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How to softmod your Xbox and install XBMC for free

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    #662
    witnessmenow
    Registered Users Posts: 7,083 ✭✭✭witnessmenow


    A "compatible drive" is only a drive that supports locking.
    It doesnt nesaciraly mean it will work well


    Is it a Sata or IDE drive?


    Also what do you mean by slow? Takes long to boot up, takes long to open folder, playback is jumpy?


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    #663
    BuckDefiant
    Closed Accounts Posts: 2 ✭BuckDefiant


    witnessmenow wrote: »
    Im not saying your wrong, any sugestion is a good one, but the pc i do 90% of my xbox modding with is a Amd athlon and never have problems

    fair dinkum - let's just generalize it to "If all else fails - try another host PC"

    Google chatter seems to implicate Athlons || Seagate Drives || Cables || ACPI/APM; much too much to diagnose (though I spent 3 hours on those issues)


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    #664
    daederauoy
    Closed Accounts Posts: 13 ✭daederauoy


    witnessmenow wrote: »
    A "compatible drive" is only a drive that supports locking.
    It doesnt nesaciraly mean it will work well


    Is it a Sata or IDE drive?


    Also what do you mean by slow? Takes long to boot up, takes long to open folder, playback is jumpy?

    It is a lockable IDE drive, and it takes a while to boot, the controls take about 5 min to respond, the folders take a few min, its pretty much slow all around.


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    #665
    Hangover
    Registered Users Posts: 207 ✭✭Hangover


    stupido103 wrote: »
    ok whole different story,

    if i have an xbox ISO (its legal i own it!)
    how do i ftp in on the xbox hdd? just the iso file, or do i need to unzip it or something??
    already got xbmc running...

    stupido :rolleyes:

    Use Filezilla or other ftp program and copy the complete iso image to a folder on F drive or E or Fisnt large enough.


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    #666
    Hangover
    Registered Users Posts: 207 ✭✭Hangover


    On another note, i have softmodded 4 x xbox's now and the only problem i ever have is with IP's. I will be networking 3 x box's to my pc but for now use a mini wireless adapter and move it from xbox to xbox when needed but sometimes when i move it to another xbox i cant get a lan connection. I switch from DHCP to static to dashboard default rebooting each time but still cant get a connection on just 1 box ?


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    #667
    daederauoy
    Closed Accounts Posts: 13 ✭daederauoy


    Okay, resolved my problems. I just had to reformat the hard drive and then re install ndure and XBMC and blah blah blah blah blah. Don't know how it fixed it, because I tried doing it five or six dozen times. No idea why it worked this time.


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    #668
    fella74
    Closed Accounts Posts: 4 ✭fella74


    Does anyone have the reupload links for the first page


    5) Ndure-3.1.rar - get it from Xbins using Easy Xbins - browse to /XBOX/Console Based Applications/exploits/_Packages/Kingroachs Installer/
    6) xboxhdm_v1.9.zip - Get it from here

    I believe these links are dead. I'm new to the xbox scene and trying to get this XBMC on there since I've already softmodded the wii.


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    #669
    Hangover
    Registered Users Posts: 207 ✭✭Hangover


    fella74 wrote: »
    Does anyone have the reupload links for the first page


    5) Ndure-3.1.rar - get it from Xbins using Easy Xbins - browse to /XBOX/Console Based Applications/exploits/_Packages/Kingroachs Installer/
    6) xboxhdm_v1.9.zip - Get it from here

    I believe these links are dead. I'm new to the xbox scene and trying to get this XBMC on there since I've already softmodded the wii.

    I could email them but they are about 29mb.


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    #670
    fella74
    Closed Accounts Posts: 4 ✭fella74


    can you post the links please


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    #671
    Hangover
    Registered Users Posts: 207 ✭✭Hangover


    fella74 wrote: »
    can you post the links please

    Links are on page 37 if they are still valid.


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    #672
    fella74
    Closed Accounts Posts: 4 ✭fella74


    Thank you for the links.The links are valid. Is 15.8mb the correct size for the ndure 3.1.Another guy said he had an issue with this size and he used a 400mb ndure.

    On
    5) Go to the main xboxhdm folder and double click make-iso-win.bat and wait for it to do its thing. When its done you should have a new linux.iso file in you xboxhdm folder. If you installed Iso recorder earlier all you need to do is just double click it and burn.

    Can the iso be burned to a dvd-r using imgburn if I don't have a blank CD?

    Also, how to you backup the eeprom before I start the softmod in a minute?

    Thanks for helping.


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    #673
    fella74
    Closed Accounts Posts: 4 ✭fella74


    Forget what I said about the dvd-r.

    Anyone confirm if booting iso from a usb drive will do the same as booting off a CD? My dilemma is I got only 1 IDE port on my board and that's normally used by my DVD drive.


