Comments on: AppleTV: How to force a Factory Restore via SSH http://scottforbes.net/2010/02/27/appletv-how-to-force-a-factory-restore-via-ssh/ My very infrequently updated blog Tue, 21 Jun 2011 14:04:53 +0000 hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v=3.3 By: Parris http://scottforbes.net/2010/02/27/appletv-how-to-force-a-factory-restore-via-ssh/comment-page-1/#comment-23 Parris Tue, 21 Jun 2011 14:04:53 +0000 http://scottforbes.net/?p=133#comment-23 I am currently trying to coax a Gen 1 Apple TV back to life. It has a graphics / logic glitch (white specks all over the screen, fails to boot 90% of the time and if it does boot it displays a very old firmware menu then as I try to move the cursor down the menus it crashes and gets stuck). The first thing I would suggest to anyone is to get a back-up of their internal HDD. You can use a free software app called "Carbon Copy" (Google) which makes a bootable 'ghost' image of the hard drive. This does mean opening the unit up, which of course voids any warranty you might have (should you have taken out Apple Care that still covers the unit). Note, the internal HDD is the older PATA and not the new SATA connection. I then used Fire Core aTVFlash to jailbreak the Apple TV. Despite nothing else running on the box, for some reason this application forces itself onto the system, presumably that is how it is designed. I can then access the Apple TV via Terminal as described above and attempt recovery. Sadly, thus far I have been unsuccessful as I can't get the unit to fully boot and / or remain functional long enough to update the Ethernet / Wifi connectivity for a firmware update, or even scroll down the menu to select the correct option to update firmware. It's clearly a logic board issue. The board is functional, but needs a firmware flash. Does anyone know of any other way to force a firmware update on these units? I suspect it would come back to life. HELP! I am currently trying to coax a Gen 1 Apple TV back to life. It has a graphics / logic glitch (white specks all over the screen, fails to boot 90% of the time and if it does boot it displays a very old firmware menu then as I try to move the cursor down the menus it crashes and gets stuck).

The first thing I would suggest to anyone is to get a back-up of their internal HDD. You can use a free software app called “Carbon Copy” (Google) which makes a bootable ‘ghost’ image of the hard drive. This does mean opening the unit up, which of course voids any warranty you might have (should you have taken out Apple Care that still covers the unit).

Note, the internal HDD is the older PATA and not the new SATA connection.

I then used Fire Core aTVFlash to jailbreak the Apple TV. Despite nothing else running on the box, for some reason this application forces itself onto the system, presumably that is how it is designed.

I can then access the Apple TV via Terminal as described above and attempt recovery.

Sadly, thus far I have been unsuccessful as I can’t get the unit to fully boot and / or remain functional long enough to update the Ethernet / Wifi connectivity for a firmware update, or even scroll down the menu to select the correct option to update firmware.

It’s clearly a logic board issue. The board is functional, but needs a firmware flash.

Does anyone know of any other way to force a firmware update on these units? I suspect it would come back to life.

HELP!

]]> By: Scott Forbes http://scottforbes.net/2010/02/27/appletv-how-to-force-a-factory-restore-via-ssh/comment-page-1/#comment-22 Scott Forbes Sat, 12 Feb 2011 19:12:19 +0000 http://scottforbes.net/?p=133#comment-22 It's <em>possible</em> that your AppleTV still has an intact Recovery partition, but it sounds like yours is earnestly trying (and failing) to boot from a partition that's no longer bootable. The only "next steps" I can suggest are to (a) crack open the AppleTV, pull its hard drive, attach the drive to another Mac, and erase the OSBoot partition entirely (or, if possible, find a disk image from a working AppleTV and copy it over), or (b) spend $99 on a second-generation AppleTV, because it'll cost more than that to have your first-generation model repaired. It’s possible that your AppleTV still has an intact Recovery partition, but it sounds like yours is earnestly trying (and failing) to boot from a partition that’s no longer bootable. The only “next steps” I can suggest are to (a) crack open the AppleTV, pull its hard drive, attach the drive to another Mac, and erase the OSBoot partition entirely (or, if possible, find a disk image from a working AppleTV and copy it over), or (b) spend $99 on a second-generation AppleTV, because it’ll cost more than that to have your first-generation model repaired.

]]> By: abeere http://scottforbes.net/2010/02/27/appletv-how-to-force-a-factory-restore-via-ssh/comment-page-1/#comment-21 abeere Sat, 12 Feb 2011 18:53:42 +0000 http://scottforbes.net/?p=133#comment-21 I thought I had finally found the grail, I was experiencing the exact same problems! But unfortunately now my atv is showing the Apple logo with a flashing question mark and atv, which I think means it can no longer find any boot drive... If you can think of any fix for this it would be much appreciated as most people are saying it is dead. :( I thought I had finally found the grail, I was experiencing the exact same problems! But unfortunately now my atv is showing the Apple logo with a flashing question mark and atv, which I think means it can no longer find any boot drive…

If you can think of any fix for this it would be much appreciated as most people are saying it is dead. :(

