Slashdot Mirror
Linux On Unmodded Xbox, Improved
An anonymous reader writes "It looks like pSyCo from XEmulation.com Has found a way to boot Xbox Linux Live on an unmodified Xbox with nothing but an Xbox and Linux PC (no memory card of any kind, etc). Also a guide to using this method to flash your Xbox's onboard TSOP with the bios of choice, making the Xbox modded without an actual mod-chip. $5 to rent 007 to mod my xbox sounds nice =) Check it out at: XEmulation.net Forum or XboxHacker.net BBS. *Wonder what the DMCA would think about this...*" This builds on the "007"-based method discussed earlier. Update: 04/15 01:11 GMT by T : XEmulation.com, not .net. Sorry.
I think the first link should read Xemulation.com and point there, too.
C'mon editors - don't you check your stories and links before you post?
[Connection closed by foreign host]
SAVE THEIR SERVERS: Ok, I've never written a tutorial of any kind in my life... so if this is posted anywhere, you can edit it (to a point ... keep the main writing.. but adding photo's, etc are fine by me,
just give me a lil credit) And with that said .. I'll start...
/usr/src and
extract. This should leave you with a folder named "linux-2.4.20".
Next, get the "Kernel" folder from the Xbox-Linux team's CVS
*sourceforge tells you how to get on their CVS server... just user
kernel as the module name*. After doing so, move the contents of the
"kernel" folder to the "linux-2.4.20" folder.
... but seriously, if something goes wrong here, you can
be left with a bunk HD if you don't have a backup!*
/mnt (I used /mnt/xbox myself). Now, look
in the /dev folder, you should see "hda50 hda51 hda52 hda53, etc..."
*it may not be hda, it could be hdb, hdc, or hdd...*. After seeing what
block device it is, type this command into console" /dev/hda50 /mnt/xbox" ... if it works, you will see
no error message. Go into the folder in which you mounted the partition
to, and guess what! You should see TDATA and UDATA folders!
This tutorial will explain how to go about mounting your Xbox HD's game save partition under Linux on a PC, in order to get habibi_xbox's 007:Agent Under Fire game save along with raincoat and your bios of choice onto the Xbox's HD, eliminating the need for a Mega-X-Key!
What you'll need:
Xbox
PC running Linux (distro of choice)
Linux kernel 2.4.20 source ( http://www.kernel.org )
"Kernel" folder from xbox-linux's CVS ( http://xbox-linux.sf.net)
007: Agent Under Fire retail DVD
Soldering Iron + Solder (and torx screw drivers)
*Warning... i installed a fresh copy of Slackware Linux on an old PC just to do this, following this tutorial can cripple your linux system if you don't revert back to your old kernel... or compile a new one... unless you know what your doing*
1st things 1st! Now you must open up your Xbox *which I don't think I need to explain how to do*, take out the motherboard, and solder the 2x2 jumpers (one's on top, ones on the bottom of the mobo) pictures: http://www.xbox-scene.com/articles/tsop.php . Now put everything back together, but leave the case top off, and keep the Xbox near your pc!
Now, download the Linux 2.4.20 kernel source from http://www.kernel.org *look in the archives!*, move the tar.gz or tar.bz2 file to
Go into the linux-2.4.20 folder and read the README.xbox file! Follow it's instructions to the point right before compiling the kernel! Next, run "make xconfig" or "make menuconfig" in console while in the folder. Configure the kernel as you normally would *I assume you have some knowledge about Linux*, remove USB support, and turn off all Xbox specific functions... Make sure to leave FatX support in though! When done, run *without quotes* "make dep ; make modules ; make bzImage ; make modules ; make modules_install ; make install" This will automatically do everything needed. Next, shutdown, and use the Xbox HD swap trick to unlock your Xbox's HD and connect it to your PC (Turn on your pc, wait for it to boot RIGHT BEFORE it gets to your Linux boot loader screen press the Pause / Break button. Turn on Xbox, wait for it to boot to the dash, unplug IDE cable from Xbox, connect an IDE cable from your PC into the Xbox's HD and press any key. Your pc should boot as normal, into Linux... except now it see's your Xbox's HD!
*NOW, BACK UP YOUR XBOX HD! MAKE AN IMAGE FILE OF THE HD!!! I don't know the command do to so under linux, but I used HDD Driver under windows to do it
Now, make a new folder in
mount -t fatx
that you still can't use the xbox to play unsigned code without modifying it. So yeah you can boot linux, but I can't just bring some software I wrote over to my friend's house and pop it in and show him. He needs to have it modded which is still a big problem.
NJ Local Music Scene
No, you misunderstand.
You can run Linux without flashing the TSOP.
You flash the TSOP so you can put on the hacked BIOS to play pirated (excuse me, "legitimate backups").
The BIOS is write protected, and can be made flashable by bridging a couple of solder points. This wont be overcome with any sort of sofware trick or backdoor. The BIOS just aint writable.
Of course, all you budding warez kiddies (excuse me again, Linux enthusiasts) need know that if you leave it bridged, your bios can be flashed at any time, like say from some joker who puts bios-destroying code in a file called "Halo 2.ISO" and uploads it to your favorite gene6 ftp.
If all you want to do is run linux, all you need is a copy of 007, and do the trick every time. Or, you can flash the linux bios onto the TSOP.
A smart person would realize that constant updates to the TSOP for different linux bootloaders is just asking for trouble. One bad flash and your xbox is a brick. You're much better off getting a mod chip, which required no soldering, or very dead-simple soldering to the LPC points (preferred, the no-solder ones jiggle loose).
