Burning software on to a CDRW ---> transferring to Xbox

[Crono]

First of all, sorry if this has been asked a dozen times (I couldn't find the solution anywhere) .

When burning software to a CDRW firstly, do you put the roms/applications in folders or do you simply burn the files without folders on to the CDRW? (In other words, which burning method do you use to put the files on to the CDRW so the Xbox can read them?). Also when the Xbox reads the CDRW - what does it do then? - does it automatically send the files to the desired locations or do you have the option of saving them onto the harddrive?.

Thanks in advance .

[dfq23]

I use Record Now Max, data disc setting. Put all the files and folders as they are in to the work screen and burn with DAO96 and UDF 128 on the recording options. 100% success.

[disco-tom]

Well, I'll tell you what I did with Final Burn.

I downloaded the file as a .rar (as I presume you did?), then unrared it into it's own folder named "xbd-fbax3" or summat like that, I don't think it matters much, maybe all lower case letters is a good idea although I don't really know. Once unrared and into it's own folder you should have two further folders. One called Media, the other called Roms. Then there are two more files, the default.xbe (being the actuall emulator) and a readme.txt. I bunged all the roms I wanted into the roms folder (still in zipped form mind you, IMPORTANT!), and lef tit as that.

Next step is to make an XBox readable ISO out of it. Use whatever ISO making tool you want (I used X-ISO, although there are loads of peeps on the XBox Scene forum who say it's awfull).

Then comes the burning to disc. My drive won't read cdr's so I had to get some cdrw's. TDK were recomended to me so I used them. I had problems burning it until Daisuki told me how to use Nero to burn it.

Get Nero!

Select the full version of Nero to use (Not Nero Express). Select the "Recorder" option from the toolbar along the top, select "Erase ReWritable...", choose "Fully Erase" at the slowest speed just for peace of mind (I did this twice and it took ages, heh). Once erased fully, you can start the burning process. Click to open a file allready stored on the pc (the little folder icon second from left on the second row of toolbars), find and click to open the ISO you made earlier (you'll have to select "All Files (*.*)" as a file type or it won't see the ISO you made). Once opened, this selects the burn dialogue window. In the left hand column it should be a little icon with "CD Image" under it. The Burn tab should be selected in the middle (I left all the other tabs alone) and the write checkbox should be selected with the write speed at the slowest it can go (again, just for peace of mind as I made too many coasters, heh). Write method should be "Track-At-Once". Then all you have to do is to click the "Write" button on the right hand side.

Do all that and then it should work. It did for me anyway and I'm a relative numpty when it comes to this stuff.

I hope it all goes well for you.

[?pint]

It's a simple process, really.

The Xbox reads discs as a normal PC would; it can access folders and subfolders, and files just as most consoles and PCs can. However, it uses a special type of disc, which means it can't be read on the PC.

First, if you're copying stuff onto the HDD via CDRW (as opposed to FTP), get boXplorer. It's a file-copying program, which lets you copy things onto the Xbox hard drive. Once you've got that, it'll tell you how the files have to be done and what order put in etc. However, you'll have a 'default.xbe' file, which will load when you put the disc into the Xbox.

So, make a folder on the computer with everything you're going to put on the disc in it. Ie, presume it's C:/Xbox Stuff/
So, you've got all the boXplorer files in the root directory (of the folder) eg. C:/Xbox Stuff/default.xbe
Now you can make more folders to put games and roms in (if you've got a lot and want them easily ordered), or you can just put them in the root as well.

Then, get a program such as xISO. This makes the special type of image file which can be read by the Xbox. It'll ask you to specify a folder to make into an ISO (it'll put all the contents, subfolder contents etc. into it), so you'd choose C:/Xbox Stuff/. It'll make an ISO, which may take a while, which is just a CD image file. Using Nero, burn the image file onto a CDRW.

When you put the CD into the Xbox, boXplorer will load up. It will display all the directories of the CD (ie. the folders with the stuff in) and allow you to select things to copy across. It sounds complicated, but it's not. However, my advice would be to buy a simple 10/100 Ethernet NIC - usually around ?10, and invaluable if you're constantly transferring Xbox files. Also, if you're going to make Linux or EvolutionX your default dashboard, you'll need to back up the ms dashboard. Then, all you need is a Crossover Ethernet cable, and you're away.

If that was confusing, check out www.xbox-scene.com. If none of the many tutorials have what you need, you can always ask on their (much more well-informed) forums for help.

[Crono]

Cheers, you've all been a big help . I should be able to do it easily now . Thanks.