Hotswap To Flash Tutorial, Credit HackDaBox For this. Options

[Chancer]

This is from an original submission by HackDaBox (All I did was edit slightly) Please credit HackDaBox with this. Also if worthy could barclayton please pin.

Requirements.
Working Xbox with a Pinheader Install and a Working Modchip with a Hacked Bios
HackDaBox Re-Flash Disc

With the working Xbox turned off Remove the lid , the screws from the hard drive bay and DVD-ROM drive. Remove the hard drive (still connected ), lift it up and over slightly, now lift the DVD-ROM drive up ( still connected) and spin it around to face the opposite way. So now the DVD-ROM is facing the wrong way round but still connected . Support the DVD with something underneath, so it sits level. Now put the hard drive bay back where it used to be ( covering up the power supply ).

WARNING NEVER TOUCH THE POWER SUPPLY AREA AS IT CAN KILL YOU !
This procedure is safe the way I have described above because you have access to the Modchip area . The chip should be plugged onto a pinheader ? If not you can not re-flash this way.

Now remove the wire that goes to the D0 pad on the Modchip itself. Unscrew the screw near the LPC area and put the D0 wire under the screw and carefully tighten it up. You can solder the wire to the circle around the screw if you wish. remove any wire you have connecting the chip to the Xbox motherboard but leave the chip plugged into the pinheader.

Now depending on your chip type you need to make the chip enabled all the time.
On DuoX 2 solder a wire between the BT pad on the chip and pin 9 on the chip (This is point G on the official Duo diagram) see the picture below coutesy of cubistproject.
On Aladdin solder a wire between BT pad on the chip and Pin 2 on the chip
On Spiderchip simply leave off the switch.
Note : You need to do this to the good chip in the Xbox and the ones you intend to Flash.

Turn on the Xbox with the good chip in and let it boot up and then load HackDaBox Re-flash Disc Choose Re-flash Spiderchip ( it works fine on DuoX 2 and Aladdin ). Choose the Xbox version you wish to use the flashed chip on. E.g. 1.0 - 1.5 or V. 1.6 but don't hit A to flash yet.

Note Evoxdash or Slayers or your preffered Flash utility can be used with this method.

Now carefully pull the Modchip off the pin header with the power still on ( note only 3.3 volts goes into the Modchip so it will not electrocute you.Now carefully line up the chip you are going to flash and then push it on the pinheader. Never try and force it on , double check it's lined up properly and it should slide onto the pinheader easily.

Now go ahead and flash the chip now. The Xbox should turn off after the successful flash. Once it turns off ,turn it back on and the previously bad flashed chip should now boot the new flashed bios that you just put on it.If you picked Xbox V.1.6 and your Modchip is not in a V.1.6 it may not boot reliably so try it in the V.1.6 box.

Remember to put all the original wires back to the chip, and remove any links you have made. In other words put the install back to the manufacturers recommendation.

My grateful thanks go to HackDaBox for the original tutorial and also the Re-Flash disc.

This post has been edited by Chancer: Apr 29 2005, 02:05 PM

[cubistproject]

Here are some pics
Props to HackDaBox!

Your chips should look like this. It's okay to flash a DuoX2 from an Aladdin or an Aladdin from a DuoX2 (Tnx barclayton)
(From left to right, Super Aladdin Live, DuoX2 (Clone), Aladdin Live+)



Step 1) With the motherboard's D0 strapped to ground, and BT on the chip strapped to the appropriate spot (as seen above), insert your good chip and boot the xbox up. When your dashboard or DVD has fully booted, and the XBox logo has left the screen, remove your chip as seen below.



Step 2) Now insert your chip that needs flashing as seen below.



Step 3) Proceed to flash your chip!

[urin8r]

Why do you need the hackdabox re flash disk to flash a blue duox2.
Couldn't you do the hot swap and reflash with evox?

[cubistproject]

Yep. I use evox, myself.

Chancer notes that it isn't as stable as many other flashing methods, tho.

