X-box mod for Mame help (Also Best Console Game Ports)

[tightwad]

I am, once again, looking at my XBOX for MAME.  I now have a cabinet I can use (currently a working Rampage cab tho).  My computer selection has been limited because I had a virus on MY main computer, and have no coopted the kids computer which was going to be the MAME computer....so either I rebuild my computer (not my favorite idea atm) and use the kids computer for MAME as intended, or I take the soft-mod Xbox and use that.

I am interested in more information about how Coin-Ops works with Trackball and Spinner/mouse…I require these and it was the reason I looked away from the X-box.  How are they interfaced?  Do they truly work?  Where do I get Coin-Ops?  I see references to it, but no idea where to obtain it.

[ark_ader]

I am interested in more information about how Coin-Ops works with Trackball and Spinner/mouse…I require these and it was the reason I looked away from the X-box.  How are they interfaced?  Do they truly work?  Where do I get Coin-Ops?  I see references to it, but no idea where to obtain it.

Yes it works, but games that I like to play (blasteroids) kida wig out with the spinner.  This probably due to the dial values that was implemented to be compatible with the xbox triggers.  I'm fiddling with it and I'm sure it will be do'able in the very near future.  Tempest is another game that dances the jig with the spinner....

BTW, can the Xbox do Wifi for the internet connection?

I use an airlink as a wifi client or the Buffalo WG54A in bridge mode either way G is plenty to stream on and linux is a great way to surf in HD.

CoinOPS is an illegal build so don't expect it to be hosted.

I know where it is but Saint would...... if I told.....

[DJ_Izumi]

http://www.dragonslairfans.com/smfor/index.php?topic=221.0

Relevent; This guy took a Daytona USA cab, cleaned it up, found an Xbox1 racing wheel who's pots matched the Daytona USA's guts, wired them in, installed the Xbox1 and built an Outrun 2 twin cab running Outrun 2 home retail version. o___o

[jukingeo]

For wireless, use a wireless bridge, or mod a cheap router with DDWRT (http://www.dd-wrt.com/) to turn it into a bridge. The Asus WL-520gc works nicely: http://is.gd/8HD48

Sounds like something pretty involved to set up and get going, huh?  Anyway, I am FAR from ready for it, but at least I know the capability is there.

Man reading through these posts reminds me of what a pain in the ass it was to mod my XBOX's years ago. But once you do it, they will work rock solid for a long time!

As of now, I think the big issue is that the information on Xbox-Scene is very old and there are many broken links.  So it is tough to find a 'complete' set of install instructions.  What makes matters more complicated is that there seems to be 100 different correct ways to get the Xbox up and running, but there are about 10,000 ways to NOT set it up right.   With the outdated info on Xbox-Scene, I found myself resorting to someone that directly assist me with setting it up.  But from what I have seen posted on-line in terms of finished products, I am amazed at what the Xbox can REALLY do.

I am at the slight disadvantage because I didn't buy into the Xbox when it came out.  While it was touted as superior to the PS2, the problem was that it didn't have the extensive library.  The PS2 was already a second generation unit and was backward compatible with PS1 games.  In addition the games just seemed overall 'better'.  So I let the Xbox pass me by.   The funny thing is that even today, looking back on the Xbox library, I STILL stand behind my PS2.   The Xbox became interesting because of the 'other' things it can do.  Naturally turning one into a Mame engine is my primary objective and why I am here.

I am, once again, looking at my XBOX for MAME.  I now have a cabinet I can use (currently a working Rampage cab tho).  My computer selection has been limited because I had a virus on MY main computer, and have no coopted the kids computer which was going to be the MAME computer....so either I rebuild my computer (not my favorite idea atm) and use the kids computer for MAME as intended, or I take the soft-mod Xbox and use that.

I am interested in more information about how Coin-Ops works with Trackball and Spinner/mouse…I require these and it was the reason I looked away from the X-box.  How are they interfaced?  Do they truly work?  Where do I get Coin-Ops?  I see references to it, but no idea where to obtain it.

Hi Tightwad!  Long time no write!  I was wondering where you were in your Xbox mod considering that you ordered your modchips before I did.   So what happened, you were going to bounce back to using a PC?   At any rate I still would continue with the Xbox plan even though it lacked the trackball/spinner support.  But it does sound like that CoinOPS does have a work around.  I still have to read more into it though.

The funniest thing is that my plans for a bartop arcade machine stemmed from the idea that I just wanted a simple table top type arcade game that had BUTTONS ONLY.  There are a great deal of early 80's games that ONLY used buttons.  But then I got to thinking that I SHOULD add a joystick too.   So the original plan is still to NOT use any analog controls.   But that is for this project.  The next Xbox Mame project WOULD be different.

Yes it works, but games that I like to play (blasteroids) kida wig out with the spinner.  This probably due to the dial values that was implemented to be compatible with the xbox triggers.  I'm fiddling with it and I'm sure it will be do'able in the very near future.  Tempest is another game that dances the jig with the spinner....

Bummer!  So there still is a problem with analog controls even with the CoinOPS Showcase version?

I use an airlink as a wifi client or the Buffalo WG54A in bridge mode either way G is plenty to stream on and linux is a great way to surf in HD.

Like I was mentioned above...it sounds complicated.  So I am just going to be content with getting the box running first!

CoinOPS is an illegal build so don't expect it to be hosted.

Having it being hosted was never my intention.  The reason I wanted the WiFi was because I am in process of upgrading my home network to include wireless because my wife wants to use a laptop with WiFi.   So naturally I though that I could 'tap' the Xbox into the network and that would make file sharing that much easier between the arcade cabinet with the Xbox and my network (I don't have to run a wire).   Also since XBMC has network capabilities, I may as well take advantage of that too!

http://www.dragonslairfans.com/smfor/index.php?topic=221.0

Relevent; This guy took a Daytona USA cab, cleaned it up, found an Xbox1 racing wheel who's pots matched the Daytona USA's guts, wired them in, installed the Xbox1 and built an Outrun 2 twin cab running Outrun 2 home retail version. o___o

It is funny you mentioned this and I will check out the link in detail later on, but if you noticed that I titled this thread: X-box mod for Mame help (Also Best Console Game Ports).  Well it was originally titled "Best Console For Arcade Game Ports" and the Xbox came up as an early choice there.  I WAS thinking about building a cabinet around an Xbox runnin the home retail versions such as the "Arcade Treasures" series, but then I got turned on to the idea of modding...after all, if the Xbox can run MAME, it doesn't get much better than that!

