Hi there!

I'm totally new in this kind of modding. Till this time i only modded consoles like PS2, etc. with soldering. But now i would like to buy an Xbox because i heard that on this machine modding can be done without chips and stuff. I'm planning to get an original used model today, and i need some help how I can load Evox(or something i can play divx's, copy'd games or mp3's with my Xbox) on a new, formerly in PC used HDD.
I have a few 20-80Gig drives on my shelf, so it's not a problem if i make some of them useless.

Is it possible, that if i screw up a newly installed HDD, then if i put back the original untouched one, it works fine?
And how can i back up the bios of the machine? (I read a few topics and everywhere it says to back it up. How can it be done on an orig Xbox?)

Thanx.

A newbie

(p.s.: i'm a hardware engineer, so not all that newbie, but almost :-P)

Stickies are truly your friend.

ndure using xboxhdm

This would be your best port of call for getting yourself a bootable ISO with all the hacked software you need. If you can find slayers disk (I can't I fail at modding) then you can also add the system files and make a hdd from the ground up, one of the couple of stickies there has info on exactly what you want to do. I've never modded a thing in my life and just completed it before, albeit it took a lot of reading.

I also need to find a way to backup my eeprom though I do have the whole HDD backed up so it should be kinda useful I spose...

Thanx!

in the meantime i found this topic, and ran through it. it's cool. The only problem i still have, as U do too, is the Bios backup procedure. didn't find any info on that with the orig. dash installed. Or i just accidentally ran over it.

Hi,

the eeprom.bin file is the biggest problem when you softmod. Once your xbox is softmodded, it is easy to run a application to backup the information that is in that little 256 byte memory chip. However, you need that information to perform your softmod as a softmodded xbox harddisk must be locked with the right password. That password is calculated from the eeprom unique hddkey and the harddisk model and serial number.

Before I make this community angry, I should tell that there are other methods to softmod the xbox.

1. Hotswapping. The xbox unlocks it's harddisk. After this has happend, the ide cable of the harddisk is disconnected and the cable from a pc motherboard is connected to the disk. As the disk is unlocked, you can alter stuff on it and install a softmod.

2. Game Exploit. Trough a action replay, a gamesave is installed on the harddisk that causes the game to run unsigned software. You will need a original game that is exploitable.

3. Install a modchip. Once a modchip is installed with the proper bios, you can run the applications to backup the xbox eeprom. Once you have that backup, you can remove the modchip.

4. Build a eeprom reader. It are just a couple of resistors and a couple of zener diodes. They allow to interface your pc serial port with your xbox IIC bus. That way, you can read (and even reprogram) the eeprom chip.

http://forums.afterdawn.com/thread_view.cfm/357863

Most people try the hotswap since you don't need any additional hardware and soldering work. It is a dangerous option that can damage your ide port as it wasn't designed to be disconnected with the power on. If it doesn't work (for instance because you added a wrong file to your harddisk), you will end up with a non functional xbox. It is often difficult to revert your work and start over.

I prefer the eeprom reader. It is the cheapest option after the hotswap. You can build a new harddisk from scratch with it, leaving the stock one untouched.

The choice is up to you.

regards.

That eeprom reader looks sweeeet. Know anybody that sells them obcd?

Hi,

they used to be on Ebay. I found out that the basic one (2 resistors and 2 zener diodes) was not working on every pc serial port. Also, when you connect the basic reader, your xbox will frag. On a 1.6 version xbox, the xbox will turn off after a couple of tries.

So, I improved the concept a bit, and was thinking of designing a small pcb for it. I am just not there yet. I made a prototype that works fine, but I still need to design a program that reads the eeprom out when the power is on between the frag's. (If your mobo is fragging.) If it can't read the whole 256 bytes in one time, it could read them in a couple of times and glue the pieces together.

I am just wondering how much interest there would be for such a item. If you install a modchip, you can do the same thing (if your mobo is still working). If you take the risc to hotswap, you can get your xbox eeprom without the need for it. Cheap modchip's cost something like 20 euro. A eeprom reader should be something like 15 euro. Not that much difference...

So, the only advantages to it are the fact you can use it with a defective (fragging) mobo and the fact it is easier to install. (Just 3 or 4 wires on the LPC header holes, no need to connect the D0 point.)

regards.

Hey obcd, I'd pay 15 euro for something like that! Sounds great, tell me if you ever make any up.

-Jools

Hi,

if I can find enough confirmation that people are still interested, I will very likely continue the work on it.

I will leave a note on this Forum when it is ready for shipment...

regards.