Xbox mod (part 2)

[Grasshopper]

I've got some spare time coming up and I think it's about time I modded my Xbox. I've read right through the original Xbox mod thread (here) but I'm still confused about several things.

I'm leaning heavily towards getting a duox2 as they're far cheaper than the most expensive mod chips, and as far as I can tell seem to have almost the same capabilities. But if someone here can come up with a compelling reason why I should get a more expensive chip then I could be persuaded to change my mind.

Assuming I do get a duox2, can someone here recommend a cheap and reliable source? I live in the UK but I have no problem with ordering from other countries.

Do all duox2 chips come preflashed with the same bios? If not, is there a particular bios I should be looking out for? I'm presuming that I can obtain any bios I want from the net, but it would be convenient to have a good bios on the chip out of the box.

The bios features that I think are essential are as follows:

 - the ability to format the hard disk and ftp files over from a PC (and also backup files onto a PC).

 - the ability to play "backup" games (obviously)

 - the ability to transfer games to the hard disk

Bios Features that I consider highly desireable but not essential (yet) are as follows:

 - the ability to use any display mode including VGA

 - the ability to replace the standard hard disk with a bigger capacity one.

 - the ability to play DVDs for any region

 - the ability to play DVDs without using the M$ DVD remote

I'm presuming that at least some of these features can be activated simply by installing a replacement dash. Can someone advise me on this point.

Incidentally, I agree with Chad, it's very hard work wading through the xbox-scene site. It's very disorganised and a lot of the information is years out of date.

Thanks in advance.

[ChadTower]

IIRC, and I could be wrong, VGA requires further modding.  Maybe that's only NTSC Xboxes, though.  I'm also fairly certain you're not going to get a chip with a bios on it right out of the box... it will come with some sort of "flash bios" that allows you to put a more useful bios onto the chip.

[Grasshopper]

IIRC, and I could be wrong, VGA requires further modding.  Maybe that's only NTSC Xboxes, though.  I'm also fairly certain you're not going to get a chip with a bios on it right out of the box... it will come with some sort of "flash bios" that allows you to put a more useful bios onto the chip.

Many of the ones I've seen only come with a Cromwell bios preinstalled, which I understand only runs Linux. But not all of them. For example this one comes preflashed with EvoX on bank 1 and X2 bios on bank 2.

Link Removed.

Edit: It occurs to me that those bioses might use modified M$ code and thus be illegal to sell. I've removed the link until this point has been clarified.

[ChadTower]

Yep, those are likely illegal to sell preflashed.  Doesn't really matter, it only takes a couple minutes to flash to your preferred bios.

[Grasshopper]

Incidentally, do you need a different bios revision depending upon which chipset your Xbox has?

[igboo]

Some of the bios versions are specific to a particular video chip.

Another thing you might like to look for is 'In Game Reset' which will allow you to quit a game directly back to the menu.  I've found the functions embedded in the bios to less problematic than the ones programmed into the frontend menus.

Here's a pretty good grid comparing the functions and compatabilities of most of the available Bios versions.http://www.xbox-scene.com/bios_retail.html 

Cheers,
igboo

[ChadTower]

IIRC, not all bios revisions work with 1.6.   

[shmokes]

Snaake is the go-to guy around here for anything DuoX2 related.  He knows everything there is to know about it and is likely your source for it on the cheap.

Of the following features, all of them will be available to you through software, regardless of which chip you use (or even if you end up doing a softmod).  The VGA is a possible exception to this as far as the BIOS menu is concerned.  Dunno anything about that.

With that said, though, it can be very handy to have some of those features built-into the Chip's OS (It's really the OS features you're talking about.  Once you've got your box modded you can use any bios you want -- making sure it is compatible with your 1.0-1.5 or 1.6+ Xbox).  FTP makes the whole process of setting up your Xbox for the first time a breeze.  It's also incredibly handy for when you turn on your Xbox and the dashboard has taken a ---steaming pile of meadow muffin--- and no longer works.  You can just load up the mod-chip OS and FTP a fresh copy of the dashboard over.  Frankly, I wouldn't bother with a hard mod that didn't have a built-in FTP server.  Does the DuoX2 have built-in FTP?  I thought it didn't, but could be wrong.  A built-in webserver for flashing the BIOS is nice too, but not as important as the FTP server, IMO.

