iBotPeaches Posted August 27, 2007 Report Posted August 27, 2007 Read these 4 bullets first! >> First off I would like to say, this was written by me. Considering that this is like a big FAQ question guide, I will not guarantee that any of my answers are correct. I did do a lot of research and am pretty sure that this info is correct. Also I am not responsible if you screw up your Xbox in doing anything listed here. Some stuff I have ranked as ââ∠âNot for Noobsâââ¬Ã anything besides that could be any difficulty. >>I would like to make this ââ∠âUltimate Random Xbox Info Guideâââ¬Ã even bigger and better, feel free to post a problem you encountered, and how you solved it. Also feel free to post anything that you feel would fit in any of these topics. >>PLEASE, do not copy and paste this into another topic at your own website. It took me a long time to write this and I do not want my work copied. But if you really think you want it, PM (personal message) me and Iâââ‰â¢ll see about it. >>For your scrolling help, try holding down (Ctrl + F) then typing in the letter and number of which you search. For example (E01 or A05) Thank you for first reading this bullets of info above. = = = = = = = Table of Contents = = = = = = = A. Hard Drive/ DVD Drive Info - (A01) What type of DVD Drive do I have?- (A02) Do I need a DVD Remote Kit to watch movies on my Xbox?- (A03) Does My Hard Drive need to be Locked or Unlocked?- (A04) Which type of new Hard Drive should I buy?- (A05) Remember this on your Hard Drive- (A06) Remember this on your DVD DriveB. Extra Equipment Support- (B01) Does my Xbox Support a Mouse and Keyboard?- (B02) Will Extra Controller work on other types of TVâââ‰â¢s?- (B03) Will Other Equipment Work on my Xbox?- (B04) Controller Ports? C. Software for Your Xbox- (C01) What is Evolution X?- (C02) Evolution X BIOSâââ‰â¢s?- (C03) Evolution X- (C04) Internet Explorer for Xbox?- (C05) PC on Xbox?- (C06) Xbox Linux- (C07) Other Software TipsD. Random Xbox Info- (D01) Is Xbox Live the only way to connect with other Players?- (D02) My FTP speeds depends on what?- (D03) Warranty?- (D04) Xbox Battery?- (D05) My Modchip- (D06) Xbox Emulators- (D07) Xbox Controllers- (D08) Xbox Care and Safety- (D09) Other Random Xbox InfoE. A Modded Xbox- (E01) What can I do with a modded Xbox?- (E02) How can I modify my Xbox?- (E03) Which Modchip is right for me?- (E04) I installed a Modchip, now what?- (E05) What fun can I have with a Mod Chip?- (E06) X3 Modchip Booting 3 Times?- (E07) My Xbox Encounters Error 13, 14, 16, & 20. Whatâââ‰â¢s the Problem?- (E08) I Modded my Xbox and I Encountered Error ___, What do I do?- (E09) Iâââ‰â¢m thinking about Replacing some parts in my Xbox, What are there Sizes?F. A Normal Xbox- (F01) How Does an Xbox Work?- (F02) How is an Xbox Modified?- (F03) Whatâââ‰â¢s the Difference between Hard Modding and Soft Modding My Xbox?- (F04) Whatâââ‰â¢s an Xboxâââ‰â¢s Exact Specifications?- (F05) At What Temperature will My Xbox Automatically Shut Off?- (F06) My Xbox is so loud! What should I do to make it Quieter?G. A Soft Modded Xbox- (G01) What are Soft Mods?- (G02) How Do I Soft Mod? - (G03) Is Soft Modding My Xbox Dangerous?- (G04) How Do I Un-Mod My Soft Modded Xbox?- (G05) Is There a Way to get More Space on my Hard Drive, without Hard Modding?- (G06) I Just Figured out Soft Mods, Which Dashboard is Right for Me?- (G07) Iâââ‰â¢m really into XBMC, Can I make a Custom XBMC Dashboard? Section A âââ‰â¬Å DVD Drive/ Hard Drive Info A01. What type of DVD Drive do I have?- Samsung drives: Handles CD-R very well, Handles all media well except "+R" DVD media. There have been a handful of reports of people having success with DVD+R media, but not enough to consider them reliable. Use DVD-R and DVD-RW for recordable DVD media. Any CD Recordable media will work well in this drive.- Philips drives: Any recordable DVD media should be fine with this drive. There are sporadic reports of success with CD-R media, but do not rely on this - it will more likely NOT work on your system. Of course, CD-RW should work well with this drive.- Thomson drives: Any recordable DVD media should be fine with this drive. CD-R media does not work with this drive; you cannot tweak the drive to handle this media, either. Of course, CD-RW works with this drive, but media can be very picky, and your drive MAY require tweaking (last resort). - So far, only Samsung DVD drives have the highest success rate of reading many types of media, especially CDRs. - Most Xboxes will not read CD-R discs, but some will.- Most Xboxes will read DVD-R, DVD-Rw, CD-RW, DVD,R and DVD+Rw, but some won't read DVD+R/RW.A02. Do I need a DVD Remote Kit to watch movies on my Xbox?