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Guide: Installing Windows XP on eBox 33xxMX/MX+ & K-PC

Based on DMP's Vortex processor / SoC this board is a full computer capable of running a standard Windows and Linux installation on the backpack of your robot.
42 postsPage 1 of 31, 2, 3
42 postsPage 1 of 31, 2, 3

Guide: Installing Windows XP on eBox 33xxMX/MX+ & K-PC

Post by PedroR » Wed Oct 19, 2011 12:24 pm

Post by PedroR
Wed Oct 19, 2011 12:24 pm

Preface:
This Guide is a compilation of all the information RoboSavvy collected on the installation of Windows XP on eBox 33xxMX series, Keyboard PC and other systems based on Vortex86MX/MX+.

Warning 1: There are a few Windows XP installation guides on the Internet for eBox 33xx Series (including the manufacturer's website ) but most of them are for 33xxA which is an older model and uses a very different architecture.
Therefore many of these guides will not work with the newer eBox 33xxMX series and thus you should follow this guide you have a 33xxMX model.
(for example you DON'T need to use any special IDE driver or any Floppy drive to install XP on 33xxMX machines; a normal Windows XP installation CD will work. These kind of procedures were only needed for the old 33xxA model.)

Warning 2: KeyboardPC and eBox of 33xxMX series are based on the Vortex86MX/Vortex86MX+ processors.
These processors do not support the full i686 instruction set (they are i586).
This means there is no support for CMOV or SSE/SSE2. This does not affect the installation and use of Windows XP but it's good to know the architecture is i586 in case if you have an issue with a particular version of a software package.


Step 1: Choosing your HDD / SD card
All eBox models can use an SD card as their HDD.
This is the only option available in the case of eBox 3350MX and in the case of eBox 3310MX you can choose either SD card or instal a 2.5" SATA HDD.

- If you have an eBox 3310MX (which supports SATA HDDs), and you're looking for maximum maximum performance we recommend using a good 2.5" SATA HDD (5 400rpm at least).
You can also go with a 2.5" SATA Solid State drives although a regular HDD offers a good performance already.

- If you're using a KeyboardPC your unit may have come with a SATA DOM pre installed.
You can install to this SATA DOM or otherwise install and boot from SD card just like on eBox models.

- If you prefer to use an SD card as HDD please observe the following:

a) Choose a card that is at least Class 6 or Class 10 SD from a reputable vendor.
A Class 4 SD card from Sandisk can often be faster than a class 10 from an unknown vendor.
Choosing SD cards from a reputable vendor also improves overall reliability.

b) Use Full Size SD cards and NOT microSD cards with adapters to full size SD.
Using MicroSD cards has proven unreliable and may results in random errors or intermittent failure.

There are plenty of reasons to prefer the use of an SD card as HDD: applications subject to vibration work better with an SD card; using SD cards lets you have multiple OS'es (one on each card) and quickly switch between OS'es; if you have an eBox 3350MX SD card is the only available option for HDD, ...

The quality of the SD card has a huge impact on the performance of your eBox. Therefore make sure to follow the guidelines above.


Preparation:
Installing Windows XP on eBox 33xxMX and KeyboardPC machines is straightforward: just insert the CD, got through the setup process and at the end you'll need to install the VGA drivers, etc.

If using SD card as your HDD insert it now, before turning the machine on.
Make sure you use a full size SD and stay away of MicroSD -> Full SD adapters!

Connected all USB peripherals (CD Rom, Keyboard and mouse) and turn the box on.

After turning the box on:
- Enter Setup
- chose "Load Failsafe Defaults" (just to ensure everything was going to work smoothly)
- set the CD ROM as the first boot device.


Tip:
To ensure the best installation experience and save time and disk space at the end of the setup process, we strongly recommend that you use an installation CD that already has SP3 applied.
There are indications that attempting to install XP using very old Installation CDs (ie RTM/SP0 or SP1) may cause issues during the installation.
Please see the post bellow detailing this finding and how to u0date the installation CD to include SP3.


Warning 3: if you're using eBox 3350MX, make sure your Power Adapter is able to supply a steady 5V 2A.
Insufficient power or lower quality power adapters may cause intermittent failures. If you experience no VGA, Reset during the boot process, date reverting to 2008 or not booting at all on the eBox 3350MX be advised they're caused by insufficient power supply; try using different adapters rated 5V 1A at least (ideally 2A).
We're now supplying the Official eBox 3350MX Power Adapters from DMP which offer the full 5V 2A.



