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Help needed withe old chip-moded XBOX

Posted: Mon Nov 22, 2021 12:41 pm
by foufoutos
I recently buy a second hand OG XBOX. I don't know the model but I suspect one of the very first since the controller is the first edition ("The Duke").
After inspection I realize that the DVD drive is a Philips one.
Seller ensure me that this is a mod-chipped XBOX. Seller unfortunately can't provide chip type.
When I start the machine, even without holding the ON/OFF button for a few seconds as I read around, I get an EvoX logo (red-pink colour) on the upper right corner.

Image

After that I get the normal MS dashboard.
My main problem now is I can't run games back-ups easily.
I try more than 7 different DVD brands, and only two of them (Maxwell DVD-R, MediaRange DVD+R) are compatible with SOME ISO's, not all iso's.
I burn for example ISO A to a Maxwell DVD and everything runs perfectly, later I burn ISO B but game doesn't run. Try different source ISO, still no success. Try ISO C, everything OK etc. etc.

So what I'm looking for is to get a Custom Dashboard in order to load backups to HD and play that games directly from HD and by-pass the unreliable DVD solution.

Is there any solution?
Can I get Custom Dashboard and If yes how? Where I have to strats? Any basic instructions?
Seller ensure me that Custom Dashboard is not an option, I need soft-mod to get that and since my XBOX is chip-moded is not possible to combine chip-mod & Custom Dashboard at the same time.

Any Ideas?

Re: Help needed withe old chip-moded XBOX

Posted: Mon Nov 22, 2021 6:15 pm
by Coldly-Indifferent
Forget about softmodding a chipped machine.

Some pics of the chip in situ so that it can be identified could be useful.

A HDD with a modded dash can be prepared on a PC using XBHDM (Xbox HDD maker) but not having done that I'm not one to advise. Being a chipped machine you could do it all on a completely new HDD, particularly if your existing one is stock or small capacity. Again pics of the existing HDD would help.

I'd suggest burning an installer to the Maxell DVD-Rs that are working: my preference is for AID v4.53 but an up to date copy of HeXEn or even Slayers, using the chip dash options of course.

I'd do this on a fresh HDD keeping the existing one as backup: run the disc and it will walk you through the formatting of the new HDD. Then install UnleashX or XBMC as your main dash and the other as an app and you should be good for FTPing, cutting out the need to use discs at all.

New HDD will be SATA unless you can find an IDE one. That means the additional purchase of an IDE > SATA adapter plus the near mandatory 80 wire IDE cable to go with it. Plenty of information here and elsewhere (YT) about such matters.

Re: Help needed withe old chip-moded XBOX

Posted: Wed Nov 24, 2021 10:19 am
by foufoutos
Thank you for your answer.
It looks way too complicate for me. I was thinking that a solution for playing games via HD was much easier.
I have no time, no knowledge, no patient to follow the procedure.

Probably I will return the machine to seller since he promote that XBOX was ready to play back-ups and the only I had to do is find an ISO and burn, but after more than 25 attempts with different ISO's I have less than 5 working DVD's and more than 20 DVD to garbage bin...
This is definitely doesn't work as promised.

Re: Help needed withe old chip-moded XBOX

Posted: Wed Nov 24, 2021 4:02 pm
by Coldly-Indifferent
The problem is likely the DVD drive. Xbox ones are now at least 15 years old and if they've had a lot of use they can become increasingly picky about the media they work with.

Another very common problem now is that PC DVD-RW drives are ageing and far less used too and I've had several interactions with posters on various Xbox forum about such matters of Xbox disc media compatibility which were fixed when they installed a new one.

As said you can burn an installer to a disc type that does work for you and get yourself a new main dash as I've described but it won't solve the problem with disc burning if the DVD drive is ageing. That's why users now prefer FTPing games into place but that usually involves extracting the content from the XISO.

Its not that difficult with the tools available but if you don't want the hassle I understand. TBH FTPing to the Xbox is often a real pain to set up and getting it to work. It depends so much on the Xbox dash, your router, FTP program, OS system along with firewall rules and the anti-malware program you're using all working in harmony.

But once done it does transfers to the Xbox faster and more reliable than any disc based solution.