XBOX Modding Observations

[Corey]

Hi,

Just thought I'd write about some lessons learned with modding your XBOX.

I had my XBOX modded in Melbourne. Found them in the local trading post - here's there URL.

http://www.xboxmods.com.au/

The guy that did it was really good however as with all things shop around.

Here are some pointers.

LEGAL BIT
Do everything legally.

DISK DRIVE
I put in a 120G HD. My advice is, if you can afford a bigger one, then get it - you'll use it. However given that I can FTP to my PC its not a big deal. I also have a DVD burner which means storage is not a problem.

CD/DVD DRIVE
Make sure you have a Phillips or Samsung. If you have a Thompson do everything in your power to replace it. Phillips & Samsung are faster and are capable of playing CD-R,CD-RW, DVD-R, DVD+R etc. Thompson is not. Refer to the XBOX web site above to see how to tell. You can also play backed up XBOX games.

XBOX APPS
Whilst the guy who modded mine installed software I found that the best thing was to download my own. The versions of software he used were old and in some cases caused problems (ripping DVDs - a few problems that were fixed by a version upgrade). Make a copy of the apps that came with the MOD and then install your downloaded files (legal ones of course)

XBOX EMULATORS
Great fun but make sure you read all the instructions to get them to work and to see which roms are compatible. Not a lot of games are compatible with the current versions of Emulators but they'll get better. Good for some but still best on PC.

XBOX GAMES
I've backed up all my games to HD and play them without the disk. I've copied many onto DVD also which works great too (note - I own all my games - no piracy).

DVDs
There are XBOX apps that allow you to rip your DVD's onto the XBOX HD. They're not great but they do the job. My advice is rip it on your PC (where there are better apps available) and copy it to your XBOX or rip it into DIVX and copy it on. Once again I back my DVDs up using my burner so not as big a problem for me.

EXPERIMENT
Don't be afraid to experiment. Backup your files to your PC via FTP and have a go at changing the menu or skins or whatever. Afterall its just a PC in a pretty black box.

Anyway, knowledge is power, I've shared as much as I can be bothered typing. Feel free to correct me, add bits or ask questions.

If anyone is interested I am selling a DVD copy program (Pinnacle Instant DVD) and MP3 editing package on Ebay. This is a great software package that allows you to make 1:1 copies of DVDs etc. The MP3 software is also fantastic. Find it here: [color=b lue] ** No you won't, as the Ebay link is removed as per the forum rules. Sorry. - Watcher (Admin) **[/color]

If you let me know you read about it here I'll send it for free and give it to you for 10% cheaper than your bid. Its selling for $198 in Dick Smith. I'm asking for much less as I don't need it. I opened the Instant DVD software to check it out but the MP3 software is still sealed.

Cya