TUTORIAL : Error 21 on softmod (-attempt)


So you got an 'error 21' and you're panicking now? Stop worrying. An error 21 is about the easiest fixed of all errors.

This tutorials will consist of 2 parts :

* You used an exploitable game and exploited savegame/installer and original games still boot.
* You used hotswapping and/or some other mod method and/or original games won't boot.

NOTE : There are more possible solutions, this tutorial is meant to be as noob-proof as possible.


General info :

An 'error 21' is some kind of general error. If it's not one of the 1-20 errors, but there's still something wrong, it will be reported as an 'error 21'. Most of the time there's something missing from your dash board. To solve this, just revert your c: drive to original, and start over modding.

If you used an auto-installer, this time use Krayzie's installer, it's the most newbie (and troublefree) installer out there at this moment. If you hotswapped and used another method, make sure to use 'UXE Complete' together with xboxhdm.


PART 1 : You used an exploitable game and exploited savegame/installer and original games still boot.

This couldn't be easier:

# Things needed : PC, exploitable game, original MS dashboard (from backup or Slayers (xbins)), exploited savegame or installer.

* Put your exploitable game in the DVD Drive. Turn off your xbox, Turn on your xbox.
* Load the exploited savegame/installer
--> You now have ftp access.
* Connect through FTP
* Delete everything on C:
* Put the MS dash on C:
* Delete everything on E: , except: E:\tdata and E:\udata (optionally e:\apps)
* Delete the savegame you used to mod (It's in E:\Udata\xxxxxxx , the x's represent the unique number for the exploitable game you used) (you're deleting this because it may contain uninstall info, which prevents/disables a reinstall)
* Put a 'virgin' savegame/installer in the same location you just deleted the old one.
* Reboot your xbox
* Start the installer (you did use Krayzie's this time, right?)
* Follow the onscreen directions.
* DONE!


PART 2 : You used hotswapping and/or some other mod method and/or original games won't boot.

The good news : on an error 21, hotswapping is still possible.

# Things needed : PC, xboxhdm (xbox-scene.com, software section), original original MS dashboard (from backup or Slayers (xbins).

Note : This will revert your xbox back to original, so you can start over your mod attempt. It's very well possible to correct the problem AND mod at the same time, but there are too many packages out there to give a tailor made solution for all. Simply start over and use 'UXE complete' (xbins) this time. Make sure to follow all directions in the 'UXE Complete' download.


* Make a bootable xboxhdm disc, following this tutorial : http://forums.xbox-scene.com/index.php?showtopic=244043
(You only have to include the MS dashboard in /linux/c/ )

* Hotswap your HDD to PC using this tutorial : http://forums.xbox-scene.com/index.php?showtopic=332179

* In xboxhdm, choose option 2 : Rebuild c-partition, follow the onscreen directions.

* Put hdd back into xbox.

--> Your xbox now starts 'original'

* Choose your prefered mod method and start over. If you don't want to invest in a memorycard and game, opt for "UXE Complete"! (though using an exploitable game, savegame and memorycard is preferred ...)

* DONE!

Thanks to :
- Krayzie, for his installer, time and patience.
- Daddy J, for his hotswapping tutorial, also check his music : http://redeyedfoolz.kyed.com/
- Kingroach, for the xboxhdm tutorial
- devz3ro, for creating 'UXE complete'
- All other 'softmod' regulars who contributed in either code or answers!

Made this tut because it looks like there are at least 4 'error 21' questions on every page by now.

Feel free to comment, correct, contibute.

If needed I'll revise and repost.

Cheers guys!

(When I have the time, next tut will be : How do I completely remove a softmod. ) (yes, those bungies scared 'em!)

Clean & too the point, Hopefully they'll read it

Good Job

Probably not, but it will save time because answering questions will now just be pasting a link to this thread, lol

Nice. Maybe you could add a section on how to react on getting an error 21 when using a gamesave exploit (cuz of faulty action replay cards and/or not copying the save over to the hd first)

If you use SID (which blows), never create an M$ backup AFTER you put softmod in, you will overwrite previous backup, and when you try to restore you get.............ERROR 21. Yep the Update scared most straight into this prob. Great Job Soullar!!!

