R36S ArkOS Fresh Install Guide

[@LuckyChappy]

Mate. You are an ABSOLUTE legend. I spent 6 hours yesterday following other guides and none worked. I spent 20 minutes watching yours and I am all done. If I could like the video more than once, I would. Subbed.

[@wadewazhere1]

Ayoo chappy 🎉

[@Adam-rj7iq]

I am not sure why your video is not on top when looking for setting up ArkOS. Your guide has been the only one to make things work. Thank you for the content! Your guide also helped fix the network connection issue!

[@Leonnisshy]

Bro. Mad respect to you. I recently joined the r36s community as i was given as a early christmas gift. Never did anything like this before, gotten a 128gb sandisk card and sd card reader, completely followed your tutorial and thankfully my console panel screen is exactly the same as yours, so it was a very smooth sailing process for me. Now, i have updated my r36s to akros with all the roms i backed up and its good to go. Thank you bro, sincerely !

[@xmano7614]

I got my R36S and been messing with it for 3 days now and couldn't get it to work using other KZbinrs directions to swap SD card and operating systems. Found your guide and first try I got it running!

[@Salmonella4Skin]

Dude, you are an absolute legend. I went through setting this up for my friend's Christmas gift only to have it black screen and figured I was doomed. You fixed it within 10 minutes! Perfect and straight-forward guide, so thank you!

[@shawnc4240]

Thank you so much for making this video! its an updated version of those other guides so right now this is the best video for new users! very clear and easy instructions thank you so much

[@Ollieo999]

Can't find any comments confirming it but just thought I'd add that this method also works on Mac! Completely fixed by R36s and now it works and runs super smooth!

[@Tom2112Tom]

Thank you for this! The SD card that came with mine was failing out of the box, and I tried creating a new one with Rocknix, but all I could ever get was a black screen, even after copying over the dtb file for the screen. Your video was the only solution that worked straight away - I downloaded the ArkOS version for Panel 4 and I was off and running again. Unfortunately, now my wifi dongle doesn't work (it worked with the original SD card). I guess its back to the drawing board as far as scraping and updates... but your video saved my R36S from the trash heap! Thanks again.

[@SjslTech]

glad you got it working again! as for wifi, there was an issue on an older version of arkOS (a few versions back) where the wifi was broken. they mentioned a manual fix but you would need to check the git or reddit for exact steps

[@Tom2112Tom]

@@SjslTech I ended up just installing Rocknix. After discovering the correct dtb file for my screen - thanks to your video - I was able to install Rocknix properly too! And my wifi dongle works fine with Rocknix, so everything worked out great.

[@Killmate]

Thank you so much, after my screen went dark i was trying to revive this console i was told to install a ArkOS and your guide proved more than useful thank you so much for such an easy to follow guide.

[@UniversityOfTrials]

My R36S hasn’t even arrived yet but after watching this I’m ready to go. Fantastic video mate. Super clear so thanks!!

[@MarshyhHarris]

Legend! I had so many issues with the stock SD card, would never load. Followed this guide with a new Samsung SD card and its perfect!!

[@MediumrarePancake]

Oh you have no idea how grateful i am for this vid. I spent 4 hours trying to get it to work yesterday. Today I found this vid and now I got it up and running in 4 minutes. Amazing work. Liked+subbed

[@KF9IV]

I searched many KZbins to learn how to do this. Yours was the answer. Thanks so much!

[@Nihilist2001]

Wow I can’t thank you enough for this great video! I absolutely know nothing about this stuff and managed to figure it out with the help of your guidance. Thank you for saving me money and not believing I purchased a dud console.

[@Stamfordblue]

Quick, easy, step-by-step video. You sir are a legend thanks a lot!

[@Campbell400]

Great video, got my R36s today and I'm worried about the SD card. this is a very clear video a few steps a simple builder may need to watch a few times

[@Campbell400]

if i have a screen 4 do i only need the 1 google mega drive?

[@arner.6965]

Such a great tutorial, done this myself with your step-for-step instructions!

[@hanhani1041]

amazing guide man! original SD card bricked and wouldnt boot and i tried following another guide and did not work, this simple quick guide fixed it for me! much appreciated!!

[@mattveemusic]

Thank you!! The only tutorial that made it simple to do. You saved my R36S I just bought

[@SpyroTheGerudo]

not gonna lie, I gave up trying to get my stock sd cards to read on my laptop, so I just guessed what screen I got. apparently I got it right, so now I'm booting ArkOS on mine! Thanks for the step by step

[@Arak17]

When I upload the DTB to the web it tells me “The uploaded data does not match the content of any pre-existing file.” The file is called “rk3326-rg351mp-linux.dtb” Is it a clone console? I have seen that it has 2 RAM modules. It was purchased from Factory Game Direct Store on Aliexpress. I have tried flashing ArkOS P4 and the Original and on both, with their respective DTBs, the screen stays black. When I added the original DTBs, the ones that came with the factory SD, on ArkOS Original, the ArkOS logo came up but it stayed with a flashing “-” on the screen and did not continue with the boot. Could anyone help me to know if it is clone or not, could it be that I am flashing wrong? I have used RUFUS and I see that it formats to FAT32, not exFAT. I can't think of what else to do before returning it. PS: I have bought 2, and in the 2 I have the same problem....

[@SjslTech]

double check this link to see if yours is a clone: handhelds.miraheze.org/wiki/R36S_Clones if they are both 100% real, then the issue might be as simple as a bad sd card or image

[@parafuegosarchive]

hey I actually solved this issue! first of: your r36s MAY be a clone, follow what the reddit thread says about the clone you have second: your microSD card has an incorrect partition, clear it (using CMD) and format it to primary, and obviously assigning the format to exFAT

[@Arak17]

@ hey man! I was able to install ArkOS and copying dtb files + boot.ini console works perfectly. I checked it in some Telegram channels and they told me my console should not be clone because otherwise ArkOs shouldn’t work there in any case. It’s weird anyway as it seems my console is using dtb files which are unknown by DTB Tool…Maybe new Dtb files for Panel 4? Not sure… In any case, thank you so much for replying and helping here :)

[@swejinking5736]

Absolute legend! mine was corrupt and fkt me around for hours your guides perfect !!!!

