softmodding my sexy Xbox!

[Arce]

The idea is to mod it without breaking warranty, and without paying 30$ for a mod chip. =P

So, essentially, you get Linux on your xbox and then have a game as your Linux boot disk (either 007: Agent under fire, Splinter Cell, or Mechassault (non of the platinum editions work.)

Doing so, however, may be hard unless you know how and have the right tools. The tools include a VMU, a VMU->USB converter and a codebreaker. Together, these cost as much as a mod chip. So, what do you do without these?

IMPROVISE!

Xbox controllers are USB 100%, except with a few additions. This includes an extra wire almost never used (extra controller thingy, mainly used for transferals such as light gun. Standard controller doesn't need it) and a fat end that won't fit into your computer.

What you do is cut the wire. Tear out the yellow (uneeded one). Then cut a USB cable. See a resembelence in the wire colors? Black and white are for electrical current, red and yellow are data. Solder the wire together. ((you can also do this without cutting--It works fine to have a normal xbox controller with a usb cable sticking out the side)) Now you have an xbox controller that'll work on the computer as a joystick!

K, now plug somethign into the other end of the with flash memory (preferably not an mp3 player, as it will format it and become complete useless--It will no longer know how to communicate with the computer and therefore can't be recovered.) Plug it into xbox. It'll format it. If you're using a flash drive (like me) you can just use the female end of a USB cable with no problems.

Now after formatting and an error saying corrupt data, put it in your computer. There's freeware you can get to let you dump save files onto Xbox memory cards. Use it, hex a few files to allow windows to install a driver, then dump on the linux install file exclusive to one of the above games. Put the memory card back in and the game. Load the installer...And TADAA~! LINUX!

Play burned stuff. Do whatever. Now you can lan w/ computer w/o problem and drag & drop games, music, etc.

Mine isn't fully workign yet b/c I stupidly bought the platnium version of 007 rather then the original, so the install won't work. I'll tell you how it goes when it do get it working.

Oh, yeah, and the USB cross works beautifully. don't be afraid to try it. I didn't even solder, i just tied the wires & it works like a charm.

[JS Lemming]

Maybe just post the link to the tutorial instead?

[Arce]

1) There isn't a 'tutorial,' who said there was? It's a collection of over 10, all drawn together to have my certain conditions met (my not having memory card, money, converter, codebreaker, etc) Essentially, I learned up by reading a shitload until I was ready to risk ruining my xbox. xD

2) Um. The purpose of this post wasn't to teach you how to mod it. It's not a tutorial ((it would be a sticky topic, and likely wouldn't have had a personalized topic name such as 'MY sexy xbox', which clearly depicts that I'm about to tell about MY experience with modding rather than telling you how to do YOURS)) It was simply made to tell you what I'VE gone through with mine and what *I* had to do to get mine working.

3) Uhh...If you want links to softmodding tutorials, they're not exactly hard to find. Google it. The problem is, all the information is scattered about. Hmm...Gimme a sec to find some of the better ones i used....

http://gear.ign.com/articles/432/432888p1.html
http://forums.xbox-scene.com/lofiversio ... 56910.html
*http://forums.xbox-scene.com/index.php?showtopic=262740
http://mesh.typepad.com/blog/2005/01/cr ... _usb_.html

yeah, those 4 were the most useful...But damn, i lost the USB cable link ((somehwere on wikipedia that explains about 25 different ways to add usb abilities to your xbox, from turning your memory card into a flash drive port (female usb) to adding one to the xbox's power supply directly.

If you really want to do some of these USB thing, I'm confident I know how, after having read up on it, and I could explain to you how it's done. Or, you can get your lazy ass up and find the same tutorial I did. =P

But yeah, my USB creation was different than those of any other I've seen online--I rigged mine to have a female port on the part of the cord that attaches to the xbox and controller ((the thing that prevents you from puling your xbox off the shelf or somehting)) without destroying its ability to work with the controller.

I have not yet tried making peripherals work on xbox ((usb keyboard or something)) and don't know if I'll get time. That's another discussion for another day.

[JS Lemming]

my bad.