An XBOX with a USB mod.....

djfonti · 07-02-2010, 8:34 PM

Hello all.

I have seen an XBOX with a USB port added on to it. The fella selling it states he has used a USB hard drive through it to watch films.

What I want to know is what purpose this would serve? Could an external hard drive be attached to it to use through XBMC?

I have googled this and all the info seems to be from 3-5 years ago, with everyone saying running an external USB hard drive is not possible on the original XBOX. Is this info out of date?

Thanks a bunch

Chett · 07-02-2010, 9:50 PM

You can use an external hard drive connected up to one of the controller ports, just like a memory card, XBMC can play files off it ...... maximum size it`ll recognize is only 4GB though.

djfonti · 07-02-2010, 11:23 PM

Thanks for the reply Chett.

But if an XBOX has specifically been modified to include a USB port, can an external drive be connected to that? Or is the USB mod for other purposes?

He says he has connected one to it but all the info online says it's not possible, but like I say that info is old.

So can an external USB HD be connected to an XBOX with a USB port modded on to it?

Chett · 07-02-2010, 11:55 PM

It can yes, the controller ports are just USB 1.1 ports with weird connectors - you can use hard drives, flash drives, keyboards or a mouse - it`ll only recognize 4gb no matter how big the hard drive is though.

Xbox-Scene Tutorial: Easily add a USB port to your Xbox

djfonti · 08-02-2010, 9:55 AM

Thanks again Chett.

The Xbox is no longer for sale but I needed to know anyway.

I am trying to find out the best way of having attached storage to an xbox 1, either internal or external but I can't find the info. The type of HD the XBOX takes is available at around 750GB but the prices are ridiculous.....does anyone have any other suggestions.

I may be imagining it but I'm sure i've read of people having 1-1.5TB HDs attached in some way.

This for me is the only way the XBOX1 becomes a true media tank.....

Scotty · 08-02-2010, 11:55 AM

Why not use a network attached storage (NAS) device, a 1Tb is about £125,and even if you don’t have a home network you can still attach it to the xbox with a cross over network cable

djfonti · 08-02-2010, 6:52 PM

So I could plug one of those straight into the XBOX via ethernet and have XBMC read read movies off it that way?

Have you tried it yourself....if so, does it read files OK or is it stuttery?

I wonder if something like this with a USB dive attached would work?

http://www.scan.co.uk/Products/Shark...-Wired-Network

Thanks for the suggestion.....

Scotty · 08-02-2010, 11:28 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by djfonti

So I could plug one of those straight into the XBOX via ethernet and have XBMC read read movies off it that way?

Have you tried it yourself....if so, does it read files OK or is it stuttery?

I wonder if something like this with a USB dive attached would work?

Scan.co.uk: 4044951010080 - Sharkoon LanPort 100 Add a USB device to your Wired Network

Thanks for the suggestion.....

Yes it works, I’ve used a NAS for years with my Xbox running XBMC, mp3’s, avi’s and DVD rips all play great over the network with no problems and with everything on a NAS any PC or network media player can access the same files. I’d be lost without it

Not sure about that device, it looks like you need to install software on your PC to access attached divices which obviously you can’t on an Xbox

There are a few items listed on Flea Bay just make sure it supports SAMBA (SMB) network sharing

Here's a example of what you need, I've never used a device like this so couldn't say for def it works, also only supports FAT32 where most NAS devices have there own file system based on Linux that supports files larger than 4GB

djfonti · 09-02-2010, 10:21 AM

That's great news Scotty. Also much thanks for the help, really appreciated.

As for the adapter you suggested, that has a driver CD as well so will probably need them installed, it's probably best I give them a miss.

I'm just looking for the cheapest way of doing this, £125 for 1TB is a lot. Is it possible to make your own NAS, say if I was to buy a cheap drive plus an enclosure?

Also you mentioned DVD rips. So could the XBOX + XBMC play actual rips with menus and extras etc?

Thanks again.....

Scotty · 09-02-2010, 12:07 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by djfonti

That's great news Scotty. Also much thanks for the help, really appreciated.

As for the adapter you suggested, that has a driver CD as well so will probably need them installed, it's probably best I give them a miss.

I'm just looking for the cheapest way of doing this, £125 for 1TB is a lot. Is it possible to make your own NAS, say if I was to buy a cheap drive plus an enclosure?

Also you mentioned DVD rips. So could the XBOX + XBMC play actual rips with menus and extras etc?

Thanks again.....

