posted by gelberhase on Jun 12, 2011:
Hi,
as requested by a member, 2 Alpha Recoveries ( Dec 00 and Feb 01 Alpha II) and the VGA Bios.
If not allowed, feel free to remove.
Download:
https://rapidshare.com/files/4094615549/Ghd__EmnHGF76d.rar
Xbox Alpha Kit Recoveries + VGA Bios
Xbox Alpha Kit Recoveries + VGA Bios
posted by APE on Jun 12, 2011:
Oh fucking sweet. Been wanting to try my hand at hacking an Alpha box together, the VGA BIOS was the lynch pin.
Oh fucking sweet. Been wanting to try my hand at hacking an Alpha box together, the VGA BIOS was the lynch pin.
Xbox Alpha Kit Recoveries + VGA Bios
posted by Borman on Jun 12, 2011:
Good luck with that one APE, it won't (shouldn't) be easy.
Regardless, thanks for the February recovery, works great. Still can't transfer stuff over using Xbox Explorer, but I captured some video before I ship off my capture card. Expect it soonish.
Good luck with that one APE, it won't (shouldn't) be easy.
Regardless, thanks for the February recovery, works great. Still can't transfer stuff over using Xbox Explorer, but I captured some video before I ship off my capture card. Expect it soonish.
Xbox Alpha Kit Recoveries + VGA Bios
posted by gelberhase on Jun 12, 2011:
nice^^
Can you do me a favor and capture the whole booting process?
Especially interested in the Logo.
By the way: I only uploaded the files, I don't know who released what.
nice^^
Can you do me a favor and capture the whole booting process?
Especially interested in the Logo.
By the way: I only uploaded the files, I don't know who released what.
Xbox Alpha Kit Recoveries + VGA Bios
posted by Borman on Jun 12, 2011:
The logo doesn't work right on the capture part, it switches signal to quickly. But if you are interested in seeing the fireworks, its already on Youtube from me..
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KQ17T-vMjyw
The February version is starting to resemble the later XDK dashes, but is still obviously quite early. Some different samples on this dash though, which was nice. Compressing video now.
Edit: Picture
Excuse the fact that my homemade svideo cable is terrible
The logo doesn't work right on the capture part, it switches signal to quickly. But if you are interested in seeing the fireworks, its already on Youtube from me..
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KQ17T-vMjyw
The February version is starting to resemble the later XDK dashes, but is still obviously quite early. Some different samples on this dash though, which was nice. Compressing video now.
Edit: Picture
Excuse the fact that my homemade svideo cable is terrible
Xbox Alpha Kit Recoveries + VGA Bios
posted by APE on Jun 12, 2011:
BTW, if you still would like a floppy drive and a few floppies to dump your Alpha's VGA BIOS for kicks I can still send them. Obviously we have this one available but you never know if there is a difference.
I'm hoping it won't be. If it was then it wouldn't be fun.
Borman said:
Good luck with that one APE, it won't (shouldn't) be easy.
Regardless, thanks for the February recovery, works great. Still can't transfer stuff over using Xbox Explorer, but I captured some video before I ship off my capture card. Expect it soonish.
BTW, if you still would like a floppy drive and a few floppies to dump your Alpha's VGA BIOS for kicks I can still send them. Obviously we have this one available but you never know if there is a difference.
Xbox Alpha Kit Recoveries + VGA Bios
posted by Borman on Jun 12, 2011:
If you can, check to see what graphics card this BIOS is for. If its the same one, theres no reason really.
Video here (May still be processing):
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WzGYHk66OGc
If you can, check to see what graphics card this BIOS is for. If its the same one, theres no reason really.
Video here (May still be processing):
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WzGYHk66OGc
Xbox Alpha Kit Recoveries + VGA Bios
posted by APE on Jun 12, 2011:
1) NV20 core - GeForce 3 lineage
2) Bios Ver: 3.20.00.00.00 - clearly states its essentially an Engineering sample and not for final use. There are BIOSes out there at 3.20.00.28.00 for GF3 Ti 200 cards.
3) Whatever it is has S-Video output.
The GeForce 3 was released February 2001 which is probably what is used in the Alpha II and this BIOS. Trying to track down an original GF3 BIOS to run some comparisons with but given how old this stuff is I might just break down and start buying this stuff to dump myself.
