re-softmod xbox

[Deleted User]

i've had a modded xbox for ages, found it on the side of the road being stomped on by some teenagers. it has a ....version... of evolutionx installed, and i've got no idea how it was installed, or with what. i have installed a 320gb hard drive at some point

anyone know how i can just wipe it clean and start fresh by a softmod perspective, and i'm guessing enabling tsop flashing doesn't require special hardware right?
which installer do i use?


bonus shenanigans!
this xbox doesn't like booting some games in progressive scan, like midnight club 3, it either just hangs or reboots. and apparently this game supports progressive scan, so could it just be my dashboard that doesn't launch it properly?

 

[Alexander1970]

Hello.

i've had a modded xbox for ages, found it on the side of the road being stomped on by some teenagers. it has a ....version... of evolutionx installed, and i've got no idea how it was installed, or with what. i have installed a 320gb hard drive at some point

anyone know how i can just wipe it clean and start fresh by a softmod perspective, and i'm guessing enabling tsop flashing doesn't require special hardware right?
which installer do i use?


bonus shenanigans!
this xbox doesn't like booting some games in progressive scan, like midnight club 3, it either just hangs or reboots. and apparently this game supports progressive scan, so could it just be my dashboard that doesn't launch it properly?

Did you have opened the XBox and had a look inside ?
The Version would be interesting for the TSOP Flashing Process (Bridge Points).
After that you are on the save Side and can use a new/bigger/empty HDD to do a fresh,new and actual Installation.

Without the TSOP Flash there is a high Risk,if something goes wrong with an Re-softmod/Installation Process,your XBox no longer boots and gives you only the Service/Error Screen....

Thank you.

 

[Deleted User]

Hello.



Did you have opened the XBox and had a look inside ?
The Version would be interesting for the TSOP Flashing Process (Bridge Points).
After that you are on the save Side and can use a new/bigger/empty HDD to do a fresh,new and actual Installation.

Without the TSOP Flash there is a high Risk,if something goes wrong with an Re-softmod/Installation Process,your XBox no longer boots and gives you only the Service/Error Screen....

Thank you.

i already had a look inside, i removed the clock capacitor and replaced the cpu caps months ago
it's a 1.2 revision, i already looked at the pinned topic and i think i bridged the 2 pads, they're super tiny so i can't tell if they made proper contact

i already installed a 320gb hard drive years ago, i genuinely don't remember how i managed to do it, but i mostly want to resoftmod it because i found out that evolutionx is garbage and i'd rather have unleashx or xbmc as the main dashboard

 

[Alexander1970]

i already had a look inside, i removed the clock capacitor and replaced the cpu caps months ago
it's a 1.2 revision, i already looked at the pinned topic and i think i bridged the 2 pads, they're super tiny so i can't tell if they made proper contact

i already installed a 320gb hard drive years ago, i genuinely don't remember how i managed to do it, but i mostly want to resoftmod it because i found out that evolutionx is garbage and i'd rather have unleashx or xbmc as the main dashboard

Fine,you did your Homework.

Did you have already flashed a custom BIOS (IND-Bios or EVox M8+ for Example) on your XBox ?
https://web.archive.org/web/20160316051856/http://xbox-scene.com:80/bios_retail.html

You can use the HeXEn 2019 Disc for Example.

 

[Deleted User]

Fine,you did your Homework.

Did you have already flashed a custom BIOS (IND-Bios or EVox M8+ for Example) on your XBox ?
You can use the HeXEn 2019 Disc for Example.

not yet, all i found were hexen 2018 and ogxbox 2021, and i have no idea which to use

 

[Alexander1970]

not yet, all i found were hexen 2018 and ogxbox 2021, and i have no idea which to use

You can also use the 2018er Version,it is about the Flashtool/Program and the Bios(es) included.

It should look like that:


Your Version 1.2 needs the 256kb BIOS Size.
Do not use a 1MB or Bigger ones !!

 

[Deleted User]

You can also use the 2018er Version,it is about the Flashtool/Program and the Bios(es) included.

It should look like that:
View attachment 242079

i just burned ogxbox, i'll burn hexen next, i hear that hexen tends to clutter the drive with a ton of temp files though

 

[Alexander1970]

i just burned ogxbox, i'll burn hexen next, i hear that hexen tends to clutter the drive with a ton of temp files though

Yes,there are other Tools too.That from HeXEn is an easy to use one.
For myself I have always used the Flash Tool which was in the (Linux ?) Loader from Chimp included (GenX Tool or so,I do not remember...)

