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PostPosted: Fri Jan 07, 2005 3:44 pm  Post subject: Xbox SoftModding - The easy way
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Things you will need

An Xbox (any version PAL or NTSC)
A PC
One of the following games:-
Mechassault (MA)
James Bond 007 Agent under fire (007)
Splinter Cell (SC)

One of the following saves (depending which game you have), all based on Ltools' excellent installer v1.8:-
Mechassault : ed2k: Ltools1.8_MA.zip  [4.74 Mb] [Stats]
James Bond 007 Agent under fire : ed2k: Ltools1.8_007.zip  [4.68 Mb] [Stats]
Splinter Cell (PAL): ed2k: Splintercell_Parts1&2.zip  [4.68 Mb] [Stats]

If you are using 007 or SC grab the MA save as well

An Action Replay,
or Xbox Memory card used with Homemade Action replay
or USB memory stick (1.0 compatible) (although compatibility of memory sticks is very hit and miss)

There ARE ways round the Action Replay requirement, but they involve opening the xbox and for the sake of this guide I'm assuming you want to avoid doing that and maintain your warranty.

OK, I've got all that, what do I do with it all?

Firstly a quick primer as to what we are actually going to do and why :

Basically, softmodding involves using a bug that exists in the way the games above handle their save game loading in order to force the Xbox to load "unsigned" (i.e non M$ approved) code, then exploiting a buffer overflow in M$'s font files to do the same to the xbox itself.
The hardest part of this whole process is getting the necessary save onto the xbox and there are essentially 2 ways to do this
1) Put it on a removable media that the standard M$ dash will read (memory card or USB memory stick)
or
2) Put it on the Harddisk directly (this would involve opening the Xbox and is not what we are looking for)

Which leads neatly on to :

Getting the save onto the Memorycard
OK, you could use a Datel AR, but they have 2 drawbacks,
1) They're expensive
and (more importantly)
2) Their memory cards are of EXTREMELY variable quality and some have been known to corrupt saves (although recently they have improved dramatically)

BUT it's easy on the xbox to make your own Action Replay AND it had the added advantage of being able to use the xbox controller on the PC.

How to make a homemade Action Replay

Follow my guide here

If you have already got an AR or have completed the guide above, all you have to do is drag the relevant .zip file into the middle window and use the AR software to transfer it across to the memory card.
<img src="http://members.lycos.co.uk/hhahscreens2/uploads/ARtransfer.jpg" width=640>

OK, having done that and transferred the save (or saves in the case of Splinter Cell) across to the memory card you then need to transfer the save(s) from the memory card to the Xbox.

Transferring the save

Plug the controller with the memory card into the xbox.
In order to transfer the save to the memory card, from the M$ dashboard select the Memory option from this screen
Image
then select the memory card, listed as Controller 1 (assuming you have the controller in port 1) and you should be taken to a screen similar to this :
Image
Move the cursor down until the larger icon of the relevant save (MA,007 or SC) on the left is highlighted, then press right and A and select "Copy" with the destination as Hard Disk.
Press B 3 times to return to the main menu.

If you are running either 007 or SC you will also need to repeat this with the MA save AS WELL, so for 007 you will need both the 007 save AND the MA save on your xbox. This will need to be done using the action replay on two separate occasions as the memory card is not big enough to have both games on at once.

What xbox do I have?
It is impoortant to know whether you have a v1.6(b) Xbox or not, in order to find out select the settings option from the dashboard root
Image
move the cursor down to "about" and press A

Let the copyright messages scroll to the bottom and make a note of the 4 digit number to the right of the "K:", if this number is 5838 you have a 1.6(b) xbox and will need to use slightly different settings, which will be outlined later.

Exploiting the Dashboard

Load MA, 007 or SC then load the save by one of the following methods :

Mechassault
Select Campaign
Load Linux

007
Select Load Mission
Select Hard Disk

Splinter Cell
Selct Play, then take the "Linux" profile
select "Checkpoints"

OK, if all has gone to plan, the screen should go black, fill with a matrix style effect and then load an alternative dashboard called MXM

press the "B" button to step back a screen
Select UXE Menu
Then select UXE Install

A number of pop-up selection boxes will appear on after the other, the selections you should make are as follows:-

The first is just an information screen and all you need to do is Press "A" to continue

You will then have a choice of programs to load after the Exploit
these are as follows

PBL Metoo
NKPatcher
PBL 1.4.1
PBL Lite


PBL stands for Phoenix Bios Loader and essentially loads a hacked BIOS into the Xbox's protected memory which is booted as a replacement for the BIOS on the Xbox's Chip. There are numerous differences between the versions you have to choose from, but there is little need to run any other version than PBL Metoo.
NKPatcher - patches the Xbox's retail BIOS on the fly to ignore protection routines and allow ANY program to run.

