What are my options?

[McFarTech]

Hi Guys. 

So i was attempting to soft mod my 1.2 XBOX. 

I pulled the power from the CDROM, let it boot up and when the green error showed pulled the IDE Cable out. I then connected this to my computer with a IDE to USB adapter. I opened Xplorer360 and i was able to browse my drive. I was copying some files to the partition3 and it look like it lost connection. Now i cant get Xplorer360 to see the drive. I put it back in the XBOX and as suspected it did not boot but i also suspect that its no unlocking the drive now.  So what are my options? Is there anyway of recovering this at least to boot stock? Its a stock HDD thats in there at the moment

[SS_Dave]

The drive unlock happens in the few seconds after power on.

If you are still getting the animation follow the same procedure and you should be able to reconnect it to your PC.

The best way is fit a mod chip and that will allow you to boot the OGXbox installer DVD and from there you can repair the HDD or replace and setup the HDD with a new larger drive.

Another option is read the eeprom with a external reader/writer then using that file you can use Fatxplorer to connect the HDD to your PC and that program can unlock/relock the HDD from that file and then you have full access to the hard drive.

 

Cheers

SS Dave

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

 

 

[McFarTech]

Thanks mate. 

I was hoping to soft mod and TSOP flash. No matter what i do i cant get Xplorer360 to see the drive. 

Is there nothing i boot from DVD to read the eeprom?

[SS_Dave]

16 minutes ago, McFarTech said:

Thanks mate. 

Is there nothing i boot from DVD to read the eeprom?

No the only way to load a non signed disk is with a modded bios.

You can make a eeprom reader/writer

I made a simple read/writer that connects to a serial port that costs less than $5

or you can make this.

https://github.com/Ryzee119/ArduinoProm

 

It's a bit late now now this is how I re-flash the onboard bios.

Add 2 links. 

Copy the game same.

Load the game and launch the game save.

FTP to the Xbox and re-flash the bios.

Done.

https://youtu.be/rnsCy9y6Gi4

 

Cheers

SS Dave

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

[McFarTech]

Well think ive made it worse. I think i have removed the ATA security which has let me get back in to the xbox but now the xbox wont boot because the drive is unlocked. 

FFS! 

[MadMartigan]

Looks like it's time to either grab the eeprom from the MoBo or install a cheap Alladin chip. 

[SS_Dave]

1 hour ago, McFarTech said:

Well think ive made it worse. I think i have removed the ATA security which has let me get back in to the xbox but now the xbox wont boot because the drive is unlocked. 

FFS! 

The easiest way is a modchip as that way you can load a install DVD like the OGXbox installer and restore the files on the HDD and relock it.

 

Cheers

SS Dave

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

[McFarTech]

Thanks. Ive ordered a mod chip. Still want to go down the TSOP route though. 

[SS_Dave]

2 hours ago, McFarTech said:

Thanks. Ive ordered a mod chip. Still want to go down the TSOP route though. 

In the long run that's the easiest option and once you have re-flashed the onboard bios you can reuse the chip for doing the same with the next Xbox all you will need is a new pin header. Even if the Aladdin chip is one that can't be re-flashed easily the bios that comes on it will get you out of a bind.

I have a old 8gb Xbox drive I use for sorting out some Xbox's by fitting the mod chip locking the 8gb HDD to the motherboard then removing the chip and re-flash the on board bios then unlock the HDD for next time. It's handy as I have seen a few now with dead hard drives.

 

Cheers

SS Dave

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

[McFarTech]

I have a 1.2 XBOX and ordered a Xecuter 2.6. Is there an install guide on fitting the chip and where to solder the cables in?

