Modding the Xbox

Written by Lee Tang, December 2004

Note: This article is an oldie but goodie.  It appears here as originally published.  I've removed some dead links, and some of the information may be out of date - but depending on the model of Xbox you have, this may still work for you.  --LT 10/2009


i. Disclaimer

This document is for educational purposes only. Don't do anything illegal. I will not be responsible for anything that happens to you or your Xbox. By opening your Xbox, you completely void your warranty, and if something goes wrong, there is nothing you can do but buy another Xbox. If you modify your Xbox and attempt to go on Xbox Live, there is a high probability that your Xbox will be banned from Xbox Live.
 
ii. Links

There are many good resources out there to find more information on modding Xboxes. Here are some of my favorites. You might want to visit these after reading this web page.

  • Xbox-Scene: The ultimate resource on Xbox hacking.
  • IceGuide: An excellent step-by-step guide on how to modify an Xbox using the Xenium modchip.
  • SlaYer's Xbox Installer: An auto-install disc with the most popular software for your modded Xbox. Essential.
  • TeamXodus: Makers of the Xenium modchip. Lots of good documents, useful forums.
  • XboxMediaCenter: Application for viewing movies, pictures, music, weather on your Xbox. This alone is worth modding the Xbox for.

 
iii. Why This Page Exists

As evidenced by the links in the previous section, there are already lots of Xbox modding resources on the web. Why make another one? I put this page together primarily because I have found that while there are good guides on each aspect of Xbox modification, there is no good single resource that explains everything you need to do to modify an Xbox and set it up for use from start to finish. Hopefully, this page ties a lot of things together for people who have not modded an Xbox before.
 

I. Reasons to Modify the Xbox

The Xbox is an x86 computer sold as a game system. It contains all the hardware necessary to function as a basic computer with a powerful video card. However, an Xbox off the shelf from a store cannot do anything other than play games. The reason for this is that Microsoft has put protections in its game console to prevent any unapproved programs from being executed -- Microsoft digitally signs executables for all Xbox games and the Xbox will not run any unsigned code.

This is where the modding comes in. Modding an Xbox, in the technical sense, generally means two things - installing a modchip and upgrading the built-in hard drive. The modchip is a piece of hardware that makes the Xbox bypass Microsoft's security system so that unsigned code -- that is, any Xbox program written by anybody -- can be executed. Installing a new hard drive is desirable because the built-in hard drive is only 10 GB. It is conventional to install a hard drive on the order of 160 GB - 250 GB.

What can you do with a modded Xbox? Anything you want. A very popular application is XboxMediaCenter, which allows you to use your Xbox as a set-top box for movies, music, and pictures. You can store your media on your new extra large Xbox hard drive, or you can stream data over your home network.
In addition to running XboxMediaCenter, you can run emulators for older games and even play Xbox games directly from the hard drive without needing to insert the original disc.
 

II. Xbox Specs

  • CPU: Intel 733 MHz Pentium III-class Celeron
  • Graphics: 250MHz NVIDIA GPU (essentially a GeForce3.5)
  • Memory: 64 MB 200MHz DDR memory, shared memory architecture
  • Drives: DVD-ROM, 10GB IDE hard drive
  • Networking: built-in 10/100 Ethernet adapter
  • External ports: 4 controller ports (standard USB, but different form factor), 1 A/V port

 

III. Required Hardware

I recommend having the following equipment to have a successfully modded Xbox.