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    #674
    dannyg120
    Closed Accounts Posts: 10 ✭dannyg120


    I followed the process to the letter and it doesn't work.

    When I run 'xbrowser', I get a 'Found HardDrive' message but 'No xbox-partition table found on /dev/hda.

    I tried every recommended step to play a CD and pause it, then hot swap the cable, etc. but the drive appears to be 'locked'.

    Time to pay the guy on Craigslist $50 to do it for me....

    I wonder if it is because I have firmware k:1:00:4034:01 that this does not work.


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    #675
    dannyg120
    Closed Accounts Posts: 10 ✭dannyg120


    In general, your procedure was good.

    In an early step, you mentioned that Ndure-3.1.rar was available 'from Xbins using Easy Xbins'. This link didn't work. So I went to another site to get the app.

    I don't understand what it means to 'browse to /XBOX/Console Based Applications/exploits/_Packages/Kingroachs Installer/'.

    When I unpacked Ndure-3.1,rar, I didn't see a file structure with 'XBOX/Console Based Applications/exploits/_Packages/Kingroachs Installer/'. What am I missing?


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    #676
    dannyg120
    Closed Accounts Posts: 10 ✭dannyg120


    Nick,

    You mentioned that is is a problem if 'the Jumper on the Xbox hard drive is set to cable select'. Maybe that is my problem. What should the jumper be set to? Master?


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    #677
    Hangover
    Registered Users Posts: 207 ✭✭Hangover


    dannyg120 wrote: »
    I followed the process to the letter and it doesn't work.

    When I run 'xbrowser', I get a 'Found HardDrive' message but 'No xbox-partition table found on /dev/hda.

    I tried every recommended step to play a CD and pause it, then hot swap the cable, etc. but the drive appears to be 'locked'.

    Time to pay the guy on Craigslist $50 to do it for me....

    I wonder if it is because I have firmware k:1:00:4034:01 that this does not work.

    You didnt quite follow it properly, you dont pause a CD you have to save a track to the hdd, remove the cd and then play the saved track and pause that. My first mod was on an xbox running 4034 Kernel so thats not the problem.


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    #678
    dannyg120
    Closed Accounts Posts: 10 ✭dannyg120


    Hangover, You're right. I mis-spoke as I am tired. I meant to say I played a song from the Xbox hard drive (a KISS song that was on the drive if you are keeping score... LOL), not the CD player.

    I have made some progress. The hard drive on the xbox was strapped as 'cable select'. I added a second jumper makign the hard drive master with another drive. And I got past the problem and was able to go into 'xbrowser'. I was thrilled...

    But now I hit a wall there....

    I run ndure and it says I am missing mod installer app. It says I need to add that to the boot disk so I am making a new one now. I was confused when I was installing NDURE in the beginning as I didn't understand what it meant when it said 'browse to /XBOX/Console Based Applications/exploits/_Packages/Kingroachs Installer/',

    Then in step 3, it said, when I do the ndure isntall, 'to save to, choose the xboxhdm\linux folder you unpacked in step one above.'. I must not have done that right.


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    #679
    dannyg120
    Closed Accounts Posts: 10 ✭dannyg120


    Ok, so I overcame two problems:

    1. No x-box partition table found on /dev/hba error - I changed the Xbox hard drive from 'cable select' to 'Master with a non-ATA compatabile drive' by adding another strap to the second pait of pins. Like the picture on the hard drive shows... yahoo.....

    2. I have rebuilt the Linux boot disk after saving the ndure files to the right directory. yahoo...

    I followed the procedure to the letter and when I got to step 10, After the ndure installation finished, I moved the xbox hard drive back to the xbox IDE cable and shut off the XBOX . It was clearly finished and I waited to be sure.

    But now when I bootup the xbox now, it boots to the initial XBOX isignia screen with Micrisoft displaying below in in white letters. It goes not further... so I can't unlock the drive by playing a song and pausing it. So I can't try the Endure isntall again. Any thoughts?



    10) Connect the hdd back to the xbox ide cable and power it off.
    Power it back on, all going well you'll get the standard Xbox boot screen followed by UnleashX.


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    #680
    dannyg120
    Closed Accounts Posts: 10 ✭dannyg120


    My dash is 4034. Is this why I can't boot up my xbox after doing this mod procedure? If so, can I somehow get into the xbox config and update the dash so I'm working again?

    Sorry for so many postings. I'm on a mission..


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    #681
    Hangover
    Registered Users Posts: 207 ✭✭Hangover


    dannyg120 wrote: »
    My dash is 4034. Is this why I can't boot up my xbox after doing this mod procedure? If so, can I somehow get into the xbox config and update the dash so I'm working again?

