Xbox forum - How to Backup XBox Hard Drive

Author

How to Backup XBox Hard Drive

fake.e-mail@stonyx.com

2006-11-19, 9:51 pm

I'm gonna be purchasing an XBox (plus mod chip) to use as a Multi Media
center (XBMC), however, since I'm new to the XBox, I would feel a lot
safer if I had a perfect backup of the hard drive in case I mess things
up completely or in case it dies on me in the future.

I really would like to create the backup before I attempt anything,
even before I use the machine for the first time if possible. That way
I can always revert back to the absolute original settings. I've
started reading things on xbox-scene.com a bit, however, there's so
much info I'm not sure which method to follow. I know the drives are
locked, and you can unlock them if you do a hot swap, however, I'm not
sure I wanna do that since these are IDE drives and are not designed
for hot swaping. I've started reading about utilities that allow you
to unlock the drive on the computer, however, apparently you need an
eeprom.bin file from the xbox to get the correct unlock code ... is it
possible to get this eeprom.bin file from the xbox without having to
modify things (I'd like to get this backup before I start to modify
things)?

Anyway, if someone could shed some light on what would be the best way
to go about getting a backup of the hard drive with the least amount of
modifications required that would be highly appreciated.

Thanks,
Harry

Grinder

2006-11-19, 9:51 pm

fake.e-mail@stonyx.com wrote:

quote:

> I'm gonna be purchasing an XBox (plus mod chip) to use as a Multi Media
> center (XBMC), however, since I'm new to the XBox, I would feel a lot
> safer if I had a perfect backup of the hard drive in case I mess things
> up completely or in case it dies on me in the future.
>
> I really would like to create the backup before I attempt anything,
> even before I use the machine for the first time if possible. That way
> I can always revert back to the absolute original settings. I've
> started reading things on xbox-scene.com a bit, however, there's so
> much info I'm not sure which method to follow. I know the drives are
> locked, and you can unlock them if you do a hot swap, however, I'm not
> sure I wanna do that since these are IDE drives and are not designed
> for hot swaping. I've started reading about utilities that allow you
> to unlock the drive on the computer, however, apparently you need an
> eeprom.bin file from the xbox to get the correct unlock code ... is it
> possible to get this eeprom.bin file from the xbox without having to
> modify things (I'd like to get this backup before I start to modify
> things)?
>
> Anyway, if someone could shed some light on what would be the best way
> to go about getting a backup of the hard drive with the least amount of
> modifications required that would be highly appreciated.

If you can find a way to get a particular gamesave onto a memory card,
and have one of a few xbox games, you can "exploit" your xbox and get it
to run the EvoX dashboard. This is short of modding your xbox, and will
only alter your xbox in the sense that you will have an additional game
save on your machine.

Once you have the EvoX dash running, you can produce a file dump of your
eprom, which will include you hard drive key--necessary for locking and
unlocking your existing, or any new hard drive. Then, you can connect
to your xbox with a PC, and copy the contents of the hard drive
partitions, en masse. It should easily fit on a CD-R.

The games that you can use to exploit your xbox:

007: Agent Under Fire (the original release)
Mech Assault (original release--don't know about any re-releases)
Splinter Cell (original and platinum releases)

The snag here will be in getting the specially designed savegames for
one of those games above, onto a memory unit. Let me know if you want
more specific information.

fake.e-mail@stonyx.com

2006-11-19, 9:51 pm

Grinder wrote:

quote:

> fake.e-mail@stonyx.com wrote:
>
> If you can find a way to get a particular gamesave onto a memory card,
> and have one of a few xbox games, you can "exploit" your xbox and get it
> to run the EvoX dashboard. This is short of modding your xbox, and will
> only alter your xbox in the sense that you will have an additional game
> save on your machine.
>
> Once you have the EvoX dash running, you can produce a file dump of your
> eprom, which will include you hard drive key--necessary for locking and
> unlocking your existing, or any new hard drive. Then, you can connect
> to your xbox with a PC, and copy the contents of the hard drive
> partitions, en masse. It should easily fit on a CD-R.
>
> The games that you can use to exploit your xbox:
>
> 007: Agent Under Fire (the original release)
> Mech Assault (original release--don't know about any re-releases)
> Splinter Cell (original and platinum releases)
>
> The snag here will be in getting the specially designed savegames for
> one of those games above, onto a memory unit. Let me know if you want
> more specific information.

