Yep. Get a wireless keyboard... it's your choice. You can put it on a desk with a computer monitor and type out letters with a wired keyboard if you wanted. I have a wireless USB keyboard with a trackball on it to move the mouse around the screen (TV). Watch YouTube, movies and fools and horses on Kodi... read and send emails... spiteful tweets to David Cameron, look up recipes.... you get the idea :wink:

I'm feeling old......does it play tapes :man:

Logitech K400/K400 Plus.

OK, so I've downloaded all the source Cenovo images which include Android, Windows 8.1 with Bing, and the BIOS. I've also translated the instructions from their glorious Chinese, interpreted, corrected and generally made them usable.

Please note that the version of Windows here cannot be activated. However, what this does permit is you to install 8.1, activate through "some other means", and the upgrade to Windows 10 and have a permanent activation without the need to KMSpico or something else.

There are about 5GB of files, so will take me a while to upload, but in the meantime you can review the instructions to see if it will of any use to you:
Instructions.pdf

They must have restructured. My posts 218 and 214:
http://www.hotukdeals.com/deals/cenovo-mini-pc-tv-box-64-quad-core-intel-z3735f-bluetooth-4-0-windows-8-1-android-2372805?p=27165060

You could try DriverPack Solution: https://drp.su/
It worked for the missing USB driver on my Archos tablet. Download their program and let it search your system. If you don't want any bloatware, make sure to do a custom install and then select drivers you want and choose install drivers at the bottom of the page, the top install button installs their recommended stuff as well.

I couldnt find page 11, it only went to 10, can you repost?

Also does anyone know where i can find the drivers for this. Mine wouldn't activate, gearbest gave me $30 back, i bought a new good license and reinstalled win10pro, but some drivers are missing - any ideas?

Remember that there are two different BIOSs, one for Android and one for Windows. Don't know whether that affects things, but maybe worth checking you are using the same one as before.

This box has been hit and miss for a lot of people on here. Sorry don't know what to suggest. :confused:

Hello friends,
I already have played a lot with Cenovo box, successfully boot from USB many times by use of "Boot Override" list in "Save & Exit" page. But now this list become very shorty, just "UEFI OS" and no more possibility to boot from USB drive that was used successfully many times. I don't know what happened. Any suggestions? Thanks, Raimonds

I would prefer Windows only! Never use Android so would like the disk space.

I never ended up getting one of these, but do keep looking at this one, it is Windows 10 only though: http://www.gearbest.com/tv-box-mini-pc/pp_324846.html.

Had one of these for 18 months and its just started getting flaky
-HDMI output ionly sometimes comes on, but machine is working as I can teamviewer into it...

It's been a great silent web browsing & streaming pc
Just wondering whether to rebuy this one, or go for the baytrail ?

True, I got a partial refund as credit which is better than nothing.

No one should ever have to expect illegal software for a legitimate order.

It shouldn't be pirated but really what were you expecting for £50? I've had mine for months now and haven't had any problems.

So after weeks of complaining to them about the activation being a pirated version and it not working and failing to activate they just sent me a rar file with kmspico in. This is after multiple messages denying it was pirated.

I think i messed up bios now the screen doesn't appear... i opened and plug out bios battary for a while and try to run it now i can enter bios can anyone send me the working bios settings ( yes i tried to load bios defaults but i doesn' t change)

This is probably a real silly question but I need a new av receiver and was wondering if this PC will play atmos if it will then I'll but an atmos capable receiver.

Tyia

Any luck?

Sorry I mean fearthebassplayer

Tompow did you fix your issue? I think I have the same thing :disappointed:

God that went from bad to worse. The install failed. Decided to nuke all the partitions. Windows install failed again. Grabbed all the recovery stuff (thanks for upping it all). Started the android install and had the wrong bios loaded. Had to pull the power out to reset and now I think I've killed it :disappointed:. I get nothing, no post or boot of any kind. Keyboard lights stay on and Mouse has a brief flicker of power when I plug it in but then nothing. Should have left it alone! Now debating RMA (I have little confidence) or opening it up and seeing if something has fried.

Should be fine. Just select the "clean installation" option and (if necessary) delete the previous installation later

Brill thanks that worked and I can select activate later. I can't seem to do the upgrade. It says I need to restart from within Windows. I can do a clean install, I assume I just need to format the Windows partition.

Try method 2 here:
http://acer.custhelp.com/app/answers/detail/a_id/37064/~/windows-10%3A-access-the-uefi-bios

Thanks Martin. I tried that but unfortunately it just reboots into Windows. I will try to hunt down a usb keyboard.

Check out the Windows restore options. In the advanced options there's a boot to bios option. Google should help

Ah possibly because I was trying to do it from within Windows unfortunately I only have a Bluetooth keyboard is there any way to reboot into the BIOS without being able to hit the Esc key at Boot?

Hmm its asking me for a product Key. I chose Windows 10 Home single language. should I have just created a standard windows 10 image? I assume I dont want to upgrade first to activate against my existing key?

brill thanks.

Yes, that's what you do, though it is the 32 bit version you need. Simply insert the prepared usb, boot to the bios (hold/click escape) then boot via the usb on the last page of the bios.

Ok sorry to be thick. I have had my box for a couple of months and want to upgrade it to Windows 10. I have the version that came with 8.1 with Bing and it says it is activated. If I understand correctly I just need to make a Usb install using the media creation tool (64bit) and run it? Will this upgrade me to a licensed win 10 and still retain android? Is there a step by step for this anywhere that someone could link to? Thanks :smiley:

Thanks for that, but no joy :disappointed:

I guess that's why I haven't bothered to test :smile:
Remix is android but of a different kind.

