Develop Bugs

Easiest method for copying XBMC setup on fire tv to fire tv stick?

Hello all,
I have been working on my setup on the fire tv device for some time. I have XBMC customized and configured for my sources/shares and chosen add-ons. I just received my fire tv stick and would like to basically copy the setup to the stick.
For some reason I was never able to get the apps like adbFire to work when I tried Backup XBMC / Restore XBMC (now Kodi) so I was wondering what the easiest way to mirror the setup would be? Is there a config file that i could copy from an install on one device to an install on the other that would setup everything? I am thinking that would probably be "too easy" but it might work for the shares/sources.
Look forward to the responses. Thanks all.

jpage101 said:
Hello all,
I have been working on my setup on the fire tv device for some time. I have XBMC customized and configured for my sources/shares and chosen add-ons. I just received my fire tv stick and would like to basically copy the setup to the stick.
For some reason I was never able to get the apps like adbFire to work when I tried Backup XBMC / Restore XBMC (now Kodi) so I was wondering what the easiest way to mirror the setup would be? Is there a config file that i could copy from an install on one device to an install on the other that would setup everything? I am thinking that would probably be "too easy" but it might work for the shares/sources.
Look forward to the responses. Thanks all.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Install ES File Explorer. Turn on Remote Manager (basically, it creates an FTP server on the FireStick). Go to the FireTV, enter that info. Go to this thread that I wrote and look at /9
http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=2793823
Note, if you are using kodi, the folder should be org.xbmc.kodi.

vi6s said:
Install ES File Explorer. Turn on Remote Manager (basically, it creates an FTP server on the FireStick). Go to the FireTV, enter that info. Go to this thread that I wrote and look at /9
http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=2793823
Note, if you are using kodi, the folder should be org.xbmc.kodi.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Beautiful, thanks. Will give it a shot.

Mirror Copy Routine
jpage101 said:
Beautiful, thanks. Will give it a shot.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Hi - I was wondering if the process that was described allowed you to mirror image the stick? thank you in advance for the reply - I was also looking for a way to mirror the stick from one to the other to avoid making a complete setup for the multiple sticks I am looking to purchase for the multiple TV's in my house.
Thanks

It should work for as many devices as you want. I use mysql library and exported it then the sources appear on all my devices running the same version of kodi.
I prefer this for several reasons but you need a computer that's on 24/7 to run mysql server.

Can I clone a "jailbroken" firestick to put on a new one?

I am trying to take my "jailbroken" Firestick and copy it's info to a new firestick. So I will have two that have kodi and I can use one downstairs, I thought I could just back it up on perhaps my desktop and than restore on the new stick. Is this going to work or will I just crash the new one. Any suggestions would be greatly appreciated. I am good with my comp, but can't write code or anything like that. Thanks!

kimoleary3 said:
I am trying to take my "jailbroken" Firestick and copy it's info to a new firestick. So I will have two that have kodi and I can use one downstairs, I thought I could just back it up on perhaps my desktop and than restore on the new stick. Is this going to work or will I just crash the new one. Any suggestions would be greatly appreciated. I am good with my comp, but can't write code or anything like that. Thanks!
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
There's no "jailbreak" for the fire stick.
You don't need to do anything special to install kodi.
Just install es Explorer and follow the instructions posted on several threads here.

The fire stick I have here already has Kodi on it. I want to clone it or back it up so I can restore to the new stick I just ordered.
fards said:
There's no "jailbreak" for the fire stick.
You don't need to do anything special to install kodi.
Just install es Explorer and follow the instructions posted on several threads here.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse

kimoleary3 said:
The fire stick I have here already has Kodi on it. I want to clone it or back it up so I can restore to the new stick I just ordered.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
So save the settings in kodi and import them into the new one then? That's a simple operation inside kodi to save them.
Use one of the many programs on here to connect your computer to your fire stick and pull the saved file off and push it to the new stick.

kimoleary3 said:
The fire stick I have here already has Kodi on it. I want to clone it or back it up so I can restore to the new stick I just ordered.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
use adbfire, back it up to your computer., then connect adbfire to the new stick, and restore.
You will have to sideload kodi on it first, and then make sure kodi is quit and not running before the restore

