Turn An Old PC Into An Awesome Media Center / HTPC -Run LibreElec From USB

In this video, I show you how to turn an Old or New PC / Laptop into an awesome HTPC Media Center PC and all of it runs on a USB Stick!
I will go over installing and setting up LibreElec "STand alone KODI OS" as well as installing a few Add ons! This is a great way to repurpose an old laptop or Desktop.
Accessories Used in this Video:
2.0 USB Drive 64GB: amzn.to/2HxIIIR
32Gb: amzn.to/2U1xnXb
Wifi Adapter: amzn.to/2JwaBCW
2.4Ghz Controller/Remote: amzn.to/2ujh8X6
2.4Ghz Air Mouse with Keyboard keys: amzn.to/2UP1AGe
Need A PC? AMAZON: amzn.to/2YctdLk
Download LibreELEC: libreelec.tv/downloads_new/
Learn More about LibreEleclibreelec.tv/
Learn More about KODI: kodi.tv/
Follow Me On Twitter: / theetaprime
Follow Me On Instagram: / etaprime
Equipment I Use:
Screen Capture Device: amzn.to/2STpX4C
Tool Kit: amzn.to/2M6l9WS
Soldering Station: amzn.to/2FtdVeu
Camera: amzn.to/2M6KFLB
Tripod: amzn.to/2CmdYVY
Raspberry Pi 3 B Plus: amzn.to/2DTF0Db
Flirc Case: amzn.to/2OBQTXz
DISCLAIMER: This video and description contains affiliate links, which means that if you click on one of the product links, I’ll receive a small commission at no extra cost to you!
THIS VIDEO IS FOR EDUCATIONAL PURPOS DISCLAIMER: Under section 107 of the Copyright Act 1976, allowance is made for “fair use” for purposes such as criticism, comment, news reporting, teaching, scholarship, education, and research. No Games Or Applications Are Included Or Added On Or To Any Device In This Video

[@debnadaebna9981]

ETA Prime, I often watch your channel so thank you for the the amazing ideas you give! I want to share one too, that I don't see any youtuber mention. Everyone "Plex this", "Plex that" but nobody is telling you, that you can check your wi-fi router, if it has a built in home server option and USB port for it. Since many years, a lot of those wi-fi routers have this! I had several from the super affordable ones that even have this option... So what I have done is: 1. Bought a USB 3.0 to SATA III short cable. (Super cheap) 2. Used my old laptop 2.5 Inch SATA drives that have some bad sectors and I've cast aside (perfect for movies, music etc.) + bought some other second hand 3. Plug one of those with the cable to the wi-fi router 4. Set it up through the router's menu and it is done! You have music, movies, tv shows in everything connected to the router. If your router is more fancy it may even have a nicer menu interface, but I actually used different apps to try - VLC, or through the browser, or one of the best app with nice options and interface - Archos player which you all can set up with the router. P.S. Usually I swap the drives for the diff content and usage, but you can make your own/or buy case to connect all your drives into one little server box and plug it in with one cable to the router. Everything depending on your own budget and needs. I am using it like this in my home and it is PERFECT!

[@nickwhitman6319]

Dude your channel is soo inspiring, it's so crazy the things you can do with computers now.

[@constructacon]

i'm a huge fan of yours ETA Prime. I learn so much from you. Thank you so much for all the knowledge share.

[@t-o-r-u-s]

Wow, how much cooling does he need?

[@Travis456ify]

Thanks for the info! I wanted OSMC but found out my device wasn't compatible. Also, for those of you that want to wipe the hard drive instead of running it from USB, just don't press "F12" during startup. You'll then have the option to install it on internal storage rather than USB. I recommend seeing if you like it on USB first though and then if you're dedicated, wipe the hard drive and install it.

[@martinlanza1236]

Great video and many people will get good value/usage from this approach. Myself, I'm over using PC's for HT, they are generally too noisy and ruin quiet scenes in movies (can also have problems with 24hz skipping frames). I prefer RaspberryPI HW which uses less power and does not make any noise, also don't need a mouse/keyboard, use Kore on the phone to control it.