The link I posted actual states its SAMBA so should work; most of the 3rd party NAS enclosures only support FAT32 so may be you'd be no better off

Not that fat32's an issue, mp3 are small, an hour’s worth of divx/xvid files are about 400mb and most DVD's are split into 1gb chunks, so you shouldn't really have any issues.

I'm pretty sure most of these devices are configured through a web interface so you don't need the CD, probably just the manual and utilities anyway

The first NAS I had (probably still got it somewhere

) only supported FAT32 but it was only used with XBMC so it was never an issue; but now I have other network streamers for HD playback I had no choice but to upgrade to a fully fledged unit

Using DVD shrink I only ever rip the movie and my preferred sound track, it saves on valuable space, I’ve always got the original to go back to if I need to see the extras

I've never tried a full DVD rip with XBMC, should work, maybe someone else could confirm?

djfonti · 09-02-2010, 12:30 PM

Fat32 is not really a problem, as you say 4GB should be plenty.

As for the getting the adapter to work, what I'm worried about is that it is not plug and play, if I plug it into the CBOC it may require some sort of driver so that it is recognised but I don't think you would be able to do this on a console?

Are you saying that this may not be necessary? Sorry for the silly questions, I'm OK with computers but a couple of the things you have said have gone over my head a bit. If I could get that adapter running on the XBOX that would be perfect as not only is an external USB drive cheaper it is also better looking and more discrete than a NAS box thingy....

EDIT: I've just read a couple of reviews for these adapters and they don't seem to be very highly rated.

I am thinking I may just leave it tbh. Other than swapping the internal HD of the XBOX it would appear an external NAS would be the best option for connected storage. I could have sworn I have read of people having 1TB+ HDs inside their XBOX....is this possible or have I just made it up?

Scotty · 09-02-2010, 1:47 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by djfonti

Fat32 is not really a problem, as you say 4GB should be plenty.

As for the getting the adapter to work, what I'm worried about is that it is not plug and play, if I plug it into the CBOC it may require some sort of driver so that it is recognised but I don't think you would be able to do this on a console?

Are you saying that this may not be necessary? Sorry for the silly questions, I'm OK with computers but a couple of the things you have said have gone over my head a bit. If I could get that adapter running on the XBOX that would be perfect as not only is an external USB drive cheaper it is also better looking and more discrete than a NAS box thingy....

EDIT: I've just read a couple of reviews for these adapters and they don't seem to be very highly rated.

I am thinking I may just leave it tbh. Other than swapping the internal HD of the XBOX it would appear an external NAS would be the best option for connected storage. I could have sworn I have read of people having 1TB+ HDs inside their XBOX....is this possible or have I just made it up?

From my experience and from what I’ve read you only configure the adapter/enclosure from a PC this is either through the manufacturer’s utility or a web page, and once configured any device on the same network will see it as a shared drive, no driver required that’s why there so good for Xbox and XBMC

The largest disk I’ve ever fitted was a 250GB, TBH I'm not even sure a 1TB ide drive exists, even if you could find one they’re not going to be cheap

EDIT:
just found this Its about £100 for a 1TB, but this is both a USB hard drive and a NAS, so you could use the USB to fransfer the files to the drive and the NAS to see them through the network on your Xbox

southpaw1 · 09-02-2010, 2:32 PM

I have a cheapo nas drive on my network , enclosure was only a tenner from ebuyer and bought a used ide drive from this forums for sale section . Configuration was solely done with my pc , and xbox picks it up fine ,
If you not fancy going Nas , Why not just throw a 2nd hdd in your pc ? ensure sharing is enabled and away you go . As the guys have suggested , xbox reads great over network ,wether it be physically attached to xbox or not ,

Good luck which ever way you go mate , and btw , you wont get stuck with the ever-helpful Chett and Scotty about,

djfonti · 09-02-2010, 3:21 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by southpaw1

I have a cheapo nas drive on my network , enclosure was only a tenner from ebuyer and bought a used ide drive from this forums for sale section . Configuration was solely done with my pc , and xbox picks it up fine ,
If you not fancy going Nas , Why not just throw a 2nd hdd in your pc ? ensure sharing is enabled and away you go . As the guys have suggested , xbox reads great over network ,wether it be physically attached to xbox or not ,

Good luck which ever way you go mate , and btw , you wont get stuck with the ever-helpful Chett and Scotty about,

No, the thing is I don't really want to stream, I prefer not to have the PC switched on or have to have different devices in seperate rooms switched on. That's why the NAS directly into the XBOX seems the best way.

