Starting new and using an old xbox

[valleyof]

okay so I am new to this and need any suggestions that anybody has....
I got a computer and a xbox ,planning to get I guess an ISO for GRAND THEFT AUTO SAN ANDREAS and get it on to the xbox.
I got some dvds sitting around to burn it onto....was reading there might be better dvds for burning games onto and ive been reading a lot of comments in torrent sites pertaining to lots of different things surrounding project....had to learn acronyms like ISO and next ill look up NTSC ,
and ive read about having other programs to burn the disc image than just the standard operating on my system..any suggestions here, and I read things about special rates at which to burn the disc image onto the disc. wats this about, I assume that for certain ISOs , kinda lost on some of this.
and ive read that this website has wat I need (grand theft auto san andreas ) so i'mm gonna go try and get it, and i'll check back on this thread later.

and is there anyway since computers like the one I am using use a cat 5 (I think) and the xbox uses the same ,do I have to have some special dvd disc (dvd9 I heard) to get the game onto....or can I just transfer the game over the means of the cat 5 cable like data transfer

and thx for any help everyone. I love forums hands on

[MaslowK]

Before you get too ahead of yourself, keep in mind that to play backups or burnt discs, you're going to need to either softmod your xbox (easier) or install a modchip. Either way it's going to cost a bit of cash. The softmodding process involves sticking some files on a flash drive, then loading a modified game save onto an xbox memory card for one of a few specific games (the real discs), meaning you'll also need either a standalone xbox mc to PC adapter or an xbox controller with a standard USB end modded onto it. You should be able to pull up a guide easily just searching for "original xbox softmod" for a more detailed list of what you'll need exactly.

With that out of the way, on to your questions;

was reading there might be better dvds for burning games onto

Yes, some brands of blank discs are better than others when it comes to burnt games. In my experience I haven't found any brands that simply don't work at all, but cheaper ones tend to make more "duds" than others, meaning you waste more discs trying to make a working copy. If you've got a bunch lying around I'd say just try them and see how they do before buying new ones, and if you do end up needing new ones, Memorex and Verbatim brands have always worked pretty well for me.

ive read about having other programs to burn the disc image than just the standard operating on my system..any suggestions here, and I read things about special rates at which to burn the disc image onto the disc. wats this about, I assume that for certain ISOs , kinda lost on some of this.

Usually it's best to burn your discs at the lowest speed possible, but as far as I know there aren't any games that require specific burn speeds to work correctly. You'll want to use a program like Imgburn to burn your discs, which you can find here; http://download.imgburn.com/SetupImgBurn_2.5.8.0.exe.

and is there anyway since computers like the one I am using use a cat 5 (I think) and the xbox uses the same ,do I have to have some special dvd disc (dvd9 I heard) to get the game onto....or can I just transfer the game over the means of the cat 5 cable like data transfer

Any standard 4.7GB blank DVDs labeled DVD-R should work. Once you have your xbox modded you can also set it up to connect to your computer via FTP, which will let you copy ISOs straight over to the xbox and play them off the hard drive. Only problem with this is that the stock hard drives that come with them are very small (usually under 10 gigs), meaning you'd only be able to have a handful of games on it at once. It is possible to swap in a larger disk, but it's a much more involved process than the softmod itself.

[valleyof]

okay so right now i'm researching how to put avalaunch on my xbox and i'm reading to do that I need something like Xiso or jaybox 0.3 alpha http://www.softpedia.com/progDownloa...ad-207205.html
but wat u are saying is that all the reading im doing, is a waste because I won't be able to get any files onto the xbox without altering the xbox or I need more hardware???

but wat u are saying is that I have to spend money and get some more hardware to make this work...
really??????? damn it...(I should just try and find the game at a store than as old as it is, online maybe)

so I was smoking a joint and saw the dvds laying around ,and I know I got a cat 5 and the xbox connects with cat 5 and runs discs, I just figured since its Microsoft and i'm using windows on my computer..lol I thought this would all work out easily.

so I can't even burn a game onto a disc and play it on a regular unaltered xbox??? this sucks I see why ppl mod things...they got this shit all locked up with limited possibilities.

[MaslowK]

so I can't even burn a game onto a disc and play it on a regular unaltered xbox??? this sucks I see why ppl mod things...they got this shit all locked up with limited possibilities.

Yep, that's about the gist of it. Companies that make game consoles don't want people to be able to just play pirated games (or even use their own software on them), so they keep them locked down to only take games and programs that are "signed" by them in some way. Modding a console is what lets you skip those checks, and besides just letting you play burnt discs, lets you do all sorts of extra stuff with your console (like this).

Fortunately with the xbox it really isn't that expensive to get the stuff you need, just takes some work to find the stuff, and if anything you should be able to find the game and memory card online (like ebay) if you need to. Once you have everything it shouldn't take more than a half hour to do the actual mod.

[Sprung]

Someone on EP bought my setup for copying the game save file hack for 007 Agent Under Fire. They might be willing to copy the save file on a mem card for you. I honestly don't remember who bought it though...

Check the Pawn Shop thread. (I would but I'm on Tapatalk on my phone, and well...complicated)

[Zorlon]

1. Mod the xbox, softmodding is more than enough, with any mod though you are out of luck
2. replace the HDD, dupicating the modded one and locking it (The original HDD is something small like 8GB in size that is rather small as some games are on dual layer discs to start with)
3. never burn anything just ftp it to your HDD

There are a small number of games that can't normally run on the xbox HDD but I made a ton of fixes for most the games and anything else you can run games from a virtual drive directly on the Xbox that just reads xbox iso files then the xbox will act like it has a retail disc inserted into the drive even though the drive is empty

[tronworld]

once you get an original copy of splinter cell etc the hardest part is getting downloaded exploit files onto the memory stick...this is easily done by using a program called explore360....once files are on stick its real easy to softmod your xbox then you have limitless possibilities with full commercial titles, emulators and with xbmc a full blown media centre that even plays mp4.

[mercuryshadow09]

so I was smoking a joint and saw the dvds laying around ,and I know I got a cat 5 and the xbox connects with cat 5 and runs discs, I just figured since its Microsoft and i'm using windows on my computer..lol I thought this would all work out easily.

so I can't even burn a game onto a disc and play it on a regular unaltered xbox??? this sucks I see why ppl mod things...they got this shit all locked up with limited possibilities.

You can't just connect a CAT5 straight, you either need to route through a hub or router or if you are connecting straight through the cable it needs to be a crossover cable meaning two of the wires are crossed over, a hub or router does this crossover automatically! In order to soft mod you will need a MC and a copy of Splinter Cell or you could find somebody to do it for you!