Topic: Plain English Free-x/evox Tutorial (Read 1055 times)

ascii · « **Reply #75 on:** July 07, 2003, 08:47:00 PM »

Ok, maybe I'm missing something...

I followed the instructions as detailed. And there are a few issues:
- The Xbox reboots 2 or 3 times before displaying the Evox menu screen
- Selecting MS Dashboard causes a reboot

I noticed the initial post mentioned modifying the evox.ini, but never mentioned copying to over to the Xbox. So I tried this but it didn't help.

Another issue I found was in trying to play a backup game copied via FTP to the Xbox. Selecting the game from the menu causes a reboot.

One last note, after the Evox menu is displayed, the LED on the front of the Xbox flashes Red and Green... Is this normal?

Is anyone else having these issues or is it just me?

( Version: 1.0 )

Barton · « **Reply #76 on:** July 07, 2003, 08:58:00 PM »

First of all I just wnat to say EXCELLENT job on the tutorial, your thre best. But I have one question, can you add applications on to the E drive or will this cause the xbox to know that your messing around with it and kill itself and also is it possible to use the F drive with this hack? Also which evox.ini does the box listen to the one on the C drive, or one of the ones on the gamesave?

P.S. YOU RULE

Barton

K-Naledge · « **Reply #77 on:** July 07, 2003, 08:37:00 PM »

Wow, a lot of good questions here. Let me see if I can answer them all. People wiht more knowledge, please feel free to correct me if I'm wrong. Here goes...

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TSOP ISSUES
++++

Q: "Can I flash my TSOP/BIOS with this Free-X/EvoX (Pheonix) hack?"

A: No. Unfortunately, to do this you would need to solder two jumpers on your X-Box main board (D9 and D0) together. As of now, there is no way (under Win32.. the EASIEST platform to do this stuff on... sorry Linux), however I have heard this is being looked into. It IS possible. Just not public YET. Give it a week or so.

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RESETTING ISSUES
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There were a few questions regarding this. Basically, let me tackle a few known issues with reset, and then explain what is/isn't (or just a bug STILL) normal.

WHAT IS FINE:

1.) Selecting "MS Dashboard" WILL cause the X-Box to reboot. I cant go into too much detail RIGHT NOW (I'm at work on "Unscheduled Break" ... it's my last day here... so whatever hehe) but as soon as I get home (around 2:45 AM EST) I will edit THIS portion of the post with WHY this is normal. My challenge in the meantime is to simply THINK about what you have done. I mean you replaced the default .xtf files which are what the original dash/kernal are dependant on. So what would happen if you got rid of them and then TRICKED the X-Box (like we've been doing) by replacing them??? Ahhhh now you get it

WHAT IS "NOT" FINE (NOT FIXED STILL):

1.) Reset on EJECT. If you have followed my instructions exactly, and have a v1.0/1.1 and a 4034 Kernal and 4922 "BIOS"/Dash, you should STILL notice the X-Box reboots when you press EJECT at any give time. This is no big deal, as it will just bring you back to EvoX. Meh... This may be a error in my ways or still the old bug that reared it's ugly head back in the original "4034" intended Kernal hacks for EvoX they have since repaired (remember.. using this hack we are "backdating" ourselves with these hacks... so the OLD bugs will have to be re-worked out)

2.) Stored App's causing a reset on some boxes. Once I have more info on this, I will update. I will read more tonight, but as of yet... this seems to be X-Box dependant. I have yet to experience this issue. I have a few X-Box's ... so I might just fuck with one of them and try to cause issues on it that would replicate this setup. I will update with more info. But, as far as I know... this shouldn't happen.

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BORN AGAIN VIRGIN X-Box's
++++

It IS indeed possible to put your X-Box back to it's original state if you indeed backed up the ORIGINAL Xbox.xtf and Xbox Book.xtf files. Simply replace the renamed "bert.xtf" and "Snuffleupagus.xtf" files (which should be RENAMED (bert) "Xbox Book.xtf" and (Snuffleupagus) "Xbox.xtf") with the originals, and remove or rename or ?just flat out MOVE to a user-created folder (like "Hacked Backups") the defualt.xbe file we got from the "Bert is cheating on Ernie-_-Pheonix Release EvoX" exploit and reboot. Everything should be back to normal. I will elaborate if needed. Just post!

