ended up using the 2.4Ghz wireless lenovo remote as I also didn't like the dinovo mini and its strange d-pad&keyboard layout.
- poofyhairguy - 2010-10-21
SSD!
Seriously, HUGE difference.
- joelgoodman - 2010-10-25
I'll try and update the guide this week to include the BIOS update...
I've been so busy I didn't even realize they released an update!
Next task: boot from SD.
- joelgoodman - 2010-10-25
This is what I did to update the BIOS when I first got the box. I'll add a section to my tutorial on updating the BIOS minus Windows.
- Ninjahblu - 2010-10-26
Hey Joel, glad to see you on the forums! Your blog post was immensely helpful. Thanks for adding the update.
Do you have your Foxconn networked to a file server? I'd like to build one in my apartment, but I'm not sure how I would set one up and make it work logistically.
- steve1977 - 2010-10-30
poofyhairguy Wrote:SSD!
Seriously, HUGE difference.
I have the same Foxconn unit. Two questions:
1) Does SSD makes a difference compared to running it from a SD card? I took the harddisk out and installed everything on a 8GB SD card.
2) Anyone tried the Bios upgrade without Windows? Does it work with the link provided in one of the posts?
- Ninjahblu - 2010-10-30
To answer your 2nd question, yes you can flash the BIOs using a bootable USB flash drive. It makes a huge difference as far as noise.
Edit: It looks like Joel updated his blog to include instructions for the BIOs as well! Here is the link: http://joel.thegoodmanblog.com/2010/10/29/getting-xbmc-onto-a-foxconn-nt330i/
- joelgoodman - 2010-10-31
Ninjahblu Wrote:Hey Joel, glad to see you on the forums! Your blog post was immensely helpful. Thanks for adding the update.
Do you have your Foxconn networked to a file server? I'd like to build one in my apartment, but I'm not sure how I would set one up and make it work logistically.
Hey! No problem. Glad it helped out. I had some audio issues with the Dharma 3 release that I'll be updating on. My main computer's in the shop for a HDD replacement under warranty so I'm at a blogging disadvantage.
I've got a NAS set up as a fileserver (DLink DNS-321) and just stream over SMB to my nT330i. Everything flows into my router. I might be at an advantage with having all of my networking paraphernalia in the same area. I haven't had a reason to try the wireless out on the box because of this.
Would a tutorial post on networking the thing be helpful? I could probably work on that in the next week if you think it's a good idea.