- This depends. A modded Xbox, that would have other Dashboards does not need a DVD Remote kit to watch movies. But If youâââ‰â¢ve never modded your Xbox, you will need one in order to watch movies on your Xbox.A03. Does My Hard Drive need to be Locked or Unlocked?- You cannot put a different HD into the Xbox without a Modchip unless you have a means to lock the drive using the Xbox's hard drive password.- Unlocking your Xbox drive will make it unusable when the Modchip is disabled or if you are using an 'exploit' to boot your system. - The Xbox requires the Hard Drive to be locked before used.- Not all hard drives can be locked. Be sure that if your purchasing a new Xbox Hard Drive, that it CAN be locked.A04. Which type of new Hard Drive should I buy?- A 7200 RPM Hard Drive is no faster than a 5400 RPM drive in the Xbox. The 7200 RPM drive will generate more heat than the 5400 RPM drive in your Xbox. So stick with a 5400 RPM Drive in your Xbox.- There are NO noticeable speed improvement between 7200/5400. Some of the 7200 with LARGE cache memory and better Pre-Fetch may have slightly better SEEK times on the XBOX... but transfer of the data is still at ATA 33 speeds! - Remember the original Xbox only comes with a 8GB Hard Drive, and it gets much harder to work if you get more than a 140GB Hard Drive- Also remember you cannot put a different HD into the Xbox without a Modchip, unless you have a means to lock the drive using the Xbox's hard drive password. - Replacing your hard drive can be pretty simple if you have a mod chip, if you donâââ‰â¢t have a mod chip, than its Not for Noobs.A05. Remember this on your Hard Drive- Do not fill the drive E, you will not have space for your save-games!- Do not touch in drive C files until you know what you are doing!- The first thing you should do, after modding an Xbox, is back up the hard drive!!- If youâââ‰â¢re hard drive has something close to 20,000,000 sectors, it is NOT a 20GB drive, and itâââ‰â¢s a 10GB drive. Not one single Xbox has EVER shipped with a 20GB hard drive.- The Xbox hard drive uses a DIFFERENT file system called "FATX" that limits file and directory names to 42 characters in length and restricts the characters to a very specific set. This is why some games cannot be copied over to the Hard Drive without extensive patching.A06. Remember this on your DVD Drive- DVDRAM disks do NOT work in XBOX!- About the game you burned, it's very possible you simply have bad media. - You cannot load up a CDRW/DVD-R of Evox. and change the settings there cause your Xboxâââ‰â¢s drive isn't a DVD-writer. You cannot save settings into a disc! --> Reburn with edited settings or simply ftp over the corrected settings- Just because a CD doesn't work, you don't run out and buy another brand; try changing the files, make sure its an ISO and make sure (I cant express this enough how many people do this and deny it) make sure the main file isn't default.xbe.xbe it happens all the time. - Not any DVD Drive will work in an Xbox. It has to be customly made. I do know that you can make some drives work, but its a very hard process, I wouldn't attempt it. - There are four known types of DVD Drives for the Original Xbox: The Hitachi Drive, which is extremely rare, the Samsung Drive, which is said to be the best quality wise, the Phillips Drive is just a standard DVD Drive, and the Thompson Drive is said to be the worst. Section B âââ‰â¬Å Extra Equipment Support B01. Does my Xbox Support a Mouse and Keyboard?- There is no support for a keyboard in ANY commercial games. They cannot be 'patched' for this, either. - If you are running Xbox-Linux, the Xbox does support a mouse and keyboard. Also, Phantasy Star Online for the Xbox supports a keyboard- The Xbox does support a mouse, with the more recent XDKs. At this time, no commercial games support it, and there is NO POSSIBILITY that commercial apps or any homebrew apps can use a mouse unless the source code is available for homebrew developers to modify.B02. Will Extra Controller work on other types of TVâââ‰â¢s?- No, Gun Controllers do not work on HD TVs or Plasma screens, and they do not work well on projection TVs.B03. Will Other Equipment Work on my Xbox?- Only Xbox controllers will work as Xbox controllers. PC steering wheels will not work as Xbox steering wheels. Things that are designed for a PC are not meant for a Xbox.B04. Controller Ports?- The controller ports are actually USB ports with different plugs and an extra wire for use with the gun controller. This means that it is possible to have a usable USB port on your Xbox.