What's Google Cast like?, any good?, or .....

Cooooooooooooooool!, thanx for that. :-)

Interesting all of you guys, thanx. :-)

This has 'Android' on it already?, so ..... lol. :-)

Haven't tried it yet, remix os requires USB 3.0, and I think that could be an issue.

I realised that if TV is not turned on first, before the unit , it fails to turn on.

Meaning, it detects HDMI before sending the signal to that output.

Unplug unit , as well as all the peripherals for a minute, reconnect them, then turn on TV first, then the unit.

Hope that helps

Mines doing the not powering on trick even though there is power getting to the mouse as the optical light shines. HAve took it apart but I obvious problem. Has anybody had this issue and managed to solve it?

I'll take that as a 'no' :smiley:

It's scanline emulation to replicate the CRT look on a flat panel. The machine needs a bit of welly to run games at a good speed with it on.

Thanx, but, what is all that that you mentioned?, thanx. :-)

Does this work?

Yes, that would work .. or you buy a cheap Win 7/8 licence from eBay and then update.
e.g. here

Well it was activated by kms, then upgraded to windows10 and remained actvated temporarily on kms.]So if I want permanent activation I basically need to reimage to windows7, crack it, update to windows 10 then decrack it?

Mine shows as "permanently activated".
"Theoretically", were a person to have a machine that had been activated using a KMS tool under Windows 7/8/8.1 then when it were updated to Windows 10, it would become permanently activated without use of a KMS tool.

When you reimaged to windows7 and updated to win10 are you with permanent activation or one like I have?

That's probably because it's activated via AutoKMS rather than properly, so that expiry will probably keep extending


That's probably because it's activated via AutoKMS rather than properly, so that expiry will probably keep extending

My Windows 10 activated after the cenovo updated, but if I run:
slmgr -xpr
from an elevated cmd prompt, I see my Windows Activation will Expire 30/03/2016.

Really starting to worry about this thing being usable in the near future.

I was using plex in a browser and streaming 'The Goonies' - the memories!

What were you streaming?
Wondered about apps like Netflix

Yes - I just tired this out. I used chrome cast and added Google cast. Started the browser and casted to my Sony TV, started Plex which knew about the cast and played like a dream.

Is it possible to stream from the box to a tv in another room using something like a chromecast?

It makes very very little noise, I can only hear it if I put my head near it.

it won't be silent anymore :disappointed:

Should say mine sits under the tv

Nice set up
How much noise does it generate?
Might sits under my tv

For those worried about the unit getting hot, here's what I did with mine, I used a standard 120mm PC fan that I had in the draw, then bought a Fan USB adapter from ebay -

http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/30cm-Plastic-USB-to-3-PIN-Adaptor-Connector-Cable-for-PC-Fan-Black-/272080646690?hash=item3f59453222:g:gOIAAOSwSdZWc4k-

I use a powered USB 2 Hub with this, so the fan is powered by the hub, but also works fine via the Cenovo's own USB ports

Some rubber movement suppressors http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/20PCS-Rubber-Silicone-PC-Fan-Anti-Vibration-Mount-Rivet-Noise-Absorbtion-Screw-/252034453070?hash=item3aae6c8e4e:g:rLwAAOSwDNdVr2zb

Used the standard PC Fan Screws as feet, then use the rubber suppressors on top of the fan, the Cenovo then sits on top. The temp of the whole unit now runs around 22c, rising to 33c when it does complicated things etc.

It costs less than a tenner and should increase the lifespan of the unit considerably.

No one appears to know why android won't recognise the card

The one you now say you've fixed :smiley:

I would like to know how to do this but does not seem to be an issue to many. I tried reformatting the card with the correct partitions but it still would not work. Anyone?

The SD card is recognised in windows but not in android. Does anyone know why it is not working on the android side?
Has anyone managed to install any games on the machine? There isn't enough room on the android side to install anything decent.
Thanks all :stuck_out_tongue:[/quote]

Which error are you referring to?

Have you actually tried researching the error? Google suggests many sites offering fixes. Have you tried these? Did they not work?

Hello all,
A couple of issues ...
Firstly windows was already activated :-)
The SD card is recognised in windows but not in android. Does anyone know why it is not working on the android side?

Has anyone managed to install any games on the machine? There isn't enough room on the android side to install anything decent.

Thanks all :stuck_out_tongue:

Correct, as far as I'm aware, and a complaint should yield some credit in your Gearbest account if you're happy to use them again

So just to clarify. There's no positive solution for us in terms of a legal activation?

We either ignore the hacktool and stick with windows 10, or reflash windows to windows 8.1 and crack it outselves so that we can update to windows 10 and activate without a hacktool?

Does it have to be Logitech hardware?

I haven't managed to get the machine to recognise it

Is anyone able to send apps to the sdcard?

the dangle tech they use let's you connect many wireless devices to a single dongle and it's hardware level not Software. can use wireless keyboard and mouse in the bios (pretty rare).

here is a link with more details: ​http://www.logitech.com/en-gb/promotions/6072

What's that?

​aye that will work nicely

Or, as I said, get one that's 4*1.7mm as per the eBay link I posted previously :wink:

Thanks for the idea!

Got any pictures ?

Awkwardly measure the tip across and length of the tip, I just lopped the head off of the one I got and modded the cable tbh (used the mains output to the power bank and the power bank USB out lead attached the dc head), works a treat

Dont even need to solder if you aren't a fan, use a terminal block like this (smallest will work) instead

Recommend the M235 mouse from Logitech too, pairs to the one receiver (Unify is awesome) I actually use it to armchair game at 4k, and seem to be doing OK on the FPS online (Battlefront mostly)

Martin you wouldn't regret a k400. I've got three of them and they are brilliant.