Thanks so much for the quick response!
My comp doesn't have a HDMI out put port. Someone told me that I would need this adapter http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00H91BQ7Y?keywords=StarTech%20USB32HDES%20Slim%20USB%203.0%20to%20HDMI%20External%20Video%20Card%20Multi%20Monitor%20Adapter&qid=1453840582&ref_=sr_1_1&sr=8-1 to put my Firestick in to back it up. I realize that I will need an adapter of some sort to have an output port to use on my comp. This one just doesn't seem right, as it for a desktop monitor if I read it right. I can see it has a slot that I can put the Firestick in and use one my USB port. Was wondering if there is any cheaper adapter that would work. I wouldn't be using it for any other reason then to backup/restore the firestick.
Just out of curiosity, I had to buy this to connect the firestick to the tv as it doesn't have an HDMI port either. http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00Z7Z2SM6?psc=1&redirect=true& Would I be ablref_=oh_aui_detailpage_o01_s00 Would I be able to use the USB cable that came with that and plug it into a USB port that is on my comp. And use that to back up and restore the two firesticks? Sorry for being so brain-dead on this. I understand that there are inuput/ output differences, but honestly don't know what I need. Getting older seem to have made me less willing to try thinks on my own.
Once I get that figured out I will attempt the backup/restore. So in novice terms I am going to plug in the new firestick and find a download Kodi on my comp and install it on the new firestick with abfire (not sure what side load means). Hoping that is an easy click click as I can't write any code. Then plug in the "jailbroken' Firestick that is set up like I want, Start abfire (I understand that Kodi can't be running, how do I turn it off?), back up the JB Firestick. Then put my new firestick in the output port and will hit restore on abfire. Thank you so much for holding my hand on this. I am usually more comfortable with comp stuff, but this has me a bit nervous.
richiec427 said:
use adbfire, back it up to your computer., then connect adbfire to the new stick, and restore.
You will have to sideload kodi on it first, and then make sure kodi is quit and not running before the restore
Click to expand...
Click to collapse

You don't need to plug the stick into anything other than power. adbFire works over a wireless connection.

I've done this before, easiest way is to install clean kodi on the new stick, get es file explorer and copy the files located in the old kodi folder, then copy them to the new kodi.
Sent from my HUAWEI G7-L01 using Tapatalk

kimoleary3 said:
Thanks so much for the quick response!
My comp doesn't have a HDMI out put port. Someone told me that I would need this adapter http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00H91BQ7Y?keywords=StarTech%20USB32HDES%20Slim%20USB%203.0%20to%20HDMI%20External%20Video%20Card%20Multi%20Monitor%20Adapter&qid=1453840582&ref_=sr_1_1&sr=8-1 to put my Firestick in to back it up. I realize that I will need an adapter of some sort to have an output port to use on my comp. This one just doesn't seem right, as it for a desktop monitor if I read it right. I can see it has a slot that I can put the Firestick in and use one my USB port. Was wondering if there is any cheaper adapter that would work. I wouldn't be using it for any other reason then to backup/restore the firestick.
Just out of curiosity, I had to buy this to connect the firestick to the tv as it doesn't have an HDMI port either. http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00Z7Z2SM6?psc=1&redirect=true& Would I be ablref_=oh_aui_detailpage_o01_s00 Would I be able to use the USB cable that came with that and plug it into a USB port that is on my comp. And use that to back up and restore the two firesticks? Sorry for being so brain-dead on this. I understand that there are inuput/ output differences, but honestly don't know what I need. Getting older seem to have made me less willing to try thinks on my own.
Once I get that figured out I will attempt the backup/restore. So in novice terms I am going to plug in the new firestick and find a download Kodi on my comp and install it on the new firestick with abfire (not sure what side load means). Hoping that is an easy click click as I can't write any code. Then plug in the "jailbroken' Firestick that is set up like I want, Start abfire (I understand that Kodi can't be running, how do I turn it off?), back up the JB Firestick. Then put my new firestick in the output port and will hit restore on abfire. Thank you so much for holding my hand on this. I am usually more comfortable with comp stuff, but this has me a bit nervous.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
dont buy anything , Just keep the fire stick in your tv, go to settings on the fire tv, get the ip address, ( make sure your computer and fire stick is on the same network(if you have multiple networks) ) install abdfire on your computer, connect the fire stick or tv with the ipaddress, and click backup, it will back up to your pc. when back up is complete, remove the old fire stick from your tv, insert the new one, connect to wi-fi, turn on the developer options , and then install kodi to it, via abdfire, and then shut kodi down and restore it via abdfire. it will take some time, but the exact copy of the back up should then be on your new fire stick