[@mentld]

Thanks so much! This tutorial was easy to follow and worked perfectly. I tried another tutorial before this, but was stuck at black screen which you showed how to resolve!

[@Joseph_theOne]

Hello, great video! Quick question, are u using only 1 micro sd card or 2?

[@SjslTech]

i personally use 1 sd, but you would use this as a base for either 1 or 2 sd setups. i have another video that goes into how to setup a dual sd system which might be of interest

[@devilscritic]

@@SjslTech Thanks for the video. I found your video from the r/r36s sub wiki and have set up my system with ease. However, also wondering about the 2 SD cards... Is there any benefit to using a dual SD set up?

[@SjslTech]

@@devilscritic the only reason to use 2 SDs if you dont have enough space for all your games on SD1. I personally just use a single SD setup

[@Cookoustic]

I have tried all screen versions and this still won't work for mine :( I have the "Bewinner" brand R36S and the original SD card didn't have a single .dtb file on it that I could find. ANY help would be appreciated please I feel like I've tried everything

[@cosmicjustice1247]

hello i need some help. im trying to flash arkOS in my sd card with rufus, but i have two partition on my sd card (EASYROMS and R36S-OS). rufus says there is two partitions (the two that i mentioned.) i cant click and choose the R-36S partition because it uses both to flash. so my question is: can i delete EASYROMS and just flash R36s-OS? i have another sd card with games on it and i also made a backup of EASYROMS. So can i delete it and just install the RIght one R36s-OS (D:)

[@SjslTech]

when you flash arkOS it will completely erase the sd card (all files and data), but will automatically create the 2 partitions. it sounds like you are reusing the stock sd? they are prone to failure and you are bound to run into problems

[@cosmicjustice1247]

@@SjslTech yes im reusing the stock. its an tf card. so its better use another one then the TF Card?

[@SjslTech]

@@cosmicjustice1247 if you can, buy a new sd card and dont use the stock one

[@superltm000]

Thank you so much for explaining it step by step. This has been very helpful. Got it to work the first go. Cheers!!

[@matthewpeter326]

Best tutorial for this on the net!! Great job man thanks so much

[@mikefrancis1589]

Just wanted to say thank you followed this to a tee and worked like a dream after hours or following other videos this one was by far the best 👍

[@JavierGarciaGon]

Thank you for this video, you saved my R36S from being a fancy and handy brick.

[@yosoymichaelmyers]

Did your screen show after doing this? My screen wont power on i might have to do this

[@JavierGarciaGon]

Yes, mi device is totally working fine now

[@paulwilcock4925]

Great guide, I followed it and it sorted me out. Cheers! One question - on the stock memory card ArkOS install I was able to hold Select and X to get into the Retroarch menu system to mess with shaders, save states etc. I could also hold Select and Start to quit the game. After following the guide I'm not able to do that. Any hints?

[@SjslTech]

you can change the hotkey to "select" from "fn" in settings, or just use fn instead of select (some shortcuts will be different). i released a quick 2 min video yesterday going over all major shortcuts on a fresh install too

[@paulwilcock4925]

@@SjslTech legend, thanks mate!

[@elijahtabilas9370]

Love the tutorial! Can i also use the stock sd card it came with to flash arkOs or is it mandatory to have a spare sd card?

[@SjslTech]

you can technically reuse the stock sd card, but if for whatever reason you cant get the screen working and dont have the stock SD, then your unit would basically become a brick. also, the stock SD's fail really quickly, with issues ranging from losing saves to the system no longer booting. Its definitely recommended to get a high quality sd card

[@elijahtabilas9370]

Thank you! Also happy holidays!

[@FrenchFriesWasEaten]

Mine is original panel without fn button but when i tried to flash it on my 32 gb sandisk ultra sd card, it didn't work. I even tried to replace the new dtb files and boot file with the dtb files from my stock card or dti files from aeolus but it still doesn't work, so is there any solutions for that?

[@SjslTech]

your R36S lacks the function button? it could be an early version, a weird revision or a clone. I have never seen one without FN

[@Ceej16]

Hi i have a new R36S whivh started up the screen that showed 3 r36s but then went black. followed your tutorial on the first boot it keeps flashing where it says "checking file system on /dev/mmmcblkop3." but then it stops flashing an dfreezes does anyone know why it's doing this and how to get past this stage went doing a first boot?

[@SjslTech]

I have never seen that error before. are you using a high quality SD card or the one it came with? also, are you certain its a genuine r36s and not a "clone"?

[@equilibriumentertainment6249]

This is by for the best tutorial for r36s on youtube. Thank you 👍

[@JohnWick-uc9nn]

Great help mate … nice and simple … any recommendations on which games run best on the higher end consoles , a video for a future date perhaps . Thanks again mate 👍🏽

[@SjslTech]

thanks for the idea! i do have few vids coming out on the more demanding consoles. glad you got your fresh install working :D merry christmas!

[@danield_sounds]

Finally a tutorial that is well explained, fast and WORKS. Thank you !

[@dia_crusader-m1n]

10:12 it didn't work and it always just has a black screen and then the ORIGINAL SD card I had I accidentally pasted something from the new SD card into and now it's broken so I can't use that anymore because it just won't load anything onto the console and now I do not know what to do and the fact that I got the r36s TODAY JUST MAKES ME EVEN MORE MAD

[@SjslTech]

did you back up the original sd first like mentioned? if so, can just copy the files back over to hopefully get the stock sd working again. with the fresh install, have you tried all 5 screen files one by one?

[@sofia-st5ds]

Hi! I was exploring the settings of my r36s without actually knowing what I was doing. I clicked “switch on original screen time” and got a permanent black screen. If I got it right, to fix the problem I need to find my screen type and then overwrite the files on to my sd card, right? I don’t necessarily need to install Arkos, I just need to follow the last steps. Correct?

