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[opjose]

QUOTE (shommel @ Nov 20 2002, 03:03 PM)

What is f_boot bios anyway. is it out yet? Steve

                                    Yes, it loads the dashboard from F:\

[opjose]

QUOTE (Sev @ Nov 20 2002, 03:12 PM)

I guess it's about time we actually start looking at what's really happening around the detection side of things so we can be sure, rather than giving theories, if we can. So the current idea seems that xboxdash.xbe is doing a check and setting an EEPROM flag which is picked up on the next Live connect attempt. Firstly, has anyone with a modded but unbanned machine (and an EEPROM backup) been able to see a change in the X, Y and Z values when they attempt to connect to Live without a CAT5 cable plugged in, after going to the MS updated dash? Even without the connection test, has dropping into the updated xboxdash.xbe with a modchip on effected a change in the EEPROM settings? As far as I can tell, moving from Live beta to full live didn't change my xboxdash.xbe or the xodash directory contents - xboxdash.xbe only changed once, and that was when the Beta Live was installed. I have backups of my system state in each of these three situations - before beta, with beta, with full, I'll compare them a little later. The 'Live performing an update' happened to me when I ran the MotoGP demo from the full Live disc. This appeared to load a new MotoGP XBE file onto the E drive. I didn't notice any other major changes. There are fragments of 'connection' messages in the xboxdash.xbe file, has anyone noticed network activity from the dash at any point, even before trying to do a connectivity test? The X, Y and Z settings. At least some of these seem to be bitfields, for example bit 5 of X (if you see it as a 32 bit number) appears to mean 'MAC address overriden). Does anyone have any more? Maybe it's also time to move this to a new thread eg 'What's really happening'?

                                    It's unlikely to be something in the EEPROM as I've gone back to older saves of an Eeprom before being banned, without sucess.

The XYZ values change all the time on non-modded and modded systems.

The EEPROM changes all the time as well, so it is difficult to tell if a "bit" was set in it, but again I've gone to an older save (way before the machine was even used on XBLive for the first time) and it doesn't work, even with a HD wipe to back it up!

The UPDATE occurs the first time you log into the "new" service and it doesn't matter which game you use...

I got the update from Whacked Retail on one machine.

And from other programs on others.

Before you drop into the Live tab the network address of an unmodified Xbox is not even set up. While the small video plays, the initial packets are sent.

[opjose]

QUOTE (__Blaz0__ @ Nov 20 2002, 03:12 PM)

I guess what I am getting at, are we sure there is an actual list or a flag that is sent out from our box saying "yes" allow to connect , or "no" dont connect.  It just seems so unfair to ban a serial.  I mean why punish someone who wants to right their ways and actually remove the mod from their system, cause they care more about playing live.

                                    By test varying combinations (and ruining 7 machines vis-a-vis XBLive) I've been able to eliminate the EEPROM, Hard Drive, etc.

Unless there is something else buried in the hardware that can be reprogrammed that we do not know about it's all being done at the server.

[Websteria]

Question: I loaded up ghost recon and went to the xbox live tab just to check it out. I havn't bought live, or anything. Did the connectivity test, and I've been able to find XBLive a few times now. Here's the question:

since I have not have live "Update" itself from MS is my xbox blocked at this time, or will I be able to still run live as long as I disable the chip before I login to the "Real" live for the first time.

Thanks.
Jeff

[pride]

and i agree: must be the public school system...although i can't get snooze's method to work...imma fiddle with it later...time to go back to class!

[Sev]

Live is set up and working, all with modchip off.
c) someone boots the original dash with modchip on, and doesn't attempt to eonnect with Live.

By comparing the differences between c and b, hopefully not too much should have changed, as you've not gone near the Live tab.

Also, in a situation above, I wonder if it's possible to revert state c to state b and avoid a ban happening. This would help indicate if anything in EEPROM is a 'ban me next time' flag, though obviously it would be wasteful of Xboxes to try this.

I'm about to check myself what's changed. I wouldn't expect much to change here unless you specifically changed an option. Rewriting EEPROM for no real reason would shorten it's life.

I'm looking at everything code-side at the moment.

[dripgoss]

[andreo]

QUOTE (revenant @ Nov 20 2002, 11:45 AM)

QUOTE (angone54321 @ Nov 16 2002, 05:19 AM) Does anyone in here know wtf thier talkin about or is this whole forum just people contradicting what each person says? you nailed it... this is more entertaining than the "Arctic Silver III rulez and Radio Shack paste users are heretics" on the newsgroups! what a bunch of 'i-opened-my-Xbox-and-dicked-around-inside-and-now-it-dont-work' nincomppops... the mis-information here is very entertaining! i blame it on the public school systems... *poof*

                                    who the hell invited this dude to the party?

[BenJeremy]

QUOTE (BenJeremy @ Nov 20 2002, 11:41 AM)

Waiting for 10 new topics posted asking if new X2 and Evo-X BIOSes prevent XBL from detecting them in 5... 4.. 3.. 2...

                                    Doh! did I speak too soon?