For DVD playback you want a program called DVDx-Dongle Free.  For transferring games to your hard drive I recommend installing, in addition to Xbox Media Center, Avalaunch.  It's another dashboard that uses a modified FTP protocol in conjunction with an awesome PC program called Qwix.  You just select an ISO of a game in Qwix, point to your Xbox and tell it to do the rest.  It will expand the ISO onto your Xbox, while transferring it at about double the average speed of regular FTP.

You'll get all of this from Xbins.  Do a google search for "Xbins Instructions" or "Xbins Tutorial".  They are THE resource for all things Xbox.  There's no way around this.  Learn to use Xbins now, or you'll just learn it eventually anyway down the road and kick yourself for not doing it earlier.

Feel free to PM me with any questions, too.  There's plenty I don't know, and I don't follow the new developments as close as I used to, but I've modded 10+ Xboxes and am a pretty decent resource.

[ark_ader]

You would be better off soft modding it.  Get AID 2.0 which has the necessary files for Avalaunch and the utilities as mentioned above.  The same disc comes with the emulators and XBMC.

Soft modding is better than the hardware version.  I hardwired my xbox with the Executor chip and the solderless adapter but it cost £££.

I don't use the Xbox much now only for XBMC and as a NAS.

Save yourself some money and softmod it and get a bigger drive that is 5400 RPMs so it won't cook your xbox.  If you don't go on Xbox live - who cares anyway.

[Grasshopper]

You would be better off soft modding it.  Get AID 2.0 which has the necessary files for Avalaunch and the utilities as mentioned above.  The same disc comes with the emulators and XBMC.

Soft modding is better than the hardware version.  I hardwired my xbox with the Executor chip and the solderless adapter but it cost £££.

I don't use the Xbox much now only for XBMC and as a NAS.

Save yourself some money and softmod it and get a bigger drive that is 5400 RPMs so it won't cook your xbox.  If you don't go on Xbox live - who cares anyway.

I have considered a softmod. It's certainly nice not having to open up the Xbox and do some tricky soldering. But I'd have to question whether a significant financial saving can be made by going down that route. I've seen the duox2 on sale for as little as $10, and even if you do a softmod you still have to obtain one of the games that enables the savegame exploit to be utilised.

[Grasshopper]

Does the DuoX2 have built-in FTP?  I thought it didn't, but could be wrong.  A built-in webserver for flashing the BIOS is nice too, but not as important as the FTP server, IMO.

This is a pretty fundamental issue for me. I'm hoping it's simply a case of getting hold of an appropriate bios from xbins or somewhere, but my research hasn't thrown up any clear cut answers on this point.

[northerngames]

most of all of the up to date cromwell flash bios have these for flash support:

FTP: from a pc
HDD: xbox hdd
disk drive: xbox dvd drive

[slycrel]

If you're comfortable with your soldering skills then get a chip.  If soldering makes you nervous, softmod it.  They are virtually the same thing nowadays, both ahve their pros and cons.

I softmodded mine and haven't looked back.  I have heard really good things about some of the newer bioses as well.

Best of luck.

[SNAAKE]

Incidentally, do you need a different bios revision depending upon which chipset your Xbox has?

1.0 to 1.5 same bios and different for 1.6 xbox.

1.0/1.1 is usually 1mb and 1.2 to 1.6 is 256kb. and duox2 comes with 2 seperate 512kb banks so you will have to resize it using any bios tools(xbins should everything u need).

[northerngames]

like snake say's V1.0-V1.5 use there own bios and the V1.6's have there own seperate bios.



1.0/1.1 is usually 1mb and 1.2 to 1.6 is 256kb.......only pertains to tsop and softmodding and the v1.0 actually is the only 1mb model the v1.1-v1.6 are 256kb and the v1.6 does not even have one the same as the others

 and duox2 comes with 2 seperate 512kb banks so you will have to resize it using any bios tools.......this has nothing to do with the above when using a chip becuase the bios and size is on the chip itself and not the xbox at all and you could use any 512kb wit it without resizing like a x2 bios or something.

for instance I use a x3 1mb flash and a v1.4 but the chip bios size does not have anything to do with the console bios that only pertains to the softmod/tsop split etc.

[ChadTower]

It matters with dip switched bios banks... you have to know specifically which banks you are using and that is dependent on the size of the bios itself.  The dip switches control which banks are active at any given time. 