Geo

[DJ_Izumi]

Yeah but MAME doesn't get Outrun 2 or Outrun 2 SP.

Or House Of The Dead 3, or Crazy Taxi 3.

[shmokes]

I got a PS3, and since it has media center capabilities I moved the Xbox into the bedroom so my wife can watch stuff from the media center in there.  I REALLY miss having it on the main TV.  The interface of XBMC is lightyears beyond the PS3, and codec support is much better too.  Browsing through files on the PS3 is a PITA, and it's missing other little touches like the 30-sec skip button and versatile subtitle support.

What I'd really love is to build a little XBMC box.  The software is amazing, but it's outgrown the Xbox hardware.  To get the most out of XBMC you need more power.

[DJ_Izumi]

XBMC is best.  I use it as the dashboard on my 80GB machine.  It's hooked up over component to a 27" Trinitron CRT so I only need standard def video sources.  As a result it keeps up find with any content.  Well, it has trouble with h.264 480p material so I have to stick to XviD and such, but at the moment that's not an issue.

With the Xbox it's also nice to play games like Outrun 2 SP in Outrun 2006, Crazy Taxi 3 or House of the Dead 3 and know that since it's almost identical to the Sega Chihiro, you're basically getting as close to an arcade perfect graphics experience as possible without emulating the real hardware.  Sure the menus are different, but in game it's pretty much EXACTLY like the arcade.

Though I do wish Outrun 2 SP had an attract mode.

[ark_ader]

I just won a component cable for my 1440 LCD Converter so I'm looking forward to 720p +.  Should I be able to get 1080p?

I managed to get the right balance for all my spinner and trackball games for CoinOps Showcase R3 so everything plays perfectly.  Be prepared to love looking at your notepad application for a few hours.

I got Final Burn Legends today and I can play Galaxy Force II.  I just need the motorized chair.

Who says the Xbox is dead? 

[DJ_Izumi]

I think the weakness of the Xbox1 is it lacks in good accessories.

For the 360 you can buy off the shelf solid arcade sticks, racing wheels, and other specialty gear.  For the Xbox1 almost everything except the standard gamepads were third party crap.  I've yet to find a light gun for the Xbox that I considder reliable and durable as Namco's PlayStation offerings even.

[jukingeo]

Yeah but MAME doesn't get Outrun 2 or Outrun 2 SP.

Or House Of The Dead 3, or Crazy Taxi 3.

When it comes to the newer games, I kind of strayed away from the arcade style games.  I mostly prefer the games from the 80's when it comes to the arcade.  Console games though are a different story and naturally I like a good adventure...something from the Final Fantasy Line.  On the PC, Roller Coaster Tycoon was always a favorite.  I have quite a few simulation games too.

What I'd really love is to build a little XBMC box.  The software is amazing, but it's outgrown the Xbox hardware.  To get the most out of XBMC you need more power.

Well, it comes down to price.  If I could get an Xbox 360 for under $100 then I would go that route too.  But, hey, at around an average of $30 and from what I been seeing what the regular Xbox can do, I am good for that.

I managed to get the right balance for all my spinner and trackball games for CoinOps Showcase R3 so everything plays perfectly.  Be prepared to love looking at your notepad application for a few hours.

So you fixed the issue with the trackball?  Anything I should watch out for?

I think the weakness of the Xbox1 is it lacks in good accessories.

Yeah, I noticed that too, but for Mame games, I would just hack a standard controller anyway.

For the 360 you can buy off the shelf solid arcade sticks, racing wheels, and other specialty gear.  For the Xbox1 almost everything except the standard gamepads were third party crap.  I've yet to find a light gun for the Xbox that I considder reliable and durable as Namco's PlayStation offerings even.

I am not particularly fond of racing games as they are all over the place and on just about every platform.  Sure I like the old classics such as Pole Position and Outrun.  While the newer games do have excellent graphics and performance, I just don't have any interest in the genre any longer.  But in terms of analog controls it is tough to do without a spinner or, in the very least, a trackball.  I just can't come to grips playing Marble Madness with a joystick.  Nope that just isn't going to cut it.   But for the most part, if I wanted full controls, then I would have went with a FULL size cabinet.  For the bar top cabinet, I needed something small and the Xbox does fit the bill nicely.

As I said above, the Xbox 360 still sells for a high price, even used.  Once it falls below the $100 mark, then I will get one.

But anyhoo...thanx for the good word on XBMC.  It does seem to come highly recommended and I most certainly will include it on my Xbox mod.

Geo

[DJ_Izumi]

I just prefer my gaming to be more portable, so I can just move around TVs and consoles and do day long gaming events.  The Xbox1 still gets use, though less and less, as it does have a lot of great arcade ports and such.  It's a useful machine.  Though I'd love to build a driving cockpit for arcade driving games someday.

[ark_ader]

I totally agree with this and yet every time I decide on a design I thik up something better and it never gets done.

9 out of 10 times I play on the PC or Consoles I'm sitting down, so a cockpit would seem to be a better idea, and I would love to ditch the desk.

Now if I could just get plans on a Star Trek Cockpit and add three LCD screens.....

[DJ_Izumi]

I'd think a cockpit style would be NECESSARY.  I've seen standup versions of NAOMI driving cabs and my only thought was 'Standing up to drive does not look fun!'

[tightwad]

I think if I build a driving cab (and I would LOVE to) I would be single as well....as it is my wife isn't a fan, but so far it doesn't encroach on her living space.