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FRAG'n O (Flashing Red And Green n Orange)
++++

This is completely NORMAL and TYPICAL of a EvoX / FreeX install (even with the Pheonix method). This is indicating that the Kernal is not lining up with your BIOS expectations and THUS indicating your BIOS is "corrupt" and 'needs service' ... If you have seen Error 21, you'll notice it's the only other Error that causes the lights on the front to Flash Red And Green n' Orange. So if you put two and two together, You're actually just saying "Oh fuck you already... just let me do what I want" to the X-Box (which is now so desperately trying to show you the Error 21 screen) but instead it has just given in like the red-headed step-child it is, and has given in to your sick whim.

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E: Applications/Games
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This is DEFINITELY possible. A lot of people have been asking if it is indeed possible to do this, and it is as far as I have tried. I have Halo on my E:games folder and DVDX 2.0 on my E:apps folder and BOTH work fine (without any reboots btw).

So basically, this should work without a hitch. Just remember to edit your EvoX.ini file appropriately to point to the correct drive path (i.e. E:apps)

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Linux issues
++++

Wellp, I have to say... I don't know why there are a few questions regarding Complex !loader here... honestly I don't mind them... but this thread is NOT to be based off of a Linux install. In fact, I didn't even use it. I used SOLELY the files found in the first two items in the tutorial (both which do not have anythingto do with Linux technically...)

But... Linux... well the thing is... if you are using the files I listed to use... linux shouldn't load. So, as much as it SUCKS you can't get it to load... this is actually GOOD because following my tutorial won't allow Linux to boot. So if you can;t, then you have done something right! Hoorah afterall! But seriously, stray from Linux on this one. It isn't needed, and will only provide more of a headache as it's one more hting to maintain. If you want more elaboration, I will comply as I'm interested in seeing what you all have to say in regards to this... but honestly, this tutorial is NOT meant to be used with Linux or Complex !loader.

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Kernal Versions
++++

Currently, only the following Kernals work (will add more as they appear):

4034

Hah.. pretty small list. Again, at work. Will update once I research more.

Keep in mind, this is an exploit designed around the ORIGINAL KERNAL (4034). That's what I lucked out on with mine, and that's why I haven't posed any questions. I am completely content with my X-Box now, save for the fact it doesn't allow me full access to F:... I believe this is a bug however, as it is stated in the Pheonix release to have allowed usage of the F: drive. I could be wrong. More to come!

++++

Thanks for all the kind complments. I do appreciate them. It isn't my FIRST tutorial, and I have actually been doing this stuff since the Dreamcast days. This is just my first attempt on X-Box software hacking. Hardware hacking I've been in on for a while, but not too much experience.

I will definitely keep updating my posts and such. This is my baby

Thanks again! Hope this helps.

CybrJnkie · « **Reply #78 on:** July 07, 2003, 10:21:00 PM »

What's the status on using the F drive? Like say I wanted to replace the original with a bigger one. Will I be able to do this and use the F? If I can, will it always read "0" in the EvoX Settings?

steel102 · « **Reply #79 on:** July 08, 2003, 09:21:00 AM »

would it be ok if i changed the skin to infodash or adminstr8or 2002? instead of the pheonix one?

pgkool · « **Reply #80 on:** July 08, 2003, 10:34:00 AM »

thx K-Naledge for the EXTRIDONARY list of answers, u spent lots of time, wounderfull and lots of props. keep up the good work. so wat does it mean then it says "patches in memory" and a "patches in kernal"?
TIA

K-Naledge · « **Reply #81 on:** July 08, 2003, 10:36:00 AM »

Hey all! Glad you all stopped back by for some more Q&A.

As far as the F: drive, it appears this is still a bug right now. I'm sure this will be resolved in the next release of the exploit or whomever works hardest to get this going. I would assume that the Pheonix team will be leading the pack once more. Honestly, this is the BEST version of the exploit as it is the closest you'll get to a hardware mod.

Skins can be used most definitely! No offense, but change that ugly ace skin ASAP!

I created my own and it works quite well. If you all are interested maybe I'll have it hosted some place.

And last but not least, "patching in memory" refers to the process by which the exploit is "executed" and followed thru with. IF the exploit patches the kernal "in memory" that means it sniffs the BUS (hunts down and spies on the RAM in lamens terms) waits for the kernal to call upon the .xtf files we have been f'ing with. Once this is complete, the .xtf files underflow the kernal and allow for us to load upwards of 4GB of info (this is why we're able to play games and backups alike).