It sounds overly complicated but this is what gives you the ability to have multiple bios ready to go at any time (e.g. hacked bios and standard for Live).  It's all optional, too.

[northerngames]

with a soft mod set-up that is correrect with a chip you turn it on able or disabled depending on how you power the console up and for the tsop to swap you would need a switch.

if you can solder good use the duox2.

[Grasshopper]

Thanks for the replies so far.

Can anyone here tell me anything about the EvoX and X2 bioses, in particular do they have FTP support built in?

[northerngames]

they both do yes

[shmokes]

Maybe I'm just misunderstanding, but I'm under the distinct impression that a cracked BIOS does not have a built-in FTP server.  That would either have to be part of the chip's OS, or you could run an FTP server once a cracked BIOS has been loaded (all the dashboards have one built-in, for example).

[ChadTower]

Some chips definitely have a built in FTP server.  I'm not sure if it's in the chip's firmware or the BIOS loaded to the chip, though.  I'm actually not sure if the chip actually has firmware beyond the BIOS and it's entirely possible the only thing driving a chip (beyond FlashBIOS) is the BIOS you've loaded.

[Grasshopper]

Some chips definitely have a built in FTP server.  I'm not sure if it's in the chip's firmware or the BIOS loaded to the chip, though.  I'm actually not sure if the chip actually has firmware beyond the BIOS and it's entirely possible the only thing driving a chip (beyond FlashBIOS) is the BIOS you've loaded.

That's exactly what I've been wondering. If the FTP facility is built into the BIOS then I can't think of a good reason not to get a duox2.

I'm assuming of course that the duox2 will accept any bios. However, it occurs to me that perhaps certain bioses will only work with certain modchips.

It's very hard to find clear cut answers to these basic questions.

[ChadTower]

These answers are laid out clearly at xbox-scene.com.  Not in the forums, on the webpage itself.  I'd get the urls but it's blocked by my work proxy.

[Grasshopper]

These answers are laid out clearly at xbox-scene.com.  Not in the forums, on the webpage itself.  I'd get the urls but it's blocked by my work proxy.

I've just found some useful info on this subject. However it's dated 2004 which seems to be par for the course.

http://www.copying-xbox-games.com/tutorials.php?tutorialid=00000029

[northerngames]

the duox2 with cromwell flash bios has

HDD flash support meaning you can but the bios flash on the hdd stick it in the xbox and select flash from hdd and locate where you stuck the file to flash press the button and it flash's

disk flash burn your file onto disk stick it in the dvd drive select flash from disk and it does so.

ftp flash install the chip hook it to the pc set the option settings in both xbox and pc to network and select flash from ftp and it does so.

if the chip already has the evo-x or x2 or whever else it will have ftp support EDIT: and after the dash is installed and set left this part a little unclear.

they have ftp support with a chip in without a hacked bios already installed that is what cromwell is it allow's the xbox to boot the cromwell flash bios only it does nothing else but enable it to flash again by disk hdd or ftp.

[shmokes]

edit: northerngames posted while I was typing this, but I had written too much to want to go back and see if any of my information is refuted by his . . .

As I understand it, the FTP server has to be part of the chip.  For example, SmartXX was the first chip to have a built-in FTP server, followed later by Xenium.  The Xenium actually beat SmartXX to market by a long way, but it didn't have FTP until after SmartXX introduced the feature and it was added later in an OS update.  Similarly, the Xecutor 2 chips did not (do not?) have built-in FTP.  They were around for a LONG time before Xenium and SmartXX. 

The thing is, all of these chips, from day one, have been loading hacked BIOSes.  If FTP was in the BIOS, why would SmartXX, a company that doesn't even deal in BIOSes (you use an Xecuter or Evox bios with this chip), or Xenium, who is in the same boat, be the first to incorporate FTP into their chips if the FTP is part of the BIOS?  It doesn't make sense to me that you could even change the BIOS that much, add something that big, without breaking it.  The BIOS is the lowest-level layer of software that acts as an intermediary between the software and hardware.  It seems unlikely to me that they could fiddle with the MS BIOS that much.  I think they basically do nothing to it aside from stripping security routines out of it and adding very basic things, like the ability to reset the box with a specific combination of button presses (basically adding CTRL+ALT+DELETE). 

The giant leap forward in the 3rd generation of Xbox mod chips was the addition of an onboard OS.  All the modchips before that had memory banks that could load hacked BIOSes, but the addition of an onboard OS, allowed the chip to run its own software, which is what gave us the ability for the chip to have things like HDD utilities and applications like FTP and web servers.

