I just bought an oXbox for the first time (sorta)

[Reprise]

Thanks, I'll give it a go. If it still doesn't work, I'll look into FTP instead some time. It's not the end of the world anyways, I can play games and the console works, so that's the main thing.

[SpaceBooger]

Jumping in for a minute... I love my oXBOX it is the model without the clock cap issue and I think I have every game on disc that I want. My question is after reading all of this I want to mod mine but I don't know if its worth it. I have no desire to add a new HD and no easy way to FTP. I do have USB controller adapter so I can copy files from PC to a memory card, so I can softmod it... but the question is is there any purpose to if I'm not replacing the HD and have discs?

[Ziggy]

Jumping in for a minute... I love my oXBOX it is the model without the clock cap issue and I think I have every game on disc that I want.

AFAIK there is no model that doesn't have a clock cap issues. Revisions 1.0-1.4 have caps that are extremely prone to leaking (basically 100% guaranteed). Some 1.4 and all 1.6 revision consoles have a cap that is less likely to leak. But they can still leak. Leaking is bad because the stuff that it leaks is corrosive and will cause damage if left alone. But even if you have 1.4 or 1.6 cap that doesn't leak, the cap can still fail. On a 1.6, if the cap is damaged or missing then the console will not boot. And that's why I mention this. If you have a 1.6, that doesn't mean you're all good with the clock cap. You should still check to make sure it hasn't leaked (this is true of all electrolytic caps in all electronics) but you can also check to see if it's bulging. And even if it's still working now, if you have a 1.6, you can still replace or bypass it now to prevent an issue down the road.

My question is after reading all of this I want to mod mine but I don't know if its worth it. I have no desire to add a new HD and no easy way to FTP. I do have USB controller adapter so I can copy files from PC to a memory card, so I can softmod it... but the question is is there any purpose to if I'm not replacing the HD and have discs?

I would say yes, there still are good reasons to mod your Xbox even if you don't plan to take advantage of the normal advantages of modding.

The Xbox relies on a mechanic hard drive. Not just for save games but for everything. Microsoft used good drives, either Western Digital or Seagate. They should last a good long time, but there still is the possibility of them failing. If the HDD fails on a stock, unmodified console, it is possible to repair that console but not as easy as if it has been modded.

Same goes for the DVD. If the DVD fails, the console will display an error code and not boot. But if you only have retail Xbox game discs, there isn't much you could do with an Xbox if the DVD drive fails anyway. But same as above, if the console is stock it is possible to fix but not as easy as if it was modded.

If you soft mod, that would allow you to backup the contents of the TSOP. With the Xbox, the HDD is locked and they key to unlock it is unique to each console. The key is contained in the TSOP. That's the really important part of backing up the TSOP, knowing the HDD key. If you have the key, should the HDD ever fail you can build a new one.

If the DVD drive should ever fail, I'm not sure there's any way around that with a soft mod. I believe that check is contained in the BIOS. And that's why doing a hard mod is a good idea. You can install a BIOS that removes the DVD drive check. A hard mod also makes the HDD situation a lot easier. With a hard mod, you no longer have to worry about the key. Basically, a "hard mod" is a hacked BIOS. It removes the lock/key functionality. And if you have a hard mod, should your HDD ever fail you can more easily replace it.

For 1.0-1.4 revision consoles, there are two options for a hard mod. You can install a mod chip. The mod chip will bypass the onboard TSOP and load a hacked BIOS. Or you can do without the mod chip and flash the on board TSOP with a hacked BIOS. The TSOP is in write protect mod from the factory. For most, you just have to bridge two solder points on the motherboard to make it flashable. Though some variants are a tad harder to do. For the 1.6 revision though, Microsoft removed the TSOP. So if you have a 1.6, your only hard mod option is to install a mod chip. It does require some soldering.

So to sum it up... If you have the ability to then I would recommend at the least doing a soft mod if only to back up your HDD key. But if possible, I would recommend a hard mod because that would give you more safety net for drive failure.