Thanks - and Prime Deal of the Day too at £21.99. Want something smaller so ordered a mini keyboard mouse in the hope it works better that the Gearbest one. At least I can send it back if not!
http://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B016A6NSL0/ref=pe_385721_37986871_TE_item

Its wireless with touchpad

https://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/aw/d/B005LDLQXG?ref=olp_product_details

Thanks. Is that wired or wireless? Trying to isolate the issue!

I use Logitech k400 and always wake from sleep without issues.

This should provide the correct voltage with the benefit of a uk plug:
http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/391221844250?_trksid=p2055119.m1438.l2649&ssPageName=STRK%3AMEBIDX%3AIT

4.0x1.7mm is what I read elsewhere

The reinstall instructions and downloads I posted for resetting seem to be WINPE based so should do the job precisely for this machine.

Has anyone got this machine to resume from sleep via USB? Not sure whether it's a failing of the machine or my specific hardware.

Tips and observation***

Let macrium reflect or clonezilla be your friend. I have crashed the system few times. I have win 10 home version, removed autokms and still activated.

Seems dual BIOS. So you will need 32bit or 64bit macrium winpe depending on what BIOS you are in.

It gets warm after some gaming but not too hot to shutdown.

Lovely machine so far. :stuck_out_tongue:

Ok - my Patriot PCPB90002 FUEL+ 9000mAh support pass through and has 2.5mAh in and out.

How do I work out the size of the power jack - It is yellow are they colour coded ?

Getting there need a power bank with pass-through - still researching.

The mini PC requires 2500mAh and USB is 500mAh. Also what cable should I use ?

Still not luck getting into Android bios - can you please test ?

hi all,
Having trouble moving apps to sd card in android. It says something about the option being disabled by manufacturer. Is anyone able to help please?

Interesting that it kind of confirms it's s W8 system just like all the others (Ainol, Vensmile etc), so if we find a trick that works there it would probably work here (especially if there's a more flexible BIOS!)

Haha, I just took mine apart too. No obvious usb jumpers :disappointed:
Here's some more pics

I have uploaded the images :-

Link to images inside the bad boy!

Thanks - I just use http://imgur.com/

Timing I'm not sure, think it's somewhat luck. Could be a combo of escape and volume key or something. It's a pain you can't tell which bios is which!

Do you have a picture of the actual motherboard? I'm interested in if there are any jumpers that could be adjusted to allow the USB to remain powered when in sleep mode so it could be woken from the remote.

Can only think to switch it back in the bios to the default s0. Do be aware that there are two versions of the bios. There's a 64bit version for the Android boot, and 32bit for Windows. There are instructions for how to get into each in the guide I made to reinstalling.
Beyond that, not sure :disappointed:

There is an option for restore state following a power cut - I saw it when checking for "resume from usb" options.
The default is correctly S0 which is what you want rather than the other option s5

Is there any way to get the boxes to auto boot - a bit like wake on LAN ? Was going to use as a security box but if there is a power cut the thing does not start ?

Wifi issues on android anyone? Any fix? :disappointed:

It seems it's just the setting in the rom that's the problem. If you install "Resolution Changer Pro" from the Play store you can enter it manually and it works fine. Now if only there was a way to get my 10 year old IR remote to work :disappointed:

Hmm, yes - see what you mean. Kodi reports a lower resolution. Would appear this is a limitation of the Android build (see here).
Glad I'm using Windows instead!

Hi Martin. If you have kodi running under andoid, could you check under settings/hardware info what resolution it reports please?

Re resolution:
Just to show this is what I see on mine, first time after I boot to Android

Hi guys, some question regarding this.. This is only when running Android.

Under "settings/HDMI I can choose 1920x1080 and it stays there, but it looks exactly the same as 1360x768. Upon reboot it's back to 1360x768. Does anyone else get this?

Has anyone had any luck using a mce remote with kodi in Android?

Thanks

Sorted out the issues and this box is amazing. I bought to record video feed and runs Blue Iris fine. Tested playing HD video and can get dts sound to amp. When playing video just uses 9 watts. Shame about all the MS Windows issues as this could be a killer piece of kit!

Has anyone successfully added extra storage via the mini sd card slot?
Mine doesn't recognise the card

If you follow my instructions the partitions will get created as required as part of the process.

Cheer everyone for your quick replies ;-)

I used an initial Windows install to remove all the partitions.

It see the re-install fails if one is missing but if there none then it creates them.

Now if I removed all the partitions have I lost Android.

I will get Windows 8.1 installed first...

Hi Everyone,

Things have gone from bad too worse.

I installed Windows 8.1 from the image download.

Then madly decided on a fresh install of Windows 10 Pro which has lost one of the partitions and I cannot install the image download now.

I think I just need the hard disk driver so I can sort the partitions out.

Can someone please tell me the driver ?

Helpppppppppp

Lee

Thank you Martin. I'll experiment with different configurations to see if I can work out why it kept reverting to 1360x768.

Cheers

Yes - mine was 1920x1080

Based on other responses I wouldn't if I was you...

Can someone please answer my question about the resolution in Android. Is anyone able to set the resolution higher than 1360x768?

Hello all
Mine didn't have to do anything to register
Went through set up and that was it
Am I missing something?