Thanks for the information regarding configuration......

Quote:

Originally Posted by Scotty

From my experience and from what I’ve read you only configure the adapter/enclosure from a PC this is either through the manufacturer’s utility or a web page, and once configured any device on the same network will see it as a shared drive, no driver required that’s why there so good for Xbox and XBMC

The largest disk I’ve ever fitted was a 250GB, TBH I'm not even sure a 1TB ide drive exists, even if you could find one they’re not going to be cheap

EDIT:
just found this Its about £100 for a 1TB, but this is both a USB hard drive and a NAS, so you could use the USB to fransfer the files to the drive and the NAS to see them through the network on your Xbox

Yeah, I think what people have done is used a IDE > SATA converter and installed the drives that way.

I have seen sub £100 1TB NAS devices before, they do pop up. I think overall this will be the best solution.

The reason I am looking at this is because I really like the look of XBMC and the cheapest way of getting it is through the XBOX. Of course, that brings it's own limitations/compromises.

The only other thing I can think of is getting a regular WD Media player or some other one and sacrificing XBMC. The plus points would be a smaller, smarter device that probably has superior processing power for modern video files. There may even be a device that runs similar software...I'll have a look over in the media players section.

Once again Scotty and Chett, thanks for all the advice, you have been really helpful....

Scotty · 09-02-2010, 3:53 PM

I have to agree, XBMC on an Xbox was very good in its day and still is for the price but things have moved on especially if you want to play back the higher resolution MKV's that’s why I now use the WD TV live, for just over £90 it does everything I need; streams off local USB drives and my NAS and a nice and friendly user interface

Good hunting

djfonti · 09-02-2010, 4:28 PM

Thanks again

bonzobanana · 09-02-2010, 9:54 PM

You also get cheap adapters like this which enables you to use a sata hard drive with the original xbox. I use the exact same interface with a xbox and a 500GB sata hard drive works great with no issues.

You should be able to use upto a 2tb drive.

djfonti · 10-02-2010, 1:15 PM

Thanks for the advice bonzobanana.

How long have you been using such a device?

I'm worried there is no longevity in such a device or that the loading/playback might be slower as result.

Also I'm worried it might fry the hard drive which will be the most valuable thing in the set up......

bonzobanana · 10-02-2010, 3:41 PM

I've used the device for about 4 months with no issues at all. However to use a 2tb hdd you need to increase the block size when you format it on the xbox. Because its a 500GB hdd I could do 2 partitions of 250GB approx with 16k block sizes (standard block size). If you use 32k block size you can have two 500GB partitions or for two 1TB partitions you need 64k block sizes which is the current maximum. So if you had a 2TB drive you would have your standard partitions of C and E with 16k block sizes, F would be 1tb with 64k block size and G with 1TB approx with 64k block sizes. This would prevent any sort of corruption. Before I realised about block sizes I formatted my G drive with a 16k block size and about 370GB and of course it started getting corrupted the more I use it. This information isn't as prominent on xbox forums as you'd imagine but I got there in the end.

XBpartitioner is the software to use to partition the drive.

These little converters don't do a lot so its unlikely they will fail or overheat etc. One thing I did was put some insulting tape on the opposite side of the connectors where you see the exposed solder connections for safety. All the heat producing components are on the opposite side so it doesn't cause any issues at all.

The issue of speed is down to the xbox its IDE interface was obviously designed some time ago but you still see some improvement in speed because modern drives will max out the interface and they have sophisticated caching. Certainly a fantastic speed increase on any network system. Not once have I been dis-satisfied with the speed.

The issue of speed that gets on my nerves is ftping stuff onto the xbox in the first place. I can imagine with a 2TB hdd this would be even worse. Overnight I would guesstimate I can move about 300-400meg of content so to fill a 2TB drive would take many nights. Once you've done the majority of ftping then obviously its a lot easier to just update the xbox. Once done though its incredible how versatile and useful the xbox is for gaming, emulation, video and music. Xbox's seem super stable and are a joy to use.

djfonti · 10-02-2010, 7:37 PM

Wow, that's an excellent help.

I think I might go for something else for myself but my parents would love something like this so I might still look into this, perhaps with a more modest HD.

I've never done a HD install but I will just keep a close watch on the guides and I should be OK.

Thanks alot for all the info, much appreciated. I will no doubt update this thread in due time if and when I proceed with this task....