I've read a little about using those saved games ... if I understand
correctly, it more or less accomplishes the same thing as a mod chip,
right? So if I'm planning on using a mod chip anyway, would it be
possible to, for example, boot the EvoX dash off a DVD or CD (after I
install the mod chip) and then extract the eeprom and transfer it to
the computer ... btw, I'm guessing EvoX transfers the file over the
network, since placing it on the HD would be quite useless since I need
that file to access the HD.

I don't mind doing the mod chip modification before the backup since
that's hardware related ... I more concerned about messing up the
contents of the hard drive during my attempt to make it a XBMC machine.

Thanks,
Harry

Grinder

2006-11-19, 9:51 pm

fake.e-mail@stonyx.com wrote:

quote:

> Grinder wrote:
>
> I've read a little about using those saved games ... if I understand
> correctly, it more or less accomplishes the same thing as a mod chip,
> right?

Not really. A mod, hard (modchip) or soft is a relatively permanant
change to your xbox. The exploit is a temporary means of running your
own software. Soft mods are often installed by getting the installer to
run by using an exploit, but they aren't the same thing.

quote:

> So if I'm planning on using a mod chip anyway, would it be
> possible to, for example, boot the EvoX dash off a DVD or CD (after I
> install the mod chip) and then extract the eeprom and transfer it to
> the computer

Probably. I'm not sure were EvoX will put the extracted eprom data when
running from a CD, as it generally creates a "backup" folder adjacent to
the EvoX executable, but that seems like a minor detail.

.... btw, I'm guessing EvoX transfers the file over the

quote:

> network, since placing it on the HD would be quite useless since I need
> that file to access the HD.

The "backup" command often seen in EvoX menus will simply create a
folder on the hard drive with that eeprom information. EvoX also sports
an FTP server, so you can connect to it with a PC's FTP client, and copy
over whatever you want.

quote:

> I don't mind doing the mod chip modification before the backup since
> that's hardware related ... I more concerned about messing up the
> contents of the hard drive during my attempt to make it a XBMC machine.

To my knowledge, you don't have to overwrite anything to get xbmc
installed on an xbox. You just drop some files (granted, quite a few
files) onto C:, and have a BIOS that will attempt to run your xbmc
executable on startup.

What I did, was that I used my modchip to prep a larger hard drive for
use in my xbox. The original harddrive was kept, intact, as a backup.
I can understand, though, that you might not be doing that if you just
want to stream video to your xbox from the network.

fake.e-mail@stonyx.com

2006-11-19, 9:51 pm

Grinder wrote:

quote:

> fake.e-mail@stonyx.com wrote:
>
> Not really. A mod, hard (modchip) or soft is a relatively permanant
> change to your xbox. The exploit is a temporary means of running your
> own software. Soft mods are often installed by getting the installer to
> run by using an exploit, but they aren't the same thing.
>
>
> Probably. I'm not sure were EvoX will put the extracted eprom data when
> running from a CD, as it generally creates a "backup" folder adjacent to
> the EvoX executable, but that seems like a minor detail.
>
> ... btw, I'm guessing EvoX transfers the file over the
>
> The "backup" command often seen in EvoX menus will simply create a
> folder on the hard drive with that eeprom information. EvoX also sports
> an FTP server, so you can connect to it with a PC's FTP client, and copy
> over whatever you want.
>
>
> To my knowledge, you don't have to overwrite anything to get xbmc
> installed on an xbox. You just drop some files (granted, quite a few
> files) onto C:, and have a BIOS that will attempt to run your xbmc
> executable on startup.
>
> What I did, was that I used my modchip to prep a larger hard drive for
> use in my xbox. The original harddrive was kept, intact, as a backup.
> I can understand, though, that you might not be doing that if you just
> want to stream video to your xbox from the network.

Just out of curiousity, what did you have to do to use the larger hard
drive in the Xbox (with modchip). Does the new larger hard drive still
need to be locked, or does the mod chip allow using unlocked drives
that are simply formated and/or partitioned properly?

Btw, how complicated is the file structure on the xbox ... are we
talking hundreds or thousands of files (like a Windows installation) or
just a handful? Does anyone have a list of all the files that should
be present on a brand new Xbox (and possibly what they do)?