Have a look on feedback section. Search cenovo.
I have created a post with links. See if it's there. Good luck

Hi All

I've been spending the last weeks weeks of trying to get support from Gearbest and it would be easier to get blood from a stone :smiley:. Never going to use them again... I'm going to flaten it and do a fresh install. Do we have a location with all the drivers?

Bought the one with win 10. Still autokms dodgy key.

:smile:

I cannot revert through the Recovery option - hmmm...

There seem to be two options 1)Revert to Windows 8.1/7 or 2)Fresh install

Which one ?

Hi Guys,

Mine came with MS Windows 10 but I can't seem to activate the product key.

I used Belarc but that keys look a bit odd and ends in OEM and does not match the one partially shown in the activation screen.

Any help would be much appreciated.

Lee

Thanks Martin..

Hi guys, anyone know if it supports audio over HDMI in android?

£45.inc with the U.K. Lead

Depends how much want for it

I have one of these which i bought when the deal was first posted. Ive only just had a quick play but its never going to get used so im selling it if anyones interested? Ill also include a UK power lead which i bought separately.

Anyone tried a mini sd card that is larger than 64GB?

I managed to get $14.50

For those unhappy with the activation issue, be advised that I complained and get $8 per system in credit.

That's always going to be the issue with those types of apps.

Getting try another server message in the app when trying to play a movie

Showbox doesn't appear to work
Any working link?

Think the app would be Bluetooth rather than wireless so would run independently. Think devices are unique to their receiver - i.e. I need one for my mouse and one for the game controller.

UNDER FEEDBACK
I have now recreated the single post collating all the advise given by users. There is some pieces missing - Admin would remove it otherwise.
Please feel welcome to add to it.
Thanks all :-)

Would this work now there is a wireless USB receiver in the PC?
Can you connect multiple devices to the one receiver?

Thanks again

Just for info, I have my wireless mini keyboard/mouse combo and Tronsmart controller working fine together, each with their own receiver plugged in.
My keyboard/mouse came from GearBest, but the same one rebadged is on Amazon here. Basically there are loads on there - rebadged versions of the same - some backlit etc, but all basically the same.

The Tronsmart works great - only tested with Project64 (N64 emulator) so far. Have emailed them to ask if this can be used as a mouse too.

Some might find Teamviewer useful depending on what controller they use. It can be used to control a computer remotely via another, so can be useful to do the typing/setup. Also, it's free :smiley:

I am waiting for my air mouse to arrive
Is there any way of connecting my iphone to make it an air keyboard or mouse?

I am all plugged in
It appears to have booted in to an android screen
I thought there was an option for both windows and android on login

Support page currently removed by admin as an item from a non Uk seller. I did advise them of this post and could not see my one being a breach of policy

Have created a new feedback post to collate / discuss all the suggestions people have made

Is there a comparable all in one games controller, keyboard and mouse that will work with this?

Is it worth setting up a chat forum on hotukdeals for set up ideas on this device?

Anyone tried to run MAME on one of these? Would be nice for my arcade build.

Can you add additional space by way of a portable hard drive?

Some apps in android require wifi connection to run/update. Anyone any fixes that can let them run with a wired connection?

Sorry never mentioned the cursor...its touchpad only. Wasn't aware you get controllers you could point at tv but thinking about it, it would be pretty handy :smiley:

A tip for users: finding the @ symbol in android (FN+F2) - change the keyboard layout in settings to UK as its shipped defaulted to US

Can anybody with the Windows 10 version of this please post a backup of the bios ?

(The backup stuff for the Win 8.1 version is available from geekbuying.com).

http://blog.geekbuying.com/index.php/2015/09/09/cenovo-windows-8-1-android-4-4-dual-os-188504-150909/

I'm sure there are other/better controllers but for my needs this has been brilliant. Mouse pad is very responsive, keyboard doesn't lose connection half way through typing and all buttons work while in through in the kitchen(skip/pause/volume while listening to Spotify). Just make sure you get the real deal as I originally got a cheaper alternative and it's nowhere near as good. No idea about games though wouldn't see a problem with this device.

Hello

Thanks for your message. Can you direct the cursor by pointing the controller or is controller solely by the pad?

Do you play games with it?

Any complaints?

With regards to controllers, I've been using the Rii i8 which is spot on. A handy tip on android too....cmd/win+Tab will cycle through opened apps :smiley:. Be happy to hear any other shortcuts :smiley:

Is there an all in 1 remote?
With the USB operate multiple wireless devices?
Do they work on Windows and android?

Thank you again

I've been using this to control Windows and I'm very happy with it.

I've also bought this for the arcade setup I'm making

Can you play android games with it?

This is the original software for this machine, so if you ever corrupt anything you can use this to restore to factory settings. Also, it contains Windows 8.1 which (if you don't mind doing it) you could activate using kmspico, and then after an update to Windows 10 it will be activated without kmspico and, as the activation is linked to the hardware you should be able to reinstall Windows at and pint and it will automatically activate. You don't NEED to use this at all, it's just a backup.

OK people, the connection has been better today, so here you go. Have split RAR to make download easier as it's just under 5GB in total.
Part 1 (700MB)
Part 2 (700MB)
Part 3 (700MB)
Part 4 (700MB)
Part 5 (700MB)
Part 6 (700MB)
Part 7 (700MB)
Part 8 (248MB)

Are the windows and Android systems on different drives or just different partitions? Thinking of wiping the whole unit and installing Windows 7 from an old retail box version I have then doing the 10 update but would like to have all the space

P.S. currently £51.30 from Chinese warehouse, obviously minus any credit if you're ordering a second box :smiley:

I am doing gradually but having problems with timeouts - hopefully done today or at worst over the weekend.

