The following tutorial is a condensed version of my popular seamonkey’s guide to Xbox modding. The guide was created for the Matrix Xbox mod chip, but the concepts still apply to all modding.
This is a quick tech-recipe that will yield true enjoyment of one’s Xbox when followed. I refer to it as seamonkey420’s quickie to Xbox modding and hard drive upgrade.
Prerequisites:
Xbox
mod chip (Matrix, Xecuter, Xenium, etc.)
hard drive (optional)
BIOS files
Evolution X Dashboard
Other apps
Xbox Game Backup Summary
Materials Needed:
–HARDWARE–
-Xbox
-mod chip (I like the Matrix Solderless. You can flash the BIOS.)
-Ethernet card/NIC
-router or a twisted network cable
-DVD burner
–SOFTWARE–
-FlashFXP (to ftp into your Xbox)
-xISO (to create Xbox ISO files) This is a bit buggy, but there are other programs that do the same.
-Nero Burn (to burn the Xbox ISO files to blank DVDs)
-Evolution X Dashboard (for the Xbox)
-Evox D6 BIOS (flashed on the Matrix mod chip, or any newer BIOS)
Step 1. Flash the mod chip with the Evox D6 BIOS (or whatever version of the Evox BIOS you have). Install the mod chip. Then install the Evolution X dashboard onto the Xbox hard drive. (Please see other Xbox forums or websites for the specifics on how to do this.)
Step 2. After you get the Evolution X dashboard installed, hook up the network cable into the back of the Xbox and into the network card in your computer. (Xbox game backup requires you to take an outside-in approach.)
Set up the network settings so you can FTP into your Xbox (assign an IP address).
Step 3. Insert the game you want to rip into your Xbox and open up Flash FXP. Connect to the IP address you assigned your Xbox. The user name is xbox. The password is xbox (defaults). Once you are connected, it will bring up a list of folders (C:, D:, E:, F:, X:, etc). For our purposes, we will utilize C: and D:. The C: is the main Xbox drive, and the D: is the Xbox DVD Drive and is the one needed for this tech-recipe.
Step 4. Go to the D: folder and copy the folder to your hard drive.
Step 5. After you copy the D: folder to your hard drive (your pc’s), you will need to use xISO to make an Xbox .iso file.
Step 6. Burn the Xbox ISO file to a blank DVD.
Step 7. Play the burned game and enjoy! (I use DVD+RW’s on the first test burn to be sure I do not waste DVDs on games that did not rip properly.)
-NOTES:
If you have problems connecting to Xbox via a crossover cable, make sure your network settings are set up in the evox.ini file, so you have a static IP assigned and the gateway, subnet, etc. match your PC’s. Also, be sure the static IP is not the same as your PC’s.
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*–Hard Drive Replacements–*
-Not responsible for any damages done–
(Alternatively, you can use SlaYers HD installer.)
The stock Microsoft hard drive varies from around 8GB to 10GB, depending on the number on the hard drive. Most Xbox games average around 1 to 2GBs in size, so the stock drive allows you to save only about 4 to 6 games. Let us change that!
-Overview/Requirements- You need to have a mod chip installed onto your Xbox, flashed with a BIOS that alllows for an HD swap (Evolution X and EvoX BIOS do allow this. I am not sure about others. I recommend the use of EvoX D6 Eject Fix BIOS)
1. In the Evolution X dashboard, go to system utils > Backup. This will back up important information into the C:Backup folder on your Xbox. (Make sure that it does back up. Some earlier versions of Evolution X dashboard did not back up the files correctly. Evolution X dashboard v 1.8.3285 works beautifully. There should be five files there.)
2. Back up both the C and E drives of the Xbox hard drive. (You will want this to copy back onto the new hard drive to have just in case.)
3. Create a new folder for the Evolution X dashboard HD install CD we need to make.
You can use the evox.ini file from the Xbox (the one we backed up earlier). You will need to change a few things in it.
-Leave everything else above this part alone, and go down to the [MENU].
Replace what is there with the following:
[Menu]
Section “Install Menu”
{
Item “Install New Drive”,@210
Item “Settings”,@9
Item “Reboot”,@5
}
[Action_10]
Info “Install HDD”
Warning “This will format all drives”
Warning “Make sure you have a backup of C & E”
Progress “Formatting Drives”
ConfigSector “backupdisk.bin”
Format c:
Format e:
Format f:
Format x:
format y:
format z:
[Action_11]
[Action_12]
Save this to the new folder. Also, copy over your Evolution X dashboard file, and rename it to default.xbe. Then copy the folder “Backup” from the C:Backup of the Xbox.
Once this is completed, you should have the following files in the new folder:
evox.ini
default.xbe
backup\bios.bin
backup\disk.bin
backup\eeprom.bin
backup\hddinfo.txt
backup\hddkey.bin
After this, make an Xbox image file (I use xISO.), and burn it to a blank CD-RW. (One that you know works in your Xbox.)
4. Disassemble your Xbox, and replace the hard drive. (Make sure the jumpers on the hard drive are set to Primary or Master.)
I am not sure what hard drives work and which do not. However, I would assume any IDE ata/100 5400RPM or better will work. The maximum size you can replace is about 130GB. We can assume the Xbox does not recognize anything above that.
Now, hook up the hard drive as you would any other, and reassemble your Xbox.
(Keep your old Xbox hard drive just in case something goes awry.)
5. Boot up your Xbox with the CD we just created in Step 3. It will load the Evolution X dashboard. Go to the Install HD, and follow the steps. Wait for it to finish.
6. Reinstall your C and E drives, and make sure your evox.ini file or settings has USE F Drive? to a Y for YES. Your F drive on the new hard drive will be the biggest. This is where you will want to save games, music or apps.
-NOTE: There are ways to use your G drive now and to use bigger hard drives (larger than 130GB). This is just a beginner’s guide.
