New HDD - needs to be formatted specially? Other noob questions.

[aloe]

I received a modded OG Xbox from ebay recently. It's got the original HDD in it, so that needs changing, but I've no experience with this process. I have a stack of old HDDs but they're all SATA, can I use a PATA-SATA adapter? Do I need to use specific software? Can the Xbox format it itself, or do I need to do this on my PC?

Also, I'm guessing quite a lot has changed in the decade I've been away from Xbox modding, and I'm sure the software on this one is ancient too. Anything essential that's come along since that'll need adding to this? Mostly I just want to fill up an HDD and get on with it, I don't have any particular interest in HDMI mods (I'm using a CRT) or media players etc.

[KaosEngineer]

You can use eaton-works.com's FATXplorer 3.0 Beta to format and read/write files from/to a new hard drive to prepare it for the Xbox.  (Edit: See Hazeno's Tutorial - FATXplorer 2TB Preload Guide)

As for the IDE-to-SATA adapter, I suggest using one with Marvell's 88SA8052 IDE-to-SATA bridge.

Startech's IDE2SAT2 or Delock's #62510 adapter. (Edit: Note there are cheaper IDE-to-SATA adapters that work but I prefer not to use them myself.)

For reliable SATA hard drive operation, you'll also need a high-speed 80-wire 40-pin IDE cable - length 24 inches to replace the stock IDE cable.

I suggest ChimericSystem's Custom Xbox IDE cable. However, starting Dec 20th they are closed for a few weeks and you can't order or see it on their web site.

[aloe]

Found a 160GB PATA drive. After I use FATXplorer on it and copy over a few games, I put it in the Xbox and it comes up with "Service required. Call Customer Support", error 16. I'm guessing I need to install a dashboard or something? I tried burning OGXbox installer from here:

but I get the same error at boot. I know the chip is working because it boots burned games. Any ideas?

Thanks for your help so far!

 

Edit: just wondering if there's some way to clone the existing drive over to the new one, but expand the partitions afterwards? I'm not really fussed about starting from scratch and customizing heavily, if I can just get it up and booting games with FTP support then I'll be sorted.

Edited December 21, 2021 by aloe

[KaosEngineer]

1 hour ago, aloe said:

Edit: just wondering if there's some way to clone the existing drive over to the new one, but expand the partitions afterwards? I'm not really fussed about starting from scratch and customizing heavily, if I can just get it up and booting games with FTP support then I'll be sorted.

No, there is no way to dynamically expand the partitions to safely keep the current content accessible. 

For a 160GB hard drive, UnleashX can be used to format the remaining space above the stock 8GBs (partitions 1 (drive - E), 2 (C), 3 (X), 4 (Y), and 5 (Z)), the extended partition 6, drive - F, without needing to resize anything.  Its ability to do so depends upon the modified BIOS currently booting the console from the modchip.

 

Which BIOS is installed on the modchip?

[KaosEngineer]

1 hour ago, aloe said:

Found a 160GB PATA drive. After I use FATXplorer on it and copy over a few games, I put it in the Xbox and it comes up with "Service required. Call Customer Support", error 16. I'm guessing I need to install a dashboard or something? I tried burning OGXbox installer from here:

I should  have answered this query first.

Yes, you need to install dashboard(s) to the C drive.  The stock MS dashboard (modchip disabled) and a replacement dashboard to use in place of the stock dashboard when the modchip is enabled.

Download, extract and write the contents of the C and E backup archives from the mega.nz link provided in Hazeno's FATXplorer 2TB Preload Guide.  I've also included the link below:

https://mega.nz/folder/zUN2iLgJ#FpFfrfec09mC3CqY3-ipYg

[sweetdarkdestiny]

To fix error 16 just format the HDD on your PC with FatXplorer. After that put it back in your xbox and the error 16 should be gone and you can boot the installer.

[aloe]

8 hours ago, KaosEngineer said:

Its ability to do so depends upon the modified BIOS currently booting the console from the modchip.

Which BIOS is installed on the modchip?

EvoX M7, Kernel 1.00.5101.01

Also spotted it saying that the Xbox was a v1.2, if that makes any difference.

Anyway, I didn't preload the 160GB HDD last time I formatted, so I'll run through that when I'm back from town. Thanks again for being so patient with this.

 

1 hour ago, sweetdarkdestiny said:

To fix error 16 just format the HDD on your PC with FatXplorer. After that put it back in your xbox and the error 16 should be gone and you can boot the installer.

I've done that already. The installer doesn't boot, but other burned discs do. I did verify the burn and that passed but am now wondering whether it's just the old Xbox drive not liking it for whatever reason.

