using mutiple dashboards...

[Sublime_4_Life]

Ok guys i just wanted to make sure i got this one right. What i wanna do is have avalaunch load on startup as my main dashboard but have a menu for other dashboards on my xbox.

So far what i did was copy over the media, shoutcast, .xml, and .xbe files for avalaunch to my xbox's C: Then i deleted xboxdash.xbe (i do have both C: and E: drives backed up on my PC so thats why i deleted it) and renamed my avalaunch.xbe to xboxdash.xbe. I restarted and it boots up as the default dashboard. First off...is that the right way to replace dashboards? meaning just renaming it to xboxdash.xbe?

So then if i want to put on Evox and say UnleashX i would then make a folder under E:/APPS like Dashboards. So now i have E:/APPS/Dashboards. Then would i just ftp over my Evox files (evox.ini, skins, and evoxdash.xbe) and place them into that dashboard folder. So it would be E:/APPS/Dashboards/EvolutionX/ and the files would be located here? If i did it this way...should it work if i load up ava and navigate through to the apps and evox folder would evox then load up?

I have also heard of using XB tool and EVtool to load mult dashboards...Are these programs really necessary? Couldnt you just do it like i stated above? And finally...after reading around it says that you need to edit your .xml file to "link" to the other dashboards. Well do they mean link to the apps folder...or do you have to link to the actual .xbe file within the apps folder?

Sorry if that doesnt make much sence but ive been reading up on this and im just a little confused on the actual process of it all. Anyone care to help me out a little bit?

[Quall999]

1. It isn't such a good idea to delete the xbox dash. It wouldn't harm much, but your xbox will not work with the chip off, otherwise it is fine...unless you have a really old set of bios.

2. Make a "E:/Dashboards/" folder. Then in subfolders of that directory, put your alternatic dashboards. Next, open the avalaunch.xml, scroll down to the bottem, and add this somewhere in the <menu> tag, above </menu>. It should show up as a new option called "dashboards".

  <list presetname="Dashboards">
  <path>
  E:\dashboards
  </path>
     </list>

3. Keep the MS dash on C. In fact, don't put anything on C at all. You can have all your dashboards in the "dashboards" folder. Use xbtool. You have to reflash a new set of bios to your chip to do it, and it does not work with the x2_4983 bios set. Use x2_4981 (unless you have a v1.6).

Open a bios in xbtool. There will be 3 bootup dashboard options. If one dashboard isn't found, it goes to the next. Leave the last one xboxdash.xbe, change the second to whatever, and make the first say "avalaunch/default.xbe". Replace default.xbe with whatever the xbe name is, like avalaunch.xbe. Then, change the drive to E. Save the bios the correct size, and reflash your chip. It will boot to avalaunch.

[Sublime_4_Life]

sweet man thats exactely what i needed thanks for the info...however i got just one more thing. Today i am going to install a new HD in my vrs. 1 xbox. I am running an X2 2.3b lite chip and i am going to install a 200gig Maxtor 7200 rpm drive. Right now my bios is flashed with the 4983 bios (which im going to reflash with the 4981 bios since xbtool wont work with 4983) version .06 as this is the version for HD's below 200 gigs (correct?)

So what i should do is shut off my Xbox and unistall the old drive (after backing up the C and E drives of course) and plug in the new one. After i do this i use my avalaunch boot disk (i also have an evox one to so i dont think it matters which i use) to boot up to the menu. From here i choose to format a new drive (making sure in the .ini or .xml file it says F:supported and G:supported) and reformat correct? After i do this i would restart and load back up the boot disk, ftp to the xbox and copy back over my C and E drives and thats it? Is this correct?

Now my other question is with G: support. From what i have read G drive is only for HD's over 200 gigs correct? Because with a 200 gig im assuming that i will only have the F: as the big drive (meaning its the one with 180+ gig) and the C and E split up the rest of the drive. I dont really want G: when i can have everything on the F: ya know?

So with that said when im using XB tool to remake my bios which option would i choose in the bottom left corner "LBA48 support and Default Partition Table Options"? I would choose partition 6 takes rest of drive correct? That would mean after the default drives get allocated their space, partition 6 (F drive) get the rest of the gig's on the HD. Is this correct? If so..then i make sure to LOCK my new drive also using one of the dashboards.

Sorry for the n00b questions but i just wanna make sure im doin this one right lol

Also what is LBA48 support? ive been trying to look it up but i cant find it. Anyone care to explain...

[Quall999]

You got it. 06 would be good. Since it supports up to 200gb per partition. 67 woud have 137 on f, then the rest on G. 06 should put about 190gb on F.

And if you have the x2_4981.06 bios, then it should already be set in that category, about partitions. So, you can just leave that alone. The only thing you should have to worry about is colors, and what day to boot to.

Before you edit the bios though, make a 512k bios, and flash it to bank 2 of your chip. Then make the other one the edited 512k bios and flash it to bank 1. That way, if for some reason it didn't work properly, it you could always load from bank 2 and relash bank 1.