class="bi x0 y1 w2 h2"
International Standard Book Number: 0-672-32683-3
Library
of
Congress Catalog Card Number: 2004095063
Printed
in
the United States ofAmerica
First Printing: December 2004
The
Black
Art
of
Xbox Mods
Copyright ©
2005
by
Sams Publishing
All
rights reserved. No part
of
this book shall be reproduced, stored in
a retrieval system, or transmitted by any means, electronic, mechani-
cal, photocopying, recording,
or
otherwise, without written permis-
sion from the publisher. No patent liability
is
assumed with respect to
the use

Managing
Editor
Charlotte Clapp
Project
Editor
Dan Knott
Copy
Editor
Carl Hitchcock
Indexer
Erika Millen
Trademarks
All
terms mentioned in this book that are known
to
be trademarks or
service marks have been appropriately capitalized. Sams Publishing
cannot attest to the accuracy
of
this information.
Use
of
a term in this
book should not be regarded
as
affecting the validity of any trade-
mark or service mark.
Warning and
Disclaimer
Every effort has been made to make this book

For sales outside
of
the U.S., please contact
International Sales

Proofreader
Wendy Ott
Technical
Editor
Nathan Cain
Publishing
Coordinator
Cindy Teeters
Interior
Designer
Gary Adair
Cover
Designer
Sandra Schroeder
Page Layout
Susan Geiselman
Contents
at
a Glance
Introduction
Part I:
The
Xbox
Demystified
1 Welcome to the Xbox Scene

Index
7
19
57
69
83
99
129
157
179
207
233
259
275
289
297
301
Table
of
Contents
What
You
Will Learn
Conventions Used in This Book
Part I:
The
Xbox
Demystified
Chapter
1:

Can
You
Do with Your Xbox?
So What's the Spiel?
Summary
Chapter
2:
Disassembling
Your Xbox
Getting to Know
the
Xbox Hardware
The Case
The
Motherboard
The Power Supply
The
DVD-ROM
Drive
The
Hard
Drive.
The
Central Processing
Unit
(CPU)
The
Graphics Processing Unit (GPU)
Front-Side Bus (FSB)
Media

24
24
25
.
25
25
26
26

26
Lifting
the
Case
Examining
the
Main
Deck
Removing
the
Hard
Drive
Removing
the
Hard
Drive Tray Screw
Removing
the
Cables
Lifting the
Hard

Power Supply
Connector
Removing
the
Motherboard
Screws
Unplugging
the
Controller
Port
Cables
Removing
the
Case
Fan
Removing
the
Motherboard
Summary
Chapter
3:
Identifying
Your Xbox
Revision
Revision Notes
1.0
1.1
1.2
1.3
1.4

33
35
38
38
38
39
43
44
46
48
48
52
52
56
57
57
57
57
58
58
58
59
59
60
60
61
62
63
64
64

Mod
Chips Legal? .
The
Modded
Xbox
Why
the
DMCA
Does
More
Harm
Than
Good
What
Can
You
Do
with
a
Mod
Chip?
Xbox Media
Center
(XBMC)
Homebrew
Games
Overview
of
Available
Mod

Booting Up the
Mod
Chip
Summary
Chapter
6:
Installing
a Soldered Mod
Chip
Removing
the
Motherboard
Installing a
Pin
Header
(All Revisions)
Preparing to Solder .
Locating the
LPe
Removing Pin 4
69
69
70
70
73
74
75
75
76
77

Wire
Xbox Revision
1.6
Mod
Chip Installation
Double-Checking the Revision
Installing the Pin Header
Rebuilding the LPC
Installing the LFRAME Wire
Troubleshooting
Problem with the
DO/LFRAME
Problem with the LPC
Other
Problems
Summary
Part
III:
Software
Mods
Chapter
7:
The
Xenium
Operating
System
Overview
of
the Xenium OIS
The Xenium OIS Main Menu

115
115
.116
116
123
125
125
125
125
126
129
129
130
131
134
140
144
155
155
155
156
157
157
158
159
159
160
165
167
167

Shutdown
Summary
Chapter
10: Xbox
Media
Center
Overview
of
Xbox Media Center
Installing Xbox Media Center
Installing the XBMC Files
Installing a Hacked BIOS
Running Xbox Media Center
The Main
Menu
My Programs
My Files
My Pictures
My Music
My Videos
Weather
Settings
Summary
179
179
180
181
.181
186
.186

IV:
Major
Hardware
Mods
Chapter
11: Replacing
the
Xbox Case
Stock Cases
Tearing Down the Old Case
Replacing the DVD-ROM Tray Panel
Assembling the New Case
Aftermarket Cases
Assembling the Aftermarket Case
The System Jewel
Summary
Chapter
12:
Upgrading
the
Xbox
Hard
Drive
Overview
of
the Swap .
The Stock Xbox Hard Drive
The Replacement Hard Drive
Connecting Both Hard Drives
Master/Slave Settings.

Putting
It
All Together
Examining the Cold Cathode Light
The Custom LEDs
Summary.
Contents
ix
233
233
234
·
245
246
.252
·
252
258
258
259
·
259
260
261
·
262
262
264
264
267

Room
in the Case
Installing a
Hard
Drive Cooling Fan
Summary
Appendix
A: Xbox Resources
Xbox Information Sites
Mod
Chip Manufacturers
Xbox Hardware Sites
Xbox Software Sites
Index
289
289
290
291
292
294
294
295
296
297
297
298
298
299
301
About

Father,
Martin Scott Harbour
Acknowledgments
This book would
not
exist without all the incredible
amount
of
diligence by individuals who
freely
gave
their hard-earned knowledge to others. This
book
is
not
a unique work by any means,
and although everything described herein was performed by me, I do not take credit for figuring
out anything on my own. I am just a writer!
Yes,
I am a hard-core gamer and programmer,
but
I
am by no means a hardware hacker. What I have done here
is
simply study, build, and explain
how it was done.
To
all
of
you

lowe
a big thanks to the folks at www.customps2.com for
several clear cases that are featured in this book.
I thank my wife, Jennifer, for putting up with the insane deadlines I faced with this project that
soaked up
all
of
my
free
time for several months. Thank you for being so supportive! I am also
blessed to have two wonderful kids, Jeremiah and Kayleigh, who force me to take a break now
and
then. I thank God for my family.
To
my readers, thank you for buying this book. I am certain that you will enjoy
it!
Finally, to the
open source
community-lighten
up a little!
You
are winning, after all.
We
Want
to
Hear
from
You!
As
the reader

do to make our books better.
Please
note thatI cannot
help
you with
technical
problems related
to
the
topic
of
this
book.
We
do
have
a
User
Services
group,
however,
where I will forward
specific
technical questions related
to
the
book.
When
yOll
write, please be sure to include this book's title and author

described
as
a powerful, proprietary
PC that has been customized exclusively for
running
games. This book
will
help you to maximize the potential
of
your Xbox video game console by showing you how
to modify your Xbox in various ways.
You
will learn how to
disassemble your Xbox, right down to the motherboard, and
you will learn about each component,inside the Xbox case.
Several chapters are devoted to the most important
part
of
Xbox modding: choosing a
mod
chip and then learning how
to install it in your Xbox. The
mod
chip allows you to
run
third-party software
on
your Xbox that
is
normally limited

addresses several
of
the major
mod
chips currently available,
it focuses primarily on the Xenium mod chip.
2
Introduction
I chose this
mod
chip because it
comes with an excellent operating
system with features that will assist
with upgrading the hard drive and
installing your favorite Dashboards
and software.
All
of
the mod chips
currently
on
the market are similar,
so
even if you're using another
mod
chip (such
as
SmartXX, Xecuter,
X-
Bit,

for you to copy software to your
Xbox from your PC using a local
area network (LAN) connection.
Most custom Dashboards come with
an
FTP
server,
so
you will be able to
log
on
to your Xbox
as
if it were a
computer on the Internet
and
then
transfer files to your Xbox hard
drive. Some Dashboards also pro-
vide a SAMBA/SMB server that
allows you to treat the Xbox hard
drive like a shared network drive.
Introduction
3
For you to get the most
out
of
your Xbox, this book
will
also teach you how to upgrade your hard

of
photos that illustrate each step
of
the process
of
modding your Xbox.
No matter what you plan to do with
your
Xbox-from
turning it into a
monster gaming rig or a media cen-
ter computer to acting
as
a hub for
your big-screen TV and entertain-
ment
center-you
will find the
information you have been looking
for in this concise, fully illustrated,
thorough, and step-by-step guide to
Xbox mods. This book
is
part
hard-
ware and part software, and there
is
equal treatment
of
both.

all
times. This
book
is
not just a guide;
it
is
a reference, with
all
the major features and specifications
of
each revision
of
the Xbox,
as
well
as
all
the major
mod
chips at your fingertips.
4
Introduction
What
You
Will Learn
There are
14
chapters in this book, organized by major subject. Here are the main subjects that
you will find in this book:

ware that
is
available for your Xbox, including a tutorial on using the Xenium O/S, EvolutionX,
Avalaunch, and Xbox Media Center.
Part
IV:
Major Hardware Mods. The fourth part
of
the book covers hardware mods, or modifi-
cations that you can do with your Xbox system components, including how to replace the case,
upgrade the hard drive, and how to install lighting
and
cooling gear.
Conventions
Used in
This
Book
The following features are used in
this book to highlight portions
of
text that are important.
You
will find
note, tip, and caution boxes here and
there throughout the book.
NOTE
This is
what
a note
looks

This
is
what
a caution looks like. Cautions
provide you
with
guidance
about
what
to
do
or
not
do
in
a given situation.
The
Xbox
Demystified
CHAPTER
1
CHAPTER
2
CHAPTER
3
Welcome
to
the
Xbox
Scene

of
the his-
tory
leading up
to
Xbox's
development
and
production,
and then I
will
highlight
some
of
the key
modifications
you
will
learn
to
do
with
your
Xbox in this book.
"Getting"
the
Xbox
The Xbox
is
the most powerful video game console ever

was
happily mistaken on that
false
prediction!
The following sections chart the development
of
the Xbox.
Here are the key points
covered in this chapter:
• What
it
means to
be
a
fan
• The
history
of
Xbox's
development
• Microsoft's dedication
to
developers
• What you can do
with
your
Xbox
8
CHAPTER
1 Welcome

Microsoft's main successes. The lesson learned by anyone observing Microsoft
is
that
persistence pays off in the end. Giving up too soon
is
often a mistake! Here are some examples:
• The Windows O/S was
not
successful until version 3.0 came
out
with vast improvements
that resulted in widespread acceptance in the PC industry. Windows 3.0 launched
Microsoft into the stratosphere
of
market dominance and profitability.
• Windows
CE
for portable devices finally achieved a level
of
market dominance when
Windows
CE
3.0
came
out
with the shorthand "Pocket PC" moniker.
• Microsoft Office competed in a formerly thick business productivity software market for
many years. Then, Office
95
was released shortly after the launch

quickly to adapt to the new wired, online world. NCSA Mosaic allowed Microsoft to skip the
usual expensive and time-consuming revision process and produce a web browser to compete
with Netscape Navigator.
"Getting"
the
Xbox 9
Video
Game
Competition:
The
Other
Side
of
the
Coin
)
)~
, '
FIGURE
1.3
Nintendo
64
was technically superior to
PlayStation but suffered
from
an
anti-
quated cartridge-based design.
FIGURE
1.2

cable
TV,
web browsing, email, and
games all in one. Isn't that what a PC
is
for?
Apparently, some companies
believed that a huge market existed
for these devices,
but
they were just
Microsoft faced a similar situation with the video game industry. Microsoft actually entered the
game industry back in 1983, surprisingly enough, with a
product
called MSX. MSX was the result
of
a collaborative effort between ASCII and Microsoft. The goal
of
the MSX was to produce a
standard computer system that would run the same software regardless
of
the
manufacturer (a
familiar theme with Microsoft, wouldn't you agree?). MSX
was
manufactured by Matsushita
and
Sony, with O/S and software provided by Microsoft. Because the goal was supposed to be an
open-architecture computer system,
there were eventually many

and
production
for
the past three years, taking great losses
of
annual income (measured
in
hundreds
of
millions
of
dollars)
in
an
effort
to
solidify
its
position
in
the
entertainment
industry.
10
CHAPTER
1 Welcome
to
the Xbox
Scene
not successful in hindsight. The attempt to use WebTV to compete with Sony and Nintendo

library-
to build a custom video game console. Not just a consumer electronic device; not just a compet-
ing device to take on Sony/Nintendo; not just another
console;
Microsoft decided to build a PC
that developers would
love.
What have developers been putting up with for the past 10-15 years?
In a word, inconsistency. The game developer's biggest obstacle
is
creating a game that will
run
on
as
many
PCs
as
possible. But the PC industry
is
so
crazy
that there are consumers using a wide
variety
of
processors, video cards,
and
sound cards. Here are some
of
the processors that were still
being used in the late 1990s: