HOW ML START (or why it doesn't boot topic) & Restore Camera Settings

[scrax]

Normally the camera when powered on make those things (correct me if wrong, please):
1. Bootloader starts up and checks card and boot settings
2. If all default it will load canon firmware from camera, (if no card inserted canon firmware will show warning)

To start up canon firmware and ML we use a setting that canon use for development or service the Boot Flag.
With this option set bootloader will check if the card is bootable if yes it will try to load a file called autoexec.bin.
So autoexec.bin is the main executable for MagicLantern, other file are needed or generated by the program in the ML folder.

This is what happen when ML is properly installed:
1. Bootloader starts up and checks card and boot settings
2. It will find the Boot Flag set so it will check for a bootable card
3. Once found it will load canon firmware and then ML's autoexec.bin

A low level formatted card (used normally) is not bootable.
this is what happen when card is NOT bootable:
1. Bootloader starts up and checks card and boot settings
2. It will find the Boot Flag set so it will check for a bootable card
3. Not found so it will load ONLY canon firmware

and this is what happen when autoexec.bin is NOT present on a bootable card:
1. Bootloader starts up and checks card and boot settings
2. It will find the Boot Flag set so it will check for a bootable card
3. Once found it will load canon firmware and then STUCK IN TRYING TO LOAD missing ML's autoexec.bin
4. battery pull needed.




So what is the install procedure for?

For working ML needs:
1.Boot Flag set on camera
2.bootable card
3.ML files on the card

So let's start from the last.
3. You can just copy the contents from the released zip or another working ML card to a bootable card with any system you use;
2. Making the card bootable can be done with MacBoot for mac and EOSCard for windows, check here;
1. This is set with the firmware update procedure described in the guide. The .fir file included in ML package are false firmware updates that when loaded instead of installing a new firmware (dangerous thing) it sets Boot Flag and makes card bootable.

So to have all thing right for ML to load you can chose to:
1. Use always the .fir method and start with an in camera formatted card, copy all the zip contents and then update firmware from camera, waiting for green screen
2. Use only once the .fir method to set up the camera and then make card bootable from PC, and copy file and SETTINGS from the first card to others...

[scrax]

What are files required on card?

autoexec.bin
ML/data/*
ML/cropmks/*
ML/settings/*

Note ML/settings folder required only for copying user settings (if not present it will be created by ML)

[scrax]

What is "installed" on camera
and how to restore it

Nothing is installed on camera!
On camera, in Canon's code, there is already all what is needed for ML to load. The bootflag is an option that Canon use, probably for service and develop.

ML install procedure will use the firmware update step only to set the bootflag to On since it's usually Off.

So if you have some concern about asking for service under warranty and you want to switch back the bootflag to Off you just need the ML .fir file for you camera (with supported canon firmware version of course). It's the one in the zip release with the name of your camera.

What is "installed" on card
and how to restore it
Installed on card there are all what you have on the zip release, but also the card needs to be recognized as bootable by canon's code.
But our card is just a poor "standard formatted card" (you formatted it before starting ML install procedure, right?)
To make canon code happy so it will recognize our card as bootable ML installation will change a couple of word in the filesystem of the card (al the rest will be untouched, files too).
 
So now you know why if you format the card from camera (without the option to keep ML, of course) or from PC it will be again empty and clean like when purchased

Restore camera AND card to an original state from a working ML installation (for 2.3 supported models):

1. Start the firmware update procedure (with battery full, no accessory, M mode...) from canon menu and wait the green text.


2. change mode on the dial and wait the white text.


3. Restart camera, clear settings and Custom Func. and format card, low level (NOTE: you will lose also your pics of course).

[Francis]

This is great. Don't know how I missed it the first time around.

[deleted.account.01]

still i dont knwo why u guys need that program for  extra card format :O
,,,well i know what is this and what tat program doing but ...but still dont knwo for what

[Francis]

Some larger capacity cards (over 16GB) are unable to enable the bootflag and thus unable to make the camera booth ML from the card. The card utilities are useful for this.

[utsikten]

Hi !
I have formatted my card and copied 5D2-212.fir , autoexec.bin and the ML file containing cropmks, data , doc and readme .
When I click on INSTALL it show the text loading for half a second and then    -  nothing .
So I take out the battery an restart and the camera works like always.

What have I done wrong ?
Please help me .
/Gunnar

PS Why do I have to answer all these questions before I can post my mail ? DS

[scrax]

Hi !
I have formatted my card and copied 5D2-212.fir , autoexec.bin and the ML file containing cropmks, data , doc and readme .
When I click on INSTALL it show the text loading for half a second and then    -  nothing .
So I take out the battery an restart and the camera works like always.

What have I done wrong ?
Please help me .
/Gunnar

PS Why do I have to answer all these questions before I can post my mail ? DS

Or you have not waited enough or wrong firmware installed in camera?

[utsikten]

Well , I waited for two minutes with no sign of activity on the camera .
The current Canon firmware  is 2.0.8 but I gave found a new one ( 2.1.2 )
I will update with this but should that make a difference ?
/Gunnar

[nanomad]

Yes. You need the correct fw version to run ML 

[utsikten]

Or you have not waited enough or wrong firmware installed in camera?

Yes !! 
With the new canon update I could install ML !
So now I only have to get to know all the advantages with ML . :-)
/Gunnar

[Kraemer]

Hey guys, Im using the 5D3 with firmware 1.1.3 with ML alpha 3 (magiclantern-5D3.113). 

What's going on when I need to re-update the firmware everytime I turn the camera off ?   
I thought I read something about it somewhere but cant find it now, thanks,

[Mei Lewis]

Restore camera AND card to an original state from a working ML installation:

1. Start the firmware update procedure (with battery full, no accessory, M mode...) from canon menu and wait the green text.