[@SjslTech]

thats an interesting one! I dont think it would create a new screen file on the fly, and probably just a setting in a config file. Ill bust out my spare arkos SD today and have a play with it and get back to you. oh, it might just change the boot.ini file. open it up in a text editor on your pc and compare it to a fresh one (its not a very big file, only like 2 important lines)

[@OrangutanKiller-pq5rm]

@@SjslTech Hey so I just bought a legit R36S and is waiting for my new sd card to arrive in the mail. I plan on copying the sd card that came with it into my new one. Can I simply just copy everything from the sd card that came with it to the new one and everything will run as before? Or do I need to also do a fresh install of the ArkOS? Here's another question, if I copy everything from the old sd card to the new one including the ArkOS files then I do a fresh install by getting the ArkOS files from the internet and put it on my new sd card. Once I transfer everything over to the new sd card, would there be duplicate ArkOS files potentially creating problems?

[@SjslTech]

@@OrangutanKiller-pq5rm unfortunately you cant just copy and paste the files over. i have made a quick 2min video on how you can easily clone the sd card to a new one (and make a backup) which would work though (called "Easily Backup SD Cards & Flash Drives") when doing a fresh install, it completely wipes the SD card you are installing it to. no risk of duplicate files, but you would also lose all your games (so best to back them up first!)

[@OrangutanKiller-pq5rm]

@@SjslTech Should just backup the SD card that came with the console first. Then do a fresh install of ArkOS on the new card. After that, what do I do? Do I just copy the backup of the old SD card into the new one?

[@SjslTech]

@@OrangutanKiller-pq5rm if you are wanting to do a fresh install, just copy all the games somewhere on your pc, do the fresh arkos install on a new SD card, then just copy the games back to the fresh install. if you follow along with my "sd backup" video, it will create an image file that will completely erase all files on the sd card when you restore it. if you are wanting to do a fresh install, this video is perfect as it covers exactly what you are after (backing up the games and boot files, creating a fresh install on a new sd, copying all the old games back over to the new sd)

[@sabrinakhiouat2621]

You're my hero Everything worked perfectly I had tried updating dirextly witj usb wifi but it made the psp emulator stop working and some options disappear. But thanks to your video i manahed to update

[@aneliesewhotton7816]

Your clear instructions made this process simple Thank you .

[@NocturnalRS]

I messed with the CPU overvolt setting and it corrupted something I think, now my device shows a black screen but stil boots up and still displays through the hmdi but aslo indicates 0 battery percentage when it's charged. Can anyone help me fix it or do I have to start from scratch?

[@SjslTech]

the r36s cant do hdmi out (theres no hdmi port and the chipset doesnt support video over usb-c). are you sure its the same device?

[@JorgeSanchez-se7ck]

Question. I noticed you only worked with one SD card which was for both the OS and the ROMs? Mine has one for the games and one for the OS. (Left and right) are these two different devices? Sorry if you explained this in your video and I missed it.

[@SjslTech]

theres an option in arkos on the r36s that lets you change between 1 and 2 sd cards. I have another video that shows how to configure a 2 SD card setup if thats what you were interested in. by default, arkos is configured for 1 sd card though

[@JorgeSanchez-se7ck]

@SjslTech Thank you for your reply. I do prefer a 1 SD card only. I saw you used a 64 gb, but I'll get a Samsung EVO 128 gb just to be safe.

[@JorgeSanchez-se7ck]

​@SjslTech Unfortunately, I'm at a standstill. I followed all your steps. The difference is that I got Panel 1. So I copied the .ini and .dbt files as you noted, but im still with a black screen. I tried all the screens, none work. I tried to download both versions of Arkos and tried screens again. But still the same :( any ideas?

[@SjslTech]

@@JorgeSanchez-se7ck is it definitely a real console and not a clone? also, you could try copy the original files from ur stock sd card over to the new arkos install which should work (if its not a clone)

[@JorgeSanchez-se7ck]

@@SjslTech I thought that was the case. But I was able to find the .dbt file which in the Screen Panel tool, the description noted that if the file was not located then it was a clone. But I did find it. I will go ahead and try your next suggestion, fingers crossed. Thanks for the quick response btw!

[@paulipoposki7639]

Hi, i purchased an R362 couple weeks ago for my son and it worked fine untill it didnt, i tried doing a fix and it wiped the SD card. ive purchased a new card and followed your instructions but it dosnt turn on at all just a dim red flashing light. it previously ran emulec. any help please?

[@SjslTech]

it sounds like it was a "fake" r36s. you might have luck asking if anyone has an sd image of the original card. afaik, arkos wont work on the clone console

[@paulipoposki7639]

@SjslTech cheers, thanks for the information. Ill be requesting a refund and purchasing an original.

[@StartswithCendsinT]

im so confused. When i put my SD card in my reader i don't have any boot files or anything? It's just a heap of folders. None say boot or anything. The SD card is called 系统

[@majinmajin4488]

Maybe click on view and then activate hidden files.

[@SjslTech]

how many partitions are on the sd card? its possible you have a clone

[@StartswithCendsinT]

Just the one partition. Upon further research it looks like I have a clone so I'll be returning it. Where can I safely get a real one with arkos?

[@SjslTech]

@@StartswithCendsinT unfortunately, even "trusted sellers" occasionally ship clones. it seems to be a bit of a lucky dip. theres a list of sellers on the r36s subreddit which might help though

[@StartswithCendsinT]

@@SjslTech Thanks. Factory Game Direct Store looks good. Will try there. I unfortunately got mine from amazon. RIP

[@Mrashleyscrase]

Thank you! Great guide and easy to follow. How do you quit games and save games?

[@SjslTech]

In most emulators (retroarch): Fn + L1 to load Fn + R2 to save Fn + Start (twice) to quit Fn + X for settings Fn for temp Fast forward Fn + Left Joystick Press to toggle fast forward

[@davidneverdave]

I have a Mac so it’s saying the rufus programme isn’t compatible 😭 Does anyone know if there is anything else I can use?

