To install this tarball you must have:

- an computer or anything that can run linux, have an tv or monitor attached
  via vga/dvi/hdmi/displayport
- an flash or harddrive attached via usb/sata/ide with at least 128mb free
  diskspace for kernel and systemimage on your bootdrive and many many diskspace
  for your data (movies, pictures, music...)
- 2 partitions formatted with ext3, ext4, vfat
- an bootmanager (grub, syslinux, extlinux) installed

Installation:

- copy target/KERNEL (the kernel, that contains an initramfs) and
  target/SYSTEM (an squashfs image) to the first partition (bootpartion) which
  is formatted ext3/ext4/vfat (this can also be an USB-Stick). You can also
  copy this files to an already running Linux system so you can configure
  an dualboot system (Files must be copied to root of the bootpartion)
- setup the bootloader (example is for grub - other examples you find in
  sample.conf dir):

# Begin of example for grub
  title OpenELEC
  root (hd0,0)
  kernel /openelec.kernel boot=/dev/sda1 disk=/dev/sda5 quiet

  title OpenELEC - Textmode
  root (hd0,0)
  kernel /openelec.kernel boot=/dev/sda1 disk=/dev/sda5 quiet textmode

  title OpenELEC - Debugging
  root (hd0,0)
  kernel /openelec.kernel boot=/dev/sda1 disk=/dev/sda5 debugging

  title OpenELEC - Textmode Debugging
  root (hd0,0)
  kernel /openelec.kernel boot=/dev/sda1 disk=/dev/sda5 textmode debugging
# End of example

  boot=: points to the partition where is KERNEL AND SYSTEM (bootpartion)
  disk=: point to any ext3/ext4 partition that mounts r/w for data (your $HOME)

  textmode:  starts a shell instead Xorg - you can start Xorg and XBMC manually
             (for debugging or if you have problems with Xorg)
  debugging: starts debug mode with more output and more and better logging
             (for debugging or if you have problems with anything)
  bootchart: starts bootchart logging at beginning of start process
             (for debugging or if you have problems with anything)
  quiet:     Kernel boots quiet

- restart your system and try

If you have problems:

- if kernel not load or you have an kernel panik try boot without "quiet"
  command and see what is wrong.

- if Xorg does not start try with "textmode" and "debugging", see what is wrong

- if XBMC does not start  try with "textmode" and "debugging", try starting
  Xorg manually at commad prompt with "Xorg &" then try start XBMC manually with
  "DISPLAY=:0.0 /usr/bin/xbmc --standalone" and see what is wrong.

Note:

- i have tested this only with pure Intel Hardware (Lenovo X61s, X61t, X200
  Gigabyte MiniITX GA-6QPCV-R, Intel E1000 Network, Core2Duo, Centrino etc...)

- if your NIC works, then very good with DHCP, WLAN must be configured, but is
  not tested.

- You can do a login via SSH (IP adress you can see on console with "ifconfig"
  or within XBMC). SSH login is "root", password is "openelec".

- you cannot start this version from optical drives, because the needed
  drivers are loading as modules with udev. This can be changed later, but for
  the OpenELEC.tv project this is not allowed.

- all data that will be created you found in /var or at your $HOME at /storage.

- your home is /storage (the second ext3/ext4 partiton)

- for any update create an directory /storage/.update and copy KERNEL and SYSTEM
  to /storage/.update (from console or via ssh/scp). On next reboot system will
  be automatically updated and reboot.

- you have in textmode a console on tty1 AND tty3 (switch via CTRL+ALT+F1/F3 and
  in graphicmode only on tty3 (tty1 is the console for Xorg)

- all dirs are readonly (only /storage and /var are r/w)

- automounting of filesystems works with XBMC, but there are some issues with
  this (mountpoint will be not deleted, mounting of CD/DVD ROM not working).
  filesystems will be mounted to /media.
  i will be switch to devicekit-disk/ consolekit in the future.

- more or not more informations you can find on www.openelec.tv

- go to launchpad to see what i am doing or what i have changed

- comments and questions are welcome, help is better, and patches are perfect!!!

- the splash i have created with gimp - I have no idea of gimp - but I am
  proud of the splash :-)))

- i hope you have understand me, I have no idea of english too ;-)

happy XBMC'ing

Stephan