- To put a USB port on your Xbox, can be pretty simple, if you know what youâââ‰â¢re doing, and what you should be doing. I suppose a noob could do this, but it might be a little tricky. Section C âââ‰â¬Å Software for Your Xbox C01. What is Evolution X?- Evolution-X is really two different things: a Modchip BIOS, and a replacement dashboard. Technically, Evolution-X is the dashboard, and Evo-X refers to the BIOS, or not. It's like Soda Pop or Pop or Coke... you just have to figure it out for yourself.C02. Evolution X BIOSâââ‰â¢s?- Evo-X and X2 BIOSes are "hacked" BIOSes. They are derived from the original Microsoft BIOS, patched to eliminate critical checks in the system's copy protection system, allowing a consumer to run backups of their software and homebrew applications on their Xbox. While it is illegal to distribute the hacked BIOS, there is a fuzzy legal question regarding "fair use" and the fact that the owner of an Xbox actually "owns" the BIOS and the right to derive a new work from it. As this is the only way to provide a means of backing up games and using those backups on an Xbox, the rights of the consumer end up conflicting with the latest laws (DMCA). The government appears unwilling to test these laws when it comes to consumers themselves, instead targeting vendors and distributors of 'illegal' files.C03. Evolution X- Evolution-X dashboard cannot play background music. Media X Menu, neXgen/xDashOs and Avalaunch dashboards can.- Evo-X BIOSes usually come numbers, as in: 2.4, 2.5, 2.6 and now D.6 (The "D" stands for "Dual" and boots in all versions of Xbox)- Evolution-X dashboard cannot present preview screenshots or videos of games. Media X Menu and Avalaunch dashboards can.- Evolution-X is a very simple and easy to set up dashboard, it has many hard ware features, such as flashing the bios, formating the HDD, ect. Its an excellent beginners dashboardC04. Internet Explorer for Xbox?- Thereâââ‰â¢s no Internet Explorer for Xbox... There IS however, a web browser called "Linksbox" that can get the job done for you, in most cases.C05. PC on Xbox?- A Xbox can NOT run "PC" Windows (XP, 2K, 9x, ME) as of right now, only versions of Linux, natively. Using a program like "XBochs", the Xbox can load Windows and DOS, but it will run very, very slowly. At this time, it's not practical to run Windows on the Xbox. It does run Windows CE, which is designed for embedded devices.C06. Xbox Linux- You can run Linux on a modified Xbox.- Linux is one of few Xbox softwareâââ‰â¢s that allows you to connect a mouse and keyboard, and have them both functionalC07. Other Software Tips- Complex MenuX is NOT a good Menu Program!- Cromwell and the related "FlashBIOSes" do not boot backups or even 'original' Xbox games. They cannot boot dashboards or XDK/OpenXDK written homebrew apps.- Avalaunch, Media X Menu, NeXgen are other replacement dashboards, and are far more interesting than Evolution-X- Nothing prevents you from keeping all dashboards handy on your system. You may use a program like X-Select to choose which one to boot.- Xbox applications are "signed" and altering them changes the resulting signature. You cannot run an original Xbox game from anything but an original commercially pressed game disc without altering the program itself. Section D âââ‰â¬Å Random Xbox Info D01. Is Xbox Live the only way to connect with other Players?- Xbox Live IS NOT the only way you can play XBOX games online. Try Xbox Connect or X-Link. D02. My FTP speeds depends on what?FTP speeds depend on several things, 1) Cable: cat5,crossover,etc, or even quality/brands does make a difference sometimes, 2) Versions/builds of Evox? or other ftp enabled dashboards (new evox 1.8.3285 seems to be best) , 3) Your NIC chipset (yes it does make a difference) , 4) Your PC's NIC settings 5) Different versions/different FTP softwares (try different ones until you are satisfied6) Best ultimate advice before attempting to ftp --> understands what it means by DHCP, Static Ip, Dynamic Ip, Protocols etc.... all these explanations can be found even in windows help or use the internet search D03. Warranty?- Once your Xbox is opened the warranty is void. There is NO WAY around this. Microsoft won't touch it, and many retailers now check to see if they have been opened. -Ripping off Wal-Mart is still illegalD04. Xbox Battery?- NO, your Xbox does not have a built in battery for storing configuration, settings, date/time like the ps2. So don't be surprised if it asks you to input new date/time after you unplug/unhook it from the power source after 2 hours D05. My Modchip- A Modchip does not 'power up' your DVD laser pickup, or have any direct affect on how well your DVD drive works- Xbox Live does not work with a Modchip enabled; if you do this, you will get banned by Microsoft from Live. Trust me itâââ‰â¢s not fun to be banned.