Topic: Things You Must Know About The Xbox: (Read 1258 times)

Treybonew · « **Reply #45 on:** July 10, 2005, 02:11:00 PM »

Just wanted to say thanks for the intro tutorial. It answered almost, but not all of the questions that I have had so far. There's still some reading that I have to do in the other faqs that have been posted here though. Coming from ps2 mods to xbox mods is definately an eye opener.

BenJeremy · « **Reply #46 on:** September 24, 2003, 05:00:00 PM »

The first thing you should do, after modding an Xbox, is BACK UP THE HARD DRIVE!!!

The next thing you should do is BACK UP THE EEPROM!!!

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.

There is support for a keyboard in only one commercial game - Phantasy Star Online. M$ offers USB adapters, free, except for shipping and handling. Games that do not have this support cannot be 'patched' for this, though.

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.

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)

QUOTE

Evo-X and X2 BIOSes (the most current available) are "hacked" BIOSes. They are derived from the original Micro$oft BIOS, patched to eliminate critical checks in the system's copy protection system, allowing a consumer to run backups of their software and homebrew applicaitons 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.

Cromwell and the related "FlashBIOSes" do not boot backups or even 'original' Xbox games. They cannot boot dashboards or XDK/OpenXDK written homebrew apps.

QUOTE

Cromwell was designed as a "clean, legal" BIOS for booting Linux and Linux-based apps (using a special bootloader) on the Xbox. A FlashBIOS is a derivative of the Cromwell BIOS with a Linux-based FlashROM programming application built into it, allowing you to burn your own choice of BIOS into the modchip you've installed or TSOP (after proper modifications ot the board).

The Xbox hard drive is divided into partitions, each representing a logical drive... "C:" and "E:" are the two primary 'drives' on your original Xbox drive. "F:" is a third primary partition which can be created when instlaling a larger hard drive. "X:", "Y:", and "Z:" are TEMPORARY drives, and mostly unimportant, so don't sweat it if you do not see these when using FTP to transfer files to and from the Xbox. "D:" is typically the DVD drive.

Avalaunch, Media X Menu, NeXgen are other replacement dashboards, and far more interesting than Evolution-X

Nothing prevents you from keeping all dashboards handy on youyr system. You may use a program like X-Select to choose which one to boot.

About the game you burned, it's very possible you simply have bad media. You are not the first person this has happened to.

In fact, chances are, no problem you encounter on the Xbox is likely to be a new problem. In every case, this has happened to MANY people before you.

Oh, and no, that bad disc you burned does not incorporate some new modchip detection.

Xbox Live does not work with a modchip enabled; if you do this, you will get banned by M$ from Live.

There is no magical 'boot disc' for the Xbox.

There will never be a commercial Cheat Code Ssytem like the old "GameShark" or "Action Replay" for the Xbox. The new "Gameshark/Action Replay" is merely a save game tool, nothing more.

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.

Only Xbox controllers will work as Xbox controllers. PC steering wheels will not work as Xbox steering wheels.

This post has been edited by BenJeremy: Sep 25 2003, 12:03 AM

BenJeremy · « **Reply #47 on:** September 24, 2003, 05:01:00 PM »

Gun Controllers do not work on HDTVs or Plasma screens, and they do not work well on projection TVs.

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.

Not all hard drives can be locked.

Only MS can currently 'sign' software to run on an unmodified Xbox.

Software is signed to run from a specific source, if the source changes (such as Xbox DVD-ROM to DVD-R), the signature becomes invalid.

The controller ports are actually USB ports with different plugs and an extra wire for use with the gun controller.

You can run Linux on a modified Xbox.

The XBox SDK Recovery Disc should never be run.

If your hard drive has something close to 20,000,000 sectors, it is NOT a 20GB drive, it's a 10GB drive. Not one single Xbox has EVER shipped with a 20GB hard drive.

Asking "what modchip should I get?" will only get you answers that will leave you more confused than ever.

Forget about flashing your TSOP, for now.

The modchip does not 'power up' your DVD laser pickup, or have any direct affect on how well your DVD drive works, however....

The "RC4" is an encryption key that enables you to decode an Xbox BIOS

You do not need a DVD Remote kit to play a DVD, with a modded Xbox.

If you know little about computers: Have a professional Installer mod your Xbox, or purchase a Matrix at your own risk. Doesn't $40 for a professional install sound better than $200 for a new Xbox

Most parts in your Xbox are "married". Meaning that you most likely cannot switch parts if you damage one.

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.

QUOTE

Xbox game discs are pressed with specific, uncopyable measures embedded into the disc, identifying them, to the system, as "Secure" media. There are a lot of different media definitions, and an Xbox application has a value stored in it that tells the Xbox which media it can be run from. Games are always set to run ONLY from a "Secure" disc, which is different from a hard drive or recordable media.

