Hello,

well, my friend and I installed an Xecuter 2.3b Pro into my XBOX on Friday night - and all is working perfectly. Its hooked (virtually of course) to the rest of the house network via a DLink DWL-810+ wireless bridge.

Initially the Xecuter came with a Cromwell Legal bios which was the start of the problems - my XBOX is 1.5 and the version of the BIOS on the mod chip had no video support for XBOX 1.5 graphics HW.

So we managed to install the Xecuter 4979 bios (512kb) and the box worked a treat with the mod chip enabled or disabled. The next thing to do was to install the EVOX Slayer Dashboard from a boot CD - which also works fine. I can run XBox Explorer, the FTP and Telnet Daemons embedded into the dash board. So far so good.

Now here comes the problem. When I disable the mod chip (red light on) to use XBox live I now get the Xbox service screen with an error code of 13 - this seems to suggest that the normal Xbox BIOS cant find the Microsoft Dashboard program it needs to start when there is no game disk inserted.

FTP'ing to the Xbox shows the following files in the root of the C drive:

evox.ini
evoxdash.xbe 656kb
items.txt
msxboxdash.xbe 1.56mb
XBox Book.xtf 16.28mb
Xbox.xtf 14.89mb
xboxdash.xbe 656kb
yboxdash.xbe 656kb

Now I know the modd'ed BIOS's all look for a range of .XBE files to load as their dashboard (in this case my chip will load evoxdash.xbe). I think the std MS BIOS will try and load xboxdash.xbe - but not sure.

I am a little confused over the sizes of msxboxdash.xbe and xboxdash.xbe. Maybe the ISO boot cd I used to install EVOX has messed things up... any ideas ???

I need to get all this sorted out so that I can backup the HDD - instal a spare 80gig I have knocking about and get linux on ASAP.

Any ideas or help would be good :)

Thanx in advance

Ian

Some more useful info.

If I disable the mod chip the Xbox boots fine if there is a game CD in the drive (i.e. no need to lauch a dashboard).

The only problem in this situation from this point on is when Project Gotham Racing 2 tries to update the xbox dashboard for XBOX Live it fails and I get a service code 21. I think this is related to the original problem (i.e. the correct dashboard cannot be found).

I think if we manage to sort the Error code 13 [ Dashboard launch fail (due to missing/bad key, or anything else that would prevent it from running) and the dashboard didn't specify why it failed ] the error code 21 will also go away.

if someone could get me a list of the files (and sizes) that should exist in the route of an EVOX XBOX I can compare and hopefully sort.

Ian.

[Edited by igratton - 1/18/2004 11:23:30 AM]

Ian,

Looks to me like your xboxdash.xbe is the wrong size. Must be the EvoX xbe. The original xboxdash.xbe is 1,394,036 bytes. Try copying and renaming the msxboxdash.xbe to xboxdash.xbe.

Your chip should still boot to evodash.xbe with chip on and boot to xboxdash.xbe with chip off.

The Live modified xboxdash.xbe will be slightly bigger hence the difference in file size.

HTH :)

Hello Mr Dunk

so you think 1.56mb sounds about right for a post-xbox live update dashboard ?

Will back up the entire root dir and try what you say.

Hopefully with the Chip on EVOX dash should still work - I'd hate to screw it totally.

File size sounds about right to me, not got Live though.

Just take a copy and rename the old one to keep it.

You will still be able to boot with the chip and FTP back to fix it and won't be in a different position to how you are now :)

When you install the 80Gb HDD into the Box make sure that you can 'lock' the drive, unfortunatly my 80Gb drive doesn't support locking :( so I cant go back onto Live. My xboxdash.xbe is 1,634,304 bytes in size.

Ummm..

just tried to do what you suggested.

I took a full XBOX backup via FTP first.

I removed the smaller xboxdash.xbe and made a copy of the larger msxboxdash.xbe file and renamed it xboxdash.xbe.

Restarting the Xbox with the mod disabled took me to the service screen and error 21. I put everything back to how it was (i.e small xboxdash.xbe) and I'm back to the service screen and error 13.

I wonder what it could be - maybe somebody needs to send me a backup of what they think is the original xboxdash.xbe ;)

not sure what the yboxdash.xbe file is all about either.

Regards

Ian.

Ian - YGM

Hi - sorry to hijack your thread without suggesting anything positive but I've just got an xbox myself and am going to get it chipped this week. Your problems aside I wondered if you and DJ D might be able to give me any pointers on which chip to install?

All the chat seems to be about the xecutor but I am being offered a good deal on an alladin chip - are there any major differences between the two?

Any advice much appreciated - hope you get your prob sorted!

cheers

Steve

Did you get a copy of the original xbe ? Looks like Ian sorted you out, if not, let me know as I have a copy of my original.

Howdy folks,

got ians file. tried to do the suggested and got an error 21 with the mod disabled. I also got an error 21 when trying to load the MS dash from EVOX when it was renamed to xbosdash.xbe

So now things are as they were - with the files as described above.

I am also now a little worried that if I unplug my XBOX it will try and start with the set system time screen - in which case - it won't as the MS dashboard is buggered.

Not sure what to do now ??? is there a way I can get a bootable DVD that will clean the XBOX back to factory settings (and hopefully sort the problem) and then allow me to Re-install EVO X ???

I have backups of the E and X drives so will that let me put my save games back ???

But you have no backup from pre-slayer ? i.e between flashing the bios and installing slayer.

My orig MS xboxdash.xbe is 1.55 MB (1,634,304 bytes) - Its never been connected to live.

Deano

I am wondering if somebody tried the connect to live prior to modding my XBox - may have even tried myself - can't remember. So I wonder if the problem is that msxboxdash.xbe is the pre live update version - my machine has had the xboxlive update performed.