- 3 Resets on your Xbox either means your TSOP is damaged or badly flashed or the matrix is misaligned and yes it can be green and misaligned. - When you first install your Modchip, if the Xbox boots 3 times and then flashes red and green (FRAG), then u most likely have no bios installed on the chip. Make sure you put a bios on, and if it still FRAG's, then u possibly could have a bad chip! - To turn your Xbox on without the Modchip enabled hold down the power button for 2 seconds, your Xecuter light on the outside of your Xbox will be red if you Modchip is disabled.D06. Xbox Emulators- There never has been, nor will there be, a PS2 or Gamecube emulator for the Xbox. Likewise, there is no Dreamcast emulator, either, and probably won't be one. Anybody who claims this is lying to you. But there are emulators for Game boy, Atari systems, etc.D07. Xbox Controllers- The "Black" button on the Xbox controller is actually blue (look in the sunlight)- The controller S looks dark green in the light too, and its less obvious with fatty, really dark green...... D08. Xbox Care and Safety- Keep your Xbox happy with good ventilation, which will greatly extend the life of your Xbox. i.e. Do not place it on a carpet and run it for hours.- Your Xbox is not waterproof; dropping it into a pool will ruin your Xbox- Never touch the power supply when itâââ‰â¢s plugged in.- A Xbox can hurt you, if not properly used. D09. Other Random Xbox Info- There is no magical 'boot disc' for the Xbox.-The Xbox SDK Recovery Disc should never be run.- Yes, you can use a head set in a Lan game, but only if the game support it.- Always back up your EEPROM!!- The "RC4" is an encryption key that enables you to decode an Xbox BIOS- You do not need the RC4 key.- Most parts in your Xbox are "married". Meaning that you most likely cannot switch parts if you damage one.- Xecuter is spelt "Xecuter" or "X-ecuter" NOT "Executer"- No, you cannot read your Xbox media/games disks with your pc-DVD ROM, unless you happen to own an Xbox development pc- Xbox games/disks uses XDFS as oppose to NTFS/FAT16/FAT32/etc that pcs/macs uses. So nothing can read the whole disk EXCEPT your xbox original drive *- DVDXCOPY will not help you backup your XBOX Games collection- XISO doesn't mean or produce an XBOX ISO.- If your games play in black and white, get an RGB scart cable- If you can ping your Xbox, it means you are getting there and if you still can't ftp in, recheck your settings, chances are your dashboard Ex., evox.ini file isn't set up properly- Connecting points W1 to W2 in the Evox_Matrix_TSOP_Flash.bin diagrams is equivalent to connecting the TSOP write-enable jumper on the bottom of the motherboard. - There are Eight versions of Xbox currently known about: Version 1.0, 1.1, 1.2, 1.3, 1.4, 1.5, 1.6, 1.6b - The actual motherboard changed with version 1.2 and again slightly with 1.3, 1.4 and 1.5 models. Section E âââ‰â¬Å A Modded Xbox E01. What can I do with a modded Xbox?- Copy games and play them from your hard drive. This allows for faster load times and a backup of your DVD media. Games can be burned on DVD, but the Xbox will not read CDRs. - Play DVDs without having to purchase a DVD playback kit. - Run Linux, and other programs including new dashboards- Run emulators. These run great on an Xbox, due to its universal hardware. - Play MP3s, DivX/XviD AVIs, etc. - Install a larger hard drive. The stock size is only 8GB! You can stream media files from a networked computer, but games and emulators must reside on the Xbox's hard drive.E02. How can I modify my Xbox?- Hardware bypass: the mod chip ($30-$70). Either solder or use a "pogo pin" adapter for a solderless install. As of now, popular choices are the Xecuter, Xbit, and Xenium chips. The SmartXX is on the way. For the newbie, just grab one of the more recent BIOSes - the Evolution X and Xecuter BIOSes are about the same right now. - Hardware bypass: TSOP flash (free, if you can get the equipment). Take a modchip from above to overwrite the TSOP, where the Xbox stores its BIOS. However, you must have a modchip to do upgrades as well, plus find someone willing. - Software bypass: Gamesave/font/dashboard exploit (free, if you can get the equipment). Use software security glitches (in a MS product???) to change the Xbox's loading procedure. If something goes wrong, or if your Xbox's software is updated, things can be hard to fix. The font exploit can load a new BIOS when the Xbox boots, but has problems at times sending your Xbox into a continuous startup/shutdown loop. The gamesave exploit is nice, but requires you to have a MechAssault (or another compatible game) DVD, and load a saved game to start the modification. Basically, I highly recommend an actual modchip unless you really need to save the money. It just makes everything easier.