03 Installing CoreELEC to internal
This tool is written by Team CoreELEC and exclusive for Amlogic devices running CoreELEC!
The ceemmc tool can be used for a safe installation of CoreELEC to internal eMMC storage. Users have the choice to install CoreELEC on their eMMC in dual or single boot mode.
The boot device priority is:
- SD
- USB
- eMMC
If the system fails on booting from the internal eMMC then the device can still be booted by inserting an SD card or USB flash drive with CoreELEC.
Please read this document completely before using the tool.
It’s worth nothing that you can totally recover a bricked device by using Burncardmaker or USB burning tool in case the installation fails!
Android is still bootable and can be entered by the CoreELEC shut down menu item:
Reboot from eMMC/NAND If CoreELEC is installed in dual boot mode it can be removed from the internal eMMC. On removal the device will get restored like it was prior to the CoreELEC installation.
The disadvantage is that not all memory of the internal eMMC can be used. Around 5GB of the internal memory is lost in this mode because of the Android partition layout. The amount of lost memory depends on vendor/device.
NOTE: Please read the section Android recovery/upgrade carefully before you do an Android upgrade/update!
Android is removed and only CoreELEC can be booted from internal eMMC.
If CoreELEC is installed in single boot mode it can not be re moved like in dual boot mode! The device would need to be recovered by a vendor Android image using Amlogic Burncardmaker or the USB burning tool. This type of installation will allow the maximum amount of the memory of the internal eMMC to be used. Just ~64MB is lost because of the bootloader.
The vendor bootloader remain untouched for both installation modes!
Running CoreELEC Amlogic-ng from SD card or USB flash drive and an Amlogic device running Android as basic system. The tool ceemmc options are different when CoreELEC got booted from SD card/USB flash drive or eMMC.
Current official supported devices by Team CoreELEC:
Khadas VIM3 Khadas VIM3L Minix Beelink
By recovery Android using Amlogic Burncardmaker or the USB burning tool the complete CoreELEC installation on internal eMMC is lost! So please think about creating a backup before recover your device!
If the Android system should be upgraded, like by a Over-the-Air (OTA) update, it is necessary to remove the current CoreELEC installation on internal eMMC before the upgrade get started! Otherwise the OTA upgrade will fail!
Booted from SD card or USB flash drive
- Use option 6 to create a backup of the internal CoreELEC dual mode installation.
- When the backup is finished use option 7 to remove the current CoreELEC dual mode installation on internal eMMC.
- Now the device is ready to be upgraded by an Android image or a Android OTA update.
- After the Android upgrade/update the device bootloader environment got reset to default and CoreELEC will not start anymore from internal eMMC, SD card or USB flash drive. Boot once from a SD card or USB flash drive with CoreELEC on it by the common used method like 115 pushing and holding the reset button when power on the device.
- After one successful boot of CoreELEC on the external media the backup created before can be used to install CoreELEC dual mode again on internal eMMC by using option 2.
Booted from current CoreELEC installation on eMMC
- Use option 1 to make a copy of the internal CoreELEC installation to an insert SD card or USB flash drive.
- When the copy is finished reboot the device to boot CoreELEC from SD card or USB flash drive and continue with step 2.) on method Booted from SD card or USB flash drive.
In single boot mode only a recovery of Android is possible as Android got removed before by ceemmc from the internal eMMC.
Booted from SD card or USB flash drive
- Use option 3 to create a backup of the internal CoreELEC single mode installation.
- Now the device is ready to be recovered by an Android image.
- After the Android recovery is finished the backup created before can be used to install CoreELEC single mode again on internal eMMC by using option 4.
Booted from current CoreELEC installation on eMMC
- Use option 1 to make a copy of the internal CoreELEC installation to an insert SD card or USB flash drive.
- When the copy is finished reboot the device to boot CoreELEC from SD card or USB flash drive and continue with step 2. of: Booted from SD card or USB flash drive.
The tool do have a short and long help description. Use -h for the short and --help for the long description:
CoreELEC:~ # ceemmc -h
Starting CoreELEC eMMC installation tool...
Usage: ceemmc [options]
This tool is written by Team CoreELEC, vpeter, Portisch
[options]
-v verbose output
-h, --help print this help
Install in dual boot mode, CoreELEC and Android on eMMC
Use CoreELEC data from
[1] current used SD or USB device
Install CoreELEC on eMMC without removing Android from the device.
Dual boot of Android and CoreELEC is possible.
Not all memory of the eMMC can be used because of Android.
[2] existing backup on current used SD or USB device
Install CoreELEC on eMMC without removing Android from the device.
Dual boot of Android and CoreELEC is possible.
Not all memory of the eMMC can be used because of Android.
An existing backup of the CoreELEC data on on current
used SD or USB device will be used for installation.
