Error Code 12 Options

[kenzo42]

So I bought 2 used Xbox's about 4 years ago and just booted one up right now. It's displaying an ERROR 12. The DVD drive opens and closes with no problem. It does not look like it's ever been tampered with since sticker over screw has not been broken.

I found out it has something to do with DVD:

Invalid DVD drive parameters
A DVD drive is detected, but does not appear to be compatible. A rather uncommon error that sometimes occurs for the reasons listed against error 10

For reference, ERROR 10:

DVD drive time out
The DVD drive is incorrectly connected, or faulty. In many cases reseating the cables connected to the device is enough to fix the problem.
In some more serious cases the issue may lay with the Xbox motherboard. You may also see an 10 if your power supply unit is failing (and hence unable to activate the drive).
You can test whether the drive itself is at fault by connecting a different one that you know to be functional (original Xbox DVD drives are fully interchangeable). If you don't get an error 10 with that, likely the original drive has given up the ghost.
Certain hacked BIOS types used via a flashed TSOP or modchip may allow the console to boot with no DVD drive attached. Use of such BIOSes will bypass this error if the attached drive is faulty.

So my question is, can I still softmod the XBOX, or does an ERROR code prevent any soft modding? I don't need a DVD drive since I will FTP everything. Thanks.

Thanks.

This post has been edited by kenzo42: Mar 27 2012, 09:11 AM

[AZImmortal]

Error codes definitely prevent softmods from booting because they behave exactly like stock consoles during boot.

[kenzo42]

Error codes definitely prevent softmods from booting because they behave exactly like stock consoles during boot.

Switched out to a Phillips DVD drive and it works fine now.

Will the Ndure 3.1 softmod allow me to boot with no dvd drive? I plan to just take it out after softmodding it.

This post has been edited by kenzo42: Mar 28 2012, 07:27 AM

[Heimdall]

No. All softmod Xboxes need a DVD drive in order to boot - it doesn't matter which softmod you use.

[shambles1980]

As heimdall says softmods have to have the dvd player, or atleast a pcb from one connected to boot.
if you can tsop flash the system or use a chip then you can boot with no dvd.

this is because the xbox boots the stock bios untill a sertain point then the softmod loads the modified bios. This lets you be softmoded, but because it has to boot the stock bios to even get to the softmoded files if you dont have a dvd player you will error 12 and wont get to the softmod part.

regarding error 12 though

i have a 1.6 board thats just as stupid..
It error 12's if you use a phillips dvd drive in it, All others work fine though.
and all the phillips drive's / pcb's work in all other xboxes.

the 1.6 came to me dead some 1 had put it in the wrong case. so i had to replace the collector.
Im not sure what the reall issue with it is, so i just use a sammy in it now. But im thinking the phillips draws more power and prehaps i used the wrong collector.

any way im using it as a emulation system downstairs so it dosent need to work any better than it does, its just really strange.

just thought id point out that so far out of close to 100 xboxes now i have found 1 xbox that will error 12 if you use a phillips drive. and it is a 1.6b

This post has been edited by shambles1980: Mar 28 2012, 02:46 PM

[kenzo42]

As heimdall says softmods have to have the dvd player, or atleast a pcb from one connected to boot.
if you can tsop flash the system or use a chip then you can boot with no dvd.

this is because the xbox boots the stock bios untill a sertain point then the softmod loads the modified bios. This lets you be softmoded, but because it has to boot the stock bios to even get to the softmoded files if you dont have a dvd player you will error 12 and wont get to the softmod part.

regarding error 12 though

i have a 1.6 board thats just as stupid..
It error 12's if you use a phillips dvd drive in it, All others work fine though.
and all the phillips drive's / pcb's work in all other xboxes.

the 1.6 came to me dead some 1 had put it in the wrong case. so i had to replace the collector.
Im not sure what the reall issue with it is, so i just use a sammy in it now. But im thinking the phillips draws more power and prehaps i used the wrong collector.

any way im using it as a emulation system downstairs so it dosent need to work any better than it does, its just really strange.

just thought id point out that so far out of close to 100 xboxes now i have found 1 xbox that will error 12 if you use a phillips drive. and it is a 1.6b

Are there any free/cheap alternatives other than TSOP or chip? Like replacing broken XBOX DVD drive with a PC DVD drive?