EDIT - Gentoox Loader - thats it,there is an Flashtool included,I always used that one.

 

[Deleted User]

alright so i've hit a dead end. i managed to boot the hexen disc and flash evox m8+ to the tsop, and now the xbox boots to unleashX, HOWEVER, when i boot back into hexen and try to enable the hd resolutions, the xbox locks up immediately after it reboots into the hd resolution tool, and the unleashx dashboard only runs in 480i 4:3

i also don't know which softmod to install, krazyzie or kingroach, on top of that, the only game i have that could (maybe) work is 007 agent under fire, but it's the platinum hits edition

turns out that was literally just a "well we'll install the save file to make repairs easier" and it launched the softmod anyway, joke's on them though, i don't have any of the compatible games lolol

 

[Alexander1970]

alright so i've hit a dead end. i managed to boot the hexen disc and flash evox m8+ to the tsop, and now the xbox boots to unleashX, HOWEVER, when i boot back into hexen and try to enable the hd resolutions, the xbox locks up immediately after it reboots into the hd resolution tool, and the unleashx dashboard only runs in 480i 4:3

i also don't know which softmod to install, krazyzie or kingroach, on top of that, the only game i have that could (maybe) work is 007 agent under fire, but it's the platinum hits edition

turns out that was literally just a "well we'll install the save file to make repairs easier" and it launched the softmod anyway, joke's on them though, i don't have any of the compatible games lolol

Maybe it is not the Best Idea to try to get a maybe "Software damaged" XBox in Shape.

Now your XBox is flashed,you can use an Install Disc like Rocky5´s Install Tool Disc is a good Choice.
It has everything on it (Tools/Applications/Emulators) to make a new,fresh Install.

 

[Deleted User]

Maybe it is not the Best Idea to try to get a maybe "Software damaged" XBox in Shape.

Now your XBox is flashed,you can use an Install Disc like Rocky5´s Install Tool Disc is a good Choice.
It has everything on it (Tools/Applications/Emulators) to make a new,fresh Install.

i think i completely messed up the softmod by doing everything out of order, how do i wipe and start fresh? because once krayzie was done installing, it said it'd reboot to some activator, but then it never did

 

[Ryccardo]

@Latiodile

1: Do you have an eeprom backup? (if not, create one now and copy it to your PC of course)
2: Did you actually flash a custom bios (which requires soldering to disable the write protection) or not? (if you flashed an unmodified EvoX bios you'll see its logo over the usual one)

 

[Alexander1970]

i think i completely messed up the softmod by doing everything out of order, how do i wipe and start fresh? because once krayzie was done installing, it said it'd reboot to some activator, but then it never did

You have now a TSOP flashed Xbox,correct ?
Now you can boot ANY backup/burned Disc.

So get Rocky5´s Install Disc and make all new.It is simple like a Windows or Linux Installation.

It

- formats/clears your HDD
- installs every Dashboard you like (multiple Boot possible)
- installs Applications/Tools/Emulators you like
- Games can be installed/transferred from Discs with the XBox Tool DVD2XBox or later via FTP Tool

 

[Deleted User]

@Latiodile

1: Do you have an eeprom backup? (if not, create one now and copy it to your PC of course)
2: Did you actually flash a custom bios (which requires soldering to disable the write protection) or not? (if you flashed an unmodified EvoX bios you'll see its logo over the usual one)

i made 2 eeprom backups, but i don't have access to FTP, because my ethernet cable is infinitely too short to actually be able to reach my xbox, and i don't have another, and i don't have one of those usb dongle things to be able to back it up to a usb stick

i actually flashed a custom bios, i soldered the 2 connections together, and i succesfully flashed the unmodified evox bios

You have now a TSOP flashed Xbox,correct ?
Now you can boot ANY backup/burned Disc.

So get Rocky5´s Install Disc and make all new.It is simple like a Windows or Linux Installation.

