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My question is can i use a new xbox with his old harddrive and then download avaluanch on the mobo
How could you download an app onto the mobo? Could you copy it off the old hd onto your hd, sure, but why wouldn't you just download it from the usual places and install it? However, if his hd is locked, then you will not be able to use it unless you have a backup of the eeprom before the board died.
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also can i backup the harddrive on my pc by connecting hard drive to internal IDE?
Yes, but only if you are running linux and use the fatx driver, it does not work with windows.
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could i replace the capacitor and where might i get one for the xbox
If you can find the value of the capacitor, you could replace it yes, and you could get it in any electronics shop.
