Help for a XBox in the UK

dear all,
i've been following this list for quite some time now and am very 
excited about the prospect of using linux on the xbox. i want to use it 
as a standalone dvd/vcd/divx player as well as a mp3 server for my 
house. i also want to replace my old desktop running redhat which is 
currently acting as a file server and router for the house (adsl 
connection). however, i'm just a little paranoid about forking out all 
the money if it's not all going to work! so, if someone could just 
confirm the following it would be very much appreciated.

i'm going to get the Matrix Modchip. i believe this is the easiest to 
install (no soldering!) and possibly future-proof. easybuy2000.com now 
ships to europe and i'll buy from them unless there's an easier way.

i'm going to use the mandrake iso install images and burn them at x1 
speed so hopefully i won't get any problems with the hardware not 
recognising the stack of very  cheap cd-rw's i have. i tried mandrake 9 
on my laptop for a while, and liked it. does anyone have any comments on 
the maturity of the debian distro vs the mandrake one? it's just that 
350Mb (Mandrake) seems awfully small for a full linux distro... what has 
been taken out?

for those in the UK, i'm getting the xbox from argos. i believe this is 
one of the cheapest places to pick one of these up. any other 
suggestions? i'm not going to get the christmas package as i believe 
these 1.1s do have some problems.

any idea on where to get some HD and ram upgrades for the XBox in the 
UK? i assume i can pick up the extension cables for the Xbox from most 
places (for the USB converter).

your help will be much appreciated. to have this sorted before christmas 
would be very cool! kudos to all of you who have worked so hard on this.

regards,
andrew choong.



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