Step 3 Boot the AppleTV from the USB Key

Power the AppleTV OFF then connect the SwissArmyKnife USB key to the single USB port between the Ethernet port and the Power Cable.

Power the AppleTV ON. After 10-15 seconds you should see the Grey/Blue OpenELEC logo on the screen, then the installer will start.

The installer will start networking, lease an IP address from your router, and download the latest OpenELEC software from the OpenELEC website. For this to work AN ETHERNET CABLE MUST BE CONNECTED!

Next the installer script extracts the SYSTEM and MACH_KERNEL files from the downloaded image.

Before anything destructive is done, the installer pauses for 30 seconds and displays a warning message; enough time for you to power the AppleTV off before anything is changed. After the 30 second wait the installer continues. First it removes all existing partitions from the internal drive, then creates BOOT and STORAGE partitions for OpenELEC. Finally it copies the OpenELEC software to the internal drive.

Once it completes, a message will be displayed telling you it is safe to ignore a couple of error messages that are shown on-screen as the system shuts down and automatically reboots into OpenELEC. As part of this process we disable the installation USB key (we erase the boot sector) so it cannot be re-used without making a new installer key.

If you were unable to boot from the USB key, please read the Troubleshooting USB Key Creation page.

Please continue to Step 4 Reboot to enjoy OpenELEC! :)