So, I might be wrong, but that's how I understand it, and why I believe that the DuoX2 might possibly not have an FTP server.  I know that with a SmartXX, Xenium or Xecutor 3 (the only chips I have personal experience with), I can FTP into my box before ever transferring a hacked BIOS to it.  And, for that matter, before ever loading any BIOS at all (hacked or otherwise).  When you have one of these chips, you load into their configuration screens (their OS) before the BIOS is ever loaded.  From there you can select what BIOS you want the machine to load.  Also, at this point, before you have ever selected which BIOS you want to load, you already have access to the FTP server. 

[Grasshopper]

Well according to the link I just found:

the Xecuter bios is probably the bios that you will want to flash onto your mod chip. The X2 bios will allow you to perform all sorts of cool functions that the virgin MS bios will not allow such as upgrading the xbox hard drive, FTP into the xbox, disabling macrovision, copying xbox games to the hard drive, copying xbox games to dvd, copying xbox games to your own computer for archival purposes, and generally allowing your Xbox to boot any unsigned code.

The site also says that the X2 bios can be flashed on to any modchip. There's no mention of the duox2 in the text. However, that might be because the info is three years out of date, and predates the duox2.

[northerngames]

Maybe I'm just misunderstanding, but I'm under the distinct impression that a cracked BIOS does not have a built-in FTP server.....that is correct.

  That would either have to be part of the chip's OS....more expensive have this like the xenium or x3's they have an onbard ftp but not all chips do.

or you could run an FTP server once a cracked BIOS has been loaded.......the cracked bios enable's or opens this option yes but the cromwell flash bios is a actual bios that enable's the upgraded flash by hdd dvd drive or ftp that is all cromwell is a temporary bios that allows it to be reflashed with the end user's bios choice

(all the dashboards have one built-in, for example)....correct once you have the end user's bios choice on there then you can install the dash and then set the ftp option settings in it then be able to ftp it afterwards

[northerngames]

the cromwell flash bios works as a temporary bios or like a re-flash OS on any chip if it were a 256k flashbios on bank1 and you have the chip switch on bank1 and flash it with the end user's choice it would replace the cromwell and on the next power up it would load the end user's choice.


http://www.team-xecuter.com/flashbios/

[Banacek]

For the record I love my Xenium and I never had to solder anything 

[DrumAnBass]

For the record I love my Xenium and I never had to solder anything 

Ditto for me; Xenium SPICE solderless has worked flawlessly for me. I believe it uses a Cromwell bios that has built in FTP support. Been a long time since I did my mod; once I modded my xbox I haven't had to think about it! It just works...

[shmokes]

Well according to the link I just found:

You're misreading that.  It's a little bit misleading.  The BIOS does not have all those abilities itself.  It merely opens the door to adding those capabilities through other software, i.e., you cannot load another dashboard such as XBMC or Avalaunch (which have FTP Servers), or other software like ripping programs, without first loading a hacked BIOS like the X2. 

Apparently the Cromwell BIOS has some kind of FTP server in it, from what I'm getting from northerngames' post, but I'm not sure if it's a full-fledged server that gives you access to all the drives or not. 

[northerngames]

that is all correct and it only allows the ftp to flash the chip only and once it is flashed then the homebrew dash's emu's etc. can be added after and in the new dash options after installed use the options to set the ftp and then it will be ftp ready for all of the drive's.

cromwell work's like a chip OS but is a bios but it only act's like a flash utility and does nothing more then allow the chip to be flashed easier with something else.

[ChadTower]

IIRC, I flashed the BIOS via HTTP, which was pretty damn convenient.

[shmokes]

Okay, so, yeah.  Cromwell would not provide FTP the way SmartXX, Xenium and Xecutor 3 do.  With these chips, and this is something I've had to use on more than one occasion for this reason, if your dashboard messes up and the Xbox will no longer boot to it, you can always boot into the chip's OS and then use its built-in FTP server to gain access to your Xbox to fix the problem, or just throw a new copy of the dashboard over (in case a file got corrupted or something).

If you ask me, the FTP server alone is worth the cost of the more expensive chips.  They've got other nice features as well, but FTP alone is so huge.  When I set up a new Xbox, I don't even need the DVD drive (which is nice since many Xbox DVD drives are unable to read various types of blank media).

