Tutorial written by : Jesse M.
Last edited: September 15, 2003

Chapter I:

Things you may need to know.

You may potentially damage your game console as well as void the warranty by opening it. If you do so I am not responsible.

Take into consideration that with every pro there is a con. With this tutorial we will unlock our Xbox however there are a few cons to think about.

1. Xbox Live compatibility is possible however you will need to apply the big fonts exploit and the phoenix bios loader. If Xbox live is necessary do not apply this hack, you are better off using a modchip with an on/off switch that allows you to switch between the chip and tsop to boot.

2. Running unsigned code that uses the XDK is illegal. I don’t condone piracy nor do I convict those who use it, I believe in the term “live and let live”. Moral issues aside there are a lot of legal discrepancies that sort of push me to make the public aware of this information.

3. By using a modified tsop you may come across a few retail titles that will not work, more or less the same problems that prevent modchips from running certain titles will exist with this method. The reason some titles will not work is due to media offsets. Newer BIOS releases will perhaps fix this issue as time progresses.

Chapter II:

Well now that we are aware of the risks involved we’ll look at what you can gain from this risk.

1. Free development. You can create your own games and applications and run them on your Microsoft Xbox console. No need to purchase the expensive XDK or use an illegal copy to compile your applications, with OpenXDK and several other headers and files available. Watch your console

2. For those of you who dire to have Linux running on your Xbox, your dream has come true, turn your Xbox into the ultimate game console and pc. However it is well known that you can run Linux without a modchip using the exploits provided at http://xbox-linux.soundforge.com .

3. Running many Xbox backups and homebrew software and emulators. There is a world available to you that you may no be aware of. Emulation although a bit controversial allows you to enjoy many classic game and pc titles.

Chapter III:

Getting started.

Credit for most of my tutorial goes to the many people who have contributed to the Xbox-Scene. Mainly the Xbox-Scene forums (http://forums.xbox-scene.com) , they are a key in the Xbox scene infrastructure.

Requirements:

1. Torx T-20, and T-10 screwdriver or bit.
2. 15W soldering iron.
3. Anti-static wristband. (not needed but it never hurts to have it)
4. A computer with plenty of free hard disk space. Preferably with Windows 2000 or better.
5. PCI IDE card with at least a free master/slave connection, or a motherboard with a free IDE connector master/slave with an IDE cable.
6. HDD_Driver (with all necessary files included)
7. FreeX-Evox
8. Big fonts (bert.xtf & ernie.xtf)
9. X2 4977 Bios (universal console bios) or whichever file suits your Xbox console version.
10. Network Card (In your pc)
11. Crossover cable (RJ45) or router.
12. FTP software (FlashFXP or better)

Step One.

Take apart your Xbox.

Remove the bottom screws (they are all Torx T-20). You will also need to remove or lift 2 stickers in the center. These can easily be removed by either lifting them carefully with a blade or using a hair dryer to heat it up then remove with a plastic razor blade.

Once the 6 screws are removed turn it over. You will now see your Xbox hard drive and DVD drive. Go ahead and unplug the hard drive IDE cable.

Step Two.

Hot swap Xbox drive unlocking.

Hot swapping the drive is not the safest thing to do but if you know what to do beforehand you can accomplish what you need with no problems.

This is a bit tricky at times perhaps on your first try it did not properly unlock, don’t be discouraged. Just plug it back in and try again. If you use Windows 2000 or XP, you can go to the Control Panel\System\Device Manager, click refresh and once the drive is detected we can try accessing it with HDD_Driver.

With HDD_Driver the first thing we want to do is backup our original Xbox hard drive image so click the Tools\Backup HDD option in the menu and backup the entire drive.

Step Three.

Copying Bert.xtf and Ernie.xtf to the System Font directory.

How many times have we heard this mentioned. HDD_Driver is really buggy so every time you left click a file or directory the program either exits or closes. What we want to do Is right click the font directory and use the insert file option.

Insert both bert.xtf and ernie.xtf. Now we go to FreeX-Evox. In the system directory we insert the default.xbe and evox.ini. A little side note, Evolution X is up to date at times however certain INI files are more up to date than others. I suggest you use the INI file included in the Mech Assault Linux Loader. Shutdown your Xbox once you’ve copied all the files.

Plug the IDE cable back in and turn on your system. Keep your fingers crossed. If you’ve booted up into Evolution X congratulations, you’re halfway through the process. Before you move on be sure to shut down the Xbox because you will have to remove the Xbox motherboard from the case,

One small note.
The system directory is commonly known as the C:\ drive.

Step Four.

Connecting the TSOP write access bridges.

There are a few different Xbox models. Version 1.0, 1.1, 1.2, 1.3 and so on. Each of them have a different method of allowing write access to the TSOP. In this case we shall use (http://www.xbox-scene.com/articles/tsop-images.php) as a reference.

Once you have made sure that the connections are bridged for sure you can put the console back together and turn on the Xbox.

Step Five.

Does your machine turn on?

This is a good sign; we can now go ahead and back everything up again. Yes we did backup the hard drive image, but we need to backup the bios, disk key, and a few other vital files.

Evolution X has this option in the system settings. Once you back everything up. We can go ahead and FTP into the Xbox. You can select between DHCP or a static IP to connect to your Xbox. Once you connect to the Xbox, download the \Backup folder in the C:\ (System) drive.

Create a folder called \Bios in the C:\ (System) drive and upload your X2 4977.bin. Now eboot Evolution X and we will continue to the next step.

Step Six.

Flashing the TSOP.

You are about to find out how good of a job you did soldering. Make sure you use the right bios for your system there are a few things to think of different Xbox models have a different sized TSOP. In this case please refer to (http://www.xbox-scene.com/modchips.php) for more information.

In the Evolution X bios settings highlight the Flash bios option and select your bios file. Before we move on, this step make potentially render your system useless.

Do not be discouraged just make sure you have the proper bios for your console and if you are modifying it make sure it is correct. Finally Flash your TSOP. If soldered correctly it will say press “Y” to continue, if not Device Not Writable.

Some people have successfully flashed their TSOP by just soldering the 2 top points, others with 3 including the one below. I myself have always used all 3 points.

Step Seven.

Turn on your Xbox. You’re in the Evolution X dashboard,

Well congrats. You now have an Xbox fully unlocked Xbox without a modchip.

Conclusion:

Before any flaming comes into play here are a few alternatives to flashing your TSOP.

You can FTP into your Xbox once you’ve applied Step Three. From then on you can upload the Phoenix Project Bios Loader. This works with the big fonts exploit however it still has a few bugs I’m sure in later versions it will work as It was intended to.

Re-upload the Bert & Ernie.xtf to the C:\Fonts directory, because for whatever reason the HDD_Driver has issues with system dates. Perhaps this may be one of the reasons why I chose the route I did flashing the TSOP but in the end it works best for me.

This is my first Xbox tutorial I hope it helps you accomplish what you seek. Thanks for your time.