in need of serious help with Xenium....

Hi,Before i start, i just gotta say, Yes, i am a n[][]b at modding... :
My Xenium Ice Solderless MOD Chip (http://www.xbox-modchips.com/xenium-solderless.htm) finally came yesterday. I own a v1.0 xbox motherboard (i used to have a v1.6, but the solderless adapter didn't work with 1.6 so i switched motherboards with my friend before he traded his in). I was trying all day yesterday to try to get it to work (had the d0 wire in the right spot, had the adapter in the right spot [modchip would turn on when i turned on xbox]) but for some reason all i got was FRAG (Flashing Red And Green)..... then after about 2-3 times of changing colors between red and green, it would send me to the "call M$ for support" screen with the Kernel 6 Error (can't unlock hdd)..... now im STUMPED... i have no idea what to do and i would be extremely happy if someone can help me "bring my xbox back to life" :/... Please Reply, Thank you sooo much in advanced

 

Did you change the Hard drive or are you using the original one that came with the X-Box? If its the original I would recommend getting a new drive with a large capacity. Also were you able to flash the chip yet with a Bios (Xecuter, Evox)? Have you been able to get to the Xenium OS screen? The FRAG may be caused by the placement of your Xenium. Because the 1.0 versions have solder inside the LPC holes the contact points on the Xenium tend to slip off the points on the board. That was my problem at least. What I did was get a small sharp object (I used an Xacto knife) and softly make an indentation in the solder, that way when the Xeniums points hit that indent it wont slip off.
Try and give a little more info on what you have already done.

 

With the DVD-Rom and the Harddrive disconnected and the power on, loosen up the screw and move the chip slowly. When the light on the xenium goes on then you are close to the correct location. If the chip is red, the Xbox will start the original flubber startup screen but when it's done the xbox will FRAG and then you'll get the error codes. When the chip is in the right spot the light will turn blue and then the xbox will start the Xenium OS startup screen. Turn off the power and lightly tighten the screw so it won't move.

 

-Did you change the Hard drive or are you using the original one that came with the X-Box?

*my hard drive is the one that came in the xbox, though i did buy a 160GB Maxtor to go with my modchip

-were you able to flash the chip yet with a Bios (Xecuter, Evox)?

*I thought it came pre-flashed, so i just put it in and tried it... was i supposed to flash it?

-Have you been able to get to the Xenium OS screen?

*No, as soon as i turned my xbox on, it gave me FRAG and code 6 error

-The FRAG may be caused by the placement of your Xenium

*the Xenium would light up (red) when i turn the Xbox on

 

WhitePryd,
not that this is causing the problem but I would put the new 160GB in there before you flash the chip (assuming that you are able to get to that point). Make sure you set the jumpers on the drive to "Cable Select".
The chips never comes flashed with a Bios (other than the Xenium OS) such as Evox or Xecuter unless you bought it from someone who specificly flashed it prior to selling it to you but if you bought it from a store online its almost guarenteed its not flashed yet.
9 times out of 10 you are getting FRAG'd because placement of the solderless adaptor is not in the right place or the D0 wire is in the wrong hole, I would take Hrdrk20's advice and try what he suggested or really make sure of your solderless adaptors placement and that its is not slipping off the solder points in the LPC holes and the placement of the D0 wire. Another thing you might consider is placing a small washer under the Xeniums screw hole when screwing in the screw to hold the solderless adaptor down, this might help the points stay planted evenly. Also make sure you dont have the Xenium chip planted on the solderless adaptor in the opposite direction. The "m" in the word Xenium printed on the chip should be nearer to the front or the console and the "X" towards the back.
I went thru the exact same thing for days that you are going thru until I was able to get the adaptor in the correct alignment with the LPC. When the chip is aligned you will get the blue light instead of red and the Xemium OS screen will appear that will give you options to flash the chip.
When you are able to get to that point please post your results and I can help you with the rest. Good luck.

 

Okay, now, i finally got the mod chip to light up blue... But now, when i turn on my xbox it will boot up 3 times (shut off twice) and on the third time it will FRAG.... sometimes the flubber animation doesnt even show... okay... im confused.... >.<... any help will be nice .. Thanks in advanced everyone who has helped me and i really appreciate it...

