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[How To] Softmod Your Xbox in 10 Mins. (If you are good that is)
Revisions:
3-8-08: Initial release
10-10-08: Added tutorial links below:
http://forums.afterdawn.com/thread_view.cfm/578329
http://forums.afterdawn.com/thread_view.cfm/536595#3246424
6-28-09: Added my Youtube video below:
1-15-10: Youtube video removed until I upload new version.
In efforts to get more Xbox tutorials on here, I have decided to just copy and paste an excellent guide before. I take no credit for it, and I do want to say that it works because I have done it on my own Xbox. If you get stuck on the way, I can help you out definitely. – Versatile1
Source
Xbox modification has come a long way in the past couple years. With the introduction of the TSOP mod, potential modders no longer had to shell out money for a modchip; rather just bridge two points on the Xbox motherboard. Now one doesn’t even have to open up his Xbox. Welcome to the world of soft modding. Using code exploits in certain games, a user is able to load a phony gamesave that will boot into a Linux based operating system and allow a user to mod his Xbox… in under ten minutes.
Before I go on, soft modding voids your warranty. It is not illegal, but if something goes wrong, you can’t return your console to Microsoft and expect them to send you a new one.
WARNING! PLEASE READ – If you have successfully modded your Xbox, DO NOT attempt to connect to Xbox Live. If you do, Microsoft will ban your account. Modded Xboxes are not allowed on Live. Expect a complete FAQ (I’ve received lots of emails) to come out Monday, Sept 12th
You’re going to need the following things before we get started:
b. The original version of 007: Agent Under Fire or the Platinum Hits AUF with the Serial #: 1448517 (NOT 1448527)
c. Mech Assault with the Serial #: MS02301L on the inner ring of the game CD
First thing you need to do is acquire an All-in-One exploit package. Where do you get this? Launch your IRC client of choice, and type: /server irc.efnet.net
Once connected to EFNet, type /j #xbins and then type /msg xbins !list
You will receive a private message from Xbins who will give you the location and login to the FTP.
Once connected to the FTP, navigate to /XBOX/exploits/_Packages/Softmod Installer Deluxe/ and download the Softmod.Installer.Deluxe.v2.0.Xbox-Hq.rar file.
For this tutorial, we’ll be using the Splinter Cell exploit. All exploits are pretty much the same.
Extract the two .zip files (SID.Splinter.Cell.v2.0.Xbox-Hq.zip and SID.Splinter.Cell.v2.0.NTSC.Xbox-Hq.zip) from the RAR archive.
If you’re using Action Replay, drag both zip files to your memory card. Then copy both gamesaves from the memory card to your unmodded Xbox.
If you have access to a modified Xbox, you can extract both .zip files and FTP them over to the modified Xbox console, then using the MS Dash, copy both the Linux Installer and Splinter Cell gamesaves to the memory card, switch consoles and copy the gamesaves from the memory card to the unmodded Xbox.
There should be two gamesaves. One should be 4 blocks (a linker file), the other 489 (the installer file).
Start up Splinter Cell, select Start Game and press A.
If you have never played Splinter Cell before, there should only be one available gamesave: Linux. Select it and press A.
On the next screen, select Check Points (selecting Levels (in my experience) will cause the Xbox to freeze).
The screen should turn black and approximately 10 seconds later, you will be greeted with an UnleashX intro screen and then an UnleashX control panel.
Select the option, Create MS Backup, which will backup the entire contents of your C:\ to E:\backup\MS
Now select the option, Create Mod Backup, which will backup your EEPROM.
If you do not backup your c:\ and your EEPROM, recovering your console if something does go awry will be incredibly hard or impossible.
Once you have backed up both the C:\ and EEPROM, select Install Softmod. This will mod your system. DO NOT TURN OFF YOUR SYSTEM. Let the mod install, when it finishes you’ll notice that the installation prompt and status bar have disappeared.
Because of the limited capacities of standard Microsoft memory cards, only the Evolution X and Unleash X dashboards have been included in this package. I prefer Evolution X, so select Install Evox and let Evolution X install.
Once you have installed Evolution X, power off your Xbox and turn it back on. Make sure to eject your Splinter Cell game.
If everything went correctly, your Xbox should be successfully modded and you will be greeted with an Evolution X (or Unleash X) dashboard.
[How To] Shrink Xbox 1 Games to Fit onto 1 DVD
Revisions:
6-19-09: Updated game link so you know how to shrink Xbox 1 games.