I haven't yet tried (as it's not my priority, but I don't see any reason why not. I assume an Android 5.1/6 install stick made with Rufus or similar will have the same kind of structure as the default image so should be able to use the same process.

Can you update the android option?

Thanks a lot for the hard work martinconroy, I for one will be downloading and storing in case of future problems.

OK, so I've downloaded all the source Cenovo images which include Android, Windows 8.1 with Bing, and the BIOS. I've also translated the instructions from their glorious Chinese, interpreted, corrected and generally made them usable.

Please note that the version of Windows here cannot be activated. However, what this does permit is you to install 8.1, activate through "some other means", and the upgrade to Windows 10 and have a permanent activation without the need to KMSpico or something else.

There are about 5GB of files, so will take me a while to upload, but in the meantime you can review the instructions to see if it will of any use to you:
Instructions.pdf

how do you root his? Is there a guide?

Will showbox work on this? Easy to install in android App Store?

Bought one of these. Still boxed. Decided I don't fancy it. Selling it. £55 pick up only, north Manchester. Contact if interested.

Afraid I haven't been able to find one. This box seems very similar to a Wintel one but I can't even find much on that either. Android wise unfortunately I had to use King Root to root it. Someone here said theirs was already rooted but mine wasn't. Installed the usual root apps I use AdAway, Titanium Backup and Greenify. I am using a launcher called TV Launcher and it's pretty nice. UK TV Now app is good for live TV.

One remaining issue is the resolution doesn't change to 1980x1080. The highest it'll go is 1360x 768 and it resets to this every boot. Any ideas?

Any forum or support for this device? Seems like a lot of interest/comments on here and would be handy to have some resources if things go pear shaped.
Also, apart from the usual K0di, any other apps that are worth trying out on the android side of things? Found a video mix apk that seems to have a nice interface for movies/series etc. Could I load a launcher like on the tablet I have? Cheers and hope everyone can share their experiences/problems somewhere so we can all learn :smiley:

I now have the image, so I will test it (probably Thursday) and then upload and advise accordingly.

Managed to find an alternative way to register that was English. Downloading images now. When I'm worked things out I will upload them where people can get them if needed.

Firmware can be found here in two parts...
http://pan.baidu.com/s/1bn13nH1
http://pan.baidu.com/s/1jG9w36u

Frustrated with this. Finally have myself an activated Win 10 install on here but no Android, and sound not working - no driver. First, if anyone can advise details of the sound on a working system that would be great.
Would ideally like to go back to the raw image including Windows + Android and update Windows myself now I know what works but no image available :disappointed:

Ive been having a play on mine really impressed occasionaly stutter on steam streaming but that could be my network. What is wierd android is really fluid but chrome on android is unusable real stutter fest on most websites.

Ive also got the wierd km @byeldi thing but i just allowed it. Does this have a built in recovery option for androud and windows? any official site with firmware updates?

Does anyone know how to root this box?

Thanks - Do you have that and does it work? Is the barrel the correct size


Thanks

Has anyone found a UK adapter that works with this?

Thanks

Thanks mate.

Martin and Rs26 can you explain what you did in Windows that caused you to have all these problems?(Sorry if I've missed it)

I had a quick boot last night and everything seemed to be working well. Android is really nice and snappy so I'll primarily use that. Windows 10 seemed fine but there is <1gb ram free once it's running so I'll probably just use that when necessary. Very happy for £50!

I got this box just before christmas and it came with 8.1 installed,i went onto the microsoft website on the box through the browser and just updated from there to windows 10,so i cant see why it could be a pirated copy if i updated through the offiical microsoft website.

Price has gone up now
Still out of stock in EU and still available in China

martinconroy:
The cenovo android was working even though my windows on the device was borked. When I was doing the "Full Repair" I thought it would delete android (so I resigned myself to just working with Windows), but to my surprise, android booted fine after the full repair. Just the shortcut to boot into android on the windows os side (which was there when I got the box) has disappeared. Also, I don't find the KMS thingy on mine (where did you say it was again?)

My understanding of it was that Windows 8 could be activated via KMS (which is the issue here) KMS stopped windows from contacting the real authorisation servers and diverted to a blag one and therefore made windows itself think that it had been activated (Here removal of the KMS server by windows defender etc makes windows realise that its not activated and the keys none genuine). So as far as Windows is concerned its legit and above board, windows 10 installs does its cursory checks and agrees its all above board and creates a Windows 10 key accordingly.

As I said I'm far from an expert, and this is just my understanding of how it worked. All my PCs have genuine windows on them (Apart from this Cenovo possibly)


I'd also like to say though, that has been mentioned before already in this thread, Microsoft 8.1 with Bing is issued free for tablets etc, This is just a tablet without a touchscreen and therefore I would have thought would qualify for the free version. Other Mini PC's similar to this In fact the Ainol II which is exactly the same PC seem to have totally genuine windows 8 on them) I just don't realy see why they'd need to pirate it. (Though I'm not saying they haven't of course).

Theres every chance (But I'm no expert) that those of us who got the unit with windows 8 installed (it could have been a hacked version, I no longer have anyway of telling), when we upgraded to Windows 10 we got a legit version via the upgrade. I believe a similar thing used to happen with windows 7 - 8 upgrades. However those of you with the newer version that already have 10 installed, well it looks like a shortcut may have been taken etc. There's even the chance that Irishbiker69 has a unit returned previously that somebody else has altered the operating system on and gearbest hasn't checked.

However I prefer the copied chinese rip off scenario, but even if this were the case, I'd probably still be very happy with it for the money paid.