Then you can switch it off.
Anyways. Dont think the majority of the chatter on these forums is really about running linux. It's about using linux as a "legal" front to getting a hacked bios on the box that allows warezed to be played. There are "fair use" backups, sure. You can use linux, sure. But 99.999999% of the posts on the forums are of the nature of "how do u copy renterd gamez?"
Oh yeah, buy a copy of 007 NOW if you want to do this, as an updated version of the game will no doubt be silently released (if it hasnt been already).
You can do it without modifying it, but you need a memory card to store the code that executes the exploit. Also, the memory card trick works ONLY for running Linux, not other games or Xboxmediaplayer :(
See this link for more.
(Score:-1, Wrong)
It seems the mods don't know what a bastard file is. If they did know what a bastard file was, they would have modded you up as +1 FUNNY.
Stupid mods...
Of course, all you budding warez kiddies (excuse me again, Linux enthusiasts) need know that if you leave it bridged, your bios can be flashed at any time, like say from some joker who puts bios-destroying code in a file called "Halo 2.ISO" and uploads it to your favorite gene6 ftp.
So you should unbridge it once you are done with the flash?
Although everyone yells "warez" when they here about something like this, and it's probably true, there are some legitimate uses. Independantly written software is one of them, look at the Dreamcast. Though, yeah, the Dreamcast is well known for allowing copies to run with no mods. I own one, though I don't have any pirated games, I run Linux and other free software on it. I would have to say the PSX was the most popular machine for playing copied games.
--Drunk as in Beer
"Why Xbox Linux?" Well I have a legitimate reason for wanting Linux on an unmodded Xbox.
My Xbox is going back to MS as they have attempted to fix a problem several times and have so far been unsuccessful. This time, they're considering swapping systems for a new one, which I'm fine with except for one thing: Loss of saved games.
They will not just swap drives as it would save them at least 5 minutes of work, so I will lose all of my info on the HD.
With Linux running on my unmodded Xbox, I could possibly FTP the data elsewhere and restore it on the new system. This makes so much sense to me that I wonder why there is no way of doing it by default.
Microsoft's idea is to purchase their Memory Units and backup this way. Problem is, since each Xbox comes with a hard drive, no developer tries to make the smallest possible size save file. I would need several MUs to backup my data. Plus, some files cannot even be copied to a MU which means they cannot be backed up at all.
Actually, you can boot to linux without opening the case with the original method. This method is to flash the onboard bios so you don't have to go through the 007 workaround everytime you want to run unsigned code.
I hear so many people talking about the TSOP. "the TSOP this," "the tsop that" - TSOP stands for Thin Small Outline Package.
It's just a flash chip. You can get much more than memory in TSOPs.
Why don't people call it what it really is?
How about "the flash chip" or "the firmware chip"?
Desperation is a stinky cologne
I recently installed a xecutioner lite mod chip in my xbox (1mb rom), and have found tons of awsome uses for it for $200 i can buy a set top box divx player (kiss technologies), or i could buy a $50 or less modchip and a 150 refurbished xbox (EB) First, it makes for a great NES/snes/mame gameing machine, despite the D-pad being a little crappy second Xbox-media player can play XVID/WMP files/OGG/DIVX/mp3/jpg's/bmp's you can sort your music into playlist/folders with alblum art for the icons even, you can have slideshows with background music unfortunetly your going to have to find it allready compiled illigaly under microsofts compiler XDK (look of efnet, xbox channels for it) third, you can backup games to the hardrive, so if you scratch/loose games a lot, you don't have to worry about where they are or what you did to them you can backup your games, and then use burned copies while your legit copies sit in a safe somewere, you can backup your saves, and trade em with friends (all done thru FTP) Heck, for those of you too lazy to set the clock, will find there is an app that does it automaticaly online for you if you also boot with linux you can have a webtv like thing, and spending 7$ for a controler extender, and soddering/electrical tapeing it together with a spare usb header i have, yeilds a usb converted (and you can atually mount those things into the controller as they do have a hub) throw in some cathode lights, and a cooler fan, and you have a party in a box
come comment on the madness at http://slashdot.org/~phreak03/journal/
You solder jumpers to the board instead of soldering the traces together. Then you can create or disconnect the link at will.
I've been called a "Fucking Dick" by better people than you.
http://xecuter.gotmod.com/sellers.htm
You get sellers in the US, Canada, Europe, Asia, and Australia.
You still might have a problem going UK -> France or something but I don't know since there is no issues with state to state shipping.
Xbox would be the price of the box (200) + a memory card (40) + a copy of 007 (20?).
Refurbished XBox because consoles are pretty durable and they obviously weren't owned that long, so there is probably no need for a brand new one = $130-$150
Used memory card, because once again, it hasn't been used that long or that often = $20? (actually $0 if you use ebay, since hardly anyone is going to sell their XBox without its memory card)
Used copy of 007, because few people want to keep it for long and its suckage will propel it into the bargain bin soon anyway = $10
That's $140-$180, plus it still plays XBox games, which a PC does not (a very small bonus, I will admit), and it also comes with a decent gamepad for emulated/freeware/abandonware games, which you did not mention in your PC list. For someone that's on the fence about whether or not they want an XBox console, I'd say it's a great deal. For someone that just wants a small media PC, I'd say it's a fair deal that also provides a weekend of enjoyable hacking, if that's their sort of thing.
And besides, putting a PC together is just a little bit easier than this really simple modding job. For a little more work, you could save about $100 and still get as much functionality as you need for a media PC.