Emulation on the cheap using original XBox – Part 2 – How to do it

Soft-modding basics

As I demonstrated in Part 1 earlier, the original XBox can be a powerful media centre and even better console and computer emulator. There are a few off-the-shelf products out there that will enable you to soft-mod your XBox with ease (it’s a 10 minute job) and the instructions for soft-modding below are pretty much the same regardless of the product you wish to buy. I will not endorse any one product here but you can find links to some of the best available at the bottom of this article.

Note: I take no responsibility for any damage you do to your own XBox when attempting to soft-mod it. You do so entirely at your own risk. If it is done incorrectly there is a slim chance that you may ‘brick’ it (rendering the XBox useless). You have been warned.

You can of course opt to get the individual components needed for a soft-mod yourself, it is what I did and I had no problems but some of the less technically able may find it difficult to format the memory card needed to carry the exploited saves.

A soft-mod kit comprises of the following items:

• A FATx formatted USB stick with exploited game saves saved to it
• Any version of the original Tom Clancy’s Splinter Cell (not the sequels) or
• The original version of 007: Agent Under Fire (or the Platinum Hits version) with the Serial Number: 1448517 (NOT 1448527) or
• MechAssault with the Serial Number: MS02301L on the inner ring of the disc
• An XBox to USB adapter

You will also need to make sure your MS Dashboard is up to date (version 5960). If it is not the process will stall at Step 6. All you need to do to update your dashboard to the correct version is to insert an XBox Live game (I use Halo 2) and attempt to join Xbox Live. Yes I know you can’t play XBox Live anymore on original XBox but it does force an update of your dashboard.

Check your dashboard version by selecting Settings, select System Info, let the info scroll to the bottom where you will see the dashboard version listed. You want it to read:
K: 1.00.4034.01
D: 1.00.5960.01.

For the purposes of this tutorial I will be using the Splinter Cell exploit.

The Soft-mod

Step 1

Once you have your game saves saved to the correctly formatted USB drive, start your XBox with a control pad in controller port 1 and the USB adapter in port 2 (do not insert the USB stick yet) and no disc in the XBox.

Step 2

You should now be in the familiar green MS Dashboard. Using your pad to navigate, select the topmost item Memory. Make sure you have no saves for SC, AuF or MA on there already, if you do then delete them.

Step 3

Plug your USB stick into the adapter. Navigate to Memory again and you should now see the USB stick appear. Select the memory unit and copy both of the appropriate saves one by one to your XBox HDD (please note: you will need to select the game saves with your d-pad then press right to select the files for the Copy option to appear). Make sure you have copied both files.

Step 4

Insert your Splinter Cell game disc. Start game and press A. If you deleted all previous saves from your machine there should only be on game save called Linux. Select this and press A. On the next screen select Check Points.

Step 5

The soft-mod installation process will now start. You should now see an UnleashX intro screen and then the control panel. You must next select the option to 1st Backup eeprom. This is important and will enable your XBox to be reset if there is an error.

Step 6

After backing up the eeprom, go down the menu and select Basic Install, then choose Evolution X dashboard for your dashboard. (You can choose UnleashX dashboard, this is just my personal preference). Once installed your XBox will reboot to your new dashboard.

Next steps

Congratulations! You should now have an XBox that can run games and DVDs from all regions, and is now running an FTP server ready to accept your uploads. To FTP to your XBox you will need to physically connect it to your network. Check the network settings (under System Management in EvolutionX) and that it has a compatible IP address (should read something like 192.168.1.x).

You can now connect with your XBox via FTP at that IP address by using the following login: username: xbox, password: xbox, port 21 (default).

FTP apps to your E:\Apps folder on your Xbox HDD and then run them from the Applications menu in the new dashboard.

I would personally recommend installing XBMC from which to run your emulators. I will not go into the installation of XBMC here but you will find all the information you need over at the community site: www.xbmc4xbox.org.

A stock Xbox only has an 8Gb HDD so you may be thinking of upgrading in order to use CoinOPS or MAME. Everything you need to know about upgrading your HDD can be found here: forums.xbox-scene.com/index.php?showtopic=659887.

Links

XBMC community: www.xbmc4xbox.org

Xbox modding: http://www.xbox-hq.com

XBox soft-mod kits on ebay: Click here

XBox soft-mod kits: http://xbmcxbox.blogspot.co.uk/

Emulators/ROMS/disk images: http://www.theisozone.com

Emulators/ROMS/disk images: http://www.eurasia.nu