2. change mode on the dial and wait the white text.


3. Restart camera, clear settings and Custom Func. and format card, low level (NOTE: you will lose also your pics of course).

This doesn't work on 5dmk3 with the RAW firmware.

After doing the firmware update procedure the camera just goes straight back to working, the greentext on black screen is never shown.

As far as I can tell there is no repeatable way to fully uninstall Magic Lantern from a 5dmlk3!

[scrax]

Hey guys, Im using the 5D3 with firmware 1.1.3 with ML alpha 3 (magiclantern-5D3.113). 

What's going on when I need to re-update the firmware everytime I turn the camera off ?   
I thought I read something about it somewhere but cant find it now, thanks,

that's how alpha releases works, for safety reasons you have to manually load it with the firmware update procedure each time

[theeastdistrict]

So for Alpha release, we have to keep updating the firmware in order to use ML every time?

When will a stable release be out?

[Kraemer]

that's how alpha releases works, for safety reasons you have to manually load it with the firmware update procedure each time

Alright Thank you Scrax!  I just wanted to make sure I wasn't missing anything.  DUH I just went back to re-read the 1st page:

NOTES
THIS VERSION OF MAGICLANTERN HAS AUTOBOOT DISABLED
Which means you'll have to re-run the firmware update every time you power off the camera.
It's a safety measure, so don't ask to remove it until the port is stabler

 I've enjoyed playing around with this verion, waiting for my faster CF card to arrive before I put on the RAW update.

One other thing.. Could you please point me in the direction to get the still photo feature set? 
I seem to only get the video mods, and can't find the still shooting menus?  Thanks Scrax

[Kraemer]

Got one more question:

Ive read several different reports on install methods, read this whole thread three times and I'm confused... 

In the user guide it says:

"There are two ways of running user code on Canon DSLR cameras: 1. Using the update process with a .fir file, which must be digitally signed.

2. Using the bootdisk process: if the camera finds AUTOEXEC.BIN on the card, this file is loaded and executed. This file does not have to be signed, but the BOOTDISK flag must be enabled in the camera and the card must be prepared in a special way (labeled as “bootable”)."

With this latest version (RAW update), when using install method #2 --Do I put the bootflag.fir on the camera, run the installer, then take the card out, delete the bootflag file from the SD card, then put the autoexec.bin and ml folder back onto the card?   This would be pretty easy, but not as easy as alpha 2.3.

Step2, Use macboot to make the CF card bootable?

Thanks in advance for the help,

[RenatoPhoto]

at Kramer:

First of all it is a good idea to tell us what camera you are using since each camera has very specific things.  Now I just spent more time reading this entire thread to find out that you are working with a 5D3.  So in the future begin with.. I have a 5D3..

Second, as mentioned earlier in this post this thread is more specific to Nighty builds which mean this is the thread for more standard cameras so it does not apply to specifically to 5D3.

I have a 5D3 and have written:

RAW video & ML -- Beginners Guide and FAQ -- READ FIRST
http://www.magiclantern.fm/forum/index.php?topic=5520.0:



Inside this guide please jump to the section of:

FINALLY INSTALLATION OF RAW VIDEO...  read and understand all of it

dont miss the section...

SPECIAL CASES:

On the newer cameras there are new files that are uses instead or in addition to the autoexec.bin files.


As always read before you post.  Those are the forum RULES: http://www.magiclantern.fm/forum/index.php?topic=934.msg1141#msg1141

I know it is very frustrating but this is not easy stuff!!

[Kraemer]

Thanks Much Renato, I'll try and soak it all in.  Appreciate your help!

[KSphoto]

I had ML confirmed running on my 50D and when I replaced the Auto Exec. file and replaced the ML files for raw rec, the camera will not load saying it is missing scripts. What have I done? There never was a scripts folder.

[Kraemer]

I finally got it on my 5D3 loaded with the recent raw release-- but i never got to the green screen of text.. 

Here's what I did:   I  put the bootflag.fir on an SD card, put it in the camera and updated the firmware. Then I took the card out, deleted the bootflag fir file, and put the ml folder and autoexec.bin card in and rebooted.  It seems to work. 

I noticed that it will only load the raw video module when booted in the movie mode..is this normal?  I thought I might have messed somthin' up?

[scrax]

I had ML confirmed running on my 50D and when I replaced the Auto Exec. file and replaced the ML files for raw rec, the camera will not load saying it is missing scripts. What have I done? There never was a scripts folder.

just make a folder called scripts in ML folder and it will no longer show the warning, it's because now you have scripts support in the build

I finally got it on my 5D3 loaded with the recent raw release-- but i never got to the green screen of text.. 

The green screen is only for 2.3 supported models, Alpha versions have alternative methods to boot.

[Aphrodite1]

Hi All

I am sure that I am just being simple but I cannot find the answer to my question the forum.

A couple of months ago I installed ML on a 600D bought new from Amazon. Install went fine and it works perfectly. I have just bought another new 600D also from Amazon and have copied the same files to the SD cards (Sandisk 32Gb Extreme) and installed ML and got the successful install message but ML just doesn't run on the new camera.

I downloaded EOScard 1.4 and tried again but still nothing.

All the cards work happily with the first camera but still zip on the second one.

Am I doing something stupid or have I  missed a trick somewhere?

Thanks in advance for any help.

[RenatoPhoto]

You probably forgot to put the xxx.fir file to enable the bootflag in the new camera.

[Aphrodite1]

Hi

Thanks for the reply but I have everything apart from the instruction PDFs on all the cards, so all the .fir files and the autoexec.bin.

This is why I am wondering if I did something stupid as I am sure I did exactly the same as the first camera but this one just won't work but all the cards (4 in all) allow ML to run in the first camera!