Car PC install in 2001 M5 - Work in Progress
Summary
This is my project to install a Car PC into my 2001 M5. The end goal is to completely remove the factory system (radio/nav/CD Changer), and replace it with a PC, but I'm hoping to spread it out in stages, rather than all in one shot.
Disclaimer
This information is to be used as a general guide, not as a definitive guide. Your situation can, and most likely will, differ, which could require alternate methods and equipment than what I used. I highly recommend doing your own research before proceeding with a similar install.
These methods worked for me, but they may not work for you, so if you blow something up, then I take no responsibility.
Stage 1 - Research
I spent a week learning about Car PCs, what they can and can't do, a very good resource is the MP3Car forum It can be fairly overwhelming at first, but there is a lot of good info in there. Unfortunately, a lot of it is old and spread out, so you'll have to do some digging.
The first thing to do is decide what you want your Car PC to do, then design your system around that.
I decided I wanted the following features:
GPS
FM Tuner
Sat Radio
WiFi
Bluetooth
DVD Drive
Retain Steering Wheel Controls
iBus Integration
OBD2 Integration.
Dual Monitors
Touchscreen Display
Makes Toast
That's a lot of features!
After reading the MP3Car forums, I read a lot of good things about the Atom 330 Processor and ION chipset - They are by no means a super-high-end system, but they have low power consumption, can fit in a small space, and can do most of the things you'd want in a Car PC
I originally intended on building my own PC, Zotac has some nice all-in-one motherboards (motherboard/processor/video) using the Atom/Ion combo, but then I came across the Zotac MAGHD-ND01 It has the Atom 330 dual core processor, 2GB RAM, 160GB HD, wifi, 6 USB ports, 2 video outputs (VGA and HDMI) all wrapped up in a nice 7.5" x 7.5" x 1.5" case! Newegg currently has it on sale for $280 ($300 normally). Pricing out a similar configuration using separate components can hit $400 easily, and you still would need to put it together. The only downside to this is that it does not have a OS installed. If you need to buy an OS, then consider the Acer Aspire Revo AR3610, it has all the features of the Zotac, but with Windows 7 installed, and comes with a wireless keyboard and mouse (although they are crappy from what I've read) for $330. If the Zotac wasn't on sale, I probably would have gotten the Acer.
I placed the order, and it arrived 2 days later. Let the fun begin!
Stage 2 - The "fun" begins
I unpacked the unit, and plugged in a spare monitor/keyboard/mouse. I am going to install Windows 7 Ultimate 64 bit for the OS. Since the unit does not have a DVD drive, I figured I could just make a bootable windows7 install using a USB stick, install it, and go.
So I grabbed my trusty 8GB USB stick, did a quick google search (Windows 7 USB install), and followed one of the tutorials on creating a bootable Windows 7 USB stick.
It didn't work.
Ok, lets try another method.
That didn't work.
Hmmm, lets try the first method on another PC.
Again, it didn't work.
*Fast Forward 6 hours and several curse words later*
Turns out my "trusty" USB stick can not be formatted with NTFS, and even though there are FAT32 boot methods, it just would not boot. It was a couple years old, and cheap, and I found a lot of other people having the same issue with old/cheap USB sticks.
I ended up having to buy a new USB stick. HP brand 8GB stick was on sale for $18, and I was able to format it with NTFS with no issues.
The best method to use for creating a Win 7 bootable USB stick depends on whether you are trying to create it using Windows XP or Vista/7, whether you have an ISO image or DVD copy of the OS (the diskpart method does not work on XP), and if you're running the 32 or 64 bit version (the bootsect.exe step differs between them)
I did run into some issues while installing Windows 7, getting read errors during installation, but rebooting and retrying a few times seemed to work. I did get some delayed write errors also, but it didn't seem to have any effect on the OS installation. As an FYI, If you delete the default partition, then create a new one, windows 7 will create a 100MB System Reserved partition (not sure if this will have an impact on performance, but the 2nd time I installed the OS with this partition, boot times were faster than without the partition)
After running through the initial configuration, setting up the WiFi, and a couple reboots later, the OS is up and running. I copied the contents of the included Zotac driver disk to my USB drive, and ran the install.exe only to get.....Runtime ERROR! I'm guessing it's a 32 bit vs. 64 bit issue. I downloaded the latest 64 bit drivers from Zotac, installed them, ran windows update, and the OS is ready for the next step (*edit* See Stage 4 for an update to the OS selection)
Windows 7 Optimization & Customization
From Power On to Windows Ready: 52 seconds (10 seconds of that is BIOS posting)
From Sleep to Windows Ready: 5 Seconds
Most of the time, the PC will be in sleep mode when the car is off, so that when we turn the car on, the computer is ready in just a few seconds. There will be some times when a reboot is needed, or you want to shut it down completely, like if the car will sit for a while.
