Bowlsnapper

April 5

@Halo_2 My girlfriend saw those photos and said "Oh my GOD. It looks like somebody torched it!" She's not even an electronics person or anything and could tell it was really bad. I agree with @dtomcat: I cannot believe that somebody put out a chip that looks like that. I would be embarrassed, man.

Just throwin' it out there

April 5

As you can see, Mouser fucked up and only sent me one resistor array, so now I need to wait for the other one... and C5 is crooked for some reason. I'm gonna fix that. But the Kernel debugger is basically done. I have ordered a USB-C breakout that will be mounted at the rear of the console and the debugger unit will be internalized, probably against the rear wall.

These LEDs actually fuckin melted, but I don't think you can see it. I will probably have to replace those too, unfortunately. Never seen that before.

... Actually, I have a MUCH cooler idea in mind for the LEDs

I bit the bullet and ordered this transparent green PLA for the case modifications so that they will match. I will also get transparent resin to match the Halo edition as well.

https://www.amazon.com/Printer-Filament-Transparent-Dimensional-Accuracy/dp/B08MT9M8Y8/ref=pd_ci_mcx_mh_mcx_views_0?pd_rd_w=Vx3Vg&content-id=amzn1.sym.8b590b55-908d-4829-9f90-4c8752768e8b%3Aamzn1.symc.40e6a10e-cbc4-4fa5-81e3-4435ff64d03b&pf_rd_p=8b590b55-908d-4829-9f90-4c8752768e8b&pf_rd_r=F83WH9VT78K92XKJPR02&pd_rd_wg=ESoQ6&pd_rd_r=29185145-f0d5-436d-804e-6997389abc7d&pd_rd_i=B08MT9M8Y8

@dtomcat Do you believe that 3MM LEDs can be driven with the Superio Debugger in place of the SMD LEDs used here?

April 5

>Easy XDK Installer V1.3.1<

Collaboration between SweetDarkDestiny & Bowlsnapper

-------------------------------------------------------------

This is an easy way to turn your retail console into a debug kit. There are two main options:

1. Install the XDK dashboard as an "app", meaning that you will have the option to load the dash as an app which will be marked "XDK Launcher" in your apps list. This will boot the dash by booting a Debug version of Cerbios through PBL, which forces the load of the XDK dashboard.

2 "Standalone mode" wipes your C and E partitions and turns the console into a full-on debug kit. The installer also provides the means to flash a debug enabled Cerbios bios through this option.

This should cover most case uses. However I will add features and modify the installer over time as I receive feedback. Much credit for this installer goes to sweetdarkdestiny. We both discussed this as an installer and its likely usage/features and this was the result. I am sure that more will come along as time goes on. I am open to suggestions, and please offer them!

Also included is every single piece of software imaginable on the PC side. Everything from Windows XP itself, to Visual Studio 2003, to the XDK installer, and of course, the VMWare image linked below.

The XDK version numbers are a lie. 5849.16 is the latest version of the XDK.

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Installer Links:

Fichier: https://1fichier.com/dir/4vwEvoBS

Mega: https://mega.nz/file/Judz2bSZ#Ow4i6L__3aTHTqAMwGZHB3PX1rzDydvb2Imc1S0-glM

VMWare XDK Image: https://1fichier.com/?kkyhkgx1cwi8oawhy4zy

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

1.3.0. Changelog:

- Changed the skin.
- Changed the structure of folders and XBE files.

- Added MD5 checksums for the ISO/EXE files to the installer.
- Added the option to boot into retail mode from the XDK-Dash through
PBL as app. This is however not for the App Mode! Would serve no purpose.
Only if you have standalone mode XDK installed!
- Added some visuals like covers, videos and such...
- Added a repair options for each partition for app & standalone mode.
- Added the option to re-flash the Debug bioses.
- Added the option to copy each of the PC disc's one by one.
- Added a Back to Retail option for the Standalone Mode.
- Added an XDK Uninstall option for the Application Mode.

