HaloMods "Classic" Read-only Archive

Hi, I found this site and became very interested but there are still some things I dont understand. Im descent with computers but modding xbox is totally new to me. My main goal is to mod my xbox so that i can load different skins and mess around with halo. So here are my questions
Can I flash the xbox's standard bios with a new bios that will allow modded halo settings and everything i need to mod halo?, or is there any other alternative besides buying a mod chip? I dont really want to add any hardware to my xbox unless I have to, one of my only reasons for wanting to mod my xbox is to that i can edit levels and settings on HALO(xbox). I have read alot from xbox_scene but cant seem to get a clear answer on "Can I MOD my xbox (halo for the most part), without adding any hardware?" most of the articles I read involved flashing an installed mod chip, I am more interested in flashing the standard xbox mod chip?
also how do I tell, and what is the difference between PAL and NTSC halo?
Thanks, and sorry for a question that might be stupid to alot of you, im hopping that once my xbox is modded I can figure the rest out on my own, just looking for the easiest way to mod

If your xbox is modded thats all you need. You do not need to add any new hardware to your xbox at all. All you need is ftp access and some tools which ill post below.

One good idea I had when screwing around with modding halo was that I installed 2 copies of halo on my xbox. One copy was installed for normal game play and the other was strictly for modded game play! Just remember when having 2 copies installed make sure that your cache is cleared of either the X,Y or Z folders before switching from one to another. Meaning normal to modded game play!

Ok here are the tools you should get so that you can mod your halo maps...
1. Sparkedit v3.02
2. HMT v3.5
3. HHT
4. HME: Halo Map Editor (great for compressing maps & changing projectiles)
5. PPF-O-Matic v3
6. .DDS Plugin for Adobe Photoshop: (Editing & Making Skins)

If I can be of more help just ask dude. I'll be more than happy for help you out! But I do suggest one thing... Do alot of reading up on the halomod forums. Everything you need should be there!

XboxSysMods

There is ways called Soft modding which you don't need a mod chip to access files inside the hardrive, or you can just buy a mod chip. For more information on soft modding or mod chips goto www.xbox-scene.com

By soft modding will i be able to add the level edits like the "forest" blood gulch and all the other level mods and skins that people are using? If so, how do I "soft mod", or where on xbox_scene or anywhere else can i find out how to soft mod, thx for yer help

Yes you can do everything from scenery swap to skinning with soft mods, search tutorials on www.xbox-scene.com or the forums, just keep looking I know its in there someplace.