Hexen - Heimdall's Xbox Engineering Disc., Heimdall's Xbox Engineering disc. Options

[ThaCrip]

I haven't modified any of the BIOSes - they all come with their standard dash locations, one of which is always C:\evoxdash.xbe. HeXEn, like ALL installation discs, assumes that one of the default dash locations in the BIOS is C:\evoxdash.xbe. It's the closest to a standard configuration that exists in the Xbox world. If you want to change it then that's fine, but lots of the features on HeXEn (like dash switching) simply won't work if the dash is somewhere else, so be prepared for a whole pile of changes - it's not as simple as just putting another BIOS on there.

HeXEn installs XBMC in E:\Apps\XBMC (or F:\Apps\XBMC). If you want it as your primary dash it puts a shortcut at C:\evoxdash.xbe. Again, that's the nearest there is to a standard installation for XBMC.

The BIOS IDs have nothing to do with flashing. They're used to identify the running BIOS.

X2.4981 doesn't support on-disk partition tables. You should really use Evox M8+, iND-BIOS.5003 or X2.5035 for maximum compatibility with large disks.

i could have sworn the x2.4981 file i downloaded from xbins has a different boot order than the one on that installation disc.

also, i am pretty sure the x2.5035 is changed also as the x2.5035 i got from xbins (which is as official download place you can get) the x2config.ini has this in there (June 7th 2005 1:37pm (untouched date))...

dash1Name = c:avalaunch.xbe
dash2Name = c:evoxdash.xbe
dash3Name = c:unleashx.xbe
dash4Name = c:xbmc.xbe
dash5Name = c:xboxdash.xbe

which i assume is what the x2.5035 bios defaults to if the x2config.ini is missing on E partition.

but like i was saying... as long as the disc boot and can flash any bios file i put on it to a v1.0-1.5 TSOP then the rest i won't have trouble with once i get FTP access to the XBox's hard drive through the boot disc.

also.... i guess main reason i avoid 'evoxdash.xbe' in my custom x2.4981 boot is that FTP wise it seems to require configuration of the FTP through PC prior to loading it as where as UnleashX (or Avalaunch) you can adjust FTP settings right from the screen in it's options.

p.s. i could go back to x2.5035 with the x2config.ini on E partition but i guess i preferred the quicker boot up of x2.4981 and it's more permanent with what it will load up where as if something happens with the hard drive and the x2config.ini etc gets messed up it could be a bit of a issue but i i guess the more i think about it... i might consider going back to x2.5035 since even if that where to happen and i lose my E:\XBMC\Default.xbe boot up it will still see my avalaunch.xbe/unleashx.xbe files on C by default that are hard coded into the BIOS if the x2config.ini is not available which if that happens i can simply FTP in and fix it and then XBMC will be good again.

but thanks for that BIOS ID thing

as far as the maximum compatibility... i thought with XB partitioner it cures any data corruption issues by making the cluster size bigger? , or are you saying x2.4981 ignores what XB Partitioner does to the partition with the large cluster sizes when i use hard drives over 250GB?

also large discs i assume you mean over around 250GB? (because i thought i remember reading somewhere that once you exceed 256GB is when cluster sizes need to be adjusted otherwise you will get data corruption after that point)

This post has been edited by ThaCrip: Mar 15 2012, 02:23 PM

[Movax]

also.... i guess main reason i avoid 'evoxdash.xbe' in my custom x2.4981 boot is that FTP wise it seems to require configuration of the FTP through PC prior to loading it as where as UnleashX (or Avalaunch) you can adjust FTP settings right from the screen in it's options.

It doesn't matter which dash/app 'evoxdash.xbe' actually is.. it could be Coinops. The bios will load it first - by name only. If you want UnleashX rename it evoxdash.xbe. I believe HeXen renames dashboards as such when it installs them. (I haven't used it a lot.)

I prefer the XBMC Team shortcut, since you can change your dash by editing a text file, without utilizing any bios features/changes.

[ThaCrip]

It doesn't matter which dash/app 'evoxdash.xbe' actually is.. it could be Coinops. The bios will load it first - by name only. If you want UnleashX rename it evoxdash.xbe. I believe HeXen renames dashboards as such when it installs them. (I haven't used it a lot.)

I prefer the XBMC Team shortcut, since you can change your dash by editing a text file, without utilizing any bios features/changes.