I am going to have to dig into Coin Ops more...as it is fairly unsupported it's hard ot find "Installation for dummies" which I need.

I didn't end up ordering the Mod chip as my soft mod worked.  I have a HD to use with my XBOX1 build, once again I just need to follow a "upgrading the harddrive for dummies" path.  Then of course I need to understand all the other mods.  Amazing what people can do, I just don't have the bandwidth to learn it all!

[DJ_Izumi]

XboxHDM I believe is the tool you need for formatting and locking a HDD with a key that'd match the Xbox's BIOS.  Though I havn't used that since late 2007. D:

[jukingeo]

I just prefer my gaming to be more portable, so I can just move around TVs and consoles and do day long gaming events. 

Agreed.  One of my other interests (which I mentioned above), is home theater, but I don't have the room for a large set up.  So I made a temporary one that is based on a computer and a video projector.  The video projector is a portable unit already, but the computer is a standard Compaq desktop computer (I sit the projector on top of it).  The big issue with the computer isn't its size, but the necessity to hook up the darn keyboard.  So that is a rather cumbersome extra piece to tag along with me.  An Xbox with XBMC would eliminate that problem, have everything on one small controller (or even the remote control) and it is much smaller and lighter.  So right there I see another use for the Xbox besides a Mame engine source.

The Xbox1 still gets use, though less and less, as it does have a lot of great arcade ports and such.  It's a useful machine.  Though I'd love to build a driving cockpit for arcade driving games someday.

I was going to stick with the arcade ports, but for what?  If I can run Mame, then I would be good to go with the arcade originals.  But I know there are the limitations with the analog, but Ark_ader says the new version of CoinOPs gets around that problem.  So I am going to look into that.

I am not much into the newer driving games, but being that I am a fan of the old Outrun, I do admit that Outrun 2 did raise an eyebrow.  If I had room, I would build a dedicated driving/cockpit type cabinet for those games as well.  But the primary purpose for such a cabinet would be mainly to run with a set of "Star Wars" controls.  But panel swaps would be mandatory on a large cabinet like that.  Another thing I always wanted to do was create a set of controls for the "Pod Racer" Star Wars game.  That is another 'newer' game I like.  The arcade version was great because you controlled the racer from two throttle controls...one for each hand.  Awesome!

I totally agree with this and yet every time I decide on a design I thik up something better and it never gets done.

Lol!  THAT sounds familiar!

9 out of 10 times I play on the PC or Consoles I'm sitting down, so a cockpit would seem to be a better idea, and I would love to ditch the desk.

Same here, I prefer sitting, but I am fine with stools.  Right now I don't have the room for a 'driver' anyway. 

Now if I could just get plans on a Star Trek Cockpit and add three LCD screens.....

Oooo, hope you got room for that one.  I saw a similar cockpit design like that for a flight simulator.  The thing was huge.

I'd think a cockpit style would be NECESSARY.  I've seen standup versions of NAOMI driving cabs and my only thought was 'Standing up to drive does not look fun!'

Yeah, that IS kind of awkward, but remember that those driving games were made for arcades and if they could fit all the controls in a cabinet that didn't have a larger footprint than a standard arcade cabinet, then that would appeal more to operators.  Also stand ups are cheaper than sit downs too, so cost comes into play.

Over the years the "cockpit" cabinets have become smaller as some cabinets seem like nothing more than a slightly lower full size arcade cabinet with a chair that sticks out a little bit that sits on a track (to adjust it).  Controls are usually in the same places as on the stand up cabinet.

I don't have enough interest in a driving games to warrant a full sit down cabinet, but if I DID have the room, I would consider a sit down cabinet of some kind because I know that I have other simulation games that could take advantage of a cockpit design.

But all in all with a full size sit down cabinet, I probably would use a PC as the engine.  With all the analog controls and I/O to deal with, I think a PC is still the way to go.

BUT for simple button/joystick cocktail or counter top cabinets, then yeah the Xbox does seem very appealing to me.

I think if I build a driving cab (and I would LOVE to) I would be single as well....as it is my wife isn't a fan, but so far it doesn't encroach on her living space.

I am going to have to dig into Coin Ops more...as it is fairly unsupported it's hard ot find "Installation for dummies" which I need.

I hear you there.  When finding info, I am just led to and fro and many times I end up finding dead links.   As for cabinets...well, I have a wife AND kids now and unless I get a place that has a tremendous amount of space, I DON'T foresee any kind of cockpit cabinet soon.  However, I DID think of a way to install a cabinet in a typical wall closet space and that could be made into a "general" sit down type cabinet.

Another Idea I have is a 'flat cab' in which the use of a flatscreen TV would allow a standup arcade cabinet that was less than half the depth of a full size game.  I know this has been done before here on BYOAC and it is a good concept.  It I have a location on a 'dead wall', I could line up two or three such cabinets and they would take up a very small foot print.

The countertop is thusfar the most space saving way to go for me because as of now I need something very portable.

I didn't end up ordering the Mod chip as my soft mod worked.  I have a HD to use with my XBOX1 build, once again I just need to follow a "upgrading the harddrive for dummies" path.  Then of course I need to understand all the other mods.  Amazing what people can do, I just don't have the bandwidth to learn it all!

Ahhh, so you are sticking with the soft mod.   Well, I can't evaluate the hard mod as of yet because I am still stuck at the 'Flash Point'.   I was getting some advice from Crash...but he is in the middle of a move right now and I have not heard from him in a few days.  I think based on his initial advice, I am going to attempt a flash this week on my own.  So I am going to cross my fingers that it works.

I would say that when it comes to a hard drive change it is hard to beat the chip.  If you don't need to lock the hard drive, it is one of the easier things to do.  Since I ordered two mod chips, I am going to buy another Xbox and make that one an XBMC machine.  That one is going to play movies, so I need to upgrade the HD, but I am not going to bother locking it either as that one will probably never be used for games.  We will see though, I have to first get this one going here.