- Added a copy of the flashable bioses to the root of the drive so you
can use it to flash SmartXX, OpenXenium, Xenium, XChanger etc. chips
right of the disc.

With 1.3.1: Fixed a bug that was causing the disc to crash in Xemu in some instances.

April 4

1 hour ago, fritzelmaster said:

ebay took it down already so I guess just message me if interested.

Friggin' fascists. What CPU model, specifically?

April 4

I received the parts for the kernel debugger today. I will build it tonight.

April 4

I do have the SVF file for the openxenium if you are interested. @Hellraiser988

April 3

4 hours ago, PeaNutsMan23 said:

Hi, first time posting on here. I'm interested in modding my Xbox and swapping the drive, and I'd like to be able to use something like this to prevent my system from being fried by my HDD touching a SATA to IDE adapter, but I don't have a 3D printer to make it myself. Would anyone here be willing to print one for me? I'll gladly pay whatever fee is required.

Yes. PM'd.

April 3

1 hour ago, ka5ug4 said:

Now I'm really confused (＠_＠)

The 60GB had nothing on it but Rocky5's UnleashX build (FTP update), two games (Guilty Gear X2 and Psyvarier), and the Cerbios boot animations + ini file. Neither wanted to work via folder. How would I go about running them off XISO, just to be 100% certain? I'm about to try out CCI's off re-downloaded Vimm's XISO's. (・・;)

It's doing the SAME THING?... Something is up with that console that the games don't like...

April 2

7 minutes ago, TiZm said:

fyi that's an older xdk dash (4627), I normally grab 5849 even though its UI isn't as good (MS Orb dash went so hard!)

I have the newer one, It just looks so GOD awful... Lol. Is there any advantage to it?

April 2

1 hour ago, NokSueCow said:

Does it lockup if you delete the bootanim folder? When Rocky gave me the dashloader files for Softmod BFM, the bootanim folder was deleted and it booted straight into the dash.

Damn, Now I have no boot anims folder. lol. Yes, it still locks up, just at the Xbox/Mircosoft logo. Somebody suggested that I need to use 2.3.1. I guess I'll try it...

Edit: Yes, 2.3.1 will work as BFM from the XDK dash. I will use this for now, but I assume it is a bug.
Edit 2: With the reintroduction of boot animations, the lockups are returning with 2.3.1 being loaded as BFM from the XDK dash. It was booting fine without them. NOW I'm getting pissed. @KaosEngineer

April 2

Sorry for bumping, but attempting to load Cerb retail as a BFM from the XDK launcher (So hardbooting with a debug = true flag in the ini) is causing a lockup during the boot animation XBE. Does anybody know why this might be? I had somebody else test and it is doing the same thing for them. The BFM is set to retail and to ignore the INI.

April 2

So I got the XDK dash installed, and PBL is listed, but when my retail Cerbios bios boots, it freezes at the boot animation. Anybody have ANY idea why?

Edit: I think the HDD is gonzo. It got moved in the HDD bay while copying the XDK dash files over and unmounted. It has been unstable since. Guess I'll fuckin trash that and image another drive. Start over.

April 2

1 hour ago, Hellraiser988 said:

Honestly I got it worked out with the seller all I gotta do is send it back and I'll get a replacement now I'm also just gonna redo the rebuild as it wasn't my work and it makes me wonder if that's half the problem i mean look at that

The soldering is indeed better. If you can, try to uncross the wires. Try to avoid them going across each other either above or underneath. Apparently the signals going through them are sensitive enough for this to be an issue. I have seen @KaosEngineer state this, however, if I am wrong, please correct me.

April 1

13 hours ago, xboxretro said:

Sorry, not sure how to update or edit posts. It seems that v1.2 XBoxes I just did from scratch using Endgame method also do not have dualboot working. The first two I did had the Legacy method initially since 2018/19. I then used to update and upgrade methods to get them up to Unleash v1.2.1. So far thats all I can differentiate between the models softmodded. Has anyone else experienced this? I will attempt to use the update/upgrade method now and see if that activates something and report.

