XBOX classic HD replacement suggestions ?

Hello, first topic, I hope it's the right section.
I've found this forum while looking for guides and it has really helped me (thanks!), so I hope to find more reliable answers.

K, enough intro:
I have bought a modded XBox classic/original/first model, with EvoX and other installed Dashboards. I was able to connect it via FTP, finally.
But my hard disk is 4GB, too little for my expectations, so I tried replacing it with another one... fail. I got a 17 (or 16) error, telling me that I have to take the Xbox to maintenance.

I know I have to use Slayer's Drive Installer but the question is: the manual says that it may corrupt the softmod. Is it true? How can I prevent that or how can I check if it's not going to mess anything ?
Can I use a Verbatim CD-R 700mb to burn the install disc ?

In case I do something horrible, I have already backuped all the contents of the Xbox, but what can I do in case something fails ? Can I just replace the old HD and it's allright ?

Also which HD should I buy ? All I know it must be a IDE 3.5" (SATA ? PATA ?)... I think that 250GB is good for me, but I don't know, any suggestion is welcome! Thank you all in advance.

 

sorry for bumping, anybody willing to answer my questions?

 

If I knew anything about it, I would help. However, this may give you some idea of how large a hard drive you can install and how to do it-

https://forums.afterdawn.com/threads/can-i-put-a-4tb-hard-drive-in-an-xbox-one-s.767349/

 

that's about XBox One :/ I'm talking about Xbox classic/ first model / original.

 

whats it say on your original drive?from what ive read they are pata drives about 8 or 10 gb in size.here is one article that covers and upgrade to a 500gb drive.
https://www.instructables.com/id/Original-XBOX-Hard-Drive-Upgrade/

 

That's really interesting I'll probably try that method
Is there a way I can do that with a PC I mean what if plug the xbox hard disk to the PC and do the cloning on the other HD ?

Also: I have another HD, that's totally different (like totally another model). Do converters/adapters work ? like this one: https://www.ebay.it/itm/Pata-IDE-to...HDD-to-Serial-ATA-SATA-Converter/392804877991

 

Yep it's an old PC, I think it mounts those older models. Not sure though. Probably I'll just buy the right HD according to the compatibility list and stick to the guide. Guess I need that Y cable too...

btw I also find this if anyone else is interested
https://www.reddit.com/r/originalxbox/wiki/chimp

 

WARNING:
Before you do anything under no circumstances make any changes to partitions or data on the hard drive that came from it. Failure to adhere to this will result in a non functioning xbox & loss of eeprom. You must extract all contents of C & E partitions by any means necessary make sure you extract two copies of each to different areas of your pc

You most likely have a softmod
If you have a chip you should be able to see the chip from the outside. Facing the front of the xbox go to the left side & look through the grill near the front with a torch. Work your way back to where the grill ends. Directly in front of that you should see a chip hovering above the mother board. If you do see it your hdd change is going to be made easy

Your original hdd is locked which is why you have error codes & most likely missing the dash. There is a lst of xbox codes for the original xbox

Sata adapters work fine. Get the one that has option for master/slave set pin to master which should be set there from factory when you order it

HDDRaw copy can clone your xbox drive to another on the pc without need for an xbox. However it will need to be the same size

You can install up to a 2tb hdd whether 3" or 2". However this requires you install the correct flash/mod to get past the hard drive size limit the same goes for hard drives below this.

Here is where you will get help if not youtube

https://retrozone.co/forums/forum.php

"I REPEAT: UNDER NO CIRCUMSTANCES MAKE ANY CHANGES TO YOUR HDD UNTIL YOU HAVE EXTRACTED CONTENTS OF C & E PARTITIONS"


I'll be back later with tools you'll need. There is a boot cd called Hexan that can upgrade your mod. It should be at retro

 

Hi
Well, I actually don't know which kind of mod my XBox has, probably it's indeed softmodded, I don't know and I'm pretty scared to un-screw anything but the Hard Disk which I tried to swap, just to not mess anything else as I'm usually a disaster with techy stuff.
So, the guide here https://www.instructables.com/id/Original-XBOX-Hard-Drive-Upgrade/ refers to soft-modded Xbox, can I follow it anyway ?
For example, once I ftp Chimp to my Xbox, use a 120GB drive with PATA to SATA adapter, will it probably work ? Just to make you figure it out, it's a 2" thin HD, I currently use a USB adapter to make it an external HD for my PC. It should like this https://xboxdrives.x-pec.com/?p=drive&did=6339 (but it's MK1255GSX, probably it works anyway?)
I could just buy a HD I found on ebay, but I want to limit any possible cost if possible (and an adapter is cheaper than a HD, of course), that's why I'm asking.

The previous HD is still there, I didn't touch it or its settings, I also downloaded to my PC hard drive all the files I found via FTP. In case of any disaster, what should I do with them ?

About Hexen, is it an installer that works with a CD ? Example, I burn it to a CD, then I run it with the new HD already connected and it does all the work ? Something like that would be the best as I'm just planning to but a blank CDR and a SATA-PATA adapter.

 

Best create an account at retro you will get the help required there for updated methods to modding & upgrading

hexen works as you have said

All files should be kept safe & can be re transferred back to the hdd when required or if a balls up has happened

I have no experience with softmodding hence i say go to retro you will get the help you need as they deal with old consoles & have done so for years under the original website theisozone


Youtubers who have mod vids
https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCm9COMxXKm05BQWNv-IpyPg


https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCPj1he37PRDbmwccEtB9eCA

 

I see, thanks.
Anyway I checked the Evox settings, and it says the HD is not locked / lockable.
I'm clueless, lol. Somebody tell me what to do.