[@pilotboy]

You could get noctua fans and insulate them from the case. Also adjusting fan curves may help

[@suaijmzajdhg3757]

This is my current main pc.... [awkward silence]

[@blackdove3057]

I know right?!!! I use my Dell to play around with different Linux distros but ended up abandoning Windows altogether. Linux is just more fun. So I use my Optiplex to write books now. I have Popcorn Time with the option to install Kodi. But if you have a Chromecast then you can cast directly from Popcorn Time to your TV without installing additional addons or using a flashdrive.

[@ayoubmounsif]

same here :'(

[@randallsmith2521]

Nothing wrong with that. I have a stack of old Optiplexes that I'm going to upgrade and sell for cheap. Unless you're doing serious gaming or image/video work then those old Core 2 Duos are more than enough. Quite frankly I think it will be that way for a while longer. Low tier laptops aren't any more powerful than these old Core 2 Duo CPUs. Quite frankly I'm pretty sure they are less powerful. Last year I sold almost all of my PCs for Christmas money for the kids. I made due with a Core 2 Duo system. I'm back to an i7-4770, but I got by with the slower system.

[@ayoubmounsif]

@@randallsmith2521 that is really cool due and that is true the optiplex 380 is really good

[@gooseedits7165]

I'm gonna add his soundtrack bgm This is my current main PC.... *ALI-A INTRO SONG*

[@TechDave]

i am installing this on a Lenovo Thinkpad X200 using the sd card slot to boot from... great video! thanks for the inspiration!

[@jhonnyxyz]

A week ago i rebuilt a Dell Optiplex 745 SFF. I installed a Core 2 Quad Q6600, a SSD and 6GB RAM. The system is really good for Office use and KZbin. 😉

[@lonewolf3314]

Even for gaming.

[@darioantoniomarin6922]

my setup :´v

[@doghie]

Damn, this is my setup, and it's smooth in windows 10

[@Dr_Primitive]

Thus is cool asf, thanks for sharing this!

[@12s]

Today, I have learnt something new! THX!!

[@silkytp789]

This was a very good video. Content and copy were well thought out and delivery was focused. Great job on editing too. Thanks for that. From a utilitarian standpoint, this was an awesome idea to re-purpose the dinosaur's many of us have hanging around that are too good to throw away, but too outdated to use. The vid stopped just before I could see what app you intended to use to watch your videos from the backup - VLC?? So I'd say (with a fair amount of authority, if I'm being honest), that this is an exemplary video. Maaad props for that.

[@shreyasalse]

He just used the built in menu

[@apfelschorle1988]

I like how you're expanding your content a little bit

[@Bagoesbudianto]

Lemme try that on my qosmio notebook on this weekend and have a nice dream, broo... Finally can sleep well after good youtube video

[@gamerdadperspective5935]

Man you just made my weekend so much better. Thank you. Just found this and gonna start today. A quick question though, if you have a windows pc with a separate hdd for mass storage can this access it? Have a 4tb hdd I use just for storage might use in in an old pc without windows

[@jasonb6570]

Yes it can! You just need to enable sharing for that drive on the windows machine. This will make it accessible to the other devices on your network.

[@CarlStreet]

Thanks -- good pacing, excellent sound, clear, concise, informative -- WELL DONE!

[@jimjones6419]

I set up a pi 3b with libreelec and about 700 adult swim videos. We watch at bedtime. Takes about a month to get through them all. Good stuff.

[@Dayli-tips]

Awesome tutorials dude, thanks a lot.

[@msmander87]

I got my 128gb usb flash drive for $17, I can't believe how cheap they are now. I'm going to do this on a dual core 3ghz with 4gb ram instead of my Roku, it's nice little project. I know its outdated, but it was a cheap PC I already had sitting around. Thanks!

[@mjrprojects9476]

I want to do the same thing to replace my roku and I got Kodi up an running but I can't get any of the add-ons to work.

[@ChiefKeith.]

