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[John Hoek]

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[Spectracide]

But is there any way I can run Linux?   I am, of course, using UDE2, 1.6 xbox, and PBL Metoo/M8.  I want to use a livecd distro since I am stuck with the default 8gb harddrive, which I use for games.  
So far I have tried Gentoox Livecd ( http://www.xbox-linux.org/Download , first option) and Xebian but both turn my LED orange and display a garbled screen.  I doubt it makes a difference, but I have running the distros from the harddrive to avoid burning problems and for the sake of speed.

edit: Do I need to get a Cromwell BIOS? I'm thinking that I don't since I have M8, which is linux, and then some (playing hacked xbes and stuff   )

[John Hoek]

)

Agent 007; night under fire  (PAL or NTSC edition)
Splinter cell  (also a PAL or NTSC edition)


///

Something else I thought about the PAL-NTSC matter.  It IS a problem for PAL boxes to change to NTSC, because lot's ofg games DON't work anymore from the box at booting up into the tray.

But maybe the solution is easyer then we all think.
>> think basic
>> think simple
>> think How does DVD region checking normally work?

DVD players are normally regioprotected, just like a Xbox.
But when you change the region to 0 (zero), this means ALL REGIONS!
And so lot's and lot's of players could be modded; ie. make regiofree.


Now back to the Xbox.>>>
- The Xbox is checking the eprom for HDD key and regio, just for setting the right input for the videocontroller, right?!
- After this the DVD is loaded and the game starts.
 But the game has a checking of the regio build-in.  
 AAAHHH; PROBLEM! , if those are different; so then crash/hang/reboot Xbox!
- a program can be set with a few regionflags; but a retail DVD can't be modded.

Regioflags can be:
0 - ALL regions
1 - NTSC
4 - PAL
etc.
(I could make a mistake here, but it's just to get the idea..., right?!
 I don't kn ow for sure that regio 0 = All regions; it could be another number!!)

anyhow, a region 4 game don't work on a region 1 Xbox.
But a region 4 game SHOULD WORK on a regio 0 Xbox (all regions free!)

so basicly; If we change the eprom regio to 0 (All regios); instead of 1 (NTSC)
then ALL programs should be ok with it and work.

/////
Now practice:
what could happen in worstcase in real?

- After changing to a regio 0 ; (all regions) (ONLY IF THIS IS CORRECT!!!)
 the Xbox never boots well anymore, because the bios don't know wich
 settings he must make to the videocontroller.  But i presume that there are
 kind of default settings, make more sence, then nothing.
  But if the bios crashes; then even with a modchip (but those could be modded to
 circumvent such a settingsproblem) could have problems

- The bios boots well; but NO programs will work anymore....
  Very uncommon to happen. I presume that the dashboard is ALWAYS
  working, because it's normally the same for all Xboxes around the World.
  some games could stick, but it's also very uncommon, because like what
  PedrosPad said, there should be standard functioncalls to the bios; and they
  should reply regio = ok (ALL regions are ok)

///

What do we need to know for sure?
>>> Is regioncode 0 - ALL regions? ; if not; which number is the right one??
>>> Somebody this already tried before? ; What happened then?
>>> Somebody to have the guts to try and get a chnage to end up with a doorstop?


Good luck!
And happy hunting!

[rmenhal]

XBtool has had the ability to embed an eeprom into the kernel for a long time. NghtShd hasn't (not yet atleast) adapted the patch for M8 and EVtool.

[chimpanzee]

we have gone through this before.

The kernel check the game region, ONLY ONE region is allowed. You can set it to ALL REGION easily. The problem is, the kernel refuse to boot.

The only possible answser is like PedroPad suggest, hooks to intercept the region check calls like the EVOX feature. This can be either in the hacked BIOS or nkpatcher. How ? I have no idea.

[PedrosPad]

QUOTE (rmenhal @ Sep 15 2004, 09:59 AM)

It's strange though that a game would rely on the xbe region. Is it certain that that's reason they don't work?

I think I see where you’re coming from – the XBOX XBE header and Kernel already enforces a region check – so why add one in-game?

John said it works with NKPatcher.  NKPatcher only patches a finite list of things – it’s obviously one of them that enabling the game to work.

I can't see that the in-game check could be for the signature (the signature would change as they added the in-game code to check the signature – lol .)

The media or region checks seemed most likely.

Rmenhal, can you remind us what else NKPatcher patches please?

[PedrosPad]

QUOTE (rmenhal @ Sep 15 2004, 09:59 AM)

QUOTE (chimpanzee @ Sep 15 2004, 09:46 AM) The only possible answser is like PedroPad suggest, hooks to intercept the region check calls like the EVOX feature. This can be either in the hacked BIOS or nkpatcher. How ? I have no idea. That's what NghtShd's eeprom embedding patch does. But I wouldn't want to recreate something similar for M8 and then make another special bios version. It would be nice if NghtShd made the feature available to EVtool. It's strange though that a game would rely on the xbe region. Is it certain that that's reason they don't work?

While support for M8 is not yet present in XBTool - this theoretical solution could be checked out using an earlier XBOX (<1.6), ConfigMagic, an XBTool supported BIOS (X2, etc.), and an known region-checking game.

[John Hoek]

If you don't think further, and don't take all the facts.

I can't think about any reason why some games refuses to work, AFTER ONLY a region change. Nothing else! They must check the region it by there own. Why?  

