Trying to Get LibreELEC Running on an Amlogic s805 based VBox

  • So I've been endlessly Google searching for two days now. I've tried everything I've been able to find online but cannot yield any results.

    I have two VMedia VBox Quad+ (Amlogic s805, 1gb ddr3 ram, Android 4.4) android tv boxes that have been collecting dust and I am trying to make them useful. I haven't had any luck trying to get LibreELEC up and running though.

    I've tried using Etcher to burn the img onto my micro sd card, tried updating from the zip and I've downloaded and tired anything I could get my hands on. My most recent attempts have been with LibreELEC 7.0.3.3.

    With 7.0.3.3 burned onto my microSD card, the device will only either boot up normally or I can put it into recovery mode, but never will it boot from the microSD card.

    I've also tried putting the img itself on the microSD card and renaming it to "recovery.img" and adding a factory_update_param file. In recovery mode when I select the sd card, it doesn't show anything. But if I load the box normally then go to settings, system updater, local updates, I can go to the sd card and select the .img. It'll then try to update using it but it fails to prepare.

    I've also tried leaving the img in a zip but zips don't show up in the "apply update from EXT" area either.

    I am on Windows 10 and do not have any linux environment set up so any advice would need to be Windows 10 based. I know I'm probably missing something super simple or extremely obvious but I'm new to this whole "custom firmware on crappy android boxes" world.

    Let me know if any of you can spot what I am doing wrong. Any help would be much appreciated.

    Thanks,

  • Hi there.

    I also dug up a box that has been collecting dust for three years and I'm trying to give it life. Mine is an MX Pro with Amlogic S805. It also can't boot from mSD card but I use newer images. Why don't you try them?

    [8.2.3.1] LibreELEC 8.0 for S805

    Read the instructions carefully, how to boot by toothpick method.

    I tried the newer versions and it's the same thing. I hold the reset button with a toothpick and plug in the power and it doesn't boot up anything, only takes me to the Android System Recovery screen where you can reboot system, apply update, or factory reset the box.

  • For some boxes, you need to release the reset button after 3-5 seconds.

    If you keep it pressed continuously, it will definitely go to the recovery menu.

  • I tried the newer versions and it's the same thing. I hold the reset button with a toothpick and plug in the power and it doesn't boot up anything, only takes me to the Android System Recovery screen where you can reboot system, apply update, or factory reset the box.

    The same thing with my MX Pro S805 box......just take me to the same Recovery mode.


    I can't even boot the stock Android now.My next step is to try booting AlexELEC or Armbian's balbes150 builds

  • For some boxes, you need to release the reset button after 3-5 seconds.

    If you keep it pressed continuously, it will definitely go to the recovery menu.

    I've tried holding it less but it still only goes to the recovery screen. Even if I plug in the power and press the reset button once, it still goes to the Android recovery screen.


    The same thing with my MX Pro S805 box......just take me to the same Recovery mode.


    I can't even boot the stock Android now.My next step is to try booting AlexELEC or Armbian's balbes150 builds

    That's as far as I've ever gotten myself. I can still boot my device normally though into the firmware that the box came with.