Softmod

On this page we will go through softmodding the xbox. Softmodding is required before we can hardmod the xbox. We ultimately want to hardmod the xbox so we can replace components such as the DVD drive and hard drive before they fail. Softmodding will allow us to run unsigned code on burnt DVDs, meaning we can flash a new BIOS using HeXEn (get it here) which will let us change the hard drive without needing to lock it and so on.

Before we start, make sure you have a few things ready:

• A 4 gig USB drive (what I used)
• USB to Controller Port cable (what I used)
• Xplorer360 (get it here)
• A copy of the softmod (get it here)
• A compatible game: Splinter Cell (All variants work), Mechassault (The original, black label variant), 007 Agent Under Fire (Black label preferred, Platinum Hits will work only if the disc code is 1448517)

Method

1. We will start by preparing the USB drive. This is a relatively easy process to perform. Plug the USB into your computer and attempt to format it. Make sure that "quick format" is not selected, and the format type is set to "FAT32".

   Start the format and unplug it as soon as you see progress in the progress bar. This will corrupt the USB drive (we want this to happen). Plug this into your xbox and it should ask your if you want to format it. Select "Yes". Once this is done, remove the USB drive from your xbox.

2. Open "Rocky 1.1.6" folder then go into "Build v1.1.6" then "Softmod" and finally "Softmod Package". Unzip the file according to the game you're using. If you're using Splinter Cell for instance, unzip the "SC-PAL" or "SC-NTSC" file. You should get a new folder called "UDATA" with two folders in it. These 2 folders are the ones you will need to softmod your console. Now, open Xplorer 360 and click on "Open" and then "Harddrive or memcard..."

   Click on "Partition 1" and simply drag the two files you unzipped during the previous step.

3. Plug the USB stick in your Xbox using the Xbox USB cable, plug it in any available controller port. Go into "Memory" on your Xbox dashboard and copy the content of the USB stick onto the HDD (The Xbox will consider your USB stick as an official memory card). Don't delete those files in the future or your softmod won't work anymore. If, you happen to delete them, don't panic, simply copy them back on your HDD and the softmod will work again.

4. Start the game (Splinter Cell, Mechassault, 007 or THPS4) and you'll see that there is already a savestate. Load that savestate and the installation will begin. This is where Rocky 5's softmod shines, it will take care of everything for you. You could do it your eyes close and press A when prompted with a message. My advice for you is to read them, they are short and you will get a better idea of what the Softmod is doing (backing up some files on your Xbox so you could restore your Xbox to its previous state if you so choose).

The original guide can be found here: https://www.exclusivelygames.com/forum/forum/retro-classic/24595-original-xbox-softmodding-a-short-tutorial