Installation Process:

The installation process is straightforward:
From from the Windows XP installation CD and follow the Installation process all the way until it completes.

The installation process should complete smoothly using the standard Windows XP CD (no need for any special procedure - see Warning 1 above)

The installation process may take a while, especially if you have a slow SD card; just wait for it to complete.


Installing eBox Device Drivers:
After completing the installation process, you'll get a fully functional desktop but you won't have Network access or Audio as these need special drivers.

The following drivers should be installed:
- VGA
- HD Audio
- LAN
- WiFi (in case your model includes (or you purchased) the WiFi dongle supplied by DMP)

For eBox 3350MX (and all other DMP products that use the Vortex86[b]MX processor)[/b] drivers can be downloaded from this location

- http://robosavvy.com/RoboSavvyPages/DMP ... ortex86MX/

For eBox 3310MX, Keyboard PC (and all other DMP products that use the Vortex86[b]MX+ processor)[/b] drivers can be downloaded from the following location:

- http://robosavvy.com/RoboSavvyPages/DMP ... rtex86MX+/

Using another computer (as you don't have Ethernet at this point on the eBox/KPC yet), download the appropriate drivers for your platform and place them on a USB thumb drive.

Next insert the thumb drive on the eBox/KPC and install the necessary drivers (VGA, LAN, HD Audio and optionally WiFi). Reboot whenever requested.


That's it! By now you should now have a fully functional Windows XP environment and can start enjoying your eBox or KeyboardPC.

If you wish to tweak your system further please read the tips bellow ( these are optional )


Tips for Improving Performance:

Basic Tips:
- Disable Themes and Visual Styles (this is done by Right clicking on your desktop, selecting "properties" and under "Themes" choose Windows classic.

- Set the Pagefile to fixed size. Google should be your friend here in case you don't know how to do this.
This tip is particularly good if you're installing Windows on an SD card.


Advanced Tips:
These tips are for the Advanced users and should only be considered if you feel comfortable trying them.

- You can use nLite to trim down the installation size by removing unnecessary services.
See here http://robosavvy.com/forum/viewtopic.php?t=7504

- You can enable EWF which will significantly boost performance if you're running from SD card.
This will essentially put your SD card in Read only state; all disk writes will be cached to memory and lost upon reboot (unless you use a separate partition or thumb drive to save the permanent data).
See here http://robosavvy.com/forum/viewtopic.php?t=7479 for more details.

- Install the Flashfire utility to improve performance of the SD Card.
Flashfire sits between a default configuration and an EWF configuration offering the best of both worlds: it caches disk writes and periodically flushes them to the SD card at a time which seems to significantly improve performance.

Regards
Pedro

[Last Edited July 11th
- Added information about the Flashfire utility

Edited Dec 5th:
- Edited the "Tip: Added notice about old Windows XP installation CDs (RTM/SP0 and SP1) and recommendation to update/slipstream SP3.

Edited Nov 14th:
- Added instructions for KeyboardPC
- Added information about WiFi drivers
- Added link to DMP Power Adapter for eBox 3350MX ]
Preface:
This Guide is a compilation of all the information RoboSavvy collected on the installation of Windows XP on eBox 33xxMX series, Keyboard PC and other systems based on Vortex86MX/MX+.

Warning 1: There are a few Windows XP installation guides on the Internet for eBox 33xx Series (including the manufacturer's website ) but most of them are for 33xxA which is an older model and uses a very different architecture.
Therefore many of these guides will not work with the newer eBox 33xxMX series and thus you should follow this guide you have a 33xxMX model.
(for example you DON'T need to use any special IDE driver or any Floppy drive to install XP on 33xxMX machines; a normal Windows XP installation CD will work. These kind of procedures were only needed for the old 33xxA model.)

Warning 2: KeyboardPC and eBox of 33xxMX series are based on the Vortex86MX/Vortex86MX+ processors.
These processors do not support the full i686 instruction set (they are i586).
This means there is no support for CMOV or SSE/SSE2. This does not affect the installation and use of Windows XP but it's good to know the architecture is i586 in case if you have an issue with a particular version of a software package.