Lets see if we can get that cold boot time down a bit.
Start -> Control Panel -> System and Security -> Power Options
Balanced (recommended) is probably the default power plan.
Click on Show additional plans, then select High Performance.
Click on Change plan settings.
Turn off the display: Never
Put the computer to sleep: Never
Change advanced power settings
Desktop background settings -> Slide show -> Setting: Paused
Click Change settings that are currently unavailable
High Performance -> Require a password on wakeup -> Setting: No
Click OK
Click Save Changes
From a MP3Car forum post:
Start -> type: cmd, then Ctrl+Shift+Enter, select Yes on the UAC prompt, you should be at a DOS prompt
bcdedit /set bootux disabled (blank screen instead of animation)
bcdedit /set quietboot on (no progress bars, even in resume from hibernate)
bcdedit /set bootstatuspolicy ignoreallfailures (disable recovery console which is useless in the car, you shouldn't be BSOD'ing out anyhow)
Cold Boot time: 42 seconds
There are even more things you can do:
Speed Up Windows 7 – Ultimate Guide To Make Windows 7 Blazing Fast!!!
Turn off Windows Defender:
Start -> Control Panel -> Windows Defender
Tols -> Options -> Administrator
Uncheck Use this Program, then Save and Close
Run Defrag Boot optimizer, from a cmd prompt, type: defrag c: /b it will take a few minutes to run. (supposedly windows does this automatically every 3 days when it has some idle time)
Cold Boot time: 34 seconds
Stage 3 - Spending More Money
I've been doing a lot of research in trying to figure out a way to get a Car PC to display on the factory nav screen, but there is no way to hook it up direct, it uses a RGsB type signal, which is pretty rare nowadays, and several people have tried to make cheap adapters, but none have worked. The only way to get it to work, is to buy the TV Module or NAV adapters that are out there, but the cost of those is more than the cost of a new touchscreen, and you'd have to retain the nav unit.
So a new touchscreen it is
The easy solution is a 7" screen in a double DIN mount, then get a double DIN adapter kit for a E39.
I went the hard way, an 8" screen, which should *just* fit in....I think.
I ordered the following parts:
8" Lilliput Touchscreen
Carnetix DC-DC Adapter
USB Adapter for XM radio
Qstarz BT-Q890 Bluetooth/USB GPS Receiver based on this review
iBus USB Interface
XMD1000 Universal XM Receiver
I've received everything so far, except for the iBus interface, which is coming from Germany.
I also just received my JBL MS-8, so the Car PC may get put on hold while I play with that for a few days
I've attached some pics of what I have so far.
Stage 4 - Repeat Stage 2
So I've come to the conclusion that 64bit OS is just not worth it, none of the applications I installed will run on 64 bit, so then what's the point?
I decided to redo the install using Windows 7 Ultimate 32 bit, this time also making the C: drive only 40GB in size
I was receiving the install errors like before, so I tried running the USB stick through an older USB 1.1 hub, and the install ran with no errors - just much much slower
Cold boot times after the fresh install was only 42 seconds, and I got it down to 32 seconds after optimization, not sure if it's because it's 32 bit OS, or the smaller partition size
I installed my bluetooth adapter in a USB slot (an older Kensington Bluetooth USB Micro Adapter), paired it with my GPS Receiver, and made sure it worked using the utility I downloaded from the qstarz website. In hindsight, I should have waited on the GPS receiver, since I'm not sure which software to use, Garmin Mobile PC looks good, but I think it works best if you buy the one with the included GPS receiver, the one without can only be registered once, and the maps can not be updated (or so I've read)
I then hooked up the touchscreen to the HDMI port, set it to the DVI input (very important, dont use the HDMI input) set a custom resolution for 800 x 480, and installed the touchscreen software.
With the touchscreen working, I downloaded the Ride Runner Front End and also the DigitalFX 4.0 skin, links and how-tos are on the mp3car forum, but it took me a while to figure out how to set it up, the how-tos aren't up to date, and are buried in the forum.
I also started working on the LCD housing to get it mounted in the car.
*update 6/24/01*
Over a year later, I haven't made much progress - I'm laaaaaaaaazy. Time to get working on it again.
For now, I've attached some pics of the LCD housing I've modified, pics I actually took last year lol.