 

Do yourself a favor, buy a soldering iron with a 1mm tip and solder the Chip directly onto the MoBo. I ran into all kind of problems when installing my solderless Xenium, I spent almost 8 hours trying to adjust it, when I soldered it it worked the first time.

 

i suck at soldering >.< ... would the "pinhead" installation be easier?

 

I tried that too. Just think about this, how much time have you spent already?, how much more are you willing to spend? Not considering the risk of damage by electrostatic discharge on the chip or MObO because of wrong handling, damaged copper tracks, or plain damage to your sanity? Take your time when soldering, don't rush, use good lighting, don't use solder in excess. Do it as if you had done it many times before. Just give it a rest for now and try it when you are relaxed

 

hrm... yeah true... but since my LPC holes are filled in, how much would a "solder sucker" or whatever i need, cost me?

 

You need to "suck" the solder filling the LPC port holes only if you want to install the pin header. See, this is even better since if you do it correctly, the solder in the holes will flow towards the chip pad, no need of excess solder.
Check this tutorial out:
http://www.xbox-modchips.com/files/Quick Solder Install.pdf

 

WhitePryd, I know it must be frustrating for you at this point but do not try soldering the chip if you dont have any soldering experience. Im not trying to discount seasicks advice but if you are not experienced in soldering the chances of you killing your Xbox are way higher in soldering than you fiddling with a non-solder chip. But if you feel confident then the risk is up to you.
The fact that you get the blue light and no Xenium OS screen may mean that thru the fiddling the Xenium OS may have been corrupted or may have been corrupt before you got it. This does not mean the chip is dead, this is the exact thing that happened to me. Luckily for me I had a second chip that I was able to use however after some investigation I found out how to reflash the first chip with the Xenium OS again and it is working again now.
There is a small Recovery switch on the chip. Flip the Switch and put the chip back onto the Solderless adaptor. After you reboot you should get the Xenium Recovery screen. If you do that means the chip is still ok. Try that and let me know how it goes and I can explain how to try an reload the Xenium OS back onto it.

 

aight, ill try that osanekun, but yesterday while i was trying to put the d0 wire thing into the d0 spot, i kinda snapped it in half >.<.... i heard that you could use 30 Gauge wire or sumthin to substitute for it? yeah.. i dunno...

 

WhitePryd, were you getting the FRAG before or after you snapped the D0 wire? If the D0 zero wire was loosened or disconnected before or during installation that would explain your FRAG problems and your Xenium OS may actually be alright. You can try and replace the wire, just take it to Radioshack or an electronics store and ask them to give you something simular. If its snapped off at the base or the adaptor you may need to buy a new adaptor unless there is metal exposed and you could solder the new wire to that part. At least you will be soldering on the adaptor only and not touching the baord. I think a new adaptor goes from $10 to $20. Well let me know when you are able to get the adaptor fixed, you may not have to do the recovery if its just the adaptor.

 

Yeah.. im gettin a ride up to radioshack tommorow after school (nah i dont drive yet, but i will be getting my permit soon) aight, thx for the advice, btw, if i do solder new wire, should i use 30 AWG (gauge)?

 

(by solder the wire i mean solder it to the adapter part, and yes, there is metal exposed )

 

I have no idea what gauge it is so I would just take the broken part with you an let the Radioshack guy match it up for you. If it broke at the base then you may actually be able to solder that part back onto the base. Let me know what you decide.

 

yeah, i usually go to the "hole in the wall" ®Ådïò§hÅc|< hopefully they will be able to match it lol... Yeah, i'll leave a message tommorow and see how things turn out...

 

-.-... i did my BEST solder job that i've ever done to connect the wire to the D0 spot and i still get the "boot three times" and nothing on the screen, yet the MoBo is still running (i can tell how the modchip is lighting up and the fans are running) :/...

 

^^^(if u were wondering, i didnt solder the D0 wire to the MoBo, i soldered it to the spot where i broke it on my solderless adapter)