[Grasshopper]

Well the FTP facility is very tempting indeed. It would be great if I could ignore the DVD drive altogether except for transferring games to the HD and playing DVDs. But the more expensive chips that offer that facility are about three times the price of the duox2. That's a price differential that's hard to ignore.

Incidentally shmokes, of the three chips you mentioned, which one would you say is the best?

[ChadTower]

I used the X3 and plan to do it again, it was all roses there except for the install documentation.

[shmokes]

Honestly, my favorite is SmartXX.  I love the Xenium for solderless installs (but hot glue everything once it's all in place so that you can be sure the wires will stay put).  And I've currently got an Xecuter 3 that I'm completely happy with in my Xbox because tonsillitis tonsillectomy forced me to give my SmartXX away.  Any of the three are really great chips.  If price is a concern, you definitely don't want to go solderless, as that adds a good $20 to the setup.



edit: typo

[northerngames]

avaluanch
evo-x
and a few other dash's have ftp support not sure if there is any that do not.

these dash's both have ftp support so any chip with either dash installed on the hdd will have ftp access.

the ftp on the x3 xenium and smartxx etc. are only to flash them and nothing more as explained prior.

are you trying to figure out how to flash this thing or use it afterwards lol.

[shmokes]

Use it afterward.  And the FTP on the Xenium and SmartXX are both full fledged FTP servers that give complete access to the Xbox HDD in exactly the same way that the FTP servers in Avalaunch and XBMC do.  Except that you don't have to have anything installed.  In fact, I don't even think the FTP on the chips give you access to the chip's BIOS banks.  I think they all have a separate web server for that so you can just browse to the chip in your web browser and transfer BIOS's that way.  With any of the big three chips you can install the mod chip, and then use the mod chip's build-in full FTP server right off the bat to transfer any software you want to the HDD - dashboards, games, etc.  It makes setting up the box for the first time very simple.  It also acts as a backup.  If, for example, your dashboard gets corrupted and you can't boot up to it you then obviously can't use the dashboard's FTP server either.  No problem.  You just boot into the mod chip's OS and you've now got full FTP access to your hard drive and can push over a new copy of the dashboard.  It's great for troubleshooting, and it's good peace of mind for tinkering to.  You don't have to worry about whether what you're messing with is going to kill your Xbox's ability to boot into the dashboard, cos you know that if it does it's no problem since the chip runs a full-fledged FTP server.

I have used the FTP server on Xenium, SmartXX and Xecuter 3 chips, so I can personally verify that it is there and works great.  SmartXX debuted the feature with the first SmartXX chip.  We are now on the much nicer SmartXX v.3 chip and the feature is still there.  They call it Ed on Chip (no idea why).   Xenium followed suit with an OS update to their original Xenium chip that added the feature a few months after SmartXX came out with it.  Xecuter was last to the party as their Xecuter 3 took forever to come to market and I don't think they ever added the feature to Xecuter 2 (dunno how they would since it doesn't have an onboard OS).  But once the X3 came out, FTP was there.  I've used it.

[northerngames]

I use a x3 and am sticking with them I have used and installed all versions and I like these the best.

shmokes is right with them

one thing to bear in mind though is auto-installer disk can also make the xbox boot and work like it was the hdd do if any dash or file crashed you could alway's throw in the auto-iunstaller and boot a dash right off of it and go into a file manager program on the disk and swap your corrupt with the good off the disk shut it down and power it up and wall everything is good to go again if you have a auto-disk corruption is not a problem.

[Grasshopper]

Shmokes is right. If I bought a chip with FTP support built in, it would really be for peace of mind. I could afford to badly screw things up and still have a rock-solid last resort means of regaining access to the Xbox. That being said, the duox2 has two banks of flash memory, and you'd have to be pretty careless to put a bad BIOS on both banks at the same time.

Another thing to bear in mind is that the duox2 chips are so ridiculously cheap. I'm tempted to buy one just to experiment with. If I don't like it then I can always buy another more sophisticated modchip at a later date, as all modchips appear to use the same header pins. The worst case scenario is that I've wasted about $15 including postage.

[ChadTower]

I could afford to badly screw things up and still have a rock-solid last resort means of regaining access to the Xbox.

I'm not sure I get that... can't you just drop in another hard drive?  The thing comes with like an 8gig drive.  They practically grow on trees.

