xbox owners - help me out

[SuperGLS]

So, I'm thinking of getting an xbox (finally). Does anyone know about the modding of xbox's and all that crap? I have read some recent reports that when connecting to xbox Live with Halo 2 and a modded xbox, that Live can detect that your xbox has been modded and therefore bans you from use on xbox Live? Has anyone had this problem?

Basically the only reason I want an xbox is to play Halo 1/2, maybe some Ghost Recon games, and SNK vs Capcom using Live. I have no real desire to get many more games than that, and I don't have any desire to play any of those single player (GC has the best single player games anyway).

Basically I don't want to spend money on an xbox, a couple games, and xbox Live if I won't be able to use Live.

So, let me know folks. And then if I get one I can own all of you in some Halo action, hahaha.

[CTele02]

You cant use it for Xbox live but you can connect it to your pc and open up servers dedicated to modded xboxs. I dont know exactly how but just searched a lot of websites for free hints. (my friend has one)

[jameswing]

On my friend's xbox, it has switches on top that allow you to bypass the chip, and it runs normally so you can use x-box live, you just have to use the origional game disk.

[JuMpMaN6235]

Very Helpful forum:
http://www.dvdrom-guide.com/forums/forumdisplay.php?f=13 (Be sure to read the xbox FAQ)

Networking:
http://www.xbox-scene.com/articles/network.php

Buying Xbox "Backups"
http://www.cd-helper.com/forums/viewforum.php?f=62 (you can get em for like $3 each)

There are Solderless modchips, But Not for v1.6 of xbox wich is The new ones made from 2004-present... get a used one if u want a solderless chip
http://www.modchipman.com/product_info.php?cPath=22&products_id=124

[SuperGLS]

Thanks guys. Keep the info coming.

Damn, this is going to be more complicated than I thought... fun stuff.

[TheBlackshinobi]

I have had my box modded for over 9 months now, and have been using live for about 4 with no problems. I would suggest that if you are going to get a mod chip, go with the xecuter brand. I have the xecuter 2.3b pro, but they no longer make that, so you should go for either the 2.6 or the xecuter3. It all depends on if you are willing to solder or not. I love the xecuter model because of the external switch that allows you to turn off the chip and boot the xbox as if it were never modded, however, you will need to install all of your apps and such on the F partition of the hard drive not C and edit the bios so that when the chip is on the xbox boots from F instead of C.

It may sound complicated, but if you have any questions, I am willing to help where ever I can. Good luck and happy xbox modding ;)

[SuperGLS]

Thanks for the info and the offer to help me out.

I'm thinking I might as well just buy a new xbox with two games and a controller, then sell the two games (both crap) on eBay for cheap. Then buy Halo (that's right, the first one) and an xbox Live subscription. Then, if I like it enough I'll begin the modding and stuff.

One major reason I want Live is because some of my friends moved outta the area (well, one used to live down the street, I'd actually walk there, but now he lives 35-40 minutes away and I don't feel like driving that far, haha). Stupid friends.

[BlackElantraGT]

What were you going to mod your Xbox to do? I thought you only wanted to play Halo 1/2 on it using Xbox Live?

[ruahighlander]

aight Shinobi I have been thinking of doing this for a while, I was thinking of getting thishttp://shop.system-mods.com/index.asp?PageAction=VIEWPROD&ProdID=156 one. What do you think and how hard was yours to install. Also is this a plug&play thing meaning once i install I can play backed up games? Not really interested in Live.

[TheBlackshinobi]

aight Shinobi I have been thinking of doing this for a while, I was thinking of getting thishttp://shop.system-mods.com/index.asp?PageAction=VIEWPROD&ProdID=156 one. What do you think and how hard was yours to install. Also is this a plug&play thing meaning once i install I can play backed up games? Not really interested in Live.

System-Mods is a great place to order it from, thats where I got mine. When I installed my chip, I did not get the solderless one since I am confident in my soldering skillz :tongue: . The 2.6 solderless is extremely easy to install. Here is a basic rundown of the install.

http://www.teamxecuter.com/xapter/

For anyone wishing to mod their box, I would recommend getting another HD. The stock 8 or 10 gig will quickly fill up once you start putting on apps and game backups. I am running a 250gig WesterDigital and I have about 110 gigs left.

