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OG Xbox 1.6 hard-modded Questions/Problems


Rik3Rr
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Hi all,

I'm new to the modded OG Xbox scene and this forum. I'm glad that a community like this exists! Thank you all in advance for any assistance you can provide with the following questions/issues.

I just purchased from another individual a hard-modded OG Xbox v.1.6 using the Aladdin chip. He also installed a 1 TB drive, which seems to be working well. It's running XBMC. Onto the issuses:

1.) Whenever I hit LT + RT + Start + Back in order to return to XBMC, the Xbox shows the boot screen with en "EVO" symbol in the top-left portion of the screen. It hangs there for about 30 seconds; then, a 07 "Service Required" green-text screen appears. No matter in which game I try to return to the XBMC this error message appears after the loading screen. When I notified the seller of this issue, he said that he thinks it's something to do with the BIOS, but he isn't certain. Any advice of how to fix this problem?

2.) I knew when purchasing this Xbox that the DVD drive doesn't work. I'm not planning to play any physical discs, so this really isn't an issue except in the case of the HDD failing one day. Is it a good idea to make an image of my HDD on my PC? Could I use FTP to create the image using backup software, or should I actually remove the drive and connect it to the PC in order to do this? Or, is there another option I'm not considering to recover the Xbox if the HDD fails?

3.) I've tested launching several games from the Xbox's HDD, and they all work great with one exception: Jet Set Radio Future. Whenever I launch the game, it immediately starts presenting several distorted graphics on the screen. I can make out logos behind the distortion, so the game is technically running, but everything is messed up. I haven't tried re-loading the ROM, and I will try that tomorrow; but, I doubt that it's the ROM which is the problem here. Barring a corruption issue with the ROM, any idea what could be causing this? is JSRF known to cause issues with modded Xboxes or something?

That should do it. Thank you all again for your time and assistance. All the best.

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Sounds like the mod-chip is not wired to be always active

There will be a wire coming from the the front panel that is connected to the mod-chip terminal marked BT, If you remove it from the front panel and connect to ground (one of the main board screws is ok) that should fix your problem.

If you are not sure post a pic of the insides of the Xbox.

 

Cheers

SS Dave


Soft modding is like masturbating, It gets the job done but it's nothing like the real thing.

 

 

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19 hours ago, Rik3Rr said:

3.) I've tested launching several games from the Xbox's HDD, and they all work great with one exception: Jet Set Radio Future. Whenever I launch the game, it immediately starts presenting several distorted graphics on the screen. I can make out logos behind the distortion, so the game is technically running, but everything is messed up. I haven't tried re-loading the ROM, and I will try that tomorrow; but, I doubt that it's the ROM which is the problem here. Barring a corruption issue with the ROM, any idea what could be causing this? is JSRF known to cause issues with modded Xboxes or something?

That should do it. Thank you all again for your time and assistance. All the best.

Which AV adapter/cable type are you using:  standard definition composite video with Yellow video and Red and White stereo analog audio RCA jacks or component high-definition adaptor/cable with red, green, blue component video RCA jacks along with red and white analog audio RCA jacks?

 

JSRF has a problem starting up in high-definition modes on a 1.6 Xbox.  There is a script available for XBMC4Xbox that can be used to patch the game to startup properly.   Or, if using a high-definition cable, disable 480p, 720p and 1080i video modes in the stock Xbox dashboard before playing the game.  Although doing so will result in playing at 480i (interlaced low res - YUCK!).

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Will I need to solder the wire to a screw on the mobo? I've never soldered before, so a little nervous. I'll send a photo of the interior of the Xbox in a little bit.

How do I go about applying a script to JSRF? Is there a tool included by default in XBMC to do this? Anything you can share in this regard would be helpful.

Finally, regarding my disc drive not working. My only concern is that my HDD one day will stop working. Should I take an image of the HDD as a backup procedure? Purchase a new drive? Or do something else to make sure my Xbox isn't bricked if the HDD goes down? If I should purchase a disc drive, then I understand that I have to buy specific types, but those seem crazy expensive online. Again, any advice on how to create a backup procedure for the Xbox would be great.

 

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14 hours ago, KaosEngineer said:

Which AV adapber/cable type are you using:  standard definition composite video with Yellow video and Red and White stereo analog audio RCA jacks or component high-definition adaptor/cable with red, green, blue component video RCA jacks along with red and white analog audio RCA jacks?

To answer this question, I'm using an HDMI adapter set to 720p.