[Grasshopper]

Has anyone here used this company before:

http://www.divineo.cn/cgi-bin/div-cn/xb-duox2cr.html

Their prices are extremely competitive but there are two things that make me nervous - they're based in China and they don't appear to accept Paypal.

I've also got a couple of other questions that are slightly off-topic but still related to modding in general.

I've been looking into the whole TSOP flash thing. For those that don't know, pre-1.6 Xboxes have their BIOS stored in flash RAM but with write-access disabled. However, by shorting a couple of points on the Xbox's motherboard you can re-enable write access. Then once you've gained access to the Xbox's OS (using the same techniques used by softmodders), you can flash the TSOP chip with a replacement BIOS.

I should point out that I've no intention of attempting a TSOP flash. With modchips costing as little as $10, it's just not worth the risk IMHO. However, it has got me thinking about softmodding in general.

I'd always assumed that a softmod altered the Xbox's BIOS in some way. However, it appears I was wrong because if write access to the TSOP chip is disabled in hardware then it simply wouldn't be possible. The implication of this is that a softmod gives you full access to the Xbox's facilities simply by installing a replacement dashboard on the Xbox's hard disk. Am I understanding this correctly?

Another interesting thing I read recently is that modchips can be hotplugged. However, my understanding is that the Xbox's BIOS is not just needed for booting up, it's also used by games. The implication of this is that the BIOS is copied into RAM on bootup, and then it is the RAM copy that is used by applications. Am I understanding this correctly?

You might ask why does this even matter? Well it occurs to me that it would be far safer to experiment with BIOS patches by temporarily applying the patches to the copy of the BIOS held in RAM, instead of continually reflashing the modchip. This is particularly important for VGA patches because if you make a mistake then you're likely to end up with a blank screen making recovery very difficult.

[ChadTower]

You would want to read this book for some of that, I think.  I'm almost done with it, and while much of it is at least Masters level EE discussion, it's still a very fascinating look into reverse engineering and specifically the Xbox all the way down to the PCB component level.  Really, really cool book.

[Grasshopper]

I could afford to badly screw things up and still have a rock-solid last resort means of regaining access to the Xbox.

I'm not sure I get that... can't you just drop in another hard drive?  The thing comes with like an 8gig drive.  They practically grow on trees.

Well that still means having to open up the Xbox's case. And how would you format the hard disk and put the replacement dashboard on it?

I've read that an Xbox's hard disk has to be "unlocked" before its contents can be read by a PC. I really don't know much about this issue, but I get the impression it's a bit more complicated than you're making it out to be.

[ChadTower]

It does need to be unlocked, yes, and that can be done with third party apps on the PC.  But a replacement HD is nothing more than a regular IDE drive with lock capability. There is nothing special about an Xbox hard drive.  The only thing you may or may not have an issue getting is the Xbox hard drive contents, i.e. the software that runs the Xbox, but while you have your HD unlocked you should take a backup of that and dropping it onto a DVD for safe keeping... 

Whenever hacking a PC-like device like this, take a backup of every part of original software that is reasonably practical, it will save your ass later on.

[Grasshopper]

So what you're saying is that you can purchase a standard PC hard disk, format it to the Xbox's formatting standard, put a replacement dash on it, lock it using PC software, put it in your Xbox, and then your Xbox is modded?

If it's that easy then why do people bother messing around with savegame exploits etc.?

[ChadTower]

You can now, you couldn't always.  There is a very mature bunch of hacker's tools out there for the Xbox at this point.  They didn't always exist this way and I've seen few if any appliance hacking communities with as user friendly and powerful a set of polished tools.

The hacker communities start with stuff like savegame exploits (I assume you're talking something like the GC Phantasy Star exploit) but it doesn't stay there.

[J_K_M_A_N]

So what you're saying is that you can purchase a standard PC hard disk, format it to the Xbox's formatting standard, put a replacement dash on it, lock it using PC software, put it in your Xbox, and then your Xbox is modded?

If it's that easy then why do people bother messing around with savegame exploits etc.?

You have to get the key from your xbox first. So you have to do a hotswap (which is where you boot your xbox and the box unlocks your hard drive then while it is still powered, you connect it to a computer which is what I did) or you have to use a software exploit and ftp the eeprom.bin file to your computer. Once you have your eeprom.bin you can format a hard drive in a computer with one of the hacker programs and lock it using your eeprom.bin file. It locks to the xbox. That is why you need the key FIRST.