[@SjslTech]

give BalenaEtcher a try

[@deanbaldwin907]

Had my r36s for a couple of weeks, i flashed arkos onto a new sandisk sd card, and i had all kinds of problems, sometimes wouldnt get past the arkos screen, other times emulationstation wouldnt load in, and other times it would boot up and freeze or crash out of games after a while, im not the most tech savvy so any tips would be appreicated 🙏

[@SjslTech]

it sounds like either the sandisk sd card is faulty (did you buy it local from a big box store, or online?), or your r36s is faulty

[@alexdaneau186]

Thank you so much. i am not to much of a computer guy and i am grateful for your video. I bought this for my 9 year old son but it worked only once and he was upset!!! Everything in your setup worked fine until i tried to copy paste the easyroms to the automatically created easyroms folder on the new SD card telling me i needed a extra 1.80 gig to copy all files on my new 64gig sd card. Is there a way around this or i need to chooses the system one by one?

[@SjslTech]

it sounds like the fresh arkOS install is slightly bigger (1.8gb apparently) than the old stock one. i would delete a few dreamcast or psp games since they are usually bad rips or dont play very well. that should free enough space to copy all the roms back over. also, unrelated to the space issue, but double check a few of the rom folder names are the same in the new install (NES = NES, GB = GB, etc) before you copy. if they are slightly different, arkOS won't detect any of the roms

[@z__rim]

Hello, i want to buy R36 but i honestly didn't get what you're doing, so when i buy it, i won't be able to use it or play on it directly? Should i have to do these steps? Please help!

[@KnurdMonkey]

You will be able to play right away. All the steps he's doing are intended for those who want to fresh install the latest version of ArkOS. The included SDs that comes shipped with the R36S are really poor quality and very prone to be defective, dead on arrival or to fail in few weeks. I got a 128Gb from amazon for 10$. It is also important to backup the content of the original SD (all the partitions) on your computer for the same reason. (have a copy of the original file, the folder stucture, and save ROMS) This other guide is much longer but more verbosely explained: kzbin.info/www/bejne/i5Dce3WEZrOkoNEsi=2PMi65ZPa2RsZCjW

[@mrbillhicks]

Can anyone help ? I have been playing Medal of honour PlayStation 1 on this console but I can't figure out how to save the gameplay.... I have an SD card installed in the left hand port, it is saying that the game is saved but if I turn the console off and turn it back on again it is just going back to the first mission.... I must be doing something wrong

[@SjslTech]

you can use the save state function (fn + R2) to save, and fn + l2 to load

[@KIrvin_The_Scholar]

What is this ArkOS used for? Do I need to install it on the device before I can use it or is it ready to use right out of the box ?

[@SjslTech]

they usually ship with an older or modified version of arkOS, so most people choose to do a fresh install from a known trusted source on a new SD. Some sellers also ship without an SD (accidently or for a slight discount), in which case you would need to supply your own with an OS in order to use the handheld. I have another video showing what it can do out of the box without changing any settings which might be of interest

[@KIrvin_The_Scholar]

@@SjslTech thanks for the info 👍

[@dandennunz]

everything seemed to go fine, but my system is now laggy, and soe of the capcom arcade roms that i backed up from the OG card arnt working and say romset missing, also when i load a game the please wait screen has a green bar at the bottom of the screen (not suppose to be there). when i turn the system off from the menus i havev a little _ at the upper left of the screen and it doesnt shut off. Any ideas on what I can do to fix some of these prblems? I also did find my screen and did transfer those 2 screen files. thank you in advanced for any help you can provide, or links.

[@SjslTech]

It sounds like something is wrong with the install. What SD card did you use? Try a fresh install, with like 1 or 2 small roms (NES or GB) and see if it still lags and if it can shutdown correctly. Its also possible theres no freespace left which could cause the lag and failure to shutdown. what capcom games throw that error?

[@dandennunz]

@@SjslTech The capcom games that don't work are the Capcom 3 arcade console/folder, also the "Arcade Classics" console/folder, the nes games just go to the please wait screen, then black screen, and then right back to the menu. The microSD card is a 256gb SDXC XC 1non brand, so maybe that why, any recommendations on brand? SanDisk or Samsung, etc? I am going delete the (copied) stock nes games from the folder and do as you said. your video was very helpful and straight forward, maybe i still managed to mess something up. lol. Thank you for the response. Ill be sure to do as you said and return here if I still can not get it to work. Thank you so much!😀

[@dandennunz]

yeah its still not working. I guess I'm the only one in the word who didn't do something right. 😂 it seemed so easy to do, but maybe it is the microSd card being an unmarked brand. who knows, i will try again, it was such a cool little game system to play the games I grew up with. now I screwed it up. before I did the fresh install, I was adding roms through the bottom connection, and it was going well until I noticed when I hit START for menus I lost most of the options like the UI Settings. it was limited to only a few things. Thats why I decided to see if I can install a fresh version and came across your great video. Do you have any links or websites you know of that can help so I don't have to bother you here? Any more help or links is appreciated! Thank you.

[@SjslTech]

@@dandennunz it could just be the SD card. try a known good one (one not purchased online ideally lol). It sounds like the install went fine, and if a fresh install with only a few NES or GB games is still laggy, then most likely the SD card or the handheld itself (unlikely, but it is possible)

[@dandennunz]

@@SjslTech ok thank you so much! i bought one from staples a high performance Lexar 64gb. I assume I should do the whole process over from your video on the new card? also, can I keep roms on the same card since its 64gb?

[@marjanmiceski7905]

Sd card 64gb from console R36s arkos and roms when you back up on pc how many gb it is?I want to put some PSX games chd format if have it space inside card 64 gb?And do i need to put bios on PSX and PSP alredy have it them on my PC? Still wait console to come from AliExpress.If not have it space i will delete some PSP and Dreamcast games and put PSX games like Final Fantasy 9,Legend of Dragoon,Hogs of War,Guardian's Crusade.Does R36s use Duckstation emulation for PSX games?

[@SjslTech]

the 64gb stock SD that came with mine had around 10gb free space. psp and psx worked out of the box, and retroarch is the default ps1 emulator. you are going to want to use a new high quality sd card since the stock ones fail

[@nicholasb2591]

Bro thank you so much, your guide is awesome and easy to follow. Subscribing rn and watching your other videos

[@zwerver6136]

great video helped me a lot!

[@Crazyycrickettshots]

Hey Bro mine is having 2 sd cards, one for the OS and one for the ROMs, does the procedure explained by you in the video need one card only ?