The way Xbox games are burnt is totally different than from the way PS2 games are made. Yes, the Xbox games are using DVD9, but they have two layers to them: a video layer and a data layer.
The experienced Xbox modder may come across a situation where he/she will want to backup a game, and suddenly finds out that the Xbox ISO file is larger than a single layer DVD! In these cases, what do you do?
I found a great website where it a large list of games that tell you what files are safe to delete before you can make your own Xbox ISO game. By doing so, you are saving space, and now you can turn your 5.9Gig ISO file into a 4.23Gig ISO file.
Awesome, right? Check it out at this link.
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WTF Wednesday: Use your Wii as a Media Center!
Well, to be honest, I never EVER thought that the Wii would be used as a media center. Of course, the Xbox 360 IS a media center, and the PS3 is powerful enough to do it as well (8 X 3.0 ghz processors? wtf?) and actually has the media center style. All the Wii seems to do besides playing games is browse the net through Opera. WTF?
WAIT! THERE’S MORE!
Alright, I don’t want to rewrite what was written at LifeHacker because I don’t want to get anything wrong, miss something, or otherwise mess up said process. So, read on!
”
Set Up Your PC
To get started, you need to download and install the popular media streaming application, Orb, to your Windows PC. Orb has a fairly straightforward installation process, so just follow along with the instructions. You’ll have to set up an Orb account if this is the first time you’ve used Orb.Once you’ve installed Orb, you should make sure you’re sharing all the content you want. Right-click Orb in the system tray and select Configuration. In the Media tab, you can add every folder on your computer holding anything from video and photos to music and documents (though documents folders are probably a little beyond the scope of your Wii).
When you’re done, test out that it’s worked by pointing your computer’s browser to mycast.orb.com, then log in with the username and password you registered with during installation. If you’re not familiar with Orb from previous posts, what you’re looking at when you log in is the regular web interface. That’s right, in addition to supercharging your Wii, Orb can also stream all of that digital media to any browser. Try listening to some music or watching videos through you browser to make sure everything’s working. (If you’re having troubles, check out Orb’s top 10 troubleshooting questions.)
Orb lets you access any of your music or movies from any browser through this interface, much like the Media Center WebGuide. Unlike WebGuide, though, Orb’s web interface goes into 10-foot control mode when you browse to its interface on your Wii. That’s what we’re going to set up next.
Set Up Your Wii
First, make sure you’ve either installed or updated the Opera-based Wii browser so you’ve got the latest available web browser on your Wii (this is important, since older versions of the Wii browser won’t handle larger video streams as well). So unless you’ve got the latest Opera browser on your Wii, head to the Wii Shop channel, find, and download the browser (if this is the first time you’ve download it, it’ll cost you around $5, or 500 points in the Shopping channel).Now that you’ve done that, head back to your Wii home screen and launch the Internet channel (that’s the browser you just downloaded). Just like you did from your desktop, point your Wii browser to mycast.orb.com. This time, instead of the login screen you saw from your computer, you’ll see the Wii interface, which is larger and optimized for your TV. Log in, and this time you’ll be confronted with the full-on Orb home screen for your Wii.
Before you test out Orb’s streaming media on your Wii, head to Settings -> Stream and make sure Orb is set to stream video in Flash, then save the settings and go back to the home screen. If you properly set up Orb on you’re computer (which is basically a no-brainer), you should now be able to access any of that media from the comfort of your couch through your Wii and Wii remote. (Check the gallery for a better idea of how that all works.)
That means videos you’ve downloaded with BitTorrent, your entire music library, and even TV you’ve recorded with Windows Media Center are now available for streaming to your Wii. If you’ve got a tuner card in your PC, you can even use Orb to schedule recordings and stream live TV. Snazzy, no?
It doesn’t even matter what format your videos are encoded in. Orb transcodes the video on-the-fly to stream it—in the case of our Wii—as a simple Flash video.
What Now?