Step 1: Choosing your HDD / SD card
All eBox models can use an SD card as their HDD.
This is the only option available in the case of eBox 3350MX and in the case of eBox 3310MX you can choose either SD card or instal a 2.5" SATA HDD.

- If you have an eBox 3310MX (which supports SATA HDDs), and you're looking for maximum maximum performance we recommend using a good 2.5" SATA HDD (5 400rpm at least).
You can also go with a 2.5" SATA Solid State drives although a regular HDD offers a good performance already.

- If you're using a KeyboardPC your unit may have come with a SATA DOM pre installed.
You can install to this SATA DOM or otherwise install and boot from SD card just like on eBox models.

- If you prefer to use an SD card as HDD please observe the following:

a) Choose a card that is at least Class 6 or Class 10 SD from a reputable vendor.
A Class 4 SD card from Sandisk can often be faster than a class 10 from an unknown vendor.
Choosing SD cards from a reputable vendor also improves overall reliability.

b) Use Full Size SD cards and NOT microSD cards with adapters to full size SD.
Using MicroSD cards has proven unreliable and may results in random errors or intermittent failure.

There are plenty of reasons to prefer the use of an SD card as HDD: applications subject to vibration work better with an SD card; using SD cards lets you have multiple OS'es (one on each card) and quickly switch between OS'es; if you have an eBox 3350MX SD card is the only available option for HDD, ...

The quality of the SD card has a huge impact on the performance of your eBox. Therefore make sure to follow the guidelines above.


Preparation:
Installing Windows XP on eBox 33xxMX and KeyboardPC machines is straightforward: just insert the CD, got through the setup process and at the end you'll need to install the VGA drivers, etc.

If using SD card as your HDD insert it now, before turning the machine on.
Make sure you use a full size SD and stay away of MicroSD -> Full SD adapters!

Connected all USB peripherals (CD Rom, Keyboard and mouse) and turn the box on.

After turning the box on:
- Enter Setup
- chose "Load Failsafe Defaults" (just to ensure everything was going to work smoothly)
- set the CD ROM as the first boot device.


Tip:
To ensure the best installation experience and save time and disk space at the end of the setup process, we strongly recommend that you use an installation CD that already has SP3 applied.
There are indications that attempting to install XP using very old Installation CDs (ie RTM/SP0 or SP1) may cause issues during the installation.
Please see the post bellow detailing this finding and how to u0date the installation CD to include SP3.


Warning 3: if you're using eBox 3350MX, make sure your Power Adapter is able to supply a steady 5V 2A.
Insufficient power or lower quality power adapters may cause intermittent failures. If you experience no VGA, Reset during the boot process, date reverting to 2008 or not booting at all on the eBox 3350MX be advised they're caused by insufficient power supply; try using different adapters rated 5V 1A at least (ideally 2A).
We're now supplying the Official eBox 3350MX Power Adapters from DMP which offer the full 5V 2A.



Installation Process:

The installation process is straightforward:
From from the Windows XP installation CD and follow the Installation process all the way until it completes.

The installation process should complete smoothly using the standard Windows XP CD (no need for any special procedure - see Warning 1 above)

The installation process may take a while, especially if you have a slow SD card; just wait for it to complete.


Installing eBox Device Drivers:
After completing the installation process, you'll get a fully functional desktop but you won't have Network access or Audio as these need special drivers.

The following drivers should be installed:
- VGA
- HD Audio
- LAN
- WiFi (in case your model includes (or you purchased) the WiFi dongle supplied by DMP)

For eBox 3350MX (and all other DMP products that use the Vortex86[b]MX processor)[/b] drivers can be downloaded from this location

- http://robosavvy.com/RoboSavvyPages/DMP ... ortex86MX/

For eBox 3310MX, Keyboard PC (and all other DMP products that use the Vortex86[b]MX+ processor)[/b] drivers can be downloaded from the following location:

- http://robosavvy.com/RoboSavvyPages/DMP ... rtex86MX+/

Using another computer (as you don't have Ethernet at this point on the eBox/KPC yet), download the appropriate drivers for your platform and place them on a USB thumb drive.

Next insert the thumb drive on the eBox/KPC and install the necessary drivers (VGA, LAN, HD Audio and optionally WiFi). Reboot whenever requested.