I used a old core 2 for a htpc recently. I did a ambilight set up in the living room using yeelights and a program called "jeelight". I have a USB dac coming in for $10 to support 5.1 surround sound.

[@VictorySpeedway]

Bookmarked. I will definitely try this. Thanks!

[@AngusNB]

This is a good use for an old PC if you have one. If you don't have an old PC laying around I would recommend buying a Raspberry Pi 3+ kit rather than a PC. You can still use LibreELEC.

[@MMZ_Thumper]

Before I try searching Google would you happen to know of a website or tutorial on how to use a Pi 3+ for this?

[@wildbill23c]

Great use for an older machine, or an extra machine you have lying around. My only trouble is my internet connection isn't that fast so trying to use it for streaming anything would be pointless LOL...its a great idea if your internet can handle it...the computer isn't the problem its the internet speed at that point.

[@ShiggitayMediaProductions]

Interesting concept.... I know this isn't what you normally do, but do you plan on making a tutorial for FreeNAS? I'd be curious to see how you'd do it and how you like it.

[@ElricWriter]

Just found a great channel was wondering what i could do with my old pc

[@ntstudio28]

Love this and thank you! For the mouse you’re using, I just searched air mouse on amazon and it was the top 3 result!

[@IRWPD]

Very cool idea for an older PC.

[@jamesdm]

Yeah but to have hardware decoding you need more power (cpu and gpu).

[@OffGridAussiePrepper]

I have done this and works fantastic when i buy used pc's off ebay and can test them units out within 10 min of getting them in the door, then run the system 24/7 for 2 weeks to access if the pc passes my testing.

[@Plamen0619]

Sounds great.nevet thought of it.maybe I'll try it soon.the bst is you can use video on demand free of charge only with Ethernet 🙌

[@shimzard]

Video idea. Try making an optiplex silent. Their fan headers are proprietary and you need to get adapters for them. Also I dont see any videos of anyone changing the fans or the cpu heat sink with third party coolers like the low profile noctua heatsink/fans.

[@robertclemente8548]

I think you could rig something up because the motherboard has the mounting holes, but an intel bracket won't fit and I'm not sure about AMD either. And even if you did you may not get the proper air flow on the chipset. It's a good idea though!

[@robguitarwizard]

This is better than my main PC 'Old PC' something more than 2 weeks old.

[@travallen5481]

It's great you showing different ways to use a old PC. I have a old (core Duo) Optiplex and I'm going to put old games on it.

[@Bareego]

Have an old imac (Core Duo 32bit) running linux on it. Good fun for emulators still :)

[@my-yt-inputs2580]

Love your build videos. Giving me some things to tinker with. Is there any advantage to say using the above PC(Dell 360) for a htpc vs say using the Raspberry Pi? Which you also have done a video on. Size and weight are a huge advantage going to the Pi.

[@whatudoin1]

I’ve been connecting my pc with the tv ,a 2nd monitor and a sound system for a long time now... Is it possible to do your installation with a media receiver?

[@haydenc2742]

Most AWESOME...I have that EXACT box..SUPER cheap to buy a Intel(R) Core(TM)2 Quad CPU and upgrade to 4GB ram (maxing everything out) and it runs Linux and even at 100% processor usage that HUGE heatsink the processor doesn't even get over 70-75°C (100°C being max on the Intel Core processor)) Great writeup and howto!!!

[@garystinten9339]

there are rf keyboard controllers which have a power button that can turn on the PC so you don't have to. not sure if there is also air mouse versions.. I got a product called the Seebo maxx which has an Intel processor with nvidia chipset and TV tuner card with a dual data.. the Nvidia chipset was a 1551 (from memory) which were also available in the small compact MX powered PCs.. gets 1080p but needs a few gbs or RAM to stop skipping and should be compatible with ssd drives too

[@rhdtv2002]

I thought HTPC was dead. We use to do that back in the CRT days

[@BrotherMaverick]

Excellent video man thanks

Nice. Ideally I would like to use a little nuc for the build and use that. Only wish there was a way to install this on my old Samsung smart TV.

