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[addyb]

Hi all,

Firstly this is my 1st login since 2006!!!

Ok ive recently acquired an Xbox via eBay and am going down the softmod route. I previously had a mod chip in the last Xbox I had ( xecutor???)

Ive spent the last couple of days researching on different methods and found some great guides but I just wanted to check the ndure method etc are all still current so to speak.

Ive got the following ready:

2 spare sata drives to play with (320GB & 120GB)
Ordered a sata to ide converter/bridge

Need to check my new mobo (Gigabyte z77x) for an ide port but I assume it will have one.

In regards to the softmod do I have to burn the setup files and boot from CD or can I use one of my various usb sticks to boot from and install that way? If so is there a preferred method or different files I would need?

I also have some of my old Xbox games backed up on another drive. Can I install these whilst doing the softmod or would I have to go down the route of what I used to do years ago. ( burn to DVD then install onto Xbox hdd)

I think that's about it really.

Thanks

[shambles1980]

1st thing you need to do is actualy soft mod that console when it arrives..
the safest way to do that would be to use a game save exploit. id usualy use krazies ndere 1.1.1 splinter cell exploit (ntsc or pal) depends on what your xbox is..

your issues come when trying to get the files from the pc to your xbox.
the cheapest way would be to make a usb adapter.
(USB to XBOX) get a usb extention cable and cut it in half,. then you would want to cut your break away cable in half 2..
wire up the usb cable to the break away cable.. (match up the colours, and dont connect anything to the yellow wire)
so you end up with a breakaway cable that has a usb connector you can plug your usb device in to..

then you can make a controller to usb cable. (xbox controller to usb adapter)  
simply take the other end of the usb cable and wire it up to the other end of the break away cable. same rules apply match the colours. and dont use the yellow one.

(you should now have 2 seperate wires. one with a attachment that connects to the xbox with a usb female attachment on the other end. and a usb male attachment with the end of the breakaway cable you plug the controller in to on the other end.)

if thats all done correctly you can connect your usb device to the xbox using the usb adpater you just made.

go to your ms dashboard and memory devices, and hope that your usb device is detected "not all will and even if they do not all work"
if yours work. select it in the list and the xbox will format it.

take the usb device to your pc, and use xplorer 360 to put both the numberd folders you will find in the UDATA folder in a rar file you download when you find krazies ndure 1.1.1

then take the usb device back to youyr xbox and move the save files in that to the xbox hard disk..

now all you have to do is run an original copy of splinter cell and go to load game, then follow on screen instructions..

when you have done that ftp the eeprom file you just made to your pc, and come ask what to do next

[addyb]

Ahh ok so I actually have to softmod it before I even think about changing the HDD? I thought I could softmod via the hdd upgrade at the same time?

Ive actually ordered a controller to female usb lead from eBay so can use that when it arrives.

So I have to go down the usb softmod route before I can switch hard drives. Is that what your saying?

EDIT: Apologies yes you do have to softmod first. Ok no problem I will get a copy of splinter cell ordered. Cheap as chips on amazon. (IMG:style_emoticons/default/smile.gif)

This post has been edited by addyb: Sep 3 2012, 12:08 AM

[shambles1980]

Just so you know..
i do have a few mod chips left if you decide you need one.

but there is nothing wrong witha  soft mod provided you know how to upgrade your hard disk and keep a copy of your eeprom safe.

[addyb]

Thanks I wouldn't mind getting it chipped instead. I take it from your links you would do this for me at a cost.
What I''ll do is have a play when I get my sata -ide adaptor and see if I can do it myself. If not I will send you a pm and we can discuss pricing etc

its really tempting though as I dont have a lot of time these days to mess around with modding.

Cheers

[addyb]

So thinking about it. What would it set me back to send my Xbox, get it chipped and for you to upgrade the hdd as well?

[shambles1980]

it would cost you the postage. and £15.
you would need to send your adapter and the hard disk 2.
postage with my hermies would probably be cheapest but id check what you can get from parcel2go website.

but like i said there is nothing wrong with a soft mod.

This post has been edited by shambles1980: Sep 3 2012, 12:06 PM

[addyb]

Ok thanks mate. I will have a play when I get all my kit. If for whatever reason my sata drives dont work with the adapter do you still have any bigger drives available to put in for me? If not I will just source one from somewhere and send that.

[fallenangle]

This is probably irrelevant to you now but I noticed in your original post you mentioned an assumption that your Gigabyte Z77 MB would have a spare IDE port.

I'm certainly not an authority on the wide range of MB available but I'm currently building my first desktop PC. As I thought it would be useful for just this sort of Xbox stuff one of the things I was looking for was an affordable MB with an IDE port.

I read a number of reviews and group tests in (UK) magazines etc and I only came across one current MB which had even a single IDE port. The rest: none at all. That MB was outside my price range so I had to strike IDE support off my wish list and settled on the well reviewed but IDE-less Gigabyte Z77-DS3H.

This post has been edited by fallenangle: Sep 3 2012, 01:10 PM

[addyb]

Yeah I just found out my MB doesnt have an ide port so looks like I won't be able to softmod it myself with a hdd upgrade after all

[ldotsfan]

Softmod the xbox first as shambles1980 said. The hdd upgrade can be done later with the xbox itself with HeXEn (lxhdm) or with chimp2618 without the need for a PC with IDE. See the link in my signature.

This post has been edited by ldotsfan: Sep 3 2012, 02:55 PM

[addyb]

Thanks mate. Will take a look at those links tonight.

[shambles1980]

QUOTE(addyb @ Sep 3 2012, 12:25 PM)

Ok thanks mate. I will have a play when I get all my kit. If for whatever reason my sata drives dont work with the adapter do you still have any bigger drives available to put in for me? If not I will just source one from somewhere and send that.

its dependant on teh adapter for your sata drive. but if your getting it chipped atleast you dont have to worry about it being lockable..

i would go check to see if your drives are lockable at all..
I probably should have mentioned that sooner..

if you are able to solder i can simply suply you with a mod chip + some kaynar wire for you to install your self.

But id probably go down the soft mod road 1st if i were you and only if that failed id concider a chip..

and even then if you soft mod the box and it turns out to be a 1.0-1.5 you can always tsop flash it and not need to have a locked hard disk.
And you would not need to use chimp excetera to build the drive.

right now most of my stuff is in storage..
i could have sworn i had atleast 5 160gb hard disks left.
but i went to search yesterday as i am upgrading 3 to sell. and it seems i only have 2 160gb hard disk "well that i can find at least"

so untill i get everything back from storgae and find the big box of hard disks. then im sorry but i just cant guarantee i have any drives available

This post has been edited by shambles1980: Sep 3 2012, 05:58 PM

[addyb]

Thanks for all the advice so far guys, especially you shambles. I will see how I get on with the softmod and then update the thread after that.

[addyb]

Been reading up on chimp and yep looks pretty straightforward. I just need to check whether my HDD is lockable.

My xbox version is 1.6 if that means anything.

So basically heres what i have ready software wise

SC files/ndure ready for gamesave exploit
Chimp 2618

So i run the exploit to softmod
Get drive ready and follow the chimp guide to upgrade the HDD

Is that it?

I may have a stupid question or 2
I remember when i last had a modded xbox there was a 137GB limit for HDD. Do i need to do anything different to install a WD 320GB HDD?

Also how do i go about installing a different dashboard, XBMC, unleash, evox. Do i do this before i do the upgrade with chimp or afterwards?