That's it! By now you should now have a fully functional Windows XP environment and can start enjoying your eBox or KeyboardPC.

If you wish to tweak your system further please read the tips bellow ( these are optional )


Tips for Improving Performance:

Basic Tips:
- Disable Themes and Visual Styles (this is done by Right clicking on your desktop, selecting "properties" and under "Themes" choose Windows classic.

- Set the Pagefile to fixed size. Google should be your friend here in case you don't know how to do this.
This tip is particularly good if you're installing Windows on an SD card.


Advanced Tips:
These tips are for the Advanced users and should only be considered if you feel comfortable trying them.

- You can use nLite to trim down the installation size by removing unnecessary services.
See here http://robosavvy.com/forum/viewtopic.php?t=7504

- You can enable EWF which will significantly boost performance if you're running from SD card.
This will essentially put your SD card in Read only state; all disk writes will be cached to memory and lost upon reboot (unless you use a separate partition or thumb drive to save the permanent data).
See here http://robosavvy.com/forum/viewtopic.php?t=7479 for more details.

- Install the Flashfire utility to improve performance of the SD Card.
Flashfire sits between a default configuration and an EWF configuration offering the best of both worlds: it caches disk writes and periodically flushes them to the SD card at a time which seems to significantly improve performance.

Regards
Pedro

[Last Edited July 11th
- Added information about the Flashfire utility

Edited Dec 5th:
- Edited the "Tip: Added notice about old Windows XP installation CDs (RTM/SP0 and SP1) and recommendation to update/slipstream SP3.

Edited Nov 14th:
- Added instructions for KeyboardPC
- Added information about WiFi drivers
- Added link to DMP Power Adapter for eBox 3350MX ]
Last edited by PedroR on Thu Sep 13, 2012 5:56 pm, edited 5 times in total.
PedroR
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Post by Fabrizia » Tue Nov 29, 2011 8:09 pm

Post by Fabrizia
Tue Nov 29, 2011 8:09 pm

Thank you for this installation information. I have been wanting to install Windows XP on my ebox, so this is very helpful. XP will be a much better fit for the applications that I need to run, one of which being CAD. I am learning to use CAD so that I can incorporate it into the creation of rapid prototypes, most of these being my robotic creations.
Thank you for this installation information. I have been wanting to install Windows XP on my ebox, so this is very helpful. XP will be a much better fit for the applications that I need to run, one of which being CAD. I am learning to use CAD so that I can incorporate it into the creation of rapid prototypes, most of these being my robotic creations.
Last edited by Fabrizia on Thu Dec 08, 2011 3:13 am, edited 1 time in total.
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Post by PedroR » Mon Dec 05, 2011 5:18 pm

Post by PedroR
Mon Dec 05, 2011 5:18 pm

Hi all

Just a quick stop/update on the installation instructions and potential "gotcha" that may cause your XP installation to fail:

The original Windows XP (ie SP0 or RTM) did not include a number of features that are essential for eBox such as USB 2.0 support.

Therefore we strongly recommend using Windows XP Installations CDs that already include SP2 or SP3 when installing XP on eBox on KeyboardPC to ensure everything works smoothly.

If your installation CD is really old (ie SP1 or SP0/RTM) you can perform a procedure called "slipstreaming" which will upgrade the installation CD to the Service Pack you choose (we recommend SP3).
This process is Free and Fully supported by Microsoft. Your Windows XP Key will still work and the License is still valid.

The process of "slipstreaming" is beyond the purpose of this tutorial but it's pretty straightforward and we can give you some pointers here to very good tutorials on the Internet about how to do it.

All you need is a blank CD and a few (Free / Freeware) files downloaded from the Internet.

Google should be your friend on how to do it:
http://www.google.pt/search?q=windows+xp+slipstream+sp3

There are two different ways of doing it: either manually (via command line and then manually burning the CD) or using nLite which is an automated tool for manipulating Windows XP installation CDs that takes care of essentially everything (including burning the updated installation CD).

nLite is by far the most popular method and will also give you access to tweaking some other settings.
Unless your comfortable with advanced tweaking, at this point I would recommend using nLite ONLY for the purpose of Slipstreaming SP3 and leaving all the other options alone.