XboxHDM I believe is the tool you need for formatting and locking a HDD with a key that'd match the Xbox's BIOS.  Though I havn't used that since late 2007. D:

That never came up before, but supposedly an installer disk such as AID or Slayer's SHOULD be able to do that, right?

Thanx,

Geo

[DJ_Izumi]

Well, your installer disk probably asked you to backup your EEPROM, you need that EEPROM cause the HDD Key is in it.

The softmod can't bypass the HDD security features.  The Bios has a key in it and the HDD has to be locked with a matching key.  If a drive with no key or a differnet key is installed into your Xbox it will not boot.  XboxHDM is a LiveCD that will let you lock an HDD with a key and also copy over files to the HDD, preformatting it.  I'd just stuff all the files from the smaller HDD onto the liveCD so I'd get a nice happy clone just with a lot more new space.  XboxHDM is finicky about which channels the target HDD and your optical drive on but it gets the job done.

Once your new HDD is locked, you can just swap it right into the Xbox.

[SparkyGoBlue]

Don't mean to hijack this thread, but I'm having a problem with my softmodded xbox, and I thought someone here could help.

I softmodded my xbox (v1.0) with a Splinter Cell game save exploit and installed UnleashX as my modded dash with a dual boot to the retail dash.  Everything worked great with the original softmod.

Yesterday I used XBMCID (v1.2) burned to a DVD to try and install XBMC as my dash.  I used the one click softmod option from the DVD and everything seemed to install without error, but now when I boot up my xbox, I get the XBMC logo for a second, but then the screen goes black.  There's a rotating circle in the upper right corner for a few seconds, then that disappears as well.  While the screen is blank, the xbox doesn't appear to be hung.  I can hear the sounds of the menus being run though when I push my dpad and the volume indicator actually pops up in the upper right corner and can be adjusted when I move one of the analog sticks up or down.  Very strange.

Couldn't find anything to fix the problem after much googling, so I was hoping one of the experts here could help. Any suggestions would be much appreciated...

[tightwad]

OK, so maybe I am a complete idiot...but I doubt it, I think some parts are missing....

I want to upgrade my HDD to a new 200 GB drive I have.  I was reading from this thread:
http://forums.afterdawn.com/thread_view.cfm/548462

Which seems straightforward enough, except I can't figure out how to backup my eeprom using XBMC.  The instructions are about UnleashedX or EvoX...I used to have UnleashedX but I overwrote that with XBMC per the instructions given.

How can I backup my eeprom so I can do the HD upgrade?

I looked for an E:/Dash folder and I don't even have that!

[DJ_Izumi]

Firstly, did your softmod installer suggest that you back up your eeprom when you installed the softmod?  They commonly do that, if so you'd have a backup.

You can just put on another dashboard and lauch it.  Dashboards arn't 'operating systems', they are just programs that can alter system settings and launch other programs.  The dashboard is the program that the machine defaults to when it boots.  Heck you could replace the dashboard with a game or other application and make an Xbox that boots directly to that game and can't do much else.

So you can just FTP any other dashboard into a temporary folder on your Xbox, go into XBMC, find the XBE for that in the filebrowser and launch it.  Bam, it starts.  When you're done and have your EEPROM, delete the dashboard.  They're tiny too like a few MB at most.

Tip when you mod your box.  BACK UP THE EEPROM.  Multiple locations.  You NEED that data to make an HDD that works.  If you throw out the 8/10GB drive and your 200GB drive dies in the machine you're ---fouled up beyond all recognition---.  Without the EEPROM data backed up you can't make a new compatable drive.  What I did along with digital copies was take the HDD Key from the EEPROM, printed it and taped it to the bottom of the Xbox.

NOTE: You could actually unbrick the Xbox with a modchip, but if you're going soft mod only, you'd be boned

[tightwad]

I know it backed up my eeprom on the initial soft-mod, but for the life of me I can't find that file anywhere!

I am not 100% sure I follow the alternate dashboard...is there an easy one to install (FTP to the E drive as a folder I assume?)

[DJ_Izumi]

It probably saved it to the MemoryCard.

And yes, you can install as many dashboards onto the Xbox as you want.  It's just ONE is in the location that the Xbox will launch it as 'first boot'.  Normally when booted the Xbox first searches for an executable on the DVD drive but if the drive has none, it goes to the HDD, and the program in that location is your dashboard.  (Unless you make it something else)

But as dashboards are just programs you can launch one dashboard from another dashboard and so on.  They are just programs afterall.  So you can FTP any dashboard onto any temporary folder and then launch it with XBMCs filebrowser.  It will be harmless and not replace your existing dashboard (So long as you don't overwrite the old dashboard when you FTP it on.  Remember use a unique folder for that dashboard.  It doesn't matter WHAT it's called just don't replace anything important).  When in that new dashboard, do what you want to do, reboot, the Xbox will go to it's default dashboard.

[tightwad]

I was making it WAY to hard....I simply made a folder called evox dash, and inside it I took the evoxdash.xbe file from my softmod files...FTPd it in, then went to the file in the file explorer and did the backup.  Found the backup in the evox dash folder I created and now I am on to the next step.

[DJ_Izumi]

...You actually didn't even need to copy over the softmod files either. ^^;

The softmod is done automatically at boot now.   So long as you don't DELETE them from their original location, all's good.

[jukingeo]

Once your new HDD is locked, you can just swap it right into the Xbox.

Ok, I guess that is some good info on locking, however I was under the impression you do the procedure on the Xbox, but when I read that line above, now I have to ask the question; do you do the procedure on a PC?!?

Don't mean to hijack this thread, but I'm having a problem with my softmodded xbox, and I thought someone here could help.

  There's a rotating circle in the upper right corner for a few seconds, then that disappears as well.  While the screen is blank, the xbox doesn't appear to be hung.  I can hear the sounds of the menus being run though when I push my dpad and the volume indicator actually pops up in the upper right corner and can be adjusted when I move one of the analog sticks up or down.  Very strange.

Would this be called 1/2 bricking?