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1 hour ago, Rik3Rr said:

Will I need to solder the wire to a screw on the mobo? I've never soldered before, so a little nervous. I'll send a photo of the interior of the Xbox in a little bit.

No you don't have to  solder it you can loosen the screw and put the bare wire under it.

It would be best to post a pic 1st so you can be sure of moving the correct wire.

 

Cheers

SS Dave


Soft modding is like masturbating, It gets the job done but it's nothing like the real thing.

 

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On 9/1/2021 at 4:28 PM, SS_Dave said:

No you don't have to  solder it you can loosen the screw and put the bare wire under it.

It would be best to post a pic 1st so you can be sure of moving the correct wire.

 

Cheers

SS Dave


Soft modding is like masturbating, It gets the job done but it's nothing like the real thing.

 

Hi SS Dave,

Please see attached three pics. Had to locate the right bits and all of that to get into the Xbox, but now I realize it's not hard at all.

Any advice you can give on rearranging wires would be most appreciated. As an aside, I saw online that some people would attach a little wire to the top of the Aladdin chip to make it "active" all the time; however, I don't see that wire on my chip. Maybe it's on the underside? I hesitate to take it out. If the chip isn't "active," then maybe that would explain why I can't go back to XBMC when in a game.

On 9/1/2021 at 6:03 PM, KaosEngineer said:

You will need to disable high definition resolutions for JSRF to start correctly on a 1.6 Xbox.

Or, use the 480p Game Loaders script for XBMC, XBMC4Gamers to patch the game to not be scrambled on startup.

 

I fixed this issue by learning how to set up "scripts" inside of XBMC. I actually had the 480p Loader scripts already on the HDD from the person who put together the Xbox; however, XBMC wasn't configured to allow me to run those scripts. When I went into settings and turned on the "add-ons" tab + loaded the 480p loader python script into one of the available script slots, then I could run it. What's nice compared to the video above is that 480p Loader has been updated to automatically determine which script to apply to which game; or, you can do it manually. But, I just hit "automatic," and seconds later, I was all set! JSRF now works perfectly. THANK YOU!

IMG_7318 (1).jpg

IMG_7319 (1).jpg

IMG_7317 (1).jpg

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The mod chip is installed the same way I would have fitted it.

If you unplug the modchip there should be a link on the chip from the BT tab to Pin 2 .

Like this

47846571_aladdinbtlink.jpg.c12d16db2b5a670a9eded6b59e5a0f35.jpg 834476288_AladdinBT.thumb.jpg.c569470932dd9f92f9f278378edd70ef.jpg

If not add a link as this will make sure the chip is always active.

 

 

Cheers

SS Dave


Soft modding is like masturbating, It gets the job done but it's nothing like the real thing.

 

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1 hour ago, SS_Dave said:

The mod chip is installed the same way I would have fitted it.

If you unplug the modchip there should be a link on the chip from the BT tab to Pin 2 .

Like this

47846571_aladdinbtlink.jpg.c12d16db2b5a670a9eded6b59e5a0f35.jpg 834476288_AladdinBT.thumb.jpg.c569470932dd9f92f9f278378edd70ef.jpg

If not add a link as this will make sure the chip is always active.

 

 

Cheers

SS Dave


Soft modding is like masturbating, It gets the job done but it's nothing like the real thing.

 

Hi Dave,

Yes, the chip is active. I wrote the guy who built the system, and he said that he has no answer for how to fix this issue. 

Were you in a separate post saying that I should take a wire from the front panel of the system and attach it to a screw so as to ground the system? Does that relate to the Aladdin chip at all? The guy who built the system said that he tried that on some other systems he's built, but sometimes adding a ground wire can cause the system not to boot. Do you still think that I should try that, or just move on and not worry about this? Also, could this be some kind of BIOS issue? If so, how do I access BIOS and fix?

Many thanks for any advice you can provide. At the end of the day, if this can't be fixed, it's not really a big deal. The system works great otherwise.

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I think the problem occurs with the IDE-to-SATA adapter being a bit slow to make the hard drive ready after an IGR button combo is activated.

Is the Evox BIOS using the Quick or More compatible IGR setting?

