XBMCbuntu/FAQ

General FAQ

 * See also: XBMC all platforms FAQ for FAQs that apply to all versions of XBMC.
 * See also: XBMC v12 (Frodo) FAQ for FAQs related to the (Frodo) v12 release.

What is XBMCbuntu?

 * XBMCbuntu is the XBMC Media Center software bundled with a embedded operating-system, for that set-top-box feeling. XBMCbuntu also lets you easily boot the XBMCbuntu CD in order to demo XBMC for your friends and family on practically any relatively modern computer, (as long as it was manufactured in the last 5-years or so it should meet the XBMC's minimum requirements).


 * XBMCbuntu .iso can also be used to create a bootable USB disk with a completely independent OS which can be booted, thus not requiring any modifications to the host PC disk.

What version of Ubuntu is used by the current XBMCbuntu?

 * Lubuntu 12.10 (Quantal Quetzal)

Why two ISO's for XBMCUbuntu v12?

 * xbmcbuntu-12.00.Intel-AMD.iso is for AMD GPU's
 * xbmcbuntu-12.00.Intel-NVidia.iso is for both Intel and Nvidia GPU's

How can I transfer files to/from XBMCbuntu?
Use SFTP with a client such as Cyberduck or FileZilla or scp via SSH within Linux/OS X shell. username and password is xbmc blank or the xbmc password selected during install.


 * See also: Connecting to XBMCbuntu via SFTP
 * See also: Connecting to XBMCbuntu via SSH

How can I backup all my settings to restore them if something goes wrong?
You can use the Add-on:XBMC Backup Backup and restore your XBMC database and configuration files in the event of a crash or file corruption.

Alternatively if you do not wish to use a addon, you can navigate to your userdata folder and copy/archive all its contents to a external drive. This can be achieved various ways, depending on your OS.

What are the minimum requirement and recommended hardware for XBMC?

 * For end-users the recommended minimum requirement is a x86-based computer, with a 3D GPU (Graphics Processing Unit) that at least supports Shader Model 3.0 and OpenGL 2.0 (that features 24bpp or 32bpp for 3D hardware-acceleration support, which XBMC GUI need to run smoothly at an acceptable frame-rate). Graphic adapters that support DirectX version 9.0c or later usually meet all of those mentioned requirements, (Team-XBMC recommends NVIDIA GeForce 6150 or later as NVIDIA are currently the manufacturer that offers good device-drivers for Linux (and NVIDIA GeForce 6150 or later supports OpenGL 2.0).

What are XBMCbuntu's minimum requirements?

 * x86 (Intel/AMD-based) processor computer capable of booting to CD-ROM.
 * Intel Pentium 4, Intel Pentium M, AMD Athlon XP/64, AMD Opteron, or newer CPU (that support SSE).
 * Fast modern dual-core processor is required to decode H.264 videos in FullHD (1080p).
 * For clarification; XBMC Live does not work on the Xbox game-console.
 * ATI/AMD, Intel, or NVIDIA (recommended) graphic controller which supports OpenGL 1.3 (+ GLSL) or later (2.0 recommended).
 * ATI Radeon R420 (X800) or newer supported, ATI Radeon R700 (HD 4000) or newer recommended.
 * Intel GMA 950 (945G) or newer supported, Intel GMA 4500 and newer recommended.
 * NVIDIA GeForce 6-Series and newer supported, GeForce 8-Series and newer recommended.
 * Optional is to install to a 2GB (or larger) USB-flash-drive.
 * If you like to install XBMC Live to USB then note that it can not still have U3 software on it (so uninstall that first).
 * Larger than 2GB is if you have a lot of media as covers are cached on it.

Why do I get no audio devices detected ?

 * See: XBMCbuntu no audio devices

How do I get and Install XBMCbuntu ?
For instructions on how to acquire, create a bootable usb flash drive, boot or install to/from

See: Create and install from/to a bootable USB flash drive

Resolving problematic installs

 * 1) Boot your system with the installer thumbdrive and select the "Try Ubuntu" option.  This should boot into XBMC.
 * 2) Click the Shutdown menu in XBMC (lower-left corner) and select "Exit"
 * 3) You should be presented with a log-in screen.  Click "Other..." and enter xbmc as the login and select XBMCbuntu from the dropdown menu (below the Login field).
 * 4) Click "Login" and you will be prompted for the Password;  just leave it blank.
 * 5) Click "Login" again and the XBMCbuntu desktop should be displayed.
 * 6) On the top-left corner of the desktop should be an icon to install Ubuntu.  Double-click the icon and, hopefully, you'll get the installation wizard this time.

Upgrading XBMC via ppa in XBMCbuntu
You dont have to necessarily wipe your current install to try a new Version of XBMC, like a nightly version or beta for example, you can just fire up Putty or a shell in Linux/OS X


 * see also: Connecting to XBMCbuntu via SSH


 * see also: Where are XBMC Packages for Ubuntu/Debian


 * see also: What might break when upgrading to v12

How can I connect a bluetooth keyboard/mouse/remote?

 * See this video:http://lubuntu.net/blog/lubuntu-screencast-bluetooth

Can't install because the install window is too big?

 * See Can't install because the install window is too big?

Can't install because the text is too small?

 * See Can't install because the text is too small?

Known issues
See: XBMC v12 (Frodo) issues