Questions Related To Upgrading An Hdd Options

[rutny]

Yes Heimdall, I am STILL foundering around like a fish out of water. Hopefully you and/or others can set me straight here. I have already softmodded my xbox, and am now looking at changing upgrading the hard drive to a 500gb. I have spent, I dunno at least 10 hours just doing pure research. It seems as though everytime I think I am ready to proceed, I read something different that puts me back in a state of confusion.

I have not yet tried it yet, but I did create a disc using this tut:

CODE

http://forums.xbox-scene.com/index.php?showtopic=244043

Instead of Slayers Disk 2.6 final, I used Slayers Disk 2.7 and also used Xboxhdm v1.9

As I was reading it, Slayers is not really for Soft Modded Xboxes. Is this true?

I also saw this method:

CODE

http://forums.afterdawn.com/thread_view.cfm/533828

that doesn't seem to use Slayers Disk at all.

Which is the best method?
What is the advantage of using the method WITH Slayers disc over the method without?

I have also seen references to something called Cash as well as Ndure.

Unfortunately with so many different progs and methods, I am just....stuck.
Another question is this:
I have seen where it is stated that you need to use a new drive to upgrade. Is it possible to use a "used" drive? If you reformatted the drive with no partitions, would it work? If so, what type of Format should you use?


I know this should not be THAT hard. Maybe because I am an analyst, I am approaching it from the wrong direction and over analyzing all the data out there on doing this...I dunno.

Thanks!!!

[obcd]

The second tutorial looks the best for a harddisk upgrade.

1. Backup your xbox eeprom and ftp the eeprom.bin to your pc.
Make sure you turn the virtual eeprom off also turn the shadowc off.

2. ftp your current drive C and E partition over to your pc.

3. Place the C and E contents in the xboxhdm C and E folder. Also place the eeprom.bin in the correct folder.

4. Make the xboxhdm iso and burn it to a cd.

5. Proceed with that cd and the new harddisk connected to your pc. Lock the harddisk once it's prepared.

You don't need to partition and format the harddisk. xboxhdm will do this job for you. There is no problem when the disk was used before. Just make sure the disk is lockable.

The C and E partitions of your new harddisk should contain the same files and folders as those partitions of the harddisk currently in your xbox.

regards.

[rutny]

Ok that looks simple enough really, one question:

Make sure you turn the virtual eeprom off also turn the shadowc off.

I do not know what these 2 are. I did FTP my eeprom. Are the above two items....functions of the linux disc I will be creating?

This post has been edited by rutny: Apr 7 2009, 09:41 PM

[Heimdall]

You don't need to turn off virtual eeprom, but you do need to turn off shadow C. If you softmodded with Krayzie then run Krayzie extras, if you used Kingroach run System - NDURE toolset. If you aren't sure which softmod you used just boot with Frosty's Rescue disc. The LED will turn red, then you can back up your C drive and use it to build your xboxhdm disc.

[rutny]

You don't need to turn off virtual eeprom, but you do need to turn off shadow C. If you softmodded with Krayzie then run Krayzie extras, if you used Kingroach run System - NDURE toolset. If you aren't sure which softmod you used just boot with Frosty's Rescue disc. The LED will turn red, then you can back up your C drive and use it to build your xboxhdm disc.

I used SID 2.0 to softmod....and again we are into yet more progs - ....Ndure.....Frostys.....
umm The above tuts mention none of these.

[Heimdall]

SID 2.0 is a terrible softmod. Make your new disk with Kingroach NDURE 3.1 instead, and gain all the benefits of a recent, stable softmod.

Make sure that on your PC you have the following files easily to hand:
- the stock 5960 C dash files and folders from Slayers / AID / CASH
- a new set of Kingroach NDURE 3.1 C and E folders. Make these by running Kingroach NDURE 3.1 and simply selecting your Kernel version under "Kernel Selection" and "Create XBOXHDM Installer" - leave all other options at default.

Build your xboxhdm disc using the stock C from Slayers / AID, and the Kingroach NDURE 3.1 files you just made. Put the stock C in linux/C. Rename ndure.htm to ndure (no extension), and place it and the rest of the Kingroach 3.1 files in linux/ndure/, i.e. the Kingroach C and E directories should be in linux/ndure/C/ and linux/ndure/E/, with the ndure script named linux/ndure/ndure. Put eeprom.bin in /linux/eeprom/

Boot with xboxhdm, select option 1 - boot VGA Console, then type xboxhd, then select option 1 - Build A New Xbox HD from scratch. Once that has finished exit, then type xbrowser, run the ndure script, then select option 1. Exit the ndure script. Reboot the PC, select option 4 and type lockhd -a to lock the disk.

[rutny]

I think I will stick with obcd's method. This whole Ndure thing is for the birds. The files are impossible to locate. (I have been surfing through Xbins for this and can't seem to locate it)
Thanks anyway Heimdall

[Heimdall]

This whole Ndure thing is for the birds.