Once you complete the nLite Wizard (following the instructions on any of the sites the Google search returns) you're given the option to build an ISO or burn directly to CD.


At this point we haven't confirmed 100% that using old CDs (RTM/SP0 and Sp1) cause installations to fail but there are some clues that suggest that.

Either way slipstreaming SP3 is always a win-win situation: you'll save LOTs of disk space and many hours of Windows Updates; it won't avoid the updates completely but will offer a baseline that is significantly updated out of the box in terms of stability, hardware support and security.

Regards
Pedro.
Hi all

Just a quick stop/update on the installation instructions and potential "gotcha" that may cause your XP installation to fail:

The original Windows XP (ie SP0 or RTM) did not include a number of features that are essential for eBox such as USB 2.0 support.

Therefore we strongly recommend using Windows XP Installations CDs that already include SP2 or SP3 when installing XP on eBox on KeyboardPC to ensure everything works smoothly.

If your installation CD is really old (ie SP1 or SP0/RTM) you can perform a procedure called "slipstreaming" which will upgrade the installation CD to the Service Pack you choose (we recommend SP3).
This process is Free and Fully supported by Microsoft. Your Windows XP Key will still work and the License is still valid.

The process of "slipstreaming" is beyond the purpose of this tutorial but it's pretty straightforward and we can give you some pointers here to very good tutorials on the Internet about how to do it.

All you need is a blank CD and a few (Free / Freeware) files downloaded from the Internet.

Google should be your friend on how to do it:
http://www.google.pt/search?q=windows+xp+slipstream+sp3

There are two different ways of doing it: either manually (via command line and then manually burning the CD) or using nLite which is an automated tool for manipulating Windows XP installation CDs that takes care of essentially everything (including burning the updated installation CD).

nLite is by far the most popular method and will also give you access to tweaking some other settings.
Unless your comfortable with advanced tweaking, at this point I would recommend using nLite ONLY for the purpose of Slipstreaming SP3 and leaving all the other options alone.

Once you complete the nLite Wizard (following the instructions on any of the sites the Google search returns) you're given the option to build an ISO or burn directly to CD.


At this point we haven't confirmed 100% that using old CDs (RTM/SP0 and Sp1) cause installations to fail but there are some clues that suggest that.

Either way slipstreaming SP3 is always a win-win situation: you'll save LOTs of disk space and many hours of Windows Updates; it won't avoid the updates completely but will offer a baseline that is significantly updated out of the box in terms of stability, hardware support and security.

Regards
Pedro.
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Post by Webber » Tue Jan 17, 2012 11:17 pm

Post by Webber
Tue Jan 17, 2012 11:17 pm

I am the proud owner of a 3350 mx since today but have a difficult time getting xp pro installed on the SD.
Tried a lot: formatted the SD three times, disconnected all but the keyboard, monitor and dvd drive - everytime i seem to strand when windows starts up and finishes the installation while saying: the installation will take about: 39 minutes (translated by me from localized xp installation, so could be different in 'real' english).
In the beginning i also had one time that copying files during the first stage of installation (before windows startup) stranded.

What can be wrong and what to do now?
Wait untilthese '39' minutes pass in maybe a couple of hours due to the fact that this may be typical xp related or because of a slow SD card?
Or could this be related to some bios driver, found something about that with a different model i believe a 3300; legacy setting or something?
And what to do with the stranded installation? Pull the plug i.e. Disconnect the power with the auto power on model?
I am the proud owner of a 3350 mx since today but have a difficult time getting xp pro installed on the SD.
Tried a lot: formatted the SD three times, disconnected all but the keyboard, monitor and dvd drive - everytime i seem to strand when windows starts up and finishes the installation while saying: the installation will take about: 39 minutes (translated by me from localized xp installation, so could be different in 'real' english).
In the beginning i also had one time that copying files during the first stage of installation (before windows startup) stranded.

What can be wrong and what to do now?
Wait untilthese '39' minutes pass in maybe a couple of hours due to the fact that this may be typical xp related or because of a slow SD card?
Or could this be related to some bios driver, found something about that with a different model i believe a 3300; legacy setting or something?
And what to do with the stranded installation? Pull the plug i.e. Disconnect the power with the auto power on model?
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Post by Webber » Tue Jan 17, 2012 11:20 pm

Post by Webber
Tue Jan 17, 2012 11:20 pm

Forgot something: slipstreamed the xp installation CD (official one ) to SP 3 while not slipstreaming anything else but that.