What is the deal with the latest X2 BIOS??? Anybody know what the "XBL Checks" thing is all about?

[TITODAWG]

QUOTE (opjose @ Nov 20 2002, 01:49 PM)

QUOTE (mavmf @ Nov 20 2002, 01:25 PM) QUOTE They utilize "misdirection". E.G. they get you to run the updated dashboard (with mod chip detection code built in) when you turn ON your Xbox. This sets something (a flag, a bit?) Then even if you turn the mod chip OFF, upon the next connection your Xbox "reports in" that you have a mod chip in your machine. After that bye bye connection. This is why you CAN use Live if you NEVER use the updated M-icrosoft dashboard (and/or game) with your mod chip turned ON. I have a matrix chip in mode 3 with ONLY the MS dash installed. I therefore have gone to the MS dashboard with the modchip enabled as I don't have any other dash to go to (and I don't always boot straight to a game when I turn it on) I haven't been banned in over a week yet. The thing I haven't done is try the connection attempt or change any settings in the dashboard with the modchip enabled. So it seems to me that I CAN access the MS dashboard with my modchip enabled, without it settting a flag to ban me the next time I connect with the modchip off. Maybe I'm just lucky... anyway I'm prepared to buy another box when this one eventually does get banned. Yeap it could be at connection time via the XBLive tab. When the animation is running the packets are initially sent out. This is why the failure looks almost instant to the "banned" boxes.

                                    OP!!  What is really going on?  I've gat a matrix(evox2.5 bios) and virgin HD (XBL Dash) and have had no problems in mode 3 now since launch.  I did the live install in  mode 1(mod diabled).  Then I switched to mode 3(swap mode).  Also Ive never attempted to connect with mod enabled(but diabled from swap rather).  I then went and disabled the mod again yesterday(MODE 1) and have been all over the livedash(to include sucessful connectivity tests.  I'm thinking about leaving it in mode 1 for now so I don't accidently connect with it enabled.  I think I'll keep it that way until the dust settles and WE REALLY KNOW WHAT IS GOING ON.  If your deductions are correct how come MODE 3 seems to work for me and many others(as i've read on IRC).  It sends us right back to the livedash.  Could it be because we are not running another dash or a non-virgin HD??  A lot of questions.  Maybe you could try experimenting with a virgin box and a matrix.  

[Websteria]

QUOTE

OP!! What is really going on? I've gat a matrix(evox2.5 bios) and virgin HD (XBL Dash) and have had no problems in mode 3 now since launch. I did the live install in mode 1(mod diabled). Then I switched to mode 3(swap mode). Also Ive never attempted to connect with mod enabled(but diabled from swap rather). I then went and disabled the mod again yesterday(MODE 1) and have been all over the livedash(to include sucessful connectivity tests. I'm thinking about leaving it in mode 1 for now so I don't accidently connect with it enabled. I think I'll keep it that way until the dust settles and WE REALLY KNOW WHAT IS GOING ON. If your deductions are correct how come MODE 3 seems to work for me and many others(as i've read on IRC). It sends us right back to the livedash. Could it be because we are not running another dash or a non-virgin HD?? A lot of questions. Maybe you could try experimenting with a virgin box and a matrix.

From what I understand you won't have problems unless you've gone onto live with your modchip active. The people who are having problems seem to have gone onto live with their modchips active and thus are banned. Hope that answers your question. (also, how do you quote the person's name, etc)

[Sev]

I've just checked my EEPROM contents since my first ever backup, and the situation I have now.

I'm actually surprised so little changed.

There is only a single bit difference in the entire EEPROM.

Bit 1 of 0xFD is set now, it wasn't before (was 0x09, is now 0x0B).

I'm not saying this is related to a modchip check, and I'll *never* say reversing it will make a difference (because it'd make no sense for that to be the case, banning would be far easier once it happened once) but it's possible this could be a 'carrier' flag. Having said that, the HD partition table could hold such information as well.

My quest is to find out exactly how this is being done.

[Sayten]

QUOTE (teacup @ Nov 20 2002, 05:33 PM)

To start with, we can change the serial of an xbox, and when we try to connect to live with it (modchip on) this serial/MAC gets banned. My idea is too create a program on the xbox that cycles through serial numbers, logs on and gets that number banned.

That's not going to work. In the eeprom, there is an online key that is used to encrypt the initial authentication packets. This is a shared secret that M$ also has, and its associated with that serial number. The key is never transmitted over the network, so M$ uses the transmitted serial number to look up the appropriate key. Each Xbox has a unique online key. So, if you change the serial number, but don't use the correct online key, then M$ won't be able to decrypt the packets and can't authenticate the Xbox.

QUOTE (teacup @ Nov 20 2002, 05:33 PM)

Since the xblive account doesn't get banned, just the xbox, a single account and xbox could ban hundreds of serial numbers.

I think M$ would notice this and ban the account after awhile.

[Zander]

^
^
^
agreed.

Z

[Ph34R]

What about all the Unmodded boxes who are having this problem?

Why are they being put on the banned list when they have no such Chip running?