5838 Bios On A V1.0 Xbox? Options

[FrostyTheSnowman]

Okay, so my question is simple: Is the 5838 (v1.6) BIOS compatible with v1.0 XBOXes?

I know that many hacked BIOSes are based on this kernel, and I also know that the 5838 BIOS has support for all three encoders (Conexant, Focus, and Xcalibur), so with that being said, does anyone know if the 5838 BIOS will work with a Conexant v1.0 XBOX?

Any information is appreciated.

[FrostyTheSnowman]

Okay, I tested this on my TSOP, and it didn't work. The only thing I got was some pretty blinking green and red lights.

Good thing I have a v1.0, so it was easy to fix. For the record though, the 5838 kernel does not work with v1.0 XBOXes.

[FrostyTheSnowman]

Sorry, triple posting now.

Does anyone know if the 5713 BIOS will work on a v1.0 XBOX? I would like to get some more information before I go flashing my TSOP again, as it tends be tedious, not to mention dangerous.

Can anyone out there with a v1.0 and a modchip possibly do me a favor and test this for me? It would be much appreciated.

NOTE: All these kernel/v1.0 questions are directly related to the development of my VGA Patcher, in case anyone was wondering.

NOTE: NOTE: Also, please note that these are ORIGINAL STOCK BIOSes I am asking about (Official Microsoft BIOSes), not hacked BIOSes.

This post has been edited by FrostyTheSnowman: Nov 22 2006, 07:18 AM

[deadparrot]

NO! The highest 1.0 compatible kernel is 4627.

[FrostyTheSnowman]

NO! The highest 1.0 compatible kernel is 4627.

I am perfectly aware of the versions that are originally on v1.0 XBOXes, no need to be rude.

My question was wether or not anyone had actually tried using a higher BIOS version. I'm willing to bet that I am one of the only people that has even CONSIDERED trying higher versions of the stock BIOSes.

Most people prefer to use hacked BIOSes, whereas I prefer softmods and stock BIOSes.

NOTE: The other reason for me asking is for testing purposes regarding my VGA Patcher.

NOTE: NOTE: Is the 4627 BIOS a debug bios, or was it retail? Everything online seems to say that it was a debug bios, but then some sites contradict that...

This post has been edited by FrostyTheSnowman: Nov 22 2006, 08:10 PM

[fghjj]

It's unlikely that newer kernels still support v1.0 hardware out of the box, but there's only one way to find out without comparing heaps of assembly (though you will probably end up doing the latter)

But the raw BIOS images are certainly not compatible! You have to pack the new kernel with a v1.0 bootloader (2bl) and encrypt with the v1.0 RC4. XBTool can probably help you with that. You may also need a v1.1-style eeprom (config area) and even then I doubt it'll boot without modification. Good luck

[FrostyTheSnowman]

But the raw BIOS images are certainly not compatible! You have to pack the new kernel with a v1.0 bootloader (2bl) and encrypt with the v1.0 RC4. XBTool can probably help you with that. You may also need a v1.1-style eeprom (config area) and even then I doubt it'll boot without modification. Good luck

Interesting. Thanks for your input, you've been quite helpful.

At this point i'm not even sure if it would be worth it to upgrade the BIOS, but hey, it was a nice thought.

[FrostyTheSnowman]

I've done it! I have created a v1.0-compatible retail 5101 BIOS!!! It is even compatible with v1.0 EEPROMS!

I have been testing it for about 3 hours now with MANY games and applications, and everything seems to be functioning perfectly! And it is 100% compatible with ALL NKPatcher v10 functionality, including VGA/Force480p!

And on top of that, my v1.0 XBOX now has the 'graphical detail' in games that the v1.1-1.6 XBOXes have. Example: In some games like Halo 2, there are areas where the graphics will either flicker or glitch, or will simply not fully show up, even when up close. This is a strange phenomenon that many v1.0 owners have noticed, and v1.1-1.6 XBOXes do not have this problem. The reason it happens is because the GPU code in 3944/4034 BIOSes was in it's 'infancy' at the time they were built, and therefore the GPU code had a few issues. These issues were obviously resolved in later BIOSes, specifically 5101 and higher. Now that I am using a 5101 BIOS on my v1.0, those issues are non-existant.

