Clock Loop Problem HOWTO
From Xbox-Linux
Some versions of the Software Modification ("MechInstaller") can cause a problem with some Xboxes that make the Xbox loop at the Xbox logo screen when turned on. This article talks about the background of this problem and possible solutions.
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Summary
- If you have done the Software Method, never unplug the Xbox from power.
- If your Xbox loops when you turn it on, keep it looping for serveral hours, until it shows the clock dialog. Then press A.
- There is no need to fix the Xbox with a modchip.
How the Software Method works
The Software Modification is based on a trick that replaces the Xbox system fonts in order to gain control of execution when the Xbox is turned on. When the dashboard loads the fonts from hard disk. If these fonts are tampered with, it can accidently overwrite some parts of memory, including pointers to executable code. This can be exploited by placing executable code into the font files - every time the Dashboard loads the fonts, our code embedded in the font files will be executed.
Our code will now load the Dashboard again, with the original font files and patch it in-memory to feature the "LINUX" menu entry and support for booting Linux-signed XBEs.
Problems of this technique
The method described above has shown not to be completely reliable. The dashboard runs multiple threads of execution at a time, and the time correlation of these threads depends on many external factors, like hard disk spin up time, DVD drive and controller response time. In some cases, the Dashboard loads the fonts while the Xbox is in a different state, so the exploit will not work and the Xbox will reboot.
Another more severe problem can be caused when unplugging the Xbox for several hours. The Xbox has no built-in battery to keep the clock alive, instead it has a capacitor that only lasts for some time when the Xbox is unplugged. Generally, the lifespan of the capacitors' charge is at least a few hours. It's better not to leave it unplugged for longer than this, if you can avoid it, as it is likely to loop when rebooted.
If the Xbox loses the clock, the Dashboard will start up differently and present a dialog to enter the time. This can be a problem for the font trick: As the Xbox is in a different state now, the font trick might not work and the Xbox might loop.
Solutions
If the Xbox loops when you turn it on, just keep it looping for several hours, until it shows the clock dialog. Just press A and your Xbox will be fixed. Remember not to unplug the Xbox in the future. This fixes the problem for most people.
In rare cases, looping will stop and a dark green screen with the Xbox background mesh pattern will be shown. In this case, reset the Xbox and keep it looping again, until the clock dialog appears.
Next, try turning off the Xbox and booting with a manufactured audio CD (not CD-R or RW) in the drive. This can often get you past the error and put you into the clock setting screen, although occasionally it won't.
I found that if I put a DVD while it's looping, then turn it off, then on, you get the clock dialog. Set the clock to the current date, and such then start it. It SHOULD work, anymore problems just e-mail me at emo.kiddie@gmail.com - EmoKid
Also try using the xbox remote, put in a REAL DVD and let the xbox try and load the clock, while it does so, keep pressing menu and title on the remote quickly and many times, the clock should load after about 2 minutes
Another possibility is to unplug the power on your XBox and hold the eject or power button and plug the power cable back in. It may take a few trys to have an effect.
In extremely rare cases, this doesn't solve the problem and the Xbox keeps looping for many hours. Try plugging in, unplugging or changing the ports of controllers or the DVD dongle, try plugging in or unplugging a network cable, and if you have another video cable, try this one as well. Any of the combinations will change the timing of the startup.
Timing also depends on the temperature of the Xbox. It gets hotter by itself, but you might want to try fixing it by trying this again in a cool basement, after the Xbox had been unplugged for some time.
If this still doesn't solve your problem, you have to open your Xbox. The first method is to unplug the DVD cables, and let it loop for some time again.
If even this does not work, there is one method that will always work: Hotswap the hard disk, connecting it to a PC, run Xebian on the PC (yes, this is possible!), and undo the Software Method by either writing up a backup image on /dev/hda51, or by renaming the font files in the fonts directory on /dev/hda51 back.
I used to have my Xbox (with Xebian installed) hooked up to my stereo for power, didn't know that this was a known issue till I saw this page, anyway, when this happened to my Xbox, I just used to power it down, and up again, until it presented me with the time dialog (max 3 times up till now), and it displayed that dialog every time I booted it, as that capacitor really doesn't last long...
Perform hotswap and fix through linux using looping xbox and modded xbox
Basically, turn on the unit that is looping and wait for the xbox logo and unplug the IDE cable before the white Microsoft appears at the bottom.
Turn on a modded xbox with the gentoox rescue cdrom in the drive and connect the IDE cable from the modded xbox to the hard drive. Let Linux boot. SSH in to the modded xbox. Go to /mnt directory by typing "cd /mnt". create a "c" directory by typing "mkdir c". Mount the c drive by typing "mount /dev/hda51 /mnt/c". Verify that you have mounted the c drive by typing "cd /mnt/c" and hit enter. Then do a directory listing by typing "ls". If you see files and a directory called fonts, you are in business. Type "cd /mnt/c/fonts". Type "ls" again and you should see bert.xtf, ernie.xtf, xbox.bak and XBox Book.bak. What you need to do is remove bert.xtf and ernie.xtf by typing "rm ernie.xtf", hit enter, and "rm bert.xtf" and then hit enter again. Now you need to rename the original files back. Type "mv xbox.bak xbox.xtf" and hit enter, and then type "mv XBox Book.bak XBox Book.xtf". Now that you have fixed the file issue, backup one directory by typing "cd ..". We need to remove the Linux folder now by typing "rm -r Linux". Now you can unmount the drive partition by typing first "cd /" and then "umount /dev/hda51". You now can shutdown both xboxes. Reconnect the Hard drive and boot the xbox to make sure that it is working, then reassemble the unit. Your done!
Preventing future problems
If you had problems fixing your Xbox, you have a very rare model, and you should not unplug it in the future.
Also an XBOX console in standby mode uses very little power so if you're concerned about a storm outside get a UPS, and it will last all night and most of the following day! You can tell if an xbox is in standby mode as the green lit circle will be flashing orange. To achieve this state, unplug your xbox from any video-out cable it has.