Update: ide controller should be in native mode instead of legacy mode i found somwhere.
Meanwhile i disconnected power and installation resumed again with the 39 minute message, i'll let it run now for some hours.
Another meanwhile: green progress bar has appeared and time is decreasing, well until now it does.

Argh, now it asks for the productcode and when i enter it, it say invalid - can't skip the step nor close the window :-(

Meanwhile discovered that the slipstreamed cd (burned myself) is one of the main reasons it hasn't been succesful until now.
At the moment I try with an SP 2 version (the original CD and I am aware SP 3 is recommended) to see what this might bring.

Meanwhile: I went out Iand bought myself a Windows XP Home SP3 installation CD, I now hope and pray I will get it installed ... pfff ... what an 'adventure' :-(

Updates will follow
Forgot something: slipstreamed the xp installation CD (official one ) to SP 3 while not slipstreaming anything else but that.

Update: ide controller should be in native mode instead of legacy mode i found somwhere.
Meanwhile i disconnected power and installation resumed again with the 39 minute message, i'll let it run now for some hours.
Another meanwhile: green progress bar has appeared and time is decreasing, well until now it does.

Argh, now it asks for the productcode and when i enter it, it say invalid - can't skip the step nor close the window :-(

Meanwhile discovered that the slipstreamed cd (burned myself) is one of the main reasons it hasn't been succesful until now.
At the moment I try with an SP 2 version (the original CD and I am aware SP 3 is recommended) to see what this might bring.

Meanwhile: I went out Iand bought myself a Windows XP Home SP3 installation CD, I now hope and pray I will get it installed ... pfff ... what an 'adventure' :-(

Updates will follow
Webber
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Posts: 4
Joined: Tue Jan 17, 2012 11:03 pm

Post by PedroR » Wed Jan 18, 2012 12:04 pm

Post by PedroR
Wed Jan 18, 2012 12:04 pm

Hi Webber

With regards to your issues and posts, it is important to note the following:

You mention a few key points that are NOT applicable tot he 3350MX or the 3310MX:
"Update: ide controller should be in native mode instead of legacy mode i found somwhere. " - This is NOT correct. The ONLY thing you need to do is go into the BIOS and select "LOAD FAILSAFE DEFAULTS".

Tweaking the IDE configuration settings was sometimes required for old eBox models (base don the DX processor).
Certain Linux distributions (which we do not directly support) may also require tweaking other BIOS settings but for the purpose of the OSes we recommend - Windows XP and Ubuntu - users SHOULD NOT need to or tweak BIOS settings when installing Windows XP (please see Warning 1 on the first post which explains this in detail).


With regards to the symptoms you describe, they seem related to the SD card.

Slow installation times, problems on First boot (after installation) or problems during the installation where files are being copied are all related to the SD card.

Please refer to "Step 1: Choosing your HDD / SD card" in the initial post and carefully follow all the recommendations:

-> DO NOT use microSD cards with adapters to full SD size and use cards from good quality, reputable vendors, including Sandisk and Kingston.

As of today, we have supplied well over 100 units of eBox 3350MX to users in the last 6 months which have successfully installed either XP or Ubuntu by strictly following these installations instructions.

We will be looking forward for your feedback, especially in terms of which SD card you are using so we can provide further help and information with regards to troubleshooting your issue.

Kind Regards
Pedro
Hi Webber

With regards to your issues and posts, it is important to note the following:

You mention a few key points that are NOT applicable tot he 3350MX or the 3310MX:
"Update: ide controller should be in native mode instead of legacy mode i found somwhere. " - This is NOT correct. The ONLY thing you need to do is go into the BIOS and select "LOAD FAILSAFE DEFAULTS".

Tweaking the IDE configuration settings was sometimes required for old eBox models (base don the DX processor).
Certain Linux distributions (which we do not directly support) may also require tweaking other BIOS settings but for the purpose of the OSes we recommend - Windows XP and Ubuntu - users SHOULD NOT need to or tweak BIOS settings when installing Windows XP (please see Warning 1 on the first post which explains this in detail).


With regards to the symptoms you describe, they seem related to the SD card.