Thanks

Your posts are limited to 10 posts a day as a new member, so use them sparingly. Unless you are a paid member (which isn't much) I think you can only edit your post within 10 minutes. You can be a committed member for 5 bucks. I recommend it.

April 1

1 hour ago, Hellraiser988 said:

Also I don't feel temperature properly so my fingers get numb that's how I can tell and yeah if I can have my fingers go numb that's a problem

I think the CPLD is toast and is basically shorting and dying. I never knew that much power was going through the LPC, honestly.

April 1

1 hour ago, WildMage said:

Yeah, I didn't think about this, but an XBlastOS bios would be pretty pointless for a split TSOP, unless it was on the first and therefore ungrounded bank, wouldn't it? I've only ever had luck flashing the entire ungrounded TSOP at once. If any switch is hit, the flash program just couldn't even see the TSOP, although I admit I've never messed with anything but the Xblast xbe, and standard gaming bios files.

I used my switched 1.0 bios to have one VGA bios, and an almost identical bios that was not VGA, and maybe another bank to switch to a different OS, like one that boots into Avalaunch instead of XBMC. It was all done pretty much because I could though, and it never saw much real world use.

Yeah, the XBE, perhaps, but you would have to build the bios on the PC every time, as long as you were okay with that.

March 31

3 minutes ago, LeOnOnE said:

The communicator not the DVD dongle

AH I see. Not that I've found, no. But if it doesn't exist, I'm sure it will soon, with all the Halo 2 stuff going on.

March 31

11 hours ago, Dempsey_86 said:

FYI: that video is from pre-cerbios. Now its much more easy. Just place your debug files on C and E like in the video. Change the cerbios ini so the debug line does say true and boot the console, it will boot the debug dash.

another option for cerbios is leave the ini with debug false, so the console boots like normal to your xbmc4gamers dash and make a seperate cerbios file with the cerbios tool with debug enabled and ini loading disabled. This bios then can be booted with the BFM method and be started from your main dash.

Yes, looking at the kernel debugger page on github, I did see that I could basically just have Cerbios in debug mode on the TSOP and just hook up the ribbon straight to the LPC. Thank GOD I had no issues flashing the TSOP on this guy or putting in the RAM. I'm comfortable doing them, but sometimes those procedures go bad for seemingly no reason. The hardware modification is finished, at least with the mobo. I will work on modifying the case to get USB-C out on the back.

I was watching this video and went "oh SHIT" because I needed to sort out what to do and what NOT to do on the software side, but I think it'll be easy to figure out. Forget everything involving PBL and transfer the rest of the XDK files. No big deal. You said as much above.

Edit: @Dempsey_86 I read your post more carefully and I see that using the PBL will enable me to use the rest of the HDD normally, dash and all. I will have to think on that! Right now I have the standard 2TB with my image on it, so that may be overkill and I may be able to use a more regular drive.

March 31

31 minutes ago, Hellraiser988 said:

Wait you can put xblast on an Open Xenium

Heh, it's on XBlast aladdins (swapped 1MB flash chip and reflashed CPLD). Open Xeniums have their own OS called XeniumOS. It has basically all the features of XBLast, minus the 128MB test tool. There may a be a few minor differences otherwise, but the main purpose is tat you can FTP, do basic HDD operations and, most importantly, flash a bios to the main banks with it.

March 31

6 minutes ago, Hellraiser988 said:

Thing is the Aladdin had a flash that didn't support the 1.6 lol

Right... Those don't count. lol. Those things are cursed and are a pain. Case in point. I meant a chip that has at least Xblast on it, like an XBlast aladdin (which is modified with multiple banks and has XBlastOS on it) or an OpenXenium with XeniumOS on it (or even PrometheOS)

March 31

6 minutes ago, Hellraiser988 said:

I loaded xblastos.xbe everything is fine until I slap the Aladdin on the header

Interesting. I had this happen once with a OpenXenium in Xenium Tools. I tried again and swapped without issue. If this is repeatedly happening... Maybe just get a modchip with an OS present.

