Topic: 3-reboot Frags, But Sometimes Boots (Read 64 times)

brilliantdonkey · « **on:** April 03, 2007, 06:29:00 PM »

My soft-modded xbox is doing the 3 reboot and FRAG sequence with no audio / video, but sometimes, if I leave it off long enough, or keep trying to turn it on enough times, it will boot and then work just fine. It doesn't have a modchip, there aren't any solder splashes on the board, and I took the xbox completely apart, cleaned everything with a damp towel, and reassembled, so that I can rule out heat-related issues as much as I can.

From searching the forums, it seems I might have one of the following problems:

1. TSOP got corrupted somehow
2. Dead MCPX
3. Broken trace
3. Power supply failing

However, I don't see how the TSOP could possibly have gotten corrupted, and the MCPX isn't dead (since the xbox works fine when it decides to).

I don't know if it might be the power supply not supplying enough power. When I hear the laser in the DVD drive being used, the pitch of the case fan changes very slightly lower, which might indicate that there might be too much load on the system. However, maybe that's normal?

And I don't know about the broken trace possibility... wouldn't an xbox just not work at all if a trace were broken?

By the way, I'm pretty sure it's a v1.4, and everything in it is stock (Philips drive, Seagate HDD, no hardware mods).

Anyway, thanks, y'all. I hope somebody can help me out here with some suggestions to try.

This post has been edited by brilliantdonkey: Apr 4 2007, 01:34 AM

brilliantdonkey · « **Reply #1 on:** April 03, 2007, 07:14:00 PM »

I just tried some more stuff:

I have the best chance of success of booting it up when the DVD drive and hard drive are disconnected, and I unplug the xbox from the wall for a few seconds before trying to power it up.

However, I used a multimeter to check the voltages coming off the power supply while the xbox was fragging, and it all seems fine according to this diagram (I have a 1.4 delta psu)

http://pablot.com/index.php?site=xbox&...nu=psu&sm=1

So I guess it's not the power supply. Does anybody know what might be going on?

Thanks.

This post has been edited by brilliantdonkey: Apr 4 2007, 02:34 AM

brilliantdonkey · « **Reply #2 on:** April 04, 2007, 10:48:00 AM »

Bump.

Also, I can still eject the drive while it's fragging.

I don't think it's the MCPX; when the box actually works, it gets hot, but it doesn't burn my finger or anything. And even when I've let the MCPX cool off, the box is still prone to fragging. On the other hand, when the box works, the GPU heatsink gets very hot, while the CPU seems to be doing fine. Would a GPU failure cause a frag? But wouldn't a GPU failure also just make the box not work at all, instead of fragging sometimes?

Any possible solutions? Or is there pretty much nothing to be done?

This post has been edited by brilliantdonkey: Apr 4 2007, 05:50 PM

FrostyTheSnowman · « **Reply #3 on:** April 04, 2007, 12:41:00 PM »

It is very common for the v1.4 TSOP chips to become corrupted, and when they do they exhibit the exact symptoms you are experiencing. (Aside from the case fan slowing down when you eject, that is normal. (IMG:style_emoticons/default/happy.gif) )

To fix this problem, all you have to do is reflash your TSOP with a new retail BIOS. Whenever I reflash a corrupt v1.4 XBOX, I always use the Microsoft 5713 BIOS. In order to reflash it, you will need to enable the write points on the motherboard, and then you will have to be able to boot it up successfully just once, and then use an exploitable game with Raincoat to reflash the TSOP chip.

After reflashing your TSOP, your XBOX should work like new again. (IMG:style_emoticons/default/happy.gif)

This post has been edited by FrostyTheSnowman: Apr 4 2007, 07:42 PM

brilliantdonkey · « **Reply #4 on:** April 04, 2007, 01:48:00 PM »

Wow, thanks a lot for the info, frosty! I'm sure relieved that my xbox isn't dead. I'll try reflashing the TSOP this weekend, and post how it goes.

I just have no idea how the TSOP could corrupt itself, especially since the write-enable points aren't bridged.

FrostyTheSnowman · « **Reply #5 on:** April 04, 2007, 02:06:00 PM »

It's really common, not because of anything you or anyone else does, but the mere fact that Microsoft used cheap TSOP chips in the XBOX to save money. The Winbond TSOPs on the v1.4 XBOX are pretty sensitive to becoming corrupted, but a reflash usually fixes it everytime. (IMG:style_emoticons/default/happy.gif)

brilliantdonkey · « **Reply #6 on:** April 05, 2007, 03:33:00 PM »

I just reflashed my TSOP today by running the Mechassault Eurasia package from within a softmod (when I finally got the xbox to boot up), and it works perfectly now! Thanks for the help! (IMG:style_emoticons/default/biggrin.gif)

FrostyTheSnowman · « **Reply #7 on:** April 05, 2007, 04:51:00 PM »

No problem, i'm glad you got it fixed. (IMG:style_emoticons/default/pop.gif)

Honestly, you are lucky that you reflashed it before it became too corrupted, because eventually it would have never booted up again without a modchip. However, once it is reflashed, it works like a charm. I've fixed many v1.4's by reflashing the TSOP, and I have yet to hear of any problems. (IMG:style_emoticons/default/happy.gif)

This post has been edited by FrostyTheSnowman: Apr 5 2007, 11:54 PM

Author Topic: 3-reboot Frags, But Sometimes Boots (Read 64 times)