- These things right here are probably not for noobs. Learn about how to modify your Xbox before actually attempting.E03. Which Mod Chip is Right for Me?- This all depends on what you want. Currently as of December of âââ‰â¢06 we are in Mod Chip Generation 4. This generation consists of some powerful chips. Some of the top choices are the Xecuter chips. The Xecuter 3CE has a 2MB flash size and works on all Xbox Versions. Other popular types of chips are the Xenium and SmartXX brands. These brands are right along side Xecuter. Though Xecuter is the leading Mod Chip, there are plenty of other Mod Chips to suit what your looking for. Head over to Mod-Chip.com or ModchipStore.com and check out there wares. E04. I Installed my Modchip, now what?- Get a new dashboard. The MS dashboard (the screen you see when you start the Xbox with no disc) cannot run these programs. Replacing it can be involved, but people have made it easy on you. To install a few more things, you can use X-Disk (http://www.x-disk.com/) instead. As of now (version 1.01), it comes with no documentation, but if you read Slayer's documentation all will make sense. You can also manually install dashboards (Evolution X, Avalaunch, MediaXMenu, etc. are popular choices). For the newbie, just go with Evolution X and explore others later. - Install dashboard and software. Thereâââ‰â¢s a lot of fun things out there for your Xbox, maybe grab the popular Xbox Media Center Program, maybe the newest dashboard, and maybe even some emulators. Theres so many choices!- Explore! Now you can use your software, FTP files back and forth, explore new dashboards, edit their INI files, etc. If you used an autoinstaller CD, learn where it copied the files, look at the INI or XML files, and get a feel for how everything was put together. Then it's easy to add or upgrade software.E05. What fun can I have with a ModChip?- There are numerous things you can do to entertain yourself with a Modchip. One small thing is to change the LED light on the front of your Xbox. You can even make it cycle colors! Another really fun thing to do is, change the colors of the start up. Usually its black then some green fluber comes up then it says Xbox, you can edit that and make it blue and stuff. You can also edit where it says Microsoft, you can make it say whatever you want! Along with those things you can have a lot of fun with a Mod Chip, and with some new BIOSâââ‰â¢s thereâââ‰â¢s some pretty sweet stuff out there. - One of the most fun parts about a mod chip, is its feature to mod! Use it just like soft mods. Put some modded maps on, then play them offline. Then when your done, keep them there, and when you play live, just disable your mod chip and youâââ‰â¢re good!E06. X3 Modchip Booting 3 Times?- If you install a Xecuter 3 modchip and when you turn it on, your systems turns of then back on 3 times, then after that flashes the red and yellow LED lights, and thereâââ‰â¢s nothing on the TV this is what youâââ‰â¢ve done wrong.- First off, itâââ‰â¢s mostly likely NOT your solder job thatâââ‰â¢s the problem. It's simply that you don't have both a BIOS flashed correctly and a dash installed correctly. After realizing this, I simply flashed a clean X3 BIOS and installed the latest EvoX dash and it worked like a charm. -Of course, you also need to have the dip switches set correctly for the chip to boot to the right BIOS.- Also note that if that doesnâââ‰â¢t work, it might be your soldering job, but note that multiple solderingâââ‰â¢s to your Xbox can DAMAGE it.E07. My Xbox Encounters Error 13, 14, 16, & 20, Whatâââ‰â¢s the Problem?- These Error codes are all Dashboard Errors- Error Code 13 is a Dashboard launch fail (due to missing/bad key, or anything else that would prevent it from running) and the dashboard didn't specify why it failed. The error it gives is because of the incompatibility between the (older) dashboard (4920) that older slayer CD installs and the new dashboard/kernel versions found in some new Xboxâââ‰â¢s and found in Xboxâââ‰â¢s that have been connected to xbox live (when you go on xbox-live, it'll upgrade your dashboard file to I believe it is now 5659.03. This dashboard is incompatible with the dash that (old) slayer CD installs (for example 2.5 or lower) for you. (In detail, in the eeprom chip there is a kernel which is incompatible with the dashboard (4920) that slayer installs.) So what do you do to fix it? You can use the dashupdate found on most new xbox games! Be sure to 1st unplug your Ethernet cable before you do so! Besides that, just use a good installation disc and all is fine. Use a 2.6 slayer or something similar.