]]> By: tommpl http://scottforbes.net/2010/02/27/appletv-how-to-force-a-factory-restore-via-ssh/comment-page-1/#comment-19 tommpl Tue, 30 Nov 2010 00:59:24 +0000 http://scottforbes.net/?p=133#comment-19 Hey thanks for the info it worked and now my wife wont kill me braking her apple tv. I was going crazy trying everything! ha Hey thanks for the info it worked and now my wife wont kill me braking her apple tv. I was going crazy trying everything! ha

]]> By: Scott Forbes http://scottforbes.net/2010/02/27/appletv-how-to-force-a-factory-restore-via-ssh/comment-page-1/#comment-15 Scott Forbes Wed, 06 Oct 2010 16:29:47 +0000 http://scottforbes.net/?p=133#comment-15 It didn't brick my unit (more the opposite, in fact), but we entered the Land of Voided Warranties a long time ago. :-/ I might try pulling the battery from the remote, unplugging the AppleTV, and letting them both sit for an hour; or, better yet, if you've got another Apple remote I might break that out and see whether it makes any difference. <a href="http://support.apple.com/kb/ht1551" rel="nofollow">http://support.apple.com/kb/ht1551</a> Beyond that, if you can't get the remote working, I suspect your next-best options are (a) crack open the AppleTV, pull the hard drive, find a disk image from an intact AppleTV, and try to restore... or (b) go to the Apple Store. This really sounds like an issue with pairing and un-pairing the remote, though, or at least all the other troubleshooting pages I've found give the same advice in this situation. It didn’t brick my unit (more the opposite, in fact), but we entered the Land of Voided Warranties a long time ago. :-/ I might try pulling the battery from the remote, unplugging the AppleTV, and letting them both sit for an hour; or, better yet, if you’ve got another Apple remote I might break that out and see whether it makes any difference.

http://support.apple.com/kb/ht1551

Beyond that, if you can’t get the remote working, I suspect your next-best options are (a) crack open the AppleTV, pull the hard drive, find a disk image from an intact AppleTV, and try to restore… or (b) go to the Apple Store. This really sounds like an issue with pairing and un-pairing the remote, though, or at least all the other troubleshooting pages I’ve found give the same advice in this situation.

]]> By: refreshedit http://scottforbes.net/2010/02/27/appletv-how-to-force-a-factory-restore-via-ssh/comment-page-1/#comment-14 refreshedit Wed, 06 Oct 2010 12:54:21 +0000 http://scottforbes.net/?p=133#comment-14 I tried this, the system light turned off after 6 seconds... then nothing.. No change. DAMN, now I can't even SSH in.... :-( Has this process bricked my unit? I tried this, the system light turned off after 6 seconds… then nothing.. No change. DAMN, now I can’t even SSH in…. :-( Has this process bricked my unit?

]]> By: refreshedit http://scottforbes.net/2010/02/27/appletv-how-to-force-a-factory-restore-via-ssh/comment-page-1/#comment-13 refreshedit Wed, 06 Oct 2010 12:49:30 +0000 http://scottforbes.net/?p=133#comment-13 Problem is - How do you pair a remote with an ATV that is waiting to be set up? There are no pairing options yet.... Problem is – How do you pair a remote with an ATV that is waiting to be set up? There are no pairing options yet….

]]> By: Scott Forbes http://scottforbes.net/2010/02/27/appletv-how-to-force-a-factory-restore-via-ssh/comment-page-1/#comment-12 Scott Forbes Wed, 06 Oct 2010 06:56:48 +0000 http://scottforbes.net/?p=133#comment-12 Hmm. I might try un-pairing and re-pairing the remote – if it was paired before, the reset might have left the AppleTV and remote disagreeing on their pair-edness. <a href="http://support.apple.com/kb/ht3176" rel="nofollow">http://support.apple.com/kb/ht3176</a> Hmm. I might try un-pairing and re-pairing the remote – if it was paired before, the reset might have left the AppleTV and remote disagreeing on their pair-edness.

http://support.apple.com/kb/ht3176

]]> By: refreshedit http://scottforbes.net/2010/02/27/appletv-how-to-force-a-factory-restore-via-ssh/comment-page-1/#comment-11 refreshedit Wed, 06 Oct 2010 06:44:31 +0000 http://scottforbes.net/?p=133#comment-11 I followed your steps and found myself at the "Enter Your Language" screen. Problem now is that the remote will not respond to the menu selections. I am hung there. Frozen. Any suggestions? I followed your steps and found myself at the “Enter Your Language” screen. Problem now is that the remote will not respond to the menu selections. I am hung there. Frozen.

Any suggestions?

]]> By: tardis101 http://scottforbes.net/2010/02/27/appletv-how-to-force-a-factory-restore-via-ssh/comment-page-1/#comment-9 tardis101 Wed, 26 May 2010 04:59:58 +0000 http://scottforbes.net/?p=133#comment-9 Scott, you are the best! My ATV got "hung" and after searching the internet for 3 hours, I thought my only option was to reinstall via a complex and lengthy process. Still don't know how I stumbled upon your blog but it was just what I needed to do a ATV restore. Thanks for posting this. Scott, you are the best! My ATV got “hung” and after searching the internet for 3 hours, I thought my only option was to reinstall via a complex and lengthy process. Still don’t know how I stumbled upon your blog but it was just what I needed to do a ATV restore. Thanks for posting this.

]]>