March 31

2 hours ago, FallOutBoyisRAD said:

So I should put the Cerbios.bin in there alongside the bios.bin and head on into XBlast?

excuse my barrage of questions, I just know the real C drive is something to be careful about poking around in

I think what is happening (and @KaosEngineer mentioned this) is that since you are still booting a softmod setup, you are booting with a "Shadow" C partition. Even though you are hardmodded, I think your chip's bios is still booting the exploited/shortcut xboxdash.xbe (because no other dash files are present on E, so it defaults to the stock dashboard) on your REAL C partition. The softmod runs the exploit and boots your modded dash with a fake C partition. You are creating the directory on what is not ACTUALLY your C partition and that is why you are not seeing it when XBlast looks to your REAL C partition.

What bios is currently on your modchip? if you are able to boot a disc, I would use the FTP feature, and backup anything you need on that HDD, then format it and install a modded dash (such as XBMC or UnleashX) as well as "set up C" which you should see as part of the main installer options. You will then boot from the E partition. However, to run the TSOP flash, you need to boot with the mod disabled and boot the official MS bios and dash. After that, you can either use the savegame exploit or the endgame exploit to TSOP flash Cerbios to your onboard TSOP flash.

Remember, if you're not booting from your TSOP, you will not have access to it in XBlast. Make sure that after your HDD is set up with an installer (including C), you are able to disable the SmartXX chip and boot your stock TSOP MS Bios with your new, un-softmodded MS dash files on C.

I cannot find instructions on how to boot with the mod disabled, so you may have to pull the chip off the pin header when you want to boot from your TSOP and run the TSOP flashing exploit(s).

Edit: Looks like you resolved this on reddit. Glad you sorted it out. For anybody wondering, this was solved using option 6 on the aforementioned Cerbios Disc "Option 6: Flash Cerbios (Softmod Users)" after choosing the option to boot with BFM.

I recommend using netflash to ensure that you can easily flash the newest version of Cerbios.

March 31

2 hours ago, ka5ug4 said:

Just realized I should've mentioned: I'm using UIX Lite, so the aforementioned XISO tools I don't have on hand (￢_￢;)

I decided to throw the folders onto the 60GB, and still no cigar for Guilty Gear (folders off Vimm's xiso) (」＞＜)」

Now that is weird. Okay. So run an installation disc with the 60GB, use a common dash and try playing the games in a typical structure: F:/Games/(Whatever Game Folder)/. Use NOTHING from the problem setup. Unless you have done that here. In which case... I'm at a loss.

March 31

5 hours ago, corona2222 said:

nice work! What tutorial did you follow? (or are you writing a tut as you go we can follow?)
So far I've got the extra 64MB of chips ( which match the chip numbers on my xbox)
Is it just a case of solder each ram individually, load xblast on my OpenXenium and test?
Any other settings or hardware changes?

I'm probably gonna borrow from a few tutorials, one of them being the MVG video.

I will use the kernel debugger, since I have Cerbios installed on the TSOP and the LPC is free to attach the ribbon to. I will detail it here as much as possible. I will use a USB-C breakout and internalize the serial debugger, with USB-C out at the rear of the console. There is a case modification STL I have that will enable this.

The 128MB RAM upgrade is something you will want to do one chip at a time, carefully and methodically. That way if you have a FRAG, you will know it's the chip you just worked on, probably a bridge or lifted pin. Do NOT get solder into the vias around it. This has ALWAYS killed my motherboards and I do NOT know why. You can run XBlast at every chip installation. If XBlast does not boot from your chip and you FRAG, inspect your work. This happened a couple times on this board and there was a bridge on one and a lifted pin on another.

Stay tuned!