Also any ideas where i can pick up some spare pin headers. just noticed the chip i have bought does not have them.  Im in the UK

Edited January 26, 2023 by McFarTech

[SS_Dave]

Search 2 X 20 pin header on  eBay or Amazon and even a lot of electronic parts supplies will have them, Then you just cut it to size. With the D0 wire I suggest you use the alternative point on the bottom of the board 

I would just add wire from the pad on the board to ground  and not to the mod chip

 

Cheers

SS Dave

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

[Truckernorm]

12 hours ago, SS_Dave said:

In the long run that's the easiest option and once you have re-flashed the onboard bios you can reuse the chip for doing the same with the next Xbox all you will need is a new pin header. Even if the Aladdin chip is one that can't be re-flashed easily the bios that comes on it will get you out of a bind.

I have a old 8gb Xbox drive I use for sorting out some Xbox's by fitting the mod chip locking the 8gb HDD to the motherboard then removing the chip and re-flash the on board bios then unlock the HDD for next time. It's handy as I have seen a few now with dead hard drives.

 

Cheers

SS Dave

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

Hi SS Dave,

I'm looking to do a similar thing on a 1.0 that has a corrupt bios on the tsop. Can you confirm that all you would need to reflash a tsop is to unplug the modchip before reflashing or is a special type of modchip or certain bios needed to be loaded on the mod chip? I have an open xenuim and a couple of Aladdin's, would I be able to reflash the tsop using these?

With thanks

[SS_Dave]

1 hour ago, Truckernorm said:

Hi SS Dave,

I'm looking to do a similar thing on a 1.0 that has a corrupt bios on the tsop. Can you confirm that all you would need to reflash a tsop is to unplug the modchip before reflashing or is a special type of modchip or certain bios needed to be loaded on the mod chip? I have an open xenuim and a couple of Aladdin's, would I be able to reflash the tsop using these?

With thanks

No you can not boot the Xbox from a modchip then remove it to flash the bios on the motherboard. There is a modchip that can be used to reflash the onboard bios that uses a modded M7 bios file and extra connections to the main board.

https://bitbucket.org/psyko_chewbacca/lpcmod_os/wiki/xblast_lite_manual/Extra_features

 

But as a rule in order to re-flash the onboard bios the Xbox need to load from it. If you boot from a modchip it will try and re-flash the bios that's on the modchip and not the onboard bios.

 

If you have a failed or corrupted onboard bios you can remove the bios chip from a salvaged board of the same version or just fit a modchip and be done with it.

 

On your version 1.0 I would try the 3 wire trick and see of it will boot from one of the other banks in the bios chip 1st..

 

 

Cheers

SS Dave

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

 

 

 

[Truckernorm]

On 1/27/2023 at 12:56 AM, SS_Dave said:

No you can not boot the Xbox from a modchip then remove it to flash the bios on the motherboard. There is a modchip that can be used to reflash the onboard bios that uses a modded M7 bios file and extra connections to the main board.

https://bitbucket.org/psyko_chewbacca/lpcmod_os/wiki/xblast_lite_manual/Extra_features

 

But as a rule in order to re-flash the onboard bios the Xbox need to load from it. If you boot from a modchip it will try and re-flash the bios that's on the modchip and not the onboard bios.

 

If you have a failed or corrupted onboard bios you can remove the bios chip from a salvaged board of the same version or just fit a modchip and be done with it.

 

On your version 1.0 I would try the 3 wire trick and see of it will boot from one of the other banks in the bios chip 1st..

 

 

Cheers

SS Dave

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

 

 

 

Thank you so much, that info is great. Lots to think about.

[McFarTech]

Thanks guys. Fitted my Mod chip this weekend and stuck CERBIOS on. All good

[MadMartigan]

On 1/26/2023 at 5:52 AM, SS_Dave said:

 

Edited January 29, 2023 by MadMartigan

[MadMartigan]

On 1/26/2023 at 5:52 AM, SS_Dave said:

Even if the Aladdin chip is one that can't be re-flashed easily the bios that comes on it will get you out of a bind..

I remember a topic months ago about which Aladdin chips were flash-able and which were not. I didn’t stick around to the end of that discussion and was wondering if there was any definitive answer on this. I have several that I’d love to flash, but more concerned it will just end up borking them. 
 

Edit: I do not have an external flasher 

Edited January 29, 2023 by MadMartigan