NM reading it again, i'm guessing your assuming that the save game is still on the E.


this post makes no sense to me, it says
"for boxes with error 21, but regular PC games still load."
put in exploitable game.... OK
load savegame....?

How are you supposed to load a save game? Mem Card? Don't you have to xfer the savegame to the hd first thru MS save game manager. Which you can't get to if your getting error 21?

Yes you need the save on the hd allready. People should need to learn to never delete their exploited save. otherwise you would need to hotswap.

I'll add an extra line in the description when I revise this tut ... thought this was clear.

it was, i just read the 2 options quickly, my particular issue is i used Xboxhdm and now i'm getting error 21 but i can boot regular games..

I think I screwed up and forgot to put /E/Root on the disk so uxe is trying to load dash file but it isn't there.

Looking at it a 2nd time though, it makes perfect sense, for someone that used a save game, my fault for not reading it right. But you are missing one group of stupid ppl. Myself included.

imvery sorry to say i got this error how ever yes indeed it its the best and easiest thing to fix cuz last time i got error 13 then 16 now i got 21 but this time my game saves are still available whihc means this is the best one and im thanxkful for it but the only prob is i did use kraizes to install a softmod and i enede up with this error i can still ftp have evox 3935 but something else i never relized i got this error cuz i installedalot of trainers never went on live with them and i think this is theprob i rebooted and turned off my xbox alot so dont no if thats the prob or not cuz the other day was going to play a mod free game so i decieded to use the m$ dashboard then i see error 21 iw was pretty shocked cuz i didnt do anything rong so yeah i have no idea how the error came up how ever evox still works and ftping still works hope that give u enough info so PLZZZZZ HELP ME or should i just uninstall the mod then reinstall it or should i try turning off the softmod then putting in a live starter disk <<<<<thinking of doing that>>>>PLZZZZ HELP ME however hacking still works 2 thanx if u can help me

Fact : Academic educated people will lose track in sentenses over 18 words.

Your one sentence has ... ermmmm 200?

Please rephrase your question with normal sentences, some blank lines, full stops, capitals, no "internet lingo" and I'll try to help you out. Promise.

Sorry, lost track within 3 lines. Not readable.

Edit : OK, you can even skip the capitals and full stops, just make it readable.

ok sorry my xbox got that same thing error 21 and all i did was use trainers and ftped them and i did reboot alot but never went on live then i wanted to play a non modded game so i go to ms dahsboard on evox menu 3935 then this error 21 thing comes up and i used the krazies auto installer for this so im thinking to uninstall my mod then installing it again or turn it off then put in a live starter disk and yes i still have access to ftping and hacks and everything else if that helps hope i rephrased better sorry for the other post oo yeah help would be great now or should i get slayers whichi i dont no how oo yeha sorry to say but i dont no how i got this error i just went to regilar ms dah whihc ive done millions of times yet this time it quits on me thanx for sparring ur time for me by the way

woo never mind this is weird i turn the sofmtod off and pressto the dahsboard is there never mind i think ill keep the error unless u can still help me hmm its reallw weird ill try uninstalling then installing again ok nvm i got it to work again thanx for all yur help anyways thanku

@ gsharpshooter : re-read your own posts. Do you know what you're trying to say or ask yourself? Still unreadable.

Its about time someone wrote a tutorial on this error.

Good Work

Well on my xbox I get error 21, but there are a few more symtoms leading up to that.

I used a exploit to put on my bios and it worked fine for me untill I decided to load Gentoox tools onto my xbox. It all seemed fine and good until the it actualy started to load Linux, at that point the screen went black and wight! then started flashing up and down faster and faster.

I thought the problem might have been with the bios so I unistaled all of it then restarted the xbox, but the problem still remaind! >.<

Then i thought i might go ahead and try and re-instal the bios via the same exploit, I got as far as Itools to load and attempt to reinstal the bios but it gives me some wierd error that i cant read because the screen is flashing to fast.


