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Jonathan S. Harbour
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The Black Art of Xbox Mods 1st Edition

by Jonathan Harbour (Author)
4.4 4.4 out of 5 stars 30 ratings
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The Xbox is an exciting and fun video game console - but that's only half the story. Inside the case, Microsoft placed a customized PC that you can push well past the limits of Halo and NBA Live. In The Black Art of the Xbox Mods, gamer, programmer and midnight hacker Jonathan Harbour show you how to crack the case, strip your Xbox down to the motherboard, and take control from the inside out.

When you're finished, you'll know how to install a mod chip, boot up in a new operating system, and run cool third-party software. You'll also learn how to trick out your Xbox with case mods, glowing lights and other features to let the world know your Xbox has come a long way since you brought it home from the superstore.

With hundreds of pictures and step-by-step instructions, The Black Art of the Xbox Mods isn't for the faint of heart. But, if you want a 300GB Xbox that plays CDs, DVDs, and glows like an alien spacecraft, then this is the book for you.

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  1. ISBN-10
    0672326833
  2. ISBN-13
    978-0672326837
  3. Edition
    1st
  4. Publisher
    Sams Publishing
  5. Publication date
    December 1, 2004
  6. Language
    English
  7. Dimensions
    7.3 x 0.7 x 9.1 inches
  8. Print length
    317 pages
  9. See all details
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Editorial Reviews

From the Back Cover

The Xbox is an exciting and fun video game console - but that's only half the story. Inside the case, Microsoft placed a customized PC that you can push well past the limits of Halo and NBA Live. In "The Black Art of the Xbox Mods," gamer, programmer and midnight hacker Jonathan Harbour show you how to crack the case, strip your Xbox down to the motherboard, and take control from the inside out.

When you're finished, you'll know how to install a mod chip, boot up in a new operating system, and run cool third-party software. You'll also learn how to trick out your Xbox with case mods, glowing lights and other features to let the world know your Xbox has come a long way since you brought it home from the superstore.

With hundreds of pictures and step-by-step instructions, "The Black Art of the Xbox Mods "isn't for the faint of heart. But, if you want a 300GB Xbox that plays CDs, DVDs, and glows like an alien spacecraft, then this is the book for you.

About the Author

Jon Harbour has been programming video games since the 1980s. His first video game system was an Atari 2600 which he played with disassembled on the floor of his room as a kid. He has written on languages and subjects that include: C++, C#, Basic, Java, DirectX, Allegro, Lua, DarkBasic, XNA Game Studio, Pocket PC, Nintendo GBA, and game console hacking. He is the author of Visual Basic Game Programming for Teens, 3rd Edition; Visual C# Game Programming for Teens; Beginning Game Programming, 3rd Edition; Multi-Threaded Game Engine Design and XNA Game Studio 4.0 for Xbox 360 Developers. Visit his blog and forum at jharbour.com.

Product details

  • Publisher ‏ : ‎ Sams Publishing; 1st edition (December 1, 2004)
  • Language ‏ : ‎ English
  • Paperback ‏ : ‎ 317 pages
  • ISBN-10 ‏ : ‎ 0672326833
  • ISBN-13 ‏ : ‎ 978-0672326837
  • Item Weight ‏ : ‎ 1.22 pounds
  • Dimensions ‏ : ‎ 7.3 x 0.7 x 9.1 inches
  • Customer Reviews:
    4.4 4.4 out of 5 stars 30 ratings

About the author

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Jonathan S. Harbour

Jonathan S. Harbour

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In English

Jon earned a master's in information systems management. He taught game development and computer science for 5 years and spent 15 years in IT. He is a self-taught programmer who learned very little from college. Today, he owns a transportation company contracted with the USPS. For fun, he builds and drives track cars with NASA, SpeedSF, OnGrid, PCA NorCal, and Track Time. Current projects include a 2004 350Z 3.5L, 2006 Cayman S 3.4L, and 1998 Z3 2.8L. And, of course, he is a self-taught mechanic as well.

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4.4 out of 5 stars
30 global ratings

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Top reviews from the United States

  • Sam Hiced
    5.0 out of 5 stars The last Xbox book you will ever need!
    Reviewed in the United States on December 27, 2006
    Verified Purchase
    This book describes how to do anything and everything you could ever want with an xbox.

