Upgrading HD on Softmodded Xbox Tutorial

LOL i'm getting mixed reviews now....gotta love that.

agadabar all those links used to work but that was more than 2 years ago. The files were taken down because the 360 had been out for a couple years. Now you have to download the Auto Installer Deluxe disc and that should solve most of your problems.

Auto Installer Deluxe 4.50

It's a torrent file so you'll need to download a torrent client and then when it's downloaded you have to burn the iso to the disc (if you don't understand how to do this let me know)

And just where do i start with swango? hmmm...

Swango the only reason i said what i did is because you double posted. If you didn't double post i wouldn't have cared, i'm trying to help you out and if you want to be an ass then go for it IDGAF. You don't even know that you have to partition and format a drive before you use it, doesn't matter the application. Just because most computer os discs partition the hard drive automatically you think the xbox does it too, and obviously that isn't the case. I've always used AID to format the new drive. I personally hate the way unleashx is setup and i've been using avalaunch since the st.db audio exploit with the disc since mid 2002.

A couple years later i upgraded to a 500 gig, i used the aid disc to format the drive (like i had for years before that). I ended up getting data corruption in the end because the partition was over 137gb and it wasn't formatted with 32k clusters. So i had to repartition and reformat my drive. From that day on i advise people to use the application that will save them in the end.

The only reason it said you edited the post before i answered is because i write books here on afterdawn. You'll always see my posts being about 3 or 4 paragraphs long if i have to explain something. It doesn't mean anything that you edited it before i hit the post button, you still double posted.

So with that said i'll leave you alone, the forums are no place to aruge about this childish bs. If you want to say something to me you can pm me.

 

yea, that is the same auto installer i used, but when i put the disk in the box it was just a black screen for 3 hours (thought maybe it had to load) I will try it again, what program do you recommend to burn the ISO?

 

Actually I used the xboxhdm to build a new drive worked just fine, thanks for concern.
Yes, I haven't posted in awhile as it seems that everytime I do someone has something negative to say because I am a "junior member" or some reason. I try at all times to be positive and helpful but there are those who must nitpick and be negative when I am merely trying to help.

As far as the question at hand, I do know that you can copy the modded hard drive files from somewhere (like C4RN1's cheater C into xboxhdm 1.9 and hotswap the hard drive from the xbox into the computer and the build the original hard drive into a modded one. Then you can ftp the files including EEPROM to the computer make another xboxhdm disc using those files and now you can make any lockable hard drive into an xbox hard drive. The disc partitions the drive automatically. It builds C: and E: and asks if you want to buildn partion F: A brand new hard drive that has not been formatted can be put into a computer as a slave drive, formatted, and then used as an xbox drive. All of this works, I know for a fact, because I have done it many times (without the hotswap as I have the discs and files to mod and can FTP a copy of my entire drive to my computer, skipping the hotswap)
@Agadabar:
I understand that you have tried this method and it did not work for you. My point merely is that it does in fact work, not to degrade you at all. AS I look back through the thread you have a post saying your xbox is already modded and you are just trying to upgrade but you do not have dvd burner? All you had to do was ftp just your C: and E: to the computer. If somehow you are over the 700mb for a cd just delete the emulators or apps folder, or both, out of the E: drive and it should then fit on a cd and not require a dvd. It just depends on how many Applications and Emulators you have on your xbox. With your EEPROM also backed up you can then use Xboxhdm 1.9 to then make your disc (CD) and anytime you have a problem with your hard drive or to upgrade you have the proper files for your xbox handy on a disc. All the hotswap and all that is not even necessary as your box is modded. There should be no discrepency in your file system as you are using your own files. If need be you can always add the Apps and Emulators folders to the new drive and start installing all that was removed from the folders after you build the new hdd.
you had 2 posts 4 miutes apart and I only saw the second one that had my name in it. When i saw that you wrote that you did not have the games to mod I was unaware of the previous post stating that your xbox was already modded.
One thing...you can copy the Apps and Emulators folders to your computer as a back up and then after you make your cd, build the new drive and all just FTP those folders back to where they were in E: They do not have to be on the xboxhdm disc. Any games that you had in F: Games can be copied to your computer using a program like Qwix that actually reads from your Xbox and makes an ISO file on your computer. being as though you do not have a dvd burner though you will have to unpack the ISO and FTP it back into the games folder.

Sorry for the long post I had a lot to say.

 

Yeah ftping those files and even using other modded dash files works 100% of the time if you know what you're doing. I usually backup the eeprom then make the xboxhdm disc depending on the xbox version. I hardly ever backup the whole box unless they ask for their saves.

agadabar are you talking about burning aid4.5.iso to a cd-r? You need a dvd-r or it probably won't read the disc. More than likey that's your problem. You could have a worse problem and have the dreaded philips drive (philips don't read much of anything) but we should take this one step at a time.

Can you ftp to the box yet?

 

All back on track? .. good ..