(Btw i don't have that file either, nor do I have a text file of that name).

I'll keep my fingers crossed for your android not to be affected. Yeah you might have to download Windows from microsoft and buy a product key.

Good luck, mate.

So are you saying that a "Full repair" from a USB boot preserved the Android partition?

Currently "Resetting this PC" in the hope it will go back to an image that doesn't contain the KMS and will activate.

First of all, thank you all for your help.

This is a long winded post, so be warned. I thought I would share my troubles and hopefully this will help someone for the future as well.

After my faffing around with device I somehow managed to corrupt the bloody thing. Windows would not boot at all, only android. Tried some posts here, see comments. Got some nuggets from you folks, but mostly they didn't work

Got frustrated, contacted Gearbest, they want me to take pictures (of no more the 2 MB, lol) of the problem. I thought how can I take pictures of the thing not booting.

Again I got **** off. Impatience got the better of me last night, and decided I would reinstall windows on the bloody thing, couldn't get into the thing's BIOS. Tried all keys on the keyboard. Gave up and, finally I read somewhere on the net that some of these chinese mini pcs use the Esc key to boot into the BIOS. Tried once again with a Windows 10 USB drive I had lying around. Turns out the USB was damaged. Lol.

I downloaded windows 10 from the microsoft website, extracted it to another normal USB drive (I6 GB), plugged the USB key into the Cenovo via a USB hub with a wired keyboard I had lying around and wired mouse in the hub. Crossed my fingers and powered on the bloody thing. Mashed the Esc key on my keyboard several times at boot, almost permanently destroying the keyboard, LOL. Finally entered the BIOS, set it to boot via USB, saved the bios settings. It booted up, USB drive started flashing, and I thought yay, windows gave me an option to do a full repair and I selected it. Took 6 bloody long hours to install Windows 10, the progress was molases slow. Finally, booted into Windows 10, ran updates (even the updates take centuries to install), and then Windows tells me that its not activated, just my rotten luck. I booted the thing again several times, and the message disappeared, the machine is now working, I have created a windows system restore thingy using the in-built windows tool, so that if I muck it up again I can bloody well just system restore it. Launched windows explorer and I have 2 Windows folders one that says Windows and another that says Windows old. Searched web how to safely delete that. Still only have 12 GB of space left on the C drive, might need to get a cheapy microsd to expand space.

Good news is that Android is working as well, however on Kodi, video streams from phoenix are blocky and somewhat pixelated, however, on the windows side with kodi the same stream from the same source is clear and not as pixelated. Odd!?! I can do without android though.

Sorry for the long-winded post. Might help someone in future.

Side note, anti-virii programs ( my personal fave ESET Smart security :sunglasses: make the cenovo run slow......hmmm... I am just using Windows Defender on the thing even though I've never really liked defender. Any recommendataions fellas?

On mine Windows refuses to activate with the provided key. AutoKMS in place.
Did we establish if there was a CLEAN raw image for the disk that would allow Android and Windows which will activate?

To those who have this - is this any good?

Awesome bit of kit ive been running one since October and hasn't missed a beat. Runs ok not the fastest running chrome but if you are looking for a media centre this IS the one to buy. Heat added

I don't believe the supplied windows is a pirate version, microsoft supply windows free of charge to mobiles and tablets and I believe if you look at the system settings this is the same

I don't have that file at all? I have one with .txt but not exe

Mine has already been updated to Windows 10, very suspicious!

I've dropped them a email regarding the pirated software, lets see if they come back to me. I bought the unit for a hyperspin / mame arcade setup so it might still might fit my needs. I've just installed Kodi (16 Beta 5) and it reports the CPU is running at 1.33 Ghz but specs has it down as 1.83 Ghz What's everyone else getting? Also Is it possible to get into the bios? I'd like to see if I can tweak it along with the option to auto start it when it powers up.

mate, thanks for all the help

I've tried what you suggested, no go. I am thinking a clean install of windows or even linux, now if I could just get into the damn BIOS settings of the Cenovo. Funny thing is that the android part of it still working.

Lol, my trying to fix the bloody thing has made it worse. When I boot into the windows partition on the cenovo on my computer montor I get absolutely nothing no boot sequence etc. Anyone have an idea on how I could do a clean install of windows?

Mate, I can't remember but a dialogue box opened up and it wouldn't let me launch kodi.

kodi won't boot on windows 10 after upgrading it, keep getting strange error messages

A similar name is one thing, pirated software is another

Not happy if this is the case!
http://onhax.net/tag/kmspico

Best customer support ever!

I'm thinking its a pirated version as its signed by @ByELDI

Just to let you all I got mine today and its not too bad, however I think the copy of Windoze 10 is a pirated one. Defender highlights that Service_KMS.exe is a Hacktool:Win32/AutoKMS and when I quarantined it and did a system update Windoze reported its not activated and will not let me activate it till I'm on the 'companies network"

Anyone else confirm same?

Let us know which file(s) you use and how you get on :smiley:

Brilliant. Will definitely try it on MINIX z64. Hopefully it boots as they have similar specs. :sunglasses:

Same here, shame the airmouse didn't arrive at the same time so can't test :disappointed:

Ordered on Tuesday and it arrived this morning. Can't fault that. Will have to wait until later to try it out though. I'll post some feedback.

I was going to buy from that source but decided against buying from China incase something went wrong with it. I can't imagine P&P would be cheap sending it back.. :-(

Thanks mate, it worked. You, sir, are a genius of the highest order.

Thanks. Hopefully there will be enough of us buying it that we can help each other if needed!