Interesting but try to find a source for abdfire without going to a malware site I think the whole abdfire thing is malware click bait.

pego99 said:
Interesting but try to find a source for abdfire without going to a malware site I think the whole abdfire thing is malware click bait.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I think you don't understand what you're getting up to. ADBFire is perfectly legitimate. Maybe have someone else do this for you...

kimoleary3 said:
I am trying to take my "jailbroken" Firestick and copy it's info to a new firestick. So I will have two that have kodi and I can use one downstairs, I thought I could just back it up on perhaps my desktop and than restore on the new stick. Is this going to work or will I just crash the new one. Any suggestions would be greatly appreciated. I am good with my comp, but can't write code or anything like that. Thanks!
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Firstly, Fire Sticks are not jailbroken. they are side loaded. Jailbroken is a term for Apple devices and Playstations. Secondly yes, you can copy your Kodi setup with a tool called ADB Fire I think it's called.

My fire stick has kodi and some other special third party software, I want to clone that stick in case it ever crashes. Is it possible to clone?

Funkhead341 said:
My fire stick has kodi and some other special third party software, I want to clone that stick in case it ever crashes. Is it possible to clone?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Others do clone Fire Sticks for resale. I do not know how they do it but they do somehow. Google is your friend.

Wow! Guy asks for help because he dos not know a lot about the fire tv stick and more than one of you take the time to be douchebags and correct him in calling his stick jail broken. But then you do not even help him! Is this not what the purpose of these forums are?? smh.

Can someone please just answer with "to copy a Firestick to another Firestick, do this...."

Yes you can copy Kodi from Firestick 1 to PC then to Firestick 2 with all the settings and addons.
I used ES Explorer show hidden files and copied the .Kodi folder to eg: C:\temp
Then plugged Firestick 2 and installed Kodi. Navigated to .Kodi location and deleted it.
Copied .Kodi from C:\temp to Firestick 2

Kodi for my FireTV

Hey everyone,
I already try to get this running or even installed since a while now. But all the apps that all this great tutorials name me are not being found on the firetv anymore. I can't install them or even find them. I already turned on that I can install any harmfull application I want and so on, but I am running low on ideas how I get this first step done. It won't let me download any downloader app to install Kodi on it.
Anyone know a way?

AFTVnews is the spot for FTV everything. He wrote his own downloader app, got it in the amazon store, and has a guide on how to use it.
http://www.aftvnews.com/how-to-side...on-the-amazon-fire-tv-stick-using-downloader/
Once it's running, install the Kodi Android Installer addon inside Kodi for easy updates.

The problem is, even though I activated all the necessary stuff, it won't let me download the Downloader or ES Explorer, or any other kind of sideloader. It always tells me that it can't find that application.

Install adbLink from jocala.com on your pc. Start it and set up your device with the right IP. Then find the option within adbLink to install android apps on your device.

santamanga said:
Install adbLink from jocala.com on your pc. Start it and set up your device with the right IP. Then find the option within adbLink to install android apps on your device.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Thanks. I will trz that out.

Thanks, worked like a charm ^^.

