Originally Posted by
Ichijoe
I would advise you to check and see what kind of Mod your running (i.e. Chip (IMHO THE BEST!), TSOP Flash (Second best), or Softmod), first. Knowing this will make your life a lot simpler in the long run TRUST ME!
I'm not the guy to ask about Softmods, as I really don't know jack about it. I tried it once back in '04, and I didn't like it at all as I found it to be both very unstable, and highly brickable. Which is why I went with the Chip back then. Though I'm sure some Chips still exist for the XBOX. Today you're almost better off just TSOP flashing the thing. Assuming again that its NOT a v1.6 XBOX.
That said does that XBOX have Configmagic installed on it? If so RUN IT! Note the HDD Key. While its a good idea to write the Pass Key down. All you need to know is that you can lock and unlock the HDD with the Master Password "TEAMASSEMBLY" (all caps!) either from the XBOX or the PC. From a Real DOS Boot Disk using the ATAPWD.exe File.
Under normal conditions (i.e. Stock), an unlocked HDD will present itself as an Error 5. A HDD that was previously locked inside a different XBOX will give you an Error 6. While its possible for both Chiped and TSOP flashed XBOXes to ignore the Error 5 (Unlocked), and still boot up. Even those Systems can not unlock the Drive with out the proper Per-console HDD Key.
There may be some people who will tell you that you can only use certain kinds of HDD (that can be locked). Basically pretty much every HDD now since ATA-66 CAN BE LOCKED! Its part of the ATA Standard! So pretty much whatever your gonna end up replacing that Drive with will work.
That said.... I think it may be wise to unlock the HDD from the XBOX, and reformat it under Windows, and run a CHKDSK over it. To check for any bad sectors on the Drive. Afterwards I'd download an *.iso Image of the Slayers EvoX Auto Installer. And burn that to a DVD-R. Again if your chiped... This should be a breeze! And, that should net you a nice fresh XBOX to work with.
If on the other hand, the Drive is indeed dying out on you. Then you might want to look into getting a S-ATA to P-ATA Converter, which should allow you to use a S-ATA HDD in the otherwise P-ATA ONLY! XBOX.
PROS: Cheaper, and vastly larger storage space then the 750GB MAX of P-ATA Good luck finding a P-ATA Drive in >2014
CONS: I've heard that the loading times are slightly longer. Not that you'd probably notice much.