# What is a Hacked Xbox capable of? **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [July 18, 2003, 11:03am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-a-hacked-xbox-capable-of/189356 "2003-07-18T11:03:26Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 8\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Harmonix](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/3ec8ea/32.png) [@Harmonix](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Harmonix)\ **Post date:** [July 18, 2003, 11:03am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-a-hacked-xbox-capable-of/189356/1 "2003-07-18T11:03:26Z")
I want to build a home theatre PC. I want to build a mini-itx system since it’d be small, portable and very quiet. unfortunately despite being damn cool devices they’re rather slow, and expensive… and I live in the states so it’s really hard to find quality cases for them, and it’s just not worth it to ship one from the UK. So, I ask… what is a hacked xbox capable of? I know it can run Linux. Would it run linux just like any normal x86 computer would? are there restrictions? Could I get Windows onto it? Hows Dvd/divx/xvid playback on one? How many USB ports do they have? Could I attach a USB hub? How loud is the Xbox? ---
**Author:** ![Caught\_Work](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/919ad9/32.png) [@Caught\_Work](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Caught_Work)\ **Post date:** [July 18, 2003, 11:11am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-a-hacked-xbox-capable-of/189356/2 "2003-07-18T11:11:47Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by Harmonix \* > \*\*\<\\> > Could I get Windows onto it? > \<\\> \*\* I suppose so, since it comes with Windows 2000 as the OS. ---
**Author:** ![Rex\_Fenestrarum](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/rex_fenestrarum/32/7265_2.png) [@Rex\_Fenestrarum](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Rex_Fenestrarum)\ **Post date:** [July 18, 2003, 11:30am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-a-hacked-xbox-capable-of/189356/3 "2003-07-18T11:30:21Z")
2000??? I always thought it was CE! Now way a 2000 box with a 733MHz processor should boot that fast, even if BootVis-ed ---
**Author:** ![Caught\_Work](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/919ad9/32.png) [@Caught\_Work](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Caught_Work)\ **Post date:** [July 18, 2003, 1:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-a-hacked-xbox-capable-of/189356/4 "2003-07-18T13:10:04Z")
The Xbox uses a very streamlined version of the Windows 2000 operating weighing in at less than 500 KiloBytes in size. 'parently Bill wasn’t too happy about the fact that XBOX would never run a full sized OS (and therefore become a defacto PC), but it looks like he got over it. ---
**Author:** ![Ponster](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ponster/32/17081_2.png) [@Ponster](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ponster)\ **Post date:** [July 18, 2003, 1:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-a-hacked-xbox-capable-of/189356/5 "2003-07-18T13:17:31Z")
DVD/DIVX/XVID playback is exactlt what you’d expect from a normal PC IMO and works just fine. Even an unhacked XBOX can load Linux so no worries there 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![Kal](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/9de053/32.png) [@Kal](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kal)\ **Post date:** [July 18, 2003, 1:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-a-hacked-xbox-capable-of/189356/6 "2003-07-18T13:40:35Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by Rex Fenestrarum \* > 2000??? I always thought it was CE! The Sega Dreamcast used CE. ---
**Author:** ![handy](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/b5a626/32.png) [@handy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/handy)\ **Post date:** [July 18, 2003, 2:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-a-hacked-xbox-capable-of/189356/7 "2003-07-18T14:58:43Z")
Search the net for The Xbox Linux Project. I would post a link, but I don’t know whether that thing is legal or not yet. ---
**Author:** ![heresiarch](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/278dde/32.png) [@heresiarch](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/heresiarch)\ **Post date:** [July 18, 2003, 3:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-a-hacked-xbox-capable-of/189356/8 "2003-07-18T15:35:04Z")
Here’s the link :[http://xbox-linux.sourceforge.net/](http://xbox-linux.sourceforge.net/) My opinion is that the project is legal. They discuss this in their FAQ. The sourceforge project offers an Xbox boot ROM (Xromwell) which was written from scratch, not a modified copy of Microsoft code. Also, Xromwell doesn’t allow one to play pirated games, so it doesn’t violate the DMCA. (I am not a lawyer - make your own decision.) In any case, you can use Xromwell or any of the hacked BIOSes to run Linux. You can also run media center aps without running Linux. I like [Xbox media player](http://www.xboxmediaplayer.de/newweb/news_latest.php) because it can play video and music across a home network. I believe the only way to run Windows is to run an emulator under Linux. The four controller ports on the Xbox are USB ports. Linux users plug keyboards and mice into them. Adapter cords are available [from Lik-Sang](http://www.lik-sang.com/info.php?category=0&products_id=2154). You can plug a USB port into one of the hubs, but it might not work with every application. The Xbox makes a little less noise than a regular PC. Some people consider it quiet and some complain about the noise. You could [add a fan speed controller](http://www.xbox-scene.com/articles/potentiometer.php) or just put the xbox behind a cabinet door.