Install in single boot mode, only CoreELEC on eMMC
Use CoreELEC data from
[3] current used SD or USB device
Install CoreELEC on eMMC and remove Android from the device.
Only boot of CoreELEC is possible.
The maximum of memory of the eMMC is used.
[4] existing backup on current used SD or USB device
Install CoreELEC on eMMC and remove Android from the device.
Only boot of CoreELEC is possible.
The maximum of memory of the eMMC is used.
An existing backup of the CoreELEC data on on current
used SD or USB device will be used for installation.
Migrate CoreELEC dual boot to single boot installation
Use CoreELEC data from
[1] current used SD or USB device
Install CoreELEC on eMMC and remove Android from the device.
Only boot of CoreELEC is possible.
The maximum of memory of the eMMC is used.
All existing CoreELEC data on eMMC will be removed
and the new data from current used SD or USB device
will be copied to eMMC.
[2] the existing data on eMMC
Install CoreELEC on eMMC and remove Android from the device.
Only boot of CoreELEC is possible.
The maximum of memory of the eMMC is used.
The existing CoreELEC data on eMMC will be used for installation.
Renew current CoreELEC dual boot installation on eMMC
Use CoreELEC data from
[4] current used SD or USB device
All existing CoreELEC data on eMMC will be removed
and the new data from current used SD or USB device
will be copied to eMMC.
[5] existing backup on current used SD or USB device
All existing CoreELEC data on eMMC will be removed and
the new data from an existing backup from current
used SD or USB device will be copied to eMMC.
[6] Make a backup of current CoreELEC dual boot installation on eMMC to current used SD or USB device
Make a backup of all CoreELEC data on flash and/or storage
partition on eMMC to the current used SD or USB device
[7] Remove current CoreELEC dual boot installation on eMMC
All existing CoreELEC data on eMMC and the existing
CoreELEC dual boot installation on eMMC will be removed.
Renew current CoreELEC single boot installation on eMMC
Use CoreELEC data from
[1] current used SD or USB device
All existing CoreELEC data on eMMC will be removed
and the new data from current used SD or USB device
will be copied to eMMC.
[2] existing backup on current used SD or USB device
All existing CoreELEC data on eMMC will be removed and
the new data from an existing backup from current
used SD or USB device will be copied to eMMC.
[3] Make a backup of current CoreELEC single boot installation
on eMMC to current used SD or USB device
Make a backup of all CoreELEC data on flash and/or storage
partition on eMMC to the current used SD or USB device
[1] Make a copy of current CoreELEC installation on eMMC to current used SD or USB device
Make a copy of all CoreELEC data on flash and/or storage
partition on eMMC to the current used SD or USB device
This option can be used to migrate the current CoreELEC dual mode installation to a CoreELEC single mode installation on internal eMMC. Use this option if Android should be removed to get maximum of memory of the internal eMMC. There is no option to migrate a CoreELEC single mode installation to a CoreELEC dual mode installation as Android got removed before.
This option can be used to renew the current CoreELEC installation on internal eMMC. The tool ceemmc will request user input if data on internal eMMC /flash and/or /storage should be renewed. Please aware that all existing data on the renewed chosen partition will be lost! This option can be used like if CoreELEC isn’t booting anymore from internal eMMC. Do not use this option to update CoreELEC on internal eMMC as maybe user data get lost!
This option can be used to create a bootable copy of the current CoreELEC installation on the internal eMMC to an insert SD card or USB flash drive. All user data on chosen partition to copy will be overwritten on target SD Card or USB flash drive. The current used CoreELEC partition layout will be created on target if not existing. This will require to format the SD card or USB flash drive before copy!
This option can be used to create a backup of the current CoreELEC installation on the internal eMMC. The backup data will be saved at
If flash partition is chosen:
/storage/backup/eMMC_backup/coreelec_flash
If storage partition is chosen:
/storage/backup/eMMC_backup/coreelec_storage
on the current used CoreELEC boot device.
Any existing backup on the CoreELEC boot device get be replaced by the current backup when using this option. On migrate or renew by using the option backup this data backup will be used.
With the parameter x the ceemmc tool can be used for not by Team CoreELEC official supported devices. Any support request for not official supported devices will be ignored. This is because Team CoreELEC does not own every device on the market available and so we can not confirm the tool function with the unsupported device!
For your own safety be sure you have a working ROM image for your device and you know how to recover the device by Burncardmaker and/or USB burning tool. It’s recomended to install CoreELEC in dual boot mode on not supported hardware as it’s easier to recover the device.
Be warned: the tool maybe brick your device!
CoreELEC:~ # ceemmc -x
Starting CoreELEC eMMC installation tool...
System is not supported: sm1_s905x3_2g!
There is NO official support by Team CoreELEC
if you continue to run this tool!
Continue? [y]: