What I would want to see is an IDE to USB adaptor. Really it would need to be an IDE emulator that could use USB as it's storage space. Basically this: https://www.retrotronics.org/home-page/netpi-ide/ It looks like the project might be dead at this point, but it was on the right track. Make a hardw...

I keep thinking that I might run an IDE to SD adapter with the slot on the outside of the case. This way, the "Hard Drive" could be replaced by just pulling the SD card and putting in a different one. The other thought was to use an IDE to SATA adapter and a SATA to eSATA adapter so that I...

What does this capacitor do? What impact does removing it have on the XBox?

I will give the voltage test you suggest a try. That would make some sense. Now that you mention it, every time I burned a drive, I did have both the data and power plugged into the PATA side of the adapter. I am starting to think that I may just have to settle for this box being a 320GB box. I want...

This is the most recent adapter that burned. Shorting out against the drive definitely did not happen with the 3M foam tape in place specifically to prevent any chance of shorting out.

I don't think so. Three burns with three adapters + drives in that XBOX, and the first one I put in my other XBOX does not burn. This leans towards the XBOX. While the power supply is external, I am using the same power supply on XBox #2 with adapter + drive #4 without it burning. It seems like some...

Hehe...Not daft at all. Yes, I am plugging the Molex connector in the correct way. The connector is keyed, so it physically cannot be plugged in backwards. I also tried with an external power cable. I have a PATA/SATA to usb adapter that has an external Molex connector for use with PATA Drives. The ...

Yes, Xbox #1 does work with the original drive. It also works with replacement PATA drives. That is one of the weird things about this. I currently have a 320GB PATA drive in it with no problems. The problem is only when I use SATA adapter and drive.

Then XBOX itself does not seem to be damaged by the burnings. It is the adapter and the drive. I have two new adapters. I plugged one of the two new adapters + drive into a second v1.0 Xbox and no smoke. I haven't gotten the chance to install anything yet, but so far, it looks like it will work. Thi...

Different makes. This is why I think it is something with the XBOX.

Thanks for the help. I did that. A nice piece of foam sticky tape between the two. All of the drives have been sitting outside the XBOX, so there is no shorting there. I have tried and burned out three different adapters and drives. I have tried using the interneal XBOX power supply, as well as usin...

I have an Xbox with a v1.0 motherboard. I have been trying to install a SATA hard drive. Every time I plug in a PATA to SATA adapter, the adapter and drive burn out in a puff of smoke. I used a multimeter to test for high voltage, and nothing coming off of the PATA cable is higher than 3.25v. I'm no...