Soft-modding Your Xbox The Easy Way!

[SingaBoiy]

I noticed the pinned topic was alittle outdated. This guide will cover soft-modding your box, installing a new hdd and FTPing movies and games to your xbox hdd. I will go with the 007 hack with this one. This is still alot like the oher pinned topic.


Disclaimer
You do this at your own risk. Although this is pretty much idiot-proof, I take no responsiblity if you produce a $150 paperweight.


The Cheap/Easy Way of Soft-modding Your Xbox

Tools needed:

007 - Agent Under Fire

I got mine for $8 used from Gamestop
(You can aso use Mech Assault and Splinter Cell but those arent covered in this tut). You MUST have the original version not the Platinum!!!


Action Replay

This comes with a memory card so there is no need in getting an official M$ one.


AgentUnder_BONDAUF.zip
I just changed this so its all set for you to drop onto your xbox and load. You can get it right here


Thats it! And it works on all versions of the xbox out right now. No more worrying if you have the 4920 dash. And you dont have to go out a buy a Microsoft memory card.

Now for the modding:

1. Make sure your AR (Action Replay) software is installed on your pc. Plug your USB Link Cable that your got from your AR into your pc. Pop your memory card into the USB Link Cable. Wait for XP to read it and give you the ok.

2. Download AgentUnder_BONDAUF.zip

3. Run your AR software. Drag the entire zip folder to the AUF folder on your memory card. Should take some time.

4. Boot up your xbox with no disc inside. Go to Memory section and choose to copy the large (around 500 blocks) 007 file to your harddrive.

5. Back out and start up AUF w/o your memory card. Choose load missing and select to load from harddrive.

6. The screen should now go black and you are ready to set up your new dashboard. There should be a page that displays ltools and says "007: Agent Under Fire". Hit B. Go down and selelct "Install UDE". Press A to continue. Press UDE2 (You must have a NTSC xbox for this!). If you dont, hit A. This is where my video cuts off. But you can either choose XMX or EvoX as your new dashboard. I prefer EvoX, as do many others.

7. It will now install. This may take upto or more then 30 min.

You are finished modding! :beerchug: Now you can save games, movies, pics, apps, emu's and more on your hdd and have no need for discs. You can play burned games if you run out of hdd space and dont wanna get a new one.


FAQs
Q. Can I use the Platinum version of Agent Under Fire?
1. No! Must be the original!

Q. What xbox version does this work on?
A. The kernel version does not matter anymore. So yes, any version as long as you are using UDE2.

Q. Can I use UDE2 on a new PAL xbox?
A. No, this is the only downside. There are ways around it but I have not had to do this so I dont know them. Please check out www.xbox-scene.com for info on it.

Q. Help me!!! I have a new xbox (1.6) and the screen goes green and other colors when the softmod begins.
A. That is normal for v1.6 xboxs, just let it go til you see the eject led flashing.

Q. What does it look like when I boot up my xbox?
A. Have a look here. It is a 5.92 MB download.

Q. After modding is there any way to get back to the original MS dashboard?
A. Yes! At the main screen there will be an option to launch the MS Dash.

Q. Can I played burned games on my xbox?
A. Yes! Check the guide below to know how. Its simple as popping in the disc and hitting launch dvd.

Q. What type of media should I used?
A. Try to stay away from cd-r. Most xbox's are not compatible with most types of cd-r. Its best to use re-writable media.

Q. Can I install a larger into my soft-modded xbox?
A. Yes! It takes some effort and could damage your new hdd if you dont follow the guide I will be adding shorty.

Q. Where are all the image to help me out more?
A. I will include videos if I can get some one to host them. Images will also come soon.

Q. How do I play games from my xbox hdd?
A. You have to setup an FTP between your pc and your xbox.

Q. Can play movies on my xbox?
A. Yes! By using either Xbox Media Center or Xbox Media Player.

Q. What's the difference between XBMC and XBMP (the above question)?
A. Not much, they are pretty much the same. Its just about what you prefer.

Q. Does this mean I can play DivX and Xvid movies?
A. Yes! You can also play vcd's.

Q. Will Mad Catz GameSaves work instead of AR?
A. I have not tested this. I would assume it would work as long as you have a memory card.

Q. I dont have AUF can I use Mech Assault or Splinter Cell (the original).
A. Yes! But you must use either ltools_MA_v1.7.zip OR ltools_v1.7_SC_NTSC.rar depending on which game you have.

Q. Can I play on Xbox Live with a soft-modded xbox?
A. Nope, thanks to an update, you no longer can.

Q. Can I play burned games on XBL (Xbox Live)?
A. No, not unless you want your xbox to get banned.

EDIT: I just went though and edited this to make it easier and more understandable.

[SingaBoiy]

Now for the fun part, FTPing!

