I have a version 1.1 Xbox and installed the Xecuter 2.6CE with the wire adapter. I get the blue light from the chip, and the system boots up normally but I don't see any Cromwell FlashBios screen that the chip suppose to come "pre-flashed" How do I go about this? Any help is much much appreciated. Below is my installation picture:
Look at the switch bank..one is flash protect on/off. Set it to off. If you are using 1.6 you need a proper 1.6 bios and it needs to be flashed to bank 2 which has flashbios 3.0.3 specially for it. You can also flash a 1.6 on bank 1 by booting the flashbios screen and then changing banks.. (on a 1.1 that doesn't matter..just posted for info) If you still get no flashbios screen the point to check most carefully is d0..or as a test you can ground this point and see if you then get the bios screen. (+v = M$ bios... grounded = chip bios) The soldering on d0 looks a bit grey and powdery..that's the sign of a dodgy connection/dry joint..apart from that the soldering looks good. Just wondering why you didn't use the pinheader... It's just possible that the chip has come without any cromwell on it. In some countries from what I have heard that is the norm for legal reasons (what they are I can't imagine) In which case you will need to "borrow" a programmer.
Janrock, I appreciate your reply, i will resolder the d0 again to see if anything comes on. If not I'll use ur testing method by grounding it. I'm not sure what you mean by 1.6. I have a version 1.1 xbox. I figured the pinhead would save me a lot of trouble, but I somehow lost the pinheader. That's why i'm parranoid about installing this chip in the first place. By the way, I also noticed there's another point for "D0" which located near the pinheader, not the one I'm currently soldered to. Are they the same "D0?" Thanks a bunch, Dreamzboy
Yep, I took out everything and resolder it from scratch. I tested the D0 with ground and when I power it on, the same original XBox screen comes up. I assume if everything is done correctly then the Cromwell Flashbios should be the first screen that I will see when I boot it up?
You are correct. It should boot to the cromwell screen. Some of the recent x2.6 chips have been wired incorrectly with switches reversed. Try the on/off switch in both positions. I will have a further look at the install guide for wire install and get back to you. In the meantime check if it will still play any games.
Yeah, it plays original games without any trouble. I did not know that xecuter makes unreliable chip. Anyway, I'll continue to search around for this symptom. I also ordered another Xecuter 2.6 CE to test when it comes home. Does the "red" dot on my chip has any difference with the "white" dot? Probably newer bios I bet.
at this point, I'm pretty certain that my chip does not come with cromwell flashbios. What's an alternative that I can do without purchasing a programmer? Thanks.
boot the chip in backup (power/eject) and you should defiantly get the FlashBIOS screen. keep in mind that FlashBIOS does NOT work with component cables (RGB). also with the 1.1 you need version 3.03 NOT 3.01 kc
I finally got it to work. I found out that it wasn't the chip that didn't get flashed, it was the switch banks component that came with the chip. I recently purchased another Xecuter 2.6CE Lite, and used the switch bank on the old chip, the infamous bios screen showed up. I was able to flash it with the latest (to my knowledge) X2_4983.67 Bios. ...One small trouble that I have is that when I insert the backed up game into the xbox, burned using Nero as an Image at 4X onto my Verbatim Media DVD+R, I got an error saying that it cannot read the media. My xbox has a Samsung Drive. So my question to you is...Do I need to install EvoX to get it to read backed up games? Unlike before when I modded my friend's xbox, all I did was flashed the chip with the newer bios, and it loads the game fine without any EVOX dashboard....Now it's all a mess. Sorry if i ask some stupid question, I've been reading a lot for the pass 5 days, and of course with every tutorial it's different, and it's sometimes contradicting which makes it all a bloody hell for me. I truly appreciate all your inputs. Dreamzboy
if you aren't booktypying the discs to a -ROM or your burner doesnt support booktyping then goto a -R media, not the +Rs that should solve the problem. kc
Thanks KC. I did a bit of research on the media compatibility with Xbox. I decided to stick with memorex DVD-R for safe.
The samsung drives in the older machines are pretty tolerant of disks. You should be able to handle cd-r and rw without any problem. I use ridata 8x dvd-r because I can't book-type anything. They are cheapos too. How to proceed with the software install. Find and download an autoinstaller disk.. Various are about..slayers 2.7, xwizard..bonesx 360hackers xboxhq.. Not much to choose between them apart from the included emulators. Un-rar the files to an iso, then burn it on one of your dvd's and boot the box with it in.. Then follow the menus. Funny about that switch. I have seen a few wired incorrectly too... kc..3.0.3 is for all..3.0.1 is for everything but 1.6b ;-)
Not that i said any differently anywhere at all above, there are 1.6's that have problems booting 3.0.3 so i will now say officially, 3.0.3 is NOT for everything, some 1.6's (not b's) just wont boot it, other 1.6's are just very slow to boot it. kc