When M$ signs the application with the secret, private key, buried in a bunker miles under the mountains west of Redmond, these "media flags" are also part of that signature.

If you change the "media flags", you change the true signature.

Since we do not have that private key, we cannot 'resign' an Xbox application to run from the different media.

When booting, the Xbox loads the applicaiton and then looks at the media byte: Is it loading formt he correct place? If so, scan the data and verify against the "public key" to see if the signature is valid. If the signature remains valid, run the application.

Hacked BIOSes eliminate both of the above checks.

This post has been edited by BenJeremy: Sep 25 2003, 12:02 AM

BenJeremy · « **Reply #48 on:** September 24, 2003, 04:25:00 PM »

Once your Xbox is opened the warranty is void. The is NO WAY around this. M$ won't touch it, and many retailers now check to see if thay have been opened.

Ripping off walmart is still illegal

Selling "backups" is illegal

Asking for XDK (or any binaries, commercial or homebrew apps built using the XDK) is illegal

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 *

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.

After you modded ur xbox, for safety reasons, do not put a lot of things in E partition, or rather stay away from putting things in E. And if you have got a replacement HD, use F *

DVDXCOPY will not help you backup your XBOX Games collection.

XISO doesn't mean or produce an XBOX ISO.

Don't Feed Retard Monkey!

Complex MenuX is NOT a good Menu Program!

Don't ask for GDFIMAGE

HSDEMONZ isn't a GOD... just Godlike!

DVDRAM disks do NOT work in XBOX!

XBOX-SCENE doesn't need Gansta Haxors, GangBanger Hackers, or Granny Hockers. It also doesn't need a mafia, blunt burners or clueless fanboys.

Don't ask for Serial Numbers, KeyGens, or Cracks to register NERO, RecordNowMax, or any other software mentioned on XBOX-SCENE!

If you have deleted, formated, nuked, or other damaged your C Drive and/or MS Dashboard on your XBOX, do not ask for it on XBOX-SCENE.

"Whats Media works best in your XBOX" depends solely on YOUR particular XBOX. Whats works perfectly fine for one person, may not work at all for YOU.. even if you have the same PHILLIPS/THOMPSON/SAMSUNG drives.

Dont Pm Me or anyone else unless we ask for it*
(example i responded to a post saying yea i remember i got a million pms cuz i have the rc4 key and later in the post i said do not ask me for it i will not respond but guess what, i got 10 pms anyway) P.s. ill report back how many i get this time.

Xecuter is spelt "Xecuter" or "X-ecuter" NOT "Executer", "Xectutor"

If your games play in black and white, get an RGB scart cable

Do NOT ask where to download Xbox games

Xodus = Matrix and Chameleon

Flaming or being disrespectful will get you NOWHERE. Be polite and help others as much as possible and you will get help in return when you need it later.

Equip yourself with as much technical knowledge as possible. Don't have be to xbox-related knowledge but rather computers/programs*
---> i have seen tonnes of ppl in irc channels asking simple questions that really pisses ppl off, so please be as initiative as possible by doing yourself a favour and learn the basis of networking, ip protocols, irc stuffs, whatever, just basic to intermediate computer knowledge.
Most problems that people have such as regarding dvd-r/dvd-rw problems/burning problems can be solved with trial and errors rather than a 100% foolproof way.

The 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 u unplug/unhook it from the power source after 2 hours

Dont make a new name like GIVE ME A FREE X2 (yes i have seen this) just to enter a contest or flame someone. Thats really gay.

You do not need the RC4 key.

CODE

With the advent of the new dual boot BIOSes, the RC4 is somewhat obsolete. There are now new tools which can modify both the Xecutor2 "4974" BIOS and the Evo-X "D.6" BIOSes without the need for the RC4 key. These BIOSes will boot version 1.0 and 1.1 Xboxes

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 eg, evox.ini file isn't set up properly*

BenJeremy · « **Reply #49 on:** September 24, 2003, 04:26:00 PM »

No you cannot load up a cdrw/dvd-r of evox and change the settings there coz your xbox'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 *

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 satisfied
5) 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

Regards...

A 7200 RPM 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*

CODE

The 7200 RPM drive will generate more heat than the 5400 RPM drive in your Xbox

Actually.. I take exception to this... I've tested a number of 5400 / 7200 drives from leading manufacturers...

and have found that the 7200 are not producing more radiated heat then their 5400 little brothers from the same MAKE.

I'm finding that they must have improved the hard... better fluid bearings.. ventilation.. etc.

Keep in mind... these are currently shipping united from WD, SAMSUNG, and MAXTOR

I haven't done the same testing with other make.. and have no intention of doing so.

I DO AGREE that in the XBOX... there is NO noticable 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!