Thanks,
Harry

Jordan

2006-11-19, 9:51 pm

fake.e-mail@stonyx.com wrote:

quote:

> Btw, how complicated is the file structure on the xbox ... are we
> talking hundreds or thousands of files (like a Windows installation) or
> just a handful? Does anyone have a list of all the files that should
> be present on a brand new Xbox (and possibly what they do)?

Lots of files, but the drive and directory structure makes sense. I did
the Splinter Cell Linux hack listed above and FTP'd everything off the
hard drive on to my PC.

- Jordan

Grinder

2006-11-19, 9:51 pm

fake.e-mail@stonyx.com wrote:

quote:

> Just out of curiousity, what did you have to do to use the larger hard
> drive in the Xbox (with modchip).

My modchip, Xenium Ice, has a "Disk Upgrade Wizard" that allowed me
partition, format and copy the contents of the existing drive to the
new, larger drive. You had to hook both drives up at the same time by
disconnecting the DVD reader, and splitting the molex power line with a
Y-adapter. I suspect that feature is fairly common with the latter
generation modchips.

quote:

> Does the new larger hard drive still
> need to be locked, or does the mod chip allow using unlocked drives
> that are simply formated and/or partitioned properly?

Most BIOSes don't complain if they find the hard drive is already
unlocked on boot. If, however, you use the retail BIOS, you'll have to
make sure the drive is locked first. Again, my modchip has a built-in
feature for locking/unlocking the drive.

A hint that I wish someone had nagged me about : If you upgrade to a
larger hard drive, you might want to leave the original drive
*unlocked*. This will make it easier for you to utilize that drive
somewhere else in the future. On the other hand, if you leave it
locked, you should be able to pop it back into the xbox it came from,
even without a modchip, and be at a "stock" state.

quote:

> Btw, how complicated is the file structure on the xbox ... are we
> talking hundreds or thousands of files (like a Windows installation) or
> just a handful?

More than a handful. The simplest system backups I have lying around
here have at least a couple of hundred files.

quote:

> Does anyone have a list of all the files that should
> be present on a brand new Xbox (and possibly what they do)?

Not that I know of, but I've not really looked for such a resource. The
drive is partitioned into multiple logical drives. "C" is like your
system drive, and "E" is a mainly a game save repository. "X", "Y", and
"Z" are system caches.

Most of the stuff on "C" are resources for the dashboard--sounds,
graphics, fonts and localization strings. "E" will be mostly empty on a
brand-new xbox.

Jason Clinton

2006-11-19, 9:51 pm

On 23 Oct 2006 11:10:44 -0700, fake.e-mail@stonyx.com wrote:

quote:

>I'm gonna be purchasing an XBox (plus mod chip) to use as a Multi Media
>center (XBMC), however, since I'm new to the XBox, I would feel a lot
>safer if I had a perfect backup of the hard drive in case I mess things
>up completely or in case it dies on me in the future.
>
>I really would like to create the backup before I attempt anything,
>even before I use the machine for the first time if possible. That way
>I can always revert back to the absolute original settings. I've
>started reading things on xbox-scene.com a bit, however, there's so
>much info I'm not sure which method to follow. I know the drives are
>locked, and you can unlock them if you do a hot swap, however, I'm not
>sure I wanna do that since these are IDE drives and are not designed
>for hot swaping. I've started reading about utilities that allow you
>to unlock the drive on the computer, however, apparently you need an
>eeprom.bin file from the xbox to get the correct unlock code ... is it
>possible to get this eeprom.bin file from the xbox without having to
>modify things (I'd like to get this backup before I start to modify
>things)?
>
>Anyway, if someone could shed some light on what would be the best way
>to go about getting a backup of the hard drive with the least amount of
>modifications required that would be highly appreciated.
>
>Thanks,
>Harry

There's a couple of options here.

If you want to make a backup of the original hard drive then you have
two options:

1. Install a modchip. Boot of a bootdisc like Auto Installer Deluxe
and FTP the C and E Drive files to your PC.

2. Run a savegame exploit (e.g. SID) and you'll get to a menu which
allows you to install the softmod. DON'T INSTALL THE SOFTMOD but
instead FTP to a PC and copy the C and D drive files across. This may
depend on the exploit/softmod used.

Once you've got your C and D drive files on your PC you can run
Xboxhdm to create an ISO which you can use to restore your HDD back to
the original (or simply FTP the files back across).