The selection of choice here is either PBL Metoo or NKpatcher, if you're running the software exploit from a hard disk over 137Gb then you should select PBL Metoo, otherwise you can choose between the two, there is little to choose between them, the PBL method is slightly faster to react to things such as IGR (In game reset) and because of this tends to be my preference. However if you own the game crimson skies, choose NKpatcher as it does not work with PBL.

If you chose one of the PBL variants, you will be given a choice of bios, 1.6 owners (K:5838+) should choose Evox M8, everyone else should select X2 4981

Next you will be given a choice of Dashes to install, or rather you wont, as only MXM is available to install from the save listed above. Select it.

Next you can choose between Kernal specific fonts or Generic fonts, either is fine, although I would err towards Generic

Next you can choose between traystate booting, what this means is that if the dvd tray is open then the gamesave exploit is loaded (what you're currently in), otherwise the permanent exploit will be loaded. I personally choose no for this option, but it's very much a matter of personal taste, it CAN be handy in case anything goes wrong, but it's unlikely to do so and therefore is IMHO fairly pointless.

Having made your selections the xbox will now load linux and make a backup of your C: drive and your eeprom (VERY important) then install the exploits automatically, this will take ~2:30 minutes, when the "All done your xbox can now be switched off" message appears, turn the xbox off
(1.6 owners will have a corrupted diplay during this process, keep your eye on the LED round the eject button, when it turns from orange (during the install process) to blinking green the xbox is safe to turn off and it should be)

Press eject and remove the MA, 007 or SC disk.

Your Xbox is now Modded :beerchug:
You can now run "backup" games and FTP things to (and from) your xbox.
However it is running a (IMHO) horrible dash and has NO useful programs on, a problem which I'll address in the next post

[ Add all 3 links to your ed2k client ]

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Small Time Rippers : 2003 - 2008 R.I.P :(


Last edited by PC_Arcade on Tue Feb 08, 2005 4:10 pm, edited 24 times in total.

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PostPosted: Wed Jan 12, 2005 11:55 am  Post subject:
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SPUD: This advice has been "1up'd", a newer pack based upon PCA's with more detailed instructions can be found here:
http://forum.dead-donkey.com/viewtopic.php?t=15024



Before we go any further
You have to backup your xbox's EEPROM (and it's nice to have a full backup of your C: and E: drives as well)

If you haven't got FlashFXP, get it from here : ed2k: FlashFXP.v3.0.1.Build.1022.Cracked.PROPER.INTERNAL.WinALL-Pandora.rar  [2.06 Mb] [Stats]
and install it on your PC
set up a new FTP site called Xbox (or simillar) with the following settings

IP = 192.168.0.3
port = 21
Username = xbox
Password = xbox

connect to the Xbox.
drag the contents of the C: drive to a folder on the PC named "Xbox Backup\C Drive", then drag the contents of the E: drive to a folder on the PC named "Xbox Backup\E Drive".
Burn the contents of the "Xbox backup" directory to a CD, label it Xbox Backup and KEEP IT SAFE.

Installing Dashboards and Applications

Replacement Dashboards are installed in the directory
E:\dashboards\ or
C:\dash\ if you want to run them as an application
and applications should be installed in
C:\Apps\
Games I would put on either
E:\Games\ or
F:\Games\

there are a HUGE number of replacement Dashboards and applications for the Xbox, I have prepared an addon which is written over the C: and E: drives and provides the following Dashes and Apps:-

Dashes:
THC Lite Dash - Set to default, it's the most like the M$ dash, only with "Hard disk" taking the place of "Xbox Live" and is great for everyday use. From here holding both triggers and pressing "Y" takes you to the second (more Functional) dash:-
UnleashX - Arguably THE most powerful dash, includes a file browser, full FTP client, tha ability to play Xbox movie files, a text editor etc.etc.etc.