Thanks for the info but i already know that much (i used to use that XBMC shortcut on my Softmods (before recently when i did TSOP) as i swapped the file it loaded with that shortcut to redirect it to where my XBMC install was)

i just prefer to keep official names as it's more professional that way.

but i think ill be fine as i decided to just flash x2.5035 back to the system along with my custom x2config.ini on the E partition. plus if that x2config.ini ever got deleted etc i still should be able to FTP back in since it will load my avalaunch.xbe by default from "C:\avalaunch.xbe" as that's the first thing, based on the way my XBox 1 is setup, that it finds first.

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@ Heimdall... well it appears your DVD-R recommendation must be rock solid as even my total crap Thompson's load up from DVD-R which, 3 out of the 4 i got, would never boot up from CD-RW.

which it's nice i know this now as i don't have to worry about running into a Thompson that won't work now

i am surprised i did not know that though as i been into XBox 1 moding scene since Aug 2004 and consider myself fairly knowledgeable overall but obviously i don't know every little detail

i used 8x burn speed since modern burners burn better at faster speeds than they do at slower speeds (assuming your using decent media). i usually get quality burns (according to disc scans with Kprobe) on Verbatim DVD-R even @ 20x with my burners. but i figured 8x is a pretty safe all around choice so i used that as i figured anything lower than 8x is probably unnecessary.

but just playing around with the disc does seem pretty easy to use as the menu's are nice and professional looking etc. but is it really as easy as it appears for flashing TSOP on a v1.2-1.5? (lacking any hardware related stuff of course)

but overall it looks like this disc will be all i need now. so the hell with my CD-RW discs i was using

as the FTP works on it and the menu's look professionally setup and pretty much straight forward.

but a question... that "AYBX" password don't seem to be the password for the 'Format Menu'. like... XBox Admin > System > Format Menu and when i enter the password "AYBX", it says invalid etc. i even tried "Heimdall01" and still says invalid.

This post has been edited by ThaCrip: Mar 16 2012, 08:24 AM

[Heimdall]

4x works, 8x and you're taking a chance. It has nothing to do with modern burners, it's the old DVD drive that will be reading the discs that's the limiting factor.

"Official" names only works if you're prepared to change the BIOS every time you want to change the dash. The generally accepted standard for TSOP/chip Xboxes has been to rename your dash evoxdash.xbe because that's easier than editing and reflashing the BIOS. With X2.5035 and iND-BIOS.5003 it's easier because you just edit the text config file, but it's still far simpler to rename the dash itself, especially from an installation disc.

For XBMC (where the dash is more than just a couple of files) the the Team XBMC shortcut is the method most people use - but again, renamed evoxdash.xbe and evoxdash.cfg.

HeXEn follows this standard. Small dashboards are renamed and moved to C:\evoxdash.xbe, XBMC is in E:\Apps\XBMC\ and uses the shortcut at C:\evoxdash.xbe. I did consider using the shortcut method exclusively, and putting all of the dashboards as Apps (like XBMC), but it might have confused the casual user.

For the format menu the password is Xbox.

[ThaCrip]

4x works, 8x and you're taking a chance. It has nothing to do with modern burners, it's the old DVD drive that will be reading the discs that's the limiting factor.

"Official" names only works if you're prepared to change the BIOS every time you want to change the dash. The generally accepted standard for TSOP/chip Xboxes has been to rename your dash evoxdash.xbe because that's easier than editing and reflashing the BIOS. With X2.5035 and iND-BIOS.5003 it's easier because you just edit the text config file, but it's still far simpler to rename the dash itself, especially from an installation disc.

For XBMC (where the dash is more than just a couple of files) the the Team XBMC shortcut is the method most people use - but again, renamed evoxdash.xbe and evoxdash.cfg.

HeXEn follows this standard. Small dashboards are renamed and moved to C:\evoxdash.xbe, XBMC is in E:\Apps\XBMC\ and uses the shortcut at C:\evoxdash.xbe. I did consider using the shortcut method exclusively, and putting all of the dashboards as Apps (like XBMC), but it might have confused the casual user.

