Softmod Original Xbox Without Action Replay (Covers Basic to Advanced Steps) LINKS FULLY UPDATED

In this instructable I will be trying my best to take out the stress and frustration of many people who want to softmod their original Xbox in the year 2011. I found trying some of these other tutorials slightly aggravating because:

1. Links, files, recent upgrades etc were COMPLETELY OUT OF DATE
2. No one responded to my questions and many other peoples questions as well
3. I hadn't done a softmod before this, and there were many things that the tutorials would assume I knew that, unfortunately, I didn't
4. Lastly, there were many people who suggested the use of the Action Replay Software, or the Action Replay Kit. Both of these are quite frankly either expensive or a giant pain to use/download.

So, using this instructable I hope to keep the Xbox sofmodders up to date, and also be able to help people out.

Good Luck!

Here's a list of things you will need. Many of these items have alternatives, and I'll do my best to list all that I know:

1.A FEMALE USB to XBOX cord, which can be bought on ebay here   (NOTE: there are several alternatives to buying this item, all of which require soldering and wiring experience. As soon as I have time, I will make a instructable on how to make a homemade one, because that's what I did, using an old rockband usb hub from my wii)

2. A PC (I hope this was obvious) with internet connection. The 2A, 2B, etc will be the programs you will want on your computer: Some of them are 30 day trials, so if you aren't planning on soft-modding right away, I would hold off.
2A. xplorer360 is a free program which you will use to write the softmod to the usb.
2B. An IRC client. I highly suggest MIRC's 30 day trial  but other programs could work, such as the plugin for Firefox called ChatZilla
2C. An FTP Client: I actually had trouble using FileZilla on my computer, so I eventually went to CuteFTP which worked great
2D. 7ZIP or any other compression type program that will open up zip files.

3. An Original Xbox with an updated Dashboard. My Xbox had an old dashboard from being stored up in a box for a while, so  I had to borrow a newer game (I got Unreal Championship 2 from a friend) and then, with or without an internet connection for my xbox, simply "try" and access the multiplayer interface. It should update for you from there. To check your Microsoft Dashboard model, simply go to settings, system, and let the xbox scroll to the bottom. There should be a 5960 in your D: drive if it is up to date.
4. A copy of 1 of these three games:
Splinter Cell (The Original, it can be a platinum hits version, but make sure its the original game) (I Went with this one because many say its the most reliable)
Mech Assault Original
Older version of 007:Agent Under Fire

5. A USB Drive. This one is tricky. There are some drives (apparently) that do not work with the XBox. I got lucky on my first try, picking up a little SanDisk Cruzer Edge 4 gb Drive that worked great (see picture above) but most of the lists are really quite out of date in terms of what is actually being sold in today's world.

6. An Ethernet Crossover Cable (this is sort of optional, considering you don't need it to get the original XBox Softmod going, but I used it to transfer my XBMC files over and Emulators, so I highly suggest getting one)

This part is also a little weird for some. In order to get the files you want, you will need your IRC chat client and your FTP client open.

The group that we will be using is xbins.org, but we won't be going to their website for our downloads, we will be using the IRC client to receive the username password etc information to plug into the FTP (File Transfer Protocol) client in order to get our files. I will be using MIRC as the example for use.

To Start Open your IRC client. In MIRC, if its your first time opening the client, you may already be on this page:
go to file > Select Server and then choose the Efnet. Double click it to open its folder, and double click random server (or a server of your choice) within the folder. Then it will come up with a page asking you for a desired nickname. I don't suggest using personal information on that one. After, click connect. Wait a couple seconds, and if it has connected to efnet properly, MIRC wll ask you which channel/room you would like to be in. this is where you type in

#xbins

and hit enter. Thus, you begin connecting to Xbins

Some things you should know about Xbins:

1.Their files are trustworthy, or atleast the ones that we will be downloading from here

2.DO NOT SPAM THE CHATBOX. EVEN ON ACCIDENT, TWO !list   WITHOUT RESPONSE FROM XBINS WILL RESULT IN A 24 HOUR BAN, WHICH IS A PAIN