With this you can transfer games and other stuff very easily. There a few different setups your can use depending on what your home setup is.

Items you may need:

One PC Preferably one newer then this one. (Setup 1, 2, 3 )



A NIC (Network Interface Card) (Setup 1, 2, 3)


Router (Setup 2)


HUB (Setup 3)


Setup 1

Items needed:
PC
NIC
Atleast a Cat5 cross-over cable

With this setup you may want an additional NIC in your PC if you want to access the internet at the same time as you pc. (Preferred)

1. Connect the xbox to the PC using the cross-over cable through your NIC and the ethernet port on your xbox.

2. Click Start. Right click My Network Connections and click on "Map Network Drive...".

3. Now click on "Sign up for online storage or connect to a network server". "Add Network Place Wizard" should come up.

4. Select "Choose another Network Location". Hit Next. Type in ftp://xbox:[email protected]. Hit Next. Now type in Xbox for the name of the network place. Hit Next. Now hit Finish.

You are now done!


After you finish open the E:\ and make the following folders: Games, Movies, Apps, and Pictures. These are the folders you add your stuff to.


Setup 2

Items needed:
PC
NIC
Router
Ethernet Cable (not cross-over)

1. Connect the xbox to your router. Since settings on routers differ from one to another, you will to check you DHCP client table. Linksys users can usually access it by going to 192.168.1.1. You should see atleast one there.

Take the last ip address there and add a one to it. That will be your xbox ip address. Make sure you write it down.

2. Start you xbox and go to System Utils then Settings. Go to the setting "Use Static IP" and choose No. Go to the "IP" setting and change it to the IP you wrote down earlier.

3. Now follow steps 2-4 in Setup 1 and will be finished.


Setup 3

Items Needed:
PC
NIC
HUB
Ethernet Cable (not cross-over)

This setup is exactly the same as Setup 1. Only with a straight though cable instead of cross-over. And you connect your xbox through a hub.


Here is an example of the difference between a crossover cable and a normal one.




FAQs:

Q. I still cant get it to work. HELP!!
A. Click here

[SingaBoiy]

Backing up Xbox games with only xISO and FTP.


1. Start up xbox with no game inside. Wait for EvoX dash to load.

2. Insert the game you want and start your FTP.

3. Browse to Xbox, then to the D:\

4. Go to your desktop and make a folder with the name of the game your are backing up.

5. Go back to your FTP. Select all of the files in the D: and drag them to the folder you made on the desktop. This may take up to 30 minutes.

6a. Select the folder and drag it to your xbox E:\Games. You now have an exact copy of the game on your xbox hdd. If you want to save space, before you send it back to your hdd you cant remove files not need like other languages and demos.

6b. Open an app that can make xISO's (qwix, isocraxtion, xiso). Choose to make an xISO and select the folder on the desktop. Then choose to save it to the desktop so you can find it easily. Open up Nero Burning Software and choose to burn an image. Select the xiso you just made. Burn it at a slow speed.

You are done! Now enjoy a backup of a game you purchased at the store.


FAQs

Q. What is the xISO tool for.
A. It is used for extracting the files out of a downloaded game.

Q. What is xISO format?
A. It is the format that xbox uses for there games. Normally a pc would not recognize this format.

Q. I have a game in PAL but I play on a NTSC xbox (or the other way around), what do I do?
A. Most new tvs will play either format. But you can try getting Enigmah Video Switcher if you cant get them to play. It can be found here.


Installing a New Harddrive

At last, here is my guide to installing a new harddrive into your modded xbox. Total process took me around 45 minutes while i was talking to 3 or 4 people on aim.

Items Needed:
Modded Xbox (ready to FTP)
Blank cd-r/rw
Torx screwdriver (sizes T-20 and T-10, T-15 is optional)
xboxhdm_v1.9
A nice big harddrive

1. Download xboxhdm from the Xbins link in my sig. Extract the folder to the desktop.
2. FTP in to your xbox. Go to "E:\backup_linux". Copy "eeprom.bin" and paste in the "xboxhdm_v1.9\xboxhdm\linux\eeprom" in the xboxhdm folder on the desktop.
3. Also copy C: on the xbox and paste in "xboxhdm_v1.9\xboxhdm\linux". Do the same with E:
4. Go back to the main xboxhdm folder and double-click "make-iso-win". This will create an ISO for you to burn and load on your pc. Depending on how much stuff you have saved on your xbox, it should fit on a normal cd-r. A frech xbox will make an ISO 300-310 MB in size.
5. Shut down your pc. Put your new xbox hd in the Primary Master IDE spot. Dont connect any other hds so you dont format the incorrect drive. Insert your disc and boot to cd-rom.
6. At this screen choose option 1, "Boot to VGA console with xbox-drive utilities".


7. At this screen, type in "xboxhd" and hit enter. Without quotes.


8. Do the same when the new screen loads.
9. Type in "yes" at this screen and hit enter.


10. Select "1", "Build a new xbox HD from scratch". Should look like this:


11. It will now ask you if you want to format drives C: and E:. If you have a hd larger then 8 GB. Type in "yes" and hit enter.


Do so 4 more times. The last time should take about 5 minutes using a fresh xbox's files.
12. Type in "yes" and hit enter. This should also take around 5 minutes.
13. When it finishes, hold Ctrl and Alt then hit Delete. This will restart your pc. Boot from cd-rom again.
14. At the main menu, select option "3", "Boot to linux with locking/unlocking utilities".
15. Type in "lockhd -a" without quotes and hit enter.
16. Press "y" and hit enter. This will now "lock" your new hd with the eeprom code from your original xbox hd. The master password is "XBOXSCENE".

Now its time to open your xbox. Get a nice clear area for this. A small, plastic baggy helps to keep all the little screws together.

1. On the under side of your xbox there are 4 padded "feet". Each has one long screw under it. There are also 2 hidden screws under silver stickers. Simply run your finger along the silver stickers to find the other 2 screws. You can just use the screwdriver to poke a hole where the screr is or you can remove the stickers and try to re-aply them. Use the T-20 bit to remove the screws.



2. To remove the top, lay the xbox right-side up. Grab in the middle-bottom of the sides. You can do it with one had at a time or both at the same time. Pull out the sides about 1/2 of an inch and pull up. The inside of your xbox will look like this.


3. Underneath the IDE ribbon is a screw. Its in the middle, the piece that divides the dvd-rom and the hd.
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v4...g/DVC00121.jpg
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v4...g/DVC00122.jpg

4. Unscrew this using the size T-10 screw bit. Unplug the IDE and power cable (molex) from the harddrive. Unwrap the power cable from the plastic pieces on the side.

5. I find it easiest to remove the holder for the hd (the big plastic piece it is screwed to) by lifting from the mid-front and the back side.

6. You will now see 4 torx screws on each side of the hd. Use the T-10 to remove these. Size T-15 is perfect but you dont need it.


7. Put you new hd in the spot your old hd was in. Dont screw it in yet. First set the hd holder in its orignal position. Plug in the power and IDE cables. Boot up the xbox to make sure it runs. If it does you are done (almost.

8. Screw in the hd. Put it in its original position. Screw in the middle screw. Make sure you have the IDE cable under the plastic piece in the middle. Close the case. Screw in the long screws with the size T-20 torx bit.

There are normally 2 pieces of sticky stuff to keep the pads on the bottom of the xbox. One on the pads and the other where they go. If they stuck together and you cant gets the pads to stay on, you can use super glue or some other adhesive to get them to stick. Or you can just leave them off but this will scratch the bottom of your xbox.

FAQS:
How do I know if my harddrive is compatible?
Not ever hd is compatible with the xbox. Lucky for use this page was started for people to post if the hd they tried was/wasn't compatible.

What type of harddrive should I try to get?
ATA-133, 7200 rpm would be perfect. You can get a 5200 rpm and it will still be faster then the retail xbox harddrive.

[Tormentor]

Fuck, now i have to get 50 bucks for that action replay thing. This sounds exciting.

[SingaBoiy]

AR is $30

I have another guide coming for installing a new hdd on a softmodded xbox.

I will add images later when I have more time.

Lots of credit comes out to the guys at xbox-scene that found/created these tools.

[dbs]

great tut thanks, but i cant get itools damn near impossible to find can you help me out?

[Rip The Jacker]

Excellent post!

A couple of questions.

1. This will work on ANY Xbox out to date right? All the versions, all the dashboards, it will work, right?

2. After modding, the EvoX dashboard will take over. Will there be any way to get back to the normal dashboard, like if I want to copy music to the HDD later on. Or for whatever reason.

3. Will there be any easy way to uninstall and remove the whole thing. Like to unmod the Xbox, for any reason.

EDIT:
4. After modding it, can I play burnt games?

I'm pretty sure you answered a few of these questions, I just want to be sure.

[SingaBoiy]

Answers:

1. Yes

2. Yes there is an option on the EvoX dash to load The MS Dashboard.

3. Im not sure about unmodding, sorry.

4. Yes, you can play burned games.


The torrent that has all the files needed in the above posts and the ones to come are going to be on SuprNova soon and maybe filesoup. The will be titled "Xbox Softmodding Tools"

[dbs]

ok thanks sing

[cpt_azad]

nice very nice, damn u singa! only if u posted this b4 i followed the other guide , it's very easy and it's even better than "idiot proof". now i await ur how to install new HDD guide, i'm stuck wit the crappy 8 gb and it's full (games, music wat not)