Slow installation times, problems on First boot (after installation) or problems during the installation where files are being copied are all related to the SD card.

Please refer to "Step 1: Choosing your HDD / SD card" in the initial post and carefully follow all the recommendations:

-> DO NOT use microSD cards with adapters to full SD size and use cards from good quality, reputable vendors, including Sandisk and Kingston.

As of today, we have supplied well over 100 units of eBox 3350MX to users in the last 6 months which have successfully installed either XP or Ubuntu by strictly following these installations instructions.

We will be looking forward for your feedback, especially in terms of which SD card you are using so we can provide further help and information with regards to troubleshooting your issue.

Kind Regards
Pedro
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Post by Webber » Wed Jan 18, 2012 1:10 pm

Post by Webber
Wed Jan 18, 2012 1:10 pm

Hi Pedro,

I did all as instructed except for the bios thing since I couldn't find it.

But I have now managed to install windows xp with an official xp sp3 installation cd but the computer keeps on chrashing and I slowly suspect a faulty SD card (it is class 10, full size, Samsung).

I will go out and buy a Sandisk, full size, class 10 now to see if this fixes the problems.
Will keep you posted.

Thanks for now!
Hi Pedro,

I did all as instructed except for the bios thing since I couldn't find it.

But I have now managed to install windows xp with an official xp sp3 installation cd but the computer keeps on chrashing and I slowly suspect a faulty SD card (it is class 10, full size, Samsung).

I will go out and buy a Sandisk, full size, class 10 now to see if this fixes the problems.
Will keep you posted.

Thanks for now!
Webber
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Yahoooo ...

Post by Webber » Wed Jan 18, 2012 4:41 pm

Post by Webber
Wed Jan 18, 2012 4:41 pm

The verdict: managed to get things installed and until now it works fine, even with -way, way more- speed than expected (without changing pagesize, switching to classic theme and using ewf).

What I learned:
    Slipstreaming an older SP installation cd didn't work for me.
    Maybe something went wrong with the burning, wasn't possible to enter activation code during installation;
    I had to use an original Windows XP SP3 installation CD in the end;
    SD card (Samsung) had all the 'right' specs but appeared to be faulty;
    Did skip the BIOS 'Load Setup defaults' setting but this appearantly did no harm;
    In the end I played safe and bought a Sandisk, class 10, 30 Mb speed

Did ran into one hickup, had to manually select the SD card as startup through setup because after installation of the first driver and first restart was required, Windows didn't start - got a black screen.

Happy camper at the moment :)
The verdict: managed to get things installed and until now it works fine, even with -way, way more- speed than expected (without changing pagesize, switching to classic theme and using ewf).

What I learned:
    Slipstreaming an older SP installation cd didn't work for me.
    Maybe something went wrong with the burning, wasn't possible to enter activation code during installation;
    I had to use an original Windows XP SP3 installation CD in the end;
    SD card (Samsung) had all the 'right' specs but appeared to be faulty;
    Did skip the BIOS 'Load Setup defaults' setting but this appearantly did no harm;
    In the end I played safe and bought a Sandisk, class 10, 30 Mb speed

Did ran into one hickup, had to manually select the SD card as startup through setup because after installation of the first driver and first restart was required, Windows didn't start - got a black screen.

Happy camper at the moment :)
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Post by ozfiddler » Sat Jan 21, 2012 12:00 am

Post by ozfiddler
Sat Jan 21, 2012 12:00 am

Hi Webber,

I had no luck either with slipstreaming SP3 onto an older WinXP. The installation process on the eBox seems to be quite sensitive! But it seems to run fine on SP2 so I eventually gave up.
Hi Webber,

I had no luck either with slipstreaming SP3 onto an older WinXP. The installation process on the eBox seems to be quite sensitive! But it seems to run fine on SP2 so I eventually gave up.
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Post by BusinessStream » Fri Mar 02, 2012 7:13 pm

Post by BusinessStream
Fri Mar 02, 2012 7:13 pm

Fabrizia wrote:Thank you for this installation information. I have been wanting to install Windows XP on my ebox, so this is very helpful. XP will be a much better fit for the applications that I need to run, one of which being CAD. I am learning to use CAD so that I can incorporate it into the creation of most of these being my robotic creations.