Now that your entire digital media library is accessible to your Wii, you can stream any of that content to your living room without introducing a new piece of hardware to your entertainment center. To optimize your Wii Orbing experience, you’ll want to set mycast.orb.com as a favorite on your Wii browser. You should also turn the browser toolbar to hide automatically in the Settings of the Wii browser so it’s not always sitting on top of the content you’re streaming to your Wii.The only downside to this method is that the quality of the videos you’re streaming won’t be nearly as high as the source, due mostly to the need to transcode the video and the fact that the video needs to be compressed enough to stream over the web. If you’re hoping to someday stream video natively (which would be, of course, much cooler, and much more competitive with what the Xbox offers), you may want to keep your eyes on the possible software mods and exploits that are looking to run Linux on your Wii. If that happens, look to really squeeze some exciting functionality from your Wii.” (props to LifeHacker’s Adam Pash)
TGI Friday! #1
It’s possibly the greatest moment of the week when you get home after work or school, sit down and say ‘Thank God it’s Friday!’ For someone who lives as much for the weekend as myself, I know that Friday night is one of the most looked forward to points of my week. To show you just how much I love Fridays, here’s a picture I made a while back:
However, as much as it allows us to look forward to all the fun the weekend will bring, it is also a moment where we can look back on what the week has given us, and therein lies the point of these weekly posts. Every Friday from now on, I will endeavour to summarise as best I can what has happened in the Underground world of technology and perhaps bring certain other things to your attention, whether they will shock you or amuse you.
Perhaps the biggest thing this week was the CES, which stands for Consumer Electronics Show. If you’re still confused, think of E3 but for general technology. This year’s show brought to our attention the world’s largest LCD screen and also the Optimus keyboard, which has finally come out of development hell to ship in 2 months (if it’s not delayed…) with a huge price tag of $1500! However, this particular keyboard is probably worth it, considering just how awesome it is.
For a little more on CES, check out this article.
Technically this didn’t happen this week and so is quite old news, but nonetheless for those who still haven’t heard, three Texans attempted to sue Microsoft over a weekend of Xbox Live outages for $5 million. Naturally, as we all know that the Internet is serious business, this has been the source of much debate and argument. Should Microsoft face the price for a faulty service? Should these people just shut up and get a life? Read more here.
And news just in, Darth Vader and Yoda have been confirmed for Soul Calibur IV, for the PS3 and the Xbox 360 respectively! This is no hoax my friends, and is certainly a very interesting decision for a series that has already seen some major cross-overs in the form of Link, Spawn and Heihachi. See the trailer below!
And so with that, I’m off. So far you are being left with a hot picture every week, and so I will try and leave you with a humourous video every week. Seeing as CES was the main event this week, I leave you with this video of the guys at Gizmodo wreaking havoc with the monitors at CES. Enjoy!
2007 Games Of The Year by GAMESPY
PC Game of the Year
PC Top 10 Games of the Year
2. The Orange Box
3. BioShock
4. Galactic Civilizations II: Dark Avatar
5. World of Warcraft: The Burning Crusade
6. The Lord of the Rings Online: Shadows of Angmar
7. World in Conflict
8. Crysis
9. Sam & Max: Season 1
10. The Witcher
PC Action Game of the Year
PC Adventure of the Year
PC Best Strategy Game of the Year
PC Expansion of the Year
PC MMO Game of the Year
PC Multiplayer Game of the Year
PC RPG Game of the Year
Xbox 360 Game of the Year
Xbox 360 Top 10 Games of the Year
2. BioShock
3. The Orange Box
4. Rock Band
5. Mass Effect
6. Halo 3
7. Virtua Fighter 5 Online
8. skate.
9. Forza MotorSport 2
10. Crackdown
Xbox 360 Action Game of the Year
Xbox 360 Fighting Game of the Year
Xbox 360 Multiplayer Game of the Year
Xbox 360 Music Game of the Year
Xbox 360 Racing of the Year
Xbox 360 RPG Game of the Year
Xbox 360 Sports Game of the Year
PS3 Game of the Year
PS3 Top 10 Games of the Year
2. Uncharted: Drake’s Fortune
3. Warhawk
4. Rock Band
5. skate.
