Remix OS - Installation, ROOTing & more!

[burduli]

Hi there. As you may already know, Remix OS has already been released for PC. Remix OS is "re-designed" Android which works on PC and has many good features such as multitasking, Windows shortcuts, etc. In this thread, I want to teach how to install Remix OS, ROOT it and many more. So, let's get started.

1. Install Remix OS on HDD [Using Ubuntu]:

So, to install Remix OS on HDD, you will need Remix OS iso or img file and Ubuntu installed on PC.
First of all, create folder called "remix" (without quotes) on / directory on Ubuntu.
From the Remix ISO/IMG, put the following files in /remix: initrd.img, kernel, ramdisk.img, system.img.
Make a directory /remix/data.

There you go, Remix OS is now on HDD... But how to boot it? You have to add it into GRUB menu. To do this:
Open terminal in ubuntu and type in:

gksudo gedit /etc/grub.d/40_custom

You'll be prompted for root password, type it in. Then you'll get gedit window with some texts in it. Add this code at the end of the text:

menuentry 'Remix OS' --class android-x86 {
        insmod part_gpt
        search --file --no-floppy --set=root /remix/system.img
        linux /remix/kernel root=/dev/ram0 androidboot.hardware=remix_x86_64 androidboot.selinux=permissive CMDLINE
        initrd /remix/initrd.img
}

Then, in terminal, run this command to update GRUB configuration:

sudo update-grub

Again, type in root password and vuala, now you have Remix OS installed on HDD and it is available in GRUB menu. Rebooting should yield a menu in GRUB called Remix, which might work. The way I've done it here, Remix will share storage with Ubuntu, but will be unable to see the contents outside of /remix/data. If you prefer, you can pre-allocate space for Remix using an image for /data like so:

dd if=/dev/zero of=/remix/data.img bs=1M count=XXX
mkfs.ext4 /remix/data.img

(where XXX is how many megabytes you want data.img to be). An image is convenient for portability and backup purposes, so it's up to your preference. I prefer to use /remix/data over an image just because of the limited storage on my tablet.
This is also pretty non-destructive. To remove Remix, just revert or remove /etc/grub.d/40_custom, run update-grub, and if you wish, delete /remix.

2. Install Google Play Services:

After booting into Remix OS, you'll notice that there is not any Google Play Services/apps like Play Store, etc. To install them, you have to:

1. Download GMSInstaller.apk from here.
2. Install APK file and run it.
3. Click on "One-click to install Google Services" (this will automatically download google play services).

There you go, now you have Google Play Services installed.

After installation, you may be unable to install apps from Play Store. To fix this, you have to clear data for Google Play Services, Google Services Framework and Google Play Store and then restart PC/notebook. After restart, try cleaning data again for Google Play Store again.

3. Root Remix OS [Using Ubuntu]:

Now I'll teach you how to ROOT Remix OS. You can learn more about root access here, if you don't already know it.

1. Download and Extract RemixRoot.zip to desktop
2. Copy system.sfs from your pendrive or hdd wherever you have installed Remix OS to the desktop
3. Open Terminal (Ctrl+Alt+T) and type:
   

   sudo apt-get install squashfs-tools
   cd Desktop
   unsquashfs system.sfs

   This commands will create a new folder on Desktop. There will be system.img in that folder
4. Copy that system.img to RemixRoot folder
5. Open terminal again and type:
   

   sudo -i

6. Enter your password (If you are running in live cd then no password)
7. Change directory to RemixRoot folder.
   

   cd /home/user_name/Desktop/RemixRoot

8. If you did it right next line of terminal will end with RemixRoot# followed by blinking cursor
9. Now run rootx.sh script by typing
10. sh rootx.sh
11. If everything goes right there wont be any error message and you will get a root.img in your RemixRoot folder
12. Rename it to system.img and copy to your pendrive/hdd replacing previous system.img
13. Reboot and go to RemixOS and update SuperSU binaries
14. That's it! you are now rooted