[@SjslTech]

yeah when starting fresh you only need the 1 SD. I have made another video on how to setup dual SD cards if thats something you want to do (but you still need to install a fresh copy of ArkOS first)

[@Crazyycrickettshots]

@ How to copy roms and OS on the single card ??

[@SjslTech]

@@Crazyycrickettshots this video goes through how to copy roms and install the latest version of ArkOS onto a single sd card

[@Crazyycrickettshots]

@@SjslTech thanks mate, appreciate your replies. Will give it a try and let you know the outcome

[@Crazyycrickettshots]

Bro you are an absolute LEGEND *, much appreciation for your help, I fixed mine and also my friend's R36s, your tutorial is simple and absolutely working. You have earned a subscriber.

[@eb.1]

Everything works and when I boot up the device with the new OS installed, it worked great. When I went to put the new card back in my computer though, BOOT isn't showing up in my file explorer, only EASYROMS. It also shows USB Drive(F) but that's the one that it asks to format. Could this be an issue with my SD card reader or something else you know of? Thanks for the great guide!

[@SjslTech]

i wouldnt worry about boot not showing up, its not a file system windows can read out of the box. the drive letter issue is probably just windows glitching out. a restart should fix it, but i wouldnt worry about it personally

[@KnurdMonkey]

Is there a real difference in between this version of ArkOS you downloading form AeolusUX and others on the web? Is this more specific for R36S?

[@SjslTech]

this was the only version that worked for me out of the box. I know there are a bunch of different builds of arkOS for different handhelds, so that might be what you are looking at

[@KnurdMonkey]

@@SjslTech Thanks mate, I think I will use the one u provided, being more specific to R36S. Awesome work.

[@HydraTower]

Did you also leave the left default sd card in the left slot, or was it empty?

[@SjslTech]

mine only came with 1 sd in the right slot which contained both the OS and the games. the left slot is only used for games, with the right slot for the OS and\or games.

[@orrbixx]

Hey I have a question should I replace the CARD on the left of the R36S Console ? or should I just keep it & get a better card for the left ? & what is the left card for ?

[@SjslTech]

the left slot can be used for games (either ONLY from that card, or to add extra games and the system can read from both cards). I would recommend a single card setup, and just use a 64gb or 128gb in slot 1

[@orrbixx]

@@SjslTechslot 1 is the right side SD CARD ? I just recently got the R36S & I have no ideas what I’m doing so I’m watching your videos. I’m going to get a better SD Card & I’m going to watch your video 😆

[@orrbixx]

@@SjslTechyesterday my R36S was on black screen & had small little words saying voltage & I thought it was broken so I charged it & it started back up with no issue

[@SjslTech]

@@orrbixx yeah sorry, slot 1 is the right hand side one. the r36s will only boot from that slot. let me know if you have any issues with getting your new sd working :)

[@orrbixx]

@@SjslTech okay 👍🏾 I’m also going to get a better SD card for storage & better quality. I’ll be watching your videos in a couples days & I’ll let you know if I need help because it’ll be my first to ever do these typa stuff with SD CARDS & laptops

[@DustinAviation]

my r36s came with only 1 micro sd, and it was the game file one :/ assuming its a $65 clone.. cus i cant find the dtb file anywhere

[@SjslTech]

some clones have internal flash. try remove all sd cards and turn it on - if it still boots, its def a clone. its also possible your 1 sd it came with contains multiple partitions, and windows just isnt mounting the boot partition. i made a quick 2min vid on how to fix this issue if thats the case

[@DustinAviation]

@ im refunding and buying a real one 😔 just annoying but itll be worth it. thanks for helping me confirm its a clone

[@JosipJelic-s1h]

I don‘t have the EASYROOMS folder ,and the MiniTool Partition Wizard just do not work ,i can not chenge the leather there is no Way ,IT shows the folder but YOU can’t change IT ,any idea ?

[@SjslTech]

why are you using partition wizard? im not sure what you are trying to do

[@josipjelic6023]

@@SjslTech to make the partition visible,the disk manegement wont work i get a warning message from windows

[@SjslTech]

@@josipjelic6023 whats the warning message?

[@DevanteWeary]

What's the best considering AeolusUX vs. ROCKNIX vs. stock ArkOS?

[@SjslTech]

i found ArkOS the most stable with the best performance

[@harryclifford3680]

Hello, does it matter if my Arkos file isn’t in XP format? I unzipped the folder which was a windows.iso file type, and it’s now unzipped as a windows.iso file type

[@SjslTech]

if you downloaded from the same site mentioned in the video, and extracted, it should work fine. it sounds like windows is just showing the "Disc Image Icon" for any disc images, iso or img, nothing to be worried about

[@anthonymarkashby]

what about R40s Pro? i lost everything and it boots up in a different language. when i press start nothing happens. buying a new sd card. thx

[@SjslTech]

I had to google what the R40s Pro is, and it looks like its just a rebadged r36s (even has same pcb apparently). if you still have access to the stock SD card, i would back everything up just incase. Since it seems its just an R36S, this guide should work for you but be aware i havent tested it to confirm. Just try a fresh install on the new sd when it arrives and let us know how you go

[@anthonymarkashby]

@@SjslTech you're a rockstar my friend, thank you.

[@David-o7l9e]

Just curious, why is it important to have arkos? What difference does it make? I have a r36s but I don’t know much about all that stuff

[@SjslTech]

yours most likely shipped with an older version of arkos. you dont really need to do a fresh install, but should definitely use a fresh SD card since the stock one will fail in no time. the main benefits of a fresh install of the latest version are all the updates the stock wouldnt have, bug fixes, stability, etc. also, im not sure if portmaster works perfectly on the stock older version. It also gives you a base line to trouble shoot with if you are having an issue with something on the r36s (you would be able to rule out if its an issue due to versions)

[@manuelpulido7721]

Why cant i find this screen on the sd card that came with my R36S?