[shambles1980]

tsop is definatly the cheapest method..
But you can use a pc drive that will read only backup disks, it wont read originals. You still have to have a origional xbox dvd players PCB connected though and need a Y power splitter.
you can also find very specific dvd drives that can have a firmware flash to be able to read xbox dvd's but this requires quite a bit of soldering as well.

There are also special little do dahs you connect to other very specific drives to make them work like a xbox drive.

But the long and the short of it is.
If you can tsop flash your xbox It is the cheapest method. and you can do that by soldering up a couple of points on the mother bard and then using Heimdalls xbox engineering disk to flash.
You can do that using a pc dvd drive if needed or there is a version for the hard disk which is not nearly as usefull as the dvd version but will allow you to flash the tsop.

Then A mod chip is still probably cheaper than buying a new drive, or a specific pc drive.
But tsop flash is free.. So they dont come much cheaper than that.

[kenzo42]

tsop is definatly the cheapest method..
But you can use a pc drive that will read only backup disks, it wont read originals. You still have to have a origional xbox dvd players PCB connected though and need a Y power splitter.
you can also find very specific dvd drives that can have a firmware flash to be able to read xbox dvd's but this requires quite a bit of soldering as well.

There are also special little do dahs you connect to other very specific drives to make them work like a xbox drive.

But the long and the short of it is.
If you can tsop flash your xbox It is the cheapest method. and you can do that by soldering up a couple of points on the mother bard and then using Heimdalls xbox engineering disk to flash.
You can do that using a pc dvd drive if needed or there is a version for the hard disk which is not nearly as usefull as the dvd version but will allow you to flash the tsop.

Then A mod chip is still probably cheaper than buying a new drive, or a specific pc drive.
But tsop flash is free.. So they dont come much cheaper than that.

Thanks for the info.

So TSOP requires original 007? I dont' mind doing the soldering.

Can I hotswap softmod with my brother's Phillips drive and then TSOP so I won't need to buy 007? Not sure if that makes any sense.

This post has been edited by kenzo42: Mar 28 2012, 07:56 PM

[MrMajst3r]

You need a softmod first to do TSOP flash.
You have to solder bridges on mobo to flash TSOP. There is no other way.

[AZImmortal]

Thanks for the info.

So TSOP requires original 007? I dont' mind doing the soldering.

Can I hotswap softmod with my brother's Phillips drive and then TSOP so I won't need to buy 007? Not sure if that makes any sense.

If you want to avoid having to buy an exploitable game (007 isn't the only one) and hotswap, you'll need to have your brother's working DVD drive in your system. After you finish the hotswap and get the softmod successfully installed, then you can flash the TSOP, and after that, you can remove the DVD drive.

[kenzo42]

If you want to avoid having to buy an exploitable game (007 isn't the only one) and hotswap, you'll need to have your brother's working DVD drive in your system. After you finish the hotswap and get the softmod successfully installed, then you can flash the TSOP, and after that, you can remove the DVD drive.

Do I still need to solder? I think it was answered in post #9, but just to be sure:

1) Hotswap Ndure3.1 w/ bro's DVD drive
2) Solder or not to solder?************ <---
3) Flash TSOP
4) Remove DVD drive

This post has been edited by kenzo42: Mar 28 2012, 10:23 PM

[Heimdall]

Please stop quoting the immediately preceding post.

You always need to solder if you want to TSOP flash your Xbox. Make sure your Xbox isn't a 1.6, because if it is then you can't TSOP flash it.

[kenzo42]

If I hook up the PC drive (in conjunction with the broken Xbox DVD drive), will it fix the error 12?

Thanks.

This post has been edited by kenzo42: Mar 29 2012, 05:37 AM

[Heimdall]

No.

It doesn't matter how many times you ask, you only have three options:

1. Fit a working Xbox DVD drive
2. Temporarily fit a working Xbox DVD drive, then flash the TSOP with a BIOS that will bypass the DVD drive check (only works if the Xbox isn't a 1.6)
3. Fit a chip.