Note that if you go the modchip option you'll need to open the machine
and void the warranty etc,,,,

The softmod , once removed and with the correct restoration of the
backup files) will not show any evidence of modding.

If you're softmodding its fairly important to make sure you have a
backup of the eeprom/hd unlock key. Once I've softmodded a console I
also backup to the memory card, then later FTP the files to my PC and
make a xboxhdm boot CD. As a further safety precaution I print out the
hdunlock key and tape it to the bottom of the console (it's a pain
unlocking a drive this way but its better to have this as a last
resort option than not have the option).

The problem with the net (and xbox-scene) is that a lot of information
on exploits and softmods is very out of date.

Resident Drunk

2006-11-19, 9:51 pm

fake.e-mail@stonyx.com wrote:

quote:

> I'm gonna be purchasing an XBox (plus mod chip) to use as a Multi Media
> center (XBMC), however, since I'm new to the XBox, I would feel a lot
> safer if I had a perfect backup of the hard drive in case I mess things
> up completely or in case it dies on me in the future.
>
> I really would like to create the backup before I attempt anything,
> even before I use the machine for the first time if possible. That way
> I can always revert back to the absolute original settings. I've
> started reading things on xbox-scene.com a bit, however, there's so
> much info I'm not sure which method to follow. I know the drives are
> locked, and you can unlock them if you do a hot swap, however, I'm not
> sure I wanna do that since these are IDE drives and are not designed
> for hot swaping. I've started reading about utilities that allow you
> to unlock the drive on the computer, however, apparently you need an
> eeprom.bin file from the xbox to get the correct unlock code ... is it
> possible to get this eeprom.bin file from the xbox without having to
> modify things (I'd like to get this backup before I start to modify
> things)?

No point backing things up before you mod it - if you balls up the mod
and kill your XB then the disk is useless anyway.

Get one of the simple - solderless chips, you would have to be David
Blunkett on one of his horny nights to mess that up, then once fitted
follow the instructions you have for backing up. To be honest if you are
chipping it then you might as well stick a larger disk in and you can
rip your games/films/music to the spare space.

They are pretty robust systems and there is very little you can do that
will make it unusable.

Jack (www.villagebbs.com)

2006-11-19, 9:51 pm

quote:

> Not really. A mod, hard (modchip) or soft is a relatively permanant
> change to your xbox. The exploit is a temporary means of running your
> own software. Soft mods are often installed by getting the installer to
> run by using an exploit, but they aren't the same thing.

With most softmods you can restore the XBOX to its original state
rather easily, it is only "permanent" if you hard mod or crack the case
which will void the warrenty. At this point though i'd imagine if your
XBOX needs repairs it would be cheaper to just go buy a used working
XBOX as those are under $100 now even at the retail level.

For the original poster there is no signficant need to 'worry' chances
are your XBOX will be fine. Even if you were to completely mangle the
hard drive as long as you save the EEPROM.BIN you can recover. EvoX
(and others im sure) can backup your rom image for you just google
around. Save that file. Once you have it you can always use a different
hard drive if you need to.

The only thing I would personally worry about backing up is a saved
game to some RPG you spent 4000 hours on, everything else can be fixed
and/or replaced easily.

And you can unlock XBOX hard drives, even stock ones.

= numsix

xboxer

2006-11-19, 9:51 pm

Just a quick question. How would u unlock an xbox hard drive unless u
have the original xbox that it came with?

Jack (www.villagebbs.com) wrote:

quote:

>
> With most softmods you can restore the XBOX to its original state
> rather easily, it is only "permanent" if you hard mod or crack the case
> which will void the warrenty. At this point though i'd imagine if your
> XBOX needs repairs it would be cheaper to just go buy a used working
> XBOX as those are under $100 now even at the retail level.
>
> For the original poster there is no signficant need to 'worry' chances
> are your XBOX will be fine. Even if you were to completely mangle the
> hard drive as long as you save the EEPROM.BIN you can recover. EvoX
> (and others im sure) can backup your rom image for you just google
> around. Save that file. Once you have it you can always use a different
> hard drive if you need to.
>
> The only thing I would personally worry about backing up is a saved
> game to some RPG you spent 4000 hours on, everything else can be fixed
> and/or replaced easily.
>
> And you can unlock XBOX hard drives, even stock ones.
>
> = numsix

Grinder

2006-11-19, 9:51 pm

xboxer wrote:

quote:

> Just a quick question. How would u unlock an xbox hard drive unless u
> have the original xbox that it came with?

