I also made an XBOO cable. Sometimes it seems sort of random whether or
not it works, because the CPU has to try to handle timing while
multitasking under Windows. It also seems to vary greatly from one
computer's port to another's. A few tips I've found to help, in no
particular order:
-Play around with the delay settings.
-Reboot.
-What version of Xboo Communicator are you using? I used to use 1.19,
which sometimes worked, sometimes gave data errors. Now I have 1.21
(labelled as 1.20 on Devkitpro.org, states itself as 1.21 when started),
and it seems to work 100% of the time, even when I send a 160 KB
multiboot image. The version history doesn't say anothing about
changing timings, but maybe it's just the particular build...?
-Try changing your parallel port's mode in BIOS setup. My Toshiba
laptop seems to do best on ECP mode.
-Change XP's driver for the parallel port. There seems to be a "Printer
Port" driver and an "ECP Printer Port" driver. Either driver seems to
be compatible in either mode from BIOS setup, but it might have some effect.
-Close as many excess processes as you can. Try running it in Safe
Mode. The less multitasking your machine's doing, the better chance
your data will transmit properly.
-Try a DOS boot disk with nocash's original XBOO.COM. Remember to try
the different speed modes and delay settings. (I haven't tried it with
the ME-version DOS you get from telling XP to make a system disk. I use
real MS-DOS 6.22 for all DOS-mode stuff.) Also note that XBOO.COM does
NOT fix the header data, like Xboo Communicator does. Your multiboot
image MUST have the proper Nintendo logo data.
-Try a different computer. It's weird -- my Toshiba P4 laptop works
fine, but the family PII sends the logo and then fails, and my old 486
doesn't seem to be able to do it at all.
-Maybe try the Linux version of Xboo Communicator, using a Linux "live
CD" like PuppyLinux or Knoppix.

It seems the XBOO simply won't work with some computers no matter what.
It probably has to do with the parallel port controller on your
motherboard. If this proves to be the case for you, consider making an
"Intelligent Cable" (PIC-controlled) or buying one of the commercial
multiboot cables. Those are far more reliable since they do the timings
themselves instead of relying on your motherboard.

-joemck

Jake Johnson wrote:

> Hi, I have made an XBOO cable and am having trouble getting it to
> work. I have tested the cable since I constructed it and the
> multi-meter verifies that it is built right. I am using WIN XP and the
> XBOO communicator with user port. The userport.sys has been placed in
> the right directory and the port I am accessing is 0378-037F(which is
> my parallel port). When I try to use the XBOO communicator it tells me
> that the gba is not responding. Does anyone else use this? Any ideas?
>
> Thanks,
> Jake