[@SjslTech]

it may be a clone

[@denysplotchenko8747]

Thank you for the clear explanation :)

[@saurodev8261]

EASY SUB! Man, you da best, puck da rest! Please make a living of guides on youtube! Seriously, that's gotta be your talent (if you have another, that's cheating!). Thank you lil dudeee

[@shaneHR]

This might be a daft question. I have just bought the r36s and im new to all this. Im seeing videos where the device has 2 sd cards slots. But you only talk about backing up and changing one sd card.What is the purpose of 2? I thought one was for the OS and one was for roms? Do i need to buy 2 new sd cards?

[@SjslTech]

you can have the OS and ROMs on one card, or split it over 2 cards. if you do decide to go with a dual card setup, you would first install arkos normally, and then once installed change some settings. I have a video covering how to setup dual SD cards (once arkos has been installed).

[@shaneHR]

@@SjslTech thank you. I'll just get the one card then. Thanks for the reply.

[@lewiscollins2881]

I've tried down loading this but but on aeolus site it says the file has been viewed or downloaded too many times so won't let me is there another link for the fole to download?

[@SjslTech]

if the google drive link is down, try the mediafire or mega links

[@lewiscollins2881]

​​@@SjslTechsorry only just seen this reply today the media fire link worked thank you. I do have another question though sorry to be a nuisance. When opening rufus and selecting to the arkos file I get an error straight away saying unable to assign a drive letter? Do you know what I'm doing wrong thank you

[@SjslTech]

@@lewiscollins2881 where did you download arkos to? try copy the img file to the desktop and try again

[@lewiscollins2881]

​@SjslTech your the man! I managed to get it done has took me a while but I'm a complete idiot with all this stuff so I've got arkos up and running on my samsung sd card and I'm in the process right now of transferring the roms I've got c few more of these coming so hopefully have an easier time doing it to them once again thank you very much this video and your help have been a god send

[@SjslTech]

@@lewiscollins2881 once you have your first r36s install perfected with all the games, you could just clone it to the other sd cards using something like "imageUSB"

[@RetroBoyy]

now how do i save games because it does not work. i have tried save state but when i turn off and on the console the save state does not load and just gives me a error. and saving for example pokemon games throught the normal save feature do not work as the save file is not longer there after you refresh

[@SjslTech]

are you using a high quality sd card? this sounds like the symptoms of a failing sd. when pressing save state (fn + right trigger), does it say "state saved" on screen?

[@xclife211]

You gotta turn on auto load state

[@LN7747]

I can't find my screen panel, it says the uploaded data does not match the content of the pre existing file

[@SjslTech]

its possible you could have a clone console. keep your stock sd somewhere safe and make a full image if possible, since if that fails and you DO have a clone, its pretty hard trying to find working firmware. if you are installing to a fresh SD, you could continue trying to install arkOS and just start with screen v4

[@LN7747]

@SjslTech thank you for replying to me. It came shipped with ArkOS and was assured it's genuine. I'm not the best with technology so I'm a little stumped what to do. The stock SD card works but having tried your method on 2 different SanDisk cards, I can't find the screen panel

[@SjslTech]

@@LN7747 if you still have access to the stock SD, do a fresh install of arkOS on a fresh SD card and copy your stock dtb screen files over from the old sd

[@LN7747]

@SjslTech I did that and it won't turn on when the new SD card with the fresh ArkOS. Appreciate you getting back to me anyway, but I think I'm just going to go with a Miyoo Mini+. Was easier to set up

[@SjslTech]

@@LN7747 it sounds like its a clone and not a real r36s. theres a great guide on reddit on how to spot a fake (apparently they modified emuelec to look like arkOS now)

[@D1I.]

Hey so how do I backup the ROMs? Just copy-paste, no program necessary? I'm trying to just copy-paste to my PC but right now it's stuck on Crazy Taxi 2. "Error 0x80070570: The file or directory is corrupted and unreadable." Crazy Taxi 2.cdi Type: CDI file I'm guessing this isn't gonna be the only file that's gonna give me this error. So yeah, any help is appreciated, thanks. UPDATE: Only Crazy Tazi 2 gave me that problem, so, I couldn't copy it. Still, was that the correct way of backing up roms, just copy-paste?

[@SjslTech]

yeah copy paste is the way. its sounds like your SD card has already started failing, so you got to it just in time!

[@D1I.]

@@SjslTech Oh so that might be it, damn. It literally just arrived yesterday> charged it for a little bit> turned it on> scrolled through the games to see what it came with (didn't even play a game)> turned it off (the correct way)> fully charged it> turned it back on a couple hours later but now it's stuck on a black screen with a blinking line.

[@SjslTech]

@@D1I. ouch, yeah sounds like the sd was already cooked when they sent it

[@D1I.]

@@SjslTech I'm sorry for so many questions, but I got one more if you don't mind (maybe as I progress I'll have more so I don't promise anything 😅). My boot files partition doesn't have a "tools" folder like yours, and it also has a V4.txt file instead of a R36S V5.txt like yours. Everything together is only 23.8 MB instead of 128 MB like yours. Is that ok?

[@SjslTech]

@@D1I. sounds like yours shipped with a different version, but nothing to worry about. its also worth checking if you have a genuine console or a "clone" (arkOS wont work on the clone)

[@PogoTrainerTips]

Straight to the point video, thank you mate!

[@dufuss5158]

So I followed all the steps and everything works well with the screen and Arkos. However, when I copy back over the contents of the easyroms folder and put the card into the system, none of the games show up. I can see that they are on there but I can’t open or play any of them and it doesn’t show them by individual systems either. Any ideas?

[@SjslTech]

another user had the same issue. try copying just one NES game over to the NES folder manually, and see if that works. if so, you can manually copy each system folder one by one (it shouldnt take too long)

[@dufuss5158]

@@SjslTechyeah, that’s the next thing I was gonna try. Think I’ll have to start from the beginning and format and reflash the SD card though. I’ll comment back once I try it out

[@SjslTech]

@@dufuss5158 i think the other users issue was slightly different folder names, so copying the entire drive over in one go didn't work. hopefully same issue for you

[@dufuss5158]

@@SjslTech I could see that being the case. Like mega drive instead of genesis and whatnot

[@dufuss5158]

@@SjslTech so I bought a white and black R36S. I just assumed the easyrom folder would be the same so I used the black easyrom backup and transferred those to my white easyrom folder. That’s why I was having problems. I just copied over the white easyroms backup to the new white easyroms folder and it works great.