You can dump the current bios from the modchip with Evoxdash by running it's Backup option.  It will store multiple files in a subfolder, Backup, where Evoxdash's XBE file is located:

  • bios.bin
  • disk.bin
  • eeprom.bin
  • hddkey.bin
  • hddinfo.txt

Download the bios.bin file with an FTP client and Open... it with EVTool v1.0.9:

EVTool1.09-M8plus-IGR-modes.png.15660068b43c19edd35d079a6bae3454.png

 

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From what I've found (https://www.xbox-hq.com/html/postp15174.html#15174):

IGR method (IN GAME RESET method). If you use the more quick method it takes you back to the evox dash, but sometimes isn't always compatible. The more compatible method reload the hacked bios each time. It takes an extra six seconds or so, but is the one I use the most.

Quick goes directly back to the replacement dashboard without resetting the console. 

More compatible resets the console which boots the BIOS again - takes longer to return to the replacement dashboard.

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25 minutes ago, KaosEngineer said:

From what I've found (https://www.xbox-hq.com/html/postp15174.html#15174😞

IGR method (IN GAME RESET method). If you use the more quick method it takes you back to the evox dash, but sometimes isn't always compatible. The more compatible method reload the hacked bios each time. It takes an extra six seconds or so, but is the one I use the most.

Quick goes directly back to the replacement dashboard without resetting the console. 

More compatible resets the console which boots the BIOS again - takes longer to return to the replacement dashboard.

Thank you for all of this information, KaosEngineer. The problem is that I cannot figure out either inside of XBMC or XUnleashed how to create a backup of the BIOS. I have looked through all available options. If you could please direct me more specifically in terms of how to do this, I would be most grateful. I'm sure it's hidden in some sub-sub menu, somewhere!

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1 hour ago, KaosEngineer said:

I think the problem occurs with the IDE-to-SATA adapter being a bit slow to make the hard drive ready after an IGR button combo is activated.

Is the Evox BIOS using the Quick or More compatible IGR setting?

You can dump the current bios from the modchip with Evoxdash by running it's Backup option.  It will store multiple files in a subfolder, Backup, where Evoxdash's XBE file is located:

  • bios.bin
  • disk.bin
  • eeprom.bin
  • hddkey.bin
  • hddinfo.txt

Download the bios.bin file with an FTP client and Open... it into EVTool v1.0.9:

EVTool1.09-M8plus-IGR-modes.png.15660068b43c19edd35d079a6bae3454.png

 

OK, I found the BIOS.bin file and loaded it into EVTools. See screenshot of my current settings. As you'll see, it would seem that it's already set to "more compatible." :(

Screenshot 2021-09-03 175052.png

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1 hour ago, Rik3Rr said:

Thank you for all of this information, KaosEngineer. The problem is that I cannot figure out either inside of XBMC or XUnleashed how to create a backup of the BIOS. I have looked through all available options. If you could please direct me more specifically in terms of how to do this, I would be most grateful. I'm sure it's hidden in some sub-sub menu, somewhere!

You can't create a bios.bin backup in either of those two dashboards.  You need to install evoxdash as an application and run it to do so.

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1 hour ago, Rik3Rr said:

OK, I found the BIOS.bin file and loaded it into EVTools. See screenshot of my current settings. As you'll see, it would seem that it's already set to "more compatible." :(

[image removed by KaosEngineer - see it above]

Okay.  Try using the Quick IGR option.   It doesn't reset the console to get back to the replacement dashboard.  

Create a new BIOS - Save as... button.  Upload it to your Xbox and use evoxdash to reflash the modchip.

 

Note: Save the updated BIOS as a 256KB file instead of as a 1MB dot bin file.  Evolution-X's M8plus BIOS's base size is 256KBs; however, evoxdash creates a 1MB file (4x the 256KB BIOS image) since v1.0 Xbox's had/have a 1MB flash chip that holds the BIOS. Four (4) copies of the BIOS stored one after the other.

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4 hours ago, Rik3Rr said:

The guy who built the system said that he tried that on some other systems he's built, but sometimes adding a ground wire can cause the system not to boot.

Sound like he may be grounding the wrong wire/point.

On all my mod chip installs I ground the BT on the modchip the same as I posted before and on the 1.6 boards I cut the lframe trace the same that's been done in your Xbox.

4 hours ago, Rik3Rr said:

Were you in a separate post saying that I should take a wire from the front panel of the system and attach it to a screw so as to ground the system? Does that relate to the Aladdin chip at all?

The mod chip in the pic you posted it is not connected to the front panel.

 

I would still be interested in seeing if the installer has linked the BT to ground.

 

Cheers

SS Dave


Soft modding is like masturbating, It gets the job done but it's nothing like the real thing.

 

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