Xbox:Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)

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This is the FAQ page for /r/OriginalXbox. Here you'll find most of the info you'll need to start using homebrew on your Xbox. A list of definitions can be found at the bottom of this post. If a question isn't here that you feel should be, please message one of the moderators.

Click here to view the rest of the Original Xbox Wiki!

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)

What is the point of softmodding or hardmodding your console?

The intent of exploiting your console is to allow execution of homebrew software on the Xbox. Exploiting your console will allow you to:

  • Play backups of Xbox games with no region locks.
  • Use developer firmware and debug features on your console.
  • Use your console without a DVD drive.
  • Install XBMC, a Media Center application in which you can download plugins such as TV channels and Torrent Streamers.
  • Install homebrew games and apps.

What is the clock capacitor, and why should I remove it?

The clock capacitor is a component that keeps your system clock running in case of a power outage or if the Xbox is unplugged for a few hours. Just around the 10 year anniversary of the Xbox, people started noticing the clock capacitors were leaking acid onto the motherboard. If left in, the acid will eat through the silicon and permanently destroy the motherboard, even if the console has not been touched. For this reason, it's strongly advised to take 10 minutes to remove your clock capacitor using this guide. Motherboard revision 1.6 does not have this problem.

Does it matter what model of Xbox I have, or can all models be exploited?

All models can be softmodded using the ENDGAME exploit, Game Save Exploits or Hotswap method. There are modchips designed for each motherboard revision, and each one has its own compatibility with them. Revisions 1.0 through 1.5 can be TSOP flashed; revision 1.6 does not have a TSOP chip to flash as the BIOS is built into the Xyclops ROM.

You can check your motherboard revision here

Do revision 1.5 motherboards exist?

Probably not. There were two reported cases of 1.5 from Hong Kong by respected members of the Xbox scene. As Xbox Scene has long disappeared, there exists no proof, and none have been found and documented any other time, lending many to believe they never existed in the first place, and earning them the title of "Unicorn Xbox". The only reported differences are that pin 2 of the LPC pin 2 is not grounded, and the 3.3V line was disconnected from the LPC header. Due to the rarity of reported 1.5 motherboards, it is suspected that they are factory defects and not an official configuration.

Why is 1.6b not labelled "1.7"?

The only difference between a 1.6 (sometimes called 1.6a) and a 1.6b is that 1.6b has Hynix RAM and sometimes epoxy over contacts to hinder modifications. When 1.6b came out, it broke the current modchips on the market as the modified BIOSes they used were not compatible with the new RAM timings. Eventually, the timings were figured out and the modified BIOSes were made to support 1.6b.

Why would I hardmod my Xbox instead of softmodding it?

A hardmod will allow you to use a custom BIOS, allowing you to make modifications to hardware such as RAM upgrades, CPU upgrades, or removing your disc drive. If your dashboard is not loading properly, you can put in a disc, such as HeXEn, and it will read it immediately without booting into the dashboard. You can also put any hard drive into your console, without worrying about compatibility.

What are the differences between different custom BIOSes?

See this page which lists the features of each BIOS.

Does it matter what dashboard/kernel version my Xbox is on?

No, it does not matter. If you are planning on using the Hotswap method, you will need to know your kernel version.

How can I find my dashboard/kernel version?

You can find that on your dashboard under Settings → System Info, at the bottom.

Do I need to have the latest dashboard/kernel installed in order to mod it?

No, it does not matter what dashboard or kernel version you are currently on. Some older softmods required you to have the latest dashboard installed, but with the Rocky5 softmod, it isn't necessary.

I obtained a modded Xbox. How can I tell what's installed on it without opening it?

If the bootup animation is modified in any way, such as with an EvoX icon in the top-left corner, then it is hardmodded. If it is dark and you turn on your console and can see a light inside of the console when it is booting up, it contains a modchip. If you run the BIOS Checker app and it reports a non-standard BIOS, it is a hardmod. If you think it is a softmod, it is difficult to tell what exactly is installed.

How can I get the best picture from my Xbox?

Use component cables. They give the highest quality picture, up to 1080i if the game supports it. Official Xbox component cables are recommended, however they do cost a bit more. You can also take a look at using HDMI. If you have a PAL region Xbox, use Enigmah-X to change the region to NTSC to access 720p and 1080i resolutions. Modded dashboards should automatically choose the highest supported resolution for each game, and will choose the correct region for the game.

What are the specs of the Xbox?

The Xbox consists of a cache size reduced Coppermine based Mobile Pentium III 733 MHz CPU, 64 MB of unified DDR RAM, an Nvidia GeForce3 derivative, an 8 or 10 GB IDE hard disk, an IDE DVD drive, Fast Ethernet, as well as USB for the gamepads with a modified port shape. It runs a simplified Windows 2000 kernel, and the games include adapted versions of Win32, libc, and DirectX statically linked to them.

Is the scene still active?

Yes! As of recent, there has been a resurgence in the mod community. Xbox Live has been brought back with Insignia, and Rocky5 has also put out XBMC-Emustation, a brand new dash. A new custom BIOS has also been released, along with a new exploit that allows for unsigned code to run from the dashboard without a game save exploit. Occasionally a developer might put out a random update for their app as well.

How can I emulate games?

Many stand-alone emulators exist to play specific consoles. Alternatively, you can use a front-end that comes bundled with emulators such as RetroArch, CoinOPS, or Hypervision.

What dashboard should I use?

That's up to you. Research around and find what's most appealing to you. The main page of the wiki lists the most common dashboards in relative popularity order. You can also find an overview of them here.

What are normal temperatures for an Xbox?

40°C to 60°C is completely normal during play. At temperatures above 60°C, you should consider cleaning out the Xbox, checking for proper room for airflow behind the console, and/or changing the thermal paste out. Temperatures of 75°C to 80°C are dangerous and you should not use the system until you have done the above steps. If you upgrade your fan, you may need to adjust the fan speed.

What can I do with the 128MB RAM upgrade mod?

A RAM upgrade has the following benefits:

  • It enables dashboards to have slightly better performance.
  • Allows you to play the following Sega Chihiro games: Virtua Cop 3, Outrun 2 Beta, and Ghost Squad.
  • Improves emulation and compatibility with games using the Final Burn Legends, MAME, CoinOPS, and Surreal64 emulators.
  • Some games can be patched to take advantage of it, improving load times and performance.
  • Allows you to play the StarCraft Ghost beta with good performance.

What is this white goop in the power supply?

That is epoxy to hold the larger components in place to make sure they don't come loose/break off of the circuit board.

Can I swap the DVD drive for another?

Yes. Xbox DVD drives are interchangeable. You can also use a PC DVD drive, but it will only be able to play DVD movies and not Xbox games.

What's the largest hard drive size I can use?

Each partition beyond E: can be up to 1TB in size. Most dashboards will only will see the F: and G: drives, allowing for 2TB of storage. Anything over this may be usable, but only with a dashboard or app that can see the extra required partitions, such as XBMC.

What are all the partitions used for on my hard drive?

The partitions are as follows: 

* C: is your operating system directory, do not modify anything here unless you know what you are doing.
* D: is your DVD-ROM.
* E: is your directory for game saves and DLC; also used as the default app install location.
* F: is an extra storage directory, mainly for installing games.
* G: is an extra storage directory if your HDD is bigger than 137GB, mainly for installing games.
* H, I, J, K, L, M, N, O: are memory cards or USB devices.
* Q: is the local folder of the currently running XBE (not always present on dashboards)
* X, Y, Z: are your cache drives. It is OK to delete all files here.

What are the filesystem limitations?

The Xbox filesystem has a few limitations. These limitations do not apply to the DVD filesystem, and some are employed on DVDs to prevent piracy:

  • Max file size: 4GB
  • Max file name length: 42 characters
  • Forbidden filename special characters: All except !@#$%^&)(][~}{_.-
  • Max folder depth: 240 folders
  • Max saves on console: 240
  • Max files/folders in a single folder (not including sub-folder's contents): 4096
  • Cluster sizes: 4kb to 64kb

Often times, save data will hit the 240 save limit and cause the Xbox to boot to a black screen.

What's the difference between CoinOPS, Visionary, Hypervision, and Dragon Dash?

  • CoinOPS is a highly recommended pre-configured set of emulators tied together with a front end GUI. The GUI allows for sorting games by category, showing game previews, and is completely customizable.
  • Visionary (Vision) was a project similar to CoinOPS that was eventually superseded by CoinOPS 8. Development on Visionary has stopped.
  • Hypervision is an officially sponsored port of HyperSpin on Xbox. It uses video captured from HyperSpin on PC converted to XMV format, which allows for an extremely responsive GUI and a great looking front-end. Due to the custom video captures, it is difficult to add more games or customizing the front-end without recording video captures yourself.
  • Dragon Dash is a simple dash used to display games as cover art, and launch applications, games, emulators, and videos.