You can't just hook up a hard drive to a computer and format it and lock it and it will work in an xbox. It has to be locked with the key FROM the xbox you are putting it into. (Unless something has changed that I haven't heard about which would be pretty cool)

J_K_M_A_N

[ChadTower]

I thought I saw a client that would sit on your PC and snag the key from your Xbox for you... could be remembering the mechanics wrong, though.

[northerngames]

with a chip the hdd does not need to be locked unless you want to boot the stock retial dash and bios or if you want to go live with it other then that it does not need to be locked throw in a large hdd and run a auto installer on it and it would be good to go they have config magic wich is software on the xbox that lock's and unlock's the hdd but if you lock it and the mobo fails then you have a bricked hdd that is now locked with a code you did not get unless you get it and write it down.

x3's also have a onbaord that backs-up your eeprom wich is your mobo/hdd code information.

[Grasshopper]

You can't just hook up a hard drive to a computer and format it and lock it and it will work in an xbox. It has to be locked with the key FROM the xbox you are putting it into. (Unless something has changed that I haven't heard about which would be pretty cool)

with a chip the hdd does not need to be locked unless you want to boot the stock retial dash and bios or if you want to go live with it other then that it does not need to be locked throw in a large hdd and run a auto installer on it and it would be good to go they have config magic wich is software on the xbox that lock's and unlock's the hdd but if you lock it and the mobo fails then you have a bricked hdd that is now locked with a code you did not get unless you get it and write it down.

Ahh, that makes more sense. I didn't think modding could as simple as sticking in a new hard drive pre-prepared on a PC.

I'm a little unclear on how the locking process works though. Is it done through hardware, software, or both? And if you accidentally brick your HDD by losing the unlock code, can you simply reformat it and start again?

[ChadTower]

No, I'd imagine that if you locked it and lost the code, you would not be able to reformat because you can't access it.  You'd have to find a way past the lock, which basically means having the key.

[J_K_M_A_N]

Yes, I have an X3 and I leave my hard drive unlocked. I have another that I did the hot swap method. That has to be locked or it won't boot. I have the eeprom.bin on my computer for that xbox. So if the motherboard fails, I can unlock the hard drive using the eeprom.bin file from that xbox. (Actually I have both backed up on the computer.) So no matter how you mod you xbox, backup the eeprom right away to your computer and maybe another spot so you don't lose it. That is your safeguard for locked hard drives.

Actually, with the X3 you can make your xbox look like it is a different xbox. That is what I did to make a bigger hard drive for the soft modded xbox I have. I got the eeprom off the softmodded xbox and loaded it onto the chipped xbox using the X3 bios. Then they were identical. The X3 has hard drive utilities to format a hard drive so I did that. Then I ftp'd the files to it and locked it. Then I put the new hard drive in the softmodded xbox and it worked. But I did have a problem trying to use both at the same time after that. I figured out that I had to put the old eeprom back on the chipped box otherwise they would conflict on the network and both would act weird.

If you have an old PC laying around, the hot swap method isn't that bad and is free. I was nervous the first time I did it and the second but it worked fine both times. I ran a wire from the shielding of the xbox to the computer for grounding. Everything went fine both times. It does take some time to load the files and that made me the most nervous. It almost looks like it is doing nothing, like it locked up, but it is working.

Good luck.

J_K_M_A_N

[northerngames]

yeah the xbox is formatted different and have more partitions then the regular pc but you could go to the store buy a larger hdd stick it in the xbox and run a auto installer disk and it will work fine unlocked and I to leave mine unlocked becuase I don't go live with it and the upgraded dash's do everything stock does and then some.

I know a way to get the key off the motherboard even it it does get fried somehow so worst case I can alway's leech the code off anyone's dead motherboards if needed.

[ChadTower]

You can go right into the settings for many dashes and look up the key. 

[northerngames]

yeah the config magic software from the auto installers that lock's and unlock's the hdd also show's all the key code's on screen.

[Grasshopper]

No, I'd imagine that if you locked it and lost the code, you would not be able to reformat because you can't access it.  You'd have to find a way past the lock, which basically means having the key.

I meant could you put a locked drive in a PC and format it?

[Grasshopper]

As far as I can tell there seems to be only two reasons for keeping the Xbox's hard disk in a locked state. Either you want to use Xbox live (which I don't) or you're using a softmod, in which case you (probably) don't have a choice.

