Please Help

I think I have corrupted my eeprom, I have a backup that I need to restore. Which modchip is the best for restoring the eeprom? Preferably no soldering

Any chip can be used to embed an eeprom into a bios.. But you will need access to either a working xbox or an external programmer to get the proper eeprom embedded bios on the target modchip.. Make sure your eeprom version is correct, and the box should boot as soon as the modchip with bios in place is installed..
You can use xbtool to embed an eeprom.bin in x2 4981 and lower bioses..

I only want the modchip to restore my eeprom, can I then remove it.

I did'nt know that the eeprom was emebedded in the bios or I just dont understand.

I though the TSOP contained the bios / kernel and the eeprom was elsewhere?

I'm a bit confussed.

Please could you explain?

Normaly the eeprom is not in the bios.

It is possible to use software to embed an eeprom into a bios file and then boot the xbox. You can do this with any chip, but you have to have a way of loading the new embedded bios onto the chip, ie a programmer or another xbox.

The newest generation of chips that have their own OS like the xenium ice are capable of booting the box without the eeprom. you can then simply reflash the eeprom using a file that you have on disk, or on the harddrive, etc. It is realy cool...

If you plan to remove the chip you will first need to restore the eeprom image on the eeprom chip itself. You can do this with an app called eeprom magic. Config Magic will NOT work. It will report that the eeprom is corrupt and cease to load.. (duhh..) In any case, eeprom magic doesn't give 2 shits about the contents.. It will just write over them. After you have restored the eeprom with eeprom magic, the box is like new..

Yes I plan to remove the chip after restoring the eeprom. I have just bought a xenium ice with solderless adaptor. Thanks for the advice, I might need more when I get the chip in a day or two

If he has the eeprom backup from before it got corrupted, cant he just rebuild the xbox hdd using something like xboxhdm and doing a hotswap?

A corrupt eeprom just flashes red, doesn't boot at all.. Its an issue with the eeprom chip itself, not the hdd. A modchip is 100% necessary tofix it..

Not always the case

We have had several machines that boot (green not red ) and have no video output .

This is what happens when only the video region portion of the eeprom is corrupted - either way though the eeprom would need to be reflashed.

We have successfully made version 1.0/1.11 and 1.2+ eeprom images and flashed them into the eeprom from a modified cromwell bin file (put onto a mod chip ) that originated from

http://arisme.free.fr/Xbox/Reflash/

theoretically any modchip will do - however I have NOT had success using the new xenium OS and it appears to work best with the older more "forcefull" chips such as xecuter 2.x and chameleons etc.

I think the reason for the xeniums not working for me (personally) is the way they boot into their own OS first -

I know that many of you are now going to remind me of the xeniums and smartxx's eeprom options - but strangely I have not found these to work too well - even when it is indicative of a video region corruption - you can set the region and save to eeprom - but it doesnt work - the only option I have found with many boards is the one described above.

Hope this helps

Chris

Well I got the xenium chip updated the os to 2.0.1, this then allowed me to restore my eeprom, SUCCESS!!! I had a back up.

I have now removed the chip and the xbox is fully softmodded using UDE with an upgraded hdd.

What bothers me is how the hell did the eeprom corrupt in the first place?

The most common way to corrupt the eeprom is through a bad flash.
There are a number of programs that write to the eeprom to change video settings and region settings. It is possible for things to go wrong...

Also electric surges can scrample an eeprom. dirty voltage during the boot hiting the power button rapidly etc...

Hell, cosmic radiation, strong electric fields, giant magnets, and small hammers can also corupt an eeprom.

The truth is corruption although not probible, is always possible.

ALWAYS ALWAYS ALWAYS backup your eeprom

cheers