I'm unfortunately in the dark as per specific part numbers (and/or high resolution images) as I have not an Alpha or Alpha II. Seems there is some general taboo on making the information publicly known as well.
The last piece of data missing would be a BIOS dump from the mobo. From what I can tell its a straight Intel VC820 with what must be a custom BIOS. Be Fun to push that boot up animation to a retail XBox.
Of note though, the BIOS posted today and the one in your video are the same exact revision. I would assume they'd hash the same but you'd never know.
I wouldn't mind knowing myself either. Picked at it a bit with a hex editor and done some google legwork to do comparisons and beyond the bloody obvious:
Borman said:
If you can, check to see what graphics card this BIOS is for. If its the same one, theres no reason really.
Video here (May still be processing):
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WzGYHk66OGc
1) NV20 core - GeForce 3 lineage
2) Bios Ver: 3.20.00.00.00 - clearly states its essentially an Engineering sample and not for final use. There are BIOSes out there at 3.20.00.28.00 for GF3 Ti 200 cards.
3) Whatever it is has S-Video output.
The GeForce 3 was released February 2001 which is probably what is used in the Alpha II and this BIOS. Trying to track down an original GF3 BIOS to run some comparisons with but given how old this stuff is I might just break down and start buying this stuff to dump myself.
I'm unfortunately in the dark as per specific part numbers (and/or high resolution images) as I have not an Alpha or Alpha II. Seems there is some general taboo on making the information publicly known as well.
The last piece of data missing would be a BIOS dump from the mobo. From what I can tell its a straight Intel VC820 with what must be a custom BIOS. Be Fun to push that boot up animation to a retail XBox.
Of note though, the BIOS posted today and the one in your video are the same exact revision. I would assume they'd hash the same but you'd never know.
Xbox Alpha Kit Recoveries + VGA Bios
posted by Annoying_one on Jun 12, 2011:
we need the pc bios and some more details on the hw
we need the pc bios and some more details on the hw
Xbox Alpha Kit Recoveries + VGA Bios
posted by APE on Jun 12, 2011:
He didn't do a very good job at documenting his progress so what problems he faced aren't exactly known.
Though after looking at a video that has a decent look at the video card it most assuredly looks like it was based on nVidia's reference design for the GeForce 3. Can't find an equivalent card on eBay as the one I saw had no heatsinks for the ram and a fan situated within the GPU heatsink (as well as the GPU heatsink being green).
Nothing I do to dissassemble the BIOS lends me many clues either such as 32/64mb, timing, clock rate, etc. Wouldn't be surprised if the specific card used wasn't also some sort of engineering sample provided to Microsoft ahead of schedule. The retail release for the GF3 was February 2001 but you'd have to be gullible to think prototypes weren't being kicked around for testing long before then. Regardless the card I was seeing had the FCC logo and information silkscreened on it so whatever it was had passed through FCC certification beforehand meaning there is a picture and some information sitting somewhere.
I'd also wager a strong guess that the LAN and USB cards are interchangeable so long as the chipsets are compatible with whatever the dash is expecting to find. Intel used to/still do make both so it wouldn't surprise me if they weren't intel made cards.
I can assure you, it won't be as easy as flashing the correct BIOS to the mobo and video card. If it was I'd wager someone else would have come along and done it by now putting aside the one publicly known attempt at doing so.
werejag said:
we need the pc bios and some more details on the hw
He didn't do a very good job at documenting his progress so what problems he faced aren't exactly known.
Though after looking at a video that has a decent look at the video card it most assuredly looks like it was based on nVidia's reference design for the GeForce 3. Can't find an equivalent card on eBay as the one I saw had no heatsinks for the ram and a fan situated within the GPU heatsink (as well as the GPU heatsink being green).
Nothing I do to dissassemble the BIOS lends me many clues either such as 32/64mb, timing, clock rate, etc. Wouldn't be surprised if the specific card used wasn't also some sort of engineering sample provided to Microsoft ahead of schedule. The retail release for the GF3 was February 2001 but you'd have to be gullible to think prototypes weren't being kicked around for testing long before then. Regardless the card I was seeing had the FCC logo and information silkscreened on it so whatever it was had passed through FCC certification beforehand meaning there is a picture and some information sitting somewhere.
I'd also wager a strong guess that the LAN and USB cards are interchangeable so long as the chipsets are compatible with whatever the dash is expecting to find. Intel used to/still do make both so it wouldn't surprise me if they weren't intel made cards.