How can I change the system language of my Xbox?

You can only change the system language from the Microsoft Dashboard.

Can I play online?

Yes! The original Xbox Live service was taken down in 2010, along with all matchmaking services, but Insignia, a new Xbox Live server, can be used to play online again. You can also play with players over the Internet with System Link using XLink Kai or XBSlink.

What's the difference between TDATA and UDATA on the E drive?

Homebrew data, DLC, updates and the Microsoft dashboard music songs are stored in TDATA; game saves are stored in UDATA.

How can I turn off parental controls?

If you have a parental lock on your console and do not have the password, navigate to Settings → Parental Control, and enter the failsafe password X+Y+L+X. You will gain access to the parental control settings from which you can turn off the blocks on movies and games.

What is the FTP username/password?

Most FTP usernames are "xbox", "Xbox", or "root", and the password is "xbox". Make sure that you are using FTP, and not SFTP.

Where do I place games to play them?

Most dashboards will read games from the E, F, or G drives placed in /Games/. These should be able to be configured by dashboard. If you have an upgraded hard drive, it's best to copy them to the F or G drive.

Can you play lightgun games on an LCD TV?

Unfortunately not; due to the technology of the lightgun and games themselves, a CRT is required for lightguns to work properly.

What DVD movies have Xbox demos on them?

See the list here.

What are all the default names your Xbox can have?

  • Donut
  • Penguin
  • Stumpy
  • Whicker
  • Shadow
  • Howard
  • Wilshire
  • Darling
  • Disco
  • Jack
  • The Bear
  • Sneak
  • The Big L
  • Whisp
  • Wheezy
  • Crazy
  • Goat
  • Pirate
  • Saucy
  • Hambone
  • Butcher
  • Walla Walla
  • Snake
  • Caboose
  • Sleepy
  • Killer
  • Stompy
  • Mopey
  • Dopey
  • Weasel
  • Ghost
  • Dasher
  • Grumpy
  • Hollywood
  • Tooth
  • Noodle
  • King
  • Cupid
  • Prancer

How can I get into Xbox homebrew development?

XBdev.net is a great resource for this. You will need your own copy of the XDK or to download a copy of the open source OpenXDK, or the more updated nxdk.

Are there any Xbox news sites or forums?

Many of them are long gone, but these few remain:

 

Definitions

Term Definition
BFM "Bootable from Media"; a BIOS that can boot from a CD/DVD or HDD. Usually used in conjunction with PBL.
BIOS "Basic Input/Output System"; this is the firmware that an Xbox uses to boot up and control the entire system.
Cromwell The open source Linux-based BIOS made by the Xbox Linux team.
Dashboard The main menu of the Xbox.
EEPROM "Electrically Erasable Programmable Read-Only Memory"; a chip on the motherboard that contains console-specific information about your Xbox such as the hard drive key, region, serial number, video mode, and more.
EvoX Shorthand for the EvolutionX dashboard and BIOS.
FRAG Flashing Red and Green. This is a general error indicating a motherboard issue. Causes of this may include a bad BIOS image, breaking of motherboard components, or accidental solder bridging between two points or components.
FTP File Transfer Protocol. A protocol used to transfer files to and from your console.
Hardmod Hardware modification to allow homebrew code execution and custom firmware. Hardmods include modchips or TSOP Flashing.
ISO A digital copy of a DVD or Xbox disc.
LPC Header "Low Pin Count Header"; the series of holes which a modchip plugs into. Officially used at the manufacturer factory for programming consoles.
MS Dash The stock green Microsoft dashboard.
NTSC "National Television System Committee"; this is the video standard for North American and Japanese systems.
PAL "Phase Alternating Line"; this is the video standard for European systems.
Softmod Software modification to allow homebrew code execution and custom firmware. Softmods include the ENDGAME Exploit, Game Save Exploit or Hotswap methods.
Torx Star shaped screw bits, used to remove torx screws to open the console.
TSOP "Thin Small Outline Package"; this is the chip on a motherboard that holds the BIOS. This can be flashed with a custom BIOS to run unsigned code. Does not exist on a revision 1.6 Xbox.
Unsigned Code Code that is not made by Microsoft or a game studio.
XBL Xbox Live. The online service allowing friends, clans, messaging, and matchmaking; shut down in 2010. A community project — Insignia — has restored this functionality.
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