[@raredesign]

Fantastic video. Does this community version already have all the performance tweaks and enhanced emulator versions?

[@SjslTech]

you still have to tweak things like n64 cores, but i found the latest versions much more stable than the much older version typically shipped with the r36s

[@raredesign]

@@SjslTechthank you for the reply. Do SNES games look good on it? The stock ArkOS 2.0 I have is a bit of a mess in something like Super Mario World, with coloring off or colors missing, boxes around objects, and parts of the environment completely vanishing or flickering, distorted audio, and text that is unreadable. I’m hoping the emulators that are packaged on this work better.

[@SjslTech]

@@raredesign oh yeah, i havent noticed any issues with snes games on the latest versions of ArkOS. double check you have a genuine r36s console first!

[@raredesign]

@@SjslTechglad to hear. Yeah that’s the first thing that crossed my mind, but it does have ArkOS 2, so I’m not sure how else to tell. The AliExpress seller i used does turn out to be on a known counterfeit list though. The screen does have some washout in the four corners when black, but that may be normal. Not sure what else to check.

[@SjslTech]

@@raredesign theres some great guides on the r36s reddit on how to spot a fake

[@FrankBell79]

I cant access the boot partition, only easyroms. I managed to access first time I tried last week, but now I cant and I tried 2 other r36s microsd.

[@SjslTech]

check out my "missing drive letter" video, it might be the issue

[@FrankBell79]

@ I tried on my chromebook and could access it

[@_jackthegag3136]

Hey. whenever i put r36s microSD to the reader and a laptop it doesn't show boot and easyROM. I cant get to know what screen version my console is. I tried to flash Orignal screen and v4 but it didnt work. My console always ended with black screen and dimmed red light flashing, what should i do?

[@_jackthegag3136]

My r36s came with one MicroSD which was on the left hand side. idk if its standard

[@SjslTech]

@@_jackthegag3136 what was on the sd it came with? the left side is usually just for the roms and the system wont try and boot from it. when you did a fresh install, did you boot from the right SD slot (not the left)? you could also try the other screen files to see if any of them work. its also possible its a clone unit and not an actual r36s

[@_jackthegag3136]

There is nothing in the right slot. On SD which came with the console I could find only roms. And the name of SD when I put it to the reader was definitely not as in your video

[@SjslTech]

@@_jackthegag3136 sounds like they didnt send a boot SD, and only the ROMs SD. you could try contacting the seller and see if they will send the boot SD

[@the.chill_pill]

need help guys, I flashed the new sd and now when I put it in the r36s, it won't turn on at all? but when I use the sd that came with the r36s it works fine; what am I doing wrong ( I am using a Mac to flash the new sd card)

[@SjslTech]

it might be a clone unit if it wont turn on at all, or possibly just a bad install. confirm its a genuine r36s before going any further with the troubleshooting

[@the.chill_pill]

@ how would I know it’s a legitimate r36s

[@SjslTech]

@@the.chill_pill check out this wiki: handhelds.miraheze.org/wiki/R36S_Clones

[@the.chill_pill]

@@SjslTech thanks you

[@pollocane]

Hi, great video. I had an issue while using rufus. I basically extracted the iso file and I wrote it on the sd card, but during the operation something went wrong (I still don't understand what happened), and now the sd card only shows two partitions (F: and E:), and each of them contains a couple hundreds of MB. I don't know how to recover the rest of the memory on my sd card. Please help

[@SjslTech]

if you try writing the image again using rufus, it will remove the existing partitions first so no extra steps are needed. if instead you just want to use the SD card for something else, open up rufus and under "boot selection" select "non bootable". make sure you have the correct drive selected (your sd card) and click start. this will erase everything on the SD, but give you back its full capacity

[@benlyle3593]

After doing this and trying to copy back the roms, it tells me that the "EASYROMS" partition doesn't have enough space... Any clue on what i can to solve this?

[@SjslTech]

how big was the old sd card and how big is the new sd card? also, have you booted the new sd card at least once in the r36s to let it expand the easyroms partition?

[@benlyle3593]

@ both 64gigs. Initial boot done. Do i have to set manually a bigger partition size?

[@SjslTech]

@@benlyle3593 over on a windows pc, with the "new" sd plugged in, right click on the easyroms partition in explorer and click properties. how big does it say in there? (total size)

[@YoYo-Harvey1]

my r36s allready came with arkos installed on the stock sd card what do i do

[@SjslTech]

if you are happy with the version shipped, no need to update. its most likely an older version, so updating should definitely be an improvement. at the bare minimum you should backup your stock sd, and if you dont want to do a fresh install, clone it to a decent quality sd card since the stock ones fail really quick with issues ranging from corrupt saves, games randomly crashing or failing to load completely, or the r36s not booting. a fresh install would be recommended for the updates though

[@YoYo-Harvey1]

@@SjslTech its updated to the most recent version 2.0

[@scfisherhas]

I am make it a back up sd card from samsung because you never know if these cheap cards will fail. I have a dumb question: when I boot the new samsung sd card with the latest ArkOS I can still use that cheap sd card whenever right? they all just boot whatever is in the sd cards and nothing gets installed in the internal memory of the r36s (if there is) ? thanks man

[@SjslTech]

correct, it boots from the SD so you can freely swap it back and forth whenever

[@scfisherhas]

@@SjslTech I just did, ill just use the cheap sd card until it fails haha

[@angelcaido2920]

Thank you. I was looking for a offline update on r36s console

[@kamil6648]

my r36s was freezing and booting only 1 in 4 times, I bought new microsd card from sandisk doing everything like in youtube video but durning first time boot it freezes and doesnt install at all What can I do?