6. Virtua Fighter 5
7. R&C: Tools of Destruction
8. Ninja Gaiden Sigma
9. MotorStorm
10. FIFA Soccer 08
PS3 Action Game of the Year
PS3 Fighting Game of the Year
PS3 Multiplayer Game of the Year
PS3 Music Game of the Year
PS3 Platformer Game of the Year
PS3 Racing Game of the Year
PS3 Sports Game of the Year
Wii Game of the Year
Wii Top 10 Games of the Year
2. Metroid Prime 3 Corruption
3. Resident Evil 4: Wii Edition
4. Fire Emblem: Radiant Dawn
5. Guitar Hero III: Legends of Rock
6. Zack & Wiki: Quest for Barbaros’ Treasure
7. Mario Strikers Charged
8. WarioWare: Smooth Moves
9. Super Paper Mario
10. LEGO Star Wars: The Complete Saga
Wii Action Game of the Year
Wii Platformer Game of the Year
Wii Adventure Game of the Year
Wii RPG Game of the Year
Wii Sports Game of the Year
Wii Music Game of the Year
Wii Party Game of the Year
Wii Puzzle Game of the Year
Wii Turn-Based Strategy Game of the Year
This is the result of the more important “VIDEO GAME AWARDS OF 2007”
GAME OF THE YEAR
BioShockSTUDIO OF THE YEAR
Harmonix
BEST SHOOTER
Call of Duty 4: Modern Warfare (Activision/ Infinity Ward)BEST RPG
Mass Effect (Microsoft Game Studios/ BioWare)BEST MILITARY GAME
Call of Duty 4: Modern Warfare (Activision/ Infinity Ward)BEST INDIVIDUAL SPORTS GAME
skate (Electronic Arts/ EA Black Box)BEST HANDHELD GAME
The Legend of Zelda: Phantom Hourglass (Nintendo/ Nintendo)BEST GRAPHICS
Crysis (Electronic Arts/ Crytek)BEST GAME BASED ON A MOVIE OR TV SHOW
The Simpsons Game (Electronic Arts/ EA Redwood Shores)BEST RHYTHM GAME
Rock Band (MTV Games/ Harmonix)BEST DRIVING GAME
DiRT (Codemasters/ Codemasters)BEST ACTION GAME
Super Mario Galaxy (Nintendo/ Nintendo)BEST TEAM SPORTS GAME
Madden NFL 08 (Electronic Arts/ EA Tiburon)BEST SOUNDTRACK
Rock Band (MTV Games/ Harmonix)BREAKTHROUGH TECHNOLOGY
The Orange Box/ Portal (Valve/ Valve)BEST XBOX 360 GAME
BioShockBEST WII GAME
Super Mario Galaxy (Nintendo/ Nintendo)BEST PS3 GAME
Ratchet & Clank Future: Tools of Destruction (Sony Computer Entertainment/
Insomniac Games)BEST PC GAME
The Orange Box (Valve/ Valve)BEST ORIGINAL SCORE
BioShockBEST MULTI-PLAYER GAME
Halo 3 (Microsoft Game Studios/ Bungie Studios)MOST ADDICTIVE VIDEO GAME FUELED BY DEW
Halo 3 (Microsoft Game Studios/ Bungie Studios)
Cretise – The New Aproach to Getting Referrals, FOR FREE!
Cretise is a new site that is just starting off but has enough members already to do its job. Its job is to give your referral links for any site to other people who are already looking for it but need a way to find it. Cretise is free and easy to use! I started only a couple of days ago and I have already gotten a referral from it!!!
There are a lot of sites offering free stuff like Game systems, $100+ gift cards, etc. but they require you to refer people to join as well. Here is something to help get some of those pesky referrals out of the way!
The way this works is by requiring you to earn credits, to be redeemed (50 minimum) for posting your referral link. The link then remains up until your redeemed credits goes to 0. How do you actually earn the credits, you ask? Well it is actually very simple and easy to do (took me 2 min to redeem 50+ credits)
“There are a couple ways to gain credits for free:
The first way is by clicking on links that other members are promoting. We have a category system so the links will be in categories that you have interest in. Once you visit a link you get a certain amount of credit for viewing it. There is currently no limit to the amount of links you can view in a day, but is limited to the number posted in categories that you are interested in.
Another way to gain credit is from your friends. If your friends are wondering how you are so successful in promoting your referral links, we will give you an incentive to tell them about us. We will give you 100 Credits for every friend that creates a Free account. You can find your link to give to your friends in our Refer a Friend section. Please make sure to use it or you will not get credit for them.” – Cretise FAQ
If you think either of those things will be hard, just try it and find out that IT IS NOT HARD!
So what are you waiting for? Sign up today!- CLICK HERE TO SIGN UP!
~Musicmasteria
P.S.- To Versatile1: Oh, are you giving us a hint in the message on the right? I get it… here is my post. Limh/Lol (11/19/07)
My Insights on Halo3 and COD4 MP
Okay, so I have sampled multiplayer from Call of Duty 4 and it’s got some tricks.
You can:
-Call in air strikes.
-Find people with the radar/map.