I just want to clarify something: when I burn that OGXbox installer disc and put it in a modded Xbox, it should boot like a game... right?

[sweetdarkdestiny]

That is very weird. For usual that trick works for error 16.

Yes the ISO should be burend with IMGBurn and on a DVD-R (Best choice are Verbertim). RW media most like don't work.  What media do you use? Is tehre anything else you ever burned on the media you use right now that works? (So that we can confim it's not the DVD it self?).

One last trick. Download this pack :https://1fichier.com/?kinvner9q3c4dy7yiobz
Copy the folder C to your C partition and E to E and see if your XBox boots up.

[KaosEngineer]

23 hours ago, aloe said:

EvoX M7, Kernel 1.00.5101.01

Also spotted it saying that the Xbox was a v1.2, if that makes any difference.

Anyway, I didn't preload the 160GB HDD last time I formatted, so I'll run through that when I'm back from town. Thanks again for being so patient with this.

EvoX M7 doesn't support LBA48 when you decide to upgrade to an even larger hard drive.  One over 500GBs in size.

You'll need to update the BIOS to one of the latest BIOSes that does have the LBA48 v2 or later patch installed.

M8plus

ind-bios 5003 

are two that do.  There are versions of M8plus that do not have the LBA48 patch applied. Evolution-X's stock distribution available from xbins FTP server or websites that mirror the FTP server's content.

To add the patch those files, it can be added by loading the BIOS's dot bin file into EVTool v1.0.9 then saving a new dot bin file which applies the patch to the new file.

[HDShadow]

You usually need to cold boot the burned installer disc, particularly if there is an error present like 16.

Just put the disc in the tray, close it, shut down the Xbox and then restart. The disc should boot before the error 16 message kicks in.  

[aloe]

On 12/23/2021 at 5:01 PM, HDShadow said:

You usually need to cold boot the burned installer disc, particularly if there is an error present like 16.

Just put the disc in the tray, close it, shut down the Xbox and then restart. The disc should boot before the error 16 message kicks in.  

I'd already tried this, be serious... that DVD-R won't boot no matter what. I'm guessing that I just got a combination of a slightly picky DVD drive and a bad burn.

Anyway, fixed it with a combination of KaosEngineer and sweetdarkdestiny's downloads. The bigger drive is partitioned and I'm able to FTP into it to fill it up so I'm happy. Thanks for all the help everyone!

Quote

EvoX M7 doesn't support LBA48 when you decide to upgrade to an even larger hard drive.  One over 500GBs in size.

The drive is only 160GB, but I won't need more than that. Thanks for the pointers for if/when I decide I need more, though - I'd be adding a 1TB almost certainly, so it seems I'd need to update in the way you mention.

Are there any other major benefits to going to M8plus/ind-bios 5003?

 

Edited December 27, 2021 by aloe

[KaosEngineer]

7 hours ago, aloe said:

Are there any other major benefits to going to M8plus/ind-bios 5003?

Not really, M8plus is based on the latest Microsoft BIOS 5838 instead of 5101. 

From the BIOS's nfo file:

M8plus.bin Is a new BIOS based on the latest 5838 kernel and has the same features as M7.

• It will work on XBOX versions (1.0, 1.1, 1.2, 1.3, 1.4, 1.5) <-Note: There are no 1.5 Xboxes.

M8plus_16.bin Is also based on the 5838 kernel and has the same features as M7.

• It will ONLY work on XBOX version 1.6 and 1.6B 
• Note: The above statement is not quite true. It will run on all versions; however, it is required for v1.6 or v1.6b Xboxes.

Edit: italicized text added by me.

[KaosEngineer]

7 hours ago, aloe said:

Are there any other major benefits to going to M8plus/ ind-bios 5003?

ind-bios's configuration settings can be modified by editing a text file on the console's hard drive:

• C:\ind-bios.cfg

[BlastandFast]

On 12/22/2021 at 10:50 AM, KaosEngineer said:

No, there is no way to dynamically expand the partitions to safely keep the current content accessible. 

For a 160GB hard drive, UnleashX can be used to format the remaining space above the stock 8GBs (partitions 1 (drive - E), 2 (C), 3 (X), 4 (Y), and 5 (Z)), the extended partition 6, drive - F, without needing to resize anything.  Its ability to do so depends upon the modified BIOS currently booting the console from the modchip.

 

Which BIOS is installed on the modchip?

 

[BlastandFast]

Agreed there is no way to dynamically expand the partitions to safely keep the current contentaccessible.