  • Xbox game console, version 1.0-1.5. The newest Xboxes are v1.6 and are more difficult to mod -- you will need to connect wires to multiple places on the motherboard instead of to just one area. Additionally, there is currently only one non-Microsoft BIOS that works on 1.6 Xboxes, and it is not as capable as the one described later in this document. How can you tell which version of Xbox you have? If you have one manufactured in 2003 or before, chances are that it is a 1.5 or earlier. Check out this page on xbox-scene.com to determine exactly what version you have.
  • Xenium ICE modchip. There are lots of different modchips out there, but I like this one. It has an operating system built in, can store multiple BIOSes on chip, and has a fully functional FTP server. Be sure to get the solderless adapter. It is optional and costs extra, but I highly recommend it. Find out more about this modchip at the manufacturer's page, Team Xodus.
  • Large IDE hard drive. I recommend a drive of at least 160 GB. You need to have a drive that is lockable. Microsoft locks your hard drive to your Xbox, so that if you were to remove the hard drive and try to plug it in to your computer, you would be unable to read it. Replacing the drive with another lockable hard drive allows you to boot your Xbox using the standard Microsoft BIOS -- this BIOS will not boot in an unlocked drive. Check out this site for a database of lockable and unlockable hard drives.
  • Torx screwdrivers. You need T10, T15, and T20 screwdrivers to open the Xbox case and remove the drives.
  • A computer power supply Y-cable. The Xbox only has one standard power supply cable inside to power the one hard drive. Later on, you will need to power two drives simultaneously in order to copy data from the old one to the new one. This Y-cable is the only way to split the power to two drives.
  • A computer with an Internet connection, an FTP client, and a DVD burner. You will be FTP'ing files to your Xbox. You will also be burning a DVD to install software in your Xbox. Be sure to have DVD-RW or DVD+RW media that you know works in your Xbox because the Xbox DVD drive does not read all media. A quick way to tell if you have media that works is to burn a movie or music CD to a DVD and try to play it in your unmodded Xbox. It is a good idea to use rewritable media because chances are that you will need to burn a disc multiple times to get everything you want.
  • An Ethernet cable and a router/hub/switch to plug both your Xbox and your computer into. An existing home network is ideal; all you have to do is hook up the Xbox to your network.

 

IV. Required Software

  • Modified BIOS. You need a modified BIOS to allow you to run code that has not been signed by Microsoft. There are several BIOSes out there. The most popular one is Team Xecuter's X2 4983 BIOS. This BIOS supports hard drives that are larger than 137GB (Microsoft's retail BIOS does not, nor does it have any reason to). BIOSes are not available for general download off of websites. However, they can be found at the usual places.
  • SlaYer's Xbox Auto-Installer. This is a compilation disc consisting of recent builds of the most popular Xbox homebrew software, including XboxMediaCenter, the EvoX dashboard, various console and arcade emulators, and dvd2xbox. After putting in your modchip, you can boot from this disc, select install, and it will automatically format your hard drive and install everything for you. This is not available for general download off of websites, but you can find it at the usual places.

 

V. Installing the Modchip

This is explained very well in the IceGuide. Follow everything step-by-step and your modchip will be installed in no time. However, do not reassemble your Xbox when it says to. You need to replace your hard drive first. You can operate the Xbox while it is open -- just make sure everything is connected correctly. Be sure to set up the BIOSes, including your X2 BIOS, as described in the IceGuide.
 

VI. Installing the Hard Drive

After your modchip is installed, you can upgrade your hard drive. This involves unlocking your old hard drive, copying all of your data over to your new one, and then locking the new one. Follow all the steps in the IceGuide for upgrading your drive and you should have no problems. You can reassemble your Xbox after this is complete. Everything you need to do from now on is software only.
 

VII. Installing the Software using SlaYer's Xbox Installer

At this point, your Xbox modification is complete. However, if you don't install any software on it, your Xbox is basically a standard off-the-shelf Xbox minus the warranty that you voided by opening it. The easiest way to install the most popular software on your system is by using SlaYer's Xbox Installer disc. Burn the SlaYer's image to a DVD+/-RW and put it in your Xbox. Select the X2 BIOS from the Xenium menus and your Xbox should boot the X2 BIOS and launch the SlaYer's disc if all goes well. If it doesn't work, turn your Xbox off and on again while leaving the disc in the drive, then select the X2 BIOS again. Make sure the media you used is readable by your Xbox.

Once SlaYer's is running, select "New Install / Full Rebuild -> Upgraded HD -> Large HD - *C*." SlaYer's will then format your drive and install several applications. Once it is done, it will tell you, and you can remove the disc from the drive. You now have all the software you need installed on your Xbox hard drive.
 

VIII. Using Your Modified Xbox

After you install your modchip, hard drive, and software, your Xbox is ready for use. Hopefully you have set up two BIOSes in the Xenium menus, the retail one and the X2 BIOS. If you launch from the X2 BIOS, you will see the EvoX Dashboard instead of the Microsoft one. From EvoX, you can launch all of your homebrew applications as well as play Xbox games. You will want to boot from the X2 BIOS most if not all of the time -- there is very little reason to use the retail BIOS anymore, except to do things like change the system time. That's it! You now have a modified Xbox with lots of great software on it. Enjoy!