The Ultimate XBox Newbie Guide

[rms2001]

Okay, I found this guide on Kazaa. It had no name as to who wrote it. I'm not taking any credit what so ever, all I did was copy and past changed some links.

If any one can take credit for this I would be more than happy to put your name on here or to take it down at your request.

I will be going though this hole thing and making some changes when I have more time and maybe adding some stuff. If you want to add any thing, PM me.

Choosing an XBox Modchip

Introduction

Choosing an XBox modchip to mod your XBox console is one of the most important decisions you will make during your XBox hacking experience. The XBox modchip is the brain of the XBox hacking operation. Without it, your XBox console won’t be able to do anything special. There are quite a few different XBox modchip options, and they each have important distinctions. However, what it all comes down to is that by installing an XBox modchip, you are tricking your XBox into allowing you to run “un-signed code” – A.K.A.: code that Microsoft has not authorized.
XBox modchips allow you to run unsigned code by overriding the default Microsoft BIOS that comes with your XBox when you purchased it. Just so we’re clear, a BIOS (Basic Input Output System) is the program that starts up your XBox and communicates between the devices in the XBox such as the hard drive and graphics card. The BIOS is extremely important to your XBox system. An xbox mod chip replaces the default Microsoft BIOS with its own hacked BIOS. The hacked BIOS will allow you to run unauthorized programs.

History

The XBox modchip industry has evolved very quickly. The first “commercial” mod chips were released around May, 2002. These were the Enigmah and the Xtender. The good thing about these chips was that they allowed XBox hackers to play import games, XBox backups, run unsigned code, turn off Macrovision (movie copy protection) and do a host of other things. The bad news was that these original XBox modchips had 29 wires, were fairly tedious to install, and were not flash upgradeable.
The next major advancement came around August 2002 when the original X-ecuter XBoxmodchip was released. Although the X-ecuter mod chip offered no flash upgrade option, it reduced the number of wires required for installation to just one wire, plus 10 simple solder points. This modchip was significantly easier to install than previousXBox modchips. People with no soldering experience could successfully install an X-ecuter modchip. In addition to the features of the earlier modchips, the X-ecuter also allowed XBox modders to upgrade the standard XBox HDD to 120+ gigs. This was a major advancement as it allowed modders to backup large volumes of their games and other XBox programs to the actual XBox HDD.

All of these first generation xbox mod chips were shipped with their own hacked BIOS to override the default Microsoft BIOS when the modchips were installed.

Around the same time the original X-ecuter modchip was released, Microsoft threw a wrench in the XBox modchip world by releasing a new version of the XBox. This new XBox was named the 1.1 version. Unfortunately, none of the original XBox modchips (including the recently released X-ecuter) were able to modify the 1.1 version XBox successfully. However, within two weeks the 1.1 version of the XBox had been cracked, and the code was available.

By September 2002 a new XBox modchip hit the market. This new modchip was called the “Matrix”. The Matrix was designed by a company called Xodus. The Matrix modchip set a new standard because it was fully flash upgradeable AND it required no soldering during installation. Because it was flash upgradeable, this meant that the latest hacked XBox BIOS could be programmed onto the Matrix modchip. This allowed for modification of a 1.1 version XBox. It also meant that XBox enthusiasts interested in modding their XBox who were previously scared to do any soldering would have the option of installing a modchip that simply screwed into place. Although this sounds like the ultimate XBox modchip, there were (and still are) some complications with the Matrix modchip. For starters it only shipped with a maximum 256K flash size. This has become a problem since the latest XBox modchips (discussed below) have started to incorporate BIOS’s larger than 256k. Another problem was that the Matrix modchip did not come with a pre-flashed xbox BIOS installed. This meant that if you bought a Matrix modchip, you had to find and install a BIOS yourself. Also, because the Matrix modchip did not require soldering, there were frequent reports of the chip becoming dislodged. However, the biggest problem was that the Matrix manufacturer had a horrible distribution model. The Matrix modchip was sold exclusively through a company called Easybuy2000. I read a lot of reviews from unhappy Easybuy2000 customers who bought a Matrix modchip and didn’t receive it for weeks or even months, if ever. Also, from what I understand, all of the Matrix modchip resellers had to purchase their inventory through Easybuy2000. This made the supply of Matrix modchips problematic. For this reason, I would not recommend purchasing a Matrix mod chip from Easybuy2000.

Fortunately, the X-ecuter team released its newest modchips in January, 2003. These chips are called “X-ecuter 2” modchips and are available in two flavors. The first is an X-ecuter 2 LITE. The second is the X-ecuter 2 PRO. Both LITE and PRO mod chips are flash upgradeable and both modchips can be installed without soldering by using an optional pogo pin adapter. Both chips are also capable of modifying all XBox versions.

The biggest difference between the LITE and the PRO is that the LITE includes a pre-installed BIOS when you purchase it and the PRO does not. Additionally, the PRO version supports more features associated with BIOS flashing. However, the BEST feature of the X-ecuter modchips is that the manufacturer Another major advantage is that both versions of the X-ecuter 2 ship with 1MB of memory versus only 256k on the Matrix modchip. This is an important consideration because as the XBox hacking scene develops, BIOS sizes will increase. The X-ecuter mod chips offer an additional layer of “future-proofing”. Also, the distribution model for the X-ecuter is much better. Essentially, individual X-ecuter resellers purchase their X-ecuter modchips directly from the manufacturer. This means that there are a lot of places where you can purchase an X-ecuter 2 modchip. The supply and support of X-ecuter modchips is superior to the Matrix modchip.

XBox Modchip Options

There are many older XBox modchips: Xtender, EnigmahX, OpenXbox (PC-BioXX), and several others. You probably don’t want one of these older chips. The older modchips are more difficult to install, and don’t have the advanced features or support of the newer modchips.