- Error Code 14 means thereâââ‰â¢s an Error loading dashboard (dashboard generic error) - Same thing as above (error 13). This time it is also a little mistake from you on changing names or having played around with files on the xbox hard disk. Error 14 is most often because you changed boot orders or names of startup files on the hard disk. It can also happen when you are rebuilding your xbox hard disk with a slayer CD and the power was cut.- Error Code 16 is when the clock cannot be set. Basically it comes down to this. Error 16 has to do with not finding the menu setting with which you can set the clock of the HDD. This happens to a lot of people that erase their HDD (original/upgraded) or MS dashboard files and after that they don't immediately install the HDD but leave the xbox without power longer than 5 hours. It's all about the HDD can't find the menu with which it can set the clock. This is mostly because the xbox HDD is empty (you removed dashboard or fux0red it via ftp). The problem arises when xbox searches for menu to set clock with, can't find it and voila: error 16. Well read on please! So you have an error 16 huh? Don't worry "nothing" is broken! - Error Code 20 is when the dashboard was attempted to load and failed. It was a cold boot, and the dashboard didn't specify why it failed, but it (for some reason) needed to be noted that the DVD passed the challenge/response authentication.E08. I Modded my Xbox and I Encountered Error ___, What do I do?- Thereâââ‰â¢s a really good explanation of all the error codes here. Find the one your needing and there should be a definition of how to fix it.- http://ibotmodz.3.forumer.com/index.php?ac...&st=0#entry7601E09. Iâââ‰â¢m thinking about Replacing some parts in my Xbox, What are there Sizes?- The Xbox stock fan is 3 1/4 x 2 3/4 x 1 inch or 70mm x 60mm x approx 21.5mm- The Xboxâââ‰â¢s CPU Heat Sink sizes are 70mm x 60mm x 35mm- The Xboxâââ‰â¢s GPU Heat Sink sizes are GPU 51mm x 43mm x 25mm (thereâââ‰â¢s room to go as high as 27mm)- Unless your replacing the part with an identical piece, it can be tricky to get what you want to fit in your Xbox. If you are replacing a part in your Xbox, that is not identical to what you had before, than its not for noobs. Section F âââ‰â¬Å A Normal Xbox F01. How Does An Xbox Work?- A unmodded Xbox basically works like this. It turns on, plays that little flubber animation (at start up), displays the Xbox logo for a certain amount of time, then looks for a disc in the DVD drive. If there is a disc and it meets certain criteria (digital signatures and media flags mainly) it then executes default.xbe off of the root of the disc. If there is no disc in the drive, the xbox then boots xboxdash.xbe (the xbox dashboard) off of its hard drive. This is all done by the xbox BIOS.F02. How is a Xbox Modified?- Some very crafty people managed to obtain this BIOS (read F01. to understand where this BIOS comes from) from the Xbox and modify it. The base thing they've done is to remove the requirements for digitally signed software, and also remove the requirements for special media flags for discs put into the DVD drive. This new BIOS is then put onto a flash rom of some sort and wired into the xbox. The Xbox powers up and then executes this new BIOS instead. The new BIOS does the exact same thing as the original, minus the checks for digital signatures and media flags.F03. Whatâââ‰â¢s the Difference between Soft Modding and Hard Modding my Xbox?- Hard Modding is doing things like adding a wireless card inside your Xbox. Or putting the Wireless receiver for a Wireless Controller built-in to the Xbox. Or putting all 4 Controller ports on one side to make room for other things. Or putting a little LCD screen right above the controller ports on the right side. Or just putting a modchip in. Hard Mods are physical changes or additions to an Xbox.-Soft Modding is just connecting your Xbox to a computer and putting modded maps on, maybe a few new dashboards. Maybe a internet browser, maybe even the Xbox Media Center Program. Or even some Game Trainers, or some Emulators and a few games for them. Soft Mods are not noticeable when an Xbox is off!F04. Whatâââ‰â¢s an Xboxâââ‰â¢s Exactly Specifications?- These specs are for a normal, never been modded xbox. If you compare these to a Xbox 360 you can understand why the Xbox 360 was such a huge breakthrough in gaming.