Is it possible to use an X3 to hotswap flash an X2.6?

[freakzilla3333]

I installed an X2.6 to a friends xbox. It's been a few months since but now his xbox is doing the 3x-reboot then F.G.A.O (does this on bank1 and bank2). I think the problem is that one of his 9 year old brothers has messed about with the chip and flashed it with an incorrect bios or another file that he had on his hdd. The xbox hasn't been moved or opened and the chip-controller is plugged in properly. (We unlocked the hdd at the time of the installation also, to try to stop his brothers using the xbox at least in disabled mode). Both my xbox and his are early versions (not 1.6/1.6b).

So what i would like to know is: is it possible to use my x3 to boot up his xbox in order to flash his x2.6? If so how exactly. (I have read about hotswaps before but I don't know if it's different because of the chips being different, and also because in tutorials it says to disable the boot-up chip before removing it: and there isn't a switch to disable the x3 with the xbox still on). Could I use the X3's backup flashbios (power & eject pressed at the same time) to flash the 2.6 with the x2.5035 bios thats on his hdd in C:bios?

Thanks in advance.

 

[Martin C]

Could I use the X3's backup flashbios (power & eject pressed at the same time) to flash the 2.6 with the x2.5035 bios thats on his hdd in C:bios?

That's exactly what you'll be doing.

Because the 2.6 and the X3 have exactly the same install, it makes this even easier.

1. Install the X3 - you won't need the switch, but you will need the power/eject cable. Boot the backup BIOS.

2. Remove the X3 and install the 2.6. You won't need the d0 plug connected, just the external switch. Enable the chip and set flash protect to off. (So lights are green red green). Because the 2.6 always flashes to bank 1 first, just flash your chosen 512k/1MB BIOS using the preferred method. Hint: The HTTP flash option works even if you don't have the HDD or DVD in place!

Martin

 

[freakzilla3333]

Thanks a lot MartinC.

 

[freakzilla3333]

The idea I had of the chip being flashed badly by one of his younger brothers was not the problem: his chip works fine in my xbox, but when i put either my chip or his chip into his xbox if reboots 3 times and then frags. I don't know why the xbox has suddenly began to 3xreboot & frag, the xbox hasn't been moved or opened since I chipped it and that was months ago. The soldering looks great, but just incase it could be a solder problem I have just checked the LPC pins & the chip with a multimeter. All the solder points from the bottom of the mobo connect with the points on the top of the chip. After taking the chip off the LPC pins to check them with the multimeter, I found that there are 2 connections, these are exactly the same on my xbox as well (my xbox works) so I don't think it's the soldering. There are no splashes, burns or lifted traces and it is very neat. The D0 is also connected. I have also checked the IDE cable points with my multimeter from the hdd to the mobo, and they are fine. I also tried swapping the PSU (both my xbox and my friends xbox are the same version), but that doesn't solve the problem either. Any ideas?

 

[Martin C]

What version Xbox is this?

Martin

 

[freakzilla3333]

MFG Date 7/7/2003
It has the square-ish psu-mobo connector, heatsink with no fan on it, conexant encoder, probably a 1.2 or 1.3.

 

[Rookio]

You said you checked with your meter from the bottom of the lpc to the top of the chip and found continuity. I would also check the voltages on the lpc itself as it might indicate a different problem?

You also said flashing green and orange. I think this is sometimes due to a problem with video, but then again... xbox works fine in disabled mode you said right?

 

[Martin C]

Are you trying to boot to FlashBIOS?

Martin

 

[freakzilla3333]

AT the time of posting the first message, i had been told by my friend that it reboots3x & F.G.A.O. Now that I have had a look at it myself, it reboots3x but it is actually F.R.A.G, not F.G.A.O.

When the chip is off the xbox boots fine and comes up with the error5 (as it should because the hdd is unlocked).

I'm not trying to get to flashbios (in the first post i hadn't seen his xbox at the time, i just knew that it was rebooting3x then frag: he told me on the phone, so i thought that his 2.6 chip had been badly flashed by one of his younger brothers, (because the xbox hadn't been moved or opened and was working fine before) but his chip is fine because it works in my xbox. When i put either my X3 or his 2.6 onto his xbox with the chip enabled, it reboots 3x then FRAG). So I don't need to do any flashing.

I'm just trying to get the xbox to work when the chip is enabled.

What exactly do i need to do to check the lpc voltages? Which setting on my multimeter? Any safety precautions to think about? Which points to touch with red/black multimeter pins? Does the xbox have to be on at the time of testing? (I have attached an image of my multimeter)...

 

[Martin C]

Try and boot to flashBIOS with your X3 in his Xbox. FlashBIOS addresses things differently and eliminates BIOS incompatibilies.

Martin

 

[freakzilla3333]

Just tried to boot flashbios from my x3 (holding power & eject at the same time), but it still reboots 3x then FRAG.

 

[freakzilla3333]

Any other ideas/possible solutions?

 

[Martin C]

Does the light on the switch go to purple at any point?

Martin

 

[freakzilla3333]

Couldn't find my X3 LED Control switch, and was planning on doing some soldering today, so I thought "why not just resolder that faulty xbox?" and now it works great. I guess even when your soldering's perfect and the multimeter lies to you, just solder it again. Thanks for all the help guys.

 

[freakzilla3333]

OK I found that x3 led control switch, some of the wires had come loose from the connector, so I soldered the loose ones to the correct points on the x3, then the xbox booted as though the x3 wasn't connected (D0 was fine). So I desoldered the x3 switch wires and unplugged the x3 switch. The X3 worked fine then, after putting the x3 into some of my other xboxs and put it back into my main xbox, now the x3 only has one led lit up (when facing the xbox's front, the x3 on the lpc pins, its the led on the chip that is closest to you that lights up, the one towards the back of the xbox/furthest away from you doesnt light up), it also reboots 3x then FRAG. So I tried the X3 in my other xbox's, same problem. Anyway I resoldered all the plc pins and even hardwired the x3 to the lpc points on the bottom of the mobo, still same problem, checked all the points with the multimeter , they are all connected. Tried the x3 on the pins with the wires still connected, same problem. Desoldered the wires and resoldered the lpc connections to the pins. Same problem. Checked with the multimeter, all connected. So still the chip has only one led lit up and the xbox reboots 3x when the D0 is connected to the x3. Xbox works fine with the D0 disconnected from the x3. So which voltage is not getting to the X3? Is there an alternative point that I could solder to to give the x3 the voltage that its missing?