[FireTVStick4k] Updated Info November 2019

Hi everyone, it's been a long time! I used to be into this stuff back when I got my original Fire TV Gen 1 Box and rooted it etc. I still have been rocking it but it's slow and like half rooted ( unlocked but not root). Got a great deal on a FireTv4k stick on amazon for $25
Rumor has it that Black Friday will have this price as well and we can expect a LARGE influx of new firetv users posting. the same questions I had about the state of Rooting, KODI, Custom Launchers etc. This information is by NO MEANS exhaustive, and is just what I gathered in the last few hours of research and getting things up and running.
*Do I need to Jailbreak/Root my new fire tv?*
Honestly, probably not. Jailbreaking, or rooting as. we call in android world is really not AS useful as many think. It allows for much deeper customization however for what most people are looking for ie. KODI/Sideloading APK's a root/jailbreak _IS NOT REQUIRED_. This link will explain how to turn on developer tools and 3rd party apps. and how you can load KODI on to your fire tv without rooting.
https://www.tomsguide.com/us/how-to-install-kodi-fire-tv,news-25115.html
*2. Can I Root My Fire TV*
If you still want to root/jailbreak, for whatever reason. Some devices can and some devices cant be rooted. The firetv4k stick can be rooted. However it's not for the faint of heart and required removing the casing, shorting out some leads on the electrical board and having a linux machine handy. Not really worth it in my opinion.
3. Can I put custom launchers on my fire tv so I don't need to look at all the ads on the amazon home screen.
YES you can! the method that worked for me today ( 11/20/2019) was using Lean Back Launcher Instructions found in the first post here.
https://forum.xda-developers.com/fire-tv/development/app-leanback-launcher-fire-tv-t3750451
BUT on page 18 user @tsynik was kind to update a long dead project for 4k fire tv's at this link https://github.com/tsynik/LeanbackLauncher
the finally piece of the puzzle is to get it so that when you press the HOME button on your remote, it goes to this new , less cluttered launcher. To do that we need LauncherHijack. Also another app that seem's to have not been updated in a while. Thankfully I came across a post on git hub with instructions to get it working https://github.com/BaronKiko/LauncherHijack/issues/52#issuecomment-504738320
I personally ended up not even using Leanback Launcher in the long run. Instead I used the LauncherHijack and set it to KODI.....that way every time I press home I get put back to kodi. I then used the theme AMBER to create a custom menu in kodi that links out to the official NETFLIX/HBO GO,YOUTUBE apps.
I hope this helps a few of the newbies coming in here. Feel free to ask questions and I'll try my best to answer. But be warned im not super technical.

Thanks!

The whole bit about the launchers is outdated for the 4k stick at least. That method now results in a voice overlay on almost all streaming apps. No fix has been found yet.

JUSTINMARMER said:
The whole bit about the launchers is outdated for the 4k stick at least. That method now results in a voice overlay on almost all streaming apps. No fix has been found yet.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
really? Can you give me an example of an app that does that? I haven't run into this error yet using KODI,Youtube APK, Netflix APK, and HBO GO Apk.
Are you sure you are using the updated leanback launcher for fire tv 4K that I linked to?

Sure, if you go back to the thread that's all about that LauncherHijack
https://forum.xda-developers.com/fire-tv/general/launcher-root-launcher-hijack-v4-t3877467
You'll see a bunch of us crying about it.

JUSTINMARMER said:
Sure, if you go back to the thread that's all about that LauncherHijack
https://forum.xda-developers.com/fire-tv/general/launcher-root-launcher-hijack-v4-t3877467
You'll see a bunch of us crying about it.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
That's interesting. I have not had this issue. I seem to maybe used launcher hijack V 3? along wit hate git hub REPACK and Settings File.......can you try that and tell me if you get the same results?
I have attached the two files I use. Install Hijack, Then Install Debug, Launch Debug First, Then Launch Hijack

Dxfan227 said:
That's interesting. I have not had this issue. I seem to maybe used launcher hijack V 3? along wit hate git hub REPACK and Settings File.......can you try that and tell me if you get the same results?
I have attached the two files I use. Install Hijack, Then Install Debug, Launch Debug First, Then Launch Hijack
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Do I need to run any ADB commands?