So in short If i try to access a bios i get Error 21, I can load xbox games and the bios exploit but not instal it, and my screen is black and wight and flashes a million miles an hour!

Edit: Ohh ya and i can't Access FTP related things from my computer >.<
Plz Help, Thanks

Zoid

after reading all the posts on Error 21 in this topic, it seems none of them is helpful for me.

What am I supposed to do when the saved game exploit fails to load and greets me with error 21 (it worked fine on one XBOX but not the other one and I use the exact same game Splinter cell and same memory card) Are there any compatibility issues with some dashboard/xbox versions with some exploits?

Again this error occurs when ATTEMPTING to load a saved game exploit that worked perfectly with another XBOX by myself personnaly.

Thanks.

did you copy the save to the hd first?

* Make sure you use a clean installer (not the 'used' one from a previous install, maybe download again if in doubt)

* Make sure you have the latest MS dash (5960)

Thanks for the info on the dashboard. It is not the 5960. All I need to know is how to upgrade it? It already has the XBOX live option on it. What game can I use to upgrade the dashboard.

the dashboard version is irrelevant in loading gamesave exploits.

Ok, I'll redownload the XBOX softmod installer deluxe 2.0 from clean again and attempt to apply softmod again. If it fails then what? a post above mentions some softmods requires updated Dashboards and I need to know how to update it without going online. The tips are getting more helpful here.

Softmod Installer deluxe.....yuk.... we do not support crap packages anyway. And yes some softmods require to have an updated dash. you can upgrade by connecting to live or run the live function from a recent live enabled game. However a dashboard version will never give an error 21 whe trying to load an exploited gamesave.

Ok, Well I tried NHL 2005 which is live enabled and it does not update the dashboard without going online, as I said earlier, it's an old XBOX that has an older dash with XBOX live available already in dashboard. It has not been on XBOX live for over 2 years.

So the dashboard is already updated enough in this case?

You still need to update to the latest M$ dash. Lots of things have changed in the past 2 years.

**Alex**

Ok... Well what about my problem... I cant read the dang screen it is flashing up and down to much! >.<

At any rate i was browseing the internet and I stumbled upon a "Xbox refresh disk" Wich is supposed to wipe the hardrive of an xbox and restore it to the factory defaults. Would that CD work to rewrite the hardrive, remove any errors so i can start it again from scratch and possibley save my hdd, and then re-mod?

@ lordshodan : you can extract the 5960 dash from slayers (xbins) and be wise, don't use S.I.D. , pick one of the Krayzie installers ...

@ zoidman : I doubt the problem is with the hdd or it's contents. Looks like a video setting is screwed up. And if I remember correct these settings are stored on the eeprom, not the hdd. Keep in mind I'm not an expert on these video problems but :

* If you can still read the text on screen, check if you have the correct video setting for your region and/or format.

* You might want to try the Enigma video switcher (downloadable)

* No clue about that refresh disc, but if it's that original MS disc it might be pretty pricy and very sought after ...

* If you still want to erase that hdd, there are many ways .... either use your xboxhdm, or, if you can still connect through ftp, simply connect, delete everything and replace with an original dash. (just delete stuff on c: , leave everything else alone)

* If you have your eeprom backup you could use 'configmagic' to put back your original eeprom with correct videosettings.

this might be off track, but i had my box soft modded by a friend. it worked fine

but after trying to load the ms dashboard, i got an error. i gave it back to my

friend and had him chip it. the chip works fine but when i switch the chip off instead of

getting the ms dash i get the error 21. now i'm a noob so i'm afraid to try and get

dash working without a blueprint to go on. is there anyway too get it working again

without completly wwiping out my brand new chip

You should add..

"If you noobs ever install a softmod, please install dualboot! It could potentially fix error 21 even quicker than above"

Nobody on this site, who softmods, has ever comented on how dualboot is the best thing ever. it's like the invention of airbags but for softmodding!

install it or die!

is it possible that i could just get my friends c:/ and e:/ folders and replace mine with his.

