Xbox 1.6 with a dead HDD (code 7). Installed SmartXX 3 using the solder method.

I can boot to the SOS via the power button and the original OS via the DVD Eject button. When I boot to the SOS, the blue LED (on the SmartXX board) flashes about once per second (one Hz). When booting to the original OS, the blue LED is on constantly.

Is the blue LED just to indicate which OS was booted?

The reason I ask is that my DVD drive won't open right now, and I'm trying to figure out why. I posted here first to verify that my SmartXX HW install is ok.

TIA, alan
yucko@alum.mit.edu

The reason your DVD won't eject is that you have not snapped off the little D0 tab, as explained in the install tutorials, you are probably finding your Xbox turns on the moment you attach your Power lead to it too...

Without getting too technical this is down to a signal being routed to your Pin4 of the pinheader (other xbox's this is not used), but for 1.6 units they are used.

So simply snap this off and your Xbox will boot as you expect with added DVD ejection

Sorry but can't really answer on the Blue LED.

I think the BLUE LED is a status LED. The SmartXX marketing literature talks about a "status LED," but never states what it does or where it is. Thus, it is my conjecture that this blue LED is the status LED (but I might be wrong).

As for the DVD drive, I appreciate your guess, but that's not correct. The D0 mini-board was snapped off; moreover, I removed pin 4 from the header. (And the box does NOT power up as soon as the power cord is inserted.) I'm thinking that there is something else going on here (maybe a lifted trace?). But first, I guess what I should do is boot to the XBox original OS and see if it will allow the DVD drive to open/close.

Hopefully, the first technician (the one who originally diagnosed the dead HDD) didn't break the DVD drive--I asked him to remove a disk that was stuck inside it. I'm assuming he was competent enough to mechanically open the drive without hosing it completely.

Again, thanks for the suggestion. I'll try to find some time to play around a bit more.

Kindest regards, alan
Durham, NC
yucko@alum.mit.edu

As mentioned this is due to the D0 tab...

http://www.smartxx.com/download/manuals/Sm...stall_16_v3.pdf

Now you state that as well as snapping it off you also took off pin 4... well in that case, reconnect the D0 point and things should be good to go, although do read through the install manual, as you may notice you have missed something.