If you have the hd key, you can use one of a number of utilities to
unlock the drive.

mikes

2006-11-19, 9:51 pm

"Resident Drunk" <askmeforit@spam.com> wrote in message
news:4q63nqFle23rU1@individual.net...

quote:

> fake.e-mail@stonyx.com wrote:
>
> No point backing things up before you mod it - if you balls up the mod and
> kill your XB then the disk is useless anyway.
>
> Get one of the simple - solderless chips, you would have to be David
> Blunkett on one of his horny nights to mess that up, then once fitted
> follow the instructions you have for backing up. To be honest if you are
> chipping it then you might as well stick a larger disk in and you can rip
> your games/films/music to the spare space.
>
> They are pretty robust systems and there is very little you can do that
> will make it unusable.

Softmod it.

The latest softmod exploits stop you going any further until you backup the
eeprom.

Then FTP to the Xbox and save the c drive (and the e drive if you really
want) to your PC.

Job done.

Takes 10 minutes - if you've got another 30 minutes add a 160 Gb hard drive.

No soldering, no lifted traces, no inhaling flux fumes or splasing red hot
lead onto your fingers.

Soldering is for mugs, and the very brave!

Good luck

Grinder

2006-11-19, 9:51 pm

mikes wrote:

quote:

> "Resident Drunk" <askmeforit@spam.com> wrote in message
> news:4q63nqFle23rU1@individual.net...
>
> Softmod it.
>
> The latest softmod exploits stop you going any further until you backup the
> eeprom.
>
> Then FTP to the Xbox and save the c drive (and the e drive if you really
> want) to your PC.
>
> Job done.
>
> Takes 10 minutes - if you've got another 30 minutes add a 160 Gb hard drive.

What method do you use to prepare to new drive for a soft-modded xbox?

mikes

2006-11-19, 9:51 pm

"Grinder" <grinder@no.spam.maam.com> wrote in message
news:ptu%g.1034231$084.686963@attbi_s22...

quote:

> mikes wrote:
>
> What method do you use to prepare to new drive for a soft-modded xbox?

xboxhdm

As long as you've backed up the eeprom (or got the lock/unlock key) it's a
doddle.

If I can do it......

Jason Clinton

2006-11-19, 9:51 pm

On Tue, 24 Oct 2006 20:22:08 +0100, "mikes" <mikes01666@hotmail.com>
wrote:

quote:

>
>Softmod it.
>
>The latest softmod exploits stop you going any further until you backup the
>eeprom.
>
>Then FTP to the Xbox and save the c drive (and the e drive if you really
>want) to your PC.

SID 4.5 uses a virtual C drive image - you'll need to disable that to
get to the real C Drive.

Use AID and its listed as an option to disable the virtual drive.

fake.e-mail@stonyx.com

2006-11-19, 9:51 pm

Jason Clinton wrote:

quote:

> On 23 Oct 2006 11:10:44 -0700, fake.e-mail@stonyx.com wrote:
>
>
> There's a couple of options here.
>
> If you want to make a backup of the original hard drive then you have
> two options:
>
> 1. Install a modchip. Boot of a bootdisc like Auto Installer Deluxe
> and FTP the C and E Drive files to your PC.
>
> 2. Run a savegame exploit (e.g. SID) and you'll get to a menu which
> allows you to install the softmod. DON'T INSTALL THE SOFTMOD but
> instead FTP to a PC and copy the C and D drive files across. This may
> depend on the exploit/softmod used.
>
> Once you've got your C and D drive files on your PC you can run
> Xboxhdm to create an ISO which you can use to restore your HDD back to
> the original (or simply FTP the files back across).
>
> Note that if you go the modchip option you'll need to open the machine
> and void the warranty etc,,,,
>
> The softmod , once removed and with the correct restoration of the
> backup files) will not show any evidence of modding.
>
> If you're softmodding its fairly important to make sure you have a
> backup of the eeprom/hd unlock key. Once I've softmodded a console I
> also backup to the memory card, then later FTP the files to my PC and
> make a xboxhdm boot CD. As a further safety precaution I print out the
> hdunlock key and tape it to the bottom of the console (it's a pain
> unlocking a drive this way but its better to have this as a last
> resort option than not have the option).
>
> The problem with the net (and xbox-scene) is that a lot of information
> on exploits and softmods is very out of date.