As I'm getting a modchip, I think I'll just leave the drive unlocked.

[northerngames]

I meant could you put a locked drive in a PC and format it? nope it is locked to the xbox motherboard and not the pc and would be code encrypted.

As far as I can tell there seems to be only two reasons for keeping the Xbox's hard disk in a locked state. Either you want to use Xbox live (which I don't) or you're using a softmod, in which case you (probably) don't have a choice.

that is correct or to load the stock bios and dash but otehr then that it does not need to be locked correct I never lock any of mine but I can get the code off any mobo without it even being in a case or connected to a psu so for some it is not an issue in either case.

[crashwg]

I used to keep mine locked for using the M$ Dash as a DVD player.  I prefer the controls of the XBOX dvd remote using that rather than XBMC.

Since I got my projector though I have been forced to use XBMC due to it being very good at up-scaling DVDs.  YAY XBOX!

[Samstag]

I used to keep mine locked for using the M$ Dash as a DVD player.  I prefer the controls of the XBOX dvd remote using that rather than XBMC.

I use the MS dash once in a while and I'm unlocked.

[ChadTower]

No, I'd imagine that if you locked it and lost the code, you would not be able to reformat because you can't access it.  You'd have to find a way past the lock, which basically means having the key.

I meant could you put a locked drive in a PC and format it?

That's exactly what I was explaining.  No.

[Grasshopper]

I've done it! Done what? I hear you ask. I've finally fitted a modchip to my Xbox, and more importantly it still boots.

It's hard to describe what a kick I got when the machine booted successfully and the alternative boot screen appeared showing that the modchip was working.

However, the soldering was far harder than I anticipated. I've always considered myself to be a pretty good solderer. But having seen some of the YouTube videos of people modding their Xboxes with ridiculous ease, I might have to downgrade my soldering skills to mediocre.

[ChadTower]

Did you do a wired install or one of the shaped PCBs that bridge to existing joints with blobs?

[Grasshopper]

Did you do a wired install or one of the shaped PCBs that bridge to existing joints with blobs?

Well the Xbox that I modded was a 1.4 (I've also got a 1.6) so all I had to do was solder in the header pins and solder two wires from the modchip to the D0 and BT points. I did however complicate my life a bit by rigging up a system so I could completely remove the modchip without having to do any desoldering.

[ChadTower]

Oh yeah, those PCBs are only for the 1.6.  I forget that, I've only done that rev.

[Grasshopper]

Oh yeah, those PCBs are only for the 1.6.  I forget that, I've only done that rev.

Yeah, the 1.6 would have been significantly harder to mod. The reason I bought a 1.4 was because it can output VGA without an expensive external adapter. However the relative ease with which it could be modded was a nice bonus.

[northerngames]

yeah the v1.6's lack alot of things compared to the other models they don't even have solder pads for ram upgrade's the video chip gets to hot on alot of them and they like to burn the little lpc fuse up for no reason but sometimes cuased by sticking the v1.6 mobo in a non v1.6 case without removing the peg and metal in the case and it pops them fast I repaired around 30 of them fuse's on dead v1.6's just myself.

[Grasshopper]

Incidentally, I'm not really sure what to do next. Can anyone here point me in the right direction? I'd rather not spend hours wading through the Xbox Scene forums reinventing the wheel.

I know that there are boot disks available that will install an alternative dashboard. But I'm thinking it would be prudent to back up everything I can before doing any experimenting, so if necessary I can easily return the machine back to its factory state. Can anyone recommend a good boot disk that could do this? As a bare minimum I'd like to back up the entire contents of the hard disk and obtain the hard disk unlock code. It would also be desirable, although not essential, to backup the BIOS (both the modchip BIOS and the TSOP).

With regards to the hard disk, could I simply FTP all the files over to my PC or are there pitfalls that I need to be aware of such as hidden boot sectors, hidden system files, filename incompatibilities etc.?

Thanks in advance.

[northerngames]

check for the most most current either will do.
slayers
A.I.D. (auto installer deluxe)

[ChadTower]

I did it all by hand according to the instructions that came with my mod chip (x3).  If you really want a backup, the best way to do this is to upgrade the HD now, and keep the original as your backup.

[Hoagie_one]

I've done one solder job on an xbox, two solderless, and dozens of soft mods.  I like the solderless myself.