I am trying to backup Project Gotham Racing. I used FlashFxp to get the file to my computer. I used XISO to create the ISO and used Easy Cd Creator 6.0 to burn the ISO on Imation DVD-RW with a Sony DVD-/+RW burner. The game worked on the DVD-RW so I burned it to a Princo DVD-R. It worked for a few days then it quit working, and I got a black screen with white writing saying the DVD was dirty or damaged. I have since used SimpleX ISO to create the ISO file and ECDC to burn on the same DVD-RW & a new Ritek DVD-R and I still get the same error. I used another Xbox with a mod chip and I get the same results. What can I do? Am I doing something wrong? Do I need to clean the laser or adjust the laser? I am sure that both of the Xbox drives are Thompson. Please Help!!!
Thompson drives suck. They are the worst of the 3 XBOX drives. Samsung being the best followed by Philips. The lasers will work harder to read a backup copy of a game but it's seems a bit excessive for your laser to have suffered to the point where backup games will now not load. So maybe first thing would be to try and clean the laser. If that doesn't work the best thing to do to make sure it is the XBOX itself and not your backup procedure would be to try to boot the game on an XBOX with a Samsung drive. If it works then you know it's your laser and you can either get another XBOX, change the drive (if you can get a Samsung drive out of an XBOX) or adjust the laser which is relatively easy as long as you are VERY careful when turning the screw on the pot and use a multimeter if possible to measure the ohms and adjust it in increments that way. Not sure if adjusting the laser will guarantee your games to boot as I don't bother with Thompson drives at all. I know this might sound stupid but a friend of mine had the same kind of trouble (intermittent booting) with a Thompson drive and all he did was buff and clean the disc with a soft clean cloth (even if it wasn't dirty) and it just used to work.
Well I did some more looking into this and maybe someone can narrow down my issue. I have since positn this messege reburned the Evox ISO to a Imation DVD-RW, which I know the games work on because I tested them at one point, but to make sure I know the ISO for Evox work so I burned it to the Imation and it worked fine. I used alcohol to clean the laser, and I used the DVD cleaner with a soft cloth to clean the burned game I was once able to play, with no luck. So I have narrowed it to this now.. I can use SimpleX ISO to create ISO's, Easy CD Creator works to burn the ISO to disk, I verified that the files from the game to make the ISO are identical to the original, and I know Imation DVD-RW's work. So is it the DVD drive in my Xbox? I don't know anyone with a Samsung drive and a mod chip to test on... so what do I do now? How can I adjust the POT's on the laser? Anyone know of a tutorial or site? I don't know which direction to turn them or which ones to turn. Thanks for the help!!
Go here and have a look at this guide http://www.i-hacked.com/modules.php?name=News&file=article&sid=31 Just be VERY careful when you turn that screw. A quarter turn could be too much. If you know how to use a multimeter then thats much safer than turning it blind. Good luck
Kick ass... thanks... I'll give it a try and see if I can get it to work.. do you know if I can replace the DVD Drive with a better DVD drive? Can I go to someplace like Best Buy and buy a DVD Rom drive and replace the one I have? Thanks!
Yes you can swap the drive for a standard PC drive but it will then only read backups and not originals. Better to try the laser tweak first. I'm interested to see if it works so let me know. Just one more thought. Are you having trouble playing any backup or just certain ones because maybe your chip is the fault. Maybe a broken contact.
I checked the connections on my chip and they are all connected as they should be. I would assume since I know that you have to have a mod chip to play the Evox DVD-RW I burned, and it works, so games should would work also. I can't play any of the backups I have. I have 2 and I can't get either of them to work... I'll let you know hopefully tonight if I can get the laser adjustment to work. Thanks!
I tried to adjust the POT and now my Xbox will not read any games. I obviously screwed it up. I guess I will have to just buy a new drive and get a samsung drive.
Did you use a multimeter ? Did you turn it the right way (counter clockwise) It's possibly fixable if you didn't turn it too much.
I have a multimeter but I have no idea how it works on Ohms... ther are 5 different settings and I only got a reading on 2 of them. The reading was like 2.96 ?? But I just tried turning the POT a little but at a time and trying to see if it worked. I turned it all the way to the end counter clockwise and all the way up clockwise... and no luck. Then when I tried to set it back to the way it was the DVD drive now won't read games. I am not sure how the person who wrote the tutorial got the values, I followed the directions but I did not get the same readings or any readings at all. I am assuming where I have it now whas where I began but I can't tell. I used a marker to mark where I started but I adjusted it so much I scraped off the marker. Any suggestions would help... I just think the DVD drive is crappy... Even if I got it to read a original game it still won't read burnt games... I'd like to figure out this whole mess so I can get on with playing... this has gotten way to complicated and expensive. I have no idea how other people get their Xboxes to read burnt disks with the Thompson drive or why mine worked then quit reading them??
You really turned it waaaaay too far. I said in a previous post that a quarter turn may be too much. A quarter of 1 turn. Thats a tiny tiny amount, and that is all that is needed. You need to set your multimeter to the marking that says 2000. That will read anything upto 2000 Ohms. You need to place the postive end on one of the points marked with a red arrow in the tutorial I gave you and the negative on the other point marked with a red arrow. Look at the reading you get from teh meter. Then adjust the screw VERY VERY steadily until you get a reading of around 850 Ohms, but you may have screwed it up beyond repair. They are VERY delicate I cannot stress it enough, how little you need to turn that screw.
Thanks for the info. I did follow your instructions, but the Xbox pissed me off and I was just trying different things to get it to work. I did turn it way to far.... but maybe this is a good thing and I can go buy a Samsung DVD drive now. The info on the multimeter will be very helpful... Thanks a lot!!