Just went back in stock in EU warehouse. Ordered 9:25am :smiley:

The offivial website is quite basic, last time I looked through it none of the links worked. Feel free to have a look though - http://www.cenovo.net/product/class/126.html (Google Tanslate is probably needed for most of us)

Firmware etc is here - http://www.cenovo.net/news/class/?106.html

I ordered one of these, and whilst waiting thought I'd ask Gearbest about the manufacturers website so I could get drivers etc. They said they didn't have that info. Does anyone else know?

Its a windows image, not with android. Thanks for that anyway.

Wish I could get system image of this to try on MINIX Z64. :disappointed:

Anyone had experience with dealmachine?

hi guys,

I bought this mini PC. Thanks to the OP.

I connected it up to my computer monitor, both android and windows worked fine. However, when I connected it to my TV (a Sony Bravia KDL42W8) only android works, when i boot into windows I get nothing on the tv screen, just black (even tried leaving it alone for 15-20 mins and nothing doing. Anyone got any advice for me?

Regards

Look on page 4 of the feed. Does that help?

Can anyone think of a better Windows Mini PC box than this before I buy it??? dont mind paying a little extra for better hardware

Many thanks for that info. Understood there was an os choice screen ,but didnt know it auto boots into the last chose none after 10 secs. Makes this a much better unattended remote access pint that I thoguht it was going to be. Looking forward to the delivery now.

I ended up buying an Ainol Mini PC too, which looks fun as it has an integrated battery. No Android optiono n that though, not that I mind.

Is it running android and windows?
How does that work?
Can you install apps like Netflix, now tv, Sky Go etc?

Can it connect wirelessly to my WD Cloud Hard drive?

Really tempted by this as a media device

is a mouse required or can we use only a remote / air mouse app for Windows 10 / Android?

Deal still valid

£56.86 for me

Gearbest came up more expensive for me £61.91 before I even got to the shipping screen.
Dealmachine with shipping was £56

Can anyone recommend a good quality box I could get?
I only want it for movies, t v shows and football/formula 1 etc.
I need it pre installed preferably as I am a complete novice with these boxes
Any advice would be greatly appreciated
Thanks

From a Chinese warehouse. Can get it from Gearbest's Chinese warehouse for same price pretty much, and cashback too.

Managed to find it for £56 again from a place called dealsmachine which has pretty decent seller reviews.

I also ordered the asus revo one celeron which i may cancel now.

been using my lap but it's not good keeping it on all night

been using my laptop but it's not good keeping it on all night :neutral_face:

Says its 32 bit. So op, is it 64 bit or 32 bit and if you say its 64 bit where are you getting that info from?

been using my laptop but it's not good keeping it on all night

​I'm looking for a pc device so that I could use clash bot for coc

does anyone know if I can run blue stack to run clash of clans on this device?

Anyone recommend a replacement power supply for this, thanks

Thank OP just bought one from the China warehouse, I just need to run a small program on Windows connected to a projector which currently I use an expensive laptop for.

I have a Pipo x7s, same specs as this, and Kodi runs brilliant in it, also it does play Minecraft (it would struggle with FTB though.

Regards
Flea

Can anyone who has this comment on how well it runs Kodi? That's what I want it for so any advice on whether this or Android box would be best would be gratefully received please

Can you upgrade the ram on these??

i knew that of course....but I'm pretty sure some people still don't get it so I just emphasize the point...

Yes

http://www.amazon.com/gp/aw/d/B00K768DHY/ref=mp_s_a_1_2?qid=1452605460&sr=8-2&pi=SY200_QL40&keywords=remote+with+keyboard&dpPl=1&dpID=51etMvK19pL&ref=plSrch
would this remote work on this device?

Would this have been any good running Steam Big Picture on the Windows OS? I'm not expecting the latest stuff to play but maybe the older stuff?

Out of stock :/

Um...that was the joke.

Ive ordered this, I didnt need it....................

is not UK based seller............ Hot EU Deals?

I'm feeling old......does it play tapes :man:

But will it play Minecraft?

None left in stock now! Just tried to order :-((

No unfortunatly it doesn't switch it on or off in windows mode, and it will only turn the box off in Android mode. Not a problem for me though but I can see it may be for others.

@MrJinxy - Yes you do, there's also an app installed to boot from windows to Android, and when in Android an option in the Shut down menu to boot direct to windows

@superivanho, mines set at 1920x1080 I can't say if it can go beyond that.

If you have an issue with the screen being slighty to big for your TV / Monitor, I went to the graphics settings by the date / time and lowered the refresh rate to 59 Hz, that made the screen fit (And it shows as 60 Hz for some reason if you check again)

I would assume so. I bought mine from China though

Is that the same if I was to buy from the EU warehouse, I'd get a travel adapter?

Thank you

This is the thing I've been looking for, shame it's OOS now in the EU warehouse. If I was to buy direct from China will it come with a UK plug?

Thanks

OOS in EU warehouse. Is there an alternative or worth getting from China?

Struggling to get the beat kodi add-on working on both android and windows...

Whats the support like on these? regular updates for Android etc? Do apps work iplayer netflix 4od etc?

maybe he meant "buy Chinese, buy twice" considering people these days can't tell the difference between your and you're, of and off etc.

http://www.amazon.com/gp/aw/d/B00K768DHY/ref=mp_s_a_1_2?qid=1452605460&sr=8-2&pi=SY200_QL40&keywords=remote+with+keyboard&dpPl=1&dpID=51etMvK19pL&ref=plSrch

would a remote like the one in the provided link work with this device? thanks

Played call of duty 4 on this at 30fps.