[@AskIveSolar]

I'm power conscious but this sounds cool. I tried to use an older PC I had laying around but the power supply went bad. I was gonna use it as a temp Plex box.

[@GiziBrat]

i was looking for a nice os to install on my old c2d, seems like this libre elec would work fine, time to get to work, thanks

[@curvingfyre6810]

laughed out loud when your footage faded in, cause I'm literally sitting here with almost this exact same box next to my chair looking for something to do with it lmao

[@Revolutionized]

Great video and instructions.

[@scorpionphan5990]

I am looking for this thank you so much.

[@tallCMC]

Great video very helpful 😀

[@Apollos30]

Interesting video with lots of good info! Well done!

[@aljelja]

Hi i am your huge fan. With the batocera i used usb hard disj tray and i flashed it on hard drive then i inserted that hard drive into my pc and bam i have batocera on my hard drive

[@im_david424]

OMG I love your Videos bro

[@stuartleckie]

Since you are probably taking the lid off anyway (if using the same form factor Dell as seen here), do I what did, and spray paint the lid black. Looks much better 😃

[@sassed12many]

This is awesome. I have 5 Optiplex 760's and 2 Optiplex 755's

[@Aperturex1337]

this channel is badass

[@remynisce33]

Really helpful thanks!

[@IndellableHatesHandles]

Could you show how well this PC plays video (FHD and 4K) on this setup, or even another one?

[@thefinalcountdown2748]

I don't usually leave likes on a video ( _I'm selfish and impatient, sorry_ ...😔) But after watching this video where: 1. You get to the point right away. 2. You are super-helpful and solve the problem FIRST, before asking for like. 3. I press like.

[@x7slim8x]

Awesome, another great video sir!

[@haroldteeuwen]

I also turned An old pc into a htpc. But i also put a low profile gt1030 in it because the old cpu's cant handle x265 and 4k. The gt1030 van handle all codecs and resolutions You throw at it in kodi (libreelec)

[@chicagoground]

Can you assist me.... I have this offer on the Table for $150 should I go get it and will it be able to convert to an android machine capable of retro gaming and even Fortnite as well as installing Kodi on? It's a fx 8300. 8gb ram. Radeon 7790. 120gb ssd. 2x500 GB secondary raid 1 non ssd. 500 watt psu.

[@Heisenberg623]

@@chicagoground Dude, that setup should even handle windows just fine, and even run Fortnite at a minimum 30 fps on medium settings, Id say you jump on it, it looks like a pretty good deal.

[@JohnSmith-qn3ob]

Harold Teeuwen, I also have a 1030 and decided to try out libreelec but can't seem to find the options for h265 hardware decoding. How did you do it? Also it looks like LibreElec is dropping support for Nvidia hardware in the next version (version 10).

[@herbertstokes2046]

outstanding...very useful info

[@travisbyron7205]

I turned my rasberry pi 3 b into a kodi media center and it works great with a xbox controller

[@sirdandandy1736]

Way to go.

[@MsMishele]

Travis, how did you hookup the controller?

[@imnotsharingmyrealnameonth5601]

i turned raspberry pi into gaming pc

[@travisbyron7205]

@@MsMishele I used a wired usb controller.

[@MsMishele]

@@travisbyron7205 Was the xbox controller the wired usb controller you just mentioned.

[@justaguy4real]

great video bud, wait na na na naa fukin AWESOME video kudos

[@cole160]

Is there any difference from this and leaving it as a normal pc with screen reconfiguration and log into your stuff. What's really the difference?

[@alwaysenkeilover]

This computer is probably tired of being on the thumb nail

[@muhammadyousuf6698]

i think its a good video. i own a android tv box and thinking of getting another one. idea of an older PC to convert like this appeals. please talk about how to add an HDMI port on this, plus getting some decent audio.