Is there a site/link/etc. that you would recommend that might not be so
out of date? What's the latest and greatest softmod?

Thanks,
Harry

fake.e-mail@stonyx.com

2006-11-19, 9:51 pm

mikes wrote:

quote:

> "Resident Drunk" <askmeforit@spam.com> wrote in message
> news:4q63nqFle23rU1@individual.net...
>
> Softmod it.
>
> The latest softmod exploits stop you going any further until you backup the
> eeprom.
>

SNIP

quote:

> Good luck

Could you point me in the direction of these "latest softmod exploits"
.... I'd like to research them a bit more.

Thanks,
Harry

fake.e-mail@stonyx.com

2006-11-19, 9:51 pm

fake.e-mail@stonyx.com wrote:

quote:

> mikes wrote:
SNIP[vbcol=seagreen]
> SNIP
>
> Could you point me in the direction of these "latest softmod exploits"
> ... I'd like to research them a bit more.
>
> Thanks,
> Harry

One more quick question, with these softmods, do you have to follow
certain steps every time you turn the machine on in order to get it to
run the software of your choice? Cause I'm planning on using XBMC on
it and I'd basically like XBMC to come up right away when I turn the
XBox on (or at least be able to pull up XBMC with a click or two of the
remote).

Thanks,
Harry

Grinder

2006-11-19, 9:51 pm

fake.e-mail@stonyx.com wrote:

quote:

You can find up-to-date stuff on "xbins" To learn how to access xbins,
look for a FAQ about that at www.xbox-scene.com. Personally I have
found Krayzie's UXE Installer to be painless and reliable, and I know it
can be found in the aforementioned resource. There are versions for all
three of the previously mentioned exploitable games.

fake.e-mail@stonyx.com wrote:[vbcol=seagreen]
> One more quick question, with these softmods, do you have to
> follow certain steps every time you turn the machine on in
> order to get it to run the software of your choice?

No. The installer I'm familiar with will leave the machine in a state
that automatically boots with a BIOS overlay, and starts a homebrew
dashboard. If you want to uninstall the softmod, you go back to the
installer and tell it you want to remove the mod--so make sure you hang
onto that game disc. Other soft mod packages may behave differently, of
course.

quote:

> Cause I'm planning on using XBMC on it and I'd basically
> like XBMC to come up right away when I turn the XBox on
> (or at least be able to pull up XBMC with a click or two
> of the remote).

Krayzie's soft mod installer gives the choice of two dashboards--EvoX or
UnleashX. I don't know how easy, or even if it's possible, to replace
that dash with XBMC. Without an FTP serving modchip, I'm a little wary
when it comes to nutzing around with files that could possibly screw up
my xbox's startup.

The snag is this. For a hard-modded xbox, you can use a BIOS that has
been specifically coded to look for any given executable's name at the
top level of your C drive. It's easy to try out different BIOSes, and
easy to recover if you use a screwed up BIOS, because you can always
boot into the modchip to load a different one.

For a soft-modded xbox, there is also a BIOS that is overlaying the
xbox's native code. I'm not sure where that is, or how easy it is to
recover from a boogered up attempt to mess with it. Maybe it's simple,
though, and I'm being a pansy.

It's trivial, and eminently safe, to copy over applications that you can
run from EvoX or UnleashX. In fact, both of them can be customized to
put XBMC right at the top of their menu structure, so one button click
after startup and you're running XBMC.

I've been wondering about some of the questions myself, so if I get
motivated to investigate, I'll post back with what I've found out.

Jason Clinton

2006-11-19, 9:51 pm

On 25 Oct 2006 17:42:04 -0700, fake.e-mail@stonyx.com wrote:

quote:

>
>Is there a site/link/etc. that you would recommend that might not be so
>out of date? What's the latest and greatest softmod?
>
>Thanks,
>Harry

http://www.aideluxe.com/

Is go for Auto Installer Deluxe - an all in one installer for
dashboards, applications, and emulators. It's updated fairly often too
compared to Slayers which is out of date

Also try:

http://www.xbox-hq.com/html/

Which includes the forum for the SID softmod

http://www.xbox-hq.com/html/forum4.html

As for the best softmod - it depends on who you ask :-)

SID 4.5 is fairly popular (and what I use) but some will say its crap
and refer you to Ndure's installation which isn't as user friendly and
idiot-proof.