[@SjslTech]

the first boot takes a few min. how long did you wait? its possible its a clone console (and thats why it failed its first boot), or just a faulty unit

[@kamil6648]

@@SjslTech I bought it on Aliexpress from trusted seller so idk if thats it, I waited 30mins nad nothing when I reboot it doesnt boot to install mode again and doesnt boot system rn I am flashing 7th time rn

[@kamil6648]

@@SjslTech And it is not problem with display I have panel 4 and I am installing panel 4

[@kamil6648]

@@SjslTech Rn I was far but again, booted first time some text and rebooted new boot logo and blank screen

[@kamil6648]

@@SjslTech btw it is normal to freeze like that?

[@jonathanelfe]

You need to install the newest version of Arkos before or after you replaced the SD card in you’re r36s?

[@SjslTech]

keep the original SD card that came with the handheld somewhere safe, and on a fresh (preferably new) sd card install arkos

[@biffski]

My r36s is in the mail. Saved this video!

[@HVG67]

Ha, mine too ;-) Purple edition..

[@taktojonotvl]

Guys, i hope you don´t get clone like me. From local gamestore.

[@ronaldmckenzie7257]

Getting mine from Gametrox 😂😂😂

[@ronaldmckenzie7257]

They Partner with megatroxone🎉🎉🎉

[@kesselrun89]

What if I do have two cards? Do I have to do something else/differently? Thanks!

[@SjslTech]

SD1 is the boot SD, and that would be the one to backup and grab the screen files from. SD2 would be the ROMs card. When doing a fresh install, it will be setup as a single card system by default (i have made a guide on how to setup a dual card system once the fresh install is complete if you were interested in that)

[@kesselrun89]

@ got it, thanks. So basically I can copy/paste the ROMs from the original sd card to the new one and then, for the OS I still can follow this video? I ask this because from your other video it seems that the original ROMs sd card comes empty, but I don’t think so, right? Thank you again

[@SjslTech]

@@kesselrun89 yeah can just copy and paste the roms over. in my dual sd card video, i used a fresh sd card for slot 2 as well

[@SjslTech]

@@kesselrun89 yeah can just copy paste the roms. in my dual sd video, i used a fresh sd for slot 2 but you could just use your sd full of roms

[@destino_dh]

How do i download all de easyroms al my folders are empty so how do i get al the games?

[@SjslTech]

you can copy them over from the stock SD that should have been included with the r36s. if yours didnt come with one (check if theres an SD in slot 2), you would have to contact the seller or acquire your own roms

[@DavidandBE]

Quick question, sir: I noticed here at 11:05 that the update is 2.0. I just got mine in the mail today, but it already has ArkOs 2.0. Do I still need to download this update? I am not savvy with these kinds of things; this is my first emulated console. So please, any feedback helps. I might come back with more questions in the future.

[@SjslTech]

although they are both 2.0, there would be many smaller updates (like v2.0.X.Y.Z) in the newer versions, but you dont really need to do a fresh install. if you are happy with it out of the box. The included SD card is likely to fail fairly quickly, so at the minimum you should backup the boot files to make a fresh install easier down the line (and the roms if you like)

[@DavidandBE]

@@SjslTech Oh? If that's the case, may I just copy from the original SD card, paste it to my laptop, and then just copy and paste it to the new SD card?

[@SjslTech]

@@DavidandBE unfortunately its not quite that simple. if you dont want to do a fresh install, you could use something like "imageUSB" to clone the cards, but you would need to make sure the new sd card is larger than the old one (and maybe expand the ROMs partition afterwards)

[@DavidandBE]

@@SjslTech Aaaah I see... OK then, I will just have to follow this tutorial and hope I don't mess up along the way.

[@DavidandBE]

@@SjslTech I'll definitely let you know if I still need help and such.

[@hqonlin3]

Hey, great video. My screen is still black, it's a panel 4, any tips here(I downloaded and copyed the files for Panel 4)

[@SjslTech]

for panel 4, you can just download the v4 arkOS image

[@ejskaka4]

Do you suggest getting a bigger sd card size or is 64g sufficient for long term use?

[@SjslTech]

i find 64gb enough for me, but it depends on what platform you will be playing the most

[@PR0JEKT7]

Hey, I’m encountering a problem when downloading the ArkOS installation. The XZ one. After I start downloading it, it results in a zip file with a windows.iso type file inside instead of an XZ file. I tried downloading from the ArkOS Wiki, but same thing happened. It seems that the file is corrupted and I dont know what to do. I tried deleting the files and downloading again, but the same thing happens.

[@SjslTech]

if you are using a fresh SD card (and not the one it came with), try writing the iso to the sd card as normal. its possible you have "hide known file extensions" enabled in windows too

[@PR0JEKT7]

@ Okay, thankyou. I also forgot to mention that the file size is 0kb before extracting

[@SjslTech]

@@PR0JEKT7 sounds like its failing to download. are you downloading the v4 file from the google drive link? double check its called "ArkOS_R35S-R36S_v2.0_09292024_P4.img.xz" on the google drive page right before confirming the download

[@PR0JEKT7]

@@SjslTech It is called that. After I press download it starts downloading as a zip.

[@SjslTech]

@@PR0JEKT7 while its downloading, click your download manager in whatever browser you are using to make sure its around 2.5Gb. once downloaded, double check the file is actually 2.5gb before extracting. also, are you using 7zip to extract?

[@LPC486]

Will this also work for a R36Max handheld??

[@SjslTech]

it looks like it has a different screen, so probably not

[@G.D.9]

Great tutorial! Do you have one on how to set up the FN button?

[@SjslTech]

I have one coming out tomorrow on handy shortcuts

[@G.D.9]

@@SjslTech I'll check it out, thanks!!

[@lestertapia2677]

i need help. somehow my file content is different i could not find the files u have i am so confuse now

[@SjslTech]

it might be a clone console

[@yingyang90]

I could be silly, but where is the arkos installation? He already had it but I didn't see where he got it

[@SjslTech]

they usually ship with an old version, but you can download the latest version (details in the vid, but basically google "arkos r36s" and goto the aeolus git)

[@123PSPs]

So when i transfer the roms i click on a game and it sends me directly back to the main menu

[@SjslTech]

it sounds like it could be a bad install of arkOS, or more likely it doesnt like the rom. as a test, try copy a small NES rom over, unzipped, and dont forget to safely eject the SD card from the computer before removing