While attempting to install the EVOX 3935 dashboard so I could use the new Slayer v2.6 auto-installer to soft-mod my XBOX, I made the mistake of erasing the E drive which I thought would be good enough to format it because I couldn't get the EVOX dashboard to load on boot up. I thought maybe it was all the programs that I still had on the E drive from a previous soft mod. I thought all was well and good but the EVOX dashboard still wasn't loading. No biggie, a little frustrating, I loaded Splinter Cell again to use the Linux hack to temporarily load the EVOX dash like I had been doing, but stupid me, I erased the E drive which contained the saved files I needed to temporarily load the EVOX dash. So what I'm stuck with is this:

1. A blank XBOX E drive.
2. A C drive with only a non-working EVOX dash on it.
3. An XBOX that has no working dashboard on it which loads Error 13 on start up.
4. All the files to fix the problem, but no way to get them to the XBOX HD.

I backed up the original XBOX C drive and E drive to my computer and the saved Linux installer on a memory stick (If you're familiar with soft-modding, you'll know what I mean when I say I temporarily load EVOX with Splinter Cell and the Linux installer). I have also lost all FTP functions because I can no longer temporarily load the EVOX dash. I've determined a few solutions to my problem, but can't figure out how to make any one of them work:

1. Transfer the Linux installer from the memory stick back to the XBOX HD.
2. Boot up the M$ dashboard from the backup I have on my computer.
3. Boot up the Slayer auto-installer on the XBOX.

Any one of these solutions would fix my predicament, but I'm not sure how to accomplish. The XBOX still plays games as long as they're in the XBOX when it is booted, but it no longer plays DVD's with the XBOX DVD kit.

Is there anyway to salvage my XBOX without resorting to opening it up? I don't want to have to hard-mod it unless it is ABSOLUTELY necessary!

Thanks to anyone who can help.

only thing i can think of you can try without opening the xbox. since you can load games, find a newer live enable game.. let live upgrade/repair your ms dashboard. once your dash is repaired you can put the game save exploit back onto your hdd and resoftmod it. if this doesnt work... you can always hotswap which requires you to open the box.

Just tried it with Halo 2. Game works fine. Played and saved the first level. Booted the XBOX with no disc, no dashboard. Thanks for you help though. I welcome any more suggestions anyone else has.

BTW, is it possible to make an XBOX C drive boot disc with the backup I have?

I'm trying to think outside the box on this one. I really need a solution.
What about using a crossover cable from my computer to the XBOX directly and FTPing? Would that work with no dashboard?

i don't think u can ftp without a dashboard But i know nothing of softmods or else i'd lend a little more advice.

--edit--
gah, my first double post

Can't you just put the evox auto slayer CD in and then install ms dash from there?
Or doens't your xbox boot backup games?

Install a SmartXX. There is nothing like the joy of a modchip
Sorry for not being helpful, but this will easily fix your problem!
You experienced one of the many softmod problems!

Unmodded XBOXes will not read non-officially signed m$ code, so I'm told.

What I think homelesschicken meant was to put a game into the box (say Halo 2) and then go to "Xbox Live" in the game, it should try to upgrade your dash (if you have an outdated one, or maybe if you don't, who knows?) and should display a progress bar. In theory, this would overwrite the hacked xboxdash.xbe with a retail one and allow you to boot something (maybe it won't because of the fonts folder, but it's worth a try)

--EDIT--
The surefire way to make it work is to get a chip for it though, I think it would be a LOT easier that way

Tried connecting to XBOX live through Halo 2 and SW:Battlefront, neither of them worked to correct the M$ dash. I think the hacked fonts directory is interferring with the bootup. Thanks for the help though. Any other ideas anyone?

Okay, since it's not possible to boot up the Slayer auto-installer due to the lack of official signed M$ code on the default.xbe file on the disc, is it possible to boot up the M$ dashboard from burned media containing the official xboxdash.xbe file that I backed up to my computer before I started? Wouldn't the original xboxdash.xbe file, in theory, contain officially signed M$ code to allow me to boot the M$ dashboard from the D drive on my XBOX?

What about the rest of the dash?

There is a hell of a lot more to it than just the XBE. And the xbox doesn't like those files ANYWHERE but on the C: partition.

Even the MS Xbox Recovery Disk they give to rental places to fixed botched E: drive caches, etc. won't touch the C: drive. For a damn good reason, to prevent us from doing what we do...

Can anybody call bullshit on me?

I think what xombe said is true, however, since the recovery disk is signed with M$ code, and it does verify/update you dash (i think it does, not 100%) it should be able to load.

Its worth a try, you can buy em for like 30 bucks, or make friends with a pretty girl at the video store.


cheers

Well, go ask eh. and see what he says about that...

(@propr`one: Xombe's likely referring to these related findings eh... )

@platypus123: have you considered using ldots' xboxhdm to rescue it (linked here) eh?

_______
Footnote: theoretically HULK's 5680 dashboard could be used to fix this (via a suitably burned DVD+R, per sig linked thread) but not in practice, alas eh.

I figured you'd be by here sooner or later, eh.