[Robert Simandl]

My Windows XP install on my HTPC self-fubar'ed a while back (probably a video driver issue but I can't even get it to boot in Safe Mode to find out).


Thinking about using Mythbuntu or XBMC when I reinstall an OS on it.


Are there any Linux distros that can recognize and take commands from Microsoft's Media Center Remote?


Thanks!

 

[tux99]

Windows Media Center remotes are supported by any Linux distro, on XBMC Live it works out of the box on some others some manual configuration work is needed, but it will work with any Linux distro.

 

[mythmaster]

what tux said, but you may have a hard drive issue if it won't even boot to safe mode. i'd check that 1st

 

[waterhead]

My WMCE 2005 wouldn't boot when I forgot to connect the power cable to the ATI X850 video card. So maybe it is more than a driver issue. Maybe the video card is dead.

 

[Robert Simandl]

Won't spend too much time on this since this is a Linux area, but...


What the problem is, is when I boot XP, I get the Welcome splash screen, then nothing else. No problem getting Windows up and logging in, but then the Welcome screen is all I get until I pull the power plug. I do get Windows sounds of programs loading in my speakers, but all I see is the Welcome screen.


In safe mode, I get the black safe mode screen, but the task bar and start menu never load.


Have a hard drive scan running from Ultimate Boot CD as I type this, but I'm thinking this issue is more software than hardware?


Thanks!

 

[Robert Simandl]

Spoke too soon.


My hard drive passed the SeaTools short test, but bombed out on the long test at 41%.


Man, my Seagate drives have been dropping like flies the last few years.

Guess the replacement drive will be a Samsung or WD. And the OS will be a Linux-based HTPC-type OS, like MythBuntu or XBMC. I'm definitely NOT in the mood to install Windows and all the codecs and software again.


Sooo... I see XBMC has Linux packages and a Live CD. Can the Live CD be installed to a hard drive as the OS, a la Ubuntu?


Thanks!

 

[Robert Simandl]

Does this look like a good hard drive for an XBMC or MythBuntu-based system?

http://www.amazon.com/Western-Digita...pr_product_top


I'll probably NOT be using it for DVR/timeshifting, mostly playing the files sitting on my network server in the basement.


Should I partition it, or just let the OS use the whole area?


Thanks!

 

[bac522]



Quote:
Originally Posted by Robert Simandl /forum/post/18255439


Does this look like a good hard drive for an XBMC or MythBuntu-based system?

http://www.amazon.com/Western-Digita...pr_product_top


I'll probably NOT be using it for DVR/timeshifting, mostly playing the files sitting on my network server in the basement.


Should I partition it, or just let the OS use the whole area?


Thanks!

Surprised to hear that about Seagate, they generally are rock solid.


That drive should be fine. I'm a fan of partition the drive so my OS is on one partition and data on the other. Can't begin to tell you how many times while hacking away on something new that I've screwed up the OS and had to restore it from scratch!

 

[k_ross]

I like the Caviar Green drives, they are very quiet and run cool. The only downside is they are about the equivalent of a 5400 RPM drive for speed. But for a HTPC, that's plenty fast.


And yes, I'm pretty sure the XBMC Live CD can install to the hard drive, although I've never used the live CD myself.

 

[mythmaster]

Yes, you can install XBMC live to a hard drive or USB flash drive or whatever. I've always used seagate and never had any problems except with the .11 series that had the bad firmware. The only time I've lost any drives was due to power failures, but that's my fault for not having a UPS. That said, I like the WD green drives because of low power consumption, and I'm about to install a 1.5TB one for data.