    Sorry for so many postings. I'm on a mission..

    You might need to rebuild the hdd back to stock and then start again, i had to do this to one of the 6 i have modded so far - got 3 more will be doing shortly as well.

    This sight has info on how to repair bodged/ fubared hdd. http://www.consoledoc.com/xboxinfo.html


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    #682
    dannyg120
    Closed Accounts Posts: 10 ✭dannyg120


    Hangover,

    When I bring up the boot disk and run 'xboxhd', I get the message about the hard drive being found but it is 'locked'. And I can't do the 'play music and pause it trick' so how do I unlock the hard drive so I can recover the drive?


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    #683
    witnessmenow
    Registered Users Posts: 7,083 ✭✭✭witnessmenow


    Plug out the hard drive when the X loads on the screen at startup and it will be unlocked


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    #684
    dannyg120
    Closed Accounts Posts: 10 ✭dannyg120


    Thx for the response. I tried booting to the XBOX X and then swapping IDE cables but the drive never unlocks. I tried it 10 different times, swapping cables quickly, slowly, blah blah.

    The only way I have been successful in the past has been to play a song on the HD and pause it. But now I can't get into the XBOX to play a song.

    I'm bummed. Was hoping to get this done this weekend.


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    #685
    Hangover
    Registered Users Posts: 207 ✭✭Hangover


    witnessmenow wrote: »
    Plug out the hard drive when the X loads on the screen at startup and it will be unlocked

    You beat me to it, this works as i have done it a couple of times. Once the flubber appears you can hotswap the drive.


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    #686
    dannyg120
    Closed Accounts Posts: 10 ✭dannyg120


    Hangover, for whatever reason, the process you describe does not unlock the hard drive (I'd liek to kill the guy who designed the hard drive to lock..).

    One question.when I did the ndure install and chose option 1, I got the message that the existing hdd image was not backed up and then the hdd image did get backed up before the ndure files were copied.

    Can I retrieve this backup image on the hard drive to restore it?


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    #687
    Hangover
    Registered Users Posts: 207 ✭✭Hangover


    dannyg120 wrote: »
    Hangover, for whatever reason, the process you describe does not unlock the hard drive (I'd liek to kill the guy who designed the hard drive to lock..).

    One question.when I did the ndure install and chose option 1, I got the message that the existing hdd image was not backed up and then the hdd image did get backed up before the ndure files were copied.

    Can I retrieve this backup image on the hard drive to restore it?

    It does work as i have done it a couple of times. Try going thru the process again.


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    #688
    dannyg120
    Closed Accounts Posts: 10 ✭dannyg120


    Thanks for the recomendations as far as botting the XBOX to the XBOX logo and then hot swapping. I agree with your recommendation but it doesn't work. I gave the XBOX to a pro that mods machines as I'd rather pay a pro and he currently says the drive won't unlock either. I really know how to break something..... His latest update was that he might need to build an eeprom reader. I'm not sure why but we'll see.


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    #689
    Hangover
    Registered Users Posts: 207 ✭✭Hangover


    dannyg120 wrote: »
    Thanks for the recomendations as far as botting the XBOX to the XBOX logo and then hot swapping. I agree with your recommendation but it doesn't work. I gave the XBOX to a pro that mods machines as I'd rather pay a pro and he currently says the drive won't unlock either. I really know how to break something..... His latest update was that he might need to build an eeprom reader. I'm not sure why but we'll see.

    You must have really fubared it, i had where i just tried using the linux for another xbox with different kernel and had the same problem so i just did it again with the right one and it worked.


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    #690
    Nick_oliveri
    Registered Users Posts: 2,497 ✭✭✭Nick_oliveri


    Ahh they are finicky things to get working properly.
    Especially when you think about the probability(sp) that they haven't been used in a long time before the softmod. Still more reliable than the 360 though.

    When it gets to the EEPROM reader stage, it might be the hard drive thats buggered.
    A similar thing happened to me after I had everything working, I went to install/boot XBMC on it and the bitch ass hard drive went clunkety-clunk.


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    #691
    Earl.E.Byrd
    Closed Accounts Posts: 5 ✭Earl.E.Byrd


    I had contemplated modding my Xbox for a year or two. I had read about XBMC and wanted to give it a try but was too chicken. After reading the post and other people's comments I figured I really had nothing to lose. I'm just a noobie who follows instructions meticulously.

    I followed your instructions and in no time I was up and running. I'd say thirty minutes tops! I lost track of the time since I started dropping files and watching videos before I reinstalled the cover!

    It's probably in the thread somewhere - I'd like to pop a bigger drive for file storage.

    One question - is a lockable drive a requirement for installing/using XBMC or is it just to maintain use of Xbox Live?


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