- last post: 01.01.0001 12:00 AM PDT
I had this problem too, and I eventually found a card ( for xbox live on xbox) but it was the big 50$ one for a twelve month subscription. I went to my local Circuit City and found a three month card (after buying the 50$ one of course) which after many, many phone calls I was told that the cards are getting more and more rare, and that they don't get shipments of original xbox stuff anymore (Walmart is particularly awful for xbox stuff). My advice, you need to go hunt down a card, any card, because I believe once you have one, you can then just renew it via the xbox live account setup screens on the console (the screens you get when there is no disc in the console). Also, grab a "Team Speak" or xbox live enabled headset and the little converter that fits in your controller like a memory unit, which lets you plug in the headset. The headset really is crucial, there is nothing more frustrating than not being able to coordinate teams. Of course, this is entirely up to you, but I broke and tracked the stuff down. The headset and converter cost me about 25$ in total, the little converter only costing 5$. If you plan to get the 360 in the near future, go ahead and get a headset that is compatible with both the original xbox and the 360. It's more spendy, but then again, it's an investment.
Okay, where to look. I recommend going to Dex online and plugging in your local info. From there, you can put in the search terms for your local retailers, for example, Best Buy. Give them a call before going, you will save A LOT of time. Try also, Circuit City, EB Games, or Game Stop, Game Crazy, Radio Shack sometimes has stuff like that. If you have the means, try online retailers, like Amazon, or Ebay, there might also be good links via a site like IGN, or Halo Planet.
Good luck man, I hope any of this helps. If I told you a bunch of stuff that you already know or don't need to know, then ignore me, and I will bow my head and go to my corner like a good little girl. :)