Dxfan227 said:
really? Can you give me an example of an app that does that? I haven't run into this error yet using KODI,Youtube APK, Netflix APK, and HBO GO Apk.
Are you sure you are using the updated leanback launcher for fire tv 4K that I linked to?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Can you confirm you have done this on the latest 4K firestick ? The one that has the ADB Shell as "mantis"
When the follow the process:
1. Install debugfile (settingstest apk)
2. Install launcherhijack
3. Run adb command - adb shell pm grant com.example.settest.settingstest android.permission.WRITE_SECURE_SETTINGS
4. Start the settingstest app, which automatically starts hijackthis.
All works great, except when i open Youtube / Netflix , i get the voice view / narrator telling me whats on the screen !
Please let me know

JUSTINMARMER said:
Do I need to run any ADB commands?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
3. Run adb command - adb shell pm grant com.example.settest.settingstest android.permission.WRITE_SECURE_SETTINGS

Intenti0n said:
Can you confirm you have done this on the latest 4K firestick ? The one that has the ADB Shell as "mantis"
When the follow the process:
1. Install debugfile (settingstest apk)
2. Install launcherhijack
3. Run adb command - adb shell pm grant com.example.settest.settingstest android.permission.WRITE_SECURE_SETTINGS
4. Start the settingstest app, which automatically starts hijackthis.
All works great, except when i open Youtube / Netflix , i get the voice view / narrator telling me whats on the screen !
Please let me know
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
That's interesting you're the second individual in this thread with this issue.
The firestick 4k was ordered from amazon directly just last week. I assume it's "mantis". I have been using YouTube and have no overlay voice. Just regular app experience.

JUSTINMARMER said:
The whole bit about the launchers is outdated for the 4k stick at least. That method now results in a voice overlay on almost all streaming apps. No fix has been found yet.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Hey man,
after suffering with the voiceview issues for weeks, i've finally managed to fix it !
All, I did was a factory reset of my 4K firestick and the repeated the install steps:
1. Install debugfile (settingstest apk)
2. Install launcherhijack
3. Run adb command - adb shell pm grant com.example.settest.settingstest android.permission.WRITE_SECURE_SETTINGS
4. Start the settingstest app, which automatically starts hijackthis.
and i have no more narrator nonsense !

Intenti0n said:
Hey man,
after suffering with the voiceview issues for weeks, i've finally managed to fix it !
All, I did was a factory reset of my 4K firestick and the repeated the install steps:
1. Install debugfile (settingstest apk)
2. Install launcherhijack
3. Run adb command - adb shell pm grant com.example.settest.settingstest android.permission.WRITE_SECURE_SETTINGS
4. Start the settingstest app, which automatically starts hijackthis.
and i have no more narrator nonsense !
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I'm glad I could help ( What little I did LOL). Hopefully others will find this thread useful who had the same voice over issues as well as new fire TV 4k members coming from the BlackFriday Deals.
One other thing I did, and I'm not sure if it even does anything, is restrict amazon updates at the router level. It's pretty unreliable obviously but I figured it couldn't really hurt to do this.

Intenti0n said:
Hey man,
after suffering with the voiceview issues for weeks, i've finally managed to fix it !
All, I did was a factory reset of my 4K firestick and the repeated the install steps:
1. Install debugfile (settingstest apk)
2. Install launcherhijack
3. Run adb command - adb shell pm grant com.example.settest.settingstest android.permission.WRITE_SECURE_SETTINGS
4. Start the settingstest app, which automatically starts hijackthis.
and i have no more narrator nonsense !
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I haven't factory reset yet, but I will try when I get off work and report back. Thank you for your help.

JUSTINMARMER said:
I haven't factory reset yet, but I will try when I get off work and report back. Thank you for your help.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
there were some comments that you should uninstall the old version of LauncherHijack before the using the new one I linked. Maybe try that first before the full factory reset.

Intenti0n said:
Hey man,
after suffering with the voiceview issues for weeks, i've finally managed to fix it !
All, I did was a factory reset of my 4K firestick and the repeated the install steps:
1. Install debugfile (settingstest apk)
2. Install launcherhijack
3. Run adb command - adb shell pm grant com.example.settest.settingstest android.permission.WRITE_SECURE_SETTINGS
4. Start the settingstest app, which automatically starts hijackthis.
and i have no more narrator nonsense !
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Dxfan227 said:
there were some comments that you should uninstall the old version of LauncherHijack before the using the new one I linked. Maybe try that first before the full factory reset.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Factory reset and using the files you provided in this thread worked. Thanks for your help.