It

- formats/clears your HDD
- installs every Dashboard you like (multiple Boot possible)
- installs Applications/Tools/Emulators you like
- Games can be installed/transferred from Discs with the XBox Tool DVD2XBox or later via FTP Tool

once i find out how to get the eeprom backup off the drive i'll look into this
edit: there's like 12 different variants on the google drive i found and i've got no idea which to use

 

[Ryccardo]

i actually flashed a custom bios, i soldered the 2 connections together, and i succesfully flashed the unmodified evox bios

Excellent, so now you should in fact get rid of the softmod

The most practical way is to boot an utility disc (I personally use TruHexeN 2019 but it's a matter of taste, even the 2005 Slayer's Auto Installer has some merits) and, in this order:
- Delete everything in the C: partiton

- Copy the official dashboard back to it, in Hexen go to the file manager and find it in D:\Hexen\Stockfiles\c\ or something (or you can use "chipped xbox→build a new disk" that automates this and the next few steps but I prefer to do it manually, actually)

- Copy a custom dashboard to C: and rename its executable as appropriate for the bios's boot order (which for the EvoX M8 will be evoxdash.xbe as the first choice, the EvoX dash is unsurprisingly already fine while UnleashX just needs the executable to be renamed afterwards, both are also found on the Hexen disc)

- Eject the disc, reboot the console, and enjoy
(although you will most likely want some way to get files in and out to customize their menu)

- A very smart thing to do is to unlock the HDD, since the custom bios supports them anyway and greatly simplifies connecting it to a PC for data recovery, etc

 

[Deleted User]

Excellent, so now you should in fact get rid of the softmod

The most practical way is to boot an utility disc (I personally use TruHexeN 2019 but it's a matter of taste, even the 2005 Slayer's Auto Installer has some merits) and, in this order:
- Delete everything in the C: partiton

- Copy the official dashboard back to it, in Hexen go to the file manager and find it in D:\Hexen\Stockfiles\c\ or something (or you can use "chipped xbox→build a new disk" that automates this and the next few steps but I prefer to do it manually, actually)

- Copy a custom dashboard to C: and rename its executable as appropriate for the bios's boot order (which for the EvoX M8 will be evoxdash.xbe as the first choice, the EvoX dash is unsurprisingly already fine while UnleashX just needs the executable to be renamed afterwards, both are also found on the Hexen disc)

- Eject the disc, reboot the console, and enjoy
(although you will most likely want some way to get files in and out to customize their menu)

- A very smart thing to do is to unlock the HDD, since the custom bios supports them anyway and greatly simplifies connecting it to a PC for data recovery, etc

will getting rid of the softmod in this sense fix the problems i'm having with progressive scan?
This xbox also has the notorious samsung drive in it so i want to keep the ability to launch games from disk

 

[Ryccardo]

will getting rid of the softmod in this sense fix the problems i'm having with progressive scan?

I don't know but certainly it will get rid of questionable compatibilities between unofficial bioses and softmods; consider also that some softmods enable a virtual eeprom instead of the physical one, which always gets in the way of changing the official options (video modes included)!

i want to keep the ability to launch games from disk

Remember when I said the first thing to boot on the EvoX bios is C:\evoxdash.xbe?
Well, I lied, D:\default.xbe comes before, this (along with being a "time fixed" bios) means you'll always be able to boot a disc (as long as the optical drive works, of course) even with a completely blank HDD

 

[Deleted User]

I don't know but certainly it will get rid of questionable compatibilities between unofficial bioses and softmods; consider also that some softmods enable a virtual eeprom instead of the physical one, which always gets in the way of changing the official options (video modes included)!


Remember when I said the first thing to boot on the EvoX bios is C:\evoxdash.xbe?
Well, I lied, D:\default.xbe comes before, this (along with being a "time fixed" bios) means you'll always be able to boot a disc (as long as the optical drive works, of course) even with a completely blank HDD

Oh so thats good, that means i could install a completely blank drive, boot a disc that can partition it and fix it and ill be good? Thats good news to hear once compact flash cards dont end up costing a million bucks

 

[Ryccardo]

Oh so thats good, that means i could install a completely blank drive, boot a disc that can partition it and fix it and ill be good?

Yes! In fact the steps I told you are basically "how to reinstall the OS on a non-xbox hdd" without the repartitioning and formatting steps*

* an unmodified xbox disk does NOT have a partition table - it's all hardcoded in the bios; 3rd party bioses usually add F and possibly G partitions depending on how they were programmed, but can also read an XBPartitioner table from the disk if you created one with said homebrew

(and modern softmods basically load a replacement "BFM" bios from disk)

 

[Deleted User]

Yes! In fact the steps I told you are basically "how to reinstall the OS on a non-xbox hdd" without the repartitioning and formatting steps*

* an unmodified xbox disk does NOT have a partition table - it's all hardcoded in the bios; 3rd party bioses usually add F and possibly G partitions depending on how they were programmed, but can also read an XBPartitioner table from the disk if you created one with said homebrew

(and modern softmods basically load a replacement "BFM" bios from disk)

Good stuff, i also tested midnight club 3 and my Progressive scan issue is also fixed