CoreElec N2 Stopped Working - Cannot Boot

How did You first install of CE on Your SD card ?
If You remember do the same, if not read the instructions an learn it by doing.

He may have got it preinstalled as the CE edition of N2.

Shoog

Time to learn how to install :upside_down_face:

There is a simple to use program from LibreE which I still use to create my SD’s and USB’s - but its written for Linux and needs launching from a terminal - which makes it slightly less user friendly.

Shoog

I see.
CoreElec doesn’t show up on Mac under Shared devices like before, so it’s corrupt and Kodi settings, playlists, etc. are toast.
Will look into methods of Kodi backup once up and running again.
Yes, I have CE edition of N2 and did not install originally, so I’m riding the learning curve.

Once an SD or USB stops showing up on plugin its usually toast. There is a tool on the SD card foundation website which can recover some SD cards - but it only runs on windows and its a long shot. Pulling the plug on a running system is always risky - though we all have to do it occasionally.

Its all laid out in threads on the forum, nothing is to challenging - but wouldn’t have a clue what tool to use from a MAC.

Shoog

CoreELEC has a backup option in its settings, allowing one to backup and restore to and from an external device, such as for example a USB Flash Drive.

I suggest that, after a fresh install, one ensures the box is running flawlessly, has all settings correct, installed all add-on’s required, and have all external accounts setup and enabled, before creating a backup to an external drive.

If something goes wrong with the box or drive, or one wants to migrate to another box, all one has to do is (re)install CoreELEC and import the backup.

If one wants to be really safe, an external backup could be made once a week or month.

I would also recommend making a backup before any update or upgrade.

This is the correct strategy. The backup is only a single tar-file, which contains all the CE-configuration you made since a fresh install. It can be copied to a save place and restored later if a new fresh install is needed.

Card must not have been damaged bc flash was successful and N2 boots.
Good to have stable build 9.2.2 back.
Had to switch to nightly build bc bottom 2 USB ports stopped working with 2 main 4gb external hds.
Thanks for pointing out backup m.o.
Setting up again, and don’t want to go through that a 3rd time.

You’re welcome.

It will save you a lot of time when needing to reinstall for any reason.

Any ideas on what’s causing Odroid wifi dongle to not connect and/or drop signal?
Using Odroid wifi dongle referenced at beginning of thread.
Have to unplug and plug into diff USB port and hope that fixes, if not reboot.
Couldn’t get it to work with new install, so moving N2 to desk for setup to use ethernet connection to wifi router.

When you decide to tinker with the default setup of your box, you automatically increase the potential of having to babysit your setup (whether you want to or not). The potential further increases if the user isn’t too sure what they’re doing. The frustration of newly created setups not working as the user expected, is very common but, thankfully, there are plenty of folks in forums like this to bounce ideas off and get you back to a working setup when you get stuck.
Whilst what I have pointed out may not seem like much direct help to you, it is essential to remember once we start tinkering with the default setup. After all, the devs are here to help everyone get the best out of the many devices that exist but, nothing is completely compatible with everything else and it’s only by individuals persevering with tech trial and error that knowledge is increased.
The devs here, that devote their time to providing free alternative software along with free help to those that are having difficulties, don’t particularly want to have to babysit the many users either.

Yes, depending on the usage and brand of the SD card

Try them and find out, maybe more than one will work (they’re alternative suggestions that try to cover all devices)

The Kore app is nothing to do with CoreELEC (XBMC Foundation have their own forum)

It sounds very much like the SD card corruption happen spontaneously and caused all your other issues.

Shoog

It just seems overly strange and too highly coincidental that after accessing Kodi on CoreElec with Kore mobile app which failed to work except to scan my movie library, my IR remote would break and at the exact very same time the SD card (with CoreElec OS and Kodi) would become so corrupted it would no longer boot.
If SD cards are no more stable than that, I don’t think I’m going to like having this setup. I don’t want to be tinkering with installation, flashing etc. My Macs ssds don’t corrupt just because I install/uninstall a software app here and there, so I don’t understand how this could happpen when I wasn’t doing anything to CoreElec and neither to Kodi. I already had my system up and running for weeks.
The SD card on my CoreElec N2 is the one Odroid ships for CoreElec with CoreElec preinstalled. So if it’s a cheap, unstable card, then why is it being used???
After all, Kore is the “official” remote for Kodi.

The only “tinkering” I did was switch from auto updates to nightly builds.
I had to do that because after 9.2.2 update, I was unable to boot.
CoreElec tried to boot, then spewed out along left side of screen a bunch of this and that, call trace, null, etc., and then got stuck in a loop booting and rebooting to the same spew.
Now that same issue is being replicated yet again after flashing sd card back to 9.2.2.
The only fix was to disconnect my 2 external 4gb Seagate Backup Plus hdds from the 2 bottom USB ports.
Then I could boot fine, and could also boot fine when connecting drives to 2 top USB ports but not 2 bottom ones.
But that became a problem because Odroid wifi dongle keeps malfunctionin and only fix is to unplug it and move to diff usb port.
Someone in CoreElec forum said to switch to nightly builds so I did, and after numerous auto updates of those, I ran into the issue in this thread.
Now I’m going to have to switch to nightly builds again and risk this mess all over again which has cost me well over 12 hours of troubleshooting today.
This is way, way too problematic to be useful.
I’ve learned to live with the marginally functional nature of high tech, but this is really getting to be ridiculous.
I bought this system from Ameridroid because it was supposed to be plug and play, waited 3 mos for a remote, had no wifi dongle because product page fails to mention that internet connection is necessary and if ethernet not availble then must have wifi dongle.
For 3 mos I sat on floor in front of HDTV with keyboard and mouse attached.
Odroid wifi dongle continually drops wifi connection, causing major problems with download and weather.
Through trial and error waste of my time I find fix for one issue only to have another surface. This may be fun for those who get their thrills troubleshooting, but all I wanted was a media player that can play VOB files, capable of flashing firmware to keep it from bricking like the UEBO player I had with less sophisticated, ugly interface, but which worked marvelously for 6 years until it bricked and flashing RealTek chipset could no longer bring it back to life. I’m spending way more time having to “tinker” with this box than I get to watch movies, tv shows or listen to music, which was supposed to be the whole point of having it in the first place.
I still need help getting music back. My Macs no longer recognize N2 like they previously did. I tried SMB but it failed. I want to see the Kodi files on N2 like I could before so I can add playlist xml files. Before I was even able to trash folders for skins that had no access to Settings so I could get back to default skin and Settings access.
I will also probably need help with completing a backup so if/when this happens again hopefully it won’t be nearly as painful, assuming of course that restore of backup works, which may be asking too much.

SD cards are low grade storage and it surprises me not one bit that yours corrupted of it own accord. I have had similar experiences.
You have the better option of using emmc on the N2

Shoog

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Join thread regarding your WiFi Dongle over HERE

Just to say I have had CE running on the N2 continuously off emmc for about 6 months now with no serious issues.

Shoog

what is enmc??? i have no idea what that is

nothing in that thread of any help