So why does everybody here recommend NDURE softmods? Perhaps it's because they work, and are reliable and fool proof.........unlike SID 2.0.

The files are impossible to locate.

You're not looking very hard....... Console Based Applications/exploits/_Packages/Kingroachs Installer/

This post has been edited by Heimdall: Apr 8 2009, 01:50 AM

[rutny]

So why does everybody here recommend NDURE softmods? Perhaps it's because they work, and are reliable and fool proof.........unlike SID 2.0.
You're not looking very hard....... Console Based Applications/exploits/_Packages/Kingroachs Installer/

Well I honestly can't attest to it...yet

As far as looking in the wrong place....actually I WAS right there...I passed over Kingroachs Installer because I was looking for :
Kingroach NDURE 3.1


ugghhh thats all I can say....uggggh

[rutny]

Ok so let me see if I get this straight.
I want:
xboxhdm 1.9
Slayers 2.7
N-Dure 3.1

I extract the files from xboxhdm 1.9
I extract the files from Slayers 2.7
I create files with N-Dure 3.1

ALL files from the slayer extraction I put in xboxhdm/linux/C
(2 Folders...Skins and SYSTEM then 6 files ... bios.bin, default.xbe, disk.bin, evox.ini, linuxbio.bin, and xecuter.bin)


Take files created by N-Dure (after selecting the proper kernel) and place them in
xboxhdm/linux/ndure
This folder would then C and E folders, and 1 file ndure after chaging the file name from ndure.htm

In the xboxhdm /linux/eeprom folder I will place my eeprom file.


How do I turn off virtual eeprom and shadow C? Will this be an option when I actually start the build?

[obcd]

The virtual eeprom and shadowc are 2 features of the ndure softmod on the xbox. The virtual eeprom uses a file on the harddisk (usually also named eeprom.bin) instead of the xbox eeprom chip to store the information unique for every xbox. The shadowc feature uses a file as C partition. This prevents the real C partition files with the softmod from being modified. You can turn those features off by creating a file with the name shadowc_OFF.bin and eeprom_OFF.bin on the E:\nkp11 folder or the E:\ root.

Those 2 features only exist with the ndure softmod.

If you don't turn off your shadowc, you will ftp the contents of the shadowc to your pc which do not contain your softmod. If you don't turn off your virtual eeprom, you can backup it's contents instead of those of the real eeprom. (Both are normally equal unless you modified one of them)

If you are using the Slayers files and the kingroach ndure 3.1 softmod, then you are building a xbox harddisk from scratch. The way I described it, you are simply using your existing softmod.

You can use a program like Qwix to extract the 5960 dashboard files from the Slayers iso. Yes, Slayers is for chip modded xboxes, but you are only using the stock M$dash files from it. Those files are on every xbox harddisk. If you updated your dashboard over the internet, it should be the 5960 version the softmod expects.

regards.

[Heimdall]

ALL files from the slayer extraction I put in xboxhdm/linux/C

No, just the files and folders from System/All/C/.

[rutny]

Ok so I have everything ready... Disc made ..got my new WD 500gb drive.....old comp to use..set it all up strated.......and failed

I got to where I type xbhdm and it tells me there is no drive on my primary.

Now using this tut:
http://forums.xbox-scene.com/index.php?showtopic=244043

I was slightly confused. I had everything set up to that point...my xbox was showing the correct error.
It even gives you some pics...unfortunately it doesnt tell you which drive to have where...so when I typed xboxhdm, I had my new drive connected. Are you supposed to still have the stock HDD in at this point??

If so, at what point do you actually swap the drive?

I had my IDE cables set as such:
NOTHING plugged in except the CD Drive (which was set with the jumper in the back as master, and was on the secondary IDE cable.

The HDD;s jumper is set "CS" which is how the stock drive is set, and I had this plugged into the primary IDE cable.

I imagine, knowing my luck....I have something stupid here I did. Anyone got any ideas?

Thanks!
R

[Heimdall]

If so, at what point do you actually swap the drive?

You don't. You're building a new drive - no swapping involved. You have your CD / DVD drive on the second IDE, and your new 500GB drive as master on the first IDE. There are only four possible IDE locations, with the drive set at cable select and master that's 8 possible combinations - if you can't figure it out any other way then try them all, it will only take 10 minutes.

Then just follow the guide I gave you 8 posts back, last paragraph.

[rutny]

There are only four possible IDE locations, with the drive set at cable select and master that's 8 possible combinations - if you can't figure it out any other way then try them all, it will only take 10 minutes.

I have pretty much swapped the cables around and flip flopped everything...took me MUCH longer than 10 mins though
I didnt count the ways I tried though.

What 8 combos are you thinking?