Yip i am going to try it on another tv,i had the same problem with my pipo x9 box but when changed to bigger tv and changed ratio on tv it fitted perfect.

Out of stock now

By Chinese, by twice

Would this handle *.mkv from plex server??? i.e. skip transcoding on server

I have one of these,but I can't seem to get it to fit to my TV screen 100%,it seems to outstretch it if you know what i mean,anybody know how iI can fix it,I have tried changing the TV settings,but iI just can't get it to fit the screen properly. Thanks.

So when you boot it up do you get a choice - Android OS or Windows OS?

Would this be the next sensible upgrade from an amazon firestick?

would Kodi run better on Windows rather than Android or doesn't it male a difference?

Or have Windows (if you want it)

wont this be a better buy ? with 4K
http://www.gearbest.com/tv-box/pp_24550.html

and what's the maximum display resolution for non-gaming purposes?

can it power a 2.5" or 3.5" external hard drive as well?

Is the case aluminium or plastic?

I have one and it's brilliant, the only mishap I had was when I used the sd in android something went wrong with the hardware and there was no driver for the reader when I booted back into windows... Magically fixed itself after a few days but it was a worry... also runs very hot in windows so don't rest it on top of other equipment,

I'll take a look at recovering some space tonight but mine came with widows 10 already installed so I'd expect all this bath to already be on win 10 too.

With regard to attaching usb drives I have a 5tb attached to mine, works fine in windows but android kodi won't find the directory.

Ive ordered this, I didnt need it....................

I use this remote / Keyboard with it (Mines mainly used as a media center) http://www.amazon.co.uk/2-4GHz-Wireless-Keyboard-Android-Windows/dp/B00WVD7CVY/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&qid=1452597918&sr=8-2&keywords=air+mouse+remote

im tempted

I took delivery of one yesterday windows 10 is installed.

when you upgrade to windows 10 dont forget to delete the installation files it downloaded during the process, youll be able to reclaim GBs worth of space...:

http://lifehacker.com/reclaim-disk-space-after-windows-10-update-by-deleting-1720934718

No h265 support?

A few reviews say the Wifi is pretty poor. Anyone got one of these could comment on Wifi strength and reliability ...thanks

it mentions 500gb hdd external hdd for some reason on the blurb on the site. Whats that about? I take it you can just attach a 3tb hdd if you wanted to?

Will this run goldeneye 64 at 60fps with windows at a decent resolution? its still very choppy on high end android devices

What would be the best combined keyboard/trackpad set up for this?

Its a shame it has no IR sensor! it looks like there should be one!
I was nearly on it to buy for my sister!

Cenova? :smile:

Heat added.

Don't really want to hijack the thread but does anyone know how the processor stacks up against the new Octa core android players that I've seen come through recently? For example this one on AliExpress: here ?

I appreciate different operating systems etc. and I've read that they're just 2 quad cores rather than 8 cores, if that makes sense. Just curious if anyone knew if they're worth it.

Cheers

Ive ordered this, I didnt need it....................

Anyone tried running a plex server with full transcoding on one of these?

Yep. It's with the Windows 10 Xbox App - can turn on the Xbox from the PC in another room and stream games etc.. While it's not quite as good as a direct connection to the TV it's pretty impressive - dare I say a lot better than PS4 remote play with the PSTV box

can you play steam games through it?

For people who want to run a media PC without a keyboard, get a Flirc. Its great for kodi and plex frontend. Still have wireless keyboard for occasional typing though. I paid £14 from Amazon and use with harmony remote.

does it have access to the play store?

Looking to replace my Matricom MX2 box with this for more seamless Kodi updates. Happy to control installations etc remotely using Teamviewer but want to control media via remote. Anyone know how/if I can use my MX2 remote or recommend a good cheap alternative?

Is Windows 8.1 activated on this and is there much free space as it is dual boot device?

Had one for a couple of months and is excellent.

Upgrades to (full) licensed Windows 10 without problem. It took a while to work out that the admin password was "blank"! . Delete all the old windows files and 'restore to Windows 7' material and left with about 12 Gb free. Add a cheap micro SD card for additional storage.

Dual boot to Android 4.4.

Runs Kodi and streams video without a problem. It's also tiny (about the thickness and size of about 6 stacked beer mats) so it can easily be hidden away.

Extraordinary value considering full licensed Windows 10 OS.

It's a windows 10 machine not 8.1.

Isn't this kind of average for the money?

Cash via Quidco as well...

As in xbox in one room and playing games on it in another room and telly?

On my second one of these now :confused:. Not sure about Steam streaming but works great for Xbox One streaming over powerline ethernet.

After some experience with fire stick and android boxes I've went for the MK809IV Smart TV Box Dongle Quad Core 2GB/16GB. Primarliy for Kodi and Plex. Not decided on airmouse yet. http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/141630980509 £24.99

Anyone tried to stream steam with this box?.

Thanks. Have you tried using hlsl or glsl (scanlines)?

Showing as $78.99 which converts to £55.98 at checkout. Still went for it though for under the telly

Cheers for that.

OK cool gotcha - that is a cheap gizmo

Yep. Get a wireless keyboard... it's your choice. You can put it on a desk with a computer monitor and type out letters with a wired keyboard if you wanted. I have a wireless USB keyboard with a trackball on it to move the mouse around the screen (TV). Watch YouTube, movies and fools and horses on Kodi... read and send emails... spiteful tweets to David Cameron, look up recipes.... you get the idea :wink:

Hot but I have MINIX box already. :disappointed: