Unlocking XBOX?

franguinho · Jan 4, 2003, 10:41 AM

Hi just wondering whether its possible to unlock the XBOX to play dvds from all zones as opposed to zone 1 only?
i dont want to know HOW cuz that might be illegal but at least whether or not it can be done.

thanks!

-franguinho

~~garikfox~~ · Jan 6, 2003, 07:02 PM

dont mess with it

janusz · Jan 6, 2003, 11:02 PM

OMG !!! don't mess with it!! lol

of course mess with it.. i modded my xbox to the core..

i got a 160 gig hdd in it with 85 games and 20+ home brew software..

step 1> you must get a mod chip

try looking around the www.xboxhacker.net forums

for mod chips goto

http://www.easybuy2000.com/store/xbox/matrix.shtml

this matrix modchip is what you need! no soldering involved just plug it in and begin to play.

DaSnIpE · Jan 6, 2003, 11:59 PM

Krazy Janusz, grrr I want an xbox now, lol.

franguinho · Jan 7, 2003, 10:56 AM

how could the matrix mod chip do that??

janusz · Jan 7, 2003, 04:28 PM

simple. the matrix mod chip bypasses the xbox's BIOS.. once by passed you can run unofficial xbox stuff.

:::::HOW the MATRIX works:::::

-first you turn on your xbox and you see the lil blob screen.. this is from the xbox ROM.. then you hear the dvd and hdd spinning.. what your xbox is doing is checking you have the right dvd drive and HDD inside.. then it runs dashboard.XBE the backround file.

-now your xbox has fully been checked.. but wait !! pop in a game and it takes 3 secs for the xbox to know its legit and the microsoft screen is what you will see

-what the matrix does is it takes all these functions away.. you pop in the matrix and the matrix BIOS by passes the xbox BIOS (I SAID BYPASS NOT OVERWRITE) if you remove your mod chip things go back to normal

-now on to 3rd party software.. things like DVDXcopy a program you use to copy the whole game to your hdd
:dvdX2 a program that allows you to play dvds without the crappy dongle

-there are so many of these 3rd party software for the xbox its nuts.. programs like a temp monitor i made using the thermal chip on the motherboard.. and cool screen savers.. upto copying tv shows onto the xbox hdd!!!! like a tivo!!

-now remember the xbox hdd is 8 gigs and the xbox OS takes about 3.9gigs and a game is like 1-4 gigs.. so i would upgrade the hdd.. but thats another guide

***Zardon*** · Jan 7, 2003, 05:40 PM

4 gigs for the OS??? I heard it was a custom built optimised windows 2000 core OS, no more than 100 meg.????

and doesnt installing a larger high performance 7200rpm drive in the xbox need more powerful cooling? after all isnt it just above the CPU?

ToshiroOC · Jan 7, 2003, 05:44 PM

You know, after hearing about the insane modding capabilities of the Xbox, it makes me think more than ever that the Xbox really isn't a console and isn't comparable to the PS2 - the fact that the PS2 has better games makes me still think that the PS2 is better for gaming, but still, if I ever need to do things on my TV aside from gaming, now I think I will go with an Xbox (and what a cheap way to get a TIVO too! To build a small computer with a Tv Tuner card for that would cost hundreds more...)

***Zardon*** · Jan 7, 2003, 05:48 PM

yeah the xbox is a really cool piece of hardware. its certainly not just a console. I know thats what MS want to market it as. right now for me its the center of my main room as DVD player, Mp3 jukebox and late night game playing machine (when I get some mates over for beers).

ToshiroOC · Jan 7, 2003, 05:50 PM

I think that after that post (thanks a lot!) I am going to have to get an Xbox right after I upgrade my video card to what will probably end up being a AIW9700... and use that handy dandy TV in with the Xbox for some extreme HDTV gaming on my computer monitor... and since I have a cable modem, I can use it as a TIVO too right in the same spot... I always thought of the Xbox as a cut-down computer, but now I see it as a built-up console

Though I will always think that the PS2 games rule supreme, this is in a genre and class of it's own...

***Zardon*** · Jan 7, 2003, 06:00 PM

personally I think the problem is that people compare everything. and as ive said before, they all have merits, I also dont class the XBOX as a console. its a portable multimedia pc!

ToshiroOC · Jan 7, 2003, 06:13 PM

Well, if you don't compare enough its hard to get a good perspective on the relative worth of different things - it is hard to compare the worth of an expensive car versus a cheap small house, as both have their ups and downs, but to someone who is trying to decide between being a landowner or having a new car, they do need to be compared

Though that comparison is really off topic (oops), its... oh nevermind. I just confuse myself silly... however, I must agree that the Xbox doesn't really belong with the rest of the consoles, regardless of how it is marketed...

Necrosis · Jan 7, 2003, 06:21 PM

Of course the XBOX is more than just a console it's in line with Microsofts plans to intergrate the home PC as the "heart" of the media center in everyone's home. Just look at what their doing right now, it's very obvious.

ToshiroOC · Jan 7, 2003, 06:24 PM

Well, in that case better to jump onto the bandwagon now before Microsoft gets Palladium-incorporated consoles and software out for the "digital media center"... I really don't want to be restricted so badly like that, and I'm afraid that by the time the Xbox's sucessor is out, there is a decent change it will have Palladium-enabled Intel chips in it...

***Zardon*** · Jan 7, 2003, 06:36 PM

I guarantee you will have a lot of fun with it.

good games I recommend on the xbox are.

halo
buffy (always missed, great game).
splinter cell
rallisport challenge
jet set radio future
dead or alive 3
quantum redshift
blinx

ToshiroOC · Jan 7, 2003, 06:57 PM

Interesting - really the only Xbox games that I know of that I ever thought might have been worthy of playing were Halo and Splinter Cell - and I personally hate Tom Clancy and all of his associated products, just because I read the book "Sum of all Fears" and found his insistent focus on military terminology and pictures of massive military hardware to be overwhelmingly overemphasized over plot or detail to non-military items... however, I have been told by fans of his that it is much better in other books, and Splinter Cell isn't even accurately modeled on his books, so I will have to try it for more than the 2 minutes I already have (not overly impressed, as it was a "sneaking" level)...

Louie6666 · Jan 7, 2003, 07:10 PM

Wouldn't mind modding one as a webserver just for kicks

It would actually poo all over my current one lol! Oh i hate been broke bunny, just returned to work after two months of being off, sicker than normal. now to save up and indulge in some new hardware, xbox is firmly on list after reading this thread

janusz · Jan 7, 2003, 10:11 PM

zardon, yeah it gets hot.. but you have to remember i don't use the original case i made my own plexi case for the xbox with in/out fans.. so its pretty cooled down. the 4 gigs is not just th OS is the save game and mp3 folders.. plus there are many XDK files that are there for the games.

- ohh and yes you can turn the xbox into a web server just run linux on it and the rest is simple.

the xbox is a great (mini PC) and hacking it is not just a walk in the park.. i have put a great deal of time into it and many reformats

.

if anyone has any, and i mean any on the xbox please feel free to ask me.

peterosesbookie · Jan 15, 2003, 12:33 AM

I would love to have an XBox