First off, thanks everyone for the great info!

I'm running into the "Service Required" - 21 error, but it doesn't appear that my situation quite fits with the others described here.

I have a Mod Chip (apologies, I don't know the exact model/version, I had it done for me), it's been working perfectly for about a year now...

Last night, I was attempting to update XBMC via FTP, and I'm thinking that somehow the root of the C drive became corrupted, or a file was overwritten or something because as of today I'm getting the error 21.

I *CAN* still play originals, however, none of my copied games work. I have tried downloading, burning, and booting off of the Auto-Installer Deluxe v2.11, but I get the same Error 21 as I get with my copied games...

I figure I just need to get FTP access to the drive and I can restore my backups, but at the moment I can't figure out how to get onto the HD... Obviously I want to avoid having to pull apart the machine if possible... Any suggestions??!?!?

If someone else modded it for you there are a few possibilities ...

- There is no chip installed at all, but the one who modded your xbox did a softmod without telling you.

Reason : a chipped box should boot backed up games / auto-installer discs.

If you're 100% sure a chip was installed:
* The chip shifted out of place (if it's a solderless one), one of the wires came loose or the chip died.

* The chip is turned off. Look for switches somewhere on your xbox.

Better open up your xbox and check if there's a chip at all ... it needs to be fixed/replaced anyway.

If there's no chip .... contact your modder and tell him he ripped you off.

I was upgrading a friends xbox with a 120 gig segate hard drive and used xbox hdm to build the drive. It is a 1.6b xbox and I have build hard drives a few dozen times but this time I kept getting error 21 when I'd hook it up.

I didn't even softmod it or anything. I just wanted to boot up the 120 gig with all original files. I even rebacked up the original drive and made the xboxhdm disk again with no luck.

What finally worked perfect was to use the clone hdd option in xbox hdm. I just unlocked the original and cloned it to the new drive. No more error 21.

Thanks for the tip... It appears you're correct... I've opened up my XBOX and low and behold, no MOD chip! I was quite certain that I had been explicitly told by my modder (because I asked) which chip he was using, and luckily I've still got his email as proof:



So I'm pretty ticked off that I apparently just got a softmod instead! I've given this guy a bunch of referrals too! Well I'll get in touch with him and hopefully he do it right this time!

can someone please tell me where i can get the ms dashboard iv been looking for it for awile and i still cant find it!!!

Slayers v2.6 or any LIVE enabled game, its contained in the dashupdate.xbe, which requires orginal fonts to run.

how do i install the ms dashboard with a live enabled game? and i installed my softmod using the xboxhdm method so do i just put the hole slayers autoinstaler in the c part of the cd inorder to fix the error?

so will this undo everything that i did? i want to keep all of the data that i have in the F and G drives. basically i just want to install the evox dash again (or any other dash for that matter)





would this be something written/changed into the nk patcher? it would have to be written into the bios (?)

how do we go about doing this? it would saved me a lot of time/money if i had a queue of dashes to load if one happened to fail.

Hey i have the same problem as you wondering if you or anyone else has solved the problem this is the first time ive tryed a softmod before on this console ps i am using mech assult and an AR to try to get it running also which is the best exploit softmod to use and where can i get it as the one im using i think might be the problem?

Hi I have an xbox with ltools with MXM installed and I accidentally erased my e drive, and now it comes up with an error 21 at boot. The xbox will still boot from a retail cd, but I have no access to any type of dashboard. Also I can't ftp into it anymore. From the tutorial I understand I have to do a hotswap, but I'm confused on how to move the files from Slayers to build the Xboxhdm. I just want to be able to get it back to stock and then reinstall a softmod. If anyone has any ideas.

Thanks

I did a dual boot softmod with SID 4.0 Nknave... eject button MS dashboard, power button Evox.

Attempted to format the F drive using the exploit but it kept asking for a password that I couldn't figure out. Finally gave up. Made no changes, nothing, nada.