Take the Splintercell game for example.  If you've bought a PAL version; it just works fine on you're PAL Xbox in Europe. You can easely use the game-hack.
But DIRECTLY after you change the region to NTSC; exactly the SAME game, the SAME retail disc, the SAME Xbox, the SAME bios/epromsettings (instead of regio) REFUSES to work anymore!    and THIS behaviour could be only made due the game itself, because nothing else is changed. And like what you're already said, the videosettings itself, hasn't be changed, so those couln't be the problem....  Right?  

I can imagine well, that game-producers like to have regionprotection in thei're games. Hense, this is done for sure for years ago on other platforms too. And think about DVD; exactly the same!  Producers (Movie industrie, RIAA anyone?) like the idea that they can control thei're software, music, movies etc. by protecting content.  So they can control when & what you'll see/get & also make different pricestrategies in different regios..... And think about different launching dates of games; that's why you you can by a game months earlier in other regios... and in you own regio only months after this.  Just plain practice nowadays.
So yeah; I believe strongly that it is the game itself that checks a certain regio!  


Still, because opf this, brings this problem us back to were we came from; HOW do we manage to change the region easely, without making another HUGE problem.  
>> If you're big bought collection of games don't work anymore; just because you wanted XBMC player on you're box; then you're Xbox is degraded (or upgraded; choose what you like   )  with a bunch of DVD PAL frisbees.....  

/////////////
Then Chimpansee remarked that changing the region to 0 (all regions) get the needed update.xbe NTSC version to refuse to work?!

>>> Is this REALLY checked before?! Who has done this before then?
This sounds inlogical to me, because within all regions; NTSC is also ok.

If yes; then we have a problem, which can't be solved this way...  


Two options left;
- best case; find a PAL version of an exploitable update.exe.
 >> only way to find; is that everybody, and i mean everybody with a PAL Xbox
      scans thei're whole collection of games for this files, including the right flags
      and let them send to PedroPad or others, for testing exploits.
      Hopefully, we find some! Xbox live is then still possible (with some drawbacks
      of course...)

- Lest best case;
  >> At this moment the most realistic; get PBL Metoo edition loader (or another
       trick), which patches in realtime the bios to a certain regio. Like above
        mentioned.
       All games then are still playable; only Xbox Live not anymore...  But most
       users can live with that. They can always use Xlink/XBconnect for instance.

lets' searching all; and hopefully somebody can change PBL Metoo  loader for real time patching of the bios....

[PedrosPad]

QUOTE (John Hoek @ Sep 15 2004, 02:42 PM)

I can't think about any reason why some games refuses to work, AFTER ONLY a region change. Nothing else! They must check the region it by there own. Why?

Methinks this may not be a security precaution, but simply product localisation.

The game engine may legitimately check the region code and look for different content files on the DVD for different countries (US spellings/UK spellings).  This is even more likely on the European PAL games where one pressing serves several European countries.

If, due to UDE2, it's now looking for US content - it's unlikely to find it, as these files would have been removed to make space for European content.

[John Hoek]

now...

I can remember very well that the NTSC version of Riddick had no extra content in France en German. Which the European PAL version did have...  And, yes; the NTSC game booted weel with the intromovies; but after it,. it frose.... (the PAL version is then the game itself loading).... So, yeh, this could be also a good reason that a game checks for a certain regio.


Still, We are convinced now that games could check for a certain regio. So, there must be make a solution for it.

[PedrosPad]

QUOTE (PedrosPad @ Sep 14 2004, 04:56 PM)

QUOTE (John Hoek @ Sep 14 2004, 03:19 PM) Only the latest version of EVOX V3935 is capable to select different regions for games etc.... But does this help for retail PAL games on NTSC computers also? From memory, I think the Evox INI file format will need to be something like CODE menuItem "Launch PAL DVD", "d:\default.xbe", PALREGION menuItem "Launch US DVD",  "d:\default.xbe", NTSCREGION

Correction - from the horses mouth (so to speak ):

CODE

Gameregion / Videomode switch: You can now change Gameregion / Videomode with Evox. Settings panel : Game region settings :    default  = eeprom    Auto  = Get region from the game itself (some games are flagged with all regions)    North America  = NTSC    Japan  = NTSC    Rest of world   = PAL You can also force specific games to run in a special videomode by adding a parameter to the Items Available Parameters: ID_Reg_NA   : force region to NTSC US ID_Reg_J    : force region to NTSC-J ID_Reg_ROW  : force region to PAL Example: Item "SoulCalibur 2","f:\Games\SoulCalibur2\default.xbe",ID_Reg_NA

[John Hoek]

quote:
Launching original games i havent got any problems with after i've changed the region to ntsc, as long as you boot to avalaunch or evox.
unquote:

I did the same with Evox... hense, i have all my games backed up on my HDD.

But NO WAY! My experience are totally different then this! Still problems with NTSC or PAL versions of the same games.  
I must also recall that till yesterday i didn't know thet there was a newer version of evox (I'm now using 3921) available, with those regionoptions.
So it COULD be that this newer EVOX version solves the problem, but it isn't a nice hack though. it's better to hack the bios.

And even more better, FIND a exploitable PAL version of a new update.xbe

[PedrosPad]

QUOTE (John Hoek @ Sep 15 2004, 04:45 PM)

So it COULD be that this newer EVOX version solves the problem

Hi John,

Using the Evox 'settings' menu option, check (or set) the 'Game region' setting to 'Auto' and report back if this solves your problem.  Ta.

[John Hoek]

*Cough* Edit *Cough* by Anger

[Angerwound]

Careful about what you post John.