XBox softmod info

[fallenangle]

Just bought a very nice condition softmodded PAL Xbox with XBMC.

A few questions:-

I only have a few US NTSC XBox games but when I tried them out I got some weird results I just don't understand. The Xbox is set to PAL and doesn't appear to have a region changing option/software included. I do have the Enigmah region changer on disc and was expecting to have to use that but thought I try it without first.

All seem to be running at 480i/60Hz via Component.

a). Myst 4 Revelation - as I expected works fine as it's region free.

b). Darkwatch - definitely not region free yet the game runs with perfect pictures but a crackly soundtrack just as it does on my Exc 2.6 chipped XBox if not switched to NTSC.

c). Heroes of the Pacific - again definitely not region free yet the game runs perfectly in both vision and sound.

So why do the latter two NTSC games run at all on a softmodded Xbox set to PAL and why the sound issue on just one? On my unmodded PAL XBox they both produce the usual incompatible disc warning message.

Separate questions:-

1). Now I've got a softmodded XBox is there any simple way ie. one that doesn't involve a PC that I can use the Linux Installer file(s) on the HDD to softmod another PAL XBox?

2). It's only got the basic XBox HDD but I'd still like to know how to transfer games to run from there? I thought that option came as part and parcel with the softmod or is it a separate application I'll need to get elsewhere?

Thanks for any help.

[EvilBoris]

The Enigmah Region changer doesn't change the region of games, it just changes the region of the video. The actual softmod/chip makes the machine region free for games by default, that's kinda the point :P

Darkwatch, Super Monkey Ball GTA: SA and a few others have the same problem with sound and video region switching. It could be that the game is actually

when in PAL mode you have Pal50/60 modes and when in NTSC you are stuck in 60hz but you have access to the 480p output.

You are best off just leaving it switched to NTSC with 480p enabled (if you have a 480p compatible TV), anything that doesn't support a 60hz mode will just come up black, so you'll know (PAL Halo 1 for instance)

It depends on what dashboard is installed (is it the standard Xbox one or some other funky homebrew thing) as to whether you can install games, it was often built into the homebrew dash from what I remember.

[topper]

About your second question, I believe dvd2xbox is the chappy.

[xist]

And regarding the crackling sound, depending on your dashboard you should be able to switch the systems display to NTSC-M which may fix your issues (it did for me on GTA III).....if you're running the UnleashX dash it's one of the first options in the system video settings, and i'm sure others will have similar settings.

And with a stock HDD you're going to get frustrated pretty soon with the space you have for new stuff....

[fallenangle]

I don't want to put everything on the HDD maybe just the ciurrent game I'm doing and then delete it afterwards.

I've really only bought this as a backup for my chipped Xbox which I've been flogging pretty hard over recent months.

The 480p NTSC dash option is what I was most interested in, allowing me to get the best PQ from both PAL and NTSC Xbox games on my prog scan capable CRT TV.

The softmod appears to be set to the UnleashedX display version; what I can't see from the menus is how to swap it to NTSC. If I click on it nothing seems to happen. That's why I thought I needed the Enigmah disc I have to enable the NTSC prog scan options. That is what was required for my chipped Xbox which I, ignorantly, bought without a larger HDD or any of the applications which would have been included with it.

As it is it the menu just shows the Xbox as being set to PAL Widescreen and I can't work out how to change it. Although the 480p/720p/1080i options are there and I've set all to 'Yes' when I play any of those NTSC games it is clearly displaying in 480i@60Hz and I fairly sure it's PAL60 rather than NTSC too.

Tellingly PAL Timesplitters 2 which is a game I know doesn't play on my chipped Xbox when set to NTSC plays perfectly on the softmodded one.

Thanks for the help so far but any further advice/comments welcomed particularly on the using the Linux Installer files to softmod another Xbox question.

BTW whilst on this matter can anyone offer an explanation as to why NTSC Myst 4: Revelation plays with a soundtrack 'hiccup' on my Xec 2.6 chipped Xbox? When I played it first I thought it was just normal that each time a new Myst screen loaded the background soundtrack momentarily stopped then restarted. The visuals seemed to transform smoothly enough.

When I had the sound problem with Darkwatch cured by using the Engimah disc I thought that it might have the same curative effect on Myst 4 but it didn't so I put it down to being an inherent feature of the game.

Later when I discovered it was actually region free I was surprised to find it plays without the 'hiccup' on a PAL Xbox and on the chipped one when I turn the chip off! The BGM etc on both runs smoothly and seamlessly thoughout the new screen loading scenes.

Any explanation appreciated.

[ExtremePabs]

Can anyone tell me a usb flash card thats compatible with the xbox? I have read a few articles and there no definitive answer as far as I can tell and I have bought a nd tried 8 different ones that are supposed to work but just come up as damaged when connected?

Alternately someone may know of a dirt cheap place to pick up an action replay kit?

Thanks

[smouty]

They will always show as damaged as they need to formatted on the Xbox as FatX.
Have you read THIS guide?
I have a stick you can borrow if you have the cable. PM if required.

[fallenangle]

Apparently you need to format the card/stick first by attaching to the Xbox via the Xbox/USB cable and accessing it using the usual memory menu. Once formatted as a XBox memory card (FATX) you attach it to the PC and drop the relevant files in direct. ie not in EI or it'll reformat the device so I'm told.

[ExtremePabs]

Cheers for the tips chaps, I seem to have made some progress now as I can actually drop files to my flash card.

[fallenangle]

I've been playing around with my softmodded XBox and although I'll be using it via XBMC most of the time I'm still wanting to get the main UnleashX settings etc sorted. I've had trouble fixing the new skin I wanted to use. The method is supposedly to click on the new skin from the list then click again to fix it in place of the default. Doesn't work, doesn't save the new skin whether I reboot or power off afterwards or not.

Eventually I found some advice about similar problems and deleted the two skins paths I'd found in the C drive config.xml file (Preferences). Tried fixing the new skin again and still didn't work. Tried writing in the skin path direct to the config.xml file too - that didn't work.

Thing is somewhere in all my attempts I did something because I now have the new skin fixed but no idea how I did it. The C drive config.file has no skin path new or old now so I'm a bit perplexed.

Under UnleashX it also won't play bog standard CDs either. Everything appears to be set up correctly and, like Xbox games played via C;\msdash.xbe. Problem is games (and DVDs) work fine but CDs don't under UnleashX. The menu navigation sound effects are totally missing too even though enabled.

I think there maybe a problem with the MS Dashboard file. The Backup file is present on the E drive but when I try to revert to that via the main UnleahX menu (NOT Restore) I get a blank screen. I clicked on the xboxdash.xbe files in both the C sand E drives and the former gave me the same result whilst the latter gave me a scary Error message and red light flashing light.

Obviously I can use XBMC instead but I still want to understand and if possible sort out this specific audio problem with UnleashX. Any suggestions welcome.