More to come
This is my project to install a Car PC into my 2001 M5. The end goal is to completely remove the factory system (radio/nav/CD Changer), and replace it with a PC, but I'm hoping to spread it out in stages, rather than all in one shot.
Disclaimer
This information is to be used as a general guide, not as a definitive guide. Your situation can, and most likely will, differ, which could require alternate methods and equipment than what I used. I highly recommend doing your own research before proceeding with a similar install.
These methods worked for me, but they may not work for you, so if you blow something up, then I take no responsibility.
Stage 1 - Research
I spent a week learning about Car PCs, what they can and can't do, a very good resource is the MP3Car forum It can be fairly overwhelming at first, but there is a lot of good info in there. Unfortunately, a lot of it is old and spread out, so you'll have to do some digging.
The first thing to do is decide what you want your Car PC to do, then design your system around that.
I decided I wanted the following features:
GPS
FM Tuner
Sat Radio
WiFi
Bluetooth
DVD Drive
Retain Steering Wheel Controls
iBus Integration
OBD2 Integration.
Dual Monitors
Touchscreen Display
Makes Toast
That's a lot of features!
After reading the MP3Car forums, I read a lot of good things about the Atom 330 Processor and ION chipset - They are by no means a super-high-end system, but they have low power consumption, can fit in a small space, and can do most of the things you'd want in a Car PC
I originally intended on building my own PC, Zotac has some nice all-in-one motherboards (motherboard/processor/video) using the Atom/Ion combo, but then I came across the Zotac MAGHD-ND01 It has the Atom 330 dual core processor, 2GB RAM, 160GB HD, wifi, 6 USB ports, 2 video outputs (VGA and HDMI) all wrapped up in a nice 7.5" x 7.5" x 1.5" case! Newegg currently has it on sale for $280 ($300 normally). Pricing out a similar configuration using separate components can hit $400 easily, and you still would need to put it together. The only downside to this is that it does not have a OS installed. If you need to buy an OS, then consider the Acer Aspire Revo AR3610, it has all the features of the Zotac, but with Windows 7 installed, and comes with a wireless keyboard and mouse (although they are crappy from what I've read) for $330. If the Zotac wasn't on sale, I probably would have gotten the Acer.
I placed the order, and it arrived 2 days later. Let the fun begin!
Stage 2 - The "fun" begins
I unpacked the unit, and plugged in a spare monitor/keyboard/mouse. I am going to install Windows 7 Ultimate 64 bit for the OS. Since the unit does not have a DVD drive, I figured I could just make a bootable windows7 install using a USB stick, install it, and go.
So I grabbed my trusty 8GB USB stick, did a quick google search (Windows 7 USB install), and followed one of the tutorials on creating a bootable Windows 7 USB stick.
It didn't work.
Ok, lets try another method.
That didn't work.
Hmmm, lets try the first method on another PC.
Again, it didn't work.
*Fast Forward 6 hours and several curse words later*
Turns out my "trusty" USB stick can not be formatted with NTFS, and even though there are FAT32 boot methods, it just would not boot. It was a couple years old, and cheap, and I found a lot of other people having the same issue with old/cheap USB sticks.
I ended up having to buy a new USB stick. HP brand 8GB stick was on sale for $18, and I was able to format it with NTFS with no issues.
The best method to use for creating a Win 7 bootable USB stick depends on whether you are trying to create it using Windows XP or Vista/7, whether you have an ISO image or DVD copy of the OS (the diskpart method does not work on XP), and if you're running the 32 or 64 bit version (the bootsect.exe step differs between them)
I did run into some issues while installing Windows 7, getting read errors during installation, but rebooting and retrying a few times seemed to work. I did get some delayed write errors also, but it didn't seem to have any effect on the OS installation. As an FYI, If you delete the default partition, then create a new one, windows 7 will create a 100MB System Reserved partition (not sure if this will have an impact on performance, but the 2nd time I installed the OS with this partition, boot times were faster than without the partition)
After running through the initial configuration, setting up the WiFi, and a couple reboots later, the OS is up and running. I copied the contents of the included Zotac driver disk to my USB drive, and ran the install.exe only to get.....Runtime ERROR! I'm guessing it's a 32 bit vs. 64 bit issue. I downloaded the latest 64 bit drivers from Zotac, installed them, ran windows update, and the OS is ready for the next step (*edit* See Stage 4 for an update to the OS selection)
Windows 7 Optimization & Customization
From Power On to Windows Ready: 52 seconds (10 seconds of that is BIOS posting)
From Sleep to Windows Ready: 5 Seconds
Most of the time, the PC will be in sleep mode when the car is off, so that when we turn the car on, the computer is ready in just a few seconds. There will be some times when a reboot is needed, or you want to shut it down completely, like if the car will sit for a while.
