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I have a YouView box, which runs on embedded Linux. The file-system is encrypted and there are only USB/HDMI ports on the rear (no serial ports). Pressing shift on boot doesn't provide me with any usable menu (Grub or otherwise). I've replaced the HDD with an Ubuntu install, no joy. I think the YouView bootloader has maybe been flashed to EPROM.

Has anyone ever managed to reprovision a Linux set-top box with Ubuntu? It's a long shot, but given that I own the box, I'd hope to be able to install my own OS on it. Any tips?

SteveMc
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1 Answers1

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While this is theoretically possible, it's not feasible without a lot of work.

As a prerequisite, you need to have profound knowledge of the hardware used in the box, if drivers are available (preferably under a permissive license) for the intended kernel and a lot more.

You need to know how to compile a kernel, most possibly not only how to compile it but also how to cross-compile it. You also need the toolchain and if things go south (and they will, speaking from experience), you need a JTAG cable to re-flash.

If there's no JTAG header on the board at all, I'd not do it, as you're going to brick the device and it'll become a fancy paperweight.

Jan
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