Now the MSdash is error 21... Everything Evox is fine. Can boot retail games and still access the SC exploit.

This should be an easy fix... I even have a backup. So I FTP'd the backup... no dice. Here's what's currently on the C:



What am I missing? I'm pretty noob to be sure so I don't want to proceed without expert advise.



I would just like to restore the MS dash without damaging the softmod.

I ran into a similar issue today and couldn't make any changes to C:. My understanding is that Shadowimg prevents users from messing with files on C:, but how do you repair it if something goes wrong?

It's too late for me as I pretty much bricked the HD and I don't feel like trying the hotswap method. I used an 80gig drive I had and formatted it with xboxhdm and now the box is working again.

Good luck to those who are having problems, hopefully you'll figure it out before you end up like me

Greetings,

I'm thinking about buying a soft modded Xbox which is receiving the error 21, after suposedly accidently going on Xbox Live. From reading all of these posts can I safely assume that after a normal hard mod and hard drive upgrade it will no longer receive the error 21 assuming I flahs the bios and install the dashboard correctly?

Thanks in advance!

thank you so much!@#!@ the original tutorial i was following didn't give any warnings of an issue with this kernel, i figured if there was a solution they would of updated such a detailed tutorial. anyways, thank you soooooo much!@!!! you saved me from getting my ass stomped by a really large man.

didn't work! i'm getting error 21 when i try and load a game but it loads the dash!!! i can load xbmc... dvd2xbox... copy games to the hd... they wont run from hd or original disks... im' completely lost. please someone help me!

I have yet another variation on the whole 'Error 21' saga.

I had my xbox softmodded by a friend and all was well. I was trying to get xbmc to let me output to 720p, I tried every setting I could in all the dashboards that were available, however, I accidentally selected 'Patch ms dash' totally retarded I know.

Well now, both the regular dash board and the eject dash try to boot the original ms dash and bail before any options can appear, and all im left with is our dear friend Mr error 21.

Now, heres the confusing part. After the initial panic I tried a few regular games and they worked fine. I toyed with the idea of installing the dash update from Halo 2 but thought I had better not break it further. The softmod save game was still on the machine so I just got the game from my friend (Agent under fire btw). However, in the time it took me to leave my house, pick up the game, and get back, it broke further.

It now wont load anything. No discs work at all, and I've not done anything to it.

Im going to be working on it for some time because I need to fix it. If anyone has any clues, please let me know. If not I will post when I finally find a solution.

ARRGGGGHHH!

Balls, just figured it out. Its because its been unplugged from the mains so now its trying to set the clock before playing a game.

Colour me stupid.

Anyone got any ideas how to continue? Is this gonna have to be a hotswap effort now? Is there any way to skip setting the clock on the regular ms dash without ftp access?

D.

I have softmodded xbox with normal harddrive. Im running Evolution X and everything works great. The only problem is when I go to the M$ Dash and try and change the network setting or troubleshoot the network connection I get the error 21. That is the only time I get it and everthing else works fine. Im trying to get my xbox to run LIVE through my laptop. Anyone help me out here?

You noticed the thread was 2 years old? IMHO better off posting a separate thread. What softmod were you using?

Hello Everyone,

Been a long time since this thread has seen any action, but I figured I'd give it a shot.

I bought a pre-modded xbox several years ago. I have slowly figured out how to do things, and yesterday in an attempt to get icefilms working, I got the 21 error happening.

I was ftping into the box trying to install the latest version of XBMC when I started to get some ftp errors. Files weren't deleting, and I kept getting a bunch of other errors. I made the mistake of trying to reboot ftp & my xbox and since than nothing but error 21.

I have NO IDEA if this was a chipped box or not, but I have looked around and don't see any extra switches on the box. I'm assuming that it was a softmod?

I am still able to load old xbox games, but if no game is present it crashes to the error 21.


So, do I just assume it was a softmodded xbox and try the first solution? If so, what are the games I need? Having never actually modded an xbox I'm pretty confused.

Any advice would be greatly appreciated!