OK, so maybe I am a complete idiot...but I doubt it, I think some parts are missing....

I want to upgrade my HDD to a new 200 GB drive I have.  I
How can I backup my eeprom so I can do the HD upgrade?

I looked for an E:/Dash folder and I don't even have that!

I really stopped reading up on soft mods, but when I was going through the Bios section with Crash, there was a section in EVTool that allowed you to change the paths.   He told me to change the paths and make notes about the path locations for later installation of the programs.   Perhaps your paths are not right?  (just a guess).   As of now Crash is MIA.  He did mention he is in the middle of a move.  So I am going to try an 'wing it' on my own.

I AM going to buy a second Xbox this week to mod with the other chip I have.  So if I temporarily "brick" the first box, I will have another one.

It is a shame that updated documentation is VERY poor right now.  There really SHOULD be ONE simple step by step procedure for all the chips out there and I mean not a step by step document that keeps linking to dead links.  As it is I have about half the proper procedure to carry this out because while the mod chips are constantly being updated, the new install procedures are not.  So I am crossing my fingers that it will work.

Firstly, did your softmod installer suggest that you back up your eeprom when you installed the softmod?  They commonly do that, if so you'd have a backup.

I think there is an option for that in Slayers when I was reading up on the documentation.  AID definitely has the option as I JUST read up on that installer.

You can just put on another dashboard and lauch it. 

What do you think of Crash's recommendation to set the first path to e:\Dash\default.xbe (leave blank) and put your main dashboard there.  For the second path he recommends e:\Xbmc\xbmc.xbe  so this way if there is a problem with the dash set in the first spot that it would bounce back to XBMC as the dash.

This is actually where I am now with flashing my rom, the question I wanted to ask Crash was why change over to the E:\ drive when the defaults for EVTool point to the C:\ drive.  Is installing a dashboard to the C:\ drive a no no?

So you can just FTP any other dashboard into a temporary folder on your Xbox, go into XBMC, find the XBE for that in the filebrowser and launch it.  Bam, it starts.  When you're done and have your EEPROM, delete the dashboard.  They're tiny too like a few MB at most.

Tip when you mod your box.  BACK UP THE EEPROM.  Multiple locations.  You NEED that data to make an HDD that works.  If you throw out the 8/10GB drive and your 200GB drive dies in the machine you're ---fouled up beyond all recognition---.  Without the EEPROM data backed up you can't make a new compatable drive.  What I did along with digital copies was take the HDD Key from the EEPROM, printed it and taped it to the bottom of the Xbox.

Ok, so the EEPROM back up is an important thing.  Can you back it up via the network connection to a PC?  When you install a new drive you have to put the EEPROM info back on to the new drive, right?

NOTE: You could actually unbrick the Xbox with a modchip, but if you're going soft mod only, you'd be boned

Ok, that is good to know that you can unbrick a mod chip Xbox.

It probably saved it to the MemoryCard.

Nope no memory card here!  So where would the EEPROM info go in my case?

And yes, you can install as many dashboards onto the Xbox as you want.  It's just ONE is in the location that the Xbox will launch it as 'first boot'.  Normally when booted the Xbox first searches for an executable on the DVD drive but if the drive has none, it goes to the HDD, and the program in that location is your dashboard.  (Unless you make it something else)

Yes, I remember seeing an option in EVtool that says DVD: Default.xbe.  Crash told me to LEAVE IT BE!!  He said that is your failsafe and that you could always boot an installer disk in the event the HDD doesn't boot up.

But as dashboards are just programs you can launch one dashboard from another dashboard and so on.  They are just programs afterall.  So you can FTP any dashboard onto any temporary folder and then launch it with XBMCs filebrowser.  It will be harmless and not replace your existing dashboard (So long as you don't overwrite the old dashboard when you FTP it on.  Remember use a unique folder for that dashboard.  It doesn't matter WHAT it's called just don't replace anything important).  When in that new dashboard, do what you want to do, reboot, the Xbox will go to it's default dashboard.

Ok, now here is what I want to do. I would LIKE to have the Xbox boot right into CoinOPS Ignite (Mame) because I want to experiment with the Xbox as it would appear in an 'in cabinet' scenario.  However, if I want to I would like to also be able to boot into XBMC when not in cabinet mode.

As of now I have selected 3 dashboards (for the 3 search locations)  1) XBMC, default - fallback dashboard 2) CoinOps Ignite - booting dashboard 3) UnleashX - just an alternative located on the system.

I don't really know what is the advantage of using UnleashX over XBMC but the two dashboards did come highly recommended.   Would I need Unleash X if I am using XBMC?

I was making it WAY to hard....I simply made a folder called evox dash, and inside it I took the evoxdash.xbe file from my softmod files...FTPd it in, then went to the file in the file explorer and did the backup.  Found the backup in the evox dash folder I created and now I am on to the next step.

You ARE using the Evox dash though then, right?

Thanx,

Geo

[DJ_Izumi]

Ok, I guess that is some good info on locking, however I was under the impression you do the procedure on the Xbox, but when I read that line above, now I have to ask the question; do you do the procedure on a PC?!?

The Xbox can't lock the HDD because it would need to be locked for it to boot in the first place.  XboxHDM is a PC Live CD that you prepair with contents from an Xbox HDD and then boot it in a PC.  It's used to format and copy the data to the HDD, then lock it once it's done.

[jukingeo]

Hello all,

Ok, last night after watching the Olympics, I got my rig all set up and ready to go.  I have connected the Xbox to my computer and I have confirmed that I can access it via the IP address, so I know I am good there.  I just have to finish up setting EVTool and then I can go for the burn.

Since the subject of saving came up I am also preparing an installer disc.  What I am going to do today is compare AID and Slayers for myself to see what is cooking.  Crash is MIA and I guess he is busy because of his move.

So my guess is that I am going to have to set up and burn the bios and then run the installation disk and take it from there.

I am hoping to get everything lined up for this weekend so that when Sunday comes I will either have a working Xbox with everything installed, or I will have brick.