[@FirstLast-ge4yd]

@ ETA PRIME. I see you have done a few vids on using an OPTIPLEX as an emulator. My question is: why optiplex?? Was there a specific reason you sought this line of pc out? thanks

[@guitarguts666]

could you say still do this from an old Dell XPS that is running Windows XP where I could have a portable USB drive instead of a USB Stick so that way all my video etc.. could be like a 2TB drive with the program? Also, could you still connect another external USB for more storage to write/download videos to?

[@willanderson406]

Got what looks like the same machine I've had kicking around for various reasons. Installed win10 on SSD and installed Kodi. Some add ONS need more setup than others is it the exact same experience on using the Kodi Linux you use here, is it easier, etc. Figured might as well install windows since this machine can still handle it, but wanted a Roku type experience while being able to use windows when needed

[@DD-ow4or]

Im using the AMD HD 6450 watching your video on my AMD old pc

[@DexHD31]

This is really cool...There is no need to spend tons of cash to setup an entertainment centre when you can do this

[@mypointofblue5260]

Thanks! I was going to go the Windows route, but was a bit apprehensive about the security of the pc I was using. This looks like a great solution. I would like to share out the tons of family pictures and videos with family both in and out of the house. Do you suggest using VPN software with this solution, or can you? Thanks again.

[@fryncyaryorvjink2140]

I may have found a use for the 3010 I got collecting dust

[@francescovolpini]

you live in the future! how does the ampere gt710 perform? haha

[@kyukyoku_]

@@francescovolpini he means an Optiplex 3010.

[@francescovolpini]

@@kyukyoku_ i know, i know :)

[@kyukyoku_]

@@francescovolpini but hey, the GT 1010 might work well with LibreElec!

[@DAVIDGREGORYKERR]

Get your hands on an ACER TC-220 it has built in WIFI also has a LAN port the main chip is a combined CPU/GPU i.e A10-7800k with 16GB of DDR3 RAM and install the OS over the top of Windows 8 and as it has a 3TB hard drive there should not be a problem for a couple of years.

[@veryfitblondeguy]

will this support dolby atmos 7.1... or you think should use a new socket like 1155 (300). Just curious, getting away from my Raspberry pi's

[@coolelectronics1759]

amazing! I won't be limited to only run it off the flash drive will I? I want to put it on a hard drive. So will I need to open up an external hdd, rip out the drive, swap in a old sata drive Im not using, burn it to that under rufis, then take that and stick it in the old desktop I want to boot it in? No option to hardwire this to a machine permanently from within the Os?

[@21April853BC]

I purchased a Dell Optiplex 780 minus hdd and the power cable for $20.

[@technikilldude9157]

How to install wifi adapter drivers in this media center os

[@Red-yc9cf]

Technikill Dude download them on windows first

[@sangrakitpc8625]

Install Wifi drivers on Windows and next step download media center in the internet,open app media center,follow the step in the video,restart PC and choice USB drive on Bios screen Finished,you can running media center OS

[@imnotsharingmyrealnameonth5601]

bruh how google dependent are you??

[@genilila]

Since this is a Linux OS you don’t even need to find drivers, if it’s a relatively new adapter and a common one it should work out of the box. I may be wrong about this specific disto but this is how it works for most Linux distros.

[@dorszes]

Thanks for great video. I really thinking about to switch from a TV Box into the HTPC LibreElec. My only question is, how to access files in kodi folder? My addon has to be installed by copying files into the kodi folder and to be fair, i have no idea how to do it? Sorry for broken English - i did try my best!

[@MyOwntuahur]

Awesome post. 👍👍

[@manuelbr9901]

Interesting. I have this Acer One mini laptop. Although it still works with Lubuntu and I conect it to my sound system (nice quality, by the way), it is slow for videos. Maybe your option would work better.

[@d0u6la5m]

will this work on a 32 bit system? AND can you opt for installing onto the HDD?

[@RobertLugg]

Great stuff. Both of the remotes are no longer available in Amazon. Do you have new favorites?