I own a good amount of retail Xbox discs (pictured above) and I enjoy using them. But once I get these consoles fully set up, I plan to mostly play games off the HDD. Just for the simple fact that it will save wear and tear from the DVD drive. Even if you set it up to play just your most played games, you'll still be saving that much wear and tear. Optical drives seem to always be the biggest point of failure on any console, and the Xbox is no exception. Not trying to twist your arm to my ideals, but this might be something worth considering.

[Reprise]

I might be a little bit addicted to buying Xbox games now I can't stop adding more to my collection now

I now have KOTOR 1 and 2, Project Gotham Racing 2, Midtown Madness 3 and The Chronicles of Riddick ordered and on their way.

Considering how few people seem to talk about the Original Xbox and how cheap a lot of the games are, there are a lot of unique and interesting exclusive gems. I wonder why more people don't seem to collect for it or talk about it much.

[Jagosaurus]

This thread has delivered .

It is still one the of the few older systems where most games are relatively cheap. Reminds me of PS2 hunting around 2010 or so. I still run across games I want to try at a reasonable price often.

Yeah Ziggy, I do recall reading the Chimeric systems guy had some IRL stuff going on.

Also, on the cross over cable, it allowed you to directly connect 2 Xbox systems without using a router or switch. Essentially creating LAN parties, via system to system, not truly on the local network. Microsoft sold an official "System Link Cable" that was just a XB badged cross over cable. This was useful back in the day for Halo on the move ... just had to haul your CRT

They still refer to LAN gaming between XB systems over LAN as System Link to this day. Also, cross gen is supported. You can LAN an OGX to 360 to XB1 to XB Series for games that support it. Crimson Skies is one of those titles that runs via LAN across all gens thanks to backwards compat. Halo 3 runs on 360 and up via LAN party. We did a lot of Halo 2 LAN between OGX & 360s in the day. A really cool feature Microsoft kept intact over the years.

[Reprise]

Back when I was in high school, we used to throw Xbox LAN parties. We even once did it in school in our lunch break once and held some sort of Halo 2 tournament and charged people for entry (it was above board, it was part of some kind of business class)

[Ziggy]

Awesome info on the LAN stuff and cool story about have a Halo competition in school!



Cleaned up both controllers and installed the new wire in the one that was busted. I actually kinda like the way the wacky thumbstick grips look. And I was kinda surprised that they feel pretty good to use, too. And another benefit of them, I can now easily identify my controllers. That one controller has a scratch in the Xbox jewel, but otherwise they're not both in great shape. They were definitely a good deal, they just needed a little TLC!

[Jagosaurus]

LOL, we had Halo CE LAN parties in our church youth room & would use the projector as 1 of the monitors. Good times.

Something doesn't get brought up much these days is Halo 3 feels a bit "float-ier" or sluggish compared to H2. The MLG competitions actually ran their tournaments off a specialized build of H3 built to run 10 - 15% faster than the stock game (making the MP feel more akin to H2). At the time, my friend group all felt this difference & kept playing H2 on our (then new) 360s via backwards compat. Eventually everyone shifted over to H3 & the OG XBL was sunset ... but man, had some long college nights playing H2 on the 360 .

As a FYI - For FTP, I always liked used FileZilla. Free and simple.

Dig those thumbsticks. I like the black & green.

[Ziggy]

FileZilla gets some crap these days because a lot of scanners identify it as PUP. If you download FileZilla, be sure not to get the "sponsered" one that might install crapware on your computer. But yeah, FileZilla is what I used back when I briefly owned an OG Xbox years ago. And it's what I've been using now.

Yeah, I love that black and green thumbstick cover. In real life, that green ring looks like it's glowing.

[SpaceBooger]

I saw that you can use a WiFi repeater with an Ethernet port.

I have a TPlink one and will try it if I can get my PC to read the memory card so I can soft mod mine. I'm trying to use a USB to Xbox controller adapter and move the files to an official memory card. But the 64x operating system is causing issues.

Ok, so I got everything working. It does look like you can use a WIFI Repeater with an ethernet cable. I was able to copy Fable over, only one game since I am using the original HD.