The advantage of patching in memory versus actually patching the kernal itself (like !loader does each and every time) is that WE can control what the kernal behaves like AFTER it's compared to the RAM stored image of the kernal we're messing with. If you use the !loader method, which is by no means insignificant... just a little more time consuming.... you won't be able to auto-patch .xbe files like the Pheonix version does because the kernal image has already been executed and cannot be changed once we are seeing EvoX or linux (as it is NOW being utilized... whereas with the Pheonix version, it let's us , again, control WHAT happens with the Kernal, not vice versa). The only way to get around this with the !loader method is to do exactly what has been being done... patching the kernal itself each and every time you wish to execute different .xbe's. Again.... it's useful... but not as user-friendly and "more to the point" of what the Free-X concept is going to be useful for as Pheonix is.

Thanks again for the kind remarks! I'm trying my best here. Keep posting and I'll reply ASAP with my best effort answers. Thanks!

CybrJnkie · « **Reply #82 on:** July 08, 2003, 05:38:00 PM »

*sigh* my latest xbox woes...

http://forums.xbox-s...=0

DaMMiT2oo2 · « **Reply #83 on:** July 08, 2003, 10:57:00 PM »

im not sure if i fully understand this yet, but would it be possible to install a larger HDD in exchange of the old XBox HDD when i have Evox installed this way? Also, is their a way to "shut off" this mod so that I could use Live?

SkyFire360 · « **Reply #84 on:** July 09, 2003, 07:19:00 AM »

Wonderful job on the Tutorial K-Nal, many thanks for your help.

I've got a rather unusual problem, as I've searched up and down the forums and haven't found anything that mentions it.

When I access the Harddrive (with 4920 Dash), it appears that I have the Fonts folder with both the XBox Book.xtf and the XBox.xtf in it. According to the guide, I should rename those and place the new XBox.xtf (snuffleupagus) and XBox Book.xtf (bert) in this folder and the default.xde file in the system directory. However, here's my problem: I have another pair of xtf files in the system directory also! I'm not aware of anyone else having two sets of xtf files on their box. Which ones should I replace?

I'm obviously doing something wrong, as I can now boot up my box, get the giant x, only to have the following screen immediately flicker and the whole system to reboot. Has anyone else had this problem?

One last set of questions (something that you may or may not want to add to the tut): is the "Skins" directory absolutely mandatory? If so, where should it be? Should the Skins file have a "phoenix" subdirectory with the skin file in the phoenix folder or should the skin file be in the Skin folder itself?

pgkool · « **Reply #85 on:** July 09, 2003, 11:01:00 AM »

K-Nal OMFG ur so helpful thnx sooooooo much. Really i mean it. as for SykFire ur question about dual location of the xft files is actully mentioned in liek 2 of the tourtorial but not easy to search for and u r sopoused to replace them both(back them up both TOO) Just look at the pinned tourtorial and im shure one of them mentions having them in the fonts folder and the main c dirictory. I also have them in to locations but havent tried any of the software exploits yet.

dic-x · « **Reply #86 on:** July 09, 2003, 12:46:00 PM »

If you get slayer's auto installer 2.1 and run the format F: option, as long as you can play burned DVD's in your box after going through the tutorial, that should free up the space on your Fdrive you were having problems with.

later,

Dick

BuntaWRX · « **Reply #87 on:** July 09, 2003, 12:40:00 PM »

Just 1 ? Will the xbox after doing this read dvd-r's if so i cant get it to work with this way of the exploit i can only read games from the HD Thanx

widomakr · « **Reply #88 on:** July 09, 2003, 01:59:00 PM »

well i am having a problem

i have followed the instructions but when i restart the box it goes to the ms board now the one i loaded up...

does anyone know what i did wrong or need to do...

also

what i am trying to do is get linux running while stilll being able to play games and dvds out side of linux...

help would be nice...

thanks...

ascii · « **Reply #89 on:** July 09, 2003, 03:41:00 PM »

QUOTE (BuntaWRX @ Jul 9 2003, 09:40 PM)

...Will the xbox after doing this read dvd-r's if so i cant get it to work with this way of the exploit i can only read games from the HD Thanx

I can't speak for everyone else, but here's my situation...
The DVD-R doesn't load from boot up. I have to power on the XBox, eject the tray, place the DVD-R in the tray (by this time, the Evox dash is running) then I close the tray and select "Play DVD Game" from the menu.

Play's DVD-R games just fine with this method...

Also plays DVD-R Movies...
I installed DVD-X then followed the method mentioned above... (had to manually launch DVD-X though)

Author Topic: Plain English Free-x/evox Tutorial (Read 1055 times)