x3 stuck in read only mode. possible bad flash mem.

[admiralj]

Ok this is just about the most strange thing i've seen. 2 days ago i was playing some mp3s using xbmc and i noticed that my x3 front panel was colored purple for some reason. so just for the hell of it, i powered off, then powered back on only to have the xbox frag. so i switched banks to off/on/off/off and it still fragged. i figured the bios somehow got corrupted, so i booted with flashbios to reflash. usually the opening screen says Flash Type: Xecuter 3. for some reason it is displayed as follows.

I figured ok, whatever, and proceeded with the flash via http.

However every time i flash, no matter what bios file i use, no matter what bank i select or how i flash, i ALWAYS get this message:
"Programming failed: Program failed for byte at +0x0, wrote 0x09, read 0xff"

I figured it might have something to do with the chip's flash protect features, so i triple checked that they were disabled on both the front panel and the chip switch. still no go. tried disconnecting front panel from chip and booting, still same error. it's as if the x3 is somehow stuck in read only, or cannot write to the flash mem for some reason. Actually, sometimes when i boot to FlashBIOS, it even displays Found Flash: Read Only??? yadda yadda, even tho flash protect is off.

I have NO clue what the deal is. Chip has been sitting in the xbox since a month after the x3's were released - in fact, this is an original x3 on the purple pcb. The ONLY thing i've done to it recently is that i added the x3ir mod, but that was many months ago. Other than this, it's been working like a champ. When i boot with the chip disabled, the MS dash loads up with no problems, so its not a problem with the xbox itself. Also, the pin header is solid as a rock, and I've tried reseating the x3 many times with no success. I'm seriously thinking the flash on the x3 is dead, but I'd like to get someone else's opinion before i go out and buy a replacement x3.

Xbox details are as follows:
motherboard: v1
hdd: 320gb WD hdd
dvd: samsung
mod: x3
bios: tried them all

 

[Poida^]

Check other connections while your reseating the chip.

Try flashing with the switch unplugged.

Does it always boot to the backup?
Or can you boot up in the other two modes?

 

[admiralj]

i can boot to the other 2 modes. when i boot the system with the chip on, it power cycles the xbox 3 times and then flashes the power led orange/red. if i hold in the power button to disable the chip, it boots to the ms dash perfectly. likewise if i hold in both pwr/eject buttons to boot to the backup rom, it works 100%, but for some reason it will not write a bios file to the banks in flash. i'll try flashing without the front dipswitch connected and see if that works...

 

[admiralj]

Its been a while since my last post, but i've finally had a chance to dig further into this strange situation. Short summary: I've purchased another X3 chip and a used, but 100% working v1.0 motherboard from ebay (tested it before beginning today). After installing the new X3 (i used a wire install to be sure all the solder points were solid) i booted to FlashBIOS only to have the damn menu say READ ONLY??? again, just like before! I must've unsoldered and refitted the chip about 3 times before finally giving up... each time it kept saying READ ONLY. Messing with the dip switch had no effect either. All of a sudden, I got FlashBIOS to detect it as XECUTER3 under flash type. I was like WTF??!! So after playing with it some more, here's what i've discovered:

First, the X3 CAN be flashed with a good bios, however in order to get it to do so, i have to enable flash protection on the X3 itself (the led turns red). Then it flashes 100%. (wtf?)

Second, with the flash protection on, FlashBIOS will either report XECUTER3 or READ ONLY??? depending on how long i hold in the power/eject buttons. If i hold it only long enough for the dip switch X logo to turn purple, it reports XECUTER3. If i continue to hold the buttons until the FlashBIOS menu appears, it reports READ ONLY??? In either case, i can flash the chip with a bios as long as i enable flash protection on the chip. If i flip the switch so that the flash protection is disabled (green led) i cannot write to the X3 eeprom.

Third, when i attach the dip switch cable to the chip, i must set the x3 to enable flash protection on the chip (red led) and THEN i can control flash protection properly from the 5th dip switch.

I'm really at a loss to explain this. The ONLY things i am reusing from my previous xbox is the power supply, power/eject buttons, and controller daughter board (both motherboards are v1.0). Everything else has been swapped out with parts from other xboxes and X3 chips.

Attached are some sh*tty camera phone pics of the flash. It's hard to see, but in both pics, the flash protection on the chip has been enabled (red led), yet FlashBIOS reports different flash types depending on how long i hold down the power/eject buttons. In either case, as long as the flsah protection is on, i can write to the chip. Anyhow, everything is working 100% now, even though it technically shouldn't be...

Anyone who can explain this one deserves a medal.

 

[DJBOOBY]

some x3 chips were labled wrong
red is flash protect off
green is on

 

[Flesh]

Lemme ask you this when you make setting changes in x3 live like changing flubber colors or any change at all does the chip reverty to default on a reboot?

 

[admiralj]

No. The bios changes are saved when i exit the x3 live menu. The chip works 100%, but just lights up red (flash protect on) when in use. Actually ive read some early x3 guides and have noticed that some PCBs have the chip labeled red: flash protect off, green: flash protect on. On others, like on mine, its reversed. I think djbooby is correct.

 

[adam.giles]

I think djbooby is correct.

He is

 

[graydiggy]

im one of those chip owners with the wrong print on my chip. i had some of the same problems as you but got it all figured out with a xecuter 2 bios of all things. thanks to djbooby