4. Update Remix OS to the latest version [Using Ubuntu]:

So, new version of Remix OS is released and I want to show how to update your current Remix OS to the latest version.
First of all, download new version of Remix OS (current is 2016012301) from here. Remember to choose EFI.
After downloading, extract system.sfs file from the img and put it in Desktop.
Open the termial and type in:

sudo apt-get install squashfs-tools
cd Desktop
unsquashfs system.sfs

This code will:

1. Install squashfs-tools which is needed to extract system.sfs file
2. Point working location to Desktop
3. Extract system.sfs file and will create a new folder on the Desktop. There will be system.img in that folder

Now, after we got hands on system.img, which previously were unavailable, we need to copy that system.img to /remix directory which we created in section 1. Install Remix OS on HDD [Using Ubuntu]. This will overwrite previous system.img also. You can also copy initrd.img, kernel and ramdisk.img, but that files are rarely updated.

More instructions may or may not be added.

For instructions, thanks to reddit users crosph and Gopal3. Also XDA members @Chainfire and @hackarchive

 

[HearthC0re]

Installing Play Services went fine, although even after deleting the cache, rebooting, reinstalling entirely, no installations were possible via the store, for me.
Others had success tho.

 

[burduli]

Installing Play Services went fine, although even after deleting the cache, rebooting, reinstalling entirely, no installations were possible via the store, for me.
Others had success tho.

After installation, you may be unable to install apps from Play Store. To fix this, you have to clear data for Google Play Services, Google Services Framework and Google Play Store and then restart PC/notebook. After restart, try cleaning data again for Google Play Store again.

 

[malim20]

@DroidTwe4kz With this method is Remix OS installed or will it ask for resident or guest mode each time?

 

[burduli]

@DroidTwe4kz With this method is Remix OS installed or will it ask for resident or guest mode each time?

It is installed, like Ubuntu. It will save all apps, files and stuff. It won't ask for which mode you want to boot

 

[thatmayh3mguy]

When I install this way I have an internal storage size of 3.8gb. Did I do something wrong?

 

[zola1004]

1&3 success , 2 failed

1. Just format your target hdd or ssd with ext4 and install there. You will get full space of your media. I used a GPARTED live cd to inject linux sh commands. Any live linux distro is ok while you can use basic commands like fdisk, mount, cd, etc. BTW install requires you modify isolinux.cfg by adding INSTALL=1 DEBUG=0 to an install menu.

2. I failed. I tried various ways with no success. I checked the apps like Google Play*, Service* and they are there in frozen state. As soon as I unfreeze them, they are automatically freezing themselves. Strange...

3. Worked like charm.

Thank you your info.
-------------
P.S. Resident/Guest menus are only shown on live cd image. Once installed, you will see different GRUB menus and just click the first one. Good luck.

 

[burduli]

When I install this way I have an internal storage size of 3.8gb. Did I do something wrong?

I think not. You can even create another partition and put files in it, but then you must make some changes in GRUB configuration file too.

 

[burduli]

BTW, there's how Remix OS appears in GRUB2 menu.

 

[MerbinJAnselm]

Hi there. As you may already know, Remix OS has already been released for PC. Remix OS is "re-designed" Android which works on PC and has many good features such as multitasking, Windows shortcuts, etc. In this thread, I want to teach how to install Remix OS, ROOT it and many more. So, let's get started.

1. Install Remix OS on HDD [Using Ubuntu]:

So, to install Remix OS on HDD, you will need Remix OS iso or img file and Ubuntu installed on PC.
First of all, create folder called "remix" (without quotes) on / directory on Ubuntu.
From the Remix ISO/IMG, put the following files in /remix: initrd.img, kernel, ramdisk.img, system.img.
Make a directory /remix/data.

There you go, Remix OS is now on HDD... But how to boot it? You have to add it into GRUB menu. To do this:
Open terminal in ubuntu and type in:

gksudo gedit /etc/grub.d/40_custom

You'll be prompted for root password, type it in. Then you'll get gedit window with some texts in it. Add this code at the end of the text:

menuentry 'Remix OS' --class android-x86 {
        insmod part_gpt
        search --file --no-floppy --set=root /remix/system.img
        linux /remix/kernel root=/dev/ram0 androidboot.hardware=remix_x86_64 androidboot.selinux=permissive CMDLINE
        initrd /remix/initrd.img
}

Then, in terminal, run this command to update GRUB configuration:

sudo update-grub

Again, type in root password and vuala, now you have Remix OS installed on HDD and it is available in GRUB menu. Just boot it up and follow setup guide.