[@gentoguy8749]

its fantastic idea thanks alot man that is really what i have been looking for know i can fainally use my old pc thank you thank you thank you

[@RikuHino]

Could you do a review the powkiddy x18 the price looks good for what it is

[@abhilashyt7115]

Wireless K/B/M can woek on this? And while its downloading it say"connection closed"

[@kabhath]

What do you mean by a full build install.? please clarify

[@AlejandroRodolfoMendez]

If you have compatibility issues an SD card works fine as well

[@CraigLafferty]

I have an old iMac that can't upgrade past Leopard. Gonna try this for music. I'm interested in streaming HD music formats. I'm assuming this is possible?

[@DiIVIiCH]

Can I make a NAS of something like that? What OS should i use for this purpose? Sry for my bad English.

[@SuljaRock]

so what's the difference from installing kodi directly to win/linux and using this method ?

[@airwaveindehouse]

@ETA PRIME Do you know about NVIDIA Nano Jet? this is a great SOC i hope you get this soon for testing. especialy for steam or Emulation. greetings Axel.

[@marcinmorris]

Hey. All is clear, but how you connect any wirless controller to it? Like your wirless mouse?

[@DaRyteJuan]

Hmmm ... I’ve been trying some of these USB builds on this old Gateway laptop with an AMD Athlon 4000+, I get a lot of hanging. I never thought that maybe the USB 3.0 stick might be the cause.

[@Effedup]

I've had a lot of issues with booting and running off of USB 3.0 Flash Drives on tons of different systems. I always keep a few older USB 2.0 4GB and smaller flash drives around for this kind of stuff. Given how small they are in today's world there's not much other use for them so it keeps them from sitting in a drawer rotting. Course I still haven't been able to find much use for the 128-512MB flash drives I've still got laying around. I have a 64MB Compact Flash card still. I honestly don't know why I sit on this shit lol...

[@Lesterandsons]

Lot of usb key are not reliable

[@buggyridge]

Another excellent video! Thank you.

[@rahit54]

Hi, thanks for your video. How can I install this on a ssd harddrive? The run command is for the usb? What to do for a harddrive installation?

[@gordonbobby1]

I have a really nice laptop and want to make it a media machine and gaming machine. I was thinking about batocera by booting from a USB like this but also want to have Kodi. How do I do that? Is there a better way so I can utilize my good laptop as I don't want to mess it up if there is a better solution

[@RCfromtheNYC]

Cool idea! Definitely something to think about for my living room. Question...is gaming within Kodi any good?

[@sirdandandy1736]

No not realy.

[@st0mper121]

I have built a media center pc about 8-10 years ago still have it. i dont run it much anymore not even connected anymore. but i replaced the media center pc with a raspberry pi 2 or 3 years ago. much more easy to manage then a older pc and A lot less power consume I just upgraded my raspberry pi about 3 months ago with a raspberry 3 B+ with external usb hard drives raspberry pi much easier to build off of with today's products then maintaining a older pc

[@elfedorausado]

Great video. I have several old PCs lying around I can try this on. One question: is a dedicated GPU absolutely necessary for this process?

[@jasonb6570]

Nope.

[@elfedorausado]

@@jasonb6570 thanks

[@HuwPewPew]

I wonder how useful this would be as a portable solution. Like if you went over to a friends house and didn't want the hassle of configuring kodi again. I suppose you're limited to CPU architecture difference, I might test between intel and amd x86 and x64 just to see what happens.

[@Bareego]

As far as I can gather it should save all the settings if it's setup like shown in this video, and most hardware is autodetected. So as long as it's 64bit should work ok. Performance might vary depending on the CPU/GPU

[@maxpower712]

Is that the same one you made into an emulator?

[@kriglum0760]

Thank you so much!

[@thedarkknight1971]

@ETA Prime.... As for adding movies/music/files from your own library on external HDD..... Will it read from PC NTFS formatted external HDDs?

[@msyahabudinishak6920]

i cant install it on my HP dc7900, but it run fine on dell optiplex 755. is hp not capable?

[@chatter7653]

Doesn't the google chromecast plugged into, say, a good home theater receiver via HDMI sort of make the media player pc obsolete? I've done this and repurposed an old smartphone strictly for use as the chromecast remote