We will see...

The Xbox can't lock the HDD because it would need to be locked for it to boot in the first place.  XboxHDM is a PC Live CD that you prepair with contents from an Xbox HDD and then boot it in a PC.  It's used to format and copy the data to the HDD, then lock it once it's done.

Would that be primarily the case with a soft-modded box?  Because with my box on the Duo X2 chip I have noticed that you can lock/unlock the drive right from the FlashBios 3.0.3 menu.  I also was reading that with a mod chip you can run an unlocked drive, but, of course, not in the original Xbox mode.

Geo

[jukingeo]

Hello all,

I have a question in regards to the drive setup for the Bios.  I am going to use the 'retail' drive which is an 8gig Western Digital drive.  Crash recommended to install the dashboards to the "E" drive, but EVTool defaults all the dashboards to the C drive.   Slayers recommends the E drive as well, but as of now I am not 100% sure I am going to use Slayers.   Slayers is a bit outdated and they have a pretty old version of the XBMC dashboard.   At this point I am more inclined to go with Auto Installer Deluxe as it is much more current.  I have downloaded AID 4.5.   Now AID 4.5 is indifferent on the path for the dashboard installations...with the exception of the MS 5960 dashboard.  That one they specifically say has to go onto the C drive.

So that is my question, what should I do?  Should I set all the dashes to the C drive or should I set them all to the E drive (with the exception of the MS 5960 Dash).

Just for the record, I DO want to access the Xbox functions in the event I want to play an Xbox game, but for the most part I will NOT be using the Xbox for its intended purpose.  As I pointed out here several times, I will mainly use it for Mame (Emulators) and as a media center (XBMC).  So really the two main dashboards I am interested in is XBMC and CoinOPs Ignite.

I think once I clear this up with the dashboard paths, I am ready to flash the Bios.

Thanx,

Geo

[ark_ader]

As far as I know (thus going back some years when I installed my mod chip) You need to have backed up your data to the C drive.  All 3rd party dashboards are installed in E:, not C:  only the original xbox dash goes in C: everything else goes in E: including XBMC.

F: is for your storage and G: is there if you have upgraded the drive.  Leave everything else alone.

BACKUP the xbox before you do any changes.

Use AID 4.5 and you should be cooking with gas.

[jukingeo]

As far as I know (thus going back some years when I installed my mod chip) You need to have backed up your data to the C drive.  All 3rd party dashboards are installed in E:, not C:  only the original xbox dash goes in C: everything else goes in E: including XBMC.

Ok, so only the Xbox dash goes to C and the rest to E.  Do I need to reinstall the Xbox dash if using the stock drive?

F: is for your storage and G: is there if you have upgraded the drive.  Leave everything else alone.

The F: and G: drive wouldn't exist on the stock drive though, correct?  I would only go up to an E: drive, right?

BACKUP the xbox before you do any changes.

Now you mentioned to put the backup data on the C drive, but is there also a way to back up the data to storage outside of the Xbox.  Because if you back up to the on board drive an it fails...then you would be up the pooper right?

Use AID 4.5 and you should be cooking with gas.

Sounds good!

Question:  Did you ever mod an Xbox with a Thomson DVD drive?  If so, what brand media did you use for the DVD-R's  From what I been reading the Thomson drive almost never reads a CD-R, DVD-R's it MAY read.  But someone else mentioned that they had luck using DVD-RW's (using different brands) with the Thomson drives.   I just want to know what format/brand to buy, that would increase my chances of the installer disc reading properly.

I am really surprised that that the Thomson drive is so picky, I would wonder if there were ever problems with it reading certain game discs (or regular movie DVD's) as well.

I was thinking about updating it to a Samsung drive, but what really for?  As far as I know I would probably be only putting the installer disc in on Mame Xbox and that is it.  For moving files over, I would probably use the internet connection or a memory stick in one of the controller ports.

Thanx,

Geo

[ark_ader]

As far as I know (thus going back some years when I installed my mod chip) You need to have backed up your data to the C drive.  All 3rd party dashboards are installed in E:, not C:  only the original xbox dash goes in C: everything else goes in E: including XBMC.

Ok, so only the Xbox dash goes to C and the rest to E.  Do I need to reinstall the Xbox dash if using the stock drive?

F: is for your storage and G: is there if you have upgraded the drive.  Leave everything else alone.

The F: and G: drive wouldn't exist on the stock drive though, correct?  I would only go up to an E: drive, right?

BACKUP the xbox before you do any changes.

Now you mentioned to put the backup data on the C drive, but is there also a way to back up the data to storage outside of the Xbox.  Because if you back up to the on board drive an it fails...then you would be up the pooper right?

Use AID 4.5 and you should be cooking with gas.

Sounds good!

Question:  Did you ever mod an Xbox with a Thomson DVD drive?  If so, what brand media did you use for the DVD-R's  From what I been reading the Thomson drive almost never reads a CD-R, DVD-R's it MAY read.  But someone else mentioned that they had luck using DVD-RW's (using different brands) with the Thomson drives.   I just want to know what format/brand to buy, that would increase my chances of the installer disc reading properly.

I am really surprised that that the Thomson drive is so picky, I would wonder if there were ever problems with it reading certain game discs (or regular movie DVD's) as well.

I was thinking about updating it to a Samsung drive, but what really for?  As far as I know I would probably be only putting the installer disc in on Mame Xbox and that is it.  For moving files over, I would probably use the internet connection or a memory stick in one of the controller ports.

Thanx,

Geo

I use TDK or Ritek but I burn at 4x

[northerngames]

if you use slayers or AID correctly you can pick any dash like any game off the hdd

there is a menu to pick wich dash you want and you can set whatever dash you want as the first default meaning it will go to that dash first and then the rest you can pic off a list.

between evo-x and xbmc those two pretty much cover all the other dash functions most used evo-x for the main/menu/listing's and xbmc for the media type stuff like movies music streaming etc.

[jukingeo]

Hello All,

Tonight I have a MAJOR update on my progress.  MUCH has happened this evening.