I am also wondering about the following files (maybe these are modified by the live update dashboard)

(this could have been placed here by the slayer cd overwriting my live patched dash)

msxboxdash.xbe 1,634,304
XBox Book.xtf 17,068,868
Xbox.xtf 15,613,736
evoxdash.xbe 671,744
xboxdash.xbe 671,744
yboxdash.xbe 671,744

other stuff off the root of c:

evox.ini 10,057
items.txt 164

I have the following directories off the root

Audio
fonts
fonts.du
Skin
xboxdashdat.du
xodash

if I have a look in the xodash directory I see

update.xbe 1,974,272
xonlinedash.xbe 1,929,216

I wonder if xonlinedash.xbe is the version my box should have in the root of C named xboxdash.xbe ???

Any more thoughts ???

Below is a list of the root of my C on the X-Box

150 Opening ASCII data connection for ls /c/.
drwxr-xr-x 1 XBOX XBOX 0 May 11 11:41 ..
drwxr-xr-x 1 XBOX XBOX 0 dec 25 12:08 fonts
drwxr-xr-x 1 XBOX XBOX 0 dec 25 12:09 Audio
drwxr-xr-x 1 XBOX XBOX 0 dec 25 12:10 xboxdashdata.1012a700
-rw-r--r-- 1 XBOX XBOX 1634304 oct 24 19:33 xboxdash.xbe
drwxr-xr-x 1 XBOX XBOX 0 dec 25 12:11 xodash
drwxr-xr-x 1 XBOX XBOX 0 jan 16 16:26 Bios
drwxr-xr-x 1 XBOX XBOX 0 jan 16 16:26 Skin
drwxr-xr-x 1 XBOX XBOX 0 jan 16 16:26 Trainers
-rw-r--r-- 1 XBOX XBOX 17691 jan 18 18:51 evox.ini
-rw-r--r-- 1 XBOX XBOX 770048 jan 16 16:26 evoxdash.xbe

Ummm...

so I wonder what those .du directories are for - maybe a failed xbox live update ???

Maybe a slayer cd and factory restore is looking like a good option.

IIRC teh Slayer CD has an option just to install an MS Dashboard?

Ian,

Any ideas on where to download the slayer disk from - my buddy isn't about till monday.

Thanks again for all your help.

I know this is *nothing* to do with the Xecuter chip - its something I've screwed up.

Ian YGM

IanW YHM !!!

Did you run the region free dvd patch on the slayer disc? If so that will give Error 13 on the M$ dash. You have to run it again to return it to normal.

Ok,

problems now sorted. :D

Backed up my save games using xbox saves http://www.xbox-saves.com/

got the latest Slayer boot CD and burnt to a CD/RW. Booted the box, did a restore to factory on the HD (including installing evox and original msoft dashboards) and then rebooted.

Machine now works with both modd enabled and disabled.

Thankyou IanW for helping me do this - without him - it would have been into the garage for my very large hammer

Ian

No,

I basically restored my HD back to factory straight from the slayer disk - this put the correct dashboard (both msoft and evox) the dvd player is available from within EVOX and its already region free I think.

The new Xbox Media Player is very cool - the ability to stream straight from the internet is great.

Now - just to get Mame and lots of games on it now.

Need to upgrade the HD - but need to check if I can lock/unlock the one I have.

Just got back to see you sorted it :) Nice one Ian.

What's XBMP up to now? I'm still running 2.4.
Did try an early version of the Media Centre software but didn't like it as much as Media Player 2.4

I think the version of XBMP installed from Slayer 2.5 BootDisk is 2.4. I'm glad XBMP has advanced as its going to save me from having to buy a dlink/linksys media streamer to get all my mp3 files going via my stereo in the chill/games room.

I'm sure it will work but at the moment XBMP won't connect to the samba share I've told it about in the config file. Hopefully will sort this tonight and its just me getting things wrong.

Do you happen to know if XBMP will freak out if it finds a huge number of directories/folders on the end of a samba share ? the share I have (lets just say its smb://pcname/audio for the time being) points at my iTunes directory so everything is pre-organised by artist. If I can get this working it will be a great way of getting GB's of music round the house.

Yes, I think 2.4 was the last one, although there were various CVS releases of that too. I still use XBMP at the mo because I can't seem to get as good a quality playback on my avi's with XBMC.

I use Relax for my shares, 60Gb of MP3's streaming nicely :) My movie playback is still jerky over 11mbps wireless tho :( Anyone got any suggestions ? Not tried upping the cache yet, maybe that will help ?

I was getting the occasional crash from XBMP talking to an SMB share (my win2k server in the loft) and its also not that quick. XBMC now has all new SMB code (ported samba) but I found it very very slow traversing directories and my MP3 collection is as big as some. (Prob about 80 albums or so).

I now use Relax and it seems MUCH quicker reading directories. Annoys me having to have multip s/w running on the server but speed increase seems ok. I get good results playing 2Gb divx files off the server - but I am on 100mb/s - you cant beat having structured cabling behind your TV ;) :D

Deano

Bought all the front panels, cabling etc for my hardwiring, but haven't got around to installing it yet :o Just moved into a brand new house and am a bit daunted about cutting holes in my new cream walls. Okay, its the GF who's more concerned :D

I'm doing the same as Dunk, although I haven't got my wireless ethernet bridge yet so it worries me that 11Mbs isn't fast enough to stream movies :o

You need to pick your moment (i.e. when shes out ;) )

http://www.eatworms.org.uk/album/house03/Dscf0026.jpg

I use a compressor and air hammer to chisel the runs. Gets a bit dusty - but its quick :D

Deano

[Edited by dsmith - 1/20/2004 11:35:36 AM]