So I stumbled upon a guide from way back of 2016, and was wondering if it's possible to connect an NTFS external HDD to the FireTV 4k stick. The guide in question concerned a Fire TV and used a side-loaded "Paragon NTFS & HFS+" app to mount the hard drive and Kodi to access it.
Has anybody have had experience with that? Could that be possible if a powered USB hub was used?

Update: Although the voice view nonsense is fixed, one problem remains.... The built in cursor for Silk Browser has disappeared. I'm having to use an air mouse or mouse toggle. Did two more factory resets and once the ADB command is entered this problem returns.

JUSTINMARMER said:
Update: Although the voice view nonsense is fixed, one problem remains.... The built in cursor for Silk Browser has disappeared. I'm having to use an air mouse or mouse toggle. Did two more factory resets and once the ADB command is entered this problem returns.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Yes, I'm having the same issue with the cursor in Silk – I'm currently looking at the source of LauncherHijack to find out if we can do something about that. Meanwhile you can use Firefox; there the cursor is still working...

TheRealQubix said:
Yes, I'm having the same issue with the cursor in Silk – I'm currently looking at the source of LauncherHijack to find out if we can do something about that. Meanwhile you can use Firefox; there the cursor is still working...
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Yes, but video controls in Firefox are atrocious. Please keep us informed if you make any progress with the cursor fix.

JUSTINMARMER said:
Yes, but video controls in Firefox are atrocious. Please keep us informed if you make any progress with the cursor fix.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Yeah, I know But better than no cursor at all... I just got a wireless mini keyboard with touchpad which helps by providing a "real" mouse cursor in Silk but I'd really like to be able to use the standard remote... will keep this thread updated if I find a solution.
Btw, I've combined the functionality of the settingstest/debug apk into LauncherHijack so let me know if anybody needs this; then only LauncherHijack plus 1 adb command is required... (can I add files here?).

App not installed. This app isn't compatible with your TV.

I recently purchased the fire stick 4K and I'm having a difficult time installing Kodi on it. I am unable to use ADB link version 5.1 to connect to the fire stick with the developer's options enabled on the fire stick. I get the following message when trying to install Kodi using downloader.
Any assistance to resolve this issue will be greatly appreciated

Are you installing the 32bit version?
Android | Downloads
Kodi is a free media player that is designed to look great on your big screen TV but is just as at home on a small screen.
kodi.tv
You can use Easy FireTV tools to install apps on your Stick directly from your phone
Easy Fire Tools - Apps on Google Play
Install your favorite apps on FireTv and other android devices
play.google.com

Finnzz said:
Are you installing the 32bit version?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Yes ARMV7A (32BIT)

Thanks for your help Finnzz. I was able to get Kodi installed using the Easy Fire Tools. I'm confused as to why I could connect using Easy Fire Tools and not with ADB link 5.1. I use ADB link To backup and restore my Kodi build. I don't like having to manually build My Kodi platform.

ThirdStarr said:
Thanks for your help Finnzz. I was able to get Kodi installed using the Easy Fire Tools. I'm confused as to why I could connect using Easy Fire Tools and not with ADB link 5.1. I use ADB link To backup and restore my Kodi build. I don't like having to manually build My Kodi platform.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Easy Fire Tools is also Kodi oriented, you can use the Media Center menu to back up and restore your Kodi Build.
If you still have your other Android device you can connect Easy Fire Tools to it (connects to Android and FireOS) backup, then connect to the Stick and restore.
ADBLink's developer thread is here, he seems very responsive.
adbLink v5.5
adbLink is a companion program for Kodi. It works with Kodi for Windows, Mac,Linux and Android Global Features Manage multiple Kodi devices from one PC Edit XML and other files on your devices Clone Kodi setups to new devices Backup/Restore...
forum.xda-developers.com