-CPU -Intel P3 733MHz <<>> An Xbox 360 runs Three Symmetrical Cores at 3.2GHz each! -32-bit INT -80-bit FP -64-bit MMX -128-bit SSE -32KB L1 -128KB L2 -1980 MIPS -2.93 GFLOPS -1.0 GB/sec Bus-Graphics -NVIDIA XGPU 233MHz -1.9G Texels/Sec -3.7G Samples/Sec -DX8 Shaders -80 GFLOPS -106M Vertices/Sec -Compression -FSAA -32-bit Color -6.4 GB/sec Bus -64MB Video RAM-Sound -NVIDIA MCPX -256 2D Voices -64 3D Voices -Dolby Digital -800 MB/sec Bus-Data -64MB (6.4 GB/s) -DVD (8.54GB) -10/100 Ethernet -8GB HDD <<>> This can actually be upgraded to 10GB without any Hard ModdingF05. At What Temperature will my Xbox automatically Shut Off?- Your CPU temp should range from about 40Ãâú-65ÃâúC (104Ãâú-149ÃâúF) If it get any higher than this, it can become dangerous. - Thatâââ‰â¢s why an Xbox will automatically shut down if the temperature reaches 71ÃâúC (160ÃâúF)-Motherboard temp should range from about 33Ãâú-49ÃâúC (90Ãâú-120ÃâúF) Again, if it gets any higher than this, it can become dangerous. F06. My Xbox is so loud! What should I do to make it Quieter? - You can replace the fan with a quieter one. Considering thereâââ‰â¢s a lot of technology put into the Xbox, not all that much goes into just placing a fan in the back of an Xbox.- Also most Mod Chips have a settings area in which you can change the speed of the fan, this can be nice, but could result badly, as your Xbox would not be getting its proper ventilation.- I guess both of those ways require some sort of mod, so I guess itâââ‰â¢s not much of a normal Xbox then. But those ways can be very effective, if you Xbox is truly that loud and annoying.- Replacing the fan, can be hard, but is possibleâââ¬Ã¦for noobs. I guess. I would know what your doing before you do it though. Section G âââ‰â¬Å A Soft Modded Xbox G01. What are Soft Mods?- Soft Modding is just connecting your Xbox to a computer and putting modded maps on, maybe a few new dashboards. Maybe a internet browser, maybe even the Xbox Media Center Program. Or even some Game Trainers, or some Emulators and a few games for them. Soft Mods are not noticeable when an Xbox is off!- The below definition of a soft mod, courtesy of WikiPedia - A softmod is the act of using software to modify hardware such as a video card or sound card (or in this case, an Xbox) in a way that can unlock or enable disabled features.- Softmods for Xbox used to include a font exploit installed through exploits in savegame code for Mech Assault, Tom Clancy's Splinter Cell, and 007: Agent Under Fire. Originally, via a piece of software called "MechInstaller" created by members of the xbox-linux team, an additional option could be added to the Xbox Dashboard for booting Linux.- This is an old definition of what soft mods used to be before more advanced things such as Evolution X were developed. A softmod is basically modding your Xbox, without the use of a Mod Chip. Soft Mods can be transferred in lots of ways. First off by a Disc. By using a computer and burning an installer disc, this can be placed in your Xbox to download more stuff. You must first start by getting the Evolution X dashboard trough one of the few games that itâââ‰â¢s possible to do. (Listed Above) There are many more ways.- modifying a piece of hardware (in this case the hard drive) or software to perform a function not intended or authorized by the original manufacturer.- Soft Modding allows you to modify you Xbox, without opening it.G02. How Do I Soft Mod?- By using one of a few select games (Mech Assault, Splinter Cell, or 007: Agent Under Fire) and by getting Action Reply its possible to do. The link below will show you exactly how to Soft Mod your Xbox.- http://ibotmodz.3.forumer.com/index.php?showtopic=15G03. Is Soft Modding My Xbox Dangerous?- Yes, and in a lot of different ways.- First off, when your soft modding your messing around with your hard drive. Thatâââ‰â¢s pretty much the only thing that keeps your Xbox running. If you accidentally delete some dashboard stuff, or the command that tells your Xbox to boot the signed criteria on a disc, your pretty much in some big trouble.- Second off, even if you do successfully get some soft mods onto your Xbox, they can be dangerous. They can get you banned. I would recommend only playing mods OFFLINE, then when you want to play Xbox Live, get rid of the modded maps, and swap them with clean maps. It may seem like a lot of work, but this is the only way to keep you un-banned.- Thirdly, if you think you have mastered Soft Modding and you have figured out how to burn the games directly to your hard drive. This can be dangerous. DO NOT get the idea to rent a bunch of games and burn them to your hard drive. First off, THATâââ‰â¢S ILLIGEAL and it can get you in a lot of trouble. Second off, more games are designed to not have the ability to burn, but it is possible to tell if itâââ‰â¢s been attempted. Donâââ‰â¢t break the law. And if you do burn games to your hard drive, be sure you own them.G04. How Do I Un-Mod My Soft Modded Xbox?