Since I had my Xbox set up near my computer on my spare monitor (thanx to a tip off on a special VGA converter via ark_ader), everything was ready to go...network connection and all.

The first thing I did was update the EVOX M8+ bios via EVTool.  I set the paths as outlined by Crash pointing to the E Drive.  I set up paths for:

1) E:\Dash\default.xbe
2) E:\XBMC\default.xbe
3) E:\UnleashX\default.xbe

Next I set the LBA48 section to Partition G to 137gig and the rest goes to the 7th partition. 
Of course I set the size of the Bios to the recommended 512k.

I also changed the logo colors upon bootup too.  I mostly turned everything off except for the main Xbox logo and I changed the center part of the "X" to orange, likewise I have the power LED on the front panel power up to orange as well.  This way I KNOW the Xbox is in mod chip "on" mode.

When I was done I saved the file to BIOS.bin.

Next came the part I was sweating out a bit...will I have a good flash or not.  As it turned out I was sweating it out for nothing!  The network flash was the easiest thing ever and I didn't have to burn a bios disk!   All I had to do was select "Flash Bios From Network" and then Flash Bios 3.0.3 gave me information on the Xbox's IP address.   I just put that address into my web browser and boom! I was in!  All I had to do was select my BIOS.bin file and hit the return key.  At first, the web browser hung, but nothing was going on with the Xbox, so I ended up retrying the operation.  Boom!  It worked!  I got the screen on the Xbox saying the BIOS was being updated.  When it was done, the Xbox shut down as the instructions said it would.

Next came the moment of truth.  I powered up the Xbox and I yelled a big "YESSS!!!" when the orange power light came up and the Xbox logo with the orange center booted up.

Now with the BIOS set, it came time to create the installer disc.  I didn't run out and get any new DVD-R(W)s, since I had a bunch of Memorex discs, I decided to try one (since I have a bunch anyway).

I decided to go with AID (Auto Installer Deluxe) 4.5 because I liked the documentation over that of Slayer's and also because AID was more up to date with more current versions.  I set it up as per instructions and then burned the ISO to my DVD-R.

I put the disk in the Xbox drawer and sure enough, it came back "unable to read disc".   I was like, "THAT figures!"  But then I remember reading that sometimes you can try opening the drawer and reinserting the disc.  The first time I did it, again, it didn't work.   I figured I was going to have to get Ritek discs as Ark_ader suggested, but then for the hell of it, I took the disc out, rebooted the Xbox, and then put the disc back in.   This time the error message didn't come up, but the disc was being accessed for a LONG time.  BUT then the AID screen came up!  WOW!  THAT made me happy!

So now I was feeling lucky and while I had the AID Installer program up, I figured I would get to some house keeping.  I cleared the hard drive of all the old game saves that were on there (I didn't format anything as of yet).  I then went to the backup screens and backed up the EEPROM, Cache, C & D drives to the E drive.  (for some reason there wasn't an option to back up to the C drive).  That all went successfully.  I would like to know if there is a way to backup outside of using the main hard drive because after all if the hard drive fails...what good are the backups going to be?  Storing them off the Xbox entirely would be best (if that is possible).

From there I went right to the installation of XBMC and I set that up as one of my dashboards.  The installation took a while, but it was successful...now my Xbox boots right to XBMC.

So this is where I decided to stop as tomorrow is a work day...and it is tomorrow already!  It is now 2:00am!

Yep, time for bed!

So that is where I am as of now.  I have a successfully modded Xbox that is booting to XBMC.  Now I just have to see how it takes to CoinOPS Ignite...but it is too late for that now.  But it looks like the 'rough' part is now behind me and I can now configure the Xbox for my use.

So just to say thank you to all that have pitched in and helped thusfar!

Geo

[jukingeo]

if you use slayers or AID correctly you can pick any dash like any game off the hdd

there is a menu to pick wich dash you want and you can set whatever dash you want as the first default meaning it will go to that dash first and then the rest you can pic off a list.

between evo-x and xbmc those two pretty much cover all the other dash functions most used evo-x for the main/menu/listing's and xbmc for the media type stuff like movies music streaming etc.

Well, since I have the Xbox going now with XBMC I would like to get the emulators section set up and I would now like to put on CoinOPS Ignite so I can see how it plays MAME games.

Geo

[jukingeo]

Hello all,

Quick question in regards to setting up FileZilla with the Xbox.  I followed Crash's recommendations above and downloaded and installed FileZilla CLIENT on my machine.   However, the Xbox is looking for an FTP SERVER.  Should I have downloaded and installed the FileZilla SERVER on my computer instead?

Thanx,

Geo

[ark_ader]

Hello all,

Quick question in regards to setting up FileZilla with the Xbox.  I followed Crash's recommendations above and downloaded and installed FileZilla CLIENT on my machine.   However, the Xbox is looking for an FTP SERVER.  Should I have downloaded and installed the FileZilla SERVER on my computer instead?

Thanx,

Geo

No The Server is XBMC or Evox you just need the client software to do the transfer.  Remember the user name and password is Xbox and the port is 21.  The IP is what you set it to and please wait about 2 minutes before doing the transfer, as the FTP client might not be able to see the xbox right away.

Also watch out for multiple FTP connections, file names (keep it short and no goofy characters ~! rule of thumb is 15 char max) and timeouts.  I find that I can transfer more with XBMC than I can with Avalaunch.  Also if you have two xboxes you can hot transfer between them.

Have fun!

[jukingeo]

No The Server is XBMC or Evox you just need the client software to do the transfer.  Remember the user name and password is Xbox and the port is 21.  The IP is what you set it to and please wait about 2 minutes before doing the transfer, as the FTP client might not be able to see the xbox right away.

Also watch out for multiple FTP connections, file names (keep it short and no goofy characters ~! rule of thumb is 15 char max) and timeouts.  I find that I can transfer more with XBMC than I can with Avalaunch.  Also if you have two xboxes you can hot transfer between them.

