Weird Softmod Issue

[Bowlsnapper]

I have a console that a softmod was attempted on and for some reason failed. I happened to use the softmod installer included in the @sweetdarkdestiny TSOP tool. However, I have no reason to actually believe that there is any problem with it, since @Mittyoz had the same problem here:

And used a different source for the softmod files. I feel that we may have used some odd, unlikely combination of files with the softmod installer or that there may be something up with our consoles in particular. Admittedly, Mitty did attempt to do a softmod and TSOP on top of each other, but his failure happened before he even TSOPd so I don't think it has anything to do with that. I am scratching my head and trying to figure out what this could be. 

Basically, The console boots and shows the animation. Once the dash is supposed to load, the console boots to a black screen. The Status LED is orange, there is no sound, no discs will boot and I am not entirely sure how to tell if an FTP server is running and to check if any dash is running that way. I have attempted to research the problem, but no threads or reddit posts end up with a solid solution. I think I saw a couple where people just gave up and hardmodded. lol.

@Rocky5 If you would be willing to lend your experience and knowledge here, I would very, very much appreciate it. It will help me and others resolve this issue in the future!

[MadMartigan]

I have to ask, did you install a dash?

[Bowlsnapper]

25 minutes ago, MadMartigan said:

I have to ask, did you install a dash?

Honestly, I don't know. I assume that the installer installs a dash that is just renamed to xboxdash.xbe so the MS Bios will load it. I didn't get to clearly see the screen while the softmod was installing, so I'm not entirely clear on what exactly was copied over. But I think a dash HAS to be installed, otherwise, what would the softmod be? I wouldn't doubt that a BFM is part of the boot process in order to run unsigned software, of course.

Thank you for replying. I was worried nobody would at all. lol.

[MadMartigan]

You'll still need to add a dash from the sound of it. I don't recall soft mods doing that automatically. 

[Bowlsnapper]

16 minutes ago, MadMartigan said:

You'll still need to add a dash from the sound of it. I don't recall soft mods doing that automatically. 

...NAH... That should be part of the process, otherwise the installer would be incomplete. This console used the installer on Sweet's TSOP kit and he would have made sure that everything was streamlined and complete because that's how he does things. If there were another step I am sure it would have been apparent somehow... Unless it's common knowledge to use the FTP server in the TSOP tool to copy over extra files? Is there research that I should have done?

[MadMartigan]

Not sure about any of that. Amuse me and try to install a dash from an install disc and see what happens. If there is no dash, you will get a black screen on boot. 

Edited November 29, 2023 by MadMartigan

[fox]

9 minutes ago, Bowlsnapper said:

...NAH... That should be part of the process, otherwise the installer would be incomplete.

Yeah, that struck me as odd. I used the krayzie ndure installer for my first softmod ages ago and it installs a dash. If these modern installers aren't even as capable as that primitive ass one that's really lame.

[FrostyMaGee]

10 minutes ago, MadMartigan said:

Not sure about any of that. Amuse me and try to install a dash from an install disc and see what happens. If there is no dash, you will get a black screen on boot. 

Agreed on trying a dash install. I would be curious to see if it changed anything. I feel like either there isn’t a dash it can find or something has possibly gotten corrupt or just not loading for whatever reason. It would def be a good test. 

[MadMartigan]

I could be wrong as it's been a long time, but I don't recall even Rocky5's softmod installer adding a dash. It provided a simple version of Unleash for setup, but I still feel like you had to assign a dash. 

Edited November 29, 2023 by MadMartigan

[Bowlsnapper]

17 minutes ago, MadMartigan said:

Not sure about any of that. Amuse me and try to install a dash from an install disc and see what happens. If there is no dash, you will get a black screen on boot. 

I can't run anything. Nothing will boot  If there is no dash, and a BFM is installed, then I should at LEAST be able to boot a disc. If a BFM wasn't even installed, then the softmod installer is pointless, empty as fuck and makes my balls hurt. There's no way. I have to have done something wrong or something about this console threw the installer for a loop.

5 minutes ago, FrostyMaGee said:

Agreed on trying a dash install. I would be curious to see if it changed anything. I feel like either there isn’t a dash it can find or something has possibly gotten corrupt or just not loading for whatever reason. It would def be a good test. 