Philips drives are horrid.. I found they are random which will read cd and which won't.. even swapped a cd reading laser for a non read in a drive once.. same drives.. just shows the poor quality control. To get a tommy to read cd-r .. don't finalize the disk XD

Now then softmods. First thing I always did was back up the whole drive.. everything.. then mirror it onto the new drive and just lock it. I have a cheat for the locking which doesn't involve using xboxhdm.. but if I tell people it will just lead to a heap of pointless questions and stupid queries from people not skilled enough to make it work... works for me easily.. involves a little bit of linux magic.. and in the case of the old cyrix333 I use one very simple little hardware mod.... another story.

ftp is easy..

make sure the numbers all match.. and unless you are using a router in the network make sure there is NO default gateway number on the pc end of the settings... that is the most common fault people make.. they try using the pc ip as default gateway.. ain't never going to work.. Then reboot everything.. On doze I found ws_ftp-pro works best from all the ftp apps I have tried..and I tried most of them.. including just explorer.. which seems very picky about permissions between reboots.. the biggest pain was flashfxp.. nasty program that.. seems unstable.. gftp on linux on a dhcp enabled network with a main router/firewall/mailserver/nameserver setup works better. I don't remember the last time I couldn't connect an xbox.. even on strange hardware in strange houses... once you have done it once it's easy. Google a basic winduhz network setup guide..(good one on geekgirls.. by me no less) and follow it.. it's that simple.

 

I am understanding that Agadabar does not have a dvd burner and therefor is trying to make a cd instead. This is why I said use xboxhdm and the computer to build the hard drive as your computer will read the cd-r if even the xbox will not. I wrote several backups of my games onto cd-r like crash bandicoot twinsanity that was less than 700mb and it didnt work in my xbox. If I use the same program (dvdecrypter) and write it to dvd it then works flawlessly.

 

Sorry about the double post thing, i was new and did not know how to edit my post, but i quickly found out how to.

Ok I guess i put in a little confusion. My tower that i was using to make the modded HD does not have a DVD player in it. the Mod disk i was making was DVD size (burned on my laptop) BUT that is no longer a problem as I was able to finally create a CD sized disk to mod the drive.

My current problem is that the x box will not read the DVD i made (on my laptop) with the auto installer on it -- and yes I think i have the Phillips DVD Drive.

also the DVD disks i have are Dual Layer 8.5 gig disks - is that a problem?

I was able to FTP my apps over to the x box (had to install unleash X dashboard), I tried to FTP my emulators but that did not work out completely, I think it is just a file directory problem, i can go into the file manager and load them that way, they just don't show up in the emulators section on the dashboard (think i have to figure out where the dashboard is looking for them at)

the emulators are no big problem, the box is modded and large enough to hold a few games -- 20gig drive cuz my 80 gig messed up.

my 80gig stopped working - does not seem to power on? can i fix it or is it dead?

Thanks for all the help,
Agadabar

 

I'm sorry what mod disc DVD are you referring to? If you mean Aid i can not help you maybe Varnull or C4RN1 can help. an 8.5 should not be a problem though as store purchased movies are on 8.5s. Do any discs read in your drive , as you said cd's dont work either right?
can you not ftp your files to your computer make a xboxhdm cd and rebuild your 20 like that? It works for me everytime... I just have never used AID so I can not comment on how to use or what is wrong
sorry

Also I think larger games are on 8.5s like Halo 2 as I know i had to remove some multiplayer files to burn it to a 4.7 or a dvd-5 if you prefer.


Sorry for the multiple edits but it is 630 am here and i have been playing poker all night...super tired...

However if you hard drive does not seem to be getting any power then most likely it is in fact dead

 

Yeah, it's probably a philips dvd drive....

Does the top look like this?

 

I am rushing off to work now, but i will check the DVD drive when i get home.

We can ignore the mod problems i was having, the box is modded and has unleash x.

the DVD drive DOES read xbox games - i put a few onto it including halo 2 but those loaded quickly. it registers the all in one disk i put in but just goes to a black screen. I am going to try to remake the disk tonight - my DVDs are not RW is that the problem?

 

I have both +R and -R dvds (TYPO) with no problem. They do not have to be RW. it sounds to me as though it could be something in the mod, which allows the system to read burned discs. If it reads printed (stamped) discs with no problem but not burned discs then I would check your mod. It may be the drive but seeing as though it does read real games no problem, that would be my guess. I can not claim to be an expert on that but since no one else offered help I just put in my educated guess.....try playing a copied xbox game in the drive and see if it works if you already have not. If that does work then it may just be the AID disc you made is corrupt or faulty.

 

yes.. they will be a problem.. for reliability use 8x dvd-r .. brand not really important.. even a cmc will usually work... 16x are iffy and + disks (no matter what the bitsetting is) are unreliable at best...

Also aid needs to be an xiso.. cloneXB is probably the easiest way to make one from a folder of files.. and the aid dash file NEEDS to be called "default.xbe"

 

Do you have a link i can use?