2. Install Google Play Services:

After booting into Remix OS, you'll notice that there is not any Google Play Services/apps like Play Store, etc. To install them, you have to:

1. Download GMSInstaller.apk from here.
2. Install APK file and run it.
3. Click on "One-click to install Google Services" (this will automatically download google play services).

There you go, now you have Google Play Services installed.

After installation, you may be unable to install apps from Play Store. To fix this, you have to clear data for Google Play Services, Google Services Framework and Google Play Store and then restart PC/notebook. After restart, try cleaning data again for Google Play Store again.

3. Root Remix OS [Using Ubuntu]:

Now I'll teach you how to ROOT Remix OS. You can learn more about root access here, if you don't already know it.

1. Download and Extract RemixRoot.zip to desktop
2. Copy system.img from your pendrive or hdd wherever you have installed Remix Os to this folder (ie RemixRoot folder it should be alongside Readme.txt)
3. Open Terminal (Ctrl+Alt+T)
4. Type:
   

   sudo -i

5. Enter your password (If you are running in live cd then no password)
6. Change directory to RemixRoot folder.
   

   cd /home/user_name/Desktop

7. If you did it right next line of terminal will end with RemixRoot# followed by blinking cursor
8. Now run rootx.sh script by typing
9. sh rootx.sh
10. If everything goes right there wont be any error message and you will get a root.img in your RemixRoot folder
11. Rename it to system.img and copy to your pendrive/hdd replacing previous system.img
12. Reboot and go to RemixOS and update SuperSU binaries
13. That's it! you are now rooted

More instructions may or may not be added.

For instructions, thanks to reddit users crosph and Gopal3. Also XDA members @Chainfire and @hackarchive

complete! I'll give it a try! Thanks @DroidTwe4kz

 

[burduli]

complete! I'll give it a try! Thanks @DroidTwe4kz

You're welcome

 

[wiryawang]

Any clue to all these awesome trick on windows?

 

[kretex]

Any clue to all these awesome trick on windows?

how about this
Guide Dual Boot RemixOS and Windows on PC

 

[wiryawang]

how about this
Guide Dual Boot RemixOS and Windows on PC

Looks promising good. how about the root procedure on Windows?

 

[MrGarak]

A couple of us over at Reddit installed Google Play Services and had suspicious activity on our accounts shortly after:

https://www.reddit.com/r/RemixOS/comments/414lxc/accounts_compromised_be_careful_with_the_services/

Anybody know of a potentially safer package?

 

[burduli]

A couple of us over at Reddit installed Google Play Services and had suspicious activity on our accounts shortly after:

https://www.reddit.com/r/RemixOS/comments/414lxc/accounts_compromised_be_careful_with_the_services/

Anybody know of a potentially safer package?

That's why I'm using 2-Step Verification

 

[MrGarak]

Same here It's still worrying though!

 

[Matt_Alexander]

Stuck

Hello. So I have a problem. I have downloaded the file and placed all the files in the folder. I am running Linux Mint 17.3 based on Ubuntu but when I tried to boot remix OS I get stuck on a screen that's says Detecting Android-x86... Found at /dev/sda1 and nothing else. Did I do something wrong? How can I fix it? Thanks in advance.

 

[burduli]

Hello. So I have a problem. I have downloaded the file and placed all the files in the folder. I am running Linux Mint 17.3 based on Ubuntu but when I tried to boot remix OS I get stuck on a screen that's says Detecting Android-x86... Found at /dev/sda1 and nothing else. Did I do something wrong? How can I fix it? Thanks in advance.

Can you provide us with a picture? I haven't tried it with Mint tho

 

[Matt_Alexander]

Can you provide us with a picture? I haven't tried it with Mint tho

It wont let me put a photo because of the post threshold as I am a new user. I still have the imgur link. imgur.com/4X8Jltm