-Lay down/crawl.
-The ability to shoot through wooden walls/objects with higher calibers.
-Chuck a grenade back at your opponent(if you’re fast enough)
-Near death state which you can still shoot.
I’ve played games like this before and while some of the ideas are pretty cool, there are more than a few complaints I have with it.
1-The airstrikes unbalance it especially the helicopters.
2-You have to move slower and make yourself a target to aim your weapon.
3-You have to stand in front of an open door to throw a grenade in it. (yes I know you have to do it in halo as well).
4-On the right map, people who lay on the ground can just murder their opponents.
5-With radar on, you know EXACTLY where your opponents are.
6-With radar off, you have to have nearly perfect vision unless they walk directly in front of you.
7-Running only gets you dead faster.
8-Grenade throw stinks.
9-You have to sit down and read a manual just to know how to play.
10-Unless you shoot them in the head, they aren’t dead right away and can fire back.
11-Death cams (Why do I want to watch my killer’s POV?)
12-No vehicles to ride in!
I like to be able to point and shoot, not have to do something that will make me move slower and reduce my sight. I know that sniper and br limit vision, but at least they don’t make me move slower. I like being able to jump in a hog/mongoose and depending on what I do I can throw off the balance of the fight. Just go on a splatter spree or just act goofy and get the enemy’s attention while my buddies get into position. To get more weapons or ammo, I have to loot the corpse of my enemy? What happens if I run out of ammo and all of his buddies are standing next to his corpse? I die is what, and I would prefer the option to be able to get more weapons or ammo, or pull a strategic withdrawal.
The structures had no landmarks that could be simple to remember. In halo 3, “I’m pinned at Froman!” is all the info your team needs to know where you are and where some of the enemy are. When we played Call of Duty 4, it was, “I’m in a room!” “There are boxes!” I also called in a helicopter strike and watched as I racked up enemy kills with no actual effort on my part. You can hide in a building and call in for the entire enemy team to be wiped out with no chance of reprisal.
Now onto Halo 3:
-mancannons
-hornets (AWESOME!!!)
-mongoose
-sniper rifle that requires skill
-Large market for DLC
-Forge
-Infection playlists
-NO MORE NOOB COMBO!!!!! YAY!!!
-portable turrets
-THE RETURN OF THE ASSAULT RIFLE!!! Now when out of ammo, you can assault someone with it!
-the shotgun and needler are to be feared!!!
There are also some big negatives to point out in Halo
One big point is that on maps like Epitaph and Snowbound there are shied doors placed around the map. These doors promote camping with weapons such as shotgun and mauler. There is a counter to this camping though. All you have to do is just hang around the top of the bases with sniper and battle rifle and wait for them to come out. The only flaw to this strategy is that if the opposing team has the lead all they would have to do is have the nerve to sit in ah-mazing protected room for the rest of the round.
Another negative which I am not directly affected by but i know many others are is the fact bungie had worked hard to make the game with the least amount of glitches possible. They have done a good job on this and I am personally happy but i know for a fact that a lot of the glitching community is disappointed.
Overall I feel these are two VERY GREAT games. Remember these are just MY opinions. I’m sure that some of you out there disagree with me but this isn’t the place to flame. If you would like post your insights or disagreements but withhold from flame please.
Bioshock: Game Ending
Warning: Due to the recent release of this game, this is deemed a spoiler. Watch at your own risk.
How To Get Free Games, Game Consoles, iPods, and Other Things!
Alright, This is Voltaire once again with a “how to get free stuff” report. Those of you that have read my previous get a free iPhone article know what sticklers we are for free things. Well, I have found a really good site. Yes, it has iPods, iTunes cards, Wii games and extra Wii parts, xbox 360’s, HALO 3 (YES FOR FREE), xbox parts, xbox live cards, PS3’s with games and parts, music, DS’s with games, PSP’s with games, and much, much more!
And heres the deal: you dont need a credit card! Most of the offers available do NOT need a credit card. All you have to do is complete a little survey or sign up an account but you wont need a credit card. of course, for those of you that are willing to spend a few bucks, there are credit card and cell phone offers to be completed.
So, how do you get points? complete offers! or tell you friends to help you out.
Want to sign up? well, i didnt mention a link or a set yet.
So there it is! Click above to sign up and start getting free things!
(They have the Touch, so you better hurry!!!)
The site is reliable, and credits add up instantaneously. You will not have any problems!
