Category Archives: Projects

XBOX Original Softmod, Hard Drive Upgrade, Clock Capacitor (2019)

Games / disc archive

Games archived at archive.org

Softmodding in 2019

99% of how to softmod is in MrMario’s video. But you don’t need to download and build Rocky5 softmodding tool from source as done in the video. Instead, you can download the prebuilt “Xbox Softmodding Tool.zip” file and “Extras” .iso disc image (link is in the official github docs). Burn the Extras .iso to DVD-R with Imgburn and low write speed (eg. 2x or 4x).

Remove clock capacitor

Figure out what version xbox you have. Eg. 1.0, 1.4, 1.6.
v1.6 does NOT need to have the Clock Capacitor removed. Softmod dashboard will also display the xbox version. So will the “xbox info.txt” file when you save your eeprom backup to a safe storage location.
https://www.reddit.com/r/originalxbox/wiki/revision
https://www.reddit.com/r/originalxbox/wiki/clock_capacitor

Hard disk upgrade

Hard drive compatibility chart. The Crucial 500GB SSD (CT500MX500SSD1Z) looks promising, $65 amazon.

Get the PATA IDE to SATA converter with two large capacitors near the IDE connector and slave/master jumper near the power connector. One user recommends the one made by Startech with red PCB [sold on Amazon and Startech website], instead of the ones with green PCB. Youtubers report green ones working fine. Youtuber reporting Startech throughput is higher/faster.

How long should the 80-wire IDE ribbon cable be?
At least 24 inches is recommended. https://www.reddit.com/r/originalxbox/comments/7j3pj5/ide_40_vs_80/

What size hard drive can I install?
Partitions F: and G: can each be sized up to 1TB, so a 2TB disk is generally the max. With a 1TB drive, you can assign the majority of the disk (about 1TB, because C: and other partitions use some of the space) to F: and have no G:
See also the FAQ

Should I use a SSD instead of spinning platters HDD?
Some mixed opinion and 3rd hand reports, but seems either SSD or HDD will work. The biggest factor is the favorable low-cost of a 1TB or 2TB HDD, not SSD performance (IDE-to-SATA converter board is probably the bottleneck). https://www.reddit.com/r/originalxbox/comments/8bilp3/solidstate_drive_to_futureproof_your_xbox/

Disc drive

Replacement drive belts: Search ebay for:
xbox drive (belt,band)
5 belts for $1.08
Approx 1″ diameter

Hardmod: Flashing the TSOP

Howto (2017)

Hexen 2018 disc image