For the format menu the password is Xbox.

i see. that's weird if those low burn speeds actually matter because if it actually matters it would seem burners must burn those differently at slow speeds vs higher speeds as i would imagine a quality burn is a quality burn regardless of burn speeds. so if the low speed burning makes it easier for Thompson drives to read the disc they must have changed the way discs are read or something as there has to be some reason if low speed burning matters for Thompson drives. makes me wonder if brand of disc (maybe different dye's) matters more than burn speeds?

but 8x must be fine if your using a decent burner with good media (i used 'Sony Optiarc 7240s' with Verbatim DVD-R (MCC03RG20) @ 8x burn speed) as like i was saying it don't seem to have issues booting up (seems to boot the first time when i tried it) and i can navigate the menus etc and it copied over some of the files from the disc fine (i believe was somewhere around a 2MB/s read speed) so odds are the disc won't cause any issues.

but i see your point though as it would be less risky to change .xbe file names than re-flash TSOP.

but is it possible with this disc to have it load BIOS files from the hard drive for flashing to TSOP on any XBox (v1.0-1.5) of your own custom made ones, or is it solely only for the ones that are included on the disc?

but just curious... have you personally had any trouble burning at 8x or 12x or even 16x etc for use in a Thompson XBox?

and thanks for that password. although upon looking into it more if i need to format the drive i can use other options on the disc as it appears there is a option there for a initial hard drive setup.

[Heimdall]

You're missing the point about burning DVDs. Slower burn = more time burning each pit = deeper and better defined pits = easier to read. Again, it's about the quality of the technology used in the reader. The accepted rule is that 4x works, any higher and your are at the mercy of the burner, the quality of the media etc. It has nothing to do with "(changing) the way discs are read", it's the quality of the reading mechanism - especially on the old Thomson drives. I've had problems with discs burned quicker than 4x. Not always, but at least one of my Thomson drives struggled with 8x burns nomatter what media I used.

HeXEn only flashes the BIOSes on the DVD. You can edit it to add your own - the config file is fully commented, so it's relatively easy to work out what to do.

The formatting is really only there for historical reasons, and to allow you to quickly erase X, Y and Z.

[ThaCrip]

You're missing the point about burning DVDs. Slower burn = more time burning each pit = deeper and better defined pits = easier to read. Again, it's about the quality of the technology used in the reader. The accepted rule is that 4x works, any higher and your are at the mercy of the burner, the quality of the media etc. It has nothing to do with "(changing) the way discs are read", it's the quality of the reading mechanism - especially on the old Thomson drives. I've had problems with discs burned quicker than 4x. Not always, but at least one of my Thomson drives struggled with 8x burns nomatter what media I used.

HeXEn only flashes the BIOSes on the DVD. You can edit it to add your own - the config file is fully commented, so it's relatively easy to work out what to do.

The formatting is really only there for historical reasons, and to allow you to quickly erase X, Y and Z.

so basically it's just the way those old readers react to the disc because any non ancient DVD reader should be able to read any quality media burned at pretty much any speed. but i got you, as 4x is more of a 'fail-safe' when it comes to burning discs that are compatible with the Thompson drives even with variable media and variable burner quality.

is 8x burn speed the max that will work in your experience for these XBox boot discs? (or is it going higher than 8x and the failure rate of them booting starts to increase quite a bit?)

but anyways... i assume if i edit any of the data on the disc i can just use Quix to remake the ISO?

i am just checking as i used Quix to make my CD-RW boot discs i used a while back i believe.

[ldotsfan]

qwix

[MrMajst3r]

How should I use option to make a new HDD on chipped/tsoped Xbox in HEXEN?
It wants a password... I try few combinations, but no effect.

[Heimdall]

AYBX if it's a passcode, Xbox if it's a password.

[ricbox]

Hi! I've got a serious problem. I decided to softmod my XB with Hexen, after having installed EvoX dash 3935 with the SC exploit and SID 2.0.
I burnt the disc, followed the instructions, installed Krayzie, backed up the eeprom, but when it came to reboot the console without the disc, the console showed only a black screen after the Xbox Boot logo.

I waited a long, and tried several times to boot, but without success. I even inserted the disc again, but it doesn't read it. Please, tell me that I haven't brick it.

What can I do? And please, tell me if I wrote in the wrong topic/section.



Thanks.

[Heimdall]

Is your HeXEn disc a DVD-R?

What colour is the LED when you boot with no disc?

[ricbox]

Yes sir. TDK DVD-R. And the first time I booted it, the Led was red, and now it remains green, even when I insert the disk.

[Heimdall]

Can you boot Splinter Cell and load the gamesave?

[ricbox]

Yep! I just did that. The LED turns Red, and the menu becomes like the one from the installation. What should I do from now on?

Also, it says that in C i've got only 1,48MB free, is that right?

This post has been edited by ricbox: Apr 19 2012, 08:18 PM