Can u mod an xbox from a cd or dvd???

[Mikebyrne000]

My friend and I are having a debate on wether or not you can play backed up games on your xbox without your xbox being chipped?

I dont think you can but he reckons it does

Can someone settle the argument??

[kosmiq]

There are 2 ways to get backups/homebrew code to work. Well there are actually 3 ways but only 2 of them are possible for the moment.

One way is to chip, it is the easiest and most often the most reliable one.
Another way is something called Softmod.
There are 3 games that can be used to install a softmod. Splinter Cell, 007 Rouge Agent and Mechwarrior. Only the original versions of the games can be used not any Classic version or similar only the original first releases.
A memory stick is also required. When the games and the hardware is avaible any softmod installer is also required. Preferably Krayzies as it is Live-secure and protected from live-updates too.

Long story short, by loading a hacked savegame that launches a small Linux dist that will install a bios-loader, hacked dashboard and modify some original xbox-dash files, a hacked bios will be loaded into the memory upon boot of the xbox and thus allow backups to be played without a chip.

I have tried both methods and I prefer chipping.

Summary: Your friend is right this time.

[Mikebyrne000]

If you have gone the softmod route can you install a new Hard Drive or is that only for chipped xboxs

[bierhuettl]

Originally Posted by Mikebyrne000

If you have gone the softmod route can you install a new Hard Drive or is that only for chipped xboxs

should not be possible as you have to set up your new hd with some boot disc that (yeah, correct) only loads on a modded box as it is a cd-r

well but if the softmod installs some evo-x files and everything is done, shouldnt it be possible to equip a harddisk with evo-x n stuff in another chipped xbox, put it in your unmodded one and have it soft modded? because the way i understand it the softmod only modifies some files on the harddisk and bang its done. or does it modify the xboxes original bios (well it actually should and because that came into my mind i now know that what i talked was complete bull****)

[kosmiq]

There is some way to upgrade to a bigger HDD with softmod but I think it does involves a chipped xbox and so on.

A softmod DOES NOT modify the original built-in xbox bios as that is not possible. To even be able to modify the built-in bios a few points on the m/b must be soldered and then a chip should be used to flash it. It can be flashed from a softmod though.

Softmod simply works like this,
by using an exploit in certain games savegames an installer can be executed and install a few files.
It installs a dashboard, a BIOS-loader, a BIOS-rom and a few edited xbox-dash files.

Dashboard - mostly EvoX or something similar

Bios-loader - will load a modified bios upon boot

Bios-rom - the bios loaded by the loader

Edited xbox-dash files - here is where the entire deal is after the installation. And also the reason why it is sensitive to dashupdates.
There are files in the dashboard that will be triggered directly upon press of the button (by the bios) and thus start immediately. So what about these? Somebody found a way to modify them so that they can start something else to upon boot. So by editing them to start a bios-loader upon boot it will load a modified bios that will play backups. The bios will also launch another dashboard like EvoX or whatever the modified bios is set to.

Now that sounds great doesn't it? Well there is more to it also! You can also get the xbox to boot the original unmodified dashboard to play on live. How is that possible? For example Krayzies softmod Installer will set up the installation like this:
If Power Button is pressed the modified dashboard will load and start the bios-loader.
If Eject Button is pressed it will load a virtual xbox-dash partition on E: drive containing the original dashboard that can be used for live. The best thing with this is that the modified xbox-dash will be untouched and can still load the bios-loader even if Live is pressed (because live updates certain xbox-dash files).

[bierhuettl]

well if i read that difficult **** i better spend 50 bucks on a soldering of a chip that can be switched off (for using live)