Quickstart

Welcome to WDLXTV! Be aware that the software offered here is non-official and could cause damage to your device (but probably won't :). Proceed at your own risk, you have been warned!

Download the Firmware

Download the latest firmware for your device. Ensure you get firmware appropriate to your device model (G2/Live/Plus). EXT3 versions are for non-permanently testing newer builds, so ensure you download the non-EXT3 version for your model.

Install the Firmware to USB Stick

Format a USB stick to FAT32. This is easily doable in Windows via Computer -> Right Click (Driver Letter) -> Format (I'd recommend not to use Quick format). Linux users should use mkfs with vfat, and Mac users are on your own! Sorry; I don't own one :D.

Once your stick is formatted extract the firmware zip you copied and place at a minimum the wdtvlive.bin and wdtvlive.ver files onto your USB stick. If the archive contains a wdtvlive.fff file put it also on the USB stick!

Please do not use the often proposed HP Format Utility! It seems to cause more problems than solving any.

Flash the Firmware

Turn your WDTV off. This means pulling the power plug, not using the remote. Disconnect any existing USB devices you may have from your WDTV and insert the stick into the left port. Plug the power cable back in, turn the unit on, and follow the onscreen instructions.

If the screen stays dark wait at least 15 minutes then remove power completely again, move the USB stick to the rear port, and re-attempt.

If the new firmware is not found and you don't get a "New firmware found", edit the wdtvlive.ver file and change the first version number to something higher than your currently installed firmware.

Example:

You have 1.02.21.WDLXTV_LIVE-0.4.5.3 running and want to up- or downgrade to any other version, change the content of wdtvlive.ver to

VERSION='1.02.22.WDLXTV_LIVE-0.4.5.3'

If it is still not showing the upgrade notice it's most likely due to your USB stick. (95% of the cases)
In this case start over with formating the drive and copying the files (make sure you safely remove the device after copying!
If it's still not working try a different USB stick.

First Boot

If all went well you should now be running the latest, greatest version of WDLXTV! You should now use telnet to set your SSH password.

Enabling Web Management (Live/Plus)

Now that your SSH password has been set, you will probably want a more convenient way to manage your WDTV. Luckily, it comes with a complete and fully featured web GUI. While still connected via SSH/telnet, enter the following commands to ensure the Apache web server is running.

config_tool -c APACHE='ON'
config_tool -s
/etc/init.d/S66apache2 start

Final Steps

With the web GUI enabled, you can manage your WDTV much more easily. Simply point your browser to either the hostname or IP address of your WDTV box; you can find the IP address under the about system menu. The default user/pass for the web GUI is wdlxtv/wdlxtv. Note that most configuration changes require a reboot.

Troubleshooting

There are several things that can go wrong and prevent a successfull firmware upgrade. The most common reasons are:

WDTV does not pick up the update

• .ver file not edited

This seems to be the most common problem and most of the time it's because you did not edit the .ver file according the instructions given. Make sure the base version (the first version number) in the .ver file is higher that the version currently installed on your WDTV.

Example:

* Version flashed on WDTV Live: 1.05.04 (doesn't matter if official or custom)
* Version in wdtvlive.ver: VERSION='1.06.04.WDLXTV_LIVE-0.4.7.3'

What matters most is the first version string!

• wrong USB port on WD

If the update is not picked up, try the other USB port on WDTV. Normally you should use the first port which is the one on the side.

• corrupt USB drive

Also a common reason for the update to fail is a corrupt filesystem on the USB drive, which can happen if you did not safely remove the USB drive from your Laptop/Desktop computer after copying the firmware files. In this case start over with formatting the drive. Don't use Quick Format!

• incorrect firmware

If your WD is connected to the internet, either via ethernet or wireless dongle, and the latest official firmware update is requesting to download instead of the custom firmware on your USB, you have two options.

Fast: Unplug your WD from the internet, power cycle to see if it is now picking up the correct firmware.

Slow: As described above, edit the .ver file to be a higher version number than the official firmware wanting to download.

Update progress bar stays at 0%

• be patient!

It can take some time until the update progress starts, I've encountered lags up to some minutes at 0% myself.
If it hasn't started after 5-10 min. try this:

• unplug the USB drive
• wait a couple of seconds
• replug the USB drive

If it still doesn't start to update, start over with re-formating the USB drive.

• corrupt USB drive

see above

General Tips

If you can't get the device to update even with trying all the tips above try a different USB drive.

Support

In the event you have broken something or truly get lost along the way, pop in the support forums and someone will be happy to assist you.