Now for your other question. If you want to play backup games, you have 2 options. 1) you can burn the game onto a dvd-r and play it since the chip will now allow you to read burnt media. 2) copy the game directly to your hard drive. The problem is, you will need to know which DVD-rom you have. Many of the early xbox models (version 1.0-1.1) will not ready any burnt media even with the chip installed. In any case, I find it much more convenient to copy the game direct to the hard drive so I don’t need to bring cd's with me.

[SystemX]

You can now do a mod without using any hardware. You need a 32mb memmory stick, a fantasy star online usb adaptor, and a copy of mechassult. If you are interested in going this rout I can Explain it in more detail for you just PM me.
Later,
X

PS my gammer tag on live is SystemX :D

[ruahighlander]

Everything sounds good. Ima try to get the xecuter sometime this January...yay. Thanks for your help.

[SuperGLS]

You can now do a mod without using any hardware. You need a 32mb memmory stick, a fantasy star online usb adaptor, and a copy of mechassult. If you are interested in going this rout I can Explain it in more detail for you just PM me.
Later,
X

PS my gammer tag on live is SystemX :D

I've heard of this technique. What kind of mod does it perform?

[SystemX]

It installs linux software on your X-Box hard drive and a cool dashboard wich you can save your games to and burned music CDs.

[EliteElantra02]

Hmmmmm...nice conversation....I bought a new XBOX cause my hard drive went on the old one....now maybe i'll change the hard drive and mod it a little.....nice thread! :drive:

[SuperGLS]

Another quck question with my xbox on the way here...

When using xbox live all I need is any regular ethernet cable to connect it to my modem, right? From what I gather, there isn't included with the console, right?

Also, will I need a router to use xbox live and have my computer continously hooked up to the internet as well? I think I do, from what I've read, but I'm not sure. My cable modem (Motorola SB4200 Surfboard) has an ethernet connection socket that isn't being used because I simply have the cable line connected directly to the modem. Let me know, thanks in advance guys.

[mrhoaf]

Yes, you'll need a router. The modem has a USB connection and an Ethernet connection, but you can't use both..... make sure your pc has Ethernet on it or you will need to add that as well...

Some routers will come with at least one cable, but they're usually short, so you might need to buy one long enough to get to the xbox...

[SuperGLS]

Thanks for the info, any suggestions for cheap routers? Damn xbox is owning my wallet, haha.

[BlackElantraGT]

SuperGLS,

Check out http://www.techbargains.com, http://www.fatwallet.com (hot deals section) or http://www.anandtech.com (hot deals forum) to see what kind of deals are out there for this week.

[SuperGLS]

Well I dropped another $80 on a Linksys router, Linksys ethernet card, and some ethernet cable (shipping was $13 from Newegg, oh wells). So, that brings my total up near $280, and I still have to buy the xbox Live starter kit for $60.

Just think, when it's all said and done I could have bought a lot of mods I wanted but I picked video games instead... maybe I should run a video game website instead? Haha.

UPDATE - xbox live OWNS me.

[BlackElantraGT]

Did you buy a wireless router for $80? If so, what was the ethernet cable and ethernet card for?

What's the difference between Xbox Live's service where you have to pay to play versus the free network on the PS2?

[SuperGLS]

No, I didn't get a wireless router. The router was $55, ethernet card $15, and cable for $6 or something, then shipping.

I've never used the PS2 service, so I'm not sure. All I know is that I want to stay up and play Halo 2 on Live for 3 more hours but I need to go to sleep because I have work at 8 in the morning, stupid work. Even so, the xbox live service is less than $5 a month if you get a years subscription, so that's a hell of a deal. Right now I'm using the 2 month free trial that came with Halo 2.

[BlackElantraGT]

That seems a bit expensive for a wired router, but I guess in the end as long as you're satisfied with your online experience it's all that matters =)

[SuperGLS]

Yeah, I went with Linksys instead of a crappy no name brand, I saw some cheap ones from like $25, but it wasn't worth it for me to have to buy another in 6 months or something. Everything I read online suggested Linksys was the best.

That's strange though, because some things I don't mind buying a cheap no name brand, hmm, that's usually like apple sauce or syrup, haha.