Print

[ubernewb]

so i keep reading about people having problems with 2.6lite chips on 1.6 boxes.. let's see if we can try and help these people out and create a goto thread here. if you know of any issues and their fixes , post em here.. if we get some good enough info maybe we can get this pinned.

i'll start..

Problem:
evoX dash comes up, but no applications load. sits on loading screen forever..

Possible Solution: Short Version
you need to flash with 1mb bios.. ideally 512k Flashbios on bank 1 and 512k M8plus_16 on bank 2

Possible Solution: Long Version
your bios flash is most likely to blame.. first off, make sure you're running the correct bios. to the best of my knowledge, there are only two bioses out that support the 1.6 box.. M8_16 and M8plus_16. if you happen to have a 1.6b box you'll have to use the plus version.

to set up your bios properly, i recommend getting 2 tools. first is X2 bios manager.. use this to build your flashable bios file (make sure it's v2.3 or later, as older versions do not support the m8 bios) the other tool i recommend is EVtool.. this allows you to modify your bios for things like logo color and fan speed (XBtool currently does not support m8). you can change other stuff as well, but do your experimenting later. let's get your box running right first!
as long as you're gathering programs, you're also gonna want to grab the latest flashbios release as well. i'll explain this later.. get that here

ok.. so now you have the programs.. now what?

first off, unzip your two bios files.. you should have a 256k M8_16 (or M8plus_16) and a 256k FlashBios 3.0.3 (current release i believe) if you want to modify your bios for increased fan speed, do so by opening it up in EVtool. it's as easy as clicking a few changes and then hitting save... super simple.

here's what it looks like..  and here's where to get it
(IMG:http://www.superhonda.com/photopost/data/519/49575EVtool.jpg)

now that you're satisfied with your bios, we need to build a 1mb file to flash to your chip. don't ask me why, but the 2.6lite chip needs to be flashed with a full 1mb file to work properly. now while you could simply bump the m8 bios up to the full 1mb, it's not neccessary.. it also makes things a little more complicated if you want to reflash a different bios later on (like when xecuter decides to release their v1.6 bios) .. this is why you need the flash bios file. we're going to make this file half flashbios and half m8. here's how..

first off, open up X2 Bios Manager. on the right side of the window you will see four boxes. these four boxes represent your chips bios banks.. 1 & 2 are bank 1 and 3 & 4 are bank 2. now right-click on the first box, select open, and find your flashbios file. repeat the same directions for the second box. for the third and fourth boxes, load them with your m8 bios file. once all four boxes are full, save the project as bios.bin and close X2. (the reason we loaded m8 on the bottom boxes is another oddity.. the 2.6 chip works best running the bios located on the second bank)

here's what it should look like.. and here's where to get it
(IMG:http://www.superhonda.com/photopost/data/519/49575x2bm.jpg)

now's the time to create your dummy file. the reason we do this is because your xbox doesn't like reading a disc with so little information on it.. if you tried to insert the disc with only 1mb on it the xbox would not read it properly. the dummy file acts as filler to make the xbox happy. dummy file creators are extremely simple to use, so i'll let you figure that one out for yourself.. just create a file that is 100mb in size and you're set.

here's the one i use.. and here's where to get it.
(IMG:http://www.superhonda.com/photopost/data/519/49575dummyfile.jpg)

once you have both your files, burn them onto your blank media (compatibility varies by drive, do a search if you don't already know which works for yours) using nero. there are other programs that work, but i've always used it with zero problems.

once your disc is done, pop her in your xbox and flash away.. just make sure your bank switch is on bank 1 (it'll write to both banks from there) and your flash protect is disabled.

once flashing is completed, make sure to turn flash protect back on and switch to bank 2 on the chip. bank 1 will only be used if you want to flash another bios later.




sorry if this is kinda long.. but hey, if it helps just one person out it was well worth my time.  

[el_diablo]

nice
hopefully stupid people will read this before asking why they cant get their 2.6 to work

[ubernewb]

thanks

i should modify this a bit though.. it's not just with the 1.6 boxes. other versions are having the same problems and can be solved by the same procedure.. just substitute the appropriate bios.

[ubernewb]

to the top... apparently people are having a hard time looking for the answer before posting the question

[biggdewdady]

so your saying this would solve my prob too! i have a 1.0 box with a xecutor 2.6, which was installed two days ago by me. install went smooth, have flashed with x2 4981 bios size 1024. . . when i boot i get the flubber and the x logo then a error 13 dash cant load!

[el_diablo]

QUOTE (ubernewb @ Dec 13 2004, 04:45 AM)

to the top... apparently people are having a hard time looking for the answer before posting the question

there blind and cant find the search button

[biggdewdady]

yea yea say what u want, im not like the rest of these noobs out here i do look before i ask. . . . . but it kool! thank you for your help !

[ubernewb]

bumpity bump bump... think i might redo this a little to cover more versions. then i'm gonna submit it as a tut. this problem is becoming rampant right now.

[T-Box]

QUOTE (el_diablo @ Dec 13 2004, 06:33 AM)

there blind and cant find the search button

Getting searches to work is non-trivial on this site, at least for the newbs. Permission is denied even if logged in and cookies are enabled.

This is a great thread, I started to worry about an upcoming 1.6+2.6 mod - other people were having issues like: "won't eject" & "resets after every eject" but reading with thread has put me at ease.

[imapcmodder]

Ok I followed your instructions to the T and everything seems to have gone off without a hitch.

The problem I'm having now is that when I boot up with bank 2 I get the "EvoxX" logo but then it keeps going to the MS dashboard and not loading Slayers.  I have my Slayer's disc in the drive, the same one I've used on other mods, and it seems to just ignore the disc going straight to the clock.

If I set it to bank 1 it goes to my cromwell BIOS.

I've never had this problem before so any assistance would be much appreciated.

oh and bump for a great post.

[markland556]

I just learned the same thing in the .nof file from the new x2 bios, so this helps sooo much awsome "tut" if you can call it thiat, this just has to be pinned.

[ubernewb]

imapcmodder .... which version box and what bios are you using?

also, are you sure the media you're using is accepted by your dvd-rom?

[shill88]

Sorry to sound dumb here but I really don't want to mess up my box being stupid.

1. You say I should have a 256k M8Plus for my 1.6b.
However when I download it from the usual place its 4xxkb.
2. After editing it with EVtool what size should I export it as?

Great article by the way we should get a sticky for it.

Thanks
Shawn

[ubernewb]

i think i'm gonna re-write it before i submit it for a tut.. need to include other xbox versions, as it's the 2.6 chip that has the problem.. but that's for another day

as for your bios, in the end you want a 1mb bios. the first 512k should be flashbios and the second 512k should be your m8plus_16. go ahead and export it as 512 from evtool, then you can use x2bm to combine it with the flashbios

[shill88]

Thank you for your guide and your help. Flashed my chip without a hitch.


Thanks again,
Shawn