Lets see if we can get that cold boot time down a bit.
Start -> Control Panel -> System and Security -> Power Options
Balanced (recommended) is probably the default power plan.
Click on Show additional plans, then select High Performance.
Click on Change plan settings.
Turn off the display: Never
Put the computer to sleep: Never
Change advanced power settings
Desktop background settings -> Slide show -> Setting: Paused
Click Change settings that are currently unavailable
High Performance -> Require a password on wakeup -> Setting: No
Click OK
Click Save Changes
From a MP3Car forum post:
Start -> type: cmd, then Ctrl+Shift+Enter, select Yes on the UAC prompt, you should be at a DOS prompt
bcdedit /set bootux disabled (blank screen instead of animation)
bcdedit /set quietboot on (no progress bars, even in resume from hibernate)
bcdedit /set bootstatuspolicy ignoreallfailures (disable recovery console which is useless in the car, you shouldn't be BSOD'ing out anyhow)
Cold Boot time: 42 seconds
There are even more things you can do:
Speed Up Windows 7 – Ultimate Guide To Make Windows 7 Blazing Fast!!!
Turn off Windows Defender:
Start -> Control Panel -> Windows Defender
Tols -> Options -> Administrator
Uncheck Use this Program, then Save and Close
Run Defrag Boot optimizer, from a cmd prompt, type: defrag c: /b it will take a few minutes to run. (supposedly windows does this automatically every 3 days when it has some idle time)
Cold Boot time: 34 seconds
Stage 3 - Spending More Money
I've been doing a lot of research in trying to figure out a way to get a Car PC to display on the factory nav screen, but there is no way to hook it up direct, it uses a RGsB type signal, which is pretty rare nowadays, and several people have tried to make cheap adapters, but none have worked. The only way to get it to work, is to buy the TV Module or NAV adapters that are out there, but the cost of those is more than the cost of a new touchscreen, and you'd have to retain the nav unit.
So a new touchscreen it is
The easy solution is a 7" screen in a double DIN mount, then get a double DIN adapter kit for a E39.
I went the hard way, an 8" screen, which should *just* fit in....I think.
I ordered the following parts:
8" Lilliput Touchscreen
Carnetix DC-DC Adapter
USB Adapter for XM radio
Qstarz BT-Q890 Bluetooth/USB GPS Receiver based on this review
iBus USB Interface
XMD1000 Universal XM Receiver
I've received everything so far, except for the iBus interface, which is coming from Germany.
I also just received my JBL MS-8, so the Car PC may get put on hold while I play with that for a few days
I've attached some pics of what I have so far.
Stage 4 - Repeat Stage 2
So I've come to the conclusion that 64bit OS is just not worth it, none of the applications I installed will run on 64 bit, so then what's the point?
I decided to redo the install using Windows 7 Ultimate 32 bit, this time also making the C: drive only 40GB in size
I was receiving the install errors like before, so I tried running the USB stick through an older USB 1.1 hub, and the install ran with no errors - just much much slower
Cold boot times after the fresh install was only 42 seconds, and I got it down to 32 seconds after optimization, not sure if it's because it's 32 bit OS, or the smaller partition size
I installed my bluetooth adapter in a USB slot (an older Kensington Bluetooth USB Micro Adapter), paired it with my GPS Receiver, and made sure it worked using the utility I downloaded from the qstarz website. In hindsight, I should have waited on the GPS receiver, since I'm not sure which software to use, Garmin Mobile PC looks good, but I think it works best if you buy the one with the included GPS receiver, the one without can only be registered once, and the maps can not be updated (or so I've read)
I then hooked up the touchscreen to the HDMI port, set it to the DVI input (very important, dont use the HDMI input) set a custom resolution for 800 x 480, and installed the touchscreen software.
With the touchscreen working, I downloaded the Ride Runner Front End and also the DigitalFX 4.0 skin, links and how-tos are on the mp3car forum, but it took me a while to figure out how to set it up, the how-tos aren't up to date, and are buried in the forum.
I also started working on the LCD housing to get it mounted in the car.
*update 6/24/01*
Over a year later, I haven't made much progress - I'm laaaaaaaaazy. Time to get working on it again.
For now, I've attached some pics of the LCD housing I've modified, pics I actually took last year lol.
More to come
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- Car PC install in 2001 M5 - Work in Progress (22nd May 2010)