It is very helpful Fabrizia Installing windows on ebox is fun. Thanks to this forum.
Fabrizia wrote:Thank you for this installation information. I have been wanting to install Windows XP on my ebox, so this is very helpful. XP will be a much better fit for the applications that I need to run, one of which being CAD. I am learning to use CAD so that I can incorporate it into the creation of most of these being my robotic creations.


It is very helpful Fabrizia Installing windows on ebox is fun. Thanks to this forum.
Last edited by BusinessStream on Wed Apr 18, 2012 3:09 pm, edited 3 times in total.
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Installing Win XP on Ebox3350MX

Post by wiweet » Sun Mar 25, 2012 4:22 pm

Post by wiweet
Sun Mar 25, 2012 4:22 pm

Nice guidelines indeed, just managed to install win XP SP2 on my ebox, just as explained in the robosavvy guide.
Lesson taken from my win XP installlation:
-Power supply is a very critical part (experienced RESET during Boot due to unadequate Power Supply)
-Added note---SD card must be formated in NTFS file system,I tried with FAT32 and ended with "disk error" after first reboot in win XP installation process
-I use class 6 SDHC I SANDISK
Nice guidelines indeed, just managed to install win XP SP2 on my ebox, just as explained in the robosavvy guide.
Lesson taken from my win XP installlation:
-Power supply is a very critical part (experienced RESET during Boot due to unadequate Power Supply)
-Added note---SD card must be formated in NTFS file system,I tried with FAT32 and ended with "disk error" after first reboot in win XP installation process
-I use class 6 SDHC I SANDISK
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Post by ozfiddler » Mon Jul 02, 2012 6:14 am

Post by ozfiddler
Mon Jul 02, 2012 6:14 am

Actually I found the opposite - NTFS didn't work for me but FAT32 was good.
Actually I found the opposite - NTFS didn't work for me but FAT32 was good.
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Post by ozfiddler » Mon Jul 02, 2012 8:54 am

Post by ozfiddler
Mon Jul 02, 2012 8:54 am

Pedro, I've just spent most of the day trying to get audio to work properly on my ebox. I've tried numerous driver packages but they either fail or I get something to install but the sound quality is crap... gargly and distorted.

I have tried the driver you recommend above - that was one of the bad quality ones. Is there something else that can affect the sound?
Pedro, I've just spent most of the day trying to get audio to work properly on my ebox. I've tried numerous driver packages but they either fail or I get something to install but the sound quality is crap... gargly and distorted.

I have tried the driver you recommend above - that was one of the bad quality ones. Is there something else that can affect the sound?
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Post by PedroR » Mon Jul 02, 2012 10:17 am

Post by PedroR
Mon Jul 02, 2012 10:17 am

Hi ozzfiddler

(I am assuming you have a 3350MX unit) DMP has re organized their website and it's now much easier to find the drivers and information.
You may want to check this page here http://www.compactpc.com.tw/support.aspx?mode=3&id=28 for drivers.

I believe the driver that's available there for the 3350MX is the same that we're mirroring on our server but in any case it may be worth trying.

If that does not fix the issue then please email me on support at robosavvy dot com to open an RMA case.
Out of the several hundreds 3350s we've shipped, we did find one that produced distorted sound output and we've replaced it so if the drievr doesn't fix that let us know.

Regards
Pedro
Hi ozzfiddler

(I am assuming you have a 3350MX unit) DMP has re organized their website and it's now much easier to find the drivers and information.
You may want to check this page here http://www.compactpc.com.tw/support.aspx?mode=3&id=28 for drivers.

I believe the driver that's available there for the 3350MX is the same that we're mirroring on our server but in any case it may be worth trying.

If that does not fix the issue then please email me on support at robosavvy dot com to open an RMA case.
Out of the several hundreds 3350s we've shipped, we did find one that produced distorted sound output and we've replaced it so if the drievr doesn't fix that let us know.

Regards
Pedro
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windows xp home edition

Post by ruijten » Wed Sep 12, 2012 8:39 pm

Post by ruijten
Wed Sep 12, 2012 8:39 pm

Hi there,

Does anybody know if I can install/run windows xp home edition on the 3350MX? If not, any reason why not?

Cheers,
hans
Hi there,

Does anybody know if I can install/run windows xp home edition on the 3350MX? If not, any reason why not?

Cheers,
hans
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