    It starts of very simple by describing how to open up the xbox and take out the parts. But by the end of the book you will have covered such things as;

    -Installing Mod chips on all versions of xbox

    -Choosing the right dashboard

    -Learning the Xenium OS

    -FTP your computer and xbox

    -Flashing a bios and installing a dash board

    -Customizing your own dashboard

    -Replacing the case

    -Installing hard drives over 137GB's

    -Custom lighting

    -Xbox Media Center

    These are just a few of the many things that fascinated me about this book. A person who has never seen an xbox before could pick up this book and read it and have a completely pimped out xbox in a week.

    It is FULL of very detailed explanations and it has tons of very useful photographs.

    I would HIGHLY recommend this for ANY one who is going to open up their xbox.
    3 people found this helpful
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  • Jeremy
    5.0 out of 5 stars Just as expected
    Reviewed in the United States on November 24, 2012
    Verified Purchase
    Just as expected Just as expected .... Zzz z z z z z z z z z z z z z z z zz
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  • Andrew Bieszczat
    5.0 out of 5 stars Five Stars
    Reviewed in the United States on April 1, 2015
    Verified Purchase
    Very informative but not much here that you can't find on the internet already.
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  • Christopher G. Williams
    4.0 out of 5 stars worth the price
    Reviewed in the United States on February 18, 2005
    I get a kick out of Jonathan S. Harbours books. I enjoy reading them and I own several of them. He seems to really enjoy his job and that makes for a good read. He also seems to know quite a bit about what he's doing, which lends the reader confidence. Confidence enough to try things that may cost you money? We'll see...

    This book is about modding your XBOX. There are several reasons someone would want to do this, and the author covers most of them. The primary reason is to run import DVDs and to install software on your XBOX harddrive. Other valid reasons include increasing the hard drive capacity and turning your XBOX into a Media Center. One reason that isn't valid is software piracy. Unfortunately 95% of the people who see this book on the shelf will assume that's what it is about. Those people are wrong. Fortunately the author doesn't dwell on that topic for long.

    The primary focus of this book is around the Xenium mod chip, although others are mentioned. The author provides tons of photos and references to help you determine which version of the XBOX you have (who knew there were so many??) and includes detailed instructions for installing both soldered and solderless modchips. The is relevant because certain versions will only allow one or the other.

    I have to admit I've been leary of cracking open my XBOX but after reading this book, I've changed my mind. After all, as the author states repeatedly, it's just a PC and my 90 day warranty ended well over a year ago. Even if I don't mod my XBOX, I should at least take a look under the hood.

    Will I be adding a mod chip to my XBOX? No comment. Will I be following some of the tips and suggestions for tricking it out and adding cool stuff like lights or a new case skin? Probably. Even if you never crack the case, this is a book worth reading. I read it over a couple days and really enjoyed it.

    The book also discusses flashing your XBOX bios, dissassembly (step by step WITH photos), upgrading your hard drive (with more photos) and installing various after market software.

    At $25 the book is reasonably priced, although you can find it cheaper at Amazon. ($17 last time I checked)
    21 people found this helpful
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  • mellokatattack
    5.0 out of 5 stars cool
    Reviewed in the United States on June 18, 2013
    Verified Purchase
    cool book i thought it was for 360 but still a awsome project to work on think ill wait tho
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  • Zachary Martinez
    5.0 out of 5 stars Five Stars
    Reviewed in the United States on August 24, 2014
    Verified Purchase
    helps
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  • Amazon Customer
    5.0 out of 5 stars very handy book
    Reviewed in the United States on August 30, 2006
    This book is very helpful if you are contemplating making any hardware changes to your Xbox. My primary reason for buying this book was to replace my Xbox DVD drive which started giving me read errors about a year after I bought it. While DVD drive replacement is not one of the topics fully covered by the author, there are sections in the book that will help you get most of the way there and you can find the rest on the web. The author does cover installing a mod chip and upgrading the hard drive, and he does this very well. The book is full of illustrations and step-by-step instructions. Above all, the book helps you get more out of your Xbox while keeping it legal, as piracy is not condoned by the author, nor does he show you how to do anything illegal. This was definitely a good purchase for me.
    2 people found this helpful
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  • B. Wilkins
    4.0 out of 5 stars Good How-To Book
    Reviewed in the United States on February 14, 2008
    It's an outdated book, but gives you the idea of how to mod your xbox. It focuses on one particular chip that is no longer in production, but you can take the idea and adjust for others. Gives a lot of info on stuff to try and what he did. This is more of a how-to book on using mod chips.
    One person found this helpful
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