I would try FTP if I could, but I'm not sure how to identify whether a server is running. I could plug my laptop and the xbox into my old linksys router and isolate the network... Anybody know how to check for ftp running through the network using windows?

4 minutes ago, MadMartigan said:

I could be wrong as it's been a long time, but I don't recall even Rocky5's softmod installer adding a dash. It provided a simple version of Unleash for setup, but I still feel like you had to assign a dash. 

Setup meaning the installer?

[MadMartigan]

So you tried booting into an install disc and that doesn't load either? 

I was referring to the basic white screen provided by the Rocky5 softmod. It's the very minimalistic dash with a few text options such as Apps and Emulators. I always had to assign my own dashboard with an install disc like Rocky5's extras disc or OGXBOXInstaller. I have no clue what you've done over there. 

I also must ask, why do things the hard way when we are so spoiled with more modern ways? Not a jab at you, I'm truly curious. 

 

[Bowlsnapper]

8 minutes ago, MadMartigan said:

So you tried booting into an install disc and that doesn't load either? 

I was referring to the basic white screen provided by the Rocky5 softmod. It's the very minimalistic dash with a few text options such as Apps and Emulators. I always had to assign my own dashboard with an install disc like Rocky5's extras disc or OGXBOXInstaller. I have no clue what you've done over there. 

I also must ask, why do things the hard way when we are so spoiled with more modern ways? Not a jab at you, I'm truly curious. 

 

Well assign, sure. But You can do that with the OGX installer too. but all the dashes are already present. There HAS to be a default dash it would use. I just can't imagine an installer that says it's finished and then sets you up with a black screen upon boot that you cant do anything with. That's crazy. Lol. 

I didn't do the softmod. A friend of mine did. This put him out fo commission so he bought a 128 console with SPDIF, lighting and the 2TB image I use. He's blown away.lol. But I have a perfectly good console with a bad HDD. I can use it just fine, but I want to understand what happened here so that I can deal with softmods more comfortably and adeptly. I also would like to know how softmods actually work, more than just the basic understanding I have of tricking the MS bios into loading a BFM and dash.

[Rocky5]

Why I never recommend installing softmodded from discs as drives are not reliable they used to be. 
 

but if it’s not loading any discs and it’s crashing hard then the kernel font maybe the issue on what ever softmod (version) you installed. 

if the kernel font is wrong for a system it will hang and not let you boot any disc as they Xbox loads the fonts regardless of loading a disc or not. And if the kernel font is wrong it’s a hard crash & only way to fix it is to remove the drive and manually replace it with the generic one or a clean MSDash. 
 

If it was a hardmod (TSOP) issues the LED wouldn’t turn orange and you could boot discs. 

[MadMartigan]

12 minutes ago, Bowlsnapper said:

I didn't do the softmod. A friend of mine did. 

I somehow missed this info. They obviously missed a step or two. Looks like you've got the right man on the job now though. 

[Marty]

34 minutes ago, MadMartigan said:

I also must ask, why do things the hard way when we are so spoiled with more modern ways? Not a jab at you, I'm truly curious.

I agree. This isn't worth the effort. Just drop in one of Snapper's modified Aladdin chips and be done with it.

[Bowlsnapper]

5 minutes ago, Rocky5 said:

Why I never recommend installing softmodded from discs as drives are not reliable they used to be. 
 

but if it’s not loading any discs and it’s crashing hard then the kernel font maybe the issue on what ever softmod (version) you installed. 

if the kernel font is wrong for a system it will hang and not let you boot any disc as they Xbox loads the fonts regardless of loading a disc or not. And if the kernel font is wrong it’s a hard crash & only way to fix it is to remove the drive and manually replace it with the generic one or a clean MSDash. 
 

If it was a hardmod (TSOP) issues the LED wouldn’t turn orange and you could boot discs. 

