What is the deal with xbox hacking? Can you get your xbox to act as a PC hard-drive? I’m sure I read that somewhere, but now I’m starting to think I made it up.
Your X-Box is a PC. With some minor hardware modifications you can easily install an OS on it (like Linux) and use it to do your bidding. These guys even constructed a paralell cluster out of them.
I heard that newer model (Or perhaps next gen) X boxes will not come with a Hard Drive.
Kinda gives me a drop of solace to the fact that I bought mine used for 140, a week before Microsoft dropped the price to 150 for a new one. Then again I got a 20 dollar rebate, and a free game out of the deal. …
But why is It I still play my Game Cube more often? 
Oh and FYI, I don’t care for a PS2. There is such a thing as overkill.
Perhaps when PS3 comes out. 
[QUOTE=friedo]
Your X-Box is a PC. With some minor hardware modifications you can easily install an OS on it (like Linux) and use it to do your bidding. These guys even constructed a paralell cluster out of them.[/QUOT
Sorry, i am really clueless about the whole thing and I have been on those x-box mod forums but they just confuse me as everyone has a different opinion.
So what is Linux like? And would I be able to use it in the same way as I would use my home PC… Basically I don’t want to fork out for a computer if I can make an Xbox function in the same way. Mainly use it for essay writing and surfing the web. Possibly downloads but guess Xbox memory isn’t up to scratch???
For the level of PC you need to do just editing and web browsing, you can get by very comfortably with a 500 mhz celeron or less. You can pick up a system like that for $100 - less than an Xbox and more versatile.
People who download a lot of movies and tv shows use a modified x-box to play the stuff on their tv sets. I’m not up to date how it’s done, but roughly, you put your xbox on your (preferably wireless) LAN, move the file from the computer to the xbox and then play it from there. That way, you wouldn’t have to recode an avi to an mpg to be able to watch it on tv. And there’s a remote, so you wouldn’t have to controll it by using the mouse on the computer screen.
It’s a lot more complicated than that, and I recently got smacked over the fingers by Dex for talking filesharing, so I don’t want to go into specifics.
BAsically, it’s a cheap way to get a XP Media Center between your 'puter and tv.
Keep in mind, modifying your XBox does make it unable to access XBox Live
The Gaspode wrote
An xbox could be used to do this as you describe it, but typically, it’s used as just the frontend, a box you put with each TV, and then have a server somewhere that stores all the content. I’ve currently got a server and a PC as a client at one TV and am working on converting an xbox specifically for that purpose.
BTW, you could do this on a pc wirelessly, but typically people do it on a LAN. And the xbox is much more difficult to do wirelessly, as it has an ethernet port built into it, and no pcmcia or other expansion ports to attach a wireless card.
Also, used as directed, there’s nothing illegal about this. It’s no different than owning a VCR; you’re just recording TV programs and watching them later.
Also, when you have this working, it’s MUCH more cool than an XP media center. It’s like Tivo on steroids.
Read more here: www.mythtv.org.
Much, much simpler to get a cheap PC for your needs. While you could do just about anything with an XBOX and the right knowledge there are easier ways to get what you want. Plus you may blow through a few XBOXs before you know enough to do it right.