Applications:
Xbox Media Centre - Self explanatory, THE media player, plays pretty much every media file you can throw at it, and includes a file explorer, full FTP client, Xlink Kai (an Xbox Live substitute for all you naughty pirates ;) ), a Local weather report(!), Rss news Feeds and MUCH more - Holding both triggers and pressing "B" gets you here from the ThC Dash
DVD2Xbox - Copies DVD's, cd's and games to the xbox's Hard drive and manages them when they are on there.
BoxPlorer - Xbox File explorer
DVDx2 - Dongle free DVD movie player

Download it here : ed2k: Softmod Addons PC_Arcade.rar  [44.62 Mb] [Stats]

Extract the archives and you should have a directory called "C" and another called "E"

The contents of these need to be FTP'd across to the relevant drive on the Xbox (I.E the contents of directory "C" goes into the root of Drive C: on the xbox and so on)

That should be prettier AND because of the simple dash prevents anyone screwing up the softmod and / or deleting things they shouldn't by accident :)

What DVD rom drive do I have?
Find out what DVD-rom your xbox has by comparing the drive tray to this picture :
<table border="0">
<tr><td><img src="http://members.lycos.co.uk/hhahscreens2/uploads/Dvd-thomson-tray.jpg">
</td><td> <img src="http://members.lycos.co.uk/hhahscreens2/uploads/Dvd-philips-tray.jpg">
</td><td> <img src="http://members.lycos.co.uk/hhahscreens2/uploads/Dvd-samsung-tray.jpg">
</td></tr>

<tr>
<td> Thomson
</td><td> Philips
</td><td> Samsung
</td></tr></table>

[ Add all 2 links to your ed2k client ]

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Small Time Rippers : 2003 - 2008 R.I.P :(


Last edited by PC_Arcade on Tue Sep 13, 2005 8:19 am, edited 4 times in total.

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PostPosted: Wed Jan 12, 2005 7:50 pm  Post subject:
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Just a quick post to A) reserve this slot and B) to say I haven't tested this on SC or 007, BUT it should work perfectly, any errors and ommisions, let me know, this is a more or less permanent WIP :lol:
PM me if you can share the files needed for this tutorial (~58mb)

Oh and in the spirit of keeping me in the clear, this is undertaken at your own risk ;)

If all the above seems too complicated, or you just don't want to do it, PM me as I can provide pre(soft)modded xbox's

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PostPosted: Mon Jan 24, 2005 3:09 pm  Post subject:
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For those of you having trouble connecting to the Xbox via FTP
Xbox-Scene wrote:
Use these settings if you, like I are having problems FTPing to your Xbox

IP: 192.168.1.1
Gateway: 255.255.255.0

Xbox:
Setup Network: Yes
Static IP: Yes
Xbox IP: 192.168.1.2
Gateway: 255.255.255.0
Accept Incoming Connections (PC ADDRESS): 192.168.1.1



1) Open NETWORK CONNECTIONS in the Control Panel - Bring up the properties of your Local Area Connection (If you do not have this icon then set up a LAN using the wizard)

2) Highlight Internet Protocol (TCP/IP) and click properties

3) Select "Use following IP address" and enter:
IP: 192.168.1.4
SUB: 255.255.255.0
GATEWAY: 192.168.0.1

4) Press OK

5) Connect the crossover network cable to your PC and Xbox

6) Boot up your Xbox and check the IP settings. Your IP should be fixed and use the following data:
IP: 192.168.1.32
SUB: 255.255.255.0
GATEWAY: 192.168.0.1

7) Save the settings (scroll down to the bottom) and reboot the Xbox. Leave it sitting on the EvoX main screen once it has rebooted.

8) Load up your FTP software on the PC (I recommend FlashFXP) and enter the same details that you used on the Xbox into the connect screen.


Follow this guide, I am really not the best person to help with networking as I've never had a problem and am not knowledgeable enough to troubleshoot given all the variables.

However if you're still having problems then there's a MUCH more detailed guide here.
Thanks to killingjokezzz for the link

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PostPosted: Mon Dec 26, 2005 8:34 pm  Post subject:
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newbx wrote:
hi, thx pca. Followed your guide and it worked great. how can i change the boot up menu to media player? I will only use media player anyway. I have got new media player from torrent, but don't know how to change to this and make it startup.


I have updated a guide here:
http://forum.dead-donkey.com/viewtopic. ... 506#155506

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Last edited by spudthedestroyer on Thu Jun 07, 2007 10:49 pm, edited 2 times in total.

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PostPosted: Tue Oct 10, 2006 4:18 pm  Post subject:
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*LOCKED*

Discussion and help here:
http://forum.dead-donkey.com/viewtopic.php?t=7163

I'll update XBMC guide at a later date to cover the significant deviation in making it the dash.

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