Faq: My Game Backup Won't Run -or- Locks Up!, Answers to this question and more... Options

[xBoxPimp]

This has got to be one of the most frequently asked questions I've seen on these boards lately. Below are some things that you can do to help insure you have the best experience you can playing your backups. This doesn't cover downloads because you are just asking for trouble by using them to begin with.

1. If your modchip supports it, make sure you are running the latest Xecuter2 bios (4976.02 at the moment). This is a very solid bios and has tons of features.

2. If you are running EvolutionX, make sure it is version 1.8.3285 (as of this writing 05-01-2003). NOTE: This is *NOT* the latest version. EvolutionX 1.8.3752 is severely bugged and will cause problems. Most often when your backup locks up AFTER it loads and starts running (Ie: during the intro, or sometimes even after you get into the game) this is the problem.

3. Patch the media flag before you burn your disc, or upload your game to your hard drive. There are several new programs out which patch the old & the new media flags (CopyHunter's NewXBEPatcher & the new ADR Patcher to name a two). Most often when your backup locks up AFTER you launch, and BEFORE it displays the game intro this is the problem.
MOD EDIT: This is incorrect. When a media check is triggered, the app returns a dirty disc error or kicks you back to the dashboard, depending on what dashboard you're using. The media check won't freeze the game as it is not a bug - it is intentional.

4. If you are burning to a CD-ROM, burn to a CD-RW to ensure compatibility. If you are burning to DVD-ROM, all of the formats should be compatible. No matter which media you choose, make SURE to burn at the SLOWEST possible speed to ensure the best possible burn. Believe it or not, this does make a difference.
MOD EDIT: Aside from the fact that it's CD-R and DVD-R, not CD-ROM and DVD-ROM, the DVD recordable formats do make a difference. It will depend on what drive you're using.

5. Disable *ALL* In Game Resets (IGR's). You can do this for EvolutionX by editing the EVOX.INI file and changing all of the "IGR = Yes" to "IGR = No". This appears several times in the file, make sure you get them all. To disable IGR in the X2_4976.02 bios, simply place an empty file named "x2_IGR_disabled" in the root directory of your E: drive (Ie: "E:x2_IGR_disabled"). While this step is still being argued one way or another whether or not it is necessary, it DOES increase reliability on some systems with some games, so it certainly doesn't hurt. The X2 bios seems to handle IGR better than EvolutionX, but to be safe I disable both.
MOD EDIT: The only EvoX IGR setting that is buggy and interferes with games is the MISC setting. Also, the X2 BIOS doesn't interfere with the gameplay. It will only cause the game to freeze when you actually try to reset.

Following these 5 steps will get your game working 99.9% of the time. Just remember, whether you downloaded your backup, or you copied it yourself using Boxplorer (XBcopy, etc) you CAN get bad backups. Sometimes fixing it is as simple as cleaning your game disc and recopy it.

(Note to moderator: Feel free to make this a sticky. You can also fill in links to recommended software as you see fit, I didn't want to violate any forum rules and wasn't sure which software was okay to link or not).

This post has been edited by Xeero: May 16 2003, 06:46 PM