[Unseen Shadow]

Good Job HDB and Chancer for editing. Maybe this should be put into the tuts on the site..pinned..and a copy made for regular bumpage..as the newbies who like to ask how to hotswap....never read the pinned topics anyway...well most of the time. I wasnt aware you had to ground the bt point on duo's ?....i thought duo's booted always on...then you used the eject button to boot chip off?...sorry..been a while since ive used one..as most of my client base only opts for aladdin...cheaper for me cheaper for them....you know how it is

[Chancer]

I wasnt aware you had to ground the bt point on duo's ?....i thought duo's booted always on...then you used the eject button to boot chip off?...sorry..been a while since ive used one.

Yes thats correct about the booting sequence. For the hotswap flash part BT on a Duo goes to pin 9 which is 3v3. The Duo won't boot with its BT to ground. I have read through the tutorial bit but I can't see where I may have mistakenly written it.

EDIT
I just got what you mean now. It is the 3v3 to the BT that enables the chip at boot from the power button.

urin8r yes you can just flash from evoxdash I only mentioned using the reflash as an example of a flashing utility as some peoples evoxdash ini files do not have the Flash enabled so Flash does not show up in the menu. I will edit the post to make this clear


This post has been edited by Chancer: Apr 29 2005, 02:07 PM

[HackDaBox]

G'Day Everyone ,

Firstly you don't have to use my reflash disc but it's the easiest way. Most people have problems creating the bios disc. Either it's not an xbox iso or the BIOS.BIN is not named correctly. Then the evox.ini must be edited with all the flash types of every chip type possible. Ofcourse you can also use evox installed on your hdd but if you know how to do it all manually you won't need this guide either.

So i have made a simple flash cd that if burn't using Nero Burning Rom in any way it works. What i mean by this is you should choose Finalize and disc at once and a slow burn speed but even if you burn it with different options it works because the filenames are correct and the flash types are all added. So it takes out all the guess work.

Also i have tried to make a reflash cd and a guide that can be used with a range of modchips. I usually support the spiderchip ( i don't like it but i feel sorry for all it's owners ) Duox2 (my favourite at the moment but hippo may chnage that soon ) and aladdin xt modchips.

So this is a universal guide and reflash cd that work 100% perfect with mimimum fussing with settings on any of the above chips. My cd and guide is kinda like using Slayer's to install a hdd but for flashing your modchip. It's easier to use but you learn more if you do it manually. Some people love modding / flashing / chipping more than playing games (me for example) and some just want to get the flash over and done with so they can be done with it.

Thanks cubistproject for the pics and chancer for editing ... top job mate.

HackDaBox !

[elec_tech]

Little off topic but has anybody tried removing the chip from the pinheader and the d0 point and then trying to flash an onboard tsop that's corrupt?

[Chancer]

Little off topic but has anybody tried removing the chip from the pinheader and the d0 point

Can't be done. Boot from the LPC and it flashes the LPC

[elec_tech]

Can't be done. Boot from the LPC and it flashes the LPC

Do you know how the xbox knows where it booted from, and where it stores this info?

This post has been edited by elec_tech: May 5 2005, 04:47 AM

[HackDaBox]

No but it can't be done using any LPC modchips.

Now barclayton do what you do best .....

Lock this baby down !

[Arkayne]

Okay... this is where I start to sound stupid(er).

I want to reflash my friends Spiderchip but the programmer is a complete PoS.

His XBox is a 1.0
Mine is a 1.6b with an Xecuter3. And it has wires soldered all over the place. (I bought a premod since I can't solder things this small... audio cables I can do just fine. Little wires and chips with caffiene shaking hands... not so much)

At anyrate. I've read this thing several times but there is some things that are confusing me (which is probably a good sign that I shouldn't even be attempting this)

I guess I'm being confused in jargon. The pinheader? Are those the wires that are soldered on the motherboard and get plugged in to the <spiffy technical term>little black thing</spiffy term> on the mod chips? Does that mean when it comes time to execute the flash I pull the wires (I think they are all bundled together like on the Spiderchip programmer) from my X3 and plug it into the spiderchip and off I go? The X3 is mounted to metal side of my case and not to the board so I shouldn't have anything to actually take off or mount right? Just unplug one chip and plug in the other?

Additionally, how big is the chance I could screw up MY chip by unplugging the wires while it's on?

[Chancer]

If this a wire install don't do it.
You need to start a new thread on this describing the problem