Long story made short:
-I have a 120GB HD to replace my soft-modded original Xbox HD
-All I want to do is to buy an adapter (the 120GB HD is a 2.5" SATA), swap the hard disks and make the consolle recognize the new HD, possibly with an installer CD or a simpler/cheaper/safer method.

 

Softmods require a hard drive to be locked.
Like i said head over to retro they have the experts your looking for

I also forgot there is another mod called TSOP flash which when used directly replaces the flash on the original xbox mod chip. You will need to determine what mod you have before proceeding

 

I'd rather understand how things work before doing anything. I'm no big expert so I can't touch the Xbox more than I actually know. Honestly, anything that sounds like an update or an edit of the current mod scares me, I want to leave it all like it is and in this case Hexen doesn't look promising, even if it may work ( I just don't dare to touch anything but the necessary, I don't want to screw things).

What I need to understand, in fact, is : are those partitions "C, E, F, X, Y, Z" I see in the file browser of the XBox belonging to the HD? I mean, if I boot up an HD with the same partitions and same files in it, but different size for F partition (which has "games", it seems), will it work ? So I can just copy paste the system files in the new HD, swap it and use it easy
Does the Xbox load the EvoX from the HD, or is there another memory for booting the necessary system files?
What is the eprom ? How can I prevent it from being dangered or corrupted?

Sorry for the many questions, as I said before I need to understand, not just do blindly.
And I need to know correctly, as it's stressing for me and probably dangerous if anything goes wrong, so I can't just jump from a guide to the other, also minding the costs.

 

C = partition is where you have the dash that eventually loads after flubber boot
E = Contains eeprom & other essential files that were read by an eeprom reader that was connected to the chip/cpu on the xbox/ . The chip holds the original initial boot files before passing over to the xbox dash on C. If eeprom goes missing from the hdd or is lost you will need an eeprom reader or mod chip to get it back (mod chips don't require an eeprom to boot the xbox). Loss of eeprom from the hdd will result in non booting error code

All other partitions are not important which is why i stated do not loose the data on them i/e C & E. However if you have those partition files backed up you're safe to mod away

Again C & E are the only data that you need to backup. F is your games & won't be touched by any mod upgrade you do. It will still be there, unless you select the partitioning tool by mistake, which is highly unlikely

F & G are where you put games,music etc. You can put games into E however i wouldn't recommend it

x y z are cache only, you don't need to save them

Basically you need to read tuts & watch vids until you understand what your doing or go to retro.

If you boot hexan you can ftp all the files you need to save. Then safely update the mod. If it fails to mod you just ftp the files you saved back

There is no cost money wise or anything else if your files on c & e are backed up

If you have the files backed up all you need do is put the new hdd into the box. Use the partitioner on hexen to create the partitions,since it should boot then ftp your back up copies to the correct partitions then proceed with using hexen to update the dash if there is an update or you can ftp a new dash to C.


Again reading & watching vids is what you need do

OK it appears i have downloaded the isozone xbox forum before it got closed down this will have the tuts you need. I have it uploading to the cloud i will post the link when it finishes. It's around 4gb in size

 

wow, thanks a lot, that was really helpful, yeah I have to read more before doing anything, I'll search more on the web and probably register to retrozone for further help.

wow, that's a lot of stuff, I think you should make a topic for that and get it stickied (I've read in the rules you can ask the mods about it), I'm confident that a lot of people can benefit from it.

I think I can use the Hexen cd (it's a iso I can download, right?) and see what happens, if it's an update of EvoX and I can just recover the files if anything goes wrong, then I guess I should not worry too much, I just have to try.
About the eeprom fail, I tried to load the new HD and it just gave me the 16 (or was it 17) error.
I switched to the previous HD (the original one with evox and stuff) and it all ran no problem... maybe this means the eeprom was not needed/the consolle is hardmodded ? I know I can just open it up and check myself, just wanna know if these are signs that the consolle is hardmodded or not. Another strange thing: to properly turn on the consolle I have to hold the power button, if I just press it the consolle gives me the 16 error.

 

Forget about using your original hdd & only use it to extract files do not modify at this time

Your hdd will error due to no dash installed on C & no eeprom on E. Unless you have a modchip then you can use hexen or AID to auto install required files. A tsop flash (cpu firmware is overwritten with mod) will require eeprom

I would open the box very carefully there are vids on youtube of how to do it & see if there's a modchip. Or if it's a tsop flash there will be small wires soldered to the chip/cpu to areas on the mobo

Xbox error codes here & what they mean
https://forums.afterdawn.com/threads/xbox-error-codes-explained-go-here-first.373255/

Hexen is an iso
Hexan has the partitioner on it & can be used to set the partitions automatically.
Once partitions are set you can then ftp the back up files of C & E. However there may be an issue with the hard drive size limit as larger hdd's require a firmware to bypass any size restrictions, tho i'm not sure 120 will require it. Only one way to find out

I have AID & will supply that once upload of xbox is complete it will require a dvd . It's like hexen only larger with more tools.

 

sorry, I just checked and the boot error is 5, means that the current HD is not locked , probably it's not the original one.

In system settings it says:
BIOS VERSION Unknown
KERNEL 1.00.5838.1
XBOX HARDWARE INFO 00000201 A3 B2

In Bioschecker it says:
CHIP TYPE HOMEBREW (bf52)

hope this info is of any help

no hurry for the upload, of course I still need to find an adapter in my town (and finish Halo as well).

 

Check pm for mega link.
Download the folder.
The file inside that says index is what you use to open in a browser
Once opened you should see a link near & just below the top left. Click on it.
The forum list will be there as tho you were browsing an actual forum