Well, I think what it boils down to is that the 120GB 5400 Samsungs run VERY cool, contrary to most people's experience with the 7200 drives.

As I understand it, thsi has to do with the use of 2 platters, vs most 7200 drives 1 platter. Seems like 2 platters might be a hair faster, internally, too.

Look at the tutorials and use Search to find if what you are looking for has been discussed. If you haven't follow the forum closely, make sure to select "Search posts from..." more than 30 days (the default).

So far, only Samsung DVD drives have the highest success rate of reading many types of media, especially CDRs.

You can identify the Samsung drives by the 2 extra holes on the left and right sides of the DVD tray. You have to plug in the Xbox to find this out. There is no way to find out at the store, but there is a list of Lot# and manufacturing date that Samsung drives have been reported.
HERE is a guide to help you identify WHICH DVD drive you have, Samsung, Thomson or Philips.

QUOTE

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).

Pot-tweaking is the last thing you should try if your Thompson drive do not read CD-RW or DVD-R. DO NOT try this to get it to read CDR.

BenJeremy · « **Reply #50 on:** September 24, 2003, 05:03:00 PM »

Dont start threads in the newbies section called "N00b here" or "Total Newbie needs Help" or anything like that. If you want help sum up your problem in the title and people will be glad to help. If you dont people will just look at the thread and ignore it, but if they know the answer to what it says they will actually reply
Posting a topic thread like "Need Help! Please!" will likely anger more people that it encourages them to come to your aid
"build with MS SDK or MS XDK" means the software has been compiled with a MS compiler for xbox and can therefor NOT be distributed legally.
"Where can I find Game X ?" Try amazon.com or your local software store
"Why does the background suck on this forum?" because you're not smart enough to look in the control panel and change to another template
"Will Xbox-Scene answer my support questions?" No , no and no! (sry ... but we really have no time for that)
The transfer speed may change depending of your OS.
Yes, partition F is the slowest partition of Xbox.
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!
Yes, you can use a head set in a Lan game, but only if the game support it.
MOST LICENCED SODLERING PROFESSIONALS WILL NOT EVEN HAVE LUNCH WITH YOUR XBOX IN THE SAME ROOM!
This is true...I went to 2 cities to try to get my xbox modded...Cleveland and Columbus....searched 5 phone books...and at the end of the day went through 3 xboxs 3 walmarts and gave 7 handjobs...
A blinking green LED while aligning the Matrix in mode 1 doesn't necessarily mean that the Matrix is aligned (it means that it is most likely aligned).
A blinking red LED while aligning the Matrix in mode 1 doesn't necessarily mean that the Matrix is not aligned (it means that is is most likely not aligned).
Alignment of the Matrix in mode 1 of a v1.1 Xbox is generally indicated by an initial flash of green followed by constant flashing red (upon a cold boot).
Alignment of the Matrix in any version Xbox with the TSOP write-enable jumpers bridged is indicated by an initial flash of green followed by constant flashing red (upon a cold boot).
Use of a #6 x 1/2" sheet metal screw (not tapered head) helps to solve the problem of loss of alignment over time of the Matrix.
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.
3 Resets on your xbox either means your tsop is damaged or badly flashed or the matrix is missaligned and yes it can be green and missaligned.
The xbox is NOT! water proof and dropping it into a swimming pool WILL damage and or distroy the box
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.
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.
The weight of an Xbox plust the weight of a 27" TV is indeed enough to collapse a ping-pong table.
Xbox Live IS NOT the only way you can play XBOX games online. Try Xbox Connect or X-Link.
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 WindowsCE, which is designed for embedded devices.
Theres no Internet Explorer for Xbox... there **IS** however, a web browser called "Linksbox" that can get the job done for you, in most cases.
Theres no Pikachu version of Xbox
Unreal Championship is only as addictive as you allow it to be
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......

This post has been edited by BenJeremy: May 10 2004, 11:08 PM

BenJeremy · « **Reply #51 on:** September 24, 2003, 05:04:00 PM »

Wanna save your xbox and keep it running cool? This is VERY important, but I have NEVER heard it mentioned on this forum.

After you are done modding your xbox, or touching the MoBo, you should IMMEDIATELY use an ELECTRONICS BRUSH with ISOPROPYL ALCOHOL to clean the oil/grease from the components that was transferred from your fingers/skin.

You should make sure the CPU, the NVIDIA GPU chip and the CONEXANT chip are extra clean, as these are the chips that are most likely to burn out due to heat.

Oil from your skin causes "hot spots" on the chips, that will cause them to fail prematurely.

I just felt it was about time we had a post about this (since so many people are having overheating problems that are causing damage to their xbox.)