- 1. Remove all Halo 2 modded game saves- 2. Remove all modded game saves (except the file that modded you)- 3. Open up your modded dashboard.- 4. Open up your file manager through your modded dashboard- 5. DELETE any modded halo 2 maps, ANYTHING THAT IS MODDED- 6. If you backup your files then click Restore MS backup- 7. That will Restore your Microsoft Dashboard- 8. Now delete your gamesave that originally modded your xbox- 9. BOOM YOUâââ‰â¢RE DONE.G05. Is There a Way to get More Space on my Hard Drive, without Hard Modding?- Actually Yes. The stock Xbox Hard Drive is 10GB, sadly only 8GB of it is available for other stuff. Microsoft did not interpret modding, therefore there was no need for the large hard drive we would want. This tutorial does require you to have a modded Xbox, with Evolution X Dashboard Version 1.8.1812 (or later) installed. And obviously you have to have FTP ability and some knowledge about it. Anyway its not that long and hard to do, you just got to know what your doing. Anyway here is the link.- http://ibotmodz.3.forumer.com/index.php?showtopic=437 - If youâââ‰â¢ve been soft modding for awhile and your familiar with new Xbox soft mods, that you should be able to do this. If you are new to soft mods, donâââ‰â¢t attempt this just yet. Learn more about it, and then attempt it.G06. I Just Figured Out Soft Mods, Which Dashboard is Right for Me?- This depends. The most useful basic Dashboard is Evolution X. This dashboard is recommended for beginners or new modders. Just be sure you remember little things like this.- Avalaunch, Media X Menu, NeXgen are other replacement dashboards, and are far more interesting than Evolution-X. Those dashboards may be more interesting, but one, could be harder to find, two, could be harder to get onto your Xbox, and three, it might be much more complicated then your used to if you had the Evolution X dashboard. - Most people stick with the Evolution X dashboard. Then, from there they create a installer disk, and install all the things they want, Applications. One of the most popular applications is called Xbox Media Center. Xbox Media Center is more of a Music, Movies, and Photoâââ‰â¢s thing. Its nice if you have it along with whatever other dashboard you choose.If you are familiar with a Windows computer, and Windows Media Center, itâââ‰â¢s pretty similar, just more Xbox based. - There are lots of other fun things you can get, including a popular program called Mimesis 3. I do believe that this program allows you to directly download Halo 2 mods, then from the Xbox Media Center Dashboard; I believe you can swap them in, and play modded maps just like that! - Most dashboards have a customizable feature considering the default is not that impressive. These websites below provide high quality skins for almost any program inclusing: Xbox Media Center (Also Referred to as XBMC), Avalaunch (abbreviated AVA), Black StormX (abbreviated BSX), Evolution X (abbreviated EvoX), Media X Menu (abbreviated MXM), User Interface X (abbreviated UIX), Unleash X (abbreviated UX), and many more. Anyway links below.- Xbox-Skins.net- AllXboxSkins.com- http://sourceforge.net/projects/xboxmediacenter << This is actually a Skinning ProjectG07. Iâââ‰â¢m really into XBMC, Can I make a Custom XBMC Dashboard?- This is obviously yes, but thatâââ‰â¢s probably not why youâââ‰â¢re looking here. There is a website that is new, but is very good on making there own Xbox Media Center Dashboards. You can also download this program called Xbox Media Center Skin Editor. This program will allow you to pretty much make your own custom Xbox Media Center Dashboard. I have this program, but I never use it. I do know that this can be a complicated program. It uses code to do almost whatever you want. This program is not for noobs or beginners. Anyway below is the website and the link to the download.- http://blackbolt.x-scene.com/ <<>> This is the website- http://xbmcskineditor.xbox-scene.com/getfi...ditor&file=skin <<>> This is the link to the download for Xbox Media Center Skin Editor.- http://xbmcskineditor.xbox-scene.com/ <<>> This is XBMC Skin Editors Main Page- Also if you donâââ‰â¢t want to make your own Dashboard, but want to get other peopleâââ‰â¢s custom dashboardâââ‰â¢s look up at G06. That will give you 3 links to websites, that have there very own submitted custom made dashboard for all of dashboard you have. Well, thats it, I hope you were able to find what you were looking for. Please read the top 4 notes if you havent already.Made by Dark Master
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