3.They have some odd methods of sending you files, and therefore you must be cautious in that the information they send you is accurately typed into the FTP server, which we will go over in the next step

When in Xbins, I suggest you read their rules and regulations carefully (It will be in the welcome message you receive when you connect)

From there type 

!list

in the chat box. This will send the server a request for a username in password

It shouldn't take long, but a second tab in your chat server will pop up, labeled xbins. Open this tab

I HAVE STATED THIS BEFORE, BUT DO NOT !LIST TWICE WITHOUT A RESPONSE,XBINS WILL TAKE THIS AS SPAMMING AND KICK YOU

The tab that pops up will send you an message containing what you need to log in to their ftp server

this includes site name, username, password, and port number.

*Xbins will tell you this, but once you connect, using that username and password, it will be deleted from their database immediately, possibly even before you download the files you want. Here is my suggestion: Every time you want a new user and password, leave the chatroom and come back before you !list again. This will prevent you from getting kicked, which for some is a problem even if they don't spam the !list

Now open up your FTP client. The pics show how CuteFTP looks, but they all generally look the same. If its your first time, just ignore and try to close all the windows popping up, whether its a register product window, or a connection wizard window, ignore them and close them (within the FTP client, that is. You can keep all your outside programs on, it doesn't matter)

Now at the top (check picture) insert the information given to you by Xbins and click the weird looking button next to the port number button that, when you hover your mouse over it, says connect.

This should bring you to the Xbins directory in the box on the right. (*On the left is the location of where you want to download your files to. This is really your choice) The path that you want to get to is 

/XBOX/Console Based Applications/exploits/_Packages/Softmod Installer Deluxe

which you will type in to the box above the xbins files that pop up

From there, right click the zip file (should start with Softmod.Installer.Delxe.v2.0.Xbox-Hq... it will be the only zip file in that directory) and hit install

THIS IS WHERE YOU MAY HAVE ALREADY BEEN ERASED FROM THE DATABASE THAT STORES YOUR USER AND PASS THAT IS GIVEN TO YOU. IF IT REQUIRES ANOTHER USERNAME AND PASSWORD. LEAVE THE XBINS CHATROOM, REJOIN, AND GET YOUR INFORMATION AGAIN TO ENTER IT IN.

Your files should quickly begin downloading

When you've finally downloaded the zip file, extract it to your desktop (if you don't know how to do this, refer to the starred item at the bottom of this step), and then (optional) move it to a folder in your desktop (if you aren't a fan of a cluttered desktop).

Here's where you will want to open your Xplorer360 application:

Extract the zip file (within the zip file) that has your game title on it.

FOR SPLINTER CELL USERS: YOU WILL HAVE TO EXTRACT 2 FILES
THERE IS A PROBLEM THAT MANY WILL RUN ACROSS DURING THE EXTRACTION OF THE SECOND FILE: THIS PROBLEM IS THAT BOTH EXTRACTED FOLDERS ARE LABELED
UDATA
THEREFORE, MAKE SURE YOU EXTRACT THESE TO SEPARATELY CREATED FOLDERS IN ADVANCE

There are 2 zips you will want to extract. The first is the basic Splinter Cell folder:

SID.Splinter.Cell.v2.0.Xbox-Hq.zip

The second one will depend on your region. From what I know, NTSC is a USA exclusive type of xbox, while PAL is everywhere else. (If you want this explained to you, refer to the double star at the bottom of this step)
For the US: Your second extracted file will be

SID.Splinter.Cell.v2.0.NTSC.Xbox-Hq.zip

For Everywhere else, naturally it will be:

SID.Splinter.Cell.v2.0.PAL.Xbox-Hq.zip

*To extract zipped files, it is really very simple:
1. Right Click your zipped file
2. Hover your mouse over the Open With... option
3. There should be a program in that section that says 7-Zip, If not, refer to step 4. If the 7-Zip is already there, skip step 4&5 and click the 7-zip icon, move to step 6
4. In the Open With... menu, select Choose Default Program
5. Look for your program (7-Zip) and double click it (note: it may be in the Other Programs Section, which you have to open the arrow to see these other programs)
6. With your 7-Zip program open, you should see the folder you are trying to extract
7. Click it once, and go to the top blue icon that says extract (blue rectangle), and click that once again.
8.A Copy To menu will pop up, asking you to choose the folder that you want to copy the file to. Click the ... button to have full browsing of your computer files.
9. Once you click on the designated folder, hit okay, and the file will begin extracting to the folder you want.