NOTE: 5101 was the highest kernel I could get to boot on my v1.0 XBOX, the rest would either COMA or FRAG. In order to use the 5101 BIOS, I had to extract the 5101 kernel 'xboxkrnl.img' from an original v1.1 5101 BIOS, and pack it into a new BIOS file using the '2bl.img' and 'remainder.img' from a 4034 BIOS. So, the structure of my v1.0 5101 BIOS is as follows:

2bl.img - Bootloader from 4034 BIOS
remainder.img - Remainder from 4034 BIOS
xboxkrnl.img - 5101 Kernel from 5101 BIOS

*NOTE: I did not include the 'fbl.img' file from the original 5101 BIOS because it is not necessary on v1.0 XBOXes. Also note that I have made absolutely no changes to the 5101 kernel, it is still completely original.

Therefore, the 5101 kernel is completely compatible with v1.0 XBOXes, it was simply the remainder/2bl/fbl files in the original v1.1 5101 BIOS that were not compatible.

Tools used to do this:

PBL Lite - Used to test functionality of BFM 5101-5838 retail BIOSes on v1.0 XBOX. (5101 was the only one that was compatible.)
XBtool - Used to create BFM retail BIOSes, and also used to create flashable/packed retail BIOSes.
Raincoat v0.7 - Used to flash test BIOSes onto the 3rd bank of my TSOP, and also to flash the 'final' compatible 5101 BIOS. (Lots of tedious testing...)

I will be releasing my v1.0 5101 BIOS, hereby known as 'Frosty's v1.0 5101' to the 'usual places' for those who are interested.

This post has been edited by FrostyTheSnowman: Nov 26 2006, 12:10 PM

[deadparrot]

Apologies, I didn't mean to be rude before. I asked this once and was promtly told that there was no way in hell it would do anything but fuck my box up.

Also, does the force 480p work for PAL games? I use a VD-Z3 and I can't play games such as TS2 because the PAL XBE doesn't support 480p. I presume this will also be compatible with NKPatcher aswell?

[FrostyTheSnowman]

Apologies, I didn't mean to be rude before. I asked this once and was promtly told that there was no way in hell it would do anything but fuck my box up.

Also, does the force 480p work for PAL games? I use a VD-Z3 and I can't play games such as TS2 because the PAL XBE doesn't support 480p. I presume this will also be compatible with NKPatcher aswell?

Well, the 'Force480p' option is an NKPatcher v10 option, it's not part of my BIOS. Any current retail BIOS can use Force480p if you are using NKPatcher. All you have to do is compile yourself a new NKPatcher with Force480p enabled, and your good to go. (This is assuming that you are already currently using NKPatcher, and a softmod.) And yes, Force480p works perfectly for all PAL/NTSC/JAP games.

Oh, and by the way, no worries about the whole 'rude' thing.

This post has been edited by FrostyTheSnowman: Nov 26 2006, 05:42 PM

[deadparrot]

Ah, got a little confused there...

So would it simply be safe to boot up my box (once it's finished) with the write enable points soldered, boot into evox, twist the wires connected to the points together, and flash? I've never done a TSOP before, and I can't find any tutorials on flashing with anything but raincoat or other gamesaves

[FrostyTheSnowman]

Well, you actually need to connect the points BEFORE you boot the XBOX, then all you have to do is boot up an exploit that contains Raincoat v0.7, flash the TSOP, and you should be set. There are many tutorials online that have more details on this process, but it's pretty easy to do if you know how to solder.

Just remember, my 5101 BIOS is ONLY for v1.0 XBOXes. (I will have it available soon, i'm just doing some more thorough testing before I release it.)

[FrostyTheSnowman]

Update!

I have sent the complete v1.0 5101 BIOS to the administrators at the 'usual places' and you can expect to find it available for download soon. Be sure to check back at this forum, or even perhaps on the front page for when it is available for download.

[Movax]

So this helps with some graphical errors on some games. What other advantages does it offer? It makes softmodding with 480p output easier?

[FrostyTheSnowman]

So this helps with some graphical errors on some games. What other advantages does it offer? It makes softmodding with 480p output easier?

No, the only benefit I am aware of is that it fixes the graphical errors in some games. The VGA/Force480p options available in NKPatcher are unchanged.

There may be more benefits to using a newer kernel too, but I haven't noticed anything other than the fixing of some game's graphical errors.

This post has been edited by FrostyTheSnowman: Nov 27 2006, 02:30 AM