I also needed to get my CAPITAL LETTER fix for the day

taken from hardware/case modding
The XBox is a part of you , if you destroy it you will die.
it is possible so far to run ONE thing only on an unmodded box, xb linux
There are Seven versions of X-Box currently known about: Version 1.0, 1.1, 1.2, 1.3, 1.4, 1.5, 1.6
The actual motherboard changed with version 1.2 and again slightly with 1.3, 1.4 and 1.5 models.
As far as software goes, the BIOS RC4 keys changed with version 1.1, and remained the same afterward. "Dual Boot" BIOSes will work on any Xbox up to version 1.3.
The 1.3 Xbox was the first "Anti-Mod" revision, removing the LFRAME signal of the LPC port. Newer 1MB Mod chips have reworked their LPC interface to get around this limitation. "CheapMods", however, will not work with versions 1.3 and later.
The 1.4 Xbox is basically a 1.3 Xbox with a new TV Encoder (Focus chip), while the 1.5 is like the 1.4, except that further "anti-mod" measures have been taken, removing the Ground, 3.3V and 5V lines from the LPC port. The new encoder chip means that the old hacked BIOSes no longer work. It requires a newer hacked BIOS based on the 5101 BIOs (liek the Evo-X M7 BIOS)
Furthermore, the v1.5 will require the user to get Ground, 3.3V, and 5V lines from elsewhere on the motherboard. 29-Wire modchips will still work, if they have the newer BIOSes.
We are still figuring out the 1.6 Xbox. M$ seems to have integrated some functionality into two custom chips - the video encoder (do not confuse with GPU) is now the Xcalibur and the BIOS seems to have been placed into a "Xyclops" chip and is now loaded over the serial LPC Bus (like most mod chips). Several groups have had breakthroughs, and it looks like modding is possible, with about 5 more wires soldered onto the back of the motherboard.
System Info for the first 1.6 found:
K: 1.00.5838.01
D: 1.00.5659.03

Go HERE for a guide to identifying your version.
The Action Replay for Xbox only allows you to use "power saves" which are save games with certain features enabled. It does not work with codes.
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.
There is no support for a keyboard in ANY commercial games. They cannot be 'patched' for this, either.
if you are running linux, the xbox does support a mouse and keyboard. Also, Phantasy Star Online for the Xbox supports a keyboard; MS is even giving away free controller port-to-usb adapters (you still pay for shipping).
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!
That an xbox can hurt you. if not properly used.
He's tellin the truth on that one, I cut my finger on that magnetic shield metal located right underneath the top of the box's case. It was like a paper cut times 10. wasn't good

BenJeremy · « **Reply #52 on:** September 24, 2003, 05:05:00 PM »

The XBox SDK Recovery Disc should never be run.

after you f¿cked up your xbox you can use it as a cup holder (the green circle size or pop can) jk -ignore me-

Do NOT ask to "stream games" over the network from your PC. If it happens, it happens, but it hasn't happened yet.

Evolution-X dashboard cannot play background music. Media X Menu, neXgen/xDashOs and Avalaunch dashboards can.

Evolution-X dashboard cannot present preview screenshots or videos of games. Media X Menu and Avalaunch dashboards can.

Do NOT ask why a DVD recordable disc can only hold 4.3GB if it says it has 4.7GB capacity.

QUOTE

The difference is just like hard drives... 4,700,000,000 bytes is actually 4.3GB to software (4.3 X 1024 X 1024 X 1024) - operating systems and software refer to kilobytes as multiples of 1024 bytes, and megabytes as multiples of 1048576 (1024 X 1024) and so forth... hard drive and disc media manufacturers calculate the space differently, to "inflate" the value for marketing purposes.

Think of it instead as though the Operating System was lying to you... if that makes it easier.

Full Xbox spec list:

QUOTE

CPU
Intel P3 733MHz
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

QUOTE

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

QUOTE

Sound
NVIDIA MCPX
256 2D Voices
64 3D Voices
Dolby Digital
800 MB/sec Bus

QUOTE

Data
64MB (6.4 GB/s)
DVD (8.54GB)
10/100 Ethernet
8GB HDD

I plan on fleshing these out, with popups when a user clicks on the item. The idea is to propose short, sometimes provocative statements about the Xbox, encouraging users to read more about a statement and thereby learning yet more information that will hopefully prevent yet another FAQ from being asked.

Please add your ideas below. I won't include all of them, probably, but I hope to gather a nice list and get the details added in time. The whole thing will go on my tutorials page.

Muntzster · « **Reply #53 on:** December 14, 2003, 09:09:00 AM »

nice man.. nice .. this is what we need someone to lay out the rules and tell the truth

i love the broken xbox cupholder

S2D2 · « **Reply #54 on:** December 29, 2003, 12:55:00 PM »

like most product disclaimer, i'm sure people have actually collapsed a ping-pong table, tried to use their xbox underwater and fed the retard monkey. amazing!

Author Topic: Things You Must Know About The Xbox: (Read 1258 times)