 

so this was a project i started back in 06 and never got around to finishing.
ive decided to give it another go.
goal-get my 160gb HD in my softmodded xbox and install xbmc on it
what i have-xbox, 160gb HD, a laptop, some blank cds, a router for ftp purposes(or is it easier with a crossover cable, bc its very inconvenient getting the router each time)

Everytime i start reading a tutorial i hit a point that isnt familiar and it discourages me.
any volunteers for allowing me to contact them through pm or other in case i get stuck and dont end up with lots of wasted time?

I really want to do this. im computer savy enough and know how to follow directions just always get stuck at something.

 

It's time to finish your project.....pm sent.

 

I'm following this tutorial on upgrading to a bigger HD (Western Digital HD 500G IDE|WD 7K 16M ATA100 WD5000AAKB)

http://www.techfreaks.org/articles/modxbox2.shtml

I follow this tutorial to point where you start copying files to C and E. Doesn't find the files on the CD, though I burned it correctly and can explore the cd and find them fine. Any ideas?

Also, in the xbrowser (Midnight Commander) after having formatted the partitions for XBOX, I copied all the files manually and that works fine. Now I can't lock the hd. It asks for my eeprom which I navigate to correctly, but still doesn't find it.

Anyone out there had similar problems?

 

Quick question, i didn't open a new thread b/c there are so many open right now, and this pertains to the subject.

I am going to soft-mod my Xbox as soon as my AR Max comes in (on order) can i install a new hard drive before i soft-mod. Or do i have to soft-mod first, and then install the new hard drive?

There is just so much out there im confused, and a straight answer would make it really simple. Thanks guys!!

 

@Altus580

OK heres as simple as I think I can get....

1. copy files to AR card

2. insert card into controller slot

3. copy files from AR card to hard drive of Xbox

4. insert appropriate game for which you have both game and soft mod files...splinter cell (original or platinum hits); Mechassault or 007

5. load the saved game (exploit) from the hard drive, this will start the soft mod process.

6. Choose firstly to back up EEPROM and then M$ dash.

7. Then choose which boot you wish to have, for example a single boot where only modded dash comes up, or a dual boot in which you can boot either to modded dash or original M$ dash so that you can play Xbox live.

8. Allow the mod files to finish copying, take out the game disc and reboot.

9. At this time softmod should be complete ( depending on which mod you chose you may have to push A after reboot to finish copying a couple more files)

10. Hook Xbox up to computer via router, or crossover cable, however you wish to transfer files to your computer from the Xbox.

11. Copy C: and E: folders from your Xbox to your computer using a program such as Smartftp or Flashfxp, or another FTP client program.

12. Put the copied folders in the appropriate location in XboxHDM 1.9 (there will be C: and E: folders already, simply copy over these with yours.

13. Burn the XBOXHDM linux disc by double clicking the icon (providing you have a burn program installed on your computer)

14. Put your new lockable hard drive into the computer that you are going to use to format the drive in as master hard drive and have your cd drive as master optical drive. My pentium 4 doesnt not work for some reason for XBOXHDM so I have a pentium III 800mhz that I use just to format drives using XBOXHDM. Its just a shell of a system, ram, cd, cables and power. I dont even keep the outer shell on it so i can get in and out faster

15. Make sure the bios is set to boot from cd and try not to use the (Auto) feature to locate the HDD as this has given me problems almost everytime I set to (Auto) Usually you can start in (Auto) then once the HDD is located you can switch to (User) and save.

16. Insert the disc you made from XBOXHDM and boot. When it asks, press space bar to continue.

17. You will be given 4 options, choose to "boot VGA console" then in the next 8 options choose "build an xbox hd from scratch"

18. Each time it asks "this will format drive contine yes/no" type the word yes and hit enter.

19. When it says complete, type the word reboot and it will reboot.

20. This time when it gives 4 options choose to use lock/unlock tools.

21. At the command prompt type "lockhd -a" without the quotes..

22. If done correctly it will let you know that it was successfully completed.

23. Shut the system down and install the hard drive into you xbox and turn on... This shouldbe everything.


Here is chunkhead's tutorial on how to softmod....
http://forums.afterdawn.com/thread_view.cfm/558747

and another on how to change hard drive.....
http://forums.afterdawn.com/thread_view.cfm/533828

both come with pictures to make this really simple...

CHUNKHEAD'S tutorial is the correct way of doing these things...mine is from memory, I do not think I have but I may have left something out. I am merely giving you the order in which stuff needs to be done to make it all simple. If you have any questions feel free to ask.

 

Wow! Amazing help, thank you so much Swago. I cant imagine how many times you've probabley recited that info, but it is much appreciated. Looks like I just need to wait for the AR kit to come in the mail. Again, thank you!

--Hopefully next time I post it will be to tell you how well the soft-mod worked!!

 

Yw and yeah let us know....actually i have modded so many xbox's i recited all that from memory.. ha! Hope all works well, and if you need anything like how to copy or burn (your owned discs, of course) contact me and I will help with that, or emulators, Xbox Media Center, or whatever ya decide to do with your box after its modded.