Hey all! I have a v1.6 XBox that already has a mod chip (X-Chip) installed, added a 120GB HDD, and the BIOS is flashed with Cromwell. With that said, I'm hoping that I don't need to do anything "xbox-hack-specific" to install linux on it since at this point, it should just be a somewhat regular ol' computer. I'm just wanting to turn it into a file-server.
Since the only thing this XBox has to it is a power cord and an ethernet cable, I'm going to need to do this via network but I've never attempted anything like this. Can this be done by sitting at my PC and connecting to the XBox while it's just at that initial install screen?

Thanks!

While I have not personally attempted installing Linux on an Xbox (I was really only interested in getting XBMC installed) I am almost positive that there is no way to just throw a generic distribution on there. Even though it is an x86 machine, it still isn't a standard desktop computer that you can just pop an install disc into.

That said, you could probably get Slackware running if you pulled the kernel out of the standard Xbox-Linux images, and hacked around a bit with the setup. In fact I know of at least one project that ported Slackware to the Xbox, sXb. I have no idea how well it works though.

slightly off topic, but it is incredibly easy to get usb keyboard/mouse support on an xbox.

get one of those cheap usb hubs that looks like a mouse: 4 ports & a usb tail.
hack the end off the tail, strip back a little wire and then splice it into one of
the existing controller ports (standard usb).

If you wire it in as a splice, you can still use the controller in that port, just not at the
same time as the kb/mouse.