This one is short and simple: (Just make sure you don't have anything you want to keep on your USB flash drive)
1. Turn on your xbox (Make sure no disks are in your Xbox, so that you go to the menu)
2. Plug your usb hub/port/ object made that allows you to plug your usb into your xbox (leave the actual usb drive out for now)
3.Plug the USB into the port
4. In your xbox Menu, go to Memory (For me, it froze for a couple seconds with a green sphere in the middle of the screen, and then loaded, so don't quit to early!)
5. A Notice will appear with the message: The memory unit you inserted isn't working correctly. It has been erased.
(This is a good thing, as the Xbox has just formatted your usb stick as an Xbox Memory Card
6. Hit okay, unplug your usb, and turn off your Xbox.

This one is also fairly quick, but you have to make sure you follow my steps exactly
Now, remember we had trouble with the 2 Splinter Cell folders with the same names, and solved it by putting them in different folders. So the question is, how will the USB be able to tell them apart if a Computer Can't?
The Answer is, a USB can't recognize it either, the key is not the UDATA folders but the contents inside. Remember this as we head into the file injection:

1. Open up Xplorer360, and plug in your USB Stick (A Message will pop up telling you that the stick is not working correctly and that you should format it. CLICK CANCEL. You want your Drive to stay formatted as an Xbox Card)

2.Click (in xplorer360 top left corner) Drive, then open, and then Harddrive or Memcard...

3. A drive should pop up in your left bar (mine was called drive1)

4. Select this drive by double clicking on it (nothing will really happen, but the Drive name will be highlighted in blue)

5. Make your window smaller so that it hardly takes up any of your screen, but is still usable

6. Open up your two folders (containing your extracted UDATA folders) in two separate windows as well (you should be able to see all three windows on your screen)

7. Open open both of your UDATA folders: Each UDATA folder should have one unique folder inside of it. THESE ARE THE FOLDERS THAT YOU WANT TO "INJECT" INTO YOUR USB

8. Drag either one of these folders in to the xplorer360 window, where there shouldn't be any folders (check picture)

9. Wait for Xplorer360 to "inject" the first folder you dragged and then drag the second one

10. After both of these folders are injected, you can exit Xplorer360 and remove the USB

NOTE: FOR MECH ASSAULT AND JAMES BOND YOU WILL NOT HAVE TO DRAG TWO FOLDERS: ONLY ONE EXISTS

The hard parts over, congrats:

Begin by turning on your Xbox WITH NO DISK, and plugging in your USB stick to your Xbox (through whichever means we had discussed before)

Now, go straight to the Memory option, and yet again, your xbox may hesitate with a green orb in the middle of the screen, so don't freak out

Use your cursor to highlight Memory Unit A (which will have 50000+ blocks) and copy the 2 (or 1) necessary files to your hard drive
          To do this, move to the correct file in your memory card, CLICK THE D PAD ONE OVER TO THE RIGHT to highlight the actual circular picture of the file, hit A, then select copy, and okay. DO THIS FOR BOTH FILES BEFORE PROCEEDING

Afterwards, restart your Xbox

Now, turn on your Xbox and plug in Splinter Cell
Go to the start game menu, and instead of loading a normal profile (such as 'Sam'), load the profile labeled 'Linux'

Select this profile and then select Checkpoints

This will take you to the desired softmod menu

Here, the menu is pretty self explanatory, but I'll go through it anyway:

2 main things to do: SEE THE SECOND PICTURE

First: BACK UP YOUR ORIGINAL MS DASHBOARD do this by selecting the Create MS Backup option

Second: Install either EvoX or UnleashX (I used Unleash X but really you are just choosing the Skin for your Softmod Menu)

Well that's it! I will publish another tutorial on how to FTP to your Xbox later (or edit this one) but I'm going to bed for now

Good luck!!