Hmmmm... It was with Sweet's TSOP hit which was running off the USB drive, so I think the files copied fine. I was unaware of the font problem. Is that the exploit's mechanism of action? I wish there were a feature of an installer to check this and update the fonts if they are incompatible. Am I reading corectly that if it's a font issue, the console is bricked with this HDD? If so, I can just chip it and try my very first 1.6 memory upgrade on it (since my vice already has a project in it and there is no room for my balls) but I want to be sure that's what it is. Maybe I can buy an IDE/USB adapter and update the fonts manually just to see that it got fixed.  Or, restore the drive back to stock and try updating the fonts somehow?

[Bowlsnapper]

5 minutes ago, Marty said:

I agree. This isn't worth the effort. Just drop in one of Snapper's modified Aladdin chips and be done with it.

That's what I suggested to him (@Mittyoz) via PM... Didn't hear back.  I avoid softmodding but it is still done, so I want to understand it so that I am able to troubleshoot. I will probably end up chipping this thing and doing my first 1.6 RAM upgrade with it.

[MadMartigan]

6 minutes ago, Bowlsnapper said:

(since my vice already has a project in it and there is no room for my balls) 

TMI

[Rocky5]

3 minutes ago, Bowlsnapper said:

Hmmmm... It was with Sweet's TSOP hit which was running off the USB drive, so I think the files copied fine. I was unaware of the font problem. Is that the exploit's mechanism of action? I wish there were a feature of an installer to check this and update the fonts if they are incompatible. Am I reading corectly that if it's a font issue, the console is bricked with this HDD? If so, I can just chip it and try my very first 1.6 memory upgrade on it (since my vice already has a project in it and there is no room for my balls) but I want to be sure that's what it is. Maybe I can buy an IDE/USB adapter and update the fonts manually just to see that it got fixed.  Or, restore the drive back to stock and try updating the fonts somehow?

Yeah if the exploit kernel is wrong for the kernel version it will hang the system as the entry points are all wrong. 

So as soon as the Xbox boots and you see the Microsoft logo at the bottom, they get loaded into memory (even if it’s a cold boot with a disc in) and the system will freeze completely and not load any discs. 
 

this is why I automated the process of installing the kernel font in NKPatcher Settings, as it’s to easy to bugger it up and not easily recover. 
 

Also using to many delay files can cause the same problem, but those should never been included with a softmod save.

 

like you said probably got corrupted somewhere and the fonts damaged or wrong  now but chipping it will fix your issue or hit swapping the drive (if you can grab the eeprom) and fixing it manually.

[FrostyMaGee]

4 minutes ago, Bowlsnapper said:

That's what I suggested to him (@Mittyoz) via PM... Didn't hear back.  I avoid softmodding but it is still done, so I want to understand it so that I am able to troubleshoot. I will probably end up chipping this thing and doing my first 1.6 RAM upgrade with it.

What about just popping the hdd out and restoring C and E with fatxplorer or Xboxhdm like we’d talked about with mittys similar problem? Or using those and just copy dashboard files over to see if anything happened? I swear it has to be something simple. I’m still leaning toward data corruption by the dvd drive during softmod or maybe on the burned disc itself (not the program of the course). 

[MadMartigan]

Just now, FrostyMaGee said:

What about just popping the hdd out and restoring C and E with fatxplorer or Xboxhdm like we’d talked about with mittys similar problem? Or using those and just copy dashboard files over to see if anything happened? I swear it has to be something simple. I’m still leaning toward data corruption by the dvd drive during softmod or maybe on the burned disc itself (not the program of the course). 

Not possible without the eeprom 

[FrostyMaGee]

Just now, MadMartigan said:

Not possible without the eeprom 

Bowl has one of @Dtomcat18 picoprom readers though so he could extract the eeprom that way. At least I was thinking he had one. 

[MadMartigan]

Now that could work. He's gathered all the gadgets over there 

Edited November 29, 2023 by MadMartigan

[FrostyMaGee]

Just now, MadMartigan said:

Now that could work 

That was my thinking.  A quick pop on the lpc with the pogo adapter and he’s got the eeprom. I’m really just curious if it would remedy the issue replacing those hdd files or partitions. Obviously the hard mod would but I kinda want to know what would fix the software side. It would dig at me not to find out. Lol

[dtomcat]

Yes.  He has one    Supposed to be updating to the latest firmware today