Have fun!

Ok, today I must say I had to do a WTF.  NOW it is working.  I don't get it.  Last night it wouldn't log on and just now I tried it again and it immediately connected.  I didn't even have to wait the two minutes.   At any rate, last night it timed out in less than a minute.

But I am in right now.  I will have to see how I make out with the CoinOPS install.

Right now I have CoinOPS ReIgnite 5.  Which is the 2nd to the latest version.  The latest version is the ReIgnite Showcase, but that is over 4gig, so it is too big for my system.  Since I am connected, I am going to at least move CoinOPS over.

Ok, that seemed to go well.  Now I just have to put everything where it belongs.   When it comes to the roms there is a issue of what version roms that the Xbox will take.  I think it is the mame .89 rom set?  I think there was a program out there that allowed you to do convert newer roms to an older version, correct?

Thanx,

Geo

[Hoopz]

When it comes to the roms there is a issue of what version roms that the Xbox will take.  I think it is the mame .89 rom set?  I think there was a program out there that allowed you to do convert newer roms to an older version, correct?

The program is clrmamepro.  I've posted links to a tutorial before so you can Google those. 

Fair warning, it's not the easiest software to use/understand the first time.  Just follow the instructions and you'll be fine.  Make a copy of your roms before your begin and have clrmamepro work off of the copies.  That way, if something goes poorly, you have the originals to copy again and then try again.

[jukingeo]

Hello All,

Ok, I had a bit of a scare tonight.  I was attempting to setup CoinOPS Reignite 5 as a dashboard.   In my BIOS I created a 'test' folder for the first bootable dashboard.  This is what will reside in the E:\DASH\ folder.  So basically all I would have to do is rename the main folder of the prospective dashboard to "DASH" and the BIOS should look for the default.xbe file and it should automatically boot it.   

Well guess what?  It didn't work.  Furthermore, with it being the first directory the BIOS looks for, I couldn't get back into XBMC.  However...as Crash pointed out to me, all I have to do is fall back onto the Auto Installer disc since the DVD: Default.xbe still takes precedence over the hard drive.   So I put the AID disc back into the DVD drive and it booted up.  From there I was able to get back into the file manager and rename the \DASH\ folder back to CoinOPS ReIgnite 5.  After doing so, rebooting the Xbox brought me back to the XBMC dash.  Whew!  Good thing for the AID disk!

Ok, so now wondering why it didn't boot did get to me thinking about another thread I read in regards to moving files into the TDATA and UDATA directories in which certain files must be moved here in order for the CoinOPS to boot as a dashboard.  Well, as it turned out, what I read was for the older versions of CoinOPS, the Ignite series.   The Reignite series doesn't need to transfer the files.

So, now with XBMC back up as my dashboard, I navigated to the CoinOPs directory and triggered the default.xbe file in that directory.   CoinOPS Reignite came up, however, I wasn't able to do much since there were no roms loaded as of yet.  Which does remind me that I am not 100% sure what version roms CoinOPs Reignite uses.   Ignite used Mame rom versions .89 (or was it .84)?  I am not sure what these later versions of CoinOPs uses.

So I guess that would be my next step to get CoinOPs running FIRST through XMC and then I will try to handle the issue as to why it isn't running as a dashboard.

The program is clrmamepro.  I've posted links to a tutorial before so you can Google those.

Ahhh, yes, that was the name of the program.  I was trying to look for it but couldn't remember the name for the life of me.

Fair warning, it's not the easiest software to use/understand the first time.  Just follow the instructions and you'll be fine.

Well, considering that there are 1000's of games and I don't even have anywhere near that amount of roms, I figured the conversion would still be easier and less time consuming than to filter out the 2000 or so games that Mame supports. 

  Make a copy of your roms before your begin and have clrmamepro work off of the copies.  That way, if something goes poorly, you have the originals to copy again and then try again.

Oh, definitely.  I have backup copies in several places.  I would NEVER alter my original set.

Thanx,

Geo

[jukingeo]

Hello All,

Ok, another update.

For the skins I found out how to get them off of the AID installer disk.  When I set up the AID installer, I did specifically select the add on for the skins, however, after XMBC installed, there were only two skins in the folder?!?!  Apparently it didn't install them automatically.

So after figuring out the D drive is the DVD (DUH! Been so used to two drive partition computers in which the D drive is the second hard drive).  I managed to navigate through the AID installer disk and found the skins.

I started to play around with the skins and for the most part I tried about 3 or 4 and I didn't like them.  One I did like was Xbox Classic, but for some reason on this skin I couldn't view my files in the File Manager?  So I was curious if anyone played around with the Xbox Classic skin and noticed this as well.  Moreover, I would like to know if there is a fix for it.

I am a bit at a disadvantage in that I don't know what these skins look like beforehand and operate.  One skin called "Amped", I found myself having a tough time getting around.  Needless to say I will not be using THAT one!  I am really looking for two kinds of skin...one a nice one for browsing media  (kind of like an iTunes job?)  and one for video games.  For video games I do like the Xbox Classic, but not being able to view the files isn't a good thing.  I wonder if that was done purposely so no one could alter the files?  Hmmmmmm.  Looks like I have to search the web to find out.

So far FileZilla has been working great and I have uploaded all the roms for the Atari 2600 emulator I have on my PC to the emulator on the Xbox.  So at least I can play some games already! (YAY!).

I still have to set up my roms for CoinOPs Reignite, but as they say, slowly but surely I am getting there.

Once I can get CoinOPS set up and booting on it's own, then I am going to post the whole step by step guide here.  So this way this forum will have an up to date guide.

One thing is for sure, I am definitely going to have ALOT of fun with these Xbox mods.  I certainly will have another Xbox on the way because once I want one for showcasing movies.  That one pretty much will be an XBMC only box (with maybe a couple video games on it, I certainly will put the Atari games on that since my family